Kyabram Fire Brigade’s under-17 team is the only unbeaten side in the top Goulburn Murray Cricket junior competition after three rounds.
The Flames beat Echuca by 45 runs at Northern Oval on Friday night, having scored 9-195 on day one of the contest and then restricted their opposition to 6-150 on day two.
There are only five teams in the under-17 competition, but the Flames now have back to back wins and sit clear on top. They beat Bamawm-Lockington United by six wickets in round two after their round one game against Rochester was washed out after the first day of the two-day contest.
Oscar Carver and team captain Riley Carver were the match winners, after the latter had scored an important 34 last week. They both took two wickets, the captain bowling eight overs (two maidens) for figures of 2-30.
Fire Brigade has the bye this Friday, before facing Moama and Rochester in two of the three remaining rounds before Christmas
– Kyabram Fire Brigade’s under-15 team is on track for a pre-Christmas blockbuster with the other powerhouse of the competition, Moama, after winning by 80 runs against Rochester.
The Flames had a bye last week, but opened the season with a 103-run win against Echuca. Moama has won by 117 runs, 147 runs and 75 runs to start the season.
Sitting first and second on the ladder, they will meet in a two-day fixture starting on December 5 (Thursday) at Kyabram P-12 College.
This weekend Fire Brigade faces Nondies-Cohuna, which sits second bottom on the ladder without a win this season.
Fire Brigade’s win came after it scored 7-218 from its 40 over allocation, on the back of Antonio Depasquale’s 42 retired and 37 not out from opener Jack Hubble.
Depasquale, who made 50 retired in the opening round, struck eight boundaries and faced just 38 deliveries for his score, while Paddy Westerveld struck three boundaries and a six in his 35 retired (also from 40 deliveries).
Westerveld was the star with the ball, taking 3-10 from four overs, while Archie Sheppard took two wickets to back up his 15 runs late in the order when the Flames batted.
– Fire Brigade middle order batters Max Gould, Billy Sheppard, Aidan Greiner and Lincoln Polson all faced their 30-ball allocations as their team scored 4-131 on day one of the contest against top team Moama White.
Moama White won round one by 158 runs, then snuck home for a 10-run win against its sister side before facing Fire Brigade in the first of the two-day games.
Fire Brigade won the toss, and batted at the Kyabram P-12 oval, Gould making 22, Sheppard 17, Greiner and Polson 14 apiece.
Moama White will have 32 overs to chase the runs tonight (Wednesday).
– Tongala’s decision to bowl in its under-13 games against Rochester reaped rewards when captain Kevin Maurizi took a wicket with the second ball of the innings.
Kane Pyke and Luca Hastie then took wickets with the last ball of the 10th over and the first ball of the 11th over, but that was the last of the bowling success as Rochester made 3-74 from its 20 overs.
In reply, Tongala managed only 5-55, Phoenix Greenman backing up his good form from last week with 12 retired from 20 deliveries and Lucas Pyke making nine.
– Eli Coombs led Fire Brigade’s under-11 team to another big win, beating Moama by 130 runs on the back of his three wicket haul and 14-run contribution.
Coombs took 3-8 from two overs, supported by Zayden Scapin, Ryder Morris, and Archie Andison (two wickets apiece). Moama managed just 61 from its 20 overs.
Fire Brigade scored 191 in reply, the Andison boys again leading the day - Oscar 23 retired from 13 deliveries and Archie 22 not out from his 13 deliveries.
Cooper Thompson was 10 not out and Levi Cleveland scored 12 runs from his 13-ball allocation.
– Nate Chantler was the stand-out for Tongala’s under-11 team in its 29-run loss to Moama White, the only player to reach double figures for the Mini-Blues.
Moama scored 117 from its 20 overs, Jed Brennan and Tex Townsend the pick of the Tongala bowlers, then Chantler made 24 from 10 deliveries to be a standout with the bat as Tongala finished on 88.
– Stanhope suffered its second close defeat of the season when it lost by nine runs to Rochester, despite a strong batting display from Indianah Baumann.
She was 10 not out at the end of the Stanhope innings, supported by Lennon Hall (11) as the team made 74 from 20 overs. In reply, Rochester was 0-83 at the end of its 20 overs, Finn Archard taking the only wicket.