Sport
Saturday Sundries | Family ties, rolling drop-ins and all the highlights from the lower grades
Saturday Sundries are all the extra highlights from the weekend’s lower grade cricket — from the top run-scorer to the best bowling figures and anything else of interest from across the district’s grounds.
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There were a number of magic moments ranging from father-son runs to improvised T20s, so we scanned the stats sheet and socials to dig out all the classics from Saturday.
News photographer Rechelle Zammit was behind the lens for the C-grade contest between Mooroopna and Karramomus.
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Ben down: Karramomus wicket keeper Ben Chaston. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 2 of 7
Raising Hallum: Mooroopna’s Zack Hallum. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 3 of 7
Share it around: Karramomus’ Amandeep Bawa. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 4 of 7
Perfect timing: Mooroopna’s Hedayatullah Naseri. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 5 of 7
Over the stumps, thanks: Karramomus’ Mitchell Millar. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 6 of 7
Plan of attack: Mooroopna’s Zack Hallum and Hedayatullah Naseri. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 7 of 7
Changing gears: Mooroopna’s Zack Hallum. Photo by Rechelle ZammitFamily business
What does the theory of relativity and the Whitelock Shield have in common?
As it happens, not much ― but a family theme was running thick through the E-grade clash between Nagambie and Mooroopna.
Batting first, Lakers’ father-son duo Tyson and Flynn Bush peeled off a ton of runs at the top of the order, making 83 and 81 respectively in a 179-run partnership.
On the chase, it was Mooroopna’s own dad-lad combo of Rob and Rhylee Marsters who then went in search of recreating the Bushes’ heroics with a target of 260 set by Nagambie.
Fortunately for the Lakers, they had one more family left in the arsenal.
Sam Villinger took the crucial wicket of the elder Marsters (60 runs), while his wife Sarah, on E-grade debut, removed the final wicket of the match to win the game.
What a story.
Wet and wild
Cricket rollers are a fine invention and the first instances of the heavy-duty auto machines we now know today date back to the 1920s.
One certainly came in handy at Vibert Reserve ― but not like you’d think.
Karramomus, who hosted Central Park-St Brendan’s in D-grade, was forced to get the roller out and squeegee the water from the wicket ― a hard wicket.
To make up for lost time, captains shook hands and opted for a T20 to make the most of the situation and get some overs in, with one person in particular making sure to get into the spirit of short-form cricket.
Central Park’s Travis Beck smacked 52 of his quick-fire 71 in boundaries, aiding the Tigers to a 66-run triumph.
You could say Beck ‘rolled’ the hosts’ bowlers ... I’ll see myself out.
Sheriff’s in town
Five centuries were made in all of Cricket Shepparton’s grades on Saturday, but remarkably, only one came from the tiers below the Haisman Shield.
The outlier was Undera C-grade slasher Russell Sheriff, who finished the day with 105 off 72 balls.
Sheriff took command of Undera Park against Murchison, forming a formidable stand with Rodney Jackson (42 not out) to help the Lions pile on 199 runs by the end of the innings.
His own effort, including seven fours and six sixes while striking at 145.83, was crucial in pushing Undera past the Hoppers and into third on the ladder.
It also boosts him to the pinnacle of C-grade’s top run-scorers, despite him not making more than 22 in an innings before that this season.
Reverse the order?
Peer at Pine Lodge’s day one score of 208 in B-grade at the weekend and nothing sticks out at face value.
However, it does when you realise just 36 of those 208 came from the top five batters.
Numbers six, seven, eight and nine on the Lodgers’ order combined for a whopping 175 runs, with Gill Nav (41), Thomas Phillips (46), Darshana Lokuhettige (47) and Tiron Fernando (31) saving their team’s bacon.
It does throw up a question ― did Pine Lodge reverse the order?
Yes, the side sits on top, but round seven may be too early to start cracking out the proverbial party pies, especially when taking on eighth-ranked Numurkah.
What’s curious is, after checking out the Lodgers’ previous games, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Bowling ’cob
Jacob Kinnane can rightly feel a touch hard done by.
If it weren’t for a simply otherworldly 9-17 by Mooroopna B-grader Paul Marshall, Kinnane would have the best figures of any player in Cricket Shepparton on Saturday.
However, his 6-23 against Euroa is nothing to be sneezed at whatsoever.
The Old Students’ D-grade opening bowler had to be at his best as, like Central Park’s McGregor Shield clash, it appeared inclement weather forced a shortened match at Kialla Park.
After being hit for a boundary in his first over, Kinnane followed it up with a maiden and two wickets in his third, and it kept getting better and better.
Well, almost.
He later saw his castle crash for an eight-ball duck, but it hardly mattered with Students eventually winning by three wickets.
Senior Sports Journalist