Skipper and opener Alex Williams was Tongala’s hero, batting though his team’s innings with an unbeaten 74 as the visitors reached Echuca’s score of 126 in 31.3 overs.
Williams had earlier taken three wickets to help keep his team in the game.
It was the first time Tongala has won this season after being promoted back to the John McMahon competition.
Tongala’s bowlers — led by Adam Nunn and Williams — skittled Echuca for 126 in 43.3 overs to give the Blues batsmen the chance to cause the boil over.
In Echuca’s innings, only Kobyn James, with a fighting 67 off 95 deliveries, weathered the Nunn-Williams bowling storm.
Nunn finished with 4-31 off nine overs and Williams 3-26 off 8.3 overs, while Matt and Darin Ohlsen both claimed a wicket in the famous win.
Tongala now has a realistic chance of making it successive wins when it meets struggler Nondies Cohuna in the next round when the season resumes on January 11.
X Ky Fire Brigade lost narrowly to third-placed Moama in an absorbing clash at Moama.
The Flames lost openers Paul Newman and Brett Andiason cheaply but fighting knocks from young guns Bohden Learmonth and Miller Griffiths and Kaine Herbert, Shannon Fleming and skipper Rob Salter got the side back in the game.
Coming off a century in the previous game, Learmonth top scored again with 44 off 66 deliveries. He hit five boundaries.
Griffiths (23), Herbert 22, Fleming (26) and Salter (18) gave The Flames total a late boost.
Matt Saunders and Russell Stockdale both claimed three wickets for Moama, which, in reply reached 8-168, with Jack Russell (47) and Kirk Teasdale (21 not out) producing a match-winning 63-run eighth wicket stand.
Tom Owen with 4-27 off nine overs and paceman Jackson Barnett — coming off a 10-wicket haul in the previous game — with 3-43 were the Brigade bowlers who almost brought off the win for their side.
X Nondies Cohuna has been in free fall since the start of the season and on Saturday it suffered another loss, this time to finals aspirant Leitchville-Gunbower.
Broden Wishart with an unbeaten 33, Will Ringin (22) and opener Zed Ellwood (19) provided the bulk of the Nondies score while Simon Tatt was the best of the Leitchville-Gunbower bowlers with 4-26 off eight overs.
Chasing only 117, Leitchville-Gunbower opener Billy Hawken, with an unbeaten 56 off 72 balls with eight fours and a six, wound in Nondies score in 24 overs to joinBamawm-Lockington United in equal fourth spot on the ladder.
X Echuca South scored 6-176 against Bamawm-Lockington United, with the side up to the challenge in reply, reaching 7-180 off 41.2 overs.
For BLU, openers Regis Chakabva (58) and Kade Pearse (47) got the BLU run chase off to a positive start with a 92-run stand, and handy scores from Brodie Challis (23), Josh Cairns (22) and Liam Hamilton (16) got BLU over the line.
South earlier built its tidy score on the back of opener Jayden Rosin’s 39, Rathika Rajakumara’s 66 with four fours and Tristan Watson’s 45 off 66 deliveries.
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