After an extended mid-season break of more than a month the Suns began 2022 in familiar fashion with a win, defeating the Redbacks by five wickets with nine balls to spare at Harry Trott Oval.

Invited to bat first, the Redbacks' 8-225 off their 45 overs was spearheaded by another entertaining knock from captain Clayton Holmes, whose dynamic season with the bat continued.

The hard-hitting opener was given two chances by the Suns early and made them pay for the dropped catches with a blistering 93 off 80 balls that included plenty of powerful hitting.

Bendigo United v Strathdale-Maristians | PHOTOS

Holmes struck five sixes and nine boundaries as he took his tally of runs for the season to a competition-best 335.

It was a case of picking up from where he left off given in his previous innings 35 days earlier against White Hills Holmes had plundered 84 off just 39 deliveries.

The key partnership of the innings for the Redbacks was the 87 Holmes and Zane Keighran (42 off 44) put on for the third wicket that took the score from 2-49 in the 13^th over to 136 in the 25^th before Holmes was caught at point by Ben DeAraugo off Jacob DeAraugo (1-40).

Prior to his dismissal three of Holmes' last six scoring shots had gone for six.

Harry Donegan (39 off 52) helped keep the scoreboard ticking over for the Redbacks after Holmes' dismissal.

Sam Johnston (2-40) and Ben DeAraugo (2-10) snared two wickets apiece for Strathdale, while after having 24 cracked off his first two overs, captain Cameron Taylor finished with 1-49 off eight

In reply Taylor and fellow opener Daniel Clohesy got the Suns' chase away to a flying start.

The pair smashed 56 off the first 10 overs to lay the foundation for the Suns answering with 5-227 to remain unbeaten against the Redbacks since 2015-16.

Clohesy was the first wicket to fall with the score on 90 for a brisk 49 off 47 in the 16^th over when bowled by Henry Edwards (1-34), while Taylor carried his bat, guiding his side over the line with an unbeaten 85.

In his best innings of the season so far, Taylor faced 126 balls and struck six boundaries.

As well as his 90-run opening stand with Clohesy, Taylor also put on 88 for the third wicket with Jack Neylon (55 off 57).

With the Suns and Redbacks once again clashing in a spotlight battle of 1^st vs 2^nd it was a throwback to their great rivalry of the past when they contested three-consecutive grand finals against each other from 2010 to 2012.

"There was a good feeling at the ground today and it did feel a lot like those games we played 10 or so years ago," Suns' captain Taylor said.

"It was played in really good spirits, but it was also really competitive, which we enjoyed, but most importantly we were really happy to get the win and start the year off right.

"We wanted to chase today, so that's why we had a bowl first and it felt like we controlled the run chase really well.

"With the way Chlos and Jack batted it allowed me to noodle them around a bit and play a bit of an anchor role while those guys did their thing, so that was pleasing."

Bendigo United skipper Holmes said although his side fell short of victory, the Redbacks would take plenty out of their clash with the competition benchmark.

"We took them pretty deep into the 44^th over of their chase and probably didn't bowl as well as we would have liked," Holmes said.

"But the game probably came down to the batting. Our last 15 overs we had a collapse and nearly got bowled out, where as they kept ticking the runs over and still had wickets in the shed.

"They are obviously the benchmark of the competition and I'd love to play them every week because you learn so much out of games like today to help you get better."

There's a saying that "there is no substitute for experience" and it rang true in Golden Square's win over Sandhurst at Weeroona Oval.

After knocking Sandhurst over for just 103 the Bulldogs' innings was teetering at 3-25 in the ninth over in reply.

However, the experienced duo of Scott Trollope and Scott Johnson not only steadied the innings for the Bulldogs, but ensured they lost no further wickets in mowing down their target as they answered with 3-104.

Trollope was the aggressor of the pair with 54 n.o. off 56 balls with seven boundaries and two sixes, while Johnson finished unbeaten on 23 and is now averaging 146 from four hits in the first XI this season.

Golden Square's victory was just the tonic to re-start the season for the Bulldogs, who had lost their previous three games before the break.

"We had a disappointing month before Christmas, so it was pleasing to put in a performance like today and win fairly comprehensively," Golden Square captain Liam Smith said.

"We spoke after the game about making sure we continue to bridge the gap between our best and our worst.

"Scooter (Johnson) and Trolly (Trollope) steered us home perfectly after we were in a bit of trouble, which was great."

Anthony McMahon (1-19), Dylan Gibson (1-29) and Ben Yarwood (1-3) each took an early wicket for the Dragons to have the Bulldogs looking shaky before the Trollope-Johnson partnership.

Earlier, all seven Golden Square bowlers used took a wicket as the Dragons were unable to build any momentum through their stuttering innings.

Among the wicket-takers for the Bulldogs were Smith (1-11), Dylan Robinson (2-21) and Kayle Thompson (2-16), who all claimed scalps in their first overs.

Trollope and left-arm spinner Smith both proved particularly stingy for the Bulldogs, each finishing with 1-11 off nine economical overs that also both included four maidens.

The Dragons after winning the toss and batting were on the ropes from the outset, slumping to 4-24 in the 11^th over.

Jasper Langley (28) was the only Dragon to score more than 15 as he battled for 67 balls to hold the innings together.

Kangaroo Flat notched its second win of the season, beating a Huntly-North Epsom side that was very much a glimpse of the future.

The inexperienced Power side, missing two of its stars in Adam Ward and Danushka Wijemanna, included four players from its under-16s - Judd Gilchrist, Kyen-Burrill Grinton, Archer Billings and Jack Wilson.

On what was a green top pitch at Dower Park, the Roos fought from 4-84 to post 5-202 batting first.

Brent Hamblin (63 n.o.) and Dylan Klemm (50) both made half-centuries for the Roos as they added 116 for the fifth wicket in the cornerstone partnership of the innings.

However, a half-century continues to elude Roos' opener Daniel Barber.

For the fifth time in his seven innings this season Barber (40) was dismissed in the 40s.

Pat De Mel (2-41) and Shane Gilchrist (2-37) took two wickets apiece for the Power, who were all out for 151 in reply to lose by 51 runs and remain winless.

The Power had one stage been 3-115 before losing 7-36 to be bowled out in the 42^nd over.

The chief run-scorers were De Mel (46) and opener Ryan Grundy (40), while the Roos' new-ball pair of Adam Burns (3-18) and Hamblin (3-28) took three wickets each.

"It's obviously pleasing to re-start with a win and, hopefully, we can get on a bit of a roll from here," Roos' captain Chris Barber said.

The BDCA is still without a first XI century this season, with Eaglehawk's Russell Stockdale falling just short of the milestone in the Hawks' win over White Hills.

Stockdale cracked 98 off 96 balls in the Hawks' 8-235 batting first against the Demons at Scott Street.

The all-rounder belted eight boundaries and four sixes in his knock, but was denied a century when trapped lbw by White Hills spinner Jack Bourke (1-62).

While Stockdale was the headline act, the Hawks also got contributions from Angus Chisholm (30), Nash Viney (29) and Ben Williams (28) as they passed 200 for the fifth time this season.

Stockdale and Chisholm laid a strong foundation for the Hawks with a 94-run second-wicket partnership.

After conceding just five runs from his first overs, Rhys Irwin picked up 1-35 off nine for the Demons, who had skipper Mitch Winter-Irving (2-41) and Nick Wharton (2-44) each take two wickets.

Having one stage been 3-108 in reply the Demons collapsed, losing 7-61 to be all out for 169 as Stockdale also made his presence felt with the ball.

Stockdale followed up his 98 with the bat with 4-37 from nine overs with his leg-spin, while to cap a superb all-round game he also took two catches, including the removal of Gavin Bowles (4) off Jordan Shelton (3-14), with the 76-run win now giving Eaglehawk a one-game buffer inside the top four.

Ollie Geary's quickfire 39 off 31 balls was the top score for the Demons.

An early onslaught in its chase set Strathfieldsaye on the path to a four-wicket win over Bendigo.

After the Goers had compiled 7-190 at Atkins Street the Jets had raced to 0-61 off just six overs in reply, with each of the first three overs bowled having a six belted in it.

Included in the early carnage was the Jets smashing 17 off the first over of the innings bowled by Matt Gray.

Following the flying start by openers Abe Sheahan (48) and Tim Wood (31 off 20), who was superbly caught one-handed by Nathan Fitzpatrick, the Goers were able to slow the run-rate down, with the Jets taking into the 44^th over to reach 6-192.

Chathura Damith (36 n.o.) and Jack Stubbs (19 n.o.) guided the Jets over the line and into second position on the ladder with an unbroken 35-run partnership.

Craig Pearce (3-19 off 9) was the standout with the ball for the Goers, while earlier it was skipper Fitzpatrick who dominated with the bat for the home side.

Coming in at 3-51 in the 19^th over, Fitzpatrick cracked 79 off 78 balls with five fours and three sixes before he was one of three wickets for the Jets' Damith (3-34).

The Goers' innings also featured a knock of 39 from Kyle Humphrys.

98 - Russell Stockdale

(Eaglehawk)

93 - Clayton Holmes

(Bendigo United)

85* - Cameron Taylor

(Strathdale-Maristians)

79 - Nathan Fitzpatrick

(Bendigo)

63* - Brent Hamblin

(Kangaroo Flat)

55 - Jack Neylon

(Strathdale-Maristians)

54* - Scott Trollope

(Golden Square)

50 - Dylan Klemm

(Kangaroo Flat)

...........................................

4-37 - Russell Stockdale

(Eaglehawk)

3-14 - Jordan Shelton

(Eaglehawk)

3-18 - Adam Burns

(Kangaroo Flat)

3-19 - Craig Pearce

(Bendigo)

3-28 - Brent Hamblin

(Kangaroo Flat)

3-34 - Chathura Damith

(Strathfieldsaye)

2-10 - Ben DeAraugo

(Strathdale-Maristians)

2-14 - Connor Miller

(Golden Square)

...........................................

ROUND 8

Saturday, January 29

Golden Square v White Hills

Strathfieldsaye v Sandhurst

Strathdale-Maristians v Eaglehawk

Huntly-North Epsom v Bendigo United

Bendigo v Kangaroo Flat

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