On the eve of the Goulburn Murray Cricket under-17 finals series Kyabram Fire Brigade has been bundled out by Bamawm-Lockington United for its smallest total of the season.
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While the team cannot miss a semi-final berth a loss could see it pitted against top team Moama in the finals, instead of second-ranked Echuca Green.
Fire Brigade beat Echuca Green in round one by 17 runs, with several overs to spare, but the following week was humbled by the ladder leading Moama.
Only one of the Northern Oval tenant’s top eight batters made double figures as Stewart, Carver, Marley Gordon and Hunter Fawcett failed for the first time this season.
At least one of them, often two or three, have strongly contributed to their team totals in all of the preceding four home and away games.
Fire Brigade was all out for 135, with five overs of its innings still remaining, with BLU’s run chase due to commence at Northern Oval at 5pm this Friday.
On day one of the bout Hamish Stewart was given out leg before wicket on just the second delivery of the innings and Fire Brigade’s rising star Lachlan Carver was the second of Lucas Holgate’s three victims in the third over.
Hunter Fawcett was out in the sixth over and Braith Northausen arrived at the wicket.
Northausen had five different batting partners and spent 22 overs at the wicket before he was the eighth man out.
He and Lachlan Werner had gotten Fire Brigade back on track, the latter seeing the innings through to its completion.
Werner finished unbeaten with 25, gaining late support from Max Barnett (11 off 15 deliveries).
Kyabram Fire Birgade’s two under-15 teams are both midway throught their semi-finals.
With the grand final scheduled for Tuesday, Feburary 20 the four semi-finalists played two-day matches that started last night (Tuesday, Feburary 13) and are due to finish tomorrow (Thursday).
Fire Brigade White is pitted against third-ranked Moama Black and Fire Brigade Red, which snuck into the finals ahead of Rochester, is up against top of the ladder Echuca White.
The first of those finals started at Brose Reserve, at 5pm, yesterday.
In a quirk of the 11-team draw it took until the final round of the season for any of the semi-final combatants to play one another.
That happened at Moama Recreation Reserve last Thursday when Moama Black made 200 against Fire Brigade White and then dismissed its opponent for 141 on day two of the match.
Echuca White and Moama Black go into the match in great form, the former having piled on 6-257 in its final round match with Echuca South and then dismissed its opponent for 62.
Fire Brigade White’s Jack Hubble batted for more than 30 overs after arriving at the wicket in the fourth over.
He faced 50 deliveries for his unbeaten 21, striking two boundaries, supported by Mia Elliott (29 from 48 deliveries) and Timothy Mawley (22 from 30 balls).
Mawley was the fourth man out with the score on 93, but only 34 was added for the loss of five wickets before the retired Hubble returned and added 14 with Elliott for the final wicket.
Fire Brigade Red sharpened its claws for the semi-final by comfortably defending its week one tally of 6-162 against Bamawm-Lockington United.
BLU lasted just 18.5 overs before it was all out for 95, three of the 10 Fire Brigade bowlers used in the innings taking two wickets each.
No Fire Brigade bowler delivered more than two overs, Mitch Wilson taking 2-9, Isabella Sefton 2-10 and Jack Carver 2-8 — from 11 deliveries.
Kyabram Fire Brigade will find out its opponent for the Sunday, February 25 grand final of the GMC under-13 competition when the second day of the final home and away round is contested tonight (Wednesday).
Fire Brigade has not been beaten in any of its seven games this year and honed its game even further with a 6-245 total, from just 32 overs, at Echuca Collage against Echuca South last week.
The team cannot be replaced as the ladder leader and four teams — Rochester, Kyabram Redbacks, Moama White and Moama Black — are now challenging for the other spot in the final.
Moama White is probably the favourite, having amassed 4-227 in its final round match.
Kyabram Redbacks are also on track for a win, having scored 9-160 from 31.2 overs against BLU, while Moama Black skittled Tongala for 50 runs.
Fire Brigade’s enormous final round tally, by far its largest of the season, came on the back of a crushing 27 delivery innings of 38 from Archie Sheppard.
Sheppard hit four boundaries and a trifecta of sixes, then watched on as Xavier Dodos repeated his heroics with not out 37 from 32 deliveries (including seven boundaries).
Max Gould (retired 20), Billy Isaac (18) and Billy Sheppard (26) were other major contributors to the grand final-bound team’s total.
In under-11 GMC competition Tongala was brave in its match with Moama Black, the team scoring 112 (just 10 less than its opponent).
The Moama team scored 0-122 from its 20 overs, then Ella Forde was the star for Tongala when she struck three boundaries in her 15 ball-unbeaten 23 run total.
Tilly Fode (12) and Spencer Williams (not out seven) were other batters to show out in the narrow loss.
Four Kyabram Fire Brigade bowlers took wickets in the match with Rochester, Oscar Andison’s 1-6 from three overs the top return and matched by Jeremy Alley — from two overs.
Billy Sheppard (11) and Oscar Andison (not oiut 14, from 15 balls) were the best of the batters in the run chase.
Fire Brigade fell 50 runs shy Rochester’s total, finishing 0-92 from its 20 overs.
There are still three rounds of the season remaining in the under-11 Friday evening competition.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor