Central Park-St Brendan’s put Pine Lodge to the sword for a nine-wicket Haisman Shield win

But this time, it was the Tigers doing the squeezing.

Sent in to bat, Pine Lodge again leaned heavily on its familiar bright spots as English import Dylan Hardy dug in for a gritty 37 off 98 balls while batting partners came his way thick and fast.

His longest partnership came from young gun Xavier Waters, who looked assured for his 35 and showed glimpses of maturity beyond his years – but once the pair departed, Pine Lodge’s innings unravelled.

Central Park’s experienced heads were the catalysts behind the destruction.

Dwain Vidler bowled tight lines and tied down an end to snare 3-9, while on the opposite front, Ramadan Yze matched him with 3-15 as Pine Lodge was dismissed, all out for 117.

Then came time for the chase – which the Tigers treated like a light jog – as the only early hiccup came when opener Rhiley Lau misjudged one off Darshana Prasad Loku Hettige’s bowling and departed for seven.

After that, playing-skipper Tyler Larkin played a trademark innings as he guided the scoring with 63 not out, while young star Nate Earl smacked an unbeaten 44.

Together, the pair glided to the target in 18 overs, sealing Central Park-St Brendan’s’ fourth win and sending the Tigers to the top of the ladder with a healthy quotient to boot.

Larkin’s side now gears up for red ball cricket with fellow high-flyer Karramomus up first followed by a battle with fellow top six dweller Nagambie before the Christmas break.

The task doesn’t get much easier for a Pine Lodge side in search of its first victory, facing Old Students and Kyabram in the upcoming month of two-day matches.