The start to the 2022-23 Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield season has been unlike any other.
It was pushed back more than a month due to inclement weather and widespread flooding and the association banded together to ensure all teams were able to get back on the park.
As a result, we have seen six rounds of action and plenty of exciting cricket along the way.
So we at the sports desk thought it would be the perfect time to analyse how each team has fared and what supporters can look forward to in the new year.
Central Park-St Brendan’s (first, 6-0)
Six wins from six starts has Central Park-St Brendan’s atop the Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield ladder at the Christmas break for the second time in as many seasons.
A team littered with star players, it has been been professional in its approach, receiving important contributions from its entire 11 throughout the early stages of its campaign.
However, there has been man leading the way.
Coach Tyler Larkin has begun the 2022-23 season in ominous touch, striking 324 runs at an average of 81.00 to be the league’s top run scorer.
With Larkin the cornerstone of the Tigers’ batting unit, with the ball it has been evergreen veteran Ramadan Yze that has once again taken control of the attack, while young spinner Mason Reeves has been incredibly impressive as he continues to adapt to the rigours of A-grade cricket.
So with things looking rosy at the halfway mark, the focus for Larkin and his men will be to continue this momentum and not drop away like they did in the finals series a year ago.
Mid-season grade: A
Numurkah (second 4-1-1)
Numurkah finds itself beautifully placed at the Christmas break.
Taking to the field on five occasions this season, the Blues have recorded four wins, with their one blemish coming in a low-scoring thriller on the road at Nagambie.
But what has been most impressive about their early season form is that it is not just one man doing the damage.
In a side that has no shortage of star power, it is as if each week somebody different stands up.
In its last clash before Christmas it was star all-rounder Michael Eckard who smashed a blistering 73 and took 6-31 to almost single-handedly take down Tatura, while the week before it was spin king Liam Gledhill whose 5-35 saw the Blues sneak past Euroa.
For skipper Dylan Grandell, more of the same will be on the agenda after Christmas as the club looks to position itself nicely for a finals assault.
Mid-season grade: A
Katandra (third 4-1-1)
Very few teams would be as happy with their early season Haisman Shield form as Katandra.
The Eagles have been up and about early in the campaign, producing four impressive wins on their way to second position on the ladder.
Defeating Waaia and falling to Mooroopna in the side’s last two games before the break, it is clear that while the side means business, they are not unbeatable.
Headlining the Eagles’ success has been the performances of Jedd Wright, with the all-rounder turning plenty of heads with bat and ball.
Striking an ominous 268 runs in five games this season, Wright has also been dangerous with the ball, claiming an impressive 6-24 in round three.
Yet despite the good start to the season, things are only going to get more difficult for Ben Clurey’s side.
Taking on three top-six teams in their next three games, Clurey’s charges are not going to have to wait long until they find out where they sit.
Despite the upcoming challenges, it would be remiss to give Katandra anything less than an A, with a start to the season most club’s could only wish for.
Mid-season grade: A+
Mooroopna (fourth, 4-1)
The reigning premier suffered an early season hiccup in round three, however it is now well and truly back on track.
Sitting in fourth position with a game in hand over the top three, the Cats are once again going to be in the conversation for the title.
Despite the round three loss to Waaia, the side has barely put a foot wrong so far this campaign and with games against first-placed Central Park-St Brendan’s and third-placed Numurkah pencilled in to start the new year, the side will have to be at its best.
A team that can both bat and bowl, Mooroopna is still one to beat in the competition and is sure to cause headaches for other sides come finals.
With one blemish on a solid start to the year, Mooroopna would be happy with how things are travelling and is sure to continue to make its way up the ladder.
Mid-season grade: A-
Kyabram (fifth, 3-1-1):
A solid start to the season sees Kyabram enter the break with plenty of confidence.
Despite suffering a narrow four-wicket loss to current ladder-leader Central Park-St Brendan’s in round one, Jackson McLay’s side has well and truly got its season back on track.
Following the round one defeat, Kyabram inflicted an impressive 111-run win over Karramomus
Boasting the talented Kyle Mueller, who struck a whopping 131 against Old Students, the Redbacks are very much in the hunt for a finals birth, however they will need to be at their best.
With games coming up against the tricky trio of Nagambie, Euroa and Tatura, Kyabram will be hoping to continue its recent run of form and move further up the ladder.
Mid-season grade: B+
Northerners (sixth, 3-2)
Coming into the 2022-23 season, many thought Northerners would take a step back after they lost a host of bonefide A-graders over the winter.
But through the emergence of some exciting youngsters, the Jets find themselves in the finals hunt at the Christmas break.
A trio of wins to begin the season, including an epic upset on the road at Nagambie in round one, is what set their campaign up.
Forced to step up into the captaincy, Ben Pedretti has been the star for the Jets, with the opener striking 153 runs at an average of 30.6.
Young gun Declan Newbound has also been impressive through the early stages of the season, with his unbeaten 64 against Euroa in round two showcasing his prodigious talent.
Northerners have also received valuable contributions from their more experienced campaigners, with Josh Sidebottom leading the bowling attack beautifully with nine wickets at an average of 7.89.
Despite the early success, the Jets did struggle in the lead-up to the break, falling to perennial contenders Waaia and Mooroopna, but all in all supporters should be happy with what they have seen thus far.
Mid-season grade: B+
Waaia (seventh, 3-2)
It all started out so promising for Waaia, yet the Bombers currently find themselves under an increasing amount of pressure.
Defeating Tatura in round one and knocking off reigning premier Mooroopna in round five, Mitch Cleeland’s men ended the year with losses to Katandra and Central Park-St Brendan’s.
These losses will be cause for concern for the Waaia faithful, with the ability to take on the competition’s top sides vital come finals.
Having not lost a home-and-away game last season, the Bombers find themselves in uncharted territory compared to their last campaign.
Yet with a side boasting plenty of talent, the Bombers will be hoping they can turn things around soon and with a game against third-placed Numurkah on the horizon, the turnaround may come sooner rather than later.
Mid-season grade: B
Nagambie (eighth, 2-3-1)
Nagambie once again finds itself behind the eight-ball at the Christmas break.
Coming into the season with high expectations, the Lakers faltered out of the blocks, dropping their first two games to Northerners and Central Park-St Brendan’s.
Back-to-back wins against Numurkah and Karramomus seemed to have them back on course, before a crushing loss to Shepparton United in round six saw them slip back down to eighth.
Despite his team’s shortcomings, skipper Mark Nolan has rediscovered his best form, as he leads the competition’s bowling stakes with 14 wickets at 7.93 and struck a valuable 118 runs from his five outings.
The issue is he hasn’t had any consistent help, with the likes of Luke Nolan and Jono Moore yet to reach the heights of last season.
In the same position last year, Nagambie regrouped in January and ended the season on a tear before losing in a heartbreaking first final to Mooroopna.
So there is plenty of inspiration there for Nolan and his troops to engineer a similar style resurgence.
Mid-season grade: C-
Shepparton United (ninth, 2-3)
Looking at Shepparton United’s start to the season, you could either read it as a glass half empty or glass half full.
On the positive side of things, it has managed two victories from its five games, which included arguably the upset of the season against Nagambie in round six.
The return of Rehan Bari has also bared fruit, with the reliable veteran reeling off 172 runs at an average of 43, and it has built a formidable young bowling unit headlined by Sam Nash, Joe Hammond and Hamish McGregor.
But on the flip side, United’s losses have not been pretty, with the likes of Numurkah, Kyabram and Old Students delivering crushing blows.
However, given the fact it has been unable to use its Princess Park home due to flooding, the fact it is getting a side up every week is nearly a victory in itself.
And with more depth than a year ago, it appears more positive results could be on the cards in 2023.
Mid-season grade: B
Karramomus (10th, 1-4):
It has been a far from ideal start to the season for Karramomus — a singular win has been all the Bloods have managed.
The victorious round four result against Old Students showed what the side was capable of, with a number of talents standing up.
A well-rounded performance with the bat was what got the side over the line on the day, with the likes of Zac Groombridge (42), Mitch McGrath (33), Luke Forge (28) and Jayden Dhosi (23) all contributing.
Facing off against Tatura in their first game of the new year and then battling the strength of Waaia and Mooroopna, the Bloods will be looking to get their young brigade firing and re-discover their round four form.
Mid-season grade: C
Old Students (11th, 1-5)
The first half of the season has been tough for this developing Old Students side.
Looking to blood more youth into their A-grade side, Students opened their campaign with four straight losses, which included a disappointing defeat to a lowly Karramomus.
A round five victory against Shepparton United did see the youngsters get some reward for effort, but in the grand scheme of things, 11th spot is about where this team deserves to be at the moment.
The club would, however, be buoyed by the work of its young batting unit, with Felix Odell (152), Josh Robertson (151), Oscar Lambourn (141) and Callan McCabe (115) finding themselves in the competition’s top 25 run scorers.
And with a trio of winnable games against Nagambie, Euroa and Tatura after the break, there is potential to move sharply up the ladder.
But overall, more A-grade exposure to its promising young players will be the focus for the remainder of the season.
Mid-season grade: C
Euroa (12th, 1-5):
It has been a disappointing start to the season for Euroa.
A team filled with plenty of talent, the side lost narrowly to Northerners in round two and was competitive against the ladder-leading Central Park-St Brendan’s in round four and Numurkah in round five.
The side finally saw reward for its efforts in round six when it downed Karramomus and coach Andrew Squires will be hoping for more of the same in the new year.
Facing a number of difficult opponents in the early rounds of the competition, upcoming games against Shepparton United, Kyabram and Old Students are all very much winnable for the Magpies.
Mid-season grade: C
Tatura (13th, 0-6)
There is no way of suger-coating it: the start of the season has been rough for Tatura.
Yet to register a win from their six starts, the Bulldogs have just found themselves outclassed by their opposition and unable to string together a complete performance.
The darkest of days came betweens rounds two and four, when they were bowled out for totals of 63, 93 and 58 in consecutive weeks.
Couple that with the absence of star opening bowler Jayden Armstrong, who injured his knee in the football season, and many would have questioned whether things would turn around.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they showed much better signs in the fortnight before Christmas as they struck a mammoth first innings total of 221 against Central Park and pushed Numurkah right until the end.
And with a clash against Karramomus on the horizon to kick off the new year, the brainstrust at Tatura will be hoping that first win is not too far away.