The BDCA's bowlers and fielders put Ballarat on the back foot and Jack Neylon landed the knockout blow.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Friday's Melbourne Country Week Provincial grand final win over old rival Ballarat at the Albert Ground returned Bendigo cricket to the top of the regional cricket tree.
The BDCA restricted Ballarat to 8-219 before Neylon's sensational 96 set up the BDCA's reply of 6-223 inside 39 overs.
Skipper Ben DeAraugo, who fittingly hit the winning runs with a four straight down the ground, said the players deserved their success.
"The players that have come through Melbourne Country Week in recent years have helped in that we've built a really good culture,'' he said.
"We enjoy our time together, but we're here to win titles and we've got that balance right.
"The boys enjoy each other's company and that contributes to how we perform on the field as well."
DeAraugo, who celebrated his third Provincial win as a player, said it was the most flexible squad he's played with at an MCW carnival.
"I'm disappointed we didn't get to play the full week because with this group we had such variety in our bowling, batting and fielding,'' DeAraugo said.
"It would have been great to see how this team would have fared in different situations - setting scores, chasing scores.
"I think we had a team that would have challenged for the title over the full five days.
"As captain it was great to look around the field and have so many options to throw the ball to in any situtation.
"Even with field placements we had so many good fielders that could field in different positions."
DeAraugo said the performance of the bowlers to keep Ballarat to a sub-par score was critical to the outcome of the game.
"At the start of the game we would have taken 220 because it's such a good wicket, with a fast outfield and it's such a big ground with big pockets that are hard to defend,'' he said.
"The bowlers challenged the Ballarat batters with good lengths and we made it difficult for them to score.
"I thought the spinners (Liam Smith and Kyle Humphrys) did a great job through the middle overs to tie them down.
"They put the brakes on and built up pressure."
The BDCA's reply started with Sam Johnston hitting three sixes in a row in the second over and was taken to the next level by Neylon's brilliant innings.
"Last night we spoke about potentially using Sam late in the innings as a way to target their spinners to the short boundary,'' DeAraugo said.
"We know how important the power play is in the first 10 overs with only two fielders out and we wanted to exploit that.
"He set us right up with some great momentum at the start and we were never behind the run-rate because of that.
"I don't think Jack (Neylon) realises how good a player he is or how how good he could be.
"He's got such a good technique and he has so many areas he can score in.
"When he knuckles down like he did today and keeps things simple...he makes bowlers pay.
"Hopefully, he can take that form back into club cricket."
Match report - BDCA defeats Ballarat by four wickets in grand final
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.