Liam Durkin
BUNDALAGUAH got an early taste of premiership glory, winning the Sale-Maffra Cricket Association One Day Final on Sunday.
The Bulls secured the Fischer Cup after edging out Stratford in a thrilling white ball final.
The final came down to the last over at Colin Wrigglesworth Oval, with the home side scraping through to chase 170 with four balls to spare.
Stratford got away to a flyer after being asked to have a hit. Despite losing an early wicket, left handers and the two Jacks, Rietschel and Tatterson, batted with ease in the first 10 overs.
The pair showed expert placement, and a willingness to take the game on, hitting over the top while the field was up.
Rietschel looked well and truly set, getting to 36 off 38 balls, only to walk past one off Johandre Barnard and into the hands of wicket-keeper Nathan French, who gratefully accepted the invitation to stump his ex-teammate.
French had earlier thrown down the stumps from fine leg, no mean feat for a keeper sprinting some 80 metres with pads on.
Tatterson fell a short time after Rietschel for 44 after going for a reverse paddle, only to pick out Hayden Wrigglesworth at short fine.
With Barnard injected into the game on a wicket that was turning, the off spinner got the game back on the Bulls’ terms.
He dismissed both Channings, Lachlan and Ben, and probably would have had Bohdi Walker second ball if mid off had been up.
As it was, Walker was able to get off the mark, and his innings carried even more importance as the Redbacks needed someone to bat through.
Walker did a mighty job, and ended with 60 off 63 balls.
The left hander smashed six fours and one six to be last man out in the penultimate over.
Barnard proved a handful, taking 4/29 off eight, while Lachlan Wrigglesworth grabbed 2/8 and Steve Spoljaric 2/28.
With bowling arguably the Redback’s strength, it set up an intriguing run chase.
Bundalaguah openers Jason Langshaw and James Read gave their side the perfect start, putting on 57 for the first wicket.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, both men fell either side of each other without adding a run, and when Hayden Wrigglesworth was dismissed second ball, the score was suddenly 3/57.
Spoljaric and Toby O’Reilly then went about rescuing the innings, and were able to take the score into triple figures.
Spoljaric played a defiant hand, combining with the lower order, chewing away at the total.
However, Stratford kept taking wickets, and when the dangerous Jake Wynd was dismissed without scoring, the game was left precariously placed at 6/140.
The dismissal of Spoljaric for 49 left the game open at 7/145, and with time running out, the Bulls needed someone to find some boundaries.
That they did in the form of Sam Bedggood, who played calmly to remain unbeaten on 17, as the winning runs were hit right at the depth.
Rietschel took 4/31 off eight overs with three maidens, and Tatterson 2/21 off the same number, taking the same number of maidens.
