Rutherglen won the toss and elected to bat first at the picturesque Benalla Gardens Oval.
The boys got off to a steady start, with Lucas and Mark getting the score to 0/29 before Lucas fell short for 17. Two quick wickets from the Bushrangers saw Rutherglen slip to 3/32.
Archer and Kurt then combined for a 28-run partnership, but Archer was undone by a slower ball, falling for 12. Another surge of wickets followed, leaving Rutherglen struggling at 6/69.
Kurt attempted to put pressure back on the bowlers with a couple of boundaries, progressing the score to 82 before being dismissed for 35.
A couple more quick wickets from the Bushrangers left Rutherglen reeling at 9/90.
Matt Peacock and James Russell then combined for a handy 28-run partnership.
Some beautiful cover drives to the fence from Rusty and an equally impressive leg glance from Matt were the highlights of the 11th-wicket stand. Rutherglen finished their 40 overs at 9/118.
With the boys fired up and ready to take the field, Rutherglen claimed a couple of early wickets, with Kurt Schmidt taking three poles to leave Benalla at 3/30.
However, after a few tough chances went down and some loose deliveries were smashed to the fence, Rutherglen could manage only two more wickets, with James Russell and Lucas Peacock taking one each.
Benalla chased down the total with 9.1 overs to spare, finishing at 5/119 and defeating Rutherglen.
C Grade
Yarrawonga too classy for Rutherglen despite strong effort
Rutherglen put up a strong fight against last year’s premiers, Yarrawonga, but the visitors proved too classy in the end.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Rutherglen got off to a tough start, with Lennie Lister falling for 4 in the opening over. Young Henry Lister then joined experienced campaigner Andrew Holmes at the crease, and the pair steadied the innings with a valuable 66-run partnership.
The pair guided Rutherglen through to the 25-over mark before Henry was dismissed for a well-made 24. Jaydon Baldwin then provided some quick runs with a handy 13, before Jake Saville showed plenty of composure late in the innings.
Saville finished unbeaten on 24 to help Rutherglen reach a competitive total of 129.
With the ball, Rutherglen continued to fight hard, with Baldwin producing another strong performance, taking two wickets from his five overs. Adriaan Foot also chipped in with an important wicket as Rutherglen looked to put pressure on Yarrawonga.
Despite the strong effort from the home side, Yarrawonga chased down the total to claim the win.
Next week, Rutherglen will take on City Colts.
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