Nagambie Lakers went swimmingly in its first-ever game on Sunday afternoon.
After a long pre-season and their opponents forfeiting in the first round, the Nagambie Women’s Cricket team were pumped to get on the pitch.
Rochester won the toss at Nagambie Recreation Reserve and chose to bat.
The away side put in a decent effort with the bat, but an outstanding knock from the Lakers captain, Kait Carracher, set her team up for the win.
Nagambie won on their first outing, surpassing Rochester’s total of 74 in 12.2 overs with six wickets to spare.
Carracher was over the moon to see her side win so convincingly.
“It feels awesome,” Carracher said.
“We’ve been working hard at training, and we’re a relatively new crew that’s come together, so to get the win on our first actual playing game was phenomenal.
“I’ve been out of the game for a long time, so to come back in and have a good knock like that was pretty special.
“I think all the girls did really, really well. We had some awesome fielding out there and some great batting, like Sandy obviously retiring there.
“I think the girls that opened the bowling, they did really well and just set us in good stead.
“We had a really good, very low-scoring couple of first few overs, put us in good stead.
“(We’re) excited for the rest of the season.”
Rochester got off to a steady start, slowly impacting the scoreboard.
The Lakers vice-captain and opening bowler, Sharay Slivarich, came off with an injured knee after her second over with the ball in hand.
Sandy Ezard wrote her name in the history books by taking the first-ever wicket for the Lakers Women as she bowled her opponent.
The Lakers kept runs to a minimum and added another wicket to their haul soon after.
Harriet East was clean bowled by Kelsey Abbott.
The partnership of Miranda Crawford and Sadie Martin was the most fruitful for Rochester.
Both players retired with scores of 14 and 17, respectively.
The change of batsman came with a loss of stability for the away side as wicketkeeper Shae Merrifield stumped Cadence Major, who had wandered out of her crease.
Two wickets fell in the 20th over as Ezard bowled Hayley Broucek, and Keeley Major was run out on a duck.
Rochester set a figure of 5-74 for the Lakers to beat.
Nagambie got off to the worst possible start batting as Kelsey Abbott was bowled the first ball of the innings by Major.
Captain Carracher came in at first drop, contributing 14 to the scoreboard before Amber Langham was dismissed for a duck.
At 2-14, the game was in the balance, but the pairing of Ezard and Carracher was second to none.
Carracher was hitting the ball all around the park, putting 48 runs on the board in an innings that included eight fours and two sixes.
She was dismissed at the end of the seventh over, but by then, the damage had already been done.
The score sat at 3-62 when the captain was dismissed, and her teammates chased down the 13 runs for victory in the next four overs.
The injured vice-captain showed courage as she came out to bat in a knee brace but could not contribute to the scoreboard as she was caught and bowled by East.
The Lakers won their first-ever game in style, securing making 75 runs in 12.2 overs.
The Nagambie Women will be rearing to go against Echuca next Sunday.