mmg.com.au

Cricket Shepparton will complete its junior representative campaign when its under-15 squad takes on Bendigo District in the McPherson Shield final at Princess Park on Sunday.

It will be a rematch of the Junior Country Week under-16B clash, which Shepparton prevailed in this month.

That match was preluded by the drama of having to be relocated to Tatura’s Howley Oval, after the originally scheduled ground — Seymour’s Chittick Park — had been deemed unsuitable for play.

Bendigo District batted first that day, compiling 105, before Shepparton reached the total with six wickets and 14 overs to spare.

It completed a hat-trick of junior country wins for Shepparton, with under-14s and under-16A also prevailing against Bendigo in their respective finals.

The under-15s, though, are the only Shepparton squad to make the McPherson Shield final, having gone through the four-round competition undefeated.

Bendigo District and Seymour District will battle for under-17 honours and Bendigo District and Murray Valley will lock horns in under-13s.

The Shepparton team, coached by Fred Andronaco, will be Bailey Michel (captain), Joel Brett (vice-captain), Anthony Andronaco, Sam Allen, Jess Petherick, Jonty Wardle, Aaron Hatch, Jono Mandarodoni, Lachie Karl, Toby Miles, Sam Nash, Darcy Matthews and Jack Maroney.

Shaban Sulejman will be the emergency.

The match will begin at 10.30am, but could be brought forward to 9.30am depending on the weather forecast.

The final junior representative game comes less than a week before Cricket Shepparton’s under-14 and under-16 Twenty20 finals.

The deciders will be played at Deakin Reserve on Friday, February 8.

The under-14s will be played at 4.30pm and the under-16s will start at 7.30pm.

The finals had been scheduled for Sunday, January 20, but had to be changed with some preliminary rounds still to be played.

Games that have not been completed before next Tuesday will be decided by a toss of a coin.