Victoria - featuring Cricket Shepparton stars - finished second at the Australian Country Cricket Championships. Photo: Chloe Motzouris Photography.
Victoria has capped a memorable Australian Country Cricket Championships campaign with a strong second-place finish in the men’s competition, punctuated by a nerve-jangling final-day win and another statement innings from Kyabram star Kyle Mueller.
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Needing a victory over Tasmania to lock in the runners-up spot on Saturday in WA, Victoria showed its steel in a tense chase, reeling in the Tigers’ 9-236 in the penultimate over for a dramatic two-wicket win.
Once again, it was Mueller who stood tallest when it mattered most.
The left hander produced his finest knock of the tournament, crafting an unbeaten 83 in a composed innings that anchored Victoria’s pursuit.
With wickets tumbling around him earlier, Mueller held his nerve deep into the chase before sealing the result in fitting fashion, piercing the deep cover boundary off a full toss to spark celebrations and confirm Victoria’s second-place finish overall.
Mueller’s final-day heroics were well supported by Central Park-St Brendan’s skipper Tyler Larkin, who made his most telling contribution of the championships.
Batting down the order, Larkin’s gritty 36 added invaluable runs as Victoria clawed its way back into the contest thanks to an 84-run partnership between the usual Haisman Shield foes.
The pair guided Victoria through the closing stages, finishing off a chase that had ebbed and flowed before Mueller’s decisive blow brought the curtain down on the men’s campaign.
It was a fitting finale to an outstanding tournament for Mueller, who finished second on the overall run-scoring charts with 313 runs.
With the ball, Waaia quick Jesse Trower again proved his worth across the carnival, contributing five wickets while Larkin stumped up a valuable 53 runs across his handful of innings.
And while the men fell just short of the ultimate prize, Victoria’s women ensured the silverware headed home on Friday.
Victoria took out the women’s title at the Australian Country Cricket Championships.
Echuca’s Grace Moyle was once again at the forefront, finishing second on the tournament wicket-taking charts with 12 scalps while Nagambie duo Madison Albers and Kayla Shepherd also played important roles in Victoria’s title run.
The women’s championship was sealed in a pulsating final clash against second-placed NSW, with Victoria defending a modest total of 137 in a thrilling eight-run victory.
Under pressure late, Victoria held its nerve to close out the contest and confirm its place atop the standings as Moyle claimed the 10th wicket in the 36th over.
The spinner forced Emma-Jayne Howe into a loose shot that nestled in the keeper’s gloves, sending the Big V brigade batty as victory was realised there and then.
