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au Monday October 30, 2017 BENDIGO ADVERTISER 29

BENDIGO DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION SPORT

Twin tons for leaders

Back-
to-back
centuries
for stars
ROUND 3
BY LUKE WEST

O
PPOSING
skippers Ben
Devanny and Ben
DeAraugo became
the latest BDCA players to
score back-to-back centuries
during the weekend’s clash
between Strathfieldsaye and
Strathdale-Maristians at
Tannery Lane.
DeAraugo followed
his 130 last week against
Golden Square with 128 on
Saturday, while Devanny’s
knock of 111 on Sunday
came on the back of his
116 against White Hills the
previous round.
As well as the two centu-
ries, the game also featured
an eight-wicket haul to the
Suns’ Cameron Taylor.
The Suns won by 177
runs after they blasted their
second-consecutive score
of 300-plus as they scorched
the Jets for 8-388.
The Suns’ score was the
BDCA’s highest since Hunt-
ly-North made 4-408 against
Sandhurst in 2012-13.
Coming in with his side
2-67, DeAruago notched 128
off 148 balls with 12 bounda-
ries and one six.
DeAraugo – who now has
four career centuries – was
one of three Suns to pass 50.
Opener James Vlaeminck
made the highest score of
his first XI career with a
well-compiled 70 off 118,
while Sam Johnston – who
came in with the Suns 6-269
following the dismissal of
DeAraugo – crunched 65
off just 48 balls, striking six
boundaries and one six.
It was another long day in
the field for the Jets, who in
their past two games have
conceded 688 runs and
taken just 11 wickets.
Devanny (2-81 off 21),
Chris Cullen (2-81 off 16)
and Josh Di Camillo (2-66 off
15) took two wickets each for
Strathfieldsaye.
In reply on Sunday the
Jets were dismissed for
211, with Devanny playing
another lone hand of 111 –
his seventh career century.
In what was always going
to be a difficult chase given
they had to score at 4.5 per
over, the Jets lost their way
mid-innings when they fell
from 2-88 to 6-122.
For the second season in
SHARP HANDS: Bendigo United's Jordan Quirk takes the catch at mid-off to dismiss Huntly-North Epsom's Brodie McRae. Picture: NONI HYETT
a row the Jets were unable
to combat the spin of Suns’
leggie Taylor.
Having taken 9-66 against
the Jets last season, this time
Taylor finished with 8-55
off 30.2 overs – a combined
17-121 off 60.2 overs his past
two games at Tannery Lane.
Taylor’s eight scalps
featured four lbw – which
included Devanny – two
caught and two bowled in
what was his 16th bag of at
least five wickets.
Taylor took eight-consec-
utive wickets after Johnston
(2-46 off 14) picked up the
first two of the innings.
………………………………
White Hills’ opening
batsman Ryan Grundy
carried his bat on Sunday
as the Demons inflicted
Sandhurst’s first loss.
Chasing the Dragons’ 258
at Weeroona Oval, Grundy
batted through all 85 overs
to steer the Demons to 6-272
and their second win.
Grundy finished unbeaten
on 161 off 239 balls – his fifth
BDCA century, the fourth of
which was higher than 150.
Fittingly, it was Grundy
who hit the winning runs
for the Demons, launching
Dragons’ captain Craig
Howard (2-66 off 23) for six
over mid-on off the fifth ball
of the 84th over.
Grundy set the tone for
his innings early, with 16 of
his first 19 runs coming in
boundaries.
With 62 of the 85 overs
bowled by the Dragons’
spinners, the game was over
at 5.24pm, while earlier,
Sandhurst had already
bowled 57 overs by tea, at
which stage the Demons
were a healthy 3-168.
The Dragons suffered a
blow late in the day when
coach Taylor Beard was
forced from the ground
in the 78th over with a
back concern.
On Saturday Howard’s
95 was the cornerstone of
Sandhurst’s 258.
Howard began his
innings in the 31st over
with the Dragons 4-99 and
batted until he was the
last wicket to fall, caught
at deep mid-wicket by
Jayden Sheean.
Howard struck 12 bound-
aries and one six in his
167-ball stay at the crease.
White Hills’ spinner Linc
Jacobs enjoyed a career-best
day with the ball with 4-78
off 28.1 overs, which includ-
ed the wicket of Howard.
………………………………
Reigning premier Eagle-
hawk is now the only team
without a win after three
games, dropping to 0-3
following a 97-run loss at
home to Golden Square.
Openers Jake Higgins
and Kyle Chant both scored
half-centuries in Golden
Square’s tally of 8-283
on Saturday.
Higgins made 74 off 201
and Chant 52 off 102, with
the pair putting on 94 for the
first wicket.
The duo have opened
the batting three times this
season – twice in first XI and
once in second XI – with
their total partnerships so
far worth 323.
There were plenty of
starts in the Golden Square
innings, with six players
getting to at least 21.
Veteran Andrew Smith
(3-45 off 9.1) was the only
multiple wicket-taker for the
Hawks. Smith now needs
just one more wicket to
reach 300 for the Hawks.
The Hawks were all out for
186 in the 58th over in their
chase on Sunday, with their
innings stumbling when
they fell from 1-81 to 6-98.
The Hawks later lost their
last three wickets for just
three runs.
Square shared its wickets
between Grant Connelly
(3-21 off 13), Liam Smith
(3-29 off 12), Jamie Bysouth
(2-36 off 10.3) and Saheed
Akolade (2-69 off 17).
Inclusion Todd Brown
(53) was the best of the
Hawks’ batsmen, while
Anthony West (38) and Cam
McGlashan (33) featured in
the best stand of the innings
of 73 for the second wicket.
………………………………
Bendigo is now a game
clear on top of the ladder as
the only unbeaten side.
The Goers improved
to 3-0 after successfully
defending their score of 214
against Kangaroo Flat at
Atkins Street.
Having gone into the
game off the back of con-
secutive centuries, Bendigo
dangerman Kyle Humphrys
didn’t trouble the scorers
this time, out for a duck
on Saturday when caught
by wicket-keeper Nathan
Stubbings off Roos’ captain
Brent Hamblin (1-38 off 16).
Bendigo captain Shane
Koop again showed plenty of
concentration in top scoring
with 74 off 222.
Koop – who has faced 400
balls the past two games –
came in during the fourth
over with the Goers’ 1-18
and didn’t depart until the
79th when he was the ninth
wicket with the score on 211.
Opener Craig Pearce (53
off 88) also made a half-cen-
tury for the Goers, while
Roos’ leg-spinner Chris
Barber had a big day with
6-81 off 30.1 overs, which
included dismissing Koop.
On Sunday the Roos lost
wickets regularly before
being bowled out for 170 in
the 66th over.
While he didn’t have
an impact with the bat,
Humphrys did with the ball
in snaring 4-38 off 25 overs,
and fellow spinner Tom Hart
(3-46 off 15.2) chipped in
with three wickets.
Six Kangaroo Flat players
got to at least 15 in their
innings, with opener Daniel
Barber (41) top-scoring.
………………………………
Bendigo United recovered
from early danger to post a
winning score of 281 against
Huntly-North Epsom at the
QEO on Saturday.
The Redbacks’ innings got
off to a disastrous start when
opener Mark Di Fede (0)
was caught by wicket-keeper
Brodie McRae off Cameron
Moore (1-35 off 10) second
ball of the day.
And by the 15th over the
pressure was right on the
Redbacks at 3-35.
However, five scores of
between 40 and 50 from
Corey Daniels (50), captain
Leigh McDermott (45), Chris
Howgate (40), Jake Thrum
(45) and Jasper Stewart (49)
helped steer the Redbacks
beyond 280.
McDermott’s 45 featured
38 runs that came in either
fours (eight) or sixes (one).
Six Power bowlers took
wickets, with captain Elliott
Massina (3-28 off 15.4)
producing the best figures.
On Sunday Redbacks’
spinner Thrum produced his
first five-wicket haul in the
BDCA, claiming 5-92 off 33
overs as the Power were all
out for 226.
Thrum was introduced
into the attack in the 16th
over and bowled unchanged
for the rest of the innings
from the city end.
He had an immediate
impact, trapping opener
Anthony Tanner (20) lbw off
his first ball.
Josh Collinson (52) –
looking unfamiliar batting
in a helmet as per new rules
introduced this round – led
the way with the bat for the
Power, who were bowled out
in the 81st over.
Meanwhile, all games
were played with a pink ball
in support of the McGrath
Foundation during Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.