Daniel Coombs’ men knew they’d have their work cut out for them after losing the toss at Howley Oval, with Kyabram captain Kyle Mueller opting to bat in the blink of an eye.
The Bulldogs’ bowlers couldn’t find the breakthrough until the 11th over, when they dismissed Paul Newman (25), but not before there were 52 runs on the board.
Billy and Charlie McLay took it from there to compile 44 and 26 respectively, but when Will Russell sent Charlie packing in the 23rd over, Tatura dug its heels in.
Coombs struck two overs later, luring Billy into a loose shot, with the in-form Cade Mueller back in the sheds four balls later to have Tatura’s tails up.
With memories of batting collapses in games gone by resurfacing for the Redbacks hitters, the reliable Kyles stepped in, as Messrs Mueller (43) and Fitzgerald (53) went to work in alleviating fears in the Kyabram camp.
Fitzgerald saw the innings out, marking his half-century and ensuring his side surpassed 200.
Tatura will look to unleash recruit Jed Woods again this weekend, after the young gun picked up three key Kyabram wickets for 28 runs.
It’ll need its bowlers to fire; it faces a clinical Numurkah outfit which has a knack of keeping the opposition quiet.
Run-rate pressure was where Tatura came unstuck against the Redbacks, but a late-order knock from Russell (26) and Bailey Archer (27) will have given their side something to smile about.
Batting consistency could be the deciding factor against Numurkah after the Blues were almost undone by Shepparton United last time out, escaping with a nail-biting three-run win.
