More than 500 runs from the first three rounds of the Cricket Shepparton season has Kyabram Redbacks’ mixed under-14 team on track for a big 2024-25 season.
After setting an early tone at Murchison Recreation Reserve, against Euroa-Murchison, the team has won two more games in the four-week grading season for the 11-team competition.
Rhys Parsons, Asher Porch, Flynn Burrows, Anthony Evans and Riley Nicholson have led the charge — batting one to five in that opening match to contribute strongly to the 2-224 total from 20 overs.
In reply Euroa-Murchison was all out for 55 in 16.5 overs, seven Kyabram bowlers taking wickets.
Evans is yet to be dismissed and has amassed 81 runs in three innings, while Parsons is averaging 87 and Nicholson 76 after three rounds.
Burrows (64 runs), George Leonard (29 runs) and Porch (37 runs) have also been stars.
Tatura presented a much stiffer opposition in round two, Parsons holding the batting order together with an unbeaten 47 and Evans in support with a patient 10 (from 25 deliveries).
Kyabram made it to 8-107 from 20 overs, then Thomas Barnard was the hero with the ball.
He took three wickets from his two overs and gave up four runs.
In their round three match against Karramomous Trevaskis the Redbacks scored 0-191 from 20 overs, Parsons (retired 25), Evans (retired 31) and Nicholson (retired 28) leading the way.
Parsons hit three boundaries and a six on the Cooma number two oval, while Nicholson found the boundary on five occasions and Evans hit four boundaries (and one six).
· A thrilling two-run win for the Redbacks’ mixed under-12 Red team created an early highlight for Kyabram.
Old Students batted after winning the toss and put 103 on the board, a target which took the Redbacks until the final delivery of their innings to reach.
They started the last over needing four runs for victory, with Oliver McInnes on strike and Oliver Dervish at the non-striker’s end.
A second-ball wide made it three to win and when McInnes struck two from the fifth delivery scores were level with a ball to come.
McInnes struck another two, finishing 13 not out, and as the match-winner.
He had earlier taken two wickets with successive deliveries and set the tone for his inidivudal dominance of the game.
Tyler Nicholson (16 retired) and Kyle Pethybridge (retired 10) opened the batting and Dervish finished nine not out alongside McInnes.
· McInnes was the star of another game when he took five wickets, including a hat-trick in the Redbacks’ under-10 team’s 67 run win against Tatura.
McInnes took his three scalps with the first three deliveries of the ninth over, finishing with 5-6 from three overs.
Tyler Kenny top scored for the Redbacks, retiring with 13 from his 14-ball allocation, supported by Jensen Wills (seven) and Jett Dove (not out six) as the Redbacks amassed 148 from 20 overs.
Max McLay also took five wickets, twice taking two wickets in a single over, while Mitchell Parsons took two wickets.
· In the under-12 competition, the Black Redbacks sent Northerners in to bat after winning the toss, but were unable to reel in the 86-run 20-over total in the run chase.
Northerners started their innings strongly, but Lacy and Zavier Parsons combined with Cooper Ohlsen and Thomas Goff-Quin to put the breaks on late in the innings.
They all took one wicket, then Lenny Perrella (17 runs from 16 balls, with two boundaries) and Lucas Mangan (12 not out) led the run chase.
Late in the innings Ohlsen backed up his work with the ball by scoring a two-boundary 10 runs, but in the 19th over he and Perrella were removed with successive balls and Kyabam finished on 7-70.
The Redbacks’ round one game was washed out and they lost to Tatura in round two despite a stubborn 30-ball 10 from Lacy Parsons.
· Kyabram Redbacks Red’s under-12 team won its second successive game for the season when Tyler Nicholson and Archer Nunn combined to dominate a 148-run 20-over total.
Nicholson faced 18 deliveries, but at one point struck five boundaries in eight deliveries and finished not out 32.
He was supported by Nunn, who struck four boundaries in his 18-ball 22-run total.
They were supported by Liam Parsons (not out 12) and Kyle Pethybridge (retired 14).
In reply, Kammamomus Kerr managed 102, Dane Matthews taking 3-4 from his three overs, with Hugo Hemphill another of the wicket-takers.
A week earlier the team had won by two runs against Old Students, Nicholson again a star with 16 retired and Oliver McInnes making an all-round contribution with not out 13 and two wickets.