Last year’s A-grade grand final victors powered their way to 5/231 from their allotted 45 overs, before bowling Fire Brigade out for 196 at Northern Oval to earn their first points of the season.
Matthew Hinks starred with the bat for the Green Caps with an unbeaten 80 runs, while Brendan Moyle (3/28) and Simon Maddox (1/29) each claimed vital wickets that derailed Kyabram’s run chase.
Needing to reach an imposing target of 231, Ky openers Paul Newman and Daniel Kent had Fire Brigade in great shape at 0/129. But hopes of a spectacular run chase were soon extinguished.
Newman (81) and Kent (41) were both dismissed in quick succession by Moyle and skipper Simon Maddox, and despite an unbeaten 33 from Jake Gascoyne, Fire Brigade lost all 10 of their wickets for 67 to fall short of Echuca’s target.
Maddox said the wickets of Kyabram’s two openers in back-to-back overs had a big influence on the outcome.
“Those big wickets of Kent and Newman changed the game,” he said.
“We knew they were big wickets, so when we got them in successive overs it changed the complexion of the game, that was really the turning point.
“They went from 0/129 to being behind the eight-ball 10 overs later.“
With the two danger men removed, Echuca then set about knocking over the rest of Fire Brigade’s line-up.
Moyle (3/28) and Rylea Jones (3/38) claimed three wickets each, while Ben Holt took 2/43 as the Green Caps blitzed through Fire Brigade’s attack.
Saturday’s clash was the first of the season for both Echuca and Kyabram, with rain and then flooding washing out the opening five fixtures.
Maddox said Echuca was clearly rusty in their first competitive game back since last season’s grand final in March, but he was pleased with the end result.
“We dropped a few catches and made a few mistakes, but on the whole, we performed pretty well and won, that’s the main thing,” he said.
“I thought our bowlers bowled really well. We didn’t bowl too many wides or no balls, we stuck to our plans and bowled to our fields, it was just that we dropped a couple of chances.”
Matt Hinks was Echuca’s top run scorer with 80, and while his brother Charlie Hinks (41) and Archer Carlile (35) made solid contributions, Maddox said hopefully they could turn those into even bigger knocks down the road.
“Those guys who got starts — Archer Carlisle got 35, Brendan Moyle made 18 and Charlie Hinks 41 — we need to make sure we are turning those starts into big scores, a bit like Matt did,” he said.
With the season delayed first by rain and then by the flood crisis across the region, Maddox said it was a good feeling to be back on the field again.
“It’s good to get a bit of normality back, I think,” he said.
“It has been six months between seasons and then we have been held up another six or seven weeks. There have been things going on that are bigger than community sport, but it is just good to get back out there.
“I think everyone enjoyed getting back out there and getting into cricket, it was good for everyone to get a game under our belt and I think both sides will improve and be a lot better for it.”
For Kyabram, Newman was the sole bowler to take multiple wickets with 2/29, with Chare Smith, Jackson Barnett and Charlie Barnett each claiming one.
Echuca will now take on Leitchville-Gunbower, while Kyabram will face Rochester. Both games will be played on Saturday, November 19.
