Young East Point midfielder Hayden Walters was awarded best on ground for Ballarat, while Strathfieldsaye's Wayne Schultz won the medal for Bendigo.

 In a tight tussle, Bendigo came out firing in the first term,  taking an 18-point lead into the first break.

The margin should have been greater however, with the visitors missing a bevy of chances, registering two goals and nine behinds in the first quarter.

The second term was all Ballarat however, as the young players adapted to the pace and intensity of the match.

Derick Micallef booted the first three goals for the quarter, before Andrew Duhau and Hayden Walters added their names to the goal kickers list.

All of a sudden the margin was 19 points in Ballarat's favour.

Bendigo steadied with two late goals to bring the margin back to just one goal at half mode.

The third quarter was a genuine arm wrestle, as Bendigo got slightly on top kicking towards the scoring end.

The away side held a one goal lead at the final break, but the second half of the final quarter was all Ballarat.

Former Hawthorn player Rick Ladson missed a simple goal for Bendigo in the 18-minute mark that would have put his side in front by eight points.

However Ballarat rebounded and when Grant Bell kicked his second for the quarter and Dan Jordan converted from the boundary, the Bendigo heads dropped.

Micallef then kicked his fourth for the match and Xavier Linton put another through and Ballarat was in party time.

Speaking after the match, coach Ben Jordan said he could not have been prouder of his side's efforts.

"We're not a team full of big names. We don't have former AFL players running around, we have genuine Ballarat region footballers who come together and genuinely want to play for the league," he said.

Bendigo coach Jeff Brennan was left to rue missed opportunities and poor efficiency from his side.