On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the A Grade Lakers took on Rovers Bruck United at Stan Hargreaves Oval.
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After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Rovers came out firing, putting the Lakers’ bowlers under early pressure. Angus Heslin and Matt McCabe responded well, bowling tightly to quickly rein in the run rate.
The McCabe brothers combined for the first breakthrough, with Brock taking a sharp catch.
A quick run-out, thanks to sharp fielding from Van Kreeck, Reid Clarke, and Brock McCabe, helped the Lakers claim regular wickets despite several missed chances in the field.
Wickets were shared throughout the innings, with Jyda House leading the way with an impressive 3/35.
Van Kreeck claimed two wickets, while Heslin and both McCabe brothers picked up one apiece. Rovers finished with a competitive 185.
Yarrawonga Mulwala started brightly, with Zac Fraser and Fraser Smart dispatching the first ball of the innings for four. However, momentum quickly shifted as the Lakers slumped to 4/29.
Devlin Webb showed resilience with a well-compiled 39, working hard to steady the innings. Despite his efforts, the Lakers were eventually bowled out for 89.
Next up, the Lakers travel to Norm Minns Oval to face the Wang Magpies, hoping to bounce back with a strong performance.
Moore rescues A Reserve
The A Reserve Lakers travelled to picturesque Norm Minns Oval to face the Wangaratta Magpies.
After losing the toss for the 13th straight time, captain Gillies’ men were sent into the field. Opening bowler Xave Mitchell struck with the second ball of the innings, proving that early wickets are the domain of elite operators.
Disciplined bowling from Dishot, Phillips, and Hudson prevented partnerships from building, with Phillips collecting two wickets in his spell. Despite losing his leg-spinning counterpart Lovel, Azam bowled with excellent control to take two wickets of his own.
Mitchell finished as the standout with 4fa in a strong all-round bowling effort that restricted Wangaratta to 145. Two run-outs highlighted the benefits of tight, unselfish bowling.
Moore and Gillies began the chase briskly with three early boundaries. However, Gillies, still nursing a sore toe from Thursday night, was trapped in front, and Phillips soon followed, leaving the Lakers 2/20.
Hargreaves and Moore steadied the innings with a 49-run partnership before Hargreaves edged behind. Cope and Hudson both fell cheaply, keeping the contest interesting.
Moore, however, continued superbly, batting a class above with a brilliant unbeaten 75. Contributions from Mitchell, Azam, and some handy extras helped guide the Lakers home in the 29th over, eight wickets down.
An unconvincing batting display suggests there is work to be done at training. The Ferrari returns home next Saturday to take on Wang Rovers. Go Lakers.
B Grade bank important win
With both sides equal on points, B Grade faced Rutherglen in a finals-defining clash.
Winning the toss, Yarrawonga elected to bat. Captain Hawk had emphasised the importance of partnerships all week, and after recent batting struggles, the message hit home.
An early setback saw Matt “Blocka” Wilson dismissed in the second over, bringing Josh Vagg to the crease alongside Rob Borowski. The pair absorbed tight bowling before capitalising on anything loose.
At 1/58, a sharp single from Vagg resulted in a tweaked hamstring, forcing him to retire hurt on 25. Captain Shaun Hawking joined Borowski, and the pair punished anything short or wide.
After adding 64, Hawking fell for 44 attempting to bring up his half-century in style. Borowski followed shortly after for a well-made 52, leaving the Lakers well placed at 2/122 off 30 overs.
Late contributions from John Taylor, Ash Thiseen, Ben Pickering, Ben Webb, and Kade Michael lifted the total to 7/161 on a slow outfield.
Rutherglen started aggressively before Brendan Hill made the breakthrough. Pickering and Hill applied pressure, and 2/35 quickly became 3/40, including the prized wicket of Lister (29).
Thiseen (2/17 off 7) and Taylor (1/10 off 4) bowled superbly through the middle overs. Kade Michael then produced a blistering spell, taking two wickets in two balls and finishing with 4/10 from 4.2 overs. Lucas Pickering chipped in with 0/5 from two tight overs.
In one of B Grade’s best performances of the season, Rutherglen were bowled out for 83.
Next week, B Grade face Rovers in another crucial clash.
Dodd dominates Gapsted Gorillas
In C Grade Lakers’ game, Gapsted Gorillas won the toss and elected to bat on a hard, lightning-fast surface.
Gary Browning and Tom “T-Bone” Taylor opened the bowling tightly. The pressure paid off with a sharp run-out orchestrated by Taylor and Captain Parker.
“Meat Eater” Knight claimed 3/37 off 8, while Jim Reeves (1/33 off 7) celebrated a wicket with full aeroplane theatrics.
Jack Browning bowled well, Dec Reeves mixed brilliance with generosity, and Bill Stevens closed strongly.
The Gorillas finished 6/201 off 36 overs.
Chasing 202, Dhaminda and Knight opened steadily before both fell cheaply. T-Bone launched a six into a nearby tree before being trapped LBW for 12.
Then came Dodd.
Driving fluently, cutting precisely, and launching towering sixes, Dodd took control. Joined by Gary Browning, the pair added 97. Browning battled hard for 23 before being run out.
As the required rate climbed, Dec Reeves added 10 before falling. Captain Parker briefly threatened before being bowled swinging.
Jim Reeves calmly sealed victory with a boundary, but the day belonged to Dodd — unbeaten with a magnificent 123.
A superb game of C Grade cricket played in great spirits.
Under 16s - Two Day vs City Colts at HP Barr Reserve, Wangaratta
Day One - City Colts 3/278 off 40 overs.
Xavier Chessells 1/34, Billy Stevens 1/16, Alex Richardson 1/7.
Report not submitted.
Lakers Girls fight to the end
The Under 15 Lakers Girls wrapped up their season against Beechworth Wanderers at Stan Hargreaves Oval.
Beechworth won the bat flip and chose to bowl.
Claire Pearce and Paige “Bam Bam” Bamford opened positively, but early wickets saw the Lakers 2/2. Captain Matilda “Scoops” Thackray and Sienna O’Brien attempted to rebuild before a run-out halted momentum.
O’Brien retired after a solid knock and later returned to anchor the innings. Contributions from Stella Hill, Brydie Pearce, and Sophie “’Arro” Harris helped steady things.
The Lakers were eventually bowled out for 45, with O’Brien facing 45 balls, the longest innings by a Laker this season.
Defending a small total, the bowlers fought hard. Hill claimed 1/13, Bamford took a sharp caught-and-bowled (1/6), Burns finished with 1/17, and Pearce the Elder delivered a superb 1/4 spell.
While the result didn’t go their way, the spirit and effort never wavered.
A huge thank you to the players, parents, and supporters for a fantastic 2025–26 season.
Player of the Week: Bridie Burns (2-0-1-17)
Under 14 Rams – Two Day vs Greta at Stan Hargreaves Oval, Yarrawonga
Day One
The Under 14 Rams hosted second-placed Greta at Stan Hargreaves Oval.
Winning the toss, captains Byron Dodd and Fin Mitchell elected to bat.
Mitchell and Wollington handled Greta’s strong pace attack superbly, punishing width and over-pitched deliveries.
Mitchell retired on a brilliant 50 from 59 balls, while Wollington followed with 51 from 85.
Dodd (32 off 35) continued the momentum alongside Lochie Brown. Isaac McLarty contributed a valuable 19.
The Rams finished 6/188 from 40 overs.
With a strong total on the board, disciplined bowling next week will be key against Greta’s powerful batting line-up.
Under 14 Bulls - 2 Day vs Benalla Bushrangers at Benalla Showgrounds
Day 1 - Bulls 10/107 off 32.2 Overs.
Taj Parker 47, Finn O’’Brien 24.
Report not submitted.
Under 12 Rams vs Bulls Draw
Rams 7/89 off 20 overs
Hugo Bott 14*, Finn MCDonald 24, Darcy O’Dwyer 10*, Jack Haking 10.
Alex Mulquiney 2/1, Danny Ryan 1/11, Paddy Doyle 1/5.
Bulls 6/89 off 20 overs
Ned O’Brien 15*, Charlie Kennedy 11, Ted Hammon 14.
George Hill 3/4, Myles Cowan 1/14, Hugo Bott 1/14.
Report not submitted.