Saturday Sundries | Tons galore, McDonald’s 300th match underscores lower cricket highlights

This week’s edition turns the spotlight on stunning team and individual knocks as well as a significant milestone for one Mooroopna mainstay.

News photographer Rechelle Zammit was behind the lens for the E-grade contest between Mooroopna and Nagambie.

Fill-in your boots

The rolling effects of the switch from MyCricket to PlayHQ continue to rob hundreds, maybe even thousands, of players of their bragging rights.

One only has to look as far as the Murchison-Waaia E-grade game for a chief example.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Murchison trundled along at a meandering pace until ‘Fill In’ arrived and began dealing in boundaries.

The Hoppers’ mystery slogger made a comedy show of Waaia’s bowling before deploying the mercy rule and retiring not out on 119 off 99 balls, slashing 13 to the ropes and six over them.

But here’s the kicker.

You’d think identifying the architect behind this outrageous cameo could be easily achieved through a process of elimination.

That is not the case.

The Hoppers’ destructo-bat was one of eight players listed as ‘Fill In’ for the Waaia game, perhaps sparking an inquest from a hapless Bombers bowling outfit.

Green monsters

What’s mean, green and scores shedloads of runs?

You’d be correct if your answer was Pine Lodge’s C-grade team. You’d also be right if your answer was Murchison’s C-grade team.

Saturday pitted the two bat-tastic brigades against each other in round 11 of the Jim McGregor Shield, and it more than lived up to the billing on the boundaries front.

The Hoppers grabbed the blade first and leapt into gear, with Dino Letizia (66 runs) hitting his mark from the jump.

If Letizia’s knock was the entree, David Marsters’ sumptuous innings was the main course.

Marsters’ batting prowess matched his surname that day as he minced nine fours and nine sixes to make 111, aiding Murchison to an enormous total of 6-296.

The Hoppers must have thought they had the game sewn up, but Pine Lodge’s ace bats said ‘Watch this’ on the chase.

Vikramjeet Singh (69 not out) and Will Batey (49 not out) were the main instigators behind the biggest successful run chase this season, crashing and bashing the Lodgers to a four-wicket win.

Saturday’s slog-fest included 67 boundaries and 17 maximums, with 596 runs scored for the entire game - absurd.

Triple Ton

When looking at Paul McDonald’s figures from Mooroopna’s B-grade win over Numurkah, nothing immediately jumps out from the stats sheet.

But it was a massive game for the veteran, nonetheless.

McDonald completed game number 300 on Saturday, joining esteemed company among Cricket Shepparton’s best servants of the game.

The batting all-rounder may have only made 11 runs on day one and didn’t feature with the ball against the Blues, but with 5751 runs and 82 wickets emblazoning his career record, I think McDonald would’ve slept okay.

In those 300 games, McDonald has packed in five centuries with a high score of 216 and best bowling figures of 5-7, also sporting a Haisman Shield premiership on his resume.

Hats off to you, Mr. McDonald.

Tortoise and the Hare

Karramomus and Katandra adopted two opposite styles of cricket when meeting in the middle during Clyde Young Shield business over the past fortnight.

It’s clear that one worked and the other not so much.

Batting first on day one, the Bloods trickled along at a snail’s pace before being bowled out on 94 from 30.3 overs.

Katandra, on reply, went crash bang and peeled off 178 runs from 35.4 overs before declaring at five down, and you can believe the trend continued through to day two.

Though Karramomus improved on its prior total, 1-160 off 51.2 overs was mere chump change in the Eagles’ eyes.

Ben Clurey, an A-grade regular returning from injury, smashed 62 not out to add to his 90 on day one as Katandra chased down the remaining runs in less than 15 overs for a nine-wicket win.

They say slow and steady wins the race - but does it really?