An unlikely Lodgers victory, big bashes for six and some clinical bowling are the major talking points out of a frenzy of A-grade T20 Cricket Shepparton action.

While Mooroopna and Old Students kicked off the initial short-format proceedings on Friday, November 6, the rest of the A-grade competition featured on Thursday, November 12 as the sun set on the Goulburn Valley.

An even team effort with the bat saw Old Students defeat the Cats at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve, but Mooroopna looked the goods early on.

Opener Charith Perera made 46 runs off 31 deliveries, scoring six fours and one maximum.

However, other gun Cats would fall around him, such as Brodie McDonald (one run) and Cyrus Shafi (12), so while after 11 overs Mooroopna’s score was a well-paced 3-75, it had opened up the middle order to face the rest of the innings.

Mooroopna’s Jake Baker was in fine touch, with a touch over a run-a-ball knock of 39 propelling the Cats to 7-135 as Liam Callegari took 3-24.

But it was a well-executed innings from the Students to take an early T20 scalp.

Old Students’ Kobyn James made up for Emile Haratbar’s three-ball duck with 31 off 23 deliveries, while Felix Odell (19), Callan McCabe (27) and skipper Oscar Lambourn (23 not out) chipped in with the willow.

Old Students crossed the line in the 19th over at 5-137, Mooroopna’s Will Dundon the pick of the Cats bowlers in the loss with 3-23.

Mooroopna still lives to fight another day, however, albeit it’ll face an in-form Central Park-St Brendan’s when the next T20 begins on December 10.

The Tigers defeated Shepparton Youth Club United in unrivalled fashion on Thursday night at Deakin Reserve, limiting the men in blue to a total less than triple figures before roaring to victory.

A pair of ducks to openers Tyler Green and Shobhit Sabharwal saw the Tigers dig their claws into the contest early, while runs were hard to find in the stabilising partnerships that followed for Henry Rathjen (13 off 17) and Oliver Swain (15 off 31).

George Geaves was then sent packing by Jarrod Wakeling, but it would be Rhiley Lau that laid the most impact with the white Kookaburra, taking four late wickets to halt any late SYCU surge, finishing with 4-18, SYCU 9-97.

The Tigers then took charge with the willow, Lau continuing his cricketing excellence with 19 off 17 balls as an opener, while Jack McCarten scored 27 off 20.

Steve Tate would end the pair’s innings, but Sam Holland (23 not out) and Nate Earl (24 not out) would ride the quick path to victory, the only real blemish in the Tigers’ innings Nate Earl’s one run off six balls.

Reaching the target of 3-99 off 15.1 overs, it was the quickest chase to victory across the opening round of T20 action.

At Lemnos Recreation Reserve, Pine Lodge scored a long-awaited victory against Katandra.

Eight sixes were smoked by Pine Lodge batters in its innings with the bat, as opener Gavin Singh stunned the Eagles with a ridiculously swift 67 off 35 deliveries, including 12 boundaries.

Darshana Prasad Loku Hettige’s stint at the crease was short but damaging, pummelling three sixes and three fours in 13 balls for a score of 33 at a 253.84 strike rate.

Thomas Phillips joined in the fun with Loku Hettige, blitzing 29 off 13 balls, the Lodgers’ tirade ending at 9-196.

However, it was a DLS-influenced target for Katandra, requiring 174 off 18.2 overs.

While taking a sizeable chunk out of Pine Lodge’s total, it was no worry for the green and gold.

An 86-run partnership between Ben Pedretti (32) and Jedd Wright (57) was impressive, but the sky-high run rate set by the Lodgers kept the scoreboard pressure ramped up for the Eagles despite maintaining their wickets.

Eagle Hadleigh Sirett fired a 200 strike rate 42 to boost Katandra’s odds, but the yellow and blue would fall short at 4-164.

In the final Thursday night game, Tatura hosted Kyabram at Howley Oval, and it was the Redbacks that continued their winning form.

Batting first, Jack Kesteven scored 57 off 39 balls for Kyabram as the red and black played desperate for every run – so much so that the final over saw them push their luck between the wickets as tail-enders Tim Nelson and Riley Nicholson were run out for diamond ducks.

Scoring 9-171, Tatura’s Jagadeswara Koduru gave his side a genuine shout after opening with 60 off 31 balls.

A mini-collapse came at Koduru’s dismissal though, before Dominic Sullivan scored 52 off 31 to steady the Tatura ship with Jayden Armstrong.

However, those two would fall in quick succession when the 69-run partnership folded, leaving Tatura’s lower order to try and tick over the scoreboard.

The tail failed to up the scoring rate, finishing on 7-161 after the 20 overs were bowled, and will face Old Students on December 10 for a shout at T20 redemption.

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Monday, 2nd September 2030

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