Eli Coombs has only just started his cricketing journey, but he is quickly adding plenty of pages to his own book of highlights in the Goulburn Murray Cricket Under-11 Friday night competition.
While the all-round star was leading his team to yet another comfortable win on the Haslem St oval, smashing seven boundaries on his way to 32 runs off only 15 balls and taking one wicket, across the way on the Kyabram P-12 College oval there was plenty of action in another game.
Kyabram Redbacks star Tyler Nicholson produced another outstanding innings, smashing a six and four boundaries in his knock of 24 in his side’s 41-run win.
Tyler’s team was sent in to bat by Old Students in the Under-12 B-grade match, but by the end of the 20 overs the Redbacks had scored 134.
In reply, the fourth-ranked team was no match for the ladder-leading and unbeaten Kyabram Redbacks outfit, managing just 93.
The Redbacks have now won six straight games and like the Fire Brigade under-11s are the benchmark of their respective competitions.
On the Haslem St oval, Fire Brigade repeated the efforts of the Redbacks, winning a sixth straight game with a similar scoreline — smashing 163 from 20 overs and dismissing their opposition for 86 in the Twenty20 contest.
Fire Brigade’s under-11 team has now won its games by 74, 71, 79, 130, six (in a great game against Moama Black) and then by 77 on Friday evening against Moama White.
The youngsters will face Tongala this Friday at the Brose Recreation Reserve, looking to continue the pre-Christmas run before a break, which doesn’t see the competition resume until February 7 (with three more rounds).
Eli and Tyler’s seasons have been outstanding, the former striking 106 runs from 87 balls and claiming six wickets. In five games, Tyler has scored 95 runs from 82 deliveries and taken one wicket.
On Friday night his batting brilliance was supported by Dane Matthews’ four-wicket haul from a three-over spell that included two maidens.
Rhys McKiernan also took two wickets and made 14 from 17 deliveries, as did Kyle Pethebridge.
For Fire Brigade, Ryder Morris took two wickets and there was yet another superb batting effort from Oscar Andison (23 from 15 deliveries, with four boundaries).
• Stanhope lost its Under-11 GMC fixture with Moama Black, despite Jaxon Collins finishing 18 not out.
With a 91-run score from its 20 overs the Stanhope team looked on target for an upset when Finn Archard and Lennon Hall both took two wickets, but Moama recovered to win by 46 runs.
• Tongala Under-15 star Hugo Monnich Vo took two wickets and scored an unbeaten 21 as his team won handsomely against Leitchville-Gunbower on Thursday night.
After dismissing its opposition for 59 from 25 overs, thanks to Baylee Letizia (2-7 from three overs) and Hugo, Tongala took just 12.4 overs to reel in the score.
With the bat, Hugo was supported by Tyler Robinson, who retired with 20 from 25 deliveries.
• Fire Brigade won its game with Nondies-Cohuna by 77 runs, dismissing its opposition for 75 in just 31.3 overs on the back of three wickets from Charlie Pekin.
In the run chase, Jake Hubble faced 40 deliveries for his 21 not out, while Paddy Westerveld, Sam Chapman, Xavier Dodos, Max Stockdale and Antonio Depasquale all made double figures.
• A hard-hitting 62 from Riley Nicholson was not enough to give Kyabram Redbacks victory in their Under-14 Cricket Shepparton game against Notre Dame-Nagambie.
Chasing a total of 7-195 for victory, Riley struck four boundaries and four sixes in his innings, but only Rhys Parsons (35 from 33 deliveries, with seven boundaries) made double figures of the remaining batters.
The Redbacks were all out for 144 in 35.4 overs, with four run-outs causing plenty of frustration for the team.