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Cricket for Tatura this season finished last weekend on a high note, with the A-grade comfortably accounting for higher placed Mooroopna, and the under-16 team capping a great season with an emphatic win in the grand final.

The Tatura-Toolamba under-16 team went to Deakin Reserve on Sunday to challenge Old Students for the premiership as favourites, despite finishing second on the ladder as a consequence of the vagaries of the points scoring system.

The combine won the toss and, in a decision of the team brains trust led by skipper Brayden McGregor, sent the opposition into bat, despite contrary advice from coach Ian Petherick.

It was a decision based, not on the state of the wicket, but on how a team that likes to chase would respond when required to set a target. It proved to be inspired thinking.

The combine bowlers from the outset bowled with good line and length, denying the opposition the opportunity to score easy runs.

The pressure proved too much for Old Students, which was unable to develop significant partnerships. Wickets fell regularly and it was all out for 91 in 40 overs, well short of the allotted 50.

It was an outstanding performance by all the Tatura-Toolamba bowlers, with Steve Valentin finishing with the best figures of 4-21 from nine overs.

McGregor, opening the bowling, took 2-35, Jess Petherick 2-8 from eight overs, Zav Ballis 1-5 from eight overs and Angus Eaton 1-9.

The combine run chase started shakily, losing Michael Donaldson lbw for one from a ball he might have got a bit of bat on with the score at two.

From then on, Caidan Pratt and McGregor put on a demonstration of disciplined cricket and how to build an innings that their senior colleagues could well emulate.

They defended when necessary in classic style, let the wide balls go, punished the loose deliveries and ran intelligently between the wickets.

In the end Tatura-Toolamba reached 97 without further loss of wickets, achieving an emphatic premiership win by nine wickets to top off a stellar year.

Pratt was not out 34, including three fours, and McGregor not out 49 with four fours and a six. They combined for an unfinished partnership of 95.

It was a well-deserved victory after being the best team in the competition during the season, and a mature team performance.

It has been a mixed season for the club, with the junior teams all having excellent years and winning the oldest age group premiership for the second time in the club’s five years in Cricket Shepparton.

In order to compete with the top teams, the club needs to keep current juniors playing cricket and to encourage some of the local talent, who don’t currently play, back into cricket, two significant challenges.

A-grade

The A-grade team finished middle of the road again with four-and-a-half wins and five losses, ending the season well with two consecutive wins.

Tatura started the day at 3-177 chasing Mooroopna’s 6-203 (declared), with Peter Watt and Dan Coombs batting.

The day started badly, with Coombs out in the first over of the day without adding to his score of 57.

Tom Eggins joined Watt and the pair was untroubled to take the score to 241, well past the Mooroopna score.

Watt was out lbw for 52 to a wet ball that kept low after Eggins had landed it in Lake Bartlett. Eggins was out soon after for 26, dismissed in a similar fashion.

After Eggins’ dismissal, and given that neither team could make the finals, the interest in the game petered out. Tatura was all out for 267, with the ever reliable Josh Thurston not out 19. The game was then called off.

B-grade

Tatura started the day against Kialla Knights defending 258. The match was a tight contest all day, with the advantage fluctuating between the two teams.

Kialla finally prevailed in the second last over, all out for 269 for a win by 11 runs.

This was a game that Tatura lost through some sloppy fielding, dropping a number of straight forward catches from the opposition’s main run scorers.

For Tatura, Gary Dealy took the bowling honours with 5-64 from 27 overs. He topped off the day with three catches.

Others to take wickets were Graham Ballis (2-30), Blair Jenkins (1-62), and Xavier Dowell (1-43).