Bill Williams Goulburn B-grade shield
The semi-final line-up for the Goulburn Murray Cricket B-Goulburn Shield has been confirmed after an eventful final round ended with three teams being separated by quotient for top spot.
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Kyabram Fire Brigade finished first with the highest quotient in the league, confirming a home semi-final after a narrow 13-run win over Elmore.
The Redbacks sent the Flames in to bat first, with Kyabram making 147 from its 40 overs, propelled by solid innings from Oscar Carver (35), Lachlan Carver (30), and Archer Backway (38).
Elmore seemed destined to chase down the total and secure a finals spot, reaching the century mark after only 19 overs, at one stage being 3-122.
But an untimely middle order collapse saw Kyabram take five wickets from the 26th to 32nd overs, as captain Rikki Busch (3-22) and Nicholas Jephson (4-19) completely flipped the script.
Opener Matt Gilmour starred with the bat for Elmore, making 69 off 84 balls, but he had little support as Kyabram made light work of the tail to secure victory with two overs spare.
The Flames will host Cooma in the semi-finals, who ironically have Kyabram to thank after it jumped Elmore into fourth by seeing off Rushworth with a three-wicket win.
Cooma opted to bowl first and disposed of the Rushworth order with relative ease, as Jack Norris’ 4-24 led a dominant bowling display that saw the home side all out for just 102.
The Cooma run chase hit some speedbumps, with opener Liam Scopelliti dismissed early and the visitors at one stage 7-99.
But the total was too low for Rushworth to protect, as Cooma captain Ethan Palma-Ludeman led the way with 31, and Norris complemented his impressive bowling display by hitting the winning runs in the 31st over.
Elsewhere, Moama will host Echuca in the semi-finals after both sides secured comfortable victories to finish second and third respectively.
The Mowers were dominant against Bamawm-Lockington United, batting first and posting a big total of 206 from their 40 overs.
Openers Kirk Teasdale and Matthew Watt both made half-centuries, with the latter ending up just shy of a ton after making 88 and hitting nine fours.
BLU’s chase got off to a solid start but it didn’t have enough firepower to keep Moama’s attack at bay, despite a solid knock of 42 from Charlie McIntyre.
McIntyre would be the last wicket to fall in the 35th over as BLU made just 114, losing by 92 runs.
Teasdale, after making 61 with the bat, had a phenomenal all-round game, also dominating with the ball by taking 5-4 across only six overs, which included three maidens.
Echuca travels to Gunbower Recreation Reserve for next week’s semi-final with Moama after closing the season with consecutive wins, easing to a six-wicket victory against Colbinabbin.
The Ducks batted first but struggled, only making 60 from 23.1 overs, with only two batters scoring 10 or more runs.
Echuca’s attack contributed equally to dismantling the batting order, with Nick Dolan, Ryan Caldwell, and William Kerr each taking two wickets, while Jack Evans led the way by taking 3-9 from only five overs.
The run chase was perhaps more difficult than expected for Echuca, who were at one stage 4-56, but Dolan pushed for three runs on the first ball of the 23rd over to ensure a comfortable victory.
Stanhope had the bye.
Bill Williams Murray B-grade shield
Kyabram Fire Brigade bookended an impressive regular season by coasting to an 85-run win over Rochester.
The Flames posted a huge total of 222, having multiple contributors with the bat as Jack Donnell (66) and Paul Newman (52) made half-centuries, while Justin Hooper and Kaine Herbert added 37 each.
Rochester’s chase got off to a slow start, at one stage being 3-24 as the top order were disposed of quickly.
Its middle order fared a lot better, as Nate Rasmussen impressed with 47 not out off only 32 deliveries.
In the end, Kyabram only required nine wickets to secure victory and the Flames did so at the end of the 36th over, as a run out by Sam Vick, who also claimed two wickets, confirmed a 9-2 regular season record for his side.
Gus Underwood C-grade shield
Rochester secured a home semi-final after cruising to a 98-run win over Cooma.
Batting first, Rochy made 204, with the runs spread across the board, as captain Leigh Hartshorne (35), Mark Stockden (32), and James Anderson (32) were the top scorers.
Cooma was at one stage 2-71, with opener Noah Stevens (58) impressing with the bat, but a middle order collapse sparked by Rochester’s Glen Moroney (3-18) halted any momentum in the run chase.
Rochester will face Echuca in the semi-finals.
Bamawm-Lockington United had the bye.
Peter Raglus D-grade shield
In a dead-rubber at Brose Recreation Reserve, Bamawm-Lockington United finished a challenging season with consecutive wins by easing to a seven-wicket victory over Tongala.
The Blues only made 78 from 31.3 overs, and BLU wasted little time in its chase, reaching the total in just 15.2 overs as Edward Brentnall (33) and Mick Giorgianni (26 not out) were the top scorers, smashing 10 boundaries between them.