Bill Williams Goulburn B-grade shield
The semi-final line-up for the Goulburn Murray Cricket B-Goulburn Shield has been confirmed after an eventful final round ended with three teams being separated by quotient for top spot.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Kyabram Fire Brigade finished first with the highest quotient in the league, confirming a home semi-final after a narrow 13-run win over Elmore.
The Redbacks sent the Flames in to bat first, with Kyabram making 147 from its 40 overs, propelled by solid innings from Oscar Carver (35), Lachlan Carver (30), and Archer Backway (38).
Elmore seemed destined to chase down the total and secure a finals spot, reaching the century mark after only 19 overs, at one stage being 3-122.
But an untimely middle order collapse saw Kyabram take five wickets from the 26th to 32nd overs, as captain Rikki Busch (3-22) and Nicholas Jephson (4-19) completely flipped the script.
Opener Matt Gilmour starred with the bat for Elmore, making 69 off 84 balls, but he had little support as Kyabram made light work of the tail to secure victory with two overs spare.
The Flames will host Cooma in the semi-finals, who ironically have Kyabram to thank after it jumped Elmore into fourth by seeing off Rushworth with a three-wicket win.
Cooma opted to bowl first and disposed of the Rushworth order with relative ease, as Jack Norris’ 4-24 led a dominant bowling display that saw the home side all out for just 102.
The Cooma run chase hit some speedbumps, with opener Liam Scopelliti dismissed early and the visitors at one stage 7-99.
But the total was too low for Rushworth to protect, as Cooma captain Ethan Palma-Ludeman led the way with 31, and Norris complemented his impressive bowling display by hitting the winning runs in the 31st over.
Elsewhere, Moama will host Echuca in the semi-finals after both sides secured comfortable victories to finish second and third respectively.
The Mowers were dominant against Bamawm-Lockington United, batting first and posting a big total of 206 from their 40 overs.
Openers Kirk Teasdale and Matthew Watt both made half-centuries, with the latter ending up just shy of a ton after making 88 and hitting nine fours.
BLU’s chase got off to a solid start but it didn’t have enough firepower to keep Moama’s attack at bay, despite a solid knock of 42 from Charlie McIntyre.
McIntyre would be the last wicket to fall in the 35th over as BLU made just 114, losing by 92 runs.
Teasdale, after making 61 with the bat, had a phenomenal all-round game, also dominating with the ball by taking 5-4 across only six overs, which included three maidens.
Echuca travels to Gunbower Recreation Reserve for next week’s semi-final with Moama after closing the season with consecutive wins, easing to a six-wicket victory against Colbinabbin.
The Ducks batted first but struggled, only making 60 from 23.1 overs, with only two batters scoring 10 or more runs.
Echuca’s attack contributed equally to dismantling the batting order, with Nick Dolan, Ryan Caldwell, and William Kerr each taking two wickets, while Jack Evans led the way by taking 3-9 from only five overs.
The run chase was perhaps more difficult than expected for Echuca, who were at one stage 4-56, but Dolan pushed for three runs on the first ball of the 23rd over to ensure a comfortable victory.
Stanhope had the bye.
Bill Williams Murray B-grade shield
Kyabram Fire Brigade bookended an impressive regular season by coasting to an 85-run win over Rochester.
The Flames posted a huge total of 222, having multiple contributors with the bat as Jack Donnell (66) and Paul Newman (52) made half-centuries, while Justin Hooper and Kaine Herbert added 37 each.
Rochester’s chase got off to a slow start, at one stage being 3-24 as the top order were disposed of quickly.
Its middle order fared a lot better, as Nate Rasmussen impressed with 47 not out off only 32 deliveries.
In the end, Kyabram only required nine wickets to secure victory and the Flames did so at the end of the 36th over, as a run out by Sam Vick, who also claimed two wickets, confirmed a 9-2 regular season record for his side.
Echuca South will face Kyabram in the semi-finals after defeating lowly Nondies-Cohuna by 72 runs.
In a must-win to have a chance of making the finals, the Swans batted first and got off to a disastrous start, falling to 4-7 as Nondies bowler Kyle Monaghan starred by taking 5-14.
The innings was resurrected by captain Cameron McMullan (55) and a sensational knock of 86 off only 67 balls from John Roussis, who smashed a whopping 17 fours as the duo built a seventh wicket partnership of 114 runs.
Needing 200 to win, the Nondies chase never got going, as top order struggles led to a total of 127 falling well short.
Both sides had excellent all-round contributors, as Monaghan was excellent with the bat too, making 56 off 38 balls, while McMullan punctuated his half-century by taking 3-6 from just four overs.
After winning their match, the Swans required a helping hand from Leitchville-Gunbower, whose dominant 122-run win over Tongala ensured Echuca South beat out the Blues for the last finals spot.
L-G batted first, struggling early by falling to 5-46 in the 20th over.
But an important sixth wicket partnership of 93 between captain Daniel Hegarty (39 not out) and Kaleb Quinn (48) put the innings back on track as L-G made 142.
The Tongala run chase could not have fared any worse, as the Blues were all bowled out for just 20 runs.
L-G’s Sam Colvin (5-10) and Darren McLellan (4-10) combined to claim three wickets from three consecutive deliveries across the end of the third and start of the fourth overs, and were the only two bowlers required to take wickets.
The score of 20 was Tongala’s lowest of the season and saw six batters dismissed for ducks.
Not only did the win aid Echuca South but also ensured L-G would play at home in the semi-finals, finishing in second place above Rochester by having a greater quotient.
Moama had the bye.
Gus Underwood C-grade shield
Rochester secured a home semi-final after cruising to a 98-run win over Cooma.
Batting first, Rochy made 204, with the runs spread across the board, as captain Leigh Hartshorne (35), Mark Stockden (32), and James Anderson (32) were the top scorers.
Cooma was at one stage 2-71, with opener Noah Stevens (58) impressing with the bat, but a middle order collapse sparked by Rochester’s Glen Moroney (3-18) halted any momentum in the run chase.
Rochester will face Echuca in the semi-finals after it crushed Stanhope in a 189-run victory at Echuca College.
Captain Jaye Caldwell (57) and Daryl Mclean (78 not out) both dominated with the bat as the home side scored at a run rate of just over six per over to post a total of 247.
The Lions could not replicate the impressive batting display of their opponents, being all bowled out for 58 as Sooraj Machathi Sukumaran, Yug Patel, and Macklan Dalziel each took two wickets for Echuca.
Elsewhere, Girgarre returned from the bye with a narrow three wicket win over Echuca South to finish its regular season.
The visiting Swans batted first, with captain and opener Malcolm Mackenzie-Ross leading the way, making 49 but receiving little support from the rest of the order, as a total of 113 seemed well within reach for the home side.
The Girgarre chase got off to a difficult start, at one stage 5-39 as Mackenzie-Ross (3-22) also starred with the ball, but it was not enough to thwart the hosts, with an important knock of 60 not out from vice-captain Rhys Febey proving crucial.
Bamawm-Lockington United had the bye.
Peter Raglus D-grade shield
Kyabram Fire Brigade secured a second place finish after Girgarre fell only six runs short in its run chase, missing out on a finals spot in the process.
The Flames posted a total of 207, propelled by Keplar Cleveland (75 not out), with half-centuries from Simon Tomasini (52, retired not out) and Tom Werner (50, retired not out) leading Girgarre to require 10 runs from the final over, but it fell short.
Kyabram will face Stanhope in the semi-finals, who finished third after cruising to a seven-wicket win over Rushworth.
The Tigers made 143, with Brett Pateman impressing (56 not out), yet the Lions batting order put in a superb display, accumulating a run rate of almost six an over to chase down the total with 11 overs spare, as captain Adam Braithwaite (50, retired not out) stood out.
Elsewhere, Girgarre’s loss allowed Murchison to secure a semi-final spot with victory over Colbinabbin, which it did, triumphing by 54 runs to set up a meeting with table-topper Echuca next weekend.
Murchison made 110 from its 36 overs, as captain Shannon Broadbent led the way (51, retired not out), and the total seemed in reach for the lowly Ducks, but they would end the season winless by only making 56 as Broadbent (3-4) and Angus Ewart (3-15) did the damage with ball in hand.
In a dead-rubber at Brose Recreation Reserve, Bamawm-Lockington United finished a challenging season with consecutive wins by easing to a seven-wicket victory over Tongala.
The Blues only made 78 from 31.3 overs, and BLU wasted little time in its chase, reaching the total in just 15.2 overs as Edward Brentnall (33) and Mick Giorgianni (26 not out) were the top scorers, smashing 10 boundaries between them.