This season Mansfield is fielding only one Under 12s cricket team in the Wangaratta & District competition, as many of last year’s more experienced players have advanced to the U14s.

For the first game of the season, the U12s welcomed Benalla’s Bushrangers White team at College park on Saturday morning.

Captain Cecily Smith lost the season’s first toss and her team was sent in by Benalla.

Openers Alex Manning and Xavier Heaysman, bolstered by U14 match practice the previous week, set about demolishing the visitor’s opening bowlers and plundered 28 runs from the first three overs.

Tom Steele took up the mantle after Manning’s retirement, helping Delatite to 0/52 after six overs.

When Steele fell for seven the scoring slowed considerably, but the scoreboard kept ticking over through extras and singles.

The highlight of the tail-end of the innings was Leo Hoffrichter, who after seeing off thirteen deliveries for no score and facing imminent retirement, took his coach’s advice to hit out and clubbed a leg-side delivery for six over backwards square leg, his and the U12’s first.

Delatite finished on an encouraging 3/94, a vast improvement on last year’s typical score.

Benalla’s openers could not replicate the efforts of Delatite’s openers, with bowlers Manning and Jack Pollard giving up only one run in the first two overs.

After further slow scoring and retirements and a runout just before drinks, Benalla turned at the half-way point with only 38 on the board.

Wickets to Hoffrichter, two to Xavier Heaysman and another runout brought Benalla’s top-order back in, and the run-rate climbed to give Benalla a slim chance of victory going into the last over, at 5/73.

A four off the first ball gave Benalla hope, however bowler Ben Hewitt tightened up his line and managed to take two wickets with his last two balls, leaving Benalla well short at 7/78.

Delatite’s well-deserved victory was their first non-derby win in the league, and the players will look to take their good form into their next match against Benalla Bushrangers Blue next Saturday.