Tatura came out of day one in its Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield meeting with Numurkah threatening to steal an unlikely set of points.
On a weekend that had numerous boilovers, Numurkah could not resist being left among the pile of favoured sides to fall in the final round of action for 2023.
The Blues, tasked with chasing Tatura’s imposing total of 276, failed in the dying stages as their free fall continues.
It could have been different, with import James Du Toit delivering some long-awaited goods in a move to opening the batting alongside Jordan O’Dwyer.
Sitting at 76 without loss would have alleviated the pressure Tim Arnel’s men may have felt when they arrived at Numurkah Showgrounds that morning.
Alas, even without Tom Vibert (broken hand) and Blake Armstrong (illness), Tatura intended to save a season, so the Blues’ momentum would stall before too long.
Enter Liam Gledhill to galvanise the Blues by putting the foot down in the middle in a way nobody else could.
An electrifying 66 (eight fours) at better than a run a ball would be the shot in the arm Numurkah and its faltering campaign needed, in tandem with Josh O’Dwyer at the other end.
All the good work of a 92-run scramble would be undone in five balls, though, with the Blues’ tail-end left to navigate the 33 runs needed.
THE GAME
Numurkah 269 (Liam Gledhill 66, Jordan O’Dwyer 44, Jayden Armstrong 3-51, Daniel Coombs 3-55) lt Tatura 9-276 (Daniel Coombs 81, Jayden Armstrong 68, Blake Armstrong 50, Tim Braybon 4-66)
STAR PLAYER
Daniel Coombs (Tatura): Coombs took on the extra bowling workload to follow up the game-defining knock of 81 with three vital scalps in an upset.
A spectacular Will Russell run-out capped a productive day featuring one wicket and two catches, before captain Jayden Armstrong allowed Tatura to breathe easy at last in a seven-run win.
Daniel Coombs backed up last week’s impressive batting effort with three wickets of his own.
“It was a really good effort to post that score, we had a couple of guys out this week as well,” Coombs said.
“To start the day how we did was tough because some of us had to bowl more than usual.
“It looked like they might have been cruising in, but Jayden bowled brilliantly, asking lots of questions.
“I think this gives us what we were looking for, beating one of the better sides.”
It also gave Tatura a moment for the highlights reel, with Russell’s run-out off a tight angle putting the Blues on their last stand.
The game was still too tight to call at that stage, with the job not yet done.
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Good feeling: Tatura's Jayden Armstrong enjoys a fruitful spell. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 2 of 5
Pitched short: Numurkah's Jordan O'Dwyer goes for a pull shot. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 3 of 5
No run: Numurkah's James Du Toit plays a defensive shot. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 4 of 5
Tough ball: Numurkah's Jordan O'Dwyer deflects one away. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 5 of 5
Whip it around: Tatura's Chaz Cheatley keeps sharp. Photo by Rechelle Zammit“They pretty much batted down to 11, so we didn’t think we’d won the game after that,” Coombs said.
“We’d had those moments against better sides where we didn’t take those chances, but the momentum was definitely going our way.
“It forced them to take risks and try and hit boundaries being nine down.”
While Tatura’s 3-5 record heading into the festive break doesn’t set the world on fire, Coombs believes his side has made enough of a statement to put the league on notice after the January bye.
“This season has been really up and down, but this time we played pretty good cricket,” Coombs said.
“If we can stick to that consistency, there’s no reason we can’t test some of the top sides after our bye.
“I think the ability is there on paper, but it’s about putting it together.”