King McLay’s done it again.

Charlie McLay flayed 47 off 27 deliveries on day one of Kyabram’s Deakin Reserve showdown against Central Park-St Brendan’s before doling out some serious damage with the ball, claiming his second five-wicket haul of the season to uproot the Tigers’ batting line-up and rocket to the top of the Haisman Shield wickets column.

The Ky seamer’s 5-31 from 20 overs – including a tidy nine maidens – launched him to the top of the Haisman Shield wickets tally with 17 from four games, guiding the reigning premier to a 40-run win and an untarnished opening month of Cricket Shepparton action.

And there’s no doubt in coach Jackson McLay’s mind of the importance of his workhorse paceman’s influence on the contest.

“Charlie's all-round game was probably the difference between the two sides,” McLay said.

“He got us out of a bit of trouble on day one – without his innings the result probably could have gone the other way.

“He bowled all his overs yesterday into the wind and it was a fair headwind.

“He’s in some serious form and he was excellent yesterday.”

Coupled with skipper Kyle Mueller’s half-century, McLay’s whirlwind innings carried the Redbacks to a reasonable score of 189 on the opening day of play after Jarrod Wakeling spun his way to a five-wicket haul.

The Tigers navigated 22 overs until stumps and resumed at the weekend with experienced pair Tyler Larkin and captain Rhiley Lau at the crease with another 142 needed for victory, still boasting eight wickets in reserve.

But resuming at 2-48, the “overnight” partnership failed to add another run as Kyabram’s highly-vaunted pace attack went to work.

McLay trapped Lau LBW for a 24-ball duck in the first over of play and sent Larkin packing (22) not long after to deal the Tigers an early one-two blow.

The rampant Redbacks paceman then had Nate Yze and Nate Earl turned back to the pavilion to complete his high five of wickets, reducing the Tigers to 6-84 and leaving them all to do for Jack McCarten (40 runs) and Ramadan Yze (28).

The pair toiled and grafted in a meticulously crafted 46-run partnership – but if one McLay doesn’t get you, another McLay will.

This time it was Jackson McLay, McCarten trying his luck against the Redbacks coach, only to see his shot landing in the safe hands of Kyle Mueller for his second catch of the day.

Langley’s return to the attack heralded the beginning of the end, clean bowling Max and Jack Hooper before McLay – who sent down 22 overs for the day for 2-5 – wrapped up the innings in the 70th over with the dismissal of Yze.

The Tigers were 40 runs short and the Redbacks would salute a fourth consecutive win to keep the top mantle in the Haisman Shield.

“We executed everything we spoke about, we took our opportunities when they came, and it all went to plan,” McLay said.

“I thought Kyle's captaincy was fantastic in the way he controlled the game and probably forced a few of their better batters to play a different style.

“I think it was a very good all-round performance from our boys.”

However, the reigning premiers won’t be resting on their laurels.

The Redbacks host a fifth-placed Katandra that executed a 150-run drubbing of fourth-placed Karramomus and there’s one area Kyabram’s coach said it needed to improve in after being dismissed within 55 overs against the Tigers.

“Our batting will be the key; we're going to have to bat a lot more overs than what we did last week,” McLay said.

“We weren't happy with that output. Our scoring rate was fine, but just not enough overs out in the middle.

“We need to be able to bat that 80 overs and we know if we can bat 80 overs we're going to put a winning score on the board that we'll back our bowlers to defend.”

Meanwhile, the Tigers have dropped out of the top six with a one-two record and a pivotal clash against Waaia to come in round five.

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Sunday, 4th June 2028

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