NEW year, new carnival, but a sense of familiarity heading into the opening day of Bendigo Country Week on Monday.
And that familiarity centres around Murray Valley entering division one as the defending champions.
Murray Valley has been the power association of Bendigo Country Week for the past decade, winning half of the division one titles on offer between 2009 and 2018.
Included in those five titles of the past decade was an incredible four in a row between 2009 and 2012 when Murray Valley won all 20 games it played through those four seasons.
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That unbeaten 20-0 record through 2009-12 forms more than half of the 33 victories Murray Valley has racked up in division one over the past decade.
Murray Valley’s 33 wins are followed by Goulburn Murray’s 20 – all of which have been from 2013 onwards after the competition was formed out of a merger between the former Kyabram and Campaspe associations.
Goulburn Murray has won two division one titles in its six years competing at Bendigo Country Week, making it the only other association outside of Murray Valley with multiple grand final wins over the past decade.
Goulburn Murray has a strong strike rate of getting through to Friday. In the six carnivals it has played at Bendigo it has made the final four times for two wins (2017 and 2014) and two losses (2018 and 2013).
Goulburn Murray also boasts the carnival’s highest individual division one score of the past decade when Liam Gwynne blasted 185 against Ferntree Gully on the opening day of 2014.
In the same week Gwynne – an Englishman playing with Bamawm-Lockington United at the time – also made 171 against Northern Districts, the third top score of the past decade.
The best division one bowling figures of the past decade coincide with one of the greatest individual games in the history of Bendigo Country Week that dates back to 1934.
It was day four of the 2011 carnival when Murray Valley captain Shaun Downie spun his way to figures of 8-18 off 12 overs against Castlemaine at Huntly in what’s the only eight-wicket bag of the past decade.
Downie then backed up his eight-for by making 102 with the bat to lead Murray Valley to a 95-run victory en route to the third triumph in its premiership four-peat.
Bendigo Country Week division one – 2009-2018:
FLAGS WON:
Murray Valley – 5
Goulburn Murray – 2
Ferntree Gully – 1
Gisborne – 1
Northern Districts – 1
………………………………..
GRAND FINAL APPEARANCES:
Murray Valley – 6
Goulburn Murray – 4
Ferntree Gully – 4
Shepparton – 2
Campaspe – 1
Castlemaine – 1
Gisborne – 1
Northern Districts – 1
………………………………..
TOTAL WINS:
Murray Valley – 33
Goulburn Murray – 20
Ferntree Gully – 17
Gisborne – 14
Castlemaine – 11
Northern Districts – 8
Shepparton – 8
Campaspe – 7
Emu Valley – 4
Maryborough – 3
Benalla – 2
Northern United – 0
Kyabram – 0
Portland – 0
Wimmera-Mallee – 0
………………………………..
GRAND FINAL RESULTS:
2009:
Murray Valley 3-279 d Shepparton 8-249
2010:
Murray Valley 5-276 d Shepparton 185
2011:
Murray Valley 6-112 d Campaspe 111
2012:
Murray Valley 9-170 d Ferntree Gully 101
2013:
Ferntree Gully 7-219 d Goulburn Murray 166
2014:
Goulburn Murray 1-161 d Ferntree Gully 7-160
2015:
Northern Districts 9-202 d Castlemaine 201
2016:
Gisborne 0-0 dr Ferntree Gully 0-0 (washed out)
2017:
Goulburn Murray 2-64 d Murray Valley 63
2018:
Murray Valley 155 d Goulburn Murray 123
………………………………..
TOP 10 BATTING:
185 – Liam Gwynne
(Goulburn Murray)
v Ferntree Gully, 2014
175 – Ben Way
(Gisborne)
v Emu Valley, 2018
171 – Liam Gwynne
(Goulburn Murray)
v Northern Districts, 2014
151 – Kieran Atkin
(Gisborne)
v Castlemaine, 2013
144 – Shaun Downie
(Murray Valley)
v Benalla, 2013
139 – Adrian Pappin
(Campaspe)
v Portland, 2012
129 – Shaun Downie
(Murray Valley)
v Gisborne, 2013
128 – Tyler Jones
(Northern Districts)
v Gisborne, 2018
121 – Michael Hill
(Goulburn Murray)
v Emu Valley, 2018
119 – Liam Evans
(Murray Valley)
v Northern Districts, 2018
………………………………..
TOP 10 BOWLING:
8-18 – Shaun Downie
(Murray Valley)
v Castlemaine, 2011
7-26 – Madushanka
Ekanayaka
(Gisborne)
v Ferntree Gully, 2017
7-32 – Robert Birnie
(Ferntree Gully)
v Goulburn Murray, 2015
7-33 – Jedd Wright
(Shepparton)
v Ferntree Gully, 2011
7-34 – Russell Stockdale
(Murray Valley)
v Northern Districts, 2014
7-41 – Ash Quinn
(Murray Valley)
v Castlemaine, 2010
7-43 – Ash Quinn
(Murray Valley)
v Ferntree Gully, 2012
7-51 – Liam Evans
(Murray Valley)
v Goulburn Murray, 2017
7-63 – Liam Evans
(Murray Valley)
v Goulburn Murray, 2014
7-66 – Daniel Burness
(Shepparton)
v Benalla, 2009
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