Braydee Hutchins and BLU couldn’t get over the line against Echuca in a tight round 12 match-up. Photos: Jordan Townrow.
While Echuca has been far from its four-peat best in the 2025-26 edition of Goulburn Murray Cricket’s McMahon Shield, it showed signs of life against contending Bamawm-Lockington United.
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Hosting the Lions at its surrogate home of Moon Oval at Rochester, Echuca scraped past the visitors in an attempt to salvage its season.
Losing the toss and getting sent in to bat, the green machine started well enough as co-captain Brendan Moyle and Anthony Dennis put on a 31-run opening stand.
After scoring 23 at a run-a-ball, Dennis edged one through to keeper Regis Chakabva off Kade Pearse’s bowling.
Charlie Hinks led his side to a strong win, top scoring with 81 and having best figures of 4-31.
Photo by
Jordan Townrow
Pearse was hot early, taking the wicket of Moyle (4) in his following over to leave the host at 2-37.
Aidan Young and co-captain Charlie Hinks partnered well until Prateer Mehta took a sharp chance off his own bowling to dismiss the former for 12.
Batting at number four, Hinks quickly became the focal point of Echuca’s innings as James Grixti (18) and Ben Henson (30) played supporting hands.
Prateer Mehta floats one out of the back of the hand.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
No-one else could go along with Hinks, who hit a mature 81 off 120 balls which included 10 fours.
In the end, Echuca managed to bat out the 50 overs, finishing on 9-209, giving BLU a formidable task to win.
Pearse was the leader for the Lions with the ball, taking 4-61, dismissing the majority of Echuca’s stronger hitters.
BLU celebrates a wicket.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
While Pearse didn’t perform as well with the bat, getting out for eight at the top of the order, his fellow opener Chakabva produced a team-high knock of 73 in 111 deliveries.
Woody Wilson also produced the goods for his side, raising the bat for 50 off 70 balls, while Joel Felmingham notched a valuable 39 at first drop.
Outside those three, the Lions struggled with Luke Thompson (1), Mehta (1), Noah Turner (2) and Charlie Mundie (0) unable to impact the scoreboard.
James Grixti glances it off his legs.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
However, things looked promising for the Lions at the end, with Gregory Pearse and Braydee Hutchins in with three overs to go and needing 22 for victory.
Coming into the final over, the Lions needed 11 to pull off a strong win, but Archer Carlile kept it tight under pressure, allowing six runs without taking a wicket.
This left BLU five runs short of victory at the conclusion of the innings, despite Pearse and Hutchins ending unbeaten on 11.
Kade Pearse slings it in.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Hinks led by example for Echuca in the win, top scoring and taking 4-31 to get his side back on track against a top-three side.
The victory is a step in the right direction for Echuca which still sits in sixth, but is now half-a-game back from fifth-placed Fire Brigade and a game-and-a-half out of the top four.
Meanwhile, the Lions have now fallen to third behind Echuca South and Moama with a buffer between them and Rochester in fourth.
Yet, Rochester will get a chance to close the gap, hosting the Lions in round 13 at Windrige Oval, while Echuca has the bye.
Woody Wilson scored a valuable half-century.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Kade Pearse led the way with the ball for BLU with 4-61.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
The Game
Echuca 9-209 (Charlie Hinks 81, Ben Henson 30, Kade Pearse 4-61) d Bamawm-Lockington United 8-205 (Regis Chakabva 73, Woody Wilson 50, Charlie Hinks 4-31)
