Mount Beauty’s first XI find themselves on the winners list for the first time this season with a sterling three-wicket win over cellar dwellers Howlong on Saturday. After last week’s horror show saw Mount Beauty bowled out for just 30 in under 20 overs, the Power managed to chase down the Spiders’ 172 all out with three wickets remaining. The Power were put into the field first, and Lincoln Wilson found success early with the ball, picking up the first three wickets to have Howlong wobbling at 3/48. Spider Ty Luton worked together with the middle order to form a resistance, but his partners kept falling at the other end, thanks to persistent pressure and good catching. Wes Dowel removed Howlong skipper Noah Orchard, and combined with Alex Moffitt to sweep through the rest of the innings. Moffit finished with figures of 4/26 from his 5.2 overs, while Dowel (3/39 off eight) and Wilson (3/15 off eight) also picked up wickets. The Power needed to go at 4.3 runs per over for their entire chase, not an outlandish figure by any means considering the batting power Mount Beauty possesses. The chase got off to a rocky start, with Moffit trapped LBW for a hard-fought two from 14 balls, but his opening partner Tod Griffiths was seeing them well, hitting a rapid 44 from 55 balls. The middle order stood up, with Greg McLennan (18 from 27), Shannon Carter (28 from 34), and Todd Jeanes (29 from 38) helping the total tick ever upwards. Nick Iarie (24* from 23) and Sam McIntyre (17* from 15) saw the side home, recording their first win for the season. The win will no doubt give the group confidence as they head into their next match, a home game against similarly struggling Kiewa. The good news kept coming from the second XI, who posted a 36-run win over the Spiders at home. The Power set a strong total of 8/202 from their 40 overs, anchored by a spectacular century from opener Kevin Moorman, who slashed 104 from 92 balls. Strong contributions also came from Nigel Smith (41 off 60) and Frank Iaria (20 off 42). With the ball, it took a while for the Power to make inroads, but once they got a sniff, they ripped through. Chris Derrick found the breakthrough, and the Spiders slumped from 0/60 to 5/115, courtesy of Anthony Brewergray (2/24 from eight) and Ravinder Singh (2/35 from seven). However, it would be Derrick to clean up, mopping up the tail to see Howlong lost 4/11 and Derrick finish with 5/22 from 5.4 overs. The second XI side sits second on the ladder, eager to face mid-tier side Kiewa this weekend. The C grade side suffered a 182-run loss to Bethanga, Kept to 8/82 from their 35 overs chasing 264.
