Round three of the Wangaratta and District Cricket Association A-grade competition didn’t yield the result that the Benalla Bushrangers were after, falling 70 runs short of chasing down the total set by Yarrawonga Mulwala.
But there was a step in the right direction at the weekend, with the Bushies recording season-best performances on all aspects of the scorecard.
Playing host at Gardens Oval, Benalla won the toss and elected to bowl, and made an immediate impact on the Yarrawonga Mulwala top order.
Conor Brodie (2-35) claimed the scalp of opener Ben Welsh early, before Brendan Anderson (2-11) followed suit and sent newcomer Zach Moore trudging back to the pavilion, with the visitors in early trouble at 2-26.
That trouble was compounded further when Anderson and Sameera Witharana (1-36) each dismissed another member of the visitors’ top four without the score being advanced to leave Yarrawonga Mulwala reeling at 4-43.
Unfortunately for Benalla, that was as much trouble as Yarrawonga Mulwala would find itself in, with Matt Knight (55) and Adam Dodd (35 not-out) counterpunching in the middle order to help propel their side to a respectable 7-170.
With a gettable target ahead of them, the Bushrangers’ chase could not have begun in any more disastrous fashion, losing captain-coach Brayden Stepien and fellow opener Michael Honman in the first couple of overs to leave the score at 2-4.
The rest of the Benalla top order fell in regular fashion too, first Charlie Bull trapped lbw, before the next three batsmen were dismissed cheaply, seeing the total go from 3-21 to 6-21 in the blink of an eye.
Susanka Gamage was able to add some valuable runs at number seven, reaching 22 before his departure, while number nine Mitchell Wheelens was resolute, contributing an unbeaten nine from 58 deliveries as part of a 43-run stand with Witharana (27 not-out) for the final wicket, however the early damage had been done.
At the end of the 40 overs, Benalla reached a total of 9-100, well short of the 171 required for victory, but should be buoyed by a number of positives to come out of the result.
Restricting Yarrawonga Mulwala to 7-170 is both the lowest total Benalla has conceded so far this season, and also the most wickets they have taken, improving week on week and showing that they are trending in a positive direction both with the ball and in the field.
It is also the first time they have reached three figures with willow in hand, while also batting out the full 40 overs, having not done so before the weekend. So, while there is still plenty of work to be done, the signs are there that the Bushrangers’ hard work is beginning to take effect.
Benalla has the bye next round, which sees teams play the first two-day matches of the season, and will return to the field for the first of their longer-form games against City Colts on Saturday, November 16, at Gardens Oval.