Strathfieldsaye became the first team since Golden Square in November, 2019, to defeat BDCA power Strathdale-Maristians thanks to a thrilling one-run win at Bell Oval on Saturday.
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The Suns had strung together a 32-match run without defeat, including 26 wins, six draws and two premierships, and they went within a whisker of extending the streak by one.
Chasing the Jets' imposing total of 9-245, the Suns required 13 runs off the final over of the match to win.
Jed Rodda had the responsibility with the ball for the Jets and the over started perfectly when Ben DeAraugo bottom edged the ball onto his leg and then it deflected into the stumps.
Linton Jacobs joined youngster Matt Wilkinson at the crease and the duo struggled to find the boundary.
From the next four balls they scampered ones and twos, leaving Jacobs requiring seven runs off the final ball.
Rodda's final delivery was a full toss, but it wasn't high enough to be deemed a no-ball and Jacobs dispatched it over square-leg for six to make the final margin one run.
It was Strathfieldsaye's first won over Strathdale-Maristians in a first XI match since round four of the 2013-14 season.
Jets' skipper Ben Devanny and keeper Jack Stubbs the only players from that team who played on Saturday.
"They (Strathdale) are the yardstick... we lost a couple of close games to them last season, we tied a couple of years ago and we beat them in Twenty20, but we hadn't beaten them in a real game for a few years, so it's a nice feeling to beat them in a close one,'' Devanny said.
"We think we've got a pretty good 11 this season and we think we have some of the better depth in the league.
"Hopefully, this win is something we can build on."
The tone for the day was set by Jets' opener Tim Wood.
The aggressive right-hander took on the Suns' pacemen from the start and it paid dividends.
Wood brought up his half-century in just 33 balls and moved from 36 to 56 in one Ben DeAraugo over.
A short time later he fell for 59, which included nine fours and one six.
Wood's departure took some momentum out of the innings before, firstly, Cal McCarty (39 off 57 balls) and, secondly, the big hitting Pat Felmingham and Chathura Damith regained control of the match.
Felmingham made 32 off 24 balls and Damith blasted 46 not out off 32 balls to lift the Jets above the 240-mark.
Felmingham and Damith hit five sixes between them.
Off-spinner James Barri was Strathdale's best bowler with figures of 3-26 off nine overs.
Strathdale's reply was paced by in-form opener Daniel Clohesy.
One week after making 95, Clohesy scored freely to put the Suns in a good position at 1-120 with 20 overs remaining.
Considering the final margin, you could mount a strong argument that the next eight overs won the game for the Jets.
Unheralded Jets' medium-pacer Campbell Love didn't take a wicket, but he played a major role in the win.
After conceding seven runs in his first over, Love's next four overs cost just seven runs.
Of the 24 balls he bowled in that stretch, 13 of them were dot balls to Suns' number three Grant Waldron.
Love built the pressure at one end and spinner Savith Priyan took advantage at the other end.
Clohesy was the first to go - this time nine runs short of a deserved ton.
The right-hander made 91 runs off 96 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes.
Priyan had Clohesy and Jack Neylon (2) adjudged lbw in consecutive overs, albeit Neylon appeared unlucky.
In the eight over stretch - when the Suns should have been accelerating - they lost 2-27 and the Jets were back on top.
Enter Sam Johnston for Strathdale.
The left-hander went after the Jets' attack from ball one.
He added 34 with Waldron (34 off 56 balls) in quick time before the Suns' number three and Barri were dismissed in the same Priyan over.
Despite the setback, while Johnston was at the crease the Suns looked a better than even money chance.
From requiring 61 off the final six overs to win, Johnston and Ben DeAraugo combined to reduce the chase to 32 runs off the final 18 balls.
When Johnston crunched his third six of the day off the first ball of the 43rd over, the Suns were favourites to win.
Two balls later he tried to repeat the dose off Rodda and was clean bowled.
Johnston trudged off for 47 off 36 balls and the Suns' unbeaten run went with him.
Left-arm spinner Priyan claimed 5-48 off his nine overs and Rodda took 2-69, while Devanny (0-24 off nine overs) and Love (0-28 off seven overs) went wicketless, but played crucial roles.
Eaglehawk is the only undefeated team through three rounds after the Borough saw off Bendigo United by eight runs in their day/night clash at Canterbury Park.
The Hawks batted first and openers Anthony West and Kallum Schepers set about laying the foundation of a big total.
They added 76 in 15 overs before Schepers fell for 33 off 53 balls.
The remainder of the Hawks' top-order failed to fire as spinners Jake Thrum (4-27 off nine overs) and impressive first-gamer Henry Edwards (0-30 off nine overs) put the clamps on the home side.
It took a 66-run partnership from West and skipper Nick Farley for the Hawks to reach a more than competitive total.
Farley belted five sixes on his way to 45 off 32 balls, while West fell in the 41st over for a fine 80 off 94 balls as the Hawks finished all out 219.
Redbacks' opening bowler Miggy Podosky took three late wickets for the visitors.
Bendigo United's innings was rocked by a stunning new-ball spell from Aaron Monro.
The Borough medium-pacer had figures of 3-3 from his first five overs after he removed Clayton Holmes (4), Tom Starr (6) and Zane Keighran (0).
The Redbacks needed something special if they were to recover from 3-11 and win the game and recruit Steve Barrett, Riley Treloar, Harry Donegan and Jake Thrum almost achieved it.
Treloar and Barrett rebuilt the innings by adding 86 for the fourth wicket before Treloar (31) was the first wicket for Farley.
Treloar's departure didn't slow Barrett down.
In his first year in the BDCA after making a mountain of runs in the Goulburn Murray competition, Barrett completed his first half-century for the Redbacks.
He added 71 for the fifth wicket with Donegan before he was bowled by Tom Saker for 77 off just 71 balls.
Donegan continued to be aggressive and kept the Redbacks in the match until he was run out for 50 via a direct hit from Farley.
The Redbacks' cause looked lost at 8-190, but Jake Thrum gave the visitors one last surge.
After Thrum hit Jordan Shelton for a six and a four off successive balls, the Redbacks required 13 off 13 balls.
Farley bowled the penultimate over for the Hawks and it proved to be decisive.
He only conceded one run and he removed Will Thrum to leave the Redbacks requiring 11 runs off the final over with one wicket in hand.
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After a dot ball from Shelton to start the final over, Jake Thrum and Edwards scampered two runs off the second ball.
On the third delivery, Thrum (30 off 33 balls) holed out to Angus Chisholm and the Hawks celebrated their third-straight win.
Monro (2-26) and Farley (3-34 plus the run out) were the heroes with the ball for the Borough.
Last season's runner-up Kangaroo Flat slipped to 0-3 after suffering an 18-run loss to Golden Square at Wade Street.
The Bulldogs' ability to bat out their 45 overs proved to be decisive.
Batting first, the Dogs overcame some tight bowling from the Roos to post 7-166, thanks largely to a patient 63 not out off 120 balls from captain Liam Smith.
Smith and Scott Trollope (22 off 27 balls) added 52 for the third wicket.
Brent Hamblin (3-21) was the pick of a Roos' attack that didn't have the bowling services of Dylan Klemm.
In reply, Roos' skipper Chris Barber got his team off to a flying start.
The visitors needed someone in their top-order to follow Liam Smith's lead, but it didn't happen.
Chris Barber (34 off 28 balls) top-scored in a batting order where six players reached double-figures, but only one made more than 20.
The required run rate wasn't an issue for the Roos, but Square medium-pacers Dylan Robinson (3-21) and Connor Miller (3-31) ensured there was a steady stream of wickets.
The Roos were eventually dismissed for 148 - 18 runs short with 15 balls remaining.
White Hills broke through for its first win of the season and, in the process, saw opponent Huntly-North Epsom drop to 0-3.
A four-wicket haul from leg-spinner Nick Wallace (4-20) and three wickets from opening bowler Rhys Irwin (3-31) saw the Demons dismiss the Power for just 115.
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The Power's poor day started on the first ball of the match when former Demon Ryan Grundy, who made a century against White Hills last summer, edged an Irwin delivery straight to the safe hands of Tom Schultz at second slip.
Kanishka Nawagamuwa (24) and skipper Elliott Massina (21) were the only Power players to reach 20.
White Hills overcame a late collapse of 4-17 to win by five wickets with 19 overs to spare.
Irwin (48) capped a fine all-round game and Gavin Bowles (39 not out) led the way with the willow for White Hills.
"(Taking multiple wickets early) is something we haven't been able to do in the first couple of games, so that set up us and then Nick Wallace came on and bowled really well in the middle overs,'' Demons' skipper Mitch Winter-Irving said.
"It was a good day and it was nice to get that first win out of the way."
In the final match of the round, Sandhurst proved too strong for Bendigo at Weeroona Oval.
The Goers let slip a great start after openers Xavier Ryan and Bailey George put on 68 for the first wicket.
However, Ryan's departure sparked a collapse of 4-11, including George for 41.
Kyle Humphrys (27), Dylan Johnstone (32) and Nathan Fitzparick (27) batted well through the middle overs, but they were dismissed just when they looked like taking their game up a gear.
Sandhurst spinners Ben Evans (3-36) and Nathan Walsh (2-15 off nine overs) put the clamps on the Goers.
Bendigo scored 8-187 off its 45 overs - a total it would normally back itself to defend.
After claiming the early wicket of Ben Leed, the Goers never looked like defending the total.
Sandhurst skipper Joel Murphy made 56 in a 86-run stand with Dylan Gibson before Gibson and Jasper Langley added an unbroken partnership of 84 for the third wicket.
Gibson was unbeaten on 71 - his second-straight half-century, while Langley finished 39 not out - the teen's highest score at first XI level.
BDCA LADDER
Eaglehawk 18
Strathdale-Maristians 12
Strathfieldsaye 12
Bendigo United 12
Golden Square 12
Sandhurst 12
White Hills 6
Bendigo 6
Kangaroo Flat 0
Huntly-North Epsom 0
NEXT WEEK
Bendigo v White Hills
Kangaroo Flat v Sandhurst
Bendigo United v Golden Square
Strathfieldsaye v Eaglehawk
Strathdale-Maristians v Huntly-North Epsom
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