Sport
GMC | Moama soars past Rochester for second straight win, Echuca kicks off premiership defence in style
After a four-week hiatus cricketers across the Goulburn Murray Cricket Association were finally able to return to the field, with round six of the A-grade John McMahon Shield serving up a number of intriguing results.
One of the two teams able to take to the field for the opening round more than a month ago, Moama recorded its second win of the season with a clinical 55-run triumph over Rochester.
The Magpies posted a first-innings total of 5-228 on the back of Jordan McGregor’s 68 not-out and solid contributions from Fraser Buchanan (39) and skipper Anthony McMahon (31) in the clash at Moama Recreation Reserve.
Rochester then made a defiant start to the run chase with Blake Evans (57), Joel Bunce (32) and skipper Dylan Cuttriss (31) to have the visiting side navigate its way to a strong position of 3-139.
But a middle-order collapse of 5-5 led by Rhys Drennan (3-7) and Clay McGregor with best-match figures of 4-24 ended in Rochester being bundled out for 173, 45 runs short.
Drennan now has seven wickets for 13 runs conceded after making his debut against Cooma in round one.
“Clay McGregor and Rhys Drennan were the ones to turn the game,” Moama captain Anthony McMahon said.
“Clay ended up with four wickets and Rhys ended up with three. He was on a hat-trick at one point.
“Rhys is only 14 or 15 years old, he’s a left-arm medium pacer, but I think he’s going to end up bowling pretty quick.
“In his first game, he took 4-7 and then he came on and struck straight away in this game.”
McMahon said he was pleased with the even spread of contributors with the bat, with four top-order batters posting double figures.
“Everyone contributed from the top five bats,” he said.
“We all got starts, but it was Jordy (McGregor) who went on and batted through to consolidate the innings.
“I think we could have ended up with 250, 260, but we had enough in the end, which was good.”
Elsewhere, an incredible late innings collapse of 6-1 had Echuca South fall to Nondies-Cohuna in a thriller at Cohuna Recreation Reserve.
The Swans bowlers, led by Cameron Hay with 5-15 and a hat-trick, rolled Nondies for 66 runs in a blistering display with the Kookaburra.
And at 4-62 in reply, the Swans were in the box seat to post their first victory since January 2021.
But a late Peter Moore and Sam O’Shea bowling flurry sparked a collapse of 6-1, with the Swans falling three runs short in one of the most dramatic McMahon Shield clashes in recent times.
Echuca began its premiership defence in fine style, as it secured a hard-fought 35-run victory over Kyabram Fire Brigade.
Last year’s A-grade grand final victor powered its way to 5-231 from its allotted 45 overs, before bowling Fire Brigade out for 196 at Northern Oval to earn its first points of the season.
Matthew Hinks starred with the bat for the Green Caps with an unbeaten 80 runs, while Brendan Moyle (3-28) and Simon Maddox (1-29) claimed vital wickets that derailed Kyabram’s run chase.
Needing to reach an imposing target of 231, Fire Brigade openers Paul Newman and Daniel Kent had the Flames in great shape at 0-129.
But hopes of a spectacular run chase were soon extinguished, as Fire Brigade lost all 10 of its wickets for 67 to fall short of Echuca’s target.
While Leitchville-Gunbower rounded out the winners’ list courtesy of a dramatic final-over victory over last season’s grand finalist Bamawm-Lockington United, with skipper Tyler Jones’ 77 the catalyst for the three-wicket triumph.