Delightful D’Elia and cool Cats pounce to upset Bombers in low-scoring Haisman Shield affair

With neither club able to eclipse 100 runs on a tricky Mooroopna wicket, the onus fell on the bowlers, and it was a Cat’s veteran in his first A-grade game in nearly two years who led the charge.

Mooroopna defended just 98 runs on the back of wily spinner Simon D’Elia golden arm, snaring 5-13 on return to the side, while import Cyrus Shafi’s three-fer and a spellbinding 1-5 off nine overs from Josh Preston helped bundle the Bombers out for only 70.

For last season’s 10th-placed finishers, it’s a big scalp first up, but it’s one that comes as no surprise to coach Henry Barrow.

“It’s a massive win for us,” Barrow said.

“If you're playing against the reigning premiers, it's probably the best time to get them because everyone's on a bit of a level playing field.

“The wicket was obviously very bowler friendly, and we lost quite a lot of wickets up top.

“We were looking at 120 as a really defendable total.

“We know with our bowling line-up when we push towards three figures, we definitely thought that we had a chance.”

From the outset, though, Bombers' import Brandon Diplock made his presence felt as Waaia took first crack with the ball.

Diplock crashed through Caleb Aitken’s defences for his first wicket before fellow Cats opener Joel May was run out, and fellow seamer Jesse Trower held up the other end nicely to send Cooper Sleeth packing.

Diplock's devastating spell continued unabated, as he claimed the scalps of Cyrus Shafi and Paul McDonald, leaving the Cats in dire straits at 5-22.

D’Elia dug in for 14 runs amid the carnage before he was also run out, and when Barrow was bowled for one by Jaime Riley, Mooroopna found itself in dire need of a steadying partnership.

Corey Meyer and Jack Gaskill would provide it, putting on a timely eighth-wicket stand of 30 runs before the latter was caught for 11.

The final two wickets fell for 13 runs as Diplock closed out the innings with the wicket of Josh Preston, finishing with 4-11.

But Meyer’s 84-ball resistance through the middle overs for 19, with 28 extras added by the Bombers bowlers, saw Mooroopna scrape to 98.

“Corey was absolutely fantastic and got us to (a score) we thought was maybe just below par,” Barrow said.

In actuality, the total was 28 runs more than required.

Waaia openers Sam Trower and Jordan Cleeland deftly navigated the first nine overs undisturbed until D’Elia’s destructive spell claimed its first victim, bowling Cleeland for 15.

Jaime Riley was caught in D’Elia’s next over, before the left-arm tweak specialist trapped the dangerous Mitch Cleeland LBW and snuck through Trower’s defences not long after, with Waaia slumping to 4-30.

That became 5-30 with Preston rewarded for an economical spell with the prized wicket of Diplock for a duck, and when D’Elia caught and bowled James Carpenter for his fifth wicket and Brayden Carey was run out, the Bombers were in free fall.

They had lost 7-6.

Despite gritty defiance from Kaleb Gilmour and Jesse Trower with 17 apiece, Cyrus Shafi’s late cameo of 3-21 ended the reigning premiers bid to save the game, handing the Cats a big confidence-boosting win to kickstart their Haisman campaign.

“In terms of the way that the whole day panned out, it was great because there was so many different people who contributed,” Barrow said.

“Josh Preston did an awesome job up top, Simon D’Elia on his return to A-grade was just absolutely sensational and really changed the game.

“In his nine overs, he didn’t bowl a bad ball; he was just challenging the batsman with every ball, which was really important on that wicket.”

With a round one scalp in the bag, Mooroopna heads to Katandra next week hoping to double up against the Eagles.

And the Cats coach has every confidence they can emulate their first effort.

“Obviously, we need to put all facets of our cricket together,” Barrow said.

“But it was just really nice to get that one on the board and see all the younger lads having that extra bit of confidence.”