Ballarat Cricket Association has suffered a heartbreaking four-run loss to Bairnsdale after a middle order collapse on day three of Melbourne Country Week.
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This is Ballarat’s second single figure loss in provincial division in a carnival which might have been so much different for it.
The BCA was coasting at 3-107 in reply to the unbeaten Bairnsdale’s moderate 146, but lost three wickets on this total and was never able to full recover.
Ryan Knowles, 30, Mick Nolan, 21, Harli Givvens, 15, Leigh Lorenzen, 15, and Tom Le Lievre, 14, all made solid enough starts, but Ballarat needed one to go on with the job in an anchor role.
Jacob Eyers, 11 and Prabath Priyankara, 10, dug in down the order, but Bairnsdale had the last say.
Earlier after winning the loss and choosing to field, Ballarat bowled itself into a match-winning position.
Skipper Adfam Eddy was instrumental in restricting Bairnsdale with 3-30 in 10 overs at the top of the innings.
Priyankara then tightened the screws wirth 2-10 off 7.2 overs.
This gives Ballarat with a win over Murray Valley and defeats to Geelong and Bairnsdale.