The only side to bat out 80 overs in Saturday’s Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield action was Tatura.
Don’t pretend like you predicted that.
No fewer than three half-centuries got 10th-placed Tatura through day one at Numurkah Showgrounds.
The favoured home side spread the workload among a deep bowling attack, seeking every option to curtail Tatura’s growing influence on the game.
Numurkah would fall one scalp shy of putting on the pads itself, though, with Jayden and Blake Armstrong and coach Daniel Coombs raising the bat in a stirring display.
Coombs and Blake Armstrong would form the first threatening partnership of the day after both openers fell.
Coombs would salute first, notching nine fours on his way to a tremendous 81 before Matt Cline eventually broke through.
Numurkah looked on a safer trajectory two balls later when Tom Vibert saw his way back to the sheds scoreless, but the Armstrong boys got stuck in once more.
Tim Braybon, on his way to an eventual four-wicket haul, took the vital pole of Blake just moments after Tatura’s second 50 of the day.
Braybon would remove Jayden later on for 68 and had his way with the tail-order, but Tatura’s competitive 9-276 will give clubs across the league something to ponder.
THE GAME SO FAR
Numurkah v Tatura 9-276 (Daniel Coombs 81, Jayden Armstrong 68, Tim Braybon 4-66, Matt Cline 2-39)
Not that Coombs is getting ahead of himself.
“I think we’re in a good position and it’s a good score,” Coombs said.
“They’re a good side, so I would expect a challenge.
“The wicket was flat and a bit difficult to score on, but we’ll have to bowl well to defend it.”
At 2-5, Tatura’s finals hopes have dangled precariously for weeks and appeared realistically shot after an outright blowout defeat to Waaia.
With guaranteed points awaiting on the other side of Christmas with the bye in early January, Saturday’s performance has perhaps left the door ajar — if the Bulldogs can complete the job.
“Since the outright I think we’ve battled back well,” Coombs said,
“To put this on the board against a good bowling attack helps us build our consistency.
“We’ve got the talent there, but it’s just about producing it against the better sides.
“Trying to build pressure with our runs already on the board is an advantage and, on paper, they were expected to beat us, so there’s probably more pressure on them.”