BDCA: Redbacks rule in Twenty20 grand final

Keighran made 93 off just 64 balls in the Redbacks' 68-run win over Kangaroo Flat at the QEO on Wednesday night.

Keighran hit seven fours and three sixes and then backed up with 2-23 with the ball in a man of the match performance.

"It was good to bat first and get a score on the board,'' Bendigo United T20 skipper Steve Barrett said.

"We've played our best cricket when we've batted first, put a good score on the board and then defended well.

"Zane getting 90-odd in a final was pretty special and we had good performances around that with Harry (Donegan) batting well.

"All of our bowlers did a good job. They (Kangaroo Flat) came hard at us at the start, which we knew they would because they have some quality players, but I thought our bowlers stuck at it well.

"It's a great result for the club to win a T20 flag because we're trying to create that winning culture.

"It's a great experience for us to win this before taking on Strathdale on Saturday and then the finals the week after that."

While the Redbacks celebrated their second T20 premiership, it was another disappointing T20 grand final night for the Roos, who are now 0-5 in T20 deciders.

After winning the toss and sending Bendigo United into bat, the Roos made a dream start when marquee player Luke Stagg had Redbacks' star Clayton Holmes chase an outswinger in the second over.

Holmes edged the ball through to Riley Burns and was on his way for one.

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In Stagg's next over he forced Bendigo United marquee player Cameron Hemp (1) into a false shot and the ball ballooned to Daniel Barber at mid-on.

At 2-23 the Redbacks were on the back foot and the Roos could smell blood.

The scoreline didn't alter Keighran's attitude.

The right-hander attacked with a mix of power and pure class.

His power was highlighted by a brutal cover drive in the third over when he smashed a drive off Brent Hamblin low and to the left of Chris Barber at cover.

Barber moved well to attempt to catch the ball, but such was the speed of the ball it went through his hands and crashed into the fence in front of the grandstand.

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While Keighran's drives and pull shots were a feature of his innings, he showed his class by playing a number of late cuts and sweeps.

He even produced a cheeky ramp shot off Dylan Klemm that raced away for four at the Barnard Street end of the ground.

Keighran found the perfect ally in Harry Donegan, who kept the scoreboard ticking over.

From 2-23 the duo added 99 off 76 balls to put the Redbacks in the drivers' seat.

Donegan made a well-compiled 39 off 38 balls, including two fours and two sixes.

Keighran needed seven runs for his century with one over to play.

Wily veteran Adam Burns bowled two well-placed yorkers which Keighran couldn't make contact with.

Burns made it three yorkers in a row and again Keighran missed the ball, but this time the orange Kookaburra crashed into the stumps, leaving Keighran seven runs short of what would have been a deserved century.

Burns (2-23 off three overs) and Stagg (2-23 off three overs) were the pick of the bowlers for the Roos in the Redbacks' score of 5-151.

Kangaroo Flat's run chase started brightly with 12 runs off the opening Holmes over.

However, with the first ball of the second over Chris Barber was run out for six.

Daniel Barber (14) received a life when Miggy Podosky dropped an easy chance at mid-off, but a short time later an attempted pull shot off Keighran was well caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Will Thrum to leave the Roos 2-26.

The chase only got tougher when an eager Matt Dwyer backed up too far from a Jake Klemm pull shot to mid-wicket.

Jayden Templeton collected the ball cleanly and, with one stump to aim it, hit the stumps and found Dwyer (7 off 14 balls) short of his ground.

Next ball Jake Klemm skied a Keighran delivery straight down the ground and Holmes nearly completed a spectacular outfield catch.

Jake Klemm looked threatening when he raced to 14, including a reverse sweep for four, but Hemp found a gap between his bat and pad and clean bowled the former Redback to make the score 4-46 after seven overs.

Next over Keighran rattled Dylan Achison's stumps to make it 5-49.

Dylan Klemm and Brent Hamblin - so often the Roos' saviours with the bat this summer - were left to start another rescue mission.

Will Thrum thwarted the rescue mission with his first delivery.

Hamblin smashed a short ball back down the pitch and it deflected off Thrum's hand and into the stumps, with non-striker Dylan Klemm (9) out of his crease.

Three balls later Thrum bowled another short ball that Hamblin tried to dispatch into the Bendigo Aquatic Centre.

It was the right shot to play, but he missed the ball and was clean bowled for five to leave the Roos 7-62.

The end came quickly for the Roos as Will Thrum (3-9) completed the rout.

The Roos were bowled out for 83 in the 15th over and the Redbacks started the first of what they hope will be two premiership celebrations this month.

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