Redbacks win battle for last finals berth in BDCA; Jets drop out

The home and away season came to a close on Saturday, with the only change to the top four being the Jets dropping out and the Redbacks pushing in as Strathdale-Maristians (1st), Kangaroo Flat (2nd) and Sandhurst (3rd) all stayed in the same positions as they had started the final round.

Bendigo United's win over Huntly North coupled with Strathfieldsaye's loss to Strathdale-Maristians elevated the Redbacks into fourth in what's the first time the club has made the finals in a traditional two-day season since 2016-17.

The Redbacks did make the finals two years ago in 2021-22, but that was in an all one-day format.

The Redbacks head into the finals on the back of a resounding 239-run win over Huntly North at Strauch Reserve.

Bendigo United answered Huntly North's 105 with 6-344 - the Redbacks' highest score since the 2012-13 season.

The Redbacks, who started the day 1-42, had a pair of centurions in their run-feast.

No.3 Riley Treloar (101) scored his second century of the season, while keeper-batsman Steve Barrett (100 n.o.) notched his first ton for the Redbacks.

Barrett scored at a better than a run-a-ball, with his unbeaten 100 coming off 98 deliveries with seven fours and three sixes, while Treloar faced 163 balls in compiling his 101.

Teenager Hugh Behrens also scored his maiden A grade half-century, scoring 60 and sharing in a 161-run stand for the sixth wicket with Barrett.

"We were keeping an eye on what was happening with Strathfieldsaye in its game and were probably thinking we'd potentially have to try for an outright win today," Bendigo United captain Clayton Holmes said.

"But with the way their game was going it ended up being a chance for us to give some boys some batting practice and get a big score.

"Riley Treloar batted really well. He came in late last week after I went out and got us through that session and put the foot down today to get a good hundred.

"And It was really good for Steve Barrett to have a decent hit and spend some time at the crease and score a hundred as well."

The Redbacks qualifying for the finals comes on the back of the side finishing eighth last season.

"We're looking forward to next week against Strathdale. It's a great challenge against a side that has been the benchmark of the competition for so long," Holmes said.

"We have full confidence that we're good enough to beat them and be the last team standing at the end... if you're not going into the finals with that frame of mind then you shouldn't be going in there at all."

While the Redbacks have a semi-final to look forward to next weekend, the Power end the season with one win and a third-consecutive wooden-spoon.

Shane Gilchrist (2-17) and Judd Gilchrist (2-58) closed the season out by taking two wickets for the Power, who had 10 of their 11 players bowl.

Bendigo closed its season out against Sandhurst with an outright win, but it wasn't enough to launch the Goers into the finals.

The outright win at Atkins Street left the Goers an agonising two points outside the top four.

In a rare BDCA game that stretched across all four innings, Bendigo 9-167 and 4-61 defeated Sandhurst 43 and 179, with the Goers' Nathan Fitzpatrick producing the fourth-best match figures in a BDCA game since 1999-2000.

Fitzpatrick ended the game with a combined 11-56 from 21.5 overs.

After taking 4-5 off three overs when the Goers routed the Dragons for 43 in the first innings Fitzpatrick followed up with 7-51 off 18.5 overs in the second dig.

Only Kangaroo Flat's Adam Burns (12-32 v Bendigo, 2007-08), Strathdale-Maristians' Cameron Taylor (12-131 v White Hills, 2018-19) and Sandhurst's Craig Howard (11-40 v Strathfieldsaye, 2017-18) have better match figures in a BDCA first XI game since 1999-2000 than Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick's 11 wickets across the two innings featured nine caught, including five by wicket-keeper Bailey George, and two bowled.

Sandhurst had started day two at 3-51 in its second innings and added a further 128 before being bowled out for 179.

Opener Tom Starr (46) and Ash Gray (44) combined for more than half the Dragons' second innings score, with the pair putting on 60 for the fifth wicket.

Having bowled Sandhurst out for a second time, Bendigo required 56 for outright points and did so for the loss of four wickets, with Kynan Gard (7 n.o.) securing the victory with a six as the Goers needed just 11.3 overs to reach 4-61.

It was Bendigo's first outright win since the 2005-06 season, while Sandhurst now has to put its round 12 shocker behind it and regroup for its first final in six years when it plays Kangaroo Flat next weekend.

Strathfieldsaye surrendered its top four position, while Strathdale-Maristians secured the minor premiership following their encounter at Tannery Lane.

The Jets were beaten by 59 runs, bowled out for 182 in reply to the Suns' 9-241.

Opener Zoltan Smyth (81) scored 81 of the first 105 runs for the Jets, who got little else out of their top and middle-order

Across batting positions No.3 to 7 the only player who scored was Chathura Damith (4), with the other four players - Savith Priyan, skipper Ben Devanny, Jasper Cheesman and Jett Grundy - all making ducks before an unbeaten 42 from Jack Stubbs.

Suns' captain Cameron Taylor's five scalps ensured he ended the home and away season as the competition's leading wicket-taker with 34.

Leg-spinner Taylor, who opened the bowling in place of the injured Sam Johnston, snared 5-61 off 24.3 overs as the Suns finished on top of the ladder for the fifth straight year and 10^th time in the past 13 seasons.

Although they missed the finals, the Jets can still look back on the season positively given the youth they have exposed to first XI following a heavy turnover of players after last year.

"If you had have said at the start of the season we'd win as many games as we have (six) and be as competitive as we have been with such a young side, I definitely would have taken that," Jets' skipper Devanny said.

"But it's still a bit disappointing not to be playing next week."

Reigning premier Kangaroo Flat warmed up for its semi-final against Sandhurst next weekend with a 130-run win over Golden Square at Wade Street.

Defending 6-290, the Roos bowled the Bulldogs out for 160 in the 62^nd over.

Leg-spinner Chris Barber (3-49), Dylan Klemm (2-18) and skipper Jake Klemm (2-47) were all multiple wicket-takers for the Roos, who were on top from the outset with Square 2-7 after five overs.

Liam Smith (61) top-scored for Golden Square, which after making the grand final in 2018-19 has now missed the finals five seasons in a row, which is now the competition's longest finals drought.

White Hills rounded out its season with a six-wicket win over Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park.

The Demons answered the Hawks' 192 with 6-194, winning in the 71^st over.

Skipper Brayden Stepien struck 12 boundaries and two sixes in his 85 off 116 balls, while in the hot conditions Caleb Barras occupied the crease for 149 balls in making 47.

Cory Jacobs (2-40) and spinner Fletcher Good (2-31) each took two wickets for the Hawks.