Numurkah treat Cats like kittens in Haisman Shield smashing

The Cats got out to a confident start, making 24 runs before Cyrus Shafi was bowled by Riley Dawson, and then securing a 55-run second-wicket partnership.

Excellent glovework from Dylan Grandell would dismiss Will Woods for 24 via stumping though, as well as opener Joel May for 56 caught behind, before Ben Woods was bowled by Kyren Dawson a few balls later.

At 4-94, Mooroopna went into recovery mode, but another 2-12 that followed had the Cats on the ropes.

A determined 39 by Paul McDonald helped the Cats find their feet again, but as his wicket fell, the rest would tumble, with Mooroopna all out for 169, albeit inside the final over of the innings.

It didn’t take long for the Blues to get on the front foot with the bat either however.

Duston Ebborn was trapped LBW for four, but a 105-run partnership would follow with Matthew Price and Raguvaran Aravinthan, the latter going on to dominate the pitch.

Flicking a whopping 14 boundaries, Ararvinthan caused chaos for the Cats on his way to an unbeaten 95.

Scoring at a strike rate of 92.33, the Cats’ target was quickly caught by Aravinthan and the Blues in the 36th over, with just three wickets lost in the process.

Mooroopna’s Josh Preston, Cyrus Shafi and Corey Meyer all claimed a pole in a harsh afternoon in the field, with the latter scoring figures of 1-0 after recording a wicket maiden in his sole over - the penultimate of the match.

Numurkah sits on 30 premiership points with three other clubs, but with a quotient 1.532, it is ahead of the pack, and a game behind second-placed Central Park-St Brendan’s.

The Blues will face Shepparton Youth Club United across the next fortnight, with SYCU brimming with belief after securing its first win of the Haisman Shield 2025-26 campaign, while Mooroopna is tasked with a tough challenge against the Tigers, an upset win necessary to keep its top six aspirations afloat.