AFTER missing out on a white-ball finals place despite some incredible cricket, Beechworth Wanderers’ A grade squad have their eyes firmly fixed on the red ball format.

Beechworth played their final one day match for the year on Saturday, restricting Yarrawonga Mulwala to 7/173 before belting 3/204 in reply.

Skipper Brenton Surrey broke the Lakers’ 62 run opening partnership by bowling Matt Knight for 34 before Clancy Ellet picked up the wicket of Jobe Fraser with his second ball of the day.

A tenacious knock from middle order batter Brock McCabe (43 not out) helped stabilise the innings as wickets fell to Ellett (3/25) and Kayde Surrey (2/26).

There were danger signs early in the run chase, with Kayde Surrey and Ellett dismissed cheaply, and Beechworth in trouble at 2/34.

However, Campbell Fendyk and Brenton Surrey would rescue the Wanderers’ innings, piling on 163 runs for the third wicket.

Surrey was the aggressor, belting 91 runs from his 86 deliveries including 10 fours, overtaking teammate Ellett as the A grade’s leading run scorer for the season.

Fendyk up the other end was happy to soak up pressure and rotate the strike, finishing with an unbeaten 69 not out from 111 deliveries.

The pair remained defiant, and passed the total in the 37th over.

The partnership ended with five deliveries left in the day, when Brenton was caught off the bowling of Ben McDonald.

Surrey said it was pleasing for a partnership to form and get the result.

“The guys applied themselves pretty well, we were in a bit of early trouble, and once you build a partnership and the old white ball goes pretty soft pretty quick, it’s hard yakka for the bowlers,” he said.

“I suppose the pleasing thing is the concentration of the batters stayed up nice and high and didn’t give any chances.

“If you can do that in the one day game when the ball gets soft and doesn’t move, you can always make a big score.

“We just tried to find a bit of a groove, get a bit of a partnership going which we were able to do, and once the ball got old and soft, the wicket was good, the outfield was good, and being hot and windy over there in the afternoon is hard for the bowlers.”

The Wanderers host Rovers United Bruck this weekend in the first of four two-day clashes before the finals, sitting third on the red ball ladder and fourth overall.