Ovens Valley United locked in contest with Benalla

OVENS Valley United's A grade squad will need to take nine wickets for victory over Benalla Bushrangers after they were bowled out for 162 at McNamara Reserve. In reply, the Bushrangers sit at 1/19 overnight. After getting sent in to bat on a lively–looking wicket, Tigers opener Harkaran Mann lasted five deliveries before Conor Brodie got one to nip back and hit the top of off stump. When skipper Dylan Bursill departed for 11 runs, it was up to Seamus Phillips and Josh Newton to make some runs – Newton's 25 from 60 deliveries helped steady the ship while Phillips cashed in with a handy half century to have the Tigers at 5/100. Kane Fitzpatrick kept the runs coming with a strong innings of 31 from 74 rocks, while Josh Jones (10), Nick Impink (10) and Corey Southern (11*) all pitched in. The home side was knocked over for a healthy 162 on a difficult deck to bat on, with Benalla batting 11 overs to start their run chase. Cooper Thomason made them pay for every ball they faced, sending the ball crashing through opener Jack Fullager's stumps to have the visitors at 1/19. Captain Dylan Bursill said it was disappointing not to face out the day, but felt the score was enough to trouble Benalla. "There was a bit in the pitch, and a couple of times we didn't choose the right ball to go for," he said. "Seamus Phillips and Josh Newton batted really well after we did lose myself and 'Harky' (Harkaran Mann) early. "It was really good to see Seamus spend a bit of time in the middle, and some of the boys at the end batted well, like Kane Fitzpatrick, and Josh Jones, Nick Impink, and Corey Southern chimed in with a dozen or so runs each. "We put a competitive total on the scoreboard I reckon, but it was a bit of a shame to not bat out our overs for the second or third game in a row, so we've still got to work on that." With Benalla needing to put on another 144 runs for victory with nine wickets in hand, Bursill said he backed his bowlers to mop up the opposition potentially with enough time for another shot with the willow. "We've had some tough battles with Benalla, they always turn it on against us," he said. "Going into next week, we've just got to bowl our lines and lengths. "We know they've got some good players but in saying that we've got one of their better bats out in Jack Fullager. "We know James Carboon (yet to bat) and Michael Honman (12*) are not too bad with the bat, so it'll be good to see the back of them. "We just need to bowl our lines and lengths, and I'm backing our bowlers to get the job done. "McNamara was picturesque but with the long boundaries on there, boundaries are few and far between. "We've just got to limit the boundaries and just be hunting in the ring to stop the singles. "Hopefully we can back in our bowlers and hold our catches and hopefully get back in for another bat later in the day." The A reserve Tigers locked in a victory on day one of their clash at the Gardens Oval in Benalla, making 5/104 after knocking the Bushrangers over for 88.

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