Two of the most destructive batsmen in the BDCA belted brilliant centuries and Strathfieldsaye enhanced its finals credentials in an entertaining sixth round of the BDCA.
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In a round reduced to 35 overs per side because of heat, Strathdale's Jack Neylon and Bendigo's Kyle Humphrys provided the fireworks with the willow.
The most intriguing result of the round was at Dower Park where Strathfieldsaye inflicted Kangaroo Flat's first loss of the season.
Batting woes haunted the home side again as the Jets restricted the Roos to 9-137 off 35 overs.
On a good wicket for batting, Nathan Newlan (34) was the only Roo to make more than 16.
Chathura Damith (3-32) set the tone for the Jets by claiming two key early wickets.
Spinner Savith Priyan and captain Ben Devanny were once again hard to score off. They combined for figures of 3-30 off 14 overs.
Strathfieldsaye's reply started disastrously.
Zoltan Smyth (2), Cal McCarty (2) and Devanny (1) fell cheaply to leave the Jets 3-11.
Jets' import Nayana Palamandadige decided the best form of defence was attack and he raced to 35 before he was stumped off the bowling of Jakle Klemm.
Palamandadige's departure left the Jets a precarious 4-41 in the 17th over and the confident Roos could smell blood in the water.
Jet's big-hitter Pat Felmingham quashed the Roos' swagger.
In a 31-ball stay, Felmingham hit four sixes and four fours on his way to 51 - his first half-century at first XI level since round two of the 2018-19 season.
Mitch Cheesman (29 not out off 53 balls) added 85 for the fifth wicket for the Jets before Damith put the icing on the cake with 13 not out off seven balls.
Despite the slow start, the Jets won by five wickets with six overs to spare.
"We've had to chase every game, so it was good today to get in a good position and then not let the other team back in,'' Devanny said.
"For Mitch and Pat to tie the game for us like that was really pleasing.
"We knew we had Kangaroo Flat, Huntly and Strathdale over the next four weeks, so to get one win early was really important.
"Hopefully, we can knock off either of the other two as well."
STRATHDALE-MARISTIANS v EAGLEHAWK
The first game under lights at Canterbury Park was all about Strathdale star Jack Neylon.
The free-scoring right-hander made a brilliant 129 off just 94 balls to set up the Suns' big win.
The Hawks were up and about when they removed Strathdale openers James Vlaeminck and Cam Taylor cheaply.
Neylon's innings started with the score 2-27 in the seventh over and for the next 90 minutes he entertained the crowd and tormented the Borough attack with a mix of class and brutal force.
Neylon made batting look easy as he belted six sixes and 16 fours on his way to his highest score and fourth first XI century.
Neylon and Sam Johnston (52 not out off 40 balls) added 131 for the fifth wicket as the Suns raced to an imposing 5-244 off 35 overs.
"Jack has all the shots, but for Jack it's just a matter of knowing when to play them and picking the right balls,'' Suns' skipper Ben DeAraugo said.
"He did that perfectly, probably as well as he ever has.
"He's such a clean hitter and he has great control of his aggressive shots.
"He doesn't slog, he just plays good controlled shots. Sometimes he hits the ball on the ground and sometimes he elevates them.
"He has a great game and when he puts it together like that he's as good as anyone around."
The Borough had no option but to attack with the bat, but that's easier said than done against the best balanced attack in the competition.
The home side was dismissed for just 90 inside 24 overs.
Regular tailender Nick Farley was elevated in the batting order and he gave the home fans something to cheer about by launching three big sixes in his team-high score of 26.
The Suns only used four bowlers and they all took wickets - spinners Taylor (3-7) and Vlaeminck (3-39) and pacemen Chris Sole (2-20) and Johnston (2-23).
BENDIGO v GOLDEN SQUARE
A masterclass from Kyle Humphrys was the highlight of Bendigo's 44-run win over Golden Square at the QEO.
The left-hander relished the opportunity to open the batting in the shortened game and proceeded to smash the Square attack to all parts of the ground.
He hit 10 fours and six sixes in a brilliant 121 that led the Goers to a formidable 6-239.
Skipper Nathan Fitzpatrick (46) played his best innings of the summer, while Will Collicoat (33) replaced Bailey George at the top of the order and didn't let his team-mates down.
Humphrys and Collicoat put on 72 for the first wicket at a run per ball.
"He batted brilliantly,'' Fitzpatrick said of Humphrys.
"He really upped the tempo from the 20th over onwards.
"The shorter format suits him and he naturally scores quickly, anyway."
In reply, the Bulldogs decided to elevate in-form all-rounder Scott Trollope in the order.
He made a quickfire 10 before being caught off the bowling of off-spinner Humphrys (2-37), who took the new ball.
Veteran left-hander Scott Johnson (69) batted well for Square and Max Grant (40 not out) produced some hitting late in the day, but the Bulldogs (9-195) never looked like reeling in the big total.
"Our batting has been our downfall in recent years, but in our last three games we've been 1-100 and set ourselves a really good platform,'' Fitzpatrick said.
"There is some confidence in the group. We haven't set our side yet purely because of unavailability, but everyone that has come in has played a role.
"We're young and we're going to have ups and downs, but we want the group to go out there and take the game on and play with confidence."
HUNTLY-NORTH EPSOM v BUCC
The underdog Bendigo United went within a metre of upstaging Huntly-North Epsom.
Redbacks' skipper Miggy Podosky (28 off 24 balls) needed to hit a four off the final ball to send the match into a super over.
Facing leg-spinner Sandun Ranathunga, Podosky launched the ball over mid-wicket.
For a split second it appeared as though Podosky's shot might go for six and win the game for the Redbacks.
Much to the pleasure of the Power, Sri Lankan import Supun Devinda calmly caught the ball just inside the boundary line to clinch a four-run victory.
"It was close, but not quite enough,'' Podosky said.
"It didn't feel good off the bat and it didn't feel like a six, but then I saw him standing really close to the line.
"We were running hard in case he dropped it, but he caught it and that was it.
"It was disappointing to lose, but I'm much happier tonight than what I was after last weekend."
The winless Redbacks looked down and out when they needed 60 runs off the last six overs.
Podosky joined Thurston at the crease and they used a combination of big hitting and smart placement to get the Redbacks back in the game.
Thurston made abrisk 21 off 12 balls before Podosky and Tom Batters cut the equation to 16 runs to win off the final over.
Podosky scored two runs off the first ball, followed by a dot ball and then another two to leave the Redbacks' requiring 12 off three balls.
However, a Ranathunga chest-high full toss was top-edged by Podosky to fine leg for four and it was called a no-ball.
Podosky had a free hit off the next ball, but Ranathunga (3-38) fired in a yorker and the Redbacks' skipper couldn't get it away and no runs were scored.
The Redbacks duo scampered two runs off the penultimate ball to set up the final delivery drama.
Earlier in the day, the Redbacks bowled well to restrict the Power to 6-135.
Ranathunga (53) and Danushka Wijemanna (35) rescued the Power from a precarious 2-12.
WHITE HILLS v SANDHURST
White Hills returned to the winners' list with a comfortable victory over Sandhurst.
After dropping three games in a row the Demons were desperate to find some form and their captain Mitch Winter-Irving led from the front.
The right-hander made 85 from 92 balls with the bat and followed up with 3-33 with the ball in a man of the match performance.
Winter-Irving's knock was the backbone of the Demons' score of 5-183.
He combined with the in-form Caleb Barras (48) for a crucial third-wicket stand of 102 to lift the home side out of trouble.
Jack Ryan (2-20 off seven overs) was the pick of the Sandhurst bowlers.
Sandhurst made a bright start in the run chase to be 0-30.
However, the game changed dramatically in the next five overs.
A brilliant caught and bowled by Rhys Irwin removed the dangerous Ash Gray for 23 and it sparked a stunning Sandhurst collapse of 5-9.
Spinner Linc Jacobs, who opened the bowling, claimed the dangerous Joel Murphy for just seven and then picked up Ben Leed for a duck.
Winter-Irving took care of Dylan Gibson for six before Irwinripped through Anthony McMahon for a duck.
From 5-39 Sandhurst keeper-batsman Will Gadsden tried to launch a counter-attack.
He hit three fours and three sixes before being run out for 40 off 31 balls.
Will Keck (32) and youngster Jasper Langley (27) dug in to lift the Dragons' total to 149.
Wily spinner Jacobs (3-16) and Irwin (2-24) bowled well in the Demons' best bowling performance of the season.
"We changed things up and gave Linc the new ball and it worked well.
"Their top four has been in good form, so it was important we got some early wickets.
"We'd been struggling with the ball early on, so we made a note of it this week to make sure we made a good start, particularly when we had runs on the board."
BDCA LADDER
After six rounds:
Strathdale 36
Kangaroo Flat 30
Huntly-North Epsom 24
Strathfieldsaye 21
White Hills 18
Bendigo 18
Eaglehawk 15
Sandhurst 12
Golden Square 6
Bendigo 0
...................................
NEXT WEEK
Round seven
Golden Square v
White Hills
Strathdale-Maristians v
Kangaroo Flat
Strathfieldsaye v
Bendigo United
Eaglehawk v Bendigo
Sandhurst v
Huntly-North Epsom
