Mount Beauty’s first XI have registered their third straight defeat to Bethanga in Cricket Albury Wodonga District First Grade action last Saturday. Whilst the Power improved across the board compared to their last-start trouncing at the hands of Kiewa, Bethanga chased down a more competitive 5/175 with five wickets in hand and seven overs to spare. Captain Greg McLennan’s run of luck at the coin toss came to an end as the visiting Bethanga sent in the home side, and it paid off almost immediately as McLennan was dismissed for only one run in the second over. Nick Iaria (11), Mark Flay (25) and Shannon Carter (31) steadied the ship for the Power. Will Betheras smashed 61 not out, which takes his season tally to 164 with an average of almost 55, and kept the scoreboard ticking over to help lay a platform for his team to capitalise in the final 10 overs. Todd Jeanes (32 from 18 balls) finished the innings with great purpose to help Mount Beauty set a defendable total of 175. With the ball, the reliable Ethan Brown (2/38) struck in the ninth over to dismiss the dangerous Luke Rafferty for 21, but Mount Beauty couldn’t restrict the flow of runs from both ends and Bethanga stayed well ahead of the required run rate, thanks to Jack Robinson’s 78 not out. Flay produced two wicket-taking deliveries, while Shannon Wilson (0/27) bowled an economical eight-over spell. McLennan took some positives from the loss against last year’s grand finalists. “We had a wet week and thought that the pitch might be a bit dodgy but in the end it came up a treat,” McLennan said. “We were sent in and after an early wicket, we had a number of good partnerships to reach 175, which we thought was reasonable on a slow ground. “Our bowling was perhaps not quite right again and we offered up a few too many hittable deliveries. “I thought we played reasonably well and the effort was there, but Bethanga are a good side and we couldn’t quite secure the win.” A must-win game awaits the seventh-placed Power this Saturday, who host Howlong, the only team below them on the league standings. “They [Howlong] have also had an indifferent start to the season, so we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”
