Jacob Gillie with 3-18 and McMahon-Kinnear with 2-13 were multiple wicket-takers for Stanhope.
Dan Newton with 42 and Tom Sevens (20) led a late Rushworth batting revival, which enabled their side to reach 8-145, which proved a winning total against Fire Brigade, which answered with 9-121, of which opener Brett Andison made 61.
Echuca and Elmore were the other winners, accounting for Moama and Goats, respectively.
In B-grade’s division two competition, Cooma skittled Rochester for 90 with Zai Davies taking 5-11 off eight overs, but in reply was bowled out for 80 with Russ Napier’s 21 the top score.
Rex Taylor produced a match-winning double for Girgarre against Leitchville-Gunbower.
Taylor slammed 70 with 8 fours and 4 sixes to get Girgarre to 8-146 and then captured 6-19 off six overs with the ball to have LG out for 91.
Tongala 138 proved a winner against Nondies Echuca out for 111. No details of this game were supplied.
Colbinabbin and Echuca South tied their clash, making 127.
Xavier Hooppell top-scored for Colbo with 31, while Jude Ryan picked up three wickets.
C-grade: Girgarre’s bowlers, led by Jake Tooley with 3-12 off eight overs, restricted Rochester to 109. Still, in reply, its batsmen fell for 100, with Charlie Lowe (22) and Simon Tomasini (23) two of only three batsmen to get into double figures.
Jack Hepburn, with an unbeaten 57, and Johnathon Pearson, with 43 not out, covered Echuca South’s score of 8-122 in 21 overs to get Stanhope away to a winning start to the season.
With Mitch Cornwall top scoring with 35, Tongala posted 155 against Echuca, at one stage 8-73 in reply, but saved by a ninth-wicket stand, which got it home by two runs.
Opener Ralph Siede posted a century as Moama piled on 3-206 against Fire Brigade which was restricted to 9-122, of which Brett Andison made 61.
D-grade: Rushworth could manage only 5-63 off its 30 overs against Echuca, with Peter Francis (23 not out) and Rhys Shepherd (22) providing the bulk of the runs.
Echuca had this score covered in 15 overs.
Openers Adam Hubble and super veteran Roger French made half-centuries as Cooma built a handy score of 6-162 against Tongala.
But with Ben Nexhip and Luke Buchanan notching half-centuries Tongala lost only one wicket, covering the Cooma score in 27.5 overs.
Half-centuries by Mick Perrella and Michael Croxford and 42 from Matt Schubach propelled Fire Brigade to a winning score of 3-202 against Stanhope, which finished at 4-91 in reply, with opener Gary Pekin unbeaten on 32.
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