The Yarrawonga Mulwala Lakers continued their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive victory, defeating Benalla at Stan Hargreaves Oval on Saturday in challenging, windy conditions.
Batting first for the fifth consecutive week, the Lakers worked their way to 202, with Zac Fraser providing an explosive start with 31.
Devlin Webb anchored the innings with a classy contribution, while Willie Wheeler (18) and Fraser Smart provided valuable support.
Approaching his 150th A-grade game, Matt McCabe delivered a crucial late contribution, finishing unbeaten on 21 to give the Lakers a competitive total.
With the ball, Angus Heslin led the attack, claiming 4-28 from nine overs.
Jyda House removed former Victorian quick Tom O'Donnell with a clever slower ball, while Brock McCabe continued his impressive form with multiple middle-order wickets.
Benalla’s James Carboon did his best with 71 not out, while Xavier De Fazio (20) and Brendan Hoornweg (17) also played their part.
Unfortunately their efforts were not enough to secure a Bushrangers victory.
Matt McCabe claimed the final wicket, bowling Benalla out for 174 and securing a victory for the Lakers.
B-grade
The Yarrawonga Mulwala Rams headed to the Gardens full of confidence, but couldn't quite get the job done against Benalla, falling short in a challenging run chase.
Batting first, the Rams posted 9-161, built around a 72-run partnership between young Taj Parker (36) and veteran Adam Dodd (32).
Brendan Hill provided a late spark with 17 from nine deliveries, including a monster six.
Several Rams made starts, but the innings lacked the big partnerships needed to push the total beyond 200.
With the ball, Hill (1-27) and Parker (2-24) were among the highlights.
Parker claimed the dangerous Leigh Pollard, who made 76, thanks to an outstanding catch from Ben Pickering.
The Bushrangers chased down the total, finishing at 3-164 from 29.3 overs.
15°C