Eastern Hill defeated Broadford by six runs in a thrilling match in the Seymour District Cricket Association A-grade competition at the weekend.
Under hot conditions and on a tricky pitch at Bennet Oval, Eastern Hill miraculously defended its low target of 114 and trundled out the away side for 108.
Some brave and sublime bowling from Eastern Hill duo Tim Rudd-Schmidt (3-25) and Braydon Avola (2-9) helped gift the host an unlikely victory.
Broadford lost its last five wickets for 15 runs as the Eagles’ star duo tore through the lower order, which helped seal the round 14 win.
Ben Bryant was another standout for the Eagles with 3-25.
Eagles captain Seamus Feery said he was proud his side was able to turn things around late in the match.
“It was a pretty tricky pitch to bat on before it flattened out as the match went on. We were pretty lucky that Jake and Fraser put on 23 runs for the final wicket to get us to a score we could defend,” he said.
“I thought our bowlers bowled well all day but we just weren’t able to hold on to a couple of chances in the field. At the last drinks break we had a chat about that and the message was just ‘we are bowling well and getting chances, we just need to take our opportunities’, and to the boys’ credit they were able to do that.
“I thought both Braydon and Timmo bowled brilliantly and they piled on maidens which helped to create some pressure and we were able to come away with the win.”
Elsewhere, Tallarook maintained its position behind Eastern Hill on the A-grade ladder following its 44-run win over Yea.
Tallarook won the toss and decided to bat first at Yea Recreation Reserve and posted 171 runs from 43.4 overs, with Ben Tarran again leading the way with a classy half-century.
Tarran posted 64 runs before he was run-out, while skipper Lachlan Watts chipped in with 31 as the pair registered a 65-run partnership.
Yea could only muster 127 runs in reply from its 39.4 overs to remain winless at the bottom of the ladder.
It was a stunning bowling performance from the away side, with all five bowlers walking away with a scalp to their name.