B-Grade
Openers Brett Andison and Jarrod Chapman kept Kyabram Fire Brigade’s finals hopes flickering with a 152-run opening stand in the GM Bill Williams Shield penultimate round on Saturday.
Chasing Colbinabbin’s 162 Andison with 98 with 13 fours and four sixes and Chapman with 53 ensured the nine-wicket-win in 28.2 overs.
Earlier Adam McPhee had made 88 with 10 fours and 2 sixes to help Colbo post a respectable score against some good bowling led by youthful talent Nic Jephson with 3/21.
Fire Brigade meets Northern United in the final round and has to rely on Moama losing to Rochester to be a chance to slip into the top four.
— Finals-bound Stanhope could only muster only 9/114 against Northern United, but it proved enough to get the premiership points.
Jorge Maxwell with 33 top scored for Stanhope and five of their seven bowlers took wickets.
— Tongala bowled Leitchville Gunbower out for 130 but could make only 97 in reply with openers Darcy Maloney (28) and Rory Knight (23) getting no support.
— James Harney with 77 helped Elmore to a respectable 4/173 which couldn’t be match by Rushworth despite the efforts of Shannon Jarrett (30), Brett Pateman (27) and Harley Nancarrow (21).
C-Grade
Girgarre, with opener Matt McCready making 89 with 9 fours and 3 sixes and Mackenzie Cowley with a half century, built an impressive 9/220 which was never challenged by Tongala, out for just 46 with Simon Doolan grabbing 4/0 from 3.2 overs in a purple patch of bowling.
— Stanhope had to work hard to cover Fire Brigade’s score of 7/117 with Jon Pearson’s 34, Jacob Gillie’s 25 and Daniel West’s unbeaten 22 securing a two wicket win for their side.
Lachy Elliott starred with the ball for The Flames with 4/22 off seven overs.
D-Grade
Top-side Girgarre had the better of second placed Echuca in a tight, low-scoring clash.
Echuca was restricted to 7/111 and Girgarre, led by Steve Phillips with an unbeaten 45 and opener Charlie Lowe (33), got their side over the line.
— Rushworth with a half century from David Baldwin (50) and Peter Raglus (24) opening the innings rounded up Fire Brigade’s score of 5/92 in 23 overs for a solid eight wickets win.
— Tongala just failed to overhaul BLU’s score of 7/173, coming up six runs short after half centuries by Scott McKenzie and Stephen Townsend.