Numurkah strangles Nagambie 92 runs shy of victory in Haisman Shield affair

But it was the drama of day two that really stole the show.

Nagambie began its reply with purpose on Saturday, only to have its openers Tom Barnes and Dale Short fall cheaply for 13 and 12 respectively.

A solid partnership then emerged as James Auld and Mitch Winter-Irving dug in, frustrating Numurkah’s seamers and lifting the Lakers to 2-104 just before tea.

For a while, it looked as though the momentum had shifted in their favour.

Enter Numurkah’s spinners and the tide turned in dramatic fashion.

Kyren Dawson, a talented 16-year-old who only picked up the spin trade last season, struck twice in quick succession, removing Auld and Winter-Irving for 35 and 41.

Fellow tweaker Raguvaran Aravinthan then picked off the big wicket of Mark Nolan for a duck, leaving Nagambie reeling at 5-115 at the interval.

The spinners’ combined three-over spell before tea proved decisive, a textbook example of how a disciplined burst can swing a two-day contest – which Numurkah skipper Matt Cline outlined.

"Cricket's a funny game and all it takes is three overs of really good cricket or it could be a half an hour period of good cricket,“ he said.

“All of a sudden the momentum can swing back in your way, so it’s something that we spoke about at drinks.

“Just to stay composed, we thought we had the runs on the board and they had to make them.

“We just had to bowl with discipline and create pressure and create chances and that’s what we did.”

Post-tea, Cline chimed in with the wicket of Zac Winter-Irving, while Connor McLeod sent Flynn O’Brien packing for a globe as Aravinthan continued his demolition.

The gun import cleaned up the tail with ruthless efficiency to bowl Nagambie out for 174, handing Numurkah a 91-run cushion.

Cline praised the collective effort, but highlighted the spinners’ impact.

“I think collectively as a whole unit we bowled quite well, but the standouts were the spinners. ‘Ragsy’ and Kyren, when we brought them on, they changed the game,” he said.

“They took those three wickets and three overs just before tea and it was their spells that really got us back in the game.”

The win, Numurkah’s fourth from six games, has given the side a sense of cohesion and confidence heading into the final rounds before Christmas.

“I feel like we're really starting to gel and bond as a team collectively at the moment. I think that's got a lot to do with the results on the field,” Cline said.

“We didn't get off to the greatest start losing our first two games, but the way that we've bounced back after those first two games has been really good.

“Everyone's really starting to gel and get along, which just makes the game so much more fun and so much easier.”

Numurkah faces Tatura at home in round seven, while the assignment doesn’t get any easier for Nagambie, away to Central Park-St Brendan’s at Deakin Reserve.