Katandra’s fairytale Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield season continued on Saturday as the Eagles overcame Numurkah at home.
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Facing off on a batter-friendly wicket, the home side locked in a 25-run victory thanks to strong spells from Andrew Riordan (70) and James Dawson (62) with the willow.
A well-rounded performance from the men in yellow and blue, Katandra captain Ben Clurey said it was a good result.
“We sort of carried on from the week before and put in a similar effort,” Clurey said.
“We had a couple of good partnerships and made 229 which is always competitive, but the pitch turned out to be really good all day.
“They (Numurkah) got to 200, but late hitting from Sam Wright and Andrew Riordan got us to 229 which in the end was well needed.”
Choosing to bat first, the Eagles put 6-229 on the scoreboard thanks to strong spells from Wright, Riordan and Dawson, while Liam Gledhill (2-32) stood out with the ball.
For the Blues, Conor McElligott (65) and Dylan Grandell (37) put in good shifts early, however, the side fell short at 9-204.
Cruising to 0-58 after 13 overs, the visitors were in a strong position and despite two Hadleigh Sirett wickets in a row the Blues managed to go from 2-58 to 3-152.
Yet disaster would once again strike, as the visitors lost three wickets for four runs.
This good spell of bowling would prove to be enough for Katandra to get the win, with Jedd Wright (3-42) and Sirett (3-46) standing out for the home side with the ball in hand.
Admitting that the Eagles let the Blues score more runs than first hoped, Clurey said it was good to get a few contributors and move into top spot on the table.
“It’s terrific, the runs were shared around this week which is good in a sense,” he said.
“Given the finals structure the top spot is the one you’re always chasing, with the lucky loser, it just gives you that little bit of confidence.
“It’s good reward for effort, it’s always a good feeling to see your name at the top of the table.”
THE GAME
Katandra 6-229 (Andrew Riordan 70, James Dawson 62, Sam Wright 41, Liam Gledhill 2-32, Michael Eckard 2-50) d Numurkah 9-204 (Conor McElligott 65, Dylan Grandell 37, Jedd Wright 3-42, Hadleigh Sirett 3-46)
STAR PLAYER
Andrew Riordan (Katandra): A quality spell with the bat from Riordan helped construct a solid innings for the Eagles. Making his way to 70 off 78 balls, the veteran wound back the clock once again with the willow.