North Ballarat showed the initiative and it paid dividends on Saturday, with an outright triumph catapulting it inside the top four.

The Roosters placed themselves in a strong position on day one of the Ballarat Cricket Association first grade clash with Ballarat-Redan and then finished off the job over the weekend.

North Ballarat’s outright victory secured 10 vital points and lifted the team from sixth spot on the ladder into fourth with three rounds remaining until finals.

The Roosters resumed on Saturday at 2-77 in pursuit of the Two Swords’ 140 and it didn’t take long for the home side to lock away first innings victory.

Skipper Leigh Lorenzen (47) and Connor Miles (61) were the best of the batsmen as North powered along to 8-201 before a declaration was made after just 44.4 overs at the crease.

Early wickets were vital in the Roosters’ bid for an outright and they arrived. Ballarat-Redan was in early trouble at 3-22, and despite a couple of handy efforts from Jayden Hayes (32), Ryan Aikman (36 not out) and Simon Allan (22), the Two Swords were all out for 112.

North Ballarat didn’t have too long to make the runs needed for victory and managed to secure the result inside eight overs. In the end, the side finished at 5-55.

The Roosters bowlers really set up the victory, with Ash McCafferty, Jason Crosbie and Matthew Zakynthinos all taking two second-innings wickets. But the hero was Dylan Price, who claimed match-best figures of 4-2 from his five overs.

Looking ahead and North Ballarat must now prepare for an important two-day battle with Buninyong, starting next weekend.

For Ballarat-Redan, which is second last on the ladder, its next assignment is against East Ballarat. The Hawks slipped from top spot on the table with the weekend’s loss to Wendouree.

After round 13, there is two more two-day fixtures before finals get underway.

LADDER

Mt Clear 64 1.982

East Ballarat 58 1.523

Golden Point 48 1.532

North Ballarat 46 1.105

Wendouree 42 1.211

Buninyong 36 1.000

Darley 30 0.765

Brown Hill 30 0.657

Ballarat-Redan 18 0.692

Napoleons-Sebastopol 0 0.448

ROUND 13

February 2 and 9

Ballarat-Redan v East Ballarat at Alfredton

Darley v Brown Hill at Darley Park

Mt Clear v Wendouree at Mount Clear

Golden Point v Napoleons-Sebastopol at Eastern Oval

North Ballarat v Buninyong at Northern Oval

Golden Point 6-270 d Buninyong 9-268

Golden Point captain Josh White chalked up his 10th first grade century and hit the winning runs in his side’s successful run chase at the Eastern Oval.

White was the anchor in the Pointies’ innings on Saturday afternoon, making an unbeaten 103 to help the team pass Buninyong’s first innings total of 9-268.

His four-hour knock lasted 181 balls and included 14 fours.

Lachlan Anderson made an important 53 through the middle order to help get the Pointies home to an important win.

Nathan Bagley was the next best of the batsmen, making 39 at the top of the order.

Matt Ringin and Harli Givvens toiled hard all afternoon for the Bunnies and finished with two wickets each. Liam Rigby and Daniel Kitchen picked up one apiece.

Saturday’s win keeps Golden Point, the reigning premiers, in third spot on the ladder, while the loss is a big blow to Buninyong’s finals chances. The Bunnies are sixth and now 10 points behind the fourth-placed North Ballarat with three home and away rounds to play.

Up next for Golden Point is a battle with bottom side Napoleons-Sebastopol at the Eastern Oval, while Buninyong has a difficult assignment with the Roosters at the Northern Oval.

Mt Clear 7-291 d Brown Hill 50 & 147

Mt Clear has shot to top spot on the first grade ladder after a savage display with the ball on Saturday afternoon.

The Mounties completed the rare feat of taking 20 wickets in a day to claim outright victory in the clash against Brown Hill.

After setting the Bulls 7-291 on day one at the Western Oval, Mt Clear didn’t take long to tear through the home side’s batting line-up for a first time. In just 29 overs, Brown Hill was skittled for 50 and Mt Clear skipper Darcy Thomson wasted no time asking the hosts to follow-on.

While there was more resistance the second time around, it wasn’t enough as the Mounties dismissed the Bulls for 147 with about eight overs left in the game.

Star all-rounder Nathan Yates finished with eight wickets for the match, while Thomson claimed five of his own.

“We were just there for the win, but the outright is handy because that’s what helps us jump over East Ballarat…,” Thomson said.

Mt Clear is now six points clear at the summit.

Darley 7-290 d Naps-Sebas 187

Darley had no trouble chasing down Napoleons-Sebastopol's first innings total on Saturday.

The Lions had five wickets in hand when they past the visitors' day one score of 187 and then went on to finish the run chase at 7-290.

Former West Indies player Danza Hyatt made 51 at the top of the order and he was well supported by Joel Cadman and Andrew Metcalf, who contributed scores of 62 and 75 through the middle order.

Nathan Doonan and Joseph Lynch were the best of the Naps-Sebas bowlers with two wickets each.

Darley has climbed over Brown Hill on percentage and into seventh spot on the ladder, while Napoleons-Sebastopol remains winless at the bottom.

Next round, the Lions take on Brown Hill and Naps-Sebas meet Golden Point.

Wendouree 7-246 d East Ballarat 177

Mathew Begbie scored his first century of the 2018-19 season as Wendouree toppled top side East Ballarat.

Begbie, batting at number three, made 104 to help the Red Caps chase down the Hawks’ total of 177 on Saturday.

Wendouree past the target with eight wickets in hand and then went on to finish the day at 7-246.

Despite the win, the side has slipped from fourth to fifth on the ladder, while East Ballarat has dropped from first to second.