With Jonathan Hipwell again impressing with the ball, with a five-wicket haul, Kyabram bowled Mooroopna out for 140 in 69.3 overs, successfully defending their score of 184 from the previous week.
Medium pacer Hipwell finished with 5/31 off 16.3 overs in an outstanding spell.
It was Hipwell and spearheads Jackson and Charlie McLay who had Mooroopna reeling at 5/45 and 6/57 early in the afternoon. But a fighting knock of 64 from middle order Mooroopna batsman Will Hale raised the hopes of a fighting win for the visitors.
Hale shared a 61-run stand for the seventh wicket with Simon D’Elia, which brought Mooroopna back into calculations. But when they fell within three runs of each other Kyabram was back in control.
Jackson McLay with 3/40 off 23 overs and Charlie McLay with 2/50 off 24 overs were again key players in the Kyabram win — its fourth in succession. The latest win has catapulted Kyabram into the top six on the ladder.
It has two other finals contenders, Tatura and Old Students, to meet in the remaining two games.
Tatura accounted for Karramomus last Saturday and it’s another big challenge for the Kyabram side in the game to be played at Kyabram this Saturday and Sunday.
B Grade
Kyabram was toasting teenager Connor Hawes and Kanval Singh after they staged a match-winning last-wicket stand against Mooroopna.
They came together when Kyabram needed eight runs to better Mooroopna’s score of 182 — and proved up to the challenge.
Hawes was the batting mainstay and star of the innings with a fine knock of 62 with five boundaries while Singh finished with an unbeaten 23.
Kyabram sits in fourth place on the ladder and looks finals bound with two games to play — against Tatura at Tatura this Saturday and Sunday and Old Students in the final round.
Tatura is still a chance to play finals.
E Grade
Kyabram bowlers Matt McDonald with 4/8 and Beau Metcalf with 3/15 tore through the Waaia batting line-up in 25.4 overs to set up a win for their side.
Then veterans Peter Ryan with an unbeaten 33 and Ross Brown with an unconquered 35 steered Kyabram to victory in 17 overs for the loss of only one wicket.
Kyabram sits in second spot on the ladder with remaining games against Shepparton United (seventh), Central Park St Brendan’s (third) and current ladder leader Northerners.
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