A duel between Mount Beauty and Dederang usually brings the best out of both teams, but it was the latter who got the better of their opponents this time around in the second match of the Cricket Albury Wodonga season last Saturday.

In the first of three contests scheduled for the next few months, the Demons chased down a moderate Power total with six wickets in hand to register their first win of the campaign.

Captain Greg McLennan had no hesitation in electing to bat first at the Mount Beauty Cricket Ground and made a characteristically fast start, making 31 of the opening partnership’s 35 runs before being skittled by Dylan Nowak.

Frank Iaria (14) and Will Betheras (14) steadied the ship, but the Demons slowed the scoring rate considerably during the middle overs, with Dederang left-arm spinner Ryan Barker conceding only 12 runs from his eight completed overs.

A 50-run stand between Mark Flay (38) and Shannon Carter (11) took the Power to 3/112 in the 29th over, but momentum stalled after Carter’s departure, losing wickets regularly to eventually reach 8/147 from their 40-over allocation.

To be any chance of victory, Mount Beauty needed early wickets and got what they were after with the score on 20, courtesy of a sharp McLennan grab at gully off the bowling of seamer Emerson Lemkau.

The key Demon wicket of Andrew Creamer was elusive as the veteran creamed seven boundaries and two sixes on the way to an unbeaten 82 off only 86 deliveries, leading the winning chase with 71 balls remaining for the loss of only four wickets.

McLennan took some positives and learnings from the Power’s first loss.

“We were missing three players from last week, including both opening bowlers, so we were keen to bat first to try to establish a solid score,” McLennan said.

“In the end, we felt that 147 wasn’t a bad score in the circumstances.

“We had a few players get a start but not go on to get a big score.

“Dederang came out and batted assertively and though we did get one early wicket, we weren’t able to get a run on and probably served up a few too many boundary balls, so we were always a bit behind.

“There were some tactical lessons to take from the day as well that will be learned from as we look forward to next week.”

A trip along the Kiewa Valley Highway is ahead for the Power this weekend, set to face the formidable Kiewa, who are gunning for their second successive premiership after last year’s triumph.

“We seem to play so many games at Kiewa that it is almost a second home ground,” McLennan added.

“It is traditionally a high scoring ground, so we expect it will be an exciting game.”