Two weeks ago Scott Trollope wasn’t in the BDCA squad to play at Melbourne Country Week.
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A foot injury to Strathdale all-rounder Sam Johnston paved the way for Trollope to earn a late call-up.
On Monday, the Golden Square paceman produced one of the greatest MCW debuts in BDCA history when he tore through the Goulburn Murray batting line-up.
Trollope took 6-30 off 10 overs to lead the BDCA to an emphatic round one victory.
His figures were the fourth best by a BDCA bowler at MCW since 1998 behind Nic Balic (7-13 v Sale-Maffra in 2007), Adam Burns (7-39 v Kyabram in 2004) and Sam Johnston (6-24 v West Gippsland in 2018).
Trollope bowled first change and had figures of 0-14 off his first 16 deliveries before the final two balls of his third over changed the game.
With Goulburn Murray 1-43 chasing the BDCA’s total of 8-241, Trollope had key batsman Paul Newman caught by Dylan Klemm for 17 and the next ball dismissed number three Dale Shaw for 18.
Trollope missed out on a hat-trick with the first ball of his following over, but it didn’t take him long to strike again.
The big man had Goulburn Murray skipper Daniel Kent trapped in front for 1 and a short time later Josh Wood was Trollope’s fourth scalp.
The wickets of Vibhor Yadav and Matt Hinks completed Trollope’s haul. He took 6-16 with the final 7.2 overs of his spell.
Rhys Irwin (2-21), Dylan Klemm (1-17) and leg-spinner Russell Stockdale (1-4) also took wickets as Goulburn Murray was dismissed for 91 in 29 overs.
“It was a special achievement for Scott,’’ BDCA coach Shane Koop said.
“He’s been a really consistent performer for Golden Square and to come out here at senior repsentative level and impact the game way he did is a credit to himself.”
Earlier in the day, a swashbuckling half-century from Ash Gray and a captain’s knock from Ben DeAraugo guided the BDCA to 8-241 off 50 overs.
Openers Mitch Winter-Irving (6) and Rhys Irwin (3) fell cheaply, but the BDCA’s total kept ticking over thanks to wayward bowling by Goulburn Murray.
17 of the BDCA’s first 30 runs came from wides and Goulburn Murray eventually bowled 27 wides for the innings.
Number three Jake Klemm made a brisk 31 off 35 balls before he and Andrew Chalkley (7) fell in quick succession to leave the BDCA a precarious 4-74.
DeAruago and Gray set about their rescue mission in conservative style.
At the halfway mark the BDCA was 4-104, with Gray 19 off 34 balls and DeAraugo 11 off 35 balls.
Gray stepped up the pace with his next 42 runs coming off 32 balls.
The left-hander was caught for 61 off 66 balls, including four fours and three sixes.
His partnership with DeAraugo for the fifth wicket was worth 90 valuable runs.
DeAraugo was the glue that kept the innings together.
The skipper batted through until the 46th over where he fell one run short of a deserved half-century. His 49 came from 92 balls and included one boundary.
Scott Trollope added 25 off 36 balls late in the innings.
Spinner Alister McCann (3-35) was the pick of the Goulburn Murray bowlers.
“There’s a lot of confidence in the group,’’ Koop said.
“The boys have prepared really well and started really today. Ben (DeAraugo) and Ash (Gray) showed some real leadership with the bat after we’d lost some early wickets.
“That partnership was a game changer for us.”
The BDCA plays fellow round one winner Wangaratta at Ivanhoe in Tuesday’s second round.
The winner will almost certainly seal a berth in Thursday’s semi-finals.
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