A Grade
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Lakers continue unbeaten run with win over Benalla
The Yarrawonga Mulwala Lakers continued their unbeaten start to the season with another impressive victory, defeating Benalla at Stan Hargreaves Oval on Saturday in challenging, windy conditions.
Batting first for the fifth consecutive week, the Lakers worked their way to 202, with Zac Fraser providing an explosive start with 31. Devlin Webb anchored the innings with a classy contribution, while Willie Wheeler (18) and Fraser Smart provided valuable support.
Approaching his 150th A Grade game, Matt McCabe delivered a crucial late contribution, finishing unbeaten on 21 to give the Lakers a competitive total.
With the ball, Heslin led the attack brilliantly, claiming 4/28 from nine overs. Jyda House removed former Victorian quick Tom O'Donnell with a clever slower ball, while Brock McCabe continued his impressive form with multiple middle-order wickets.
Matt McCabe claimed the final wicket, bowling Benalla out for 174 and securing another victory.
The Lakers now travel to Myrtleford to face Ovens Valley United, aiming for six consecutive wins.
B Grade – Lakers Bulls
Lakers B Grade Bulls v Greta
The Lakers B Grade Bulls continued their impressive form with a convincing nine-wicket victory over Greta.
Sent into the field, the Bulls dominated proceedings with the ball, restricting Greta to just 64 from 27 overs.
Xavier Mitchell led the attack with an outstanding 4/28, while Lachlan Phillips was equally impressive, claiming 3/6 from eight overs. Oliver Connell (1/13) and Nathan Valentine (1/1) also contributed with important wickets.
The Bulls made light work of the run chase, with Phillips leading the way with an unbeaten 34 from 34 deliveries.
Valentine provided excellent support, smashing a quick-fire 22 from just 20 balls to help the Bulls reach 1/65.
It was a terrific all-round team performance, with the bowling attack setting the tone before the batters comfortably completed the job.
The Bulls remain unbeaten and are enjoying an excellent start to the season.
B Grade – Rams
Rams v Benalla Bushrangers
The Rams headed to the Gardens full of confidence, but unfortunately couldn't quite get the job done against Benalla, falling short in a challenging run chase.
Batting first, the Rams posted 9/161, built around a valuable 72-run partnership between young Parker (36) and veteran Dodd (32). Strawberry Blonde Hill provided a late spark with a cracking 17 from just nine deliveries, including a monster six.
Several Rams made starts, but the innings lacked the big partnerships needed to push the total beyond 200.
With the ball, Bookie (1/27) and young Taj Parker (2/24) were among the highlights. Parker claimed the dangerous Pollard thanks to an outstanding catch from Chrome Dome Pickering.
Unfortunately, the Bushrangers chased down the total, finishing at 3/164 from 29.3 overs.
The disappointment didn't last long, however, with Mick's 46th birthday celebrations taking centre stage at the Railway Hotel in Goorambat.
The Rams will look to bounce back against Rovers next week.
Despite the disappointing result, celebrations quickly took over as the team marked Bill's old man Mick's 46th birthday.
By all reports, the commitment shown at the bar far exceeded some of the performances at the batting crease.
With plenty of positives to take away and a few lessons to learn, the Rams will dust themselves off and head across the border next week to take on Rovers.
C Grade
The Wollington show gets the Lakers across the line
C Grade continued its winning form with a hard-fought victory over Beechworth on home turf.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl in windy conditions, the Lakers produced an excellent team effort in the field. Kade Michael led the attack with 4/24 from seven overs, supported by William Murphy (2/23), Shaun Hawking (1/14) and Declan Reeves, who conceded just 17 runs from seven overs.
Beechworth finished at 9/132 from 35 overs.
The run chase belonged to Benji Wollington, who produced a superb unbeaten 56 from 103 deliveries, showing tremendous patience and composure to guide the Lakers home.
Justin O'Brien contributed a quick-fire 20, while Leeburn added a handy 25.
After a few wickets fell, Wollington and Reeves combined to finish the job, bringing up the winning runs in the second-last over.
Two consecutive victories have C Grade building plenty of momentum.
Under 16s
Under 16s v Beechworth/Ovens Valley
The Under 16s match against Beechworth/Ovens Valley remains in progress.
Beechworth/Ovens Valley finished the day's play at 8/172 from their 40 overs.
Under 14s – Bulls
Bulls put themselves in a strong position
The Yarrawonga Mulwala Bulls Under 14s put themselves in an excellent position after day one of their two-day, 40-over clash, finishing at 9/189.
After losing a couple of early wickets, Eamon Pickering produced a superb unbeaten 55 to anchor the innings and provide the backbone of the total.
Isaac McLarty was equally important, contributing 39 as the pair combined for a crucial 59-run partnership to steady the innings.
Later in the day, Parker Cowan (27) and William Cruikshank (18) added another valuable 48 runs together, with their excellent running between the wickets a particular highlight.
Their ability to turn singles into twos kept the scoreboard moving and helped push the Bulls towards a competitive total.
With 189 runs on the board, the Bulls will head into day two full of confidence, looking to bowl disciplined lines and lengths to defend their impressive total.
Under 12s – Rams
Rams claim emphatic victory against Greta
The Under 12 Rams produced an outstanding performance to claim an emphatic victory over Greta at a slightly dewy Milawa Oval.
Captain Flynn 'Slim' Connell won the toss and sent Greta in, with Rory Buerkener striking in the opening over.
Wickets were shared around, with Artie Ryan, Ollie McDonald and Bobby Best also among the wickets. George Hill produced tidy figures of 3/2, while Vihaan impressed in the field.
Ned O'Brien was another standout, producing a brilliant direct-hit run-out and some excellent work behind the stumps.
Greta were dismissed for just 39.
The Rams then delivered a superb batting performance, with contributions shared across the lineup. Artie Ryan (15 not out), Ollie McDonald (19 not out), George Hill (19 not out), Farley Simmons (20), Rory Buerkener (23 not out), Flynn Connell (25 not out) and Bobby Best (33 not out) all contributed.
Best also entertained with a massive six as the Rams raced to 3/176.
Under 12s – Bulls
Bulls v Delatite
The Bulls Under 12s braved Arctic-style conditions in Mansfield to take on the Delatite Devils, producing another outstanding team performance to secure victory.
Captain Archie Wilson won the toss and elected to bowl as storm clouds gathered around the ground.
The Bulls produced a disciplined bowling performance, with wickets shared evenly and the Devils placed under pressure throughout their innings. A particular highlight came from Paddy Doyle, who produced an excellent direct-hit run-out despite the freezing conditions.
The Devils finished at 6/41 from 20 overs.
With the bat, Nate Martin and Myles Cowan did a fantastic job protecting their wickets against some sharp bowling, before Darcy O'Dwyer and Wilson kept the scoreboard ticking through the middle order.
New club recruit Mason Skinner was the star of the show, smashing 18 from 29 deliveries to help steer the Bulls to victory.
Another terrific team effort sees the Bulls sitting proudly on top of the ladder, while their very cold parents were certainly happy with the quick result.