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BENDIGO United's strong off-season recruiting paid immediate dividends in Saturday's long-awaited start to the Bendigo District Cricket Association.
Having spent the past four years rebuilding following their 15-season run as a BDCA powerhouse, the Redbacks under new captain Clayton Holmes look poised to re-emerge again and gave the first indication of that with a hard-fought seven-run win over Kangaroo Flat at Harry Trott Oval.
Playing not only last season's runners-up who are again expected to contend strongly for the flag, but the Redbacks went into Saturday's clash not having beaten Kangaroo Flat since 2016-17.
Bendigo United's tally of 5-191 off its 45 overs batting first proved just out of reach of the Roos, who were bowled out in the final over of their chase for 184.
It was slow going early for the Redbacks after winning the toss and batting, with Roos' opening bowlers Adam Burns and Dylan Klemm both putting the clamps on.
Both Burns (0-22) and Klemm (1-33) conceded just four runs each off their first five overs, while at the 20-over mark the Redbacks were ticking along at a run-rate of just 2.15 with the score at 43.
However, they had only lost one wicket with Holmes trapped lbw by Brent Hamblin for 31 - including two sixes - with the score on 37.
With nine wickets still in hand and having seen off the new ball, the patient Redbacks had the chance to up the ante and they did just that, cracking 148 runs off the next 25 overs.
The acceleration was built around a 116-run partnership for the second wicket between the returning Tom Starr and Riley Treloar.
Treloar made a sparkling start to his season with a run-a-ball 74 that featured nine fours and two sixes, while after soaking up the early pressure against the new ball Starr compiled 43 off 111.
Together they took the score from 1-37 in the 18th over to 153 in the 40th before Treloar was caught behind by Roos' recruit Dylan Achison off Hamblin.
Hamblin opened his season with a four-wicket haul, finishing with 4-38 off nine overs and now needs just 13 more to reach the 300 milestone in his career.
The game appeared evenly poised for much of Kangaroo Flat's chase, with the Roos starting the last five overs of their innings at 7-162 and needing 30 off 30 to win with Hamblin and Josh Collinson at the crease.
But the Redbacks held firm, dismissing Hamblin (10), Luke Wight (1) and Kenny Beith (1) in the closing stages and leaving Collinson stranded on 20 n.o. as the Roos were bowled out for 184 with four balls left in their innings.
Miggy Podosky claimed the wickets of Hamblin (c Zane Keighran) and Wight (bowled), while Keighran took the match-winning catch at mid-wicket to remove Beith off spinner Will Thrum, who had the pressure of bowling the final over that started with the Roos needing nine to win.
Podosky (3-36) and Thrum (3-21) snared three wickets apiece, while youngster Xavier Austin bowled a tidy nine overs to claim 1-19.
Opener Daniel Barber (44) and Burns (43) led the way with the bat for the Roos.
"It was a great win by the boys and probably the best part of it is a couple of guys in Riley Treloar and Tommy Starr who have put in the work during the pre-season with the bat got the reward today," Redbacks' captain Holmes said.
"But overall it was a real team effort... young Will Thrum and Xavier Austin with their spinners got us back into the game during the middle overs and then Miggy the stalwart at the end with a couple of wickets was really important.
It was a great win by the boys and probably the best part of it is a couple of guys in Riley Treloar and Tommy Starr who have put in the work during the pre-season with the bat got the reward today
- Clayton Holmes - Bendigo United captain
"We fielded well, which is something we pride ourselves on, and one of the big turning points was Harry Donegan's run out of Jake Klemm (16); I couldn't be prouder of all the boys."
GOLDEN SQUARE v HUNTLY-NORTH EPSOM
A last-ball boundary by Connor Miller secured Golden Square a thrilling three-wicket victory over Huntly-North Epsom at Wade Street.
Chasing Huntly-North Epsom's 8-180, scores were level with one ball left in Golden Square's innings and Miller on strike to Power recruit Pathum De Mel (0-48).
Needing any score to win, Miller (6 n.o.) crunched the final delivery to the mid-wicket boundary to give the Bulldogs a dream start as they reached 7-184 having started the final over needing eight runs to get over the line.
"It was dead silent when Connor was on strike for that last ball... and then when it went sailing to mid-wicket the boys all erupted," Square captain Liam Smith said.
"It was a fantastic win and I said to the boys afterwards that we probably had six or seven games we were in positions to win last year, but couldn't get over the line.
"A game like today last year is one we probably would have lost, so I'm just so proud of the way we finished off and it just shows that everyone is so dedicated and passionate and there is a strong will to win."
While it was Miller who hit the winning runs, veteran Scott Johnson (24 n.o.) played a crucial role late in the innings and Max Grant's 16 at No.8 helped to get the Bulldogs in sight of victory.
A game like today last year is one we probably would have lost, so I'm just so proud of the way we finished off and it just shows that everyone is so dedicated and passionate and there is a strong will to win
- Liam Smith - Golden Square captain
Earlier, openers Riley Hocking (29) and Tom Campbell (15) put on 51 for the first wicket, while Smith (38) and Ben Derrick (21) produced a steadying 58-run stand for the fourth wicket after the Bulldogs had fallen from 0-51 to 3-65.
Danushka Wijemanna (2-26) and Adam Ward (2-32) took two wickets apiece for the Power, who had started the day on the backfoot, losing four early wickets after winning the toss.
The Power were at a precarious 4-39 in the 18th over with Miller and Trollope each getting two early breakthroughs for Square.
However, the Power dug in through Ward (58), skipper Elliott Massiona (36), De Mel (27) and Shane Gilchrist (23 n.o.) to push their total to a competitive 8-180.
Trollope (3-30), Miller (2-18) and Jake Higgins (2-40) combined for seven wickets for the Bulldogs in what is the early clubhouse leader for the game of the season.
In a game that they lost on the last ball, the Power will be lamenting the 21 runs they gifted the Bulldogs in wides.
WHITE HILLS v STRATHFIELDSAYE
Two of Strathfieldsaye's young players, Darcy Hunter and Abe Sheahan, played leading roles in the Jets' comprehensive seven wicket win over White Hills at Scott Street.
Last time the two sides met at Scott Street a "super over" was required to split them, but this time it was all one-way traffic as the Jets dominated with bat and ball.
Strathfieldsaye captain Ben Devanny's decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid dividends, with the Demons skittled for just 88 in 36 overs on their home deck.
Opening bowler Jed Rodda did the early damage.
Rodda took the first three wickets to fall - Justin Slattery (0), Rhys Irwin (1) and Gavin Bowles (9) - at which stage the Demons were reeling at 3-13 in the ninth over.
After the early onslaught from Rodda, who finished with 3-13, leg-spinner Hunter later cut a swathe through the disappointing Demons, bagging a career-best 6-29 off nine overs that began with the dismissal of Caleb Barras (6).
"Darcy bowled really well and from ball one he landed them," Devanny said.
"He has been working really hard on his bowling at training and it was a massive reward for effort for him to get a six wicket bag."
While Hunter and Rodda took nine wickets between them, the trio of Chathura Damith (0-11), recruit Campbell Love (0-9) and Devanny (1-6) combined for 1-26 off 18 economical overs.
Only captain Mitch Winter-Irving (38) made more than 11 for the Demons, who had four players dismissed for either one or a duck.
The Jets needed just 23 overs to mow down their target as they replied with 3-90, with the runs flowing from the outset when openers Sheahan and Pat Felmingham (18) had 25 on the board after just four overs.
Sheahan anchored the successful run-chase with an unbeaten 42 off 68, which included six boundaries.
"Abe did a really good job of getting through and making sure he was there at the end. He played some really nice shots," said Devanny, who made 15.
"Overall, it's a great start to the season. Like everyone we've had a long pre-season, so to come out and bowl in the areas we wanted to, hold our catches and then bat well is a ripper start."
SANDHURST v STRATHDALE-MARISTIANS
Reigning premier Strathdale-Maristians has picked up from where it left off, opening its flag defence with an eight-wicket win over Sandhurst at Weeroona Oval.
The Dragons capitulated with the bat, crashing from 1-47 in the 12th over to all out for 87 in the 36th.
The Dragons' collapse of 9-40 batting first included their final five wickets falling for just 10 runs, with new Suns' skipper Cameron Taylor (4-18) taking four of them.
Only skipper Joel Murphy (32), Ash Gray (14) and Dylan Gibson (10) reached double figures for the Dragons.
The Dragons gave themselves a small glimmer of hope of launching a counter-attack when they had the Suns 2-16 in the fifth over, with Daniel Clohesy (0) and Jack Neylon (12) - who hit the first two balls of the innings off Zac Sims (1-26) to the boundary - both out.
However, coach Grant Waldron (36 n.o.) and captain Taylor (35 n.o.) knocked off the required 72 more needed for victory as the flag favourite Suns reached 2-88 in the 23rd over.
"It has been a long pre-season and all the boys were really keen to get out and get started again," Taylor said.
"It was really pleasing to have a good win first-up, get a game under our belt and know that we can execute."
Meanwhile, the Suns will be without Scottish international paceman Chris Sole this season.
Sole has just returned to Australia after being part of Scotland's Twenty20 World Cup squad, but requires knee surgery and has a broken hand and is planning to return to Scotland.
"We'd love to have Soley; he's been great for us over the past couple of seasons and we'll miss him, but we'd like to think we've got the depth that will allow us to stay competitive and in the mix," Taylor said.
EAGLEHAWK v BENDIGO
Eaglehawk outplayed Bendigo with both bat and ball to record a commanding 133-run win at Canterbury Park.
Batting first the Hawks compiled the opening round's highest tally of 7-211 set up by a 79-run opening partnership between Josh Williams (59) and Russell Stockdale (45).
The openers were quick to assert their authority cracking 58 off the first 10 overs, while Angus Chisholm (32) and Ben Williams (29) later kept the runs ticking over.
Craig Pearce (2-36) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Goers, who could muster just 78 in reply and were never in the hunt after crashing to 5-37 in the 14th over and then 6-38 when captain Nathan Fitzpatrick (0) was dismissed.
Spinner Stockdale completed a fine all-round game by bagging 4-13 off 4.4 overs, while Williams (2-24), who both opened the batting and bowling, and Jordan Shelton (2-7) took two wickets each.
"We had a pretty good day with bat and ball and it's good to get some momentum early," new Hawks' skipper Nick Farley said.
"It has been a bit of a slog for everyone during the pre-season, so it was good to get out there and have a bit of fun today."
Joel Bothe (21) and recruit Waugh George (20) combined for more than half the runs for the Goers, who sorely missed gun all-rounder Kyle Humphrys, who was serving a suspension carried over from last season.
ROUND 1 TOP PERFORMERS
BATTING:
74 - Riley Treloar
(Bendigo United)
59 - Josh Williams
(Eaglehawk)
58 - Adam Ward
(Huntly-North Epsom)
45 - Russell Stockdale
(Eaglehawk)
44 - Daniel Barber
(Kangaroo Flat)
43 - Tom Starr
(Bendigo United)
43 - Adam Burns
(Kangaroo Flat)
...........................................
BOWLING:
6-29 - Darcy Hunter
(Strathfieldsaye)
4-13 - Russell Stockdale
(Eaglehawk)
4-18 - Cameron Taylor
(Strathdale-Maristians)
4-38 - Brent Hamblin
(Kangaroo Flat)
3-13 - Jed Rodda
(Strathfieldsaye)
3-21 - Will Thrum
(Bendigo United)
3-30 - Scott Trollope
(Golden Square)
...........................................
NEXT ROUND:
ROUND 2
Saturday, November 20
Strathdale-Maristians v White Hills
Huntly-North Epsom v Sandhurst
Bendigo v Golden Square
Kangaroo Flat v Eaglehawk
Strathfieldsaye v Bendigo United
...........................................
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