BDCA ROUND 3 - Trollope plays starring role for Bulldogs with 6-10 and 49

Trollope starred with bat and ball in Square's 75-run win over Bendigo United at Harry Trott Oval.

After making 49 with the bat in Square's 6-189, Trollope then followed up with a superb nine overs with the ball, capturing 6-10.

Bowling first-change, Trollope at one stage had 3-2 from his first 20 balls following the dismissals of Harry Donegan (22), Riley Treloar (0) and Wes Hopcott (14).

Donegan was caught at mid-wicket by Riley Hocking; Treloar caught at mid-wicket by Bradman Constable; while Hopcott was caught at mid-on by Grant Connelly.

Trollope later dismissed Nick Williamson (0), Miggy Podosky (0) and Bendigo United top-scorer Josh Thurston (25) to finish with six-for as the Redbacks were all out for 114.

"We thought we'd try something different today, so we bowled Scott first-change and he was awesome. He came on and had an impact straight away," Golden Square captain Liam Smith.

"He's such a good bowler and someone you know you can rely on."

Rather than open with Trollope, the Bulldogs instead began with a pair of spinners with the new ball - Smith (1-27) and Jamie Bysouth (1-27).

Trollope very nearly had a seven-for, but he spilled a tough caught and bowled chance off Scott Harper (2) from the final ball of his spell.

Harper was forced to bat with a runner after earlier injuring his hamstring in the field, further souring the day for the Redbacks, who are now the only side in the competition without a win.

Golden Square's 6-189 from its 45 overs after Smith won the toss was its best performance with the bat of the season as it beat the Redbacks for the seventh-straight time

Smith again top-scored for the Bulldogs with a patient 57 from 99, while Trollope's 49 later in the innings came off just 43 balls with one four and two sixes.

The innings featured a 65-run partnership for the third wicket between Smith and Bradman Constable (25), while Trollope and Riley Hocking (21) put on 57 for the fifth wicket.

Thurston was the pick of the bowlers for the Redbacks, taking 1-25 from nine overs, which included the scalp of Smith, who was caught by Podosky.

The injury to Harper (0-13) left the Redbacks needing to find six overs elsewhere, with Podosky turning to two players best known as wicket-keepers - Donegan (0-20) and Williamson (0-10).

Meanwhile, the second XI game saw the return to the field of the BDCA's greatest batsman, Heath Behrens, for Bendigo United.

Behrens, who holds all the BDCA's batting records, batted in his customary No.3 position and made five before he was dismissed by Square's Dylan Robinson (2-17). Behrens retired from first XI in 2017.

Strathfieldsaye took until the last over to mow down Sandhurst's 9-167 and win its first game of the season.

Having suffered a "super over" loss to White Hills last week, this time the Jets were on the right end of a tight result, winning by five wickets with five balls to spare.

Mitch Cheesman played a pivotal innings to guide the Jets over the line, coming in at 3-61 in the 20^th over and later hitting the winning runs, finishing 48 n.o. in Strathfieldsaye's 5-168 at Tannery Lane.

The Jets' innings also featured 32 from No.3 Callum McCarty, with he and Cheesman adding 46 for the fourth wicket.

"It probably got a little bit away from us between overs 15 and 25, but Cal and Cheesy stepped the run-rate up and did a good job with their partnership," Jets skipper Ben Devanny said.

"It wasn't an easy track to bat on second, so it was a good chase to get there in the end and get our first win."

Playing against his former side for the first time, Strathfieldsaye opener Nayana Palamandadidge got off to a flyer, cracking two sixes and one four in his 25 off 21 balls.

Spinner Kayde Howard (2-25) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Dragons.

Earlier, Sandhurst's 9-167 batting first featured another unbeaten knock from Dylan Gibson.

Coming off 103 n.o. against Bendigo United the previous week, Gibson compiled an unbeaten 47 off 88 balls.

Gibson held firm while wickets tumbled around him when the Dragons lost 4-8 to fall from 4-130 in the 34^th over to 8-138 in the 37^th.

Two of those wickets to fall in quick succession were taken by Jets' spinner Savith Priyan (4-50) when he dismissed Ben Leed (29) and Braydon Vaz (0) in successive deliveries.

Priyan's hat-trick delivery just spun past the bat of the Dragons' Jack Ryan (3).

The last of the four quick wickets to fall was a superb catch at pace by an outstretched Jed Rodda at mid-on to dismiss Will Keck (4) off Chathura Damith (2-30).

Strathdale-Maristians remained unbeaten and in doing so, inflicted the first loss of the season on White Hills.

Highlighted by another masterful innings from the classy Grant Waldron, the Suns comfortably accounted for the Demons by seven wickets, answering White Hills' 7-158 with 3-161 and winning with 77 balls to spare at Bell Oval.

Waldron's hot form continued with another unbeaten innings as he compiled 69 n.o., following on from his previous two scores of 115 n.o. and 30 n.o. to now have 214 runs.

Waldron began his knock on the third ball of the Suns' innings following the early dismissal of opener Cameron Taylor (2), caught by Hamish Richards at mid-wicket off Rhys Irwin (1-34).

No doubt there was a collective sigh of relief from the Demons at Taylor's dismissal given twice in his previous three games against White Hills he had made centuries.

While the loss of Taylor gave the Demons an early boost with the ball, James Vlaeminck soon had the scoreboard ticking over.

Vlaeminck scored 42 of the Suns' first 54 runs before he was trapped lbw by Linc Jacobs (2-34) in the 11^th over.

"We know how much talent and skill James has, so it was great to see him perform the way he did against two really good opening bowlers (Rhys Irwin and Mitch Winter-Irving)," Suns' captain Ben DeAraugo said.

"He put the pressure back on White Hills and played to his strengths well."

Two overs later the Suns were 3-68 when Jacobs bowled Jack Neylon (9), but that would be the last of the wickets for the Demons as Waldron and DeAraugo (35 n.o.) closed out the innings with an unbroken 93-run partnership.

Waldron's 69 n.o. included 10 boundaries and one six.

Earlier in the day the Demons' innings featured another fine knock from the in-form Caleb Barras.

Coming off what had been his previous highest score for the Demons of 70 against Strathfieldsaye, Barass surpassed that, scoring 82 after coming in with White Hills on the ropes early at 2-9.

It was Vlaeminck who did the early damage with the ball for the Suns, claiming the two huge scalps of Mitch Winter-Irving (7) and Gavin Bowles (0) in consecutive deliveries in the fifth over.

Winter-Irving was caught at point by Daniel Clohesy, while Bowles hit a full-toss back to Vlaeminck and was caught and bowled for a rare golden duck.

Barras' 82 off 110 was laced with seven boundaries and one six hit off Chris Sole (0-35) over point.

Vlaemnick (2-14) and Sam Johnston (2-33) took two wickets each for the Suns, while Ben DeAraugo continues to edge closer to 400 career scalps with his 1-26.

Huntly-North Epsom made it consecutive wins after accounting for Bendigo by 64 runs at the QEO.

The Power made the most of the invitation to bat first, amassing 8-212, with the standout innings a knock of 77 from Adam Ward that drew high praise from skipper Elliott Massina.

"Wardy was terrific and he was probably quite tempered with how he played," Massina said.

"He batted through a difficult period and made sure he got us close to the back end of the innings to allow us to get over 200."

While it may have been a "tempered" innings from Ward, he still scored at a strike rate of 89.5, with his 77 coming off 86 balls.

Ward struck eight boundaries and one six in his innings, which ended when he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Joel Bothe off Declan Slingo (1-51).

Danushka Wijemanna made a quickfire 39 off 37 for the Power, while Massina closed out the innings with an unbeaten 43 off 72 in a role he's enjoying.

Having spent so much of his time at the Power opening the batting, Massina has slid down the order this season and so far has 85 runs from three hits without being dismissed.

"I'm enjoying being down at No.7 in these games because there's a bit more freedom to play a few shots... for a bloke who generally doesn't have too many shots, it's a bit different to being up the top of the order and just trying to survive," Massina said.

"It was really enjoyable batting with Wardy. When he's hitting the ball the way he was you've just got to get up the other end."

Massina and Ward added 88 for the sixth wicket.

In reply, Bendigo was all out for 148, with new opener Kyle Humphrys carrying his bat.

Elevated to open the batting with James Ryan having now returned to Essendon, Humphrys finished unbeaten on 78 from 117 balls, but sorely lacked support, with skipper Nathan Fitzpatrick (21) and Slingo (17) the only other players to make more than six.

Massina backed up his unbeaten 42 n.o. by claiming his best figures for the Power of 4-25, finishing off the Goers' innings by taking four of the last six wickets.

All six Power bowlers used took a wicket, with left-arm spinner Malan Madusanka (1-13) tieing the Goers down, with his nine overs costing just 13 runs and featuring four maidens.

Fellow Sri Lankan Ajith Rajapaksha showed his class behind the stumps with a sharp piece of wicket-keeping to dismiss Kayle Thompson (0) with a leg-side stumping off Brett Elvey (1-35).

An unbeaten half-century from Ryan Harling in just his second first XI innings helped Kangaroo Flat retain its unbeaten record.

Chasing Eaglehawk's 9-133 at Dower Park, Harling relished the opportunity to bat at No.3, finishing 50 n.o.

The left-hander spent 111 minutes at the crease after coming in with the Roos' 1-44 in the seventh over.

Harling later hit the winning runs in the 40^th over as the Roos replied with 4-135.

The Hawks went down despite a fine bowling performance from skipper Cory Jacobs (2-22 off nine overs), while he also produced a brilliant piece of fielding to run out Daniel Barber (8) with a direct hit from mid-off.

The Roos' Jake Klemm (2) was unable to capitalise on a stroke of luck after he was bowled by Jacobs on zero off a no-ball, but only added two more before Jacobs got his revenge.

Earlier, Ben Williams (42), Jacobs (21) and No.10 Richard Tibbett (21 n.o.) were the only players to reach double figures for the Hawks.

Eaglehawk had been 9-111 in the 42^nd over, before Tibbett and Tom Saker (5 n.o.) fought the innings out to ensure the Hawks batted their 45 overs out.

Lewis Stabler (2-15), Jake Klemm (2-20) and Kenny Beith (2-26) all took two wickets for the Roos.

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