Numurkah’s two openers have been stuck in the “almost” category in terms of their output with the bat across the past 12 months.
On Saturday afternoon at Numurkah Showgrounds, against Euroa, openers James Du Toit and Raguvaran Aravinthan not only reached their highest Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield scores, but the pair also fired a sawn-off shotgun-style warning blast to the rest of the competition.
Having lost the toss and being sent into bat, Du Toit and Aravinthan made a steady start to the Blues' innings.
Euroa’s bowlers struggled to make an impact on the Numurkah deck and the Blues’ openers were soon both passing the 50-mark at close to a run-a-ball.
As the innings wore on the Blues piled on more Magpie pain.
Du Toit and Aravinthan reached their centuries as the hosts sat on 0-228 after 36.3 overs.
Euroa’s Siva Velagala became his side’s sole wicket-taker for the match, dismissing Du Toit for a whirlwind 115 runs from 117 balls (10 boundaries and two sixes).
The Blues held strong for the final few overs to reach 1-293 at the change of innings.
Aravinthan carried his bat through the 45 overs to finish on 136 from 137 balls (15 boundaries).
Numurkah coach Gino Saracino said the club was proud of how its opening pair finally went big with the bat.
“James came up (to A-grade) last year and put a lot of pressure on himself and it didn’t go quite to plan for him,” Saracino said.
“This year we have told him to play his role in the side and if it is there to hit, you hit and sometimes it will come off and sometimes it won’t.
“Rags has been hitting 20-40 (runs an innings) since he came out here last year.
“He got 31 in the first week, an effortless 20 last week, we said, ‘When you go big, you are going to make a big 100’.
“Yesterday he was able to do that and, from the report I got, both of them, it was chanceless.”
THE GAME
Numurkah 1-293 (Raguvaran Aravinthan 136*, James Du Toit 115, Siva Velagala 1-48) d Euroa 7-108 (Scott Hamilton 35, Walter Jackson 19, Riley Dawson 3-21)
STAR PLAYER
Raguvaran Aravinthan (Numurkah): The Blues’ star had his best day in Haisman Shield and stamped his name as a star of the competition. Aravinthan’s classy unbeaten 136-run knock demonstrated his ability with the willow, while his 1-9 from four overs was a reminder of his talent in the other key facet of the game.
The pair’s 228-run stand broke Numurkah’s opening partnership record and became the club’s third-best partnership of all time.
The previous opening partnership record was a 195-run effort between Tyson Woods and Mark Brown in the 2012-13 season against Kyabram.
Saracino said the mix of Du Toit’s explosiveness and Aravinthan’s class at the top of the order made the Blues a threat to any side this summer.
“James is freewheeling — he is a big frame — so he sees ball hits ball,” he said.
“Rags knocked it around and was sensational, just pure class.
“We also have some players who didn’t get a hit such as Dylan Grandell who has hit a 70 and a 50 this season.
“Gave Kody Jackson a go at three and he was able to get a 17 not out, which was good for his confidence.
“We have a top four that is in good form and hopefully that continues into the longer format and for the rest of the season."
Numurkah was dominant with the bat, but also deadly with the ball as the Blues restricted Euroa to 7-108 from its 45 overs.
One of the Blues’ stars with the cherry was young gun all-rounder Riley Dawson who collected 3-21 from his nine overs.
Saracino said it had been a joy to watch Dawson work on all elements of his game at training.
“(Dawson) is a left-armer, he gives us that variation,” he said.
“(He took) three wickets for us last week, when we were in a pickle with the opposition going five or six an over.
“Yesterday, he was able to bowl line and length and pick up another three.
“He is only young — 18 I think — and he is trying to learn the craft of both (batting and bowling), which takes a long, long time to be good at both.”
This weekend Numurkah will face Pine Lodge at Lemnos Recreation Reserve, while Euroa will host Kyabram.