Saturday Sundries | D-grade special has cross-code stars shine, skyscraper scores made and more

D-grade made a point of proving why it may be the most entertaining of Cricket Shepparton’s tiers on Saturday, so it’s only right the focus shifted to an SJ Perry Shield special of sorts.

News sports editor Aydin Payne was behind the lens for the D-grade contest between Mooroopna and Shepparton United.

Shrinking the balls

The D-grade epic between Mooroopna and Shepparton United had onlookers at Princess Park enthralled for plenty of reasons.

For one, a bit of cross-code excellence took centre stage.

Tatura Soccer Club coach Tristan Zito forged a sturdy partnership with Shepparton United footballer Ed Adams, the pair racking up 52 and 42 respective runs as the hosts put 180 on the board.

On the chase, Mooroopna went one better with Lloyd Payne (72) and Mark Nolen (92 not out) crucifying the United attack with a flat-bat barrage.

Adding to the multi-sport theme, Mooroopna footballer Ben Hicks (19 not out) came in at the death to help Nolen wrap up the game ― in his signature long sleeves, no less.

Nothing D-grading about the score

If the Mooroopna-United game was good, Pine Lodge’s victory over Karramomus in D-grade was 2023 ICC World Cup Final-type entertainment.

To sum it up: 54 boundaries, 23 maximums for the game.

To get things started, Bloods slogger David Mollison blasted a hasty 67 at the top of the order to allow Andrew Hawker grounds to arrive and swing from the hip from ball one.

Hawker belted a 45-ball ton, which propelled Karramomus to 6-267 ― a score that would win most SJ Perry games comfortably.

Not on Saturday.

In came Pine Lodge’s “Big Show” Braydon Kearns, who romped to 132 off 96 deliveries to drop the Lodgers on the doorstep of victory.

His teammates obliged and the visitors had a six-wicket win

That’s what they call absolute “cinema cricket” in Hollywood, folks.

Shoulder the load

Continuing with the D-grade theme, one Euroa player had a universal performance unmatched by his peers.

Magpie all-rounder Lucas Paul bowled strict lines and lengths in the first innings against Northerners, ending up with 4-15 from eight overs (five maidens).

He’d only just begun to start cooking.

Paul put down the leather and grabbed the willow after none of Euroa’s opening five batters made it into double digits, eventually reaching the half-century mark with four overs to go.

Yet his scintillating performance wasn’t enough.

Needing 13 to win off three balls with no wickets to spare, Paul was caught trying to go big and hand his side its first win of the season.

Despite the result, nothing was poorly about Pauly’s attempt.

Shellacking spell

There aren’t many better ways to recover from a 10-ball globe than what Katandra’s Dillon Shelley conjured at the weekend.

The Eagles’ E-grader didn’t have his finest moment holding the stick, but when it came to helping his side defend its 155-run total, Shelley came out of his ... you get the gist.

His first over was a roller-coaster in itself.

Here’s a summary: dot ball, no ball, bye, wicket, four runs, two dots and a single, which was curtly followed by two wickets in the opening two deliveries of the following over.

Shelley’s spell simply bewitched Waaia as the Eagles’ opener went on to claim 6-29.

So close, yet so far

One can only sympathise with Kyabram’s Jason Parsons.

After slogging it out for hours at the crease, the Redbacks’ B-grade first drop was caught out two runs short of a famed ton against Central Park-St Brendan’s.

Perhaps slogging isn’t the right word.

Parsons’ 98-run effort came off 203 deliveries, with just three fours and a lone six speckled along the ball-by-ball chart of his 63-over stand at the crease.

It wasn’t his only dashing contribution in the game, though.

The weekend beforehand, Parsons manipulated the ball to his command with 3-10 off 11 overs, featuring a whopping seven maidens.

King Sidebottom

Lebron Sidebottom’s parents clearly had sporting greatness on their mind when picking a name for the ultra-talented youngster.

We’re not sure how he fares with a Spalding in his hands, but Sidebottom put on a bowling clinic for Cricket Shepparton’s under-12 Blue side at the Wangaratta Challenge on Sunday.

The class act left with the match ball from game one after taking a dazzling hat-trick, ticking the sport’s golden goose off the list at just 10 years of age.

But he wasn’t done.

Next game, Sidebottom blitzed through the opposition to have a stab at a second hat-trick.

Unfortunately the wicket refused to fall, but regardless, his day ended with six wickets from three overs ― not a half bad return.

Dropping the ball

It’s high time C-grade was shown some love and the match between Central Park-St Brendan’s and Pine Lodge provided the perfect reason.

The Tigers’ batting display was fairly ‘‘how’re you going’’ in nature, with the Tigers stumping up 9-247 from 40 overs, somewhat pegged back by Lodger Xavier Waters’ 5-52.

Though his five-for wasn’t the reason why this game made the list.

Pine Lodge reached 1-89 near the end of the 16th over, sailing along at P&O levels of cruise comfort while the run rate ramped up at a rate of knots.

Then, down came the castles crashing.

The Lodgers lost 9-11 in the space of less than 10 overs to lose the game in head-scratching fashion, the Tigers claiming a team hat-trick amid the chaos.

Andrew Butcher left with 5-8, dismissing three of Pine Lodge’s six total ducks in a collapse you had to see to believe.

B-double tons

Lastly, two B-grade cricketers will long remember December 2.

Shepparton United’s Ian Maiden and Mooroopna’s Michael Van Dorsser raised the bat as the pair chalked up triple figures.

Dorsser, better known as MVD in local cricket circles, posted 101 not out in his side’s outright win over Karramomus.

The stunning century was the second time MVD has achieved the feat in his career.

Meanwhile, Maiden went four runs better and finished unbeaten on 105 in his side’s clash against Katandra.

It was the United talent’s second ton this year, following his insane Twenty20 exploits in January.

Maiden crunched 15 sixes and eight fours on his way to registering 135 not out off 51 balls in the match against Old Students.