It was a mixed bag for the Yarrawonga Mulwala Cricket Club in last weekend’s finals matches with two Lakers teams bowing out of premiership contention in the A Grade and A Res whilst remaining seniors teams, B Grade and C Grade will both vie for grand final glory this weekend.
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A Grade and A Res almost made it to the finishing line, going down to Rovers United Bruck and Delatite respectively.
For Lakers fans, make sure to get down to Stan Hargreaves Oval this Saturday to cheer on B Grade as they contest the 2025 premiership against Benalla Bushrangers while C Grade journey to North Wangaratta Oval to take on Beechworth Wanderers for the ultimate glory.
In the A Grade, the Lakers season came to an abrupt end last Sunday at WJ Findlay Oval in Wangaratta after losing to Rovers United Bruck by 104 runs.
Winning the toss and batting, Rovers United Bruck compiled a total of 9/186 off 75 overs with seven batsmen getting into double figures.
Bruck captain Jeremy Wilson topped scored with 36before he became one of Angus McMillan’s four victims.
The Lakers vice-captain bowled tirelessly to finish with 4/50 off 24 overs.
First change medium pacer Matt McCabe snared 3/32 and leg spinner Brock McCabe collected 1/27.
Rovers United Bruck set the Lakers a competitive total of 186 but unfortunately only two batsmen for the Lakers reached double figures.
Opening batsman Fraser Smart made 34 from 60 deliveries and second drop batsman Brock McCabe made 14.
Rovers United Bruck’s opening medium pacer with a bit of movement, Jacob Schonafinger sent down 16 overs conceding just the 12 runs and snaring 3 wickets.
Bruck captain Paddy McNamara took 4/20 off 14 overs.
Missing four stars from last year’s star-studded line-up, the Lakers were dismissed for 82 runs off 51 overs.
A reserve bow out.
Turning up to Vic Park in pristine condition, no one would have known that only a day prior 40mm of rain would cause chief curator Ash Gove a few headaches. Credit to the man for all his tireless efforts Friday and throughout the year.
At the coin toss Delatite had no hesitation in sending the home side in to bat.
With Fraser Smart being unavailable due to competing in an ultra-marathon, it was up to Ollie Cope and Hill to set a platform.
Some tight bowling saw the pair being cautious and just as some momentum was shown Hill (11) kicked one with the score on 21 shortly followed by Cope(1) 2/28.
Tunga football reserves 7 times “most improved” award winner Sam Lidgerwood looked to be at his best racing to (18) with the help of Luke Buerkner (11) ticking the score along to 51.
Sam coped a good one and could do nothing more than try to hit it out of the park to John Hyland Hill, holing out to the gully.
Andrew Dishot smoked a cut shot unfortunately to a flying catch, a catch not seen like that in Areserve since ‘alc’ in round one.
That man Buerkener next to go feathering one to the keeper.
John Taylor (27) knew his role and started to look dangerous unfortunately loosing partners in Nehal “Neil” Tahir, Justin “juggy” O’Brien then when Taylor himself departed, things were definitely not going to plan.
Some resistance from Tom “doc” Lovell along with TJ Docking and Aneeque Azam saw the home side post 104.
Things needed to go to plan to defend a small total and Lidgerwood and Dishot gave their all claiming a wicket each for not many off their allotted overs.
Taylor and Docking both were unlucky with shots going just out of hands reach, things could have been very different.
Leg spinner Azam picked up one wicket as did “angle grinding wizard” Ollie Connell.
Delatite passing the score 4 down with 7 overs remaining.
With 8 successive grand final wins for Yarrawonga’s second grade before the last few years resulting in a semifinal loss, a grand final loss and now a semifinal loss, A Res now look to next season to get back to the ultimate success with junior talent shining brightly in the ranks.
All the best to the Lakers B and C teams this weekend.
B Grade set to contest premiership
Yarrawonga Mulwala 5/74 def Merton 10/73.
In better news for the Lakers, B Grade will compete in this weekend’s grand final at home at Stan Hargreaves Oval against Benalla Bushrangers after a comfortable 5 wicket victory over Merton at Lonsdale Reserve Mulwala last weekend.
Merton batted first and after 28.1 overs, were all out for 73 with just 3 batsmen reaching double figures.
For the Lakers, opening bowlers Jyda House and the old warhorse, stalwart captain Gary Browning kept the batsmen in check.
House claimed 3/23 off 7 overs and Browning chipped in with 1/18 off 6 overs.
First change bowler Hunter Frauenfelder was measily with his bowling, dismissing 2 batsmen just 4 runs off 6 overs.
Lachlan Phillips and Geoffrey Montgomery also both claimed 2 wickets.
A second wicket partnership of 53 runs by opener, vice captain Hudson Gillies (29) and first drop Geoffrey Montgomery (31) set the Lakers up for their 5 wicket victory off 26.5 overs.
C Grade glory bound for final
Yarrawonga Mulwala 6/146 def Benalla Bushrangers Blue 8/145.
A big weekend of semi-finals action saw “the Lakers” compete in all four senior teams go into battle for a final’s berth.
C Grade managed to salute off the back of some fine bowling and commanding batting on their favourite venue, the magnificent Vic Park No.2 Oval, which was in pristine condition after the YMCC ground staff worked overtime to bring the ground up after the 40mm soaking on Thursday.
The start of play was delayed by some 20-minutes after both official allocated umpires failed to show up, so the captains agreed to get the game going and have the teams umpire the semifinal themselves.
Still no explanation as to what happen to the missing umpires, we hope that they are both safe and well.
Benalla Blue called correctly and decided to set a total for the home team to chase.
Will “Murph and the Magic Tones” Murphy took the new “Kooka” from the pavilion end and partnered with Kade “Two Dogs” Michael from the Dunlop Street end.
The young duo bowled with zip, which allowed the Benalla batters to use the pace of the ball against the bowlers.
With 36 on the board after 4 overs, the visitors were off to a flyer, but “the Lakers” were too experienced to become flustered and slammed the chocks on the Benalla run rate when Ben “Supple” Pickering was introduced to proceedings.
When the drinks break arrived at the 18th over, “the Lakers” had only conceded a further 18 runs and snagged three poles to find themselves in the driver’s seat.
Two Dogs with two wickets (thanks to his safe arms) and Shaun “Home Duties” Hawking with one. After wetting their whistles, the reintroduction of Murph and the Magic Tones paid dividends with his first wicket to claim the Lakers’ fourth victim for no further addition to the score.
A slight recovery to the score into the seventies when “Supple” struck the pegs and “Murph and the Magic Tones” collected his second.
A scare rippled through the home team when “Supple” pulled up lame with a quad strain, which proved “Not So Supple”.
Lucas “Son Of Supple” Pickering took over from “old man Supple” and “SOS” then bowled the dangerous Montgomery neck and crop.
Now into the tail, the Lakers were looking to wrap things up quickly, but the Benalla Blue lower order pinned their ears back and went the ding.
Chancing their eye, the tail wagged and total broke triple figures before “Home Duties” skittled the stumps of the opposition captain to grab the seventh wicket.
Then a 26-run partnership was cobbled together before the “Earl of Twirl” spun one past the bat and had the stumping giving Josh “Vagabond” Vagg his first and the Lakers eighth scalp.
With two youngsters at the crease, the Lakers looked set to bring the curtain down, but there was an encore performance from the young pair.
Swinging the blade with ease, there was no early finish with the pair taking the score to 8 wickets for 145 runs when all the balls had been bowled.
At the tea break, the equation was simple, score the runs and go to the final.
Matthew “Gout Gout” Wilson and Darcy “Panther” Hargreaves took first crack at reeling in the target.
The start was cautious as the opposition bowlers were tighter than a drum with their deliveries and just as headway was being made, the edge found its way to the keepers gloves and “Gout Gout” was out out.
The “Panther” was joined by the “Vagabond” and the quick acceleration came with a four, a six and then a wicket, the “Vagabond” out for 11.
“Home Duties” joined “the Panther” to repair the damage with the highest partnership of the innings resulting in 50-runs.
“Home Duties” Hawkings hold out for 22, that featured 3 boundaries.
A mix up resulted in a run out of “the Panther” just as a half century loomed into view. Gone for 43.
With the run chase at 104-runs, still needing 42-runs and the overs ticking by, enter “Not So Supple” doing his best Lazarus impersonation, completely recovered from his upper front leg strain with bat in hand.
“Not So” calmly set about accumulating the remaining runs and threw in 3 fours and a six to put the victory within the grasp of the Lakers.
Damian “New Bat” Leeburn came and went, wanting to get more knocking in of the stick done before next Saturday.
When “Not So” departed after playing the role of the closer was brought short with a catch on the boundary, that was the last Lakers’ wicket to fall as the last half a dozen runs were made with three overs to spare.
The challenge reserved for the best two teams in C Grade now remains as “the Lakers” final obstacle.
The team is ready to perform and will be looking for the Cricket Gods to be with them for the season decider, as they face the undefeated Stanley CC.
As the wise observers say, “Cricket Is A Funny Game”.
Yarrawonga Chronicle