Now that the dust has settled on another high-octane season of the John McMahon Shield, The Riv poured through the statistics and sorted the league’s best performers into a Team of the Year.

Below is the best 11 and a 12th man from the season that was — a quick side note — positions, team impact and finals performance were considered.

1. Regis Chakabva (vc) (BLU)

Total runs: 610, Average: 50.83, 50s: 8, High score: 85

The first member of our Team of the Year was pretty straightforward let’s be honest.

Last season’s leading run-scorer finished second in total runs this campaign and boasts the highest batting average in the competition with a tick more than a half-century an innings.

The BLU captain and wicketkeeper isn’t in the side for either role, but his veteran leadership would be utilised in a vice-captain position and his safe pair of hands would fit in well in a stacked slip cordon.

The hard-hitting opener was almost an inevitability this season as he only got dismissed under double figures three times in 12 innings.

While he was unable to score a century, he made between 69 and 85 on six occasions and for a stretch of the season made seven half-centuries in nine innings.

2. Brendan Moyle (Echuca)

Total runs: 442, Average: 31.57, 50s: 3, High score: 96

In a stacked team like Echuca, which eventually went on to win the flag, our second opener was somewhat of a quiet achiever.

When you have players stepping up to the plate in big games such as James Grixti, Aidan Young and Anthony Dennis and breakout seasons from young players like Kobyn James, Moyle sometimes seemed overshadowed.

Yet, Moyle continued to go about his business and was able to be a steady hand that often at times anchored Echuca’s top order — and boy, did he reap the rewards for it.

Moyle ended the season fourth on the leaderboard for most runs and was able to make starts in almost every inning, passing the half-century mark three times.

Much like his opening partner on this list, Moyle failed to get that big hundred that every batter craves from a season, his best effort taking him to the brink before being dismissed just a boundary short.

3. Kobyn James (wk) (Echuca)

Total Runs: 610, Average: 50.83, 50s: 6, 100s: 1, High score: 124, Catches: 18, Stumpings: 3

The Echuca youngster managed to beat out many quality players to claim this hallowed spot on this list and frankly deserves all the credit he is due.

In a breakout campaign, James was a revelation for the champions, providing a good balance of attack and patience in the crucial first drop position.

As a major contributor to the flag-winning side, James finished the season as the competition’s leading run-scorer and just one of two players to average more than 50.

Like Chakabva, there was a four-game stretch in which he made it to the 70s three times and the 60s once, before a mammoth century against BLU in the final match of the season proved to be one of the best knocks of the competition.

James was also an ace behind the stumps and beat out Chakabva to claim the keeper’s spot in this side, tallying the second most amount of catches and third most stumping in 2024-25.

4. Rathika Rajakumara (Echuca South)

Total runs: 474, Average: 47.4, 50s: 5, High score: 82

By far Echuca South’s leading run-scorer and at times the only batter in the side to score significant runs, Rajakumara finds himself in arguably the most important batting position in cricket.

He rounds out the top-three highest run-scorers for the season and is the only batter in the competition to average in the 40s and wasn’t far off the half-century mark.

Speaking of 50s, Rajakumara reached the milestone just as much as the best, tallying five for the season, but couldn’t quite secure a century.

In a side that flirted with the possibility of finals, but never seemed like a genuine threat to make any real noise, he stood as a cut above the rest.

5. Sean Williams (Rochester)

Total runs: 400, Average: 36.36, 50s: 2, 100s: 1, High score: 137, Wickets: 14, Average: 21.21, Best figures: 4-16

While Williams played the majority of the season as an opener for runner-up Rochester, we decided that he would be best suited as a counter-punching number five and the numbers speak for themselves.

Rochy’s run-scoring machine never wastes time out in the middle, consistently posting strike rates at 100 or better regardless of how many runs he scores.

Speaking of scores, Williams had some big ones this season — most notably, his giant 137 against BLU, which was the highest individual score for the season among a pair of half-centuries.

While we have plenty of all-rounders up-and-down the side, Williams’ fast-medium bowling was handy for Rochy throughout the year, often functioning as an opening bowler.

6. Matt Saunders (Moama)

Total runs: 377, Average: 34.27, 50s: 4, Highest score: 62, Wickets: 22, Average: 15.73, Best figures: 4-9

Speaking of handy cricketers, Moama’s Mr Consistent may just be the most versatile in the whole competition.

Saunders made numbers five and six his own this season and delivered across the entire campaign for the Mowers at times when they needed it the most.

He was also deployed as either an opening bowler or first change, where he had a knack of jagging at least one wicket when called upon.

While Saunders probably deserved to go on and make a big score, he made plenty of starts and crossed the 50 mark four times.

Known as a big-game player, he notched his highest score (62) for the season in a do-or-die semi-final against Echuca in which he held together Moama’s batting order through crucial spells.

7. Aidan Young (Echuca)

Total runs: 368, Average: 36.8, 50s: 1, 100s 1, High score: 101, Wickets: 22, Average: 11.91, Best figures: 4-32

Regarded as Echuca’s and this side’s X-factor player, Young was a key cog in the green machine’s flag-winning side.

As the third and final Echuca player and second designated all-rounder in this team, Young's tendency to come in clutch in serious situations is invaluable to a successful outfit.

Despite only scoring one half-century in the home and away season, Young made the most of a solid start in the semi-final against Moama and went on to make a game-winning century.

He also came up big in the grand final, except this time with the ball, taking four to ice the game, including the last wicket that handed Echuca a history-making fourth straight premiership.

8. Angus Martin (c) (Rochester)

Total runs: 282, Average: 28.2, 100s: 1, High score: 104, Wickets: 27, Average: 15.81, Best figures: 4-10

The captain of the 2024-25 runner-up and the elected captain of this hypothetical side, Martin, had a solid campaign leading Rochy to the brink of ending a dynasty.

At the helm of the minor premier and the only side genuinely threatening to Echuca, Martin was the second-leading wicket-taker this season, just a single scalp off claiming the top nod.

He also proved more than capable with the bat, making starts occasionally and going big with a century against Moama.

Martin is the only player in this side to place within the top 15 league-wide in batting, bowling and fielding.

For a non-keeper, the skipper was a safe pair of hands, hanging on to eight catches throughout the season.

9. Adam Ward (Rochester)

Total runs: 235, Average: 23.5, 50s: 1, High score: 54, Wickets 25, 5-wickets: 2, Average: 14.92, Best figures: 5-32

It is starting to feel like this entire team can bat, but we have well-and-truly entered the bowling list here with fourth-highest wicket-taker Adam Ward.

The last Rochy player to feature in this team, Ward managed to maintain a healthy batting average for a designated bowler and tallied a half-century along the way.

But it was with the cherry in hand is where he did the most damage, taking five-wicket hauls on two separate occasions.

He also spearheaded Rochy’s attack in the semi-final and grand final, taking figures of 3-19 and 4-22, respectively.

10. Simon Tatt (Leitchville-Gunbower)

Wickets: 28, Average: 12.71, 5-wickets: 1, Best figures: 5-28, Total runs: 167, Average: 15.18, High score: 35

L-G’s single entry on this list happened to be a good one as Simon Tatt was the league’s highest wicket-taker this season.

The veteran off-spinner had a productive season with the ball in hand, taking more than three wickets on five occasions, including a bag in the final round.

Tatt’s consistency as a wicket-taker was a big reason for L-G’s turnaround from wooden-spooner last season to a team that had a genuine chance at finals late into the season.

Tatt wasn’t an easy out with the bat either as he made three scores in the 30s and a pair in the 20s, providing his side with ball-striking juice at the tail end.

11. Rob Salter (Kyabram Fire Brigade)

Wickets: 26, Average: 12.71, 5-wickets: 1, Best figures: 5-21, Total runs: 146, Average: 18.25, High score: 47

Our number 11 on this list is the captain of Ky Fire Brigade Rob Salter, who was the third-leading wicket-taker in the league and the frontman of arguably the best bowling side in the competition.

Salter was highly effective with ball in hand and was two wickets shy of taking the top spot off Tatt.

While he only took one bag this year, in the second last round of the season, he was consistent in a team full of pacers vying for wickets.

He also scored a handy 47 against Echuca and captained the side back into the finals after missing last year’s post-season.

Twelfth man: Anthony McMahon (Moama)

Total runs: 367, Average: 30.58, 50s: 3, High score: 77, Wickets: 10, Average: 13.1, Best figures: 3-12

It didn’t feel right leaving the Moama captain off this list, but in a side full of all-rounders, one was bound to get left short.

In a season riddled with injury, McMahon only bowled in the back half of the season, but still managed to take 10 wickets in that time.

He was also strong with the bat, ranking eighth in the competition by season’s end and, while he didn’t quite get a century, he produced a trio of half-centuries.

McMahon was put in an interesting position right from the start of the season, with Moama captain Joel Murphy being ruled out for the season in the first innings of the first game.

Nevertheless, McMahon managed to steer Moama to a third place finish, but fell short in a semi-final against the eventual premier.

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Saturday, 1st March 2025

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