Waaia sure knows how to get it done in the 11th hour.

The Bombers’ march up the Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield ladder gathered further steam on Saturday, as the hosting side edged out Old Students by three wickets with just eight balls to spare.

It makes it three wins in a row, all achieved in the final two overs.

Set 196 for victory, the reigning premier was made to earn every run, but a calm finish from lower-order pair Brenton Low and Jesse Trower sealed the result — a win that moves Waaia to 3-1 ahead of the two-day phase.

“It certainly was another close one; it was probably similar to our last two or three games the way it panned out,” Waaia skipper Mitch Cleeland said.

“We made it a little bit harder than we needed to, but a win’s a win and we take that and move onto next week.”

Earlier, Old Students elected to bat first and appeared well-placed for a hefty total thanks to a steadying hand from middle-order anchor Rehan Bari.

After early wickets saw the Students stumble, Bari took control with a classy 85, timing the ball sweetly through the gaps and finding the fence at regular intervals.

Support came from opener Sam O’Brien, who crafted a patient 29, and skipper Felix Odell, whose knock of 21 helped build some early foundation before Waaia’s bowlers wrestled back momentum.

Captain Cleeland was the chief destroyer, claiming 4-39 in a tidy spell that stunted the Students’ charge just as it threatened to lift off.

His knack for prising out key wickets - including that of Bari - proved telling once again, while the rest of Waaia’s attack held its nerve to dismiss the visitors for 195.

“He (Bari) batted very well and thankfully we were able to chip away at the rest of them so they weren’t able to get a big partnership going,” Cleeland said.

“That probably enabled us to keep them to 195 or it could’ve blown out a little bit more - they set up their innings quite well to get that.

“Based off the last two weeks, we thought we could go out and get it and we looked really good for parts of it, and there were stages where we looked like we might be in a little bit of trouble.”

Needing almost four runs an over, Waaia’s opening duo of Damien Atkins (11) and Jordan Cleeland (16) made starts before their overseas duo took charge.

Jaime Riley announced himself by striking an elegant 75 that anchored the innings and set up the pursuit, while alongside him, fellow import Brandon Diplock (24) offered crucial support, the pair putting together a vital partnership that carried the Bombers deep into the chase.

But by the time both had departed at 6-144, Old Students sniffed a late opening.

Enter Low and Trower.

With plenty of time left and the finish line in sight, the pair steadied the ship and methodically knocked off the remaining runs.

Low’s unbeaten 24 was all composure, while Trower’s 18 not out ensured Waaia kept its nerve and their winning run intact.

Tiron Fernando (3-36) and Callan McCabe (2-25) toiled away in a loss to Students that leaves them at 1-3 despite another promising batting performance.

Meanwhile, Cleeland praised Riley and the rest of Waaia’s batting brigade, with runs coming from all over the order after four games.

“It’s obviously foreign to him, the conditions, and he’s settled in now and is fitting in well with the group,” Cleeland said.

“Hopefully that boosts his confidence through the roof; it’s nice to see different guys standing up, taking their opportunities at different times and sharing the workload.”

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Saturday, 26th February 2028

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