The Bushrangers were set a tall total in the first innings, with the Rovers scoring 239 from their 75 overs.
And despite heading into Saturday’s play with hope that they could chase down the target, Bushrangers never came close as they were bowled out for a lowly 57 from 37 overs.
Bushrangers’ captain Gary Priest said it was unfortunate that his side’s innings didn’t go as planned in the club’s final match of the season.
“Obviously, the key was to get that good start, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that,” he said.
“Our plan was to protect our wickets and get off to a good start and try to get to three (runs) an over and it didn’t go that way.
“In the second innings, we obviously got off to the start we wanted in the first dig.”
After Benalla was skittled for 57, the Bushrangers were sent in again as Rovers hunted a dominant outright victory.
It was then that the Bushrangers’ top-order showed their potential to Priest as they struck 4-98 off 37 overs.
“If we can find a couple more batsmen to add to the side, that’s all it would take,” he said.
“Bowlers have been bowling quite tight for most of the year.
“We are very close. We lost a few games during the year through literally dropping catches, and it was our own fault.
“It could have been the difference between playing finals and not.”
Priest believes that the side’s mix of young and old will hold it in good stead for next season in a league that the captain said is pretty even across the board.
“We were more competitive this year,” he said.
“We definitely had a really good mix of youth this year coming through, a good mix of youth and experience.
“Numbers haven’t been a problem with our club; we have had plenty of numbers. It’s just about mixing it up and getting that right going forward and fine-tuning it, I suppose.
“The whole comp was fairly close this year, so it wasn’t like anyone was going to be out of it except for right towards the end.”
The Bushrangers will be hoping to jump off the bottom of the ladder for the 2024-25 season.
10°C