Lindenow South Glenaladale has returned to the top of the Bairnsdale Cricket Association (BCA) ladder with an emphatic 132-run victory over a winless Meerlieu in the local derby at the Meerlieu Cricket Ground.
The highlight of the match was a brilliant century from Bulls allrounder Logan Dunkley, his first at BCA senior level.
The Bulls have been victorious in four of their five matches this campaign after winning the two-day premiership last year, and with Orbost faltering at
the hands of Wy Yung, they resume their reign at the top of the table.
Winning the toss and batting, it certainly wasn’t a walk in the park early for the Bulls, slumping to 3/9 in the fifth over with Simon Hunter (2/23) removing dangerous openers, Scott Davidson and Scott Dare.
Early wickets put on the pressure on Dunkley (101 from 131) and Haydn Erfurth (57 from 56) and they responded with a magnificent partnership.
Erfurth hit three sixes in his knock, his best for the season thus far, after a dirty start by his lofty standards.
Dunkley continues to prosper and looks better with every innings, hitting eight boundaries and a maximum, showing the benefits of a winter spent honing his craft in England.
He now has 226 runs for the season at 75.33.
Late contributions from Seth Smith (19 from 20) and Mel Irish (22 not out from 24) saw the score balloon to 8/228 from 45 overs.
The Tussocks’ bowling stocks were again stretched, however Mehul Jirage impressed with 2/32.
Meerlieu got off to a promising start with skipper Rohan Blandford (33) and promising young allrounder Des Hine (24) combining for a 51-run opening unison, broken by Davidson’s (6/23) introduction in the 13th over, trapping Hine leg before wicket.
He got Blandford in his next and it was all down hill from there, the Tussocks bowled out for just 96 in the 33rd over.
Veteran Anthony Simpson was the only other Meerlieu player to reach double figures making 11.
Seth Smith (2/26) came back and rolled the tail, but the story was the ageless Davidson who is turning back the clock.
His season tally now stands at 16 wickets at a remarkable 4.25, while also offering 77 runs at 19.25 at the top of the order.
Meerlieu again faces a tough task this week when they welcome Orbost, who will be keen to bounce back after their first glitch of the 2025/26 season.
The Tussocks, despite sitting on the bottom of the table, are still only a Blandford masterclass from causing an upset against most sides in the competition.
The Bulls will enjoy the bye.
