Though it was the Cats, still hanging on to a chance of finals, that made the early headway as Kyabram batted first on its home deck.
Corey Meyer had Billy McLay dismissed in the first over of the game in a perfect start before Paul Parsons and Cade Mueller, crafting a watchful 44-run innings, steadied the innings.
Caleb Aitken sent Parsons packing for 21, bringing Kyle Mueller to the crease.
Mueller crashed 12 boundaries en route to his seventh half-century of the season, and his 55-run partnership with brother Cade had Kyabram on the cusp of marching onwards to a big total.
Wickets, however, continued to tumble consistently after Will Wood ran Mueller out, and it was at the hands of spinner Jack Gaskill that Mooroopna put the clamps on the Redbacks.
Meyer struck again to send Charlie McLay back to the sheds cheaply before Gaskill got to work, bowling 20 overs unchanged and snaring the wickets of Kyle Fitzgerald for four, the prized scalp of Kyle Mueller for 67, and Alec Young and Louis Sabbagh-Holt to finish with 4-45.
Cooper Sleeth broke the spirited resistance of Lukas Haslow after his 31 runs down the order, but the final wicket of Jackson McLay saw the Redbacks stumble from 2-123 to all out for 181.
With 18 overs to bat, Mooroopna looked to make headway into the total – instead, the ruthless bowling partnership of Sam Langley (2-14) and Jackson McLay (2-11) dismantled the Cats’ top order.
Langley had Cyrus Shafi caught behind on the second ball of the innings in a big scalp for the Redbacks, while Mooroopna round nine centurion Joel May was clean bowled for just two by McLay.
Langley picked up his second with Will Wood dismissed, and when McLay had Ben Woods in the 14th over the Cats were 4-18.
Paul McDonald and Jack Gaskill guided Mooroopna to 27 runs before the close of play, but it will be a big job for the Cats to get it done from here.
The Game
Kyabram 181 (Kyle Muller 67, Cade Mueller 44, Jack Gaskill 4-45) plays Mooroopna 4-27 (Jackson McLay 2-11, Sam Langley 2-14)
