Rain held off and there was no team happier than East Ballarat, which had to make five runs on Saturday afternoon to defeat Brown Hill.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hawks Mitchell Walsh and Shane Gray had that all bottled up within the first overs' play at Western Oval.
The Hawks batted on but where it got interesting was when Bulls' captain Jason Knowles added festive spice with the ball.
Knowles took three wickets in his second over on day two - on the first, third and fifth balls.
And he would not stop.
Knowles also claimed Hawks' scalps in his next two overs and, with one wicket from day one, finished with a 6-36 haul off 10 overs.
Paceman Matt McMahon and young gun Billy Hoye also nabbed a wicket each as the Hawks' built a 143-run innings.
The Bulls then had a little bat until tea, making 3-45. Hawks Josh Brown took all three wickets.
WHAT ELSE WE KNOW...
* BALLARAT-REDAN were keeping pace to meet Wendouree's 270-run target by tea then completely self-combusted.
The Combine at 5-153 were looking all right. They lost their last six wickets for two runs - their last eight for 20 - and finished all out for 155 runs on Wendouree Turf.
Anthony Taylor was pivotal setting up the Combine with 74 runs off 100 balls but once dismissed, there was no-one to pick up his effort.
Sixteen-year-old Red Cap Austen Prendergast stole the show by taking 4-27.
*MT CLEAR claimed a 120-run victory against North Ballarat.
The Mounties passed the Roosters' 119 runs just three wickets down at University of Ballarat.
Mounties openers Les Sandwith (47 runs) and Nathan Yates (52) had the chase well on the way by the time they were both gone at 2-91.
The Mounties percentage boost came mostly from the tail with Grant Trevenen unbeaten on 34 runs and Hayden Cartledge, the last batsmen in, belting out 43 runs.
Rooster Ash McCafferty took care of the Mounties middle-order with his 3-44 while Leigh Lorenzen also took three wickets.
*NAPOLEONS-SEBASTOPOL captured a handy outright to bolster their season.
Naps-Sebas had a 68-run lead to start day two and sent Coronet City straight in to bat at Ballarat High School.
City put on 113 runs and Naps, losing two early wickets, made up the deficit just one ball into the 11th over.
Naps- Luke Corden took 4-15 and skipper Carman Mahapatuna claimed another three wickets in the second innings.
*Darley defeated Golden Point by 99 runs at Eastern Oval.
Point was all out for 130 runs after sitting 4-93 at tea chasing the Lions' 229. No official scores supplied.