Losing five key players from their A-grade side during the off-season, the Jets were seen as rank outsiders heading into this clash against a Nagambie outfit renowned for producing dominant performances on its home deck.
But a clinical opening spell by stalwart Tim Brett would pave the way for the visitors, with his 3-11 off nine overs setting the tone as they produced an inspired bowling performance to bowl the Lakers out for 100.
While the chase wasn’t without drama, a mixture of youth and experience would prevail for the Jets in the finish, as they survived an inspired spell of 5-20 by Nagambie skipper Mark Nolan to limp to victory.
The beginning of a new era for the club, Northerners coach Steve Allen said it was fantastic to see his young squad put in such a strong performance on its first outing.
“It was a really pleasing result, you are always a bit uncertain of how it’s going to go in the first game of the season, so to put in such a strong performance I could not be more proud,” Allen said.
“The most pleasing thing was there was a great combination of youth and experience, like Tim Brett setting us off on the right foot with the ball, and then a couple of our younger guys like Preston Hall taking control with the bat.
“As a coach I could not have asked for anything more from the guys, they were outstanding.”
Winning the toss and electing to bat on their home deck, it was a horror start for the Lakers as young gun Jono Moore was skittled by Brett with the second ball of the innings.
A precursor of things to come, Nagambie would continue to battle on what was a tough wicket ‒ as Brett, Dallas Furnell and Josh Sidebottom combined beautifully with the new Kookaburra to have the Lakers in disarray at 6-39
Just more than 20 overs into its season, Nagambie already found itself on the canvas and in need of a hero.
And as he has done on countless occasions throughout his career, Nolan rose to the fore, providing a cool head in a crisis to spark a mini-revival alongside Brayden Biggs.
Striking 33 and 22 respectively, Nolan and Biggs added a crucial 51 runs for the sixth wicket, as the Lakers managed to produce a total that gave their bowlers a chance.
The second innings began in near identical fashion to the first, as Jets skipper Ben Pedretti lasted one delivery after being struck on the pad by Nolan.
But while the Lakers crumbled after the early wicket, Northerners held firm, as youngster Hall (23) and seasoned campaigner Mitch Brett (21) put on a vital 37-run stand.
In control at the halfway stage of the innings, Brett’s departure would spark a collapse as Nolan took over the contest.
Backing up his efforts with the bat, the Nagambie captain was determined to win this game on his accord, ripping through the Jets’ middle order with five straight wickets to put the game back in the balance.
Still needing 34 runs with three wickets in the shed, Northerners now needed a hero, and it was the experience of Trent Sidebottom that shone through, as he struck an unbeaten 19 to see his team home.
“You are going to get some good performances and some incosistent performances with a young group, but what this win does is give our guys the belief that they belong,” Allen said of how important this result was for his team.
“You only gain confidence from a win and we’ll look to take that into our next few games.”
THE GAME
Northerners 8-101 (Preston Hall 23, Mitch Brett 21, Mark Nolan 5-20) d Nagambie 100 (Mark Nolan 33, Brayden Biggs 22, Tim Brett 3-11)
STAR PLAYER
Mark Nolan (Nagambie): While his Lakers weren’t able to come away with the victory, skipper Mark Nolan began the season with an epic all-round performance. With bat in hand he orchestrated the Lakers’ revival, striking a match high 33 to see his team to a triple-figure total. While with the ball he terrorised the Northerners’ middle order, taking five straight wickets to nearly steal a famous victory.
