28 BENDIGO ADVERTISER Monday November 13, 2017 bendigoadvertiser.com.

au

SPORT BENDIGO DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION

Dragons’ super chase

Hurst
mows
down
Suns' 312
ROUND 4
BY LUKE WEST

F
OR the third time in
its first four games
Sandhurst has beaten
one of last season’s
BDCA finalists after digging
deep to record a stirring win
over Strathdale-Maristians
on Saturday.
Not only did the Dragons
successfully chase down
the Suns’ 8-312, they did it
having had their backs to
the wall after frittering away
a position of dominance at
Bell Oval.
Despite the challenging
target set by the Suns, the
Dragons were on track to
cruise to victory at 4-264 in
the 63rd over and the runs
flowing with ease.
However, the quick loss of
four wickets for just 21 runs
that left the Dragons 8-285
swung the momentum back
the way of the Suns.
Yet unlike they have done
so often over the past dec-
ade, the Suns were unable
to land the knockout blow
as Shane Robinson (23) and
Joel Schneider (12) teamed
together to lift the Dragons
to victory and enhance
Sandhurst’s status as the real
deal in 2017-18.
From the precarious
8-285, the Dragons powered
to a total of 9-370 and
improved to 3-1, with their
three scalps all finalists from
last season in the Suns, Kan-
garoo Flat and Eaglehawk.
The bulked up Dragons’
batting line-up has cracked
scores above 350 twice in its
past four games, having also
made 8-360 against Kanga-
roo Flat in round two.
Ten of the Dragons’ 11
batsmen scored at least 12,
with recruit Sam de Silva
leading the way with 86.
De Silva began his innings
with the Dragons 1-14
after the early dismissal of
Nayana Palamandadige (12)
in the sixth over.
De Silva was involved
in three stands of 50-plus
during his innings – 52 for
the third wicket with Todd
Murphy (40), 58 for the
fourth with skipper Craig
Howard (34) and 96 for the
fifth with Ash Gray (65).
Gray provided plenty
of fireworks, with his 65
coming off just 54 balls and
featuring 54 runs scored in
COME IN SPINNER: Bendigo's Tom Hart bowls to White Hills' Jayden Sheean on Saturday. The Goers won by 49 runs. Picture: DARREN HOWE
ROUND 4
RESULTS
■ Sandhurst 9-370 d
Strathdale-Maristians
8-312
■ Kangaroo Flat 8-237 d
Huntly-North Epsom 52
& 3-146
■ Bendigo 231 d White Hills
182
■ Golden Square 6-257 d
Strathfieldsaye 185 &
3-99
■ Eaglehawk 404 d Bendigo
United 232
sixes (five) and fours (six).
Left-hander Gray began
his knock in the 52nd over
with the score 168. By the
60th over the Dragons had
progressed to 248.
There was also a late flurry
of runs for the Dragons
during the unbroken
partnership of 47 between
No.10 Will Keck (40 n.o.)
and No.11 Nick Gladman
(24 n.o.) as Sandhurst made
the highest score against the
Suns this century.
Having been wicket-less
the first four rounds, Jacob
DeAraugo (5-58 off 17)
claimed a five-wicket haul
for the Suns, including Rob-
inson and Schneider, who he
both caught and bowled.
• Kangaroo Flat captain
Brent Hamblin took his
second BDCA first XI hat-
trick to lead the Roos’ rout
of Huntly-North Epsom at
Dower Park.
In a game where both
sides had gone in with 1-2
records, the Power offered
little resistance with the
bat, capitulating for just 52
in 27 overs in reply to the
Roos’ 237.
Hamblin followed up his
unbeaten 71 on day one with
5-18 off 12 overs.
Hamblin’s spell included
a hat-trick in his 11th
over when he dismissed
Cameron Moore (0, caught
Jake Klemm at gully), Blake
Hodgekiss (0, bowled)
and Brett Elvey (0, lbw) in
consecutive delivers.
Hamblin took a previous
hat-trick against Bendigo
during the 2013-14 season.
Only Harry Whittle (19)
and Sandun Ranathunga
(15) made more than six for
the Power, who lost wickets
with the score on 8, 8, 24,
28, 30, 42, 42, 42, 48 and 52,
with their innings over just
after 3pm.
“We had probably bowled
fairly poorly in the first three
rounds, which is something
we’d been speaking about
during the week,” Hamb-
lin said.
“We really needed to fight
with the ball… bowl dots
and maidens and that’s what
we were able to do to create
pressure at both ends.”
The Roos sent the Power
back in for a second innings
in a bid for outright points
and more of the same quick-
ly followed as Huntly-North
Epsom slumped to 3-17 in
the 11th over.
However, Ranathunga
(45 n.o.) and Josh Collinson
(77 n.o.) ensured the Roos
would have to settle for just
first innings points in an
unbroken partnership of 129
as the Power reached 3-146.
• Bendigo continued its
best start to a season since
2000-01, remaining the only
undefeated team following a
49-run win over White Hills.
Starting the day at 2-12 in
reply to the Goers’ 231, the
Demons were dismissed for
182 as Alex Pearson steered
Bendigo to victory.
Pearson enjoyed his best
day with the ball for the
Goers with a bag of 6-55 off
23.1 overs.
Among Pearson’s scalps
was Demons’ skipper Mitch
Winter-Irving, who had
scored centuries against
Bendigo the previous two
seasons, but was caught
behind for 13.
Goers’ off-spinner Kyle
Humphrys was also influ-
ential with the ball, snaring
3-68 off 30 overs to continue
his impressive start to the
season for his new club.
Jayden Sheean spent
152 balls at the crease
in compiling 50 for the
Demons, with he and Ben
Daley (31) starting the day
well for White Hills as they
advanced the score from
the shaky 2-12 to 75 before
Daley was dismissed.
• Golden Square improved
to 3-1 with its comfortable
win over Strathfieldsaye
at home.
Chasing the Jets’ 185,
Square resumed at 1-53 and
piled on another 204 runs in
just 37 overs before declar-
ing at 6-257.
The declaration left
Square with a lead of 72 and
48 overs to bowl at the Jets.
Square’s innings featured
half-centuries to opener
Kyle Chant (87) and night
watchman Luke Baird, while
captain Ben Gunn (34 off
25) – whose first four scoring
shots were all fours – and
Zane Keighran (44 off 28)
combined for 78 off just
53 balls.
Michael Curtis (3-82 off
14) was the leading wick-
et-taker for the Jets, who
closed the day at 3-99 in
their second innings, with
opener Greg Lyon finishing
unbeaten on 37.
• As detailed on page 32,
reigning premier Eaglehawk
won its first game of the
season, smashing 404 in
reply to Bendigo United’s
232 at Canterbury Park, with
both of last season’s grand
finalists now 1-3.
While the game will be
best remembered for Jeremy
Brown’s sublime 215 that set
a new record for Eaglehawk
in his ninth century for the
club, it overshadowed a fine
double from the Redbacks’
Chris Howgate, who pro-
duced a century (109) and
five-wicket haul (5-75) in the
same game.
Eaglehawk’s 404 – which
featured 47 fours and 14
sixes – was the BDCA’s first
score over 400 in the first XI
since Huntly-North Epsom
made 4-408 against Sand-
hurst in round four, 2012-13.
• LADDER
Bendigo – 24
Golden Square – 18
Sandhurst – 18
White Hills – 12
Kangaroo Flat – 12
Strathdale-Maristians – 12
Huntly-North Epsom – 6
Eaglehawk – 6
Bendigo United – 6
Strathfieldsaye – 6
• ROUND FIVE
November 18-25
Bendigo United v Golden
Square, Huntly-North Ep-
som v White Hills, Bendigo
v Strathdale, Kangaroo Flat v
Eaglehawk (QEO), Sand-
hurst v Strathfieldsaye.