Kyabram prove a class above in Tatura thrashing

Asked to bowl after losing the toss, it took just two balls for the Redbacks to strike, with Samuel Langley picking up his first scalp of the afternoon in quick fashion to leave the visitors reeling early.

Daniel Coombs joined Joshua Catalano at the crease, and while they managed to score relatively quickly, their partnership lasted just five overs, as Langley struck again to remove Coombs (7), while Catalano (18) fell victim to Elliott Griffiths two overs later, as Tatura slumped to 3-38.

The Redbacks onslaught continued as Charlie McLay came into the attack, with Tatura recruit Krrish Patel (12) unable to mount a resistance, while skipper Jayden Armstrong (1) fell cheaply too, both to McLay, as the visitors fell from 3-53 to 5-55 in the blink of an eye.

Blake Armstrong gave Tatura some hope, diligently picking off any loose deliveries in a patient knock, adding 33 in partnership with Harry Singh (11), while a further 22 came alongside Jack Mahoney, until he eventually was sent packing for 35 with Tatura in trouble at 7-110.

Lachlan Magee would attempt to dig in alongside Mahoney, who was providing one final glimmer of hope for Tatura, but when he fell for 10, leaving the visitors at 8-130, the end was imminent.

Charlie McLay would nab the final two wickets in quick succession, taking his figures to a team-best 4-29, ahead of Langley (3-47) and Griffiths (2-28), as the Redbacks’ venomous bowling attack saw Tatura bowled out for 139 inside 39 overs, with Mahoney left unbeaten on 35.

With willow in hand it proved a fairly routine chase for Kyabram, despite losing Billy McLay for 12 early on to the bowling of Patel, as Cade Mueller and Paul Parsons combined to add 56 to the scoreboard for the second wicket to effectively kill off any hope of a Tatura fightback with the ball.

Parsons would fall victim to Singh (1-10) for 25 to bring an end to the partnership though at 2-90, and while Mueller raised the bat for a better than a run-a-ball half-century, he too was in the sheds shortly after, dismissed by Patel (2-28) for 59 to leave Kyabram three down but with a healthy 114 runs on the board.

Kyle Mueller and Gus Byrne joined forces in the middle and safely saw the Redbacks home, finishing unbeaten on 21 and 11, respectively, as Kyabram cruised to a third straight win to start the campaign inside 27 overs.

The result ensures the Redbacks stay atop the ladder with a perfect three wins and three bonus points to boot, plus an imposing quotient of 4.566, which stands nearly two better than second placed Old Students, while Tatura remains at the other end of the spectrum, having failed to pick up any points across the first three weeks.

Attention now turns to the first of the two-day contests in round four, with the Redbacks set to face Central Park-St Brendan’s in a red ball blockbuster, while Tatura will face a tough battle as it looks to secure its first win of the season when it takes on an unbeaten Waaia.