The Ballarat Cricket Association edged past Traralgon with two wickets in hand yesterday to put its provincial division campaign back on track after a 63-run loss to reigning champion Geelong on day one.

Traralgon put 179 runs on the board under close check from Ballarat in the Victorian Country Cricket League bout.

A couple of quick early wickets unsettled Traralgon early but it found momentum through a 54-run third-wicket partnership.

Darren Fletcher (Mt Clear) broke the stand and also claimed the key wicket of Traralgon opener Robert Webber on 63 runs.

Wendouree’s David Ellis then sharpened the attack to wipe out the Traralgon lower order in a 4-26 haul off nine overs.

Ballarat opening bat Bobby Hind (North Ballarat) then anchored a solid Ballarat reply of 8-180.

Fellow opener Steve Nicholson and captain Matt Goonan (both Mt Clear) were dismissed cheap but Hind combined with the in-form Jason Knowles (Brown Hill) to wrestle back control.

Hind (41 runs) and Knowles (36 off 55 balls) put on a 65-run stand for the third wicket.

Tristan Dixon (Wendouree) picked up where Knowles left off with 38 runs (6 fours) off 47 balls to top score for the innings.

Fletcher, batting number six, safely guided Ballarat to victory with an unbeaten 31.

Handy support came from Grant Bell (Wendouree) in a 34-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Ballarat’s next assignment is a Sale-Maffra outfit on the rebound at Altona today.

Sale-Maffra was soundly beaten yesterday by Leongatha, which continued to bat through to 8-236 after clearing Sale-Maffra’s 160-run tally five wickets down.

Ballarat sits fourth in rankings to Murray Valley, Leongatha and Geelong, each on two wins from two starts.

East Ballarat batsman Brad Whittaker is scheduled to make his country week debut today.