Defending just 131 at Bendigo Door Centre Weeroona Oval on Sunday, Howard weaved his off-spin magic against his former team as he claimed a stunning 9-60 off 30.1 overs.

The last of his nine wickets was the match-winner when he bowled Sam Johnston (26) to dismiss the Suns for 130.

Howard’s nine wickets came from four different modes – bowled (3), lbw (3), stumped (2) and caught (1).

The Dragons claimed 10-101 on Sunday after the Suns had resumed at 0-29.

However, the Suns’ much-vaunted batting line-up again faltered for the second time to start the season, at one stage crashing from 3-72 to 9-103, before a last-wicket stand between Johnston and Dylan Bailie (15 n.o.) pushed the reigning premiers to the brink of victory until Howard struck for the ninth time.

The team-mate who denied Howard the chance to take 10 wickets was Sam Sperling (1-47), who dismissed Daniel Clohesy (3).

Johnston’s 26 was the top score for the Suns, who have now opened the season with a pair of defeats, while the Dragons – who beat Strathdale for only the third time since 2000 – are 2-0.

On Saturday Jacob DeAraugo was in fine form with the ball for the Suns as he captured 4-25 off 11.3 overs after the Dragons won the toss and batted.

Bailie also gave little away in taking 2-9 off 9 overs, including the key scalp of Howard for a duck – but he more than made up for his lack of impact with the bat on Sunday with the ball.

Shane Robinson (39 off 79) and gun recruit Zen Malik (33 off 73) combined to score more than half the Dragons’ 131 runs.

The clash was the second season in a row the two sides have fought out a Weeroona Oval thriller. Last season the Suns snuck home over the Dragons by three runs.

• Heath Behrens outscored Eaglehawk on his own as Bendigo United trounced the Hawks by 166 runs at Harry Trott Oval.

Behrens cracked his 27^th first XI century for Bendigo United to help the Redbacks reach 8-251 at Harry Trott Oval on Saturday.

The veteran compiled 109, starting his innings in the sixth over with the score 1-14 after the Hawks claimed the big wicket of Bendigo United’s Ben Gunn, caught and bowled by Cam McGlashan (1-38).

It’s said that cricket is a great leveller – just ask both Behrens and Gunn.

After making 111 against Golden Square the previous week, Gunn was out for just two, while Behrens’ ton came after he had made a duck seven days earlier.

In what was his third ton against the Hawks, Behrens’ 109 came off 212 balls. He belted 12 boundaries and two sixes, with his innings including a 140-run partnership with Mark Di Fede for the third wicket.

With Di Fede making a supporting 42 off 161, the pair of left-handers took the score from 2-28 to 168.

Hawks’ all-rounder Aaron Monro claimed a five-wicket haul with 5-58 off 18 overs, which included the dismissals of both Behrens (caught Matt Ford) and Di Fede (caught Brodie Hawke).

On Sunday the Achilles Heel of the Hawks in recent seasons – their at-times brittle batting – reared its ugly head as they didn’t give a yelp in their run-chase.

Stunningly, the Hawks – who batted one short with Monro absent – lost 8-11 to collapse from 1-74 to all out for a paltry 85.

Redbacks’ skipper Leigh McDermott ripped through the Hawks to bag 5-17 off nine overs, while Nick Crawford (3-14) started the dramatic collapse when he had the Hawks’ top-scorer, Andrew Smith (43), caught by Jack Bouwmeester.

Only Smith, Anthony West (15) and Matt Ford (10) – in his first innings in the first XI since 2009-10 – made more than three for the disappointing Hawks, who were 1-26 in their second innings before stumps were pulled.

• For the first time since 2009-10, Kangaroo Flat has won its opening two games of the season.

The Roos comprehensively outplayed Strathfieldsaye with bat and ball at Champions IGA Oval, setting the 140-run win up on Saturday.

Batting first, Strathfieldsaye’s innings lasted into just the 53^rd over before the Jets were all out for 137.

In his 200^th senior game for the Roos Adam Burns marked the milestone with 3-29 off 10.2 overs, while skipper Brent Hamblin (3-32 off 13) also kept the heat on the Jets.

The Jets were on the ropes from the outset when they slumped to 3-14.

Zoltan Smyth (29 off 51), Jack Stubbs (26 off 35), Bodee Scullie (26 off 49) and Greg Lyon (21 off 29) all got into the 20s during the innings – and all hit four boundaries – before getting out after doing the hard work to get set.

Resuming on Sunday at 2-76, the Roos added another 201 runs to finish at 6-277.

Kangaroo Flat had seven of its batsmen make at least 20, with Dylan Gibson, who came in at 2-69, leading the Roos over the line and making 70 off 119 (10 fours). 

Michael Curtis (2-51) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Jets, who spent 107 overs in the field, while captain Ben Devanny (1-19) conceded just 19 runs off a tight 16 overs.

• New Bendigo captain Shane Koop showed he isn’t a player who will be giving his wicket away cheaply this season.

Koop carried his bat through the Goers’ entire innings against Golden Square at MyJet Oval, scoring 82 n.o. on Saturday in Bendigo’s tally of 8-185, which was enough to record a 37-run win.

Koop faced 245 deliveries as he held the Goers’ innings together against the economical Golden Square attack that conceded just 2.1 runs per over.

Apart from Koop, the only two other players who scored in double figures for the Goers were Nathan Fitzpatrick (39 off 98) and Ryan Trickey (21 off 25).

Koop and Fitzpatrick added 53 for the third wicket in what was the best partnership of the innings.

Stand-in skipper Liam Smith led from the front for Golden Square, with his left-arm spinners claiming 4-52 off 20 overs.

Scott Trollope (0-12) conceded just 12 runs off 13 overs, while Luke Baird (1-26 off 16) and Grant Connelly (1-35 off 19) also ensured runs were hard to come by for the Goers.

On Sunday Fitzpatrick and new leg-spinner Tom Hart both took three wickets apiece as the Goers – who are now 2-0 for the first time since 2000-01 – dismissed Square for 148.

Fitzpatrick (3-33) took the first three wickets to fall – Jake Higgins (22), Scott Johnson (0) and Zane Keighran (10) – while Hart (3-48) later took the three wickets that dented Square as its 4-106 became 7-112.

Jason Johnson led the way with the bat for Square in making 39 off 93, with Higgins the only other player to score more than 20.

• White Hills recovered from early trouble with the bat on Sunday to reel in Huntly-North Epsom’s 8-201 at Sunline Plastering Oval.

The Power were up and about early when they had the Demons 2-8, with Ryan Grundy (0) and Rhys Irwin (3) both dismissed by paceman Peter Moore (2-42).

However, the Demons’ successful rescue mission was launched by their star batsmen in Mitch Winter-Irving and Gavin Bowles.

Winter-Irving played a fine captain’s knock in making a century – bringing up his ton and the winning runs with a boundary.

In what was his second ton since joining the Demons two seasons ago, Winter-Irving finished unbeaten on 102 off 200 as White Hills reached 4-208 off 76 overs before stumps was called.

Opening the batting again, Bowles notched his second half-century to start the season with 66 off 170 in an innings that included a milestone as he ticked over 5000 career runs for the Demons.

Winter-Irving and Bowles shared in a 134-run partnership for the third wicket.

On Saturday, the Power’s 8-201 featured nine of their 10 batsmen scoring in double figures.

Brett Elvey finished unbeaten on 34 off 79, guiding the Power past 200 after coming in with the score at 5-110, while skipper Elliott Massina dug in at the top of the order for more than two hours in making 26 off 103.

Young off-spinner Jack Bourke claimed the best figures of his short first XI career for the Demons with 4-60 off 20 overs.

Myles Wade snared 3-29 off 17 overs.