The BDCA defeated Ballarat by four wickets in Friday's grand final at the Albert Ground.

After restricting Ballarat to 8-219 off its 50 overs, the BDCA raced to 6-223 with more than 11 overs to spare.

The man of the match was Strathdale's Jack Neylon.

The aggressive right-hander made a brilliant 96 off 82 balls, including 14 fours and one six.

With just 17 runs required for victory, Neylon was stumped - four runs short of what would have been a deserved century.

Neylon's play between mid-on and square-leg was a feature as he punished anything loose from the Ballarat attack.

He added 120 for the fourth wicket with Strathdale team-mate Grant Waldron (38).

Neylon and Waldron both fell with the score on 204, before Kyle Humphrys was trapped lbw three runs later.

Skipper Ben DeAraugo (nine not out) and Rhys Irwin (six not out) guided the BDCA home.

The BDCA innings got off to a flyer thanks to Sam Johnston.

The hard-hitting left-hander took 23 off the second over, including three sixes in a row over mid-wicket and square leg.

While Johnston fell in the third over for 27 off 10 balls, he'd set a foundation for the rest of the BDCA batsmen to build on.

Ryan Hartley fell cheaply for five, but Ben Birkhead kept the scoreboard ticking over.

The English import looked in good touch on his way to 23 before he tried to turn a ball to the leg-side and a leading edge went straight to mid-wicket.

At 3-84 off 12 overs Ballarat felt as though it was back in the game.

Neylon and Waldron changed that.

The Strathdale duo combined brute force with great placement to take the game away from Ballarat.

Neylon's first 50 came off just 35 balls, including nine fours and one six.

He made Ballarat pay for two dropped catches on the deep mid-wicket boundary that went for six and four.

Waldron showed his class and experience. The former Northcote batsman took his time early and accelerated at the right time.

After scoring two runs off his first 19 balls, Waldron finished 38 off 67 balls.

Earlier, the BDCA bowlers did a superb job to restrict Ballarat to 8-219.

Despite three days of constant rain, the Albert Ground pitch was hard and Ballarat had no hesitation in winning the toss and batting.

The BDCA started brilliantly, with Sam Johnston removing former South Australian first-class cricket Sam Miller for just two when an attempted flick over square-leg went straight up in the air to Liam Smith at point.

The next delivery Adam Burns trapped Harry Killoran in front for a golden duck to leave Ballarat 2-5 in the fifth over.

Ballarat's two in-form batsmen Leigh Lorenzen and Nathan Yates set about rebuilding their side's innings.

Yates, who made a century against the BDCA at the QEO in the KenMac Shield earlier this month, looked dangerous as he hit three early boundaries.

However, he tried to hit Burns back over his head for six and Ben Birkhead made good ground from long-off and took a fine running catch inside the boundary.

With Ballarat 3-33, the BDCA looked well on top.

Lorenzen, who blasted 174 on day one of Country Week, and Jarrod Burns added 51 for the fourth wicket before Lorenzen was found short of his ground thanks to a fine throw from Liam Smith.

Jarrod Burns and Heath Pyke steadied the ship for Ballarat with a well-compiled partnership.

They threatened to break the game open before Smith clean bowled Pyke for 24 to leave Ballarat 5-137 off 37 overs.

Burns and Sam Burgess produced the most productive partnership of the innings for Ballarat.

They added 60 off 55 balls before Burns (75 off 110 balls) was caught on the boundary by Dylan Klemm off the bowling of Rhys Irwin.

Johnston (3-37) and Irwin (1-19) bowled well at the death to keep Ballarat under 220.

Adam Burns was the pick of the BDCA bowlers with 2-32 off his 10 overs.

Spinners Smith (1-42 off 10) and Kyle Humphrys (0-40 off 10) did a great job of containing Ballarat through the middle overs.

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