Top side Stanhope with Jonathan Pearson top scoring with 36 posted 152 against Rushworth which managed only 77 in reply of which Michael Enrico contributed 32 and Peter Francis 19 not out.
Opening bowler Danyon Stockdale did the damage with the ball for Stanhope, taking 6-12 off eight overs.
· In the battle for second place, Fire Brigade lost out to Echuca which won with 4.5 overs to spare and three wickets in hand.
Trevor Watts with 41 top scored in the Brigade’s score of 8-124 and the loss resulted in The Flames slipping to fourth spot, replaced by BLU whose 165 was enough to keep Goats at bay by eight runs.
· Moama had the edge in a tight struggle with Elmore in the other game in which an unbeaten 85 from Duane Jones got his side home.
Tyler Oliver had earlier starred with the bat for Elmore with 75.
Murray Section
Tongala won, but missed a finals spot because Leitchville-Gunbower had a big win over Echuca South.
Tongala restricted Rochester to 87 and with Adam Nunn (42 not out) and Braith Northausen (25 not out) showing the way had its rival’s score covered in 24.1 overs.
· Top side Girgarre was dismissed for only 106 by Cooma with Mackenzie Cowley top scoring with 27.
But with Andrew Medhurst (4-22) and Jonathon Sherritt (3-6) on fire with the ball Cooma’s batters fell for 67 with Mason Scopelliti’s 29 the only shining batting light for the losers.
· Colbinabbin will carry some momentum into the finals after a seven-wicket win over Nondies Cohuna.
Colbo’s bowlers restricted Nondies to 79 and is batters led by Brian Dwyer (26 not out) and Tyler McNamara with 29 had the game won in the 26th over.
C-GRADE
A four-run win in a tight game against Echuca enabled Stanhope to slip into second place on the ladder at the expense of Fire Brigade.
With consistent opener Jack Hepburn making 62 off 62 balls with nine fours and three sixes and Shannon McMahon-Kinnear (34) and Shannon Aynsley (30) chipping in with handy scores Stanhope posted 190.
Echuca’s batters put up a fight, losing its last wicket in the last over to come up four runs short.
· Girgarre skittled Tongala for 78 and then posted 7-204, but it wasn’t enough to snatch a berth in the finals.
Ben Campbell with an unbeaten half-century, Billie Gahan (43) and Simon Tomasini (37) provided the bulk of the Girgarre runs.
· Top side Moama produced an impressive score of 7-308 and then skittled Echuca South for 78 with Geordie Teasdale taking 4-10.
D-GRADE
Rushworth prepared for the finals with a big win over Fire Brigade.
Brett Pateman (50), Jak McMillan (43) and Josh Francis (35) helped Rushworth reach 3-174.
In reply the Brigade fell for 121 with opener Matt Schubach with 49 the batting mainstay.
· BLU jumped into second place in a high-scoring shootout against Echuca.
Echuca posted 2-144, but BLU covered this score in 22 overs.
· Despite Echuca South forfeiting Cooma held fourth spot on the ladder and will play finals.
· Stanhope finished the season with a win over Tongala with Manojkumarchowdary Boddu leading the way with a half-century.
Tongala made a decent fist of its run chase with Andrew Reid showing the way with 41 not out, but came up two runs short.