The Flames went on the road in Goulburn Murray Cricket’s round 16, batting first at Cohuna.
It was a balanced batting effort from Fire Brigade, six men reaching double figures, but the standout effort came from Bohden Learmonth, who raised the bat for a half-century after making 53 from 67 deliveries.
Nondies-Cohuna kept plugging away with the ball and was regularly rewarded, cutting off batters’ innings just as they were getting going.
In the end, a well-balanced contest between bat and ball saw Fire Brigade post a middle-of-the-road 9-226, setting up an intriguing run chase for Nondies.
Xavier Wishart finished with 3-44, while Jamal Sukhon grabbed 2-41 and Matt Oddie 2-55.
While the game was critical for the Flames’ finals hopes, Nondies were equally motivated to play spoiler and get a first win on the board before the end of the season.
Fire Brigade was initially left reeling as Nondies’ run chase began with a 109-run stand between Sukhon (50) and Oddie (52).
They shared the duties in almost identical innings, but continued to mirror each other in their departures, both gone leg before wicket in the same Robert Salter over.
Although they were in a good spot, none of Nondies’ other batters found the conditions as favourable as the opening pair, and 17 would be the next best score down the order.
Fire Brigade found its form and managed to roll through the host for 181.
Salter not only made the critical breakthroughs early, but went on with the job, taking 5-26, while Jackson Barnett’s 3-26 was also important.
Fire Brigade now needs one point to lock in its finals status with two rounds left to play.
The Flames will face tough match-ups against confirmed finalists Bamawm-Lockington United and Echuca South in the remaining weeks.
Nondies-Cohuna takes on leader Moama this weekend, before ending the year against Echuca.
The Game
Kyabram Fire Brigade 9-226 (Bohden Learmonth 53, Robert Salter 36, Xavier Wishart 3-44) d Nondies-Cohuna 181 (Matt Oddie 52, Jamal Sukhon 50, Robert Salter 5-26)
29°C