Bushies fight back to salvage competitive total

Skipper Brayden Stepien was the first man to fall, with Josh Nanson making the breakthrough for the visitors to remove the dangerous opener for just six.

Jed Marek (1-22) joined the party with the first ball of the next over, removing Stepien’s opening partner James Carboon for two, before Nanson struck once more to send number four Charlie Bull trudging back to the pavilion for a single run, reducing Benalla to just 3-10.

With the Bushrangers in all sorts of trouble, and with 68 overs still remaining in the day, Jonty Priest strode out to meet Ross Cavill in the middle.

Facing a City Colts side that was riding a towering wave of momentum, the pair set about pushing towards a competitive total.

Over the next 52 overs, the pair would torment the Colts attack that had started so brightly, absorbing all sorts of pressure while knocking the ball around the field, accumulating run after run.

After facing more than 300 balls together at the crease, Cavill’s resistance finally fell, as Matthew Lister pulled off a brilliant caught and bowled effort to remove the stubborn Bushies number three for a sensational 83 runs.

The counterpunching effort included 15 boundaries from 154 deliveries and came at a critical point in the contest for the home side, with Cavill combining with Priest for a 141-run stand.

Priest hung around until the final over following Cavill’s departure, eventually dismissed for a patient 72 made with unwavering focus, having faced 230 deliveries and finding the rope on just eight occasions.

It was Lister that cleaned up the tail, ending the Bushrangers’ innings with a hat-trick to claim a superb 5-51, while Connor Ormond (2-18) and Nanson (2-21) picked up multiple wickets also.

While the runs weren’t overly abundant, Benalla’s total of 199 is still competitive, and with tight bowling and sharp fielding when day two gets under way on Saturday, anything is possible.

It will be a tough ask to deny the ladder leaders, however, who possess a potent batting line-up that includes Joshua Newton, who posted an unbeaten 106 off just 99 deliveries in the Colts’ win over Benalla during the round two one-dayer.