Sport

Shepherd’s all-round class clinches four-wicket win for Lakers

By Josh Huntly

Nov 17, 2025

Nagambie batter Kayla Shepherd belted 56 runs and claimed two wickets in the Lakers’ four-wicket win over Mooroopna. Photo by Megan Fisher

Call Kayla this summer for a game-changing performance.

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Nagambie’s Kayla Shepherd was right in the thick of the action in round four of Cricket Shepparton’s senior women’s competition as the Lakers aimed to do the double over Mooroopna, meeting for the first time since round one’s four-run thriller.

This time around, the margin was wider at Mooroopna on Sunday as the Lakers maintained their status as the final unbeaten team for season 2025-26.

Bowling first, Nagambie struck early, with Breanna Davison removing Ebony Sleeth in the third over.

Poppy Vandermeer complemented back-to-back scores of 20 with another defiant stand of 23, but when she and Alyse O’Connell had their stumps disturbed by Kait Karracher (2-10), honours looked even at 3-41 after nine overs.

Amani Issell stood tallest in the Cats’ batting order with a brisk 35 off 26 deliveries, but saw wickets tumble around her as Shepherd made her presence felt with the ball, snaring 2-10 off her four overs.

Issell’s vigil ended caught at the hands of Shelley Houston, though Mooroopna still managed to crack the 100 after Maggie Egglestone’s 11 not-out.

And early in the run chase, it seemed as if 7-105 might be enough to snatch the points, with O’Connell (2-19) and Mia Earl (1-15) leaving the Lakers scrambling at 2-8 in a tight opening spell from the Cats pair.

Holding steady, however, was the Lakers’ leader Shepherd.

Shepherd and Davison went to work resurrecting the innings with a 33-run partnership, but the loss of 3-9 in the middle stages had the visitors teetering once again.

But Shepherd had other plans – her explosive 56 off 42 balls, supported by Kelsey Abbott's aggressive 29, powered Nagambie to a commanding four-wicket victory with 17 balls remaining.

The win will see the Lakers assume the mantle of outright first in the competition.

Hot on their heels though is Shepparton Youth Club United.

SYCU’s bowlers restricted Kyabram to 88 in Thursday’s clash under lights at Kyabram Recreation Reserve, with Mel Saunders and Phoebe Hawker offering tidy contributions of 1-5 and 1-6 off their three overs respectively.

Mel Parsons’ 32 runs and Penny Mason’s 12 not out led the way for the Redbacks, but their SYCU contemporaries were up for the chase.

Usual suspects Mel Saunders (28) and Lia Beecroft (12 not out) were in the runs again, and coupled with 32 extras, SYCU was able to chase down the total with six wickets to spare for its second win of the season.