The two games were split between BBL giants Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars, with the Thunder claiming the final bragging rights with a six-run victory in the evening match.

After selling 4500 tickets in the lead-up, 9662 people rolled in for the cricketing spectacle. 

Batting first, the Thunder posted a handy score of 4-149, with the Stars falling just short at 7-143 in an entertaining chase.

Glenn Maxwell made the game look easy at times with a cameo of 31 from 17 balls, which included seven boundaries.

However, the night may have come at a cost to the Thunder, who could be without its two most experienced leaders for the start of the BBL season next Tuesday against Sydney Sixers.

Stand-in skipper Ben Rohrer left the field during the second men’s match with a hamstring complaint, joining the already injured Shane Watson on the sidelines.

The Thunder’s standout batsman from the earlier game, Kurtis Patterson, was also rested from the later match with a niggling injury, which opened the door for rookie Jay Lenton, who took the opportunity with both hands.

After spending time in the Thunder’s academy setup for the past few years, Lenton carried his bat in a man-of-the-match performance, scoring 61 not out off 59 balls.

“It was a bit of a tough wicket to start on, but the way the innings fell I wanted to be there at the end and post a good score,” he said.

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing all the kids that are here because I know when I was a kid I was doing the same thing getting signatures.

“I love coming to the country towns and its such a great turnout.”

Lenton added the replacement of Rohrer was more a “precaution” before something more serious may have happened.

“He should pull through, but we had to get him off the field just in case,” he said.

“When you’ve got someone of that calibre (Watson) out, you don’t want someone of Benny’s calibre out as well, so to take him off when we did was a pretty smart move for us.”

Stars opener Luke Wright also had nothing but praise for the Border fans and the overall event.

“I think that’s the thing with the Big Bash, everywhere you go now it produces huge crowds,” Wright said.

“It’s testament to the area who support the cricket, but I think the nice thing here was that there were so many kids.

“They seem like they’ve had a great time here and it’s a credit to everyone who has put the show on.”

Wright was unfortunately run out by a good piece of fielding, but is looking forward to his sixth BBL season with the Stars.