Wendouree has shown North Ballarat who is in charge in the Ballarat Cricket Association firsts.
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For the timebeing anyway.
The Red Caps snapped North Ballarat’s unbeaten run in a one-dayer at Wendouree on Saturday.
Wendouree joins the Roosters at the top on 33 premiership points, as just six now separates the top four.
East Ballarat remains in touch with the top four after a win over Napoleons-Sebastopol – a game adrift of Mt Clear, which had an equally important win over Darley.
Wendouree’s batting depth was again the key to its success.
Despite losing Cole Roscholler with only one run on the board, enough batsmen kept contributing.
Gavin Webb, 52 (eight fours), and Ryan Simmonds, 22, put the innings back on track with a second wicket partnership of 67.
Although Craig Jenkins 43 (four fours), and Jack Peeters, 33 (three fours, one six), were the only others to really get going it was all about a series of steady stands which built the total to 224.
Leigh Lorenzen finished with the best figures of 3-36.
This was always going to be a testing chase, but North Ballarat was never able to seriously challenge it.
Lorenzen has been an instrumental contributor with the bat for the Roosters.
The opener was again solid with 28 (six fours), but his stay not long enough.
Scott Wright made 38, but that was where it ended as wickets fell at a constant rate.
Wendouree shared the wickets around.
Peeters took a 2-11 off a miserly six overs. John Butler and Jonty Wall also each claimed two scalps.
BALLARAT-REDAN 4-274 d BROWN HILL 6-169
Jayden Hayes could hardly have chosen a better time to get his maiden BCA firsts century.
He produced an inspired captain’s knock in getting 110 to ensure Ballarat-Redan a comfortable first win of the season at the Western Oval.
This give the Two Swords a nine-point cushion over Brown Hill, which remains pointless on the bottom of the ladder.
Hayes hit nine fours and a six in a two-hour stay at the crease in guiding Ballarat-Redan to an insurmountable 4-274.
He shared a 116-run second wicket stand with young opening batsman Taylor Sutton, who found the boundary six times in his first half-century at this level.
Another youngster Jack Riding contributed 49 not out (five fours) and Zac Jenkins made 33.
Brown Hill was hindered by the loss of Nathan Smith, who retired hurt for 33 at the top of the order.
Captain Ryan Knowles, who is enjoying a solid season with the bat, had a dash as only he knows how with 60 (eight, fours, one six) off 69 balls,
No one else was able to keep any momentum going though as the last six wickets fell for just 45 runs.
Fraser Hunt, 22, was the only other batsman to top 20.
English import Josh Dilworth picked up his second handy bag of wickets in just his fourth game, taking 3-13 off 3.2 overs to help clean up the lower order.
Lachlan Snaith finished with 3-43.
MT CLEAR 7-137 d DARLEY 134
The heat is on Darley after losing to Mt Clear by three wickets at Darley on Saturday.
The Lions have slipped to sixth and find themselves 12 points outside the top four.
It was tight, with the Mounties have only an over to spare in the one-dayer, but it was enough on a day when runs were hard to come by.
Darley was in deep trouble at 4-23 – thanks to Darcy Thomson’s 3-27 – and did well to make any sort of target, with Roshan Anuruddha getting 30 and Matt Cape 29.
Mt Clear was also in strife at 2-6 and 5-44, and was eventually rescued by Grant Trevenen, 28, and Darren Fletcher, 28no, who combined with Ash George, 22no to add 47.
Cape backed up with 3-25.
EAST BALLARAT 9-227 d NAPOLEONS-SEBASTOPOL 219
Two late wickets to Ollie Hayes helped East Ballarat deny Napoleons-Sebastopol a successful run chase at Russell Square on Saturday.
Pursuing the Hawks’ 9-227, Naps-Sebas overcame two slumps with two late partnerships to almost steal the game.
Hayes took 4-39, getting the wickets of Joe Lynch for 25 and Nicholas Pantzidis 26 after Naps-Sebas had been 8-146 and in trouble.