Claiming the minor premiership last summer, the Tigers scored the one-day title but missed the major prize, but with an identical playing group, CPStB are aiming to go one further.
And boy have they started off strong.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Tigers put Old Students to the sword across its 45 overs of batting and were uncompromising to remain at the crease.
Batting with deliberate intentions and patience, it was a traditional approach to getting runs filled on the scorer’s table following the first wicket of play.
Rhiley Lau hit a six off Old Student's import Tiron Fernando’s third ball, but he was dismissed by him a few overs later for 14.
However, a 116-run partnership between Jack McCarten and Tyler Larkin followed.
The duo would score just 12 boundaries between them, none of which were maximums, as Old Students had no answers for a comfortable pair rotating the strike in the middle.
Larkin (45) was first to be sent packing by Jamie Carr before McCarten (60) fell an over and a half later, which allowed the Students to pounce on an unsettled middle order.
Carr followed up his Larkin and McCartin scalps with the wicket of Nate Yze, but the flurry of wickets did not create a strong enough turn in momentum to get the game back on Old Students’ terms.
Connor Hayes and Ramadan Yze would find a groove once getting their eyes in and see out the innings each unbeaten, with Hayes scoring 59 and Yze 21, and CPStB on 4-219 after the 45th over was complete.
The Tigers’ continued its strong output into the field, rattling down pace to dismiss Sam O’Brien, Felix Odell and Callan McCabe before the 10th over had ended, leaving a mammoth uphill battle for Old Students sitting at 3-17, a scoring rate at less than two per over.
Oscar Lambourn and recruit Rehan Bari would restore some order among the Students, however, before Bari was dismissed for 36 by Lau.
Maninderjit Singh would maintain the Students return to stability, but following the slow start and wrecked top order, the Tigers were still in a comfortable position unless Old Students began to fire Kookaburras to the rope on the regular.
Such scoreboard pressure would bring wickets all day to a determined Tigers squad on the hunt - Bari was caught after the previous over went for just one run, while Singh was trapped plumb following a maiden.
Ramadan Yze cleaned up the tailenders, and although a sizeable middle order stand had given Old Students a tiny glimmer, losing 5-4 - and within that 4-0 - ended the match with 14 balls to go, handing the Tigers a monster 78-run win.
Now at the close of round one, the Tigers sit comfortably in first with a quotient of 3.9 - the next highest being 1.7.
The latter is Kyabram, which romped to its first one-day win this weekend.
The Redbacks and Tigers are scheduled to meet next round, providing an early-season top of the table clash, while Old Students will look to lick its wound and respond against Shepparton Youth Club United, which too is coming off defeat.
THE GAME
Central Park-St Brendan’s 4-219 (Jack McCarten 60, Connor Hayes 59 not out, Ramadan Yze 21 not out and 4-16) def. Old Students 10-141 (Oscar Lambourn 48 not out, Rehan Bari 36 not out and 1-55, Jamie Carr 3-26).
STAR PLAYER:
Ramadan Yze (Central Park-St Brendan’s): Yze was critical with both bat and ball. In a batting line-up where it was hard to split the top contributor, Yze’s 21 not out off 30 deliveries still stacks up to be one of the most influential, combining with Connor Hayes for an 80-run partnership, all before he delivered an impossible spell to play.
Yze snared four wickets and bowled at a rate of 2.08. Scoreboard pressure is what caused Old Students’ collapse, and Yze can hold his head high for being a key reason such pressure existed.
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