Haisman Shield | Lakers take major scalp to keep season alive

Keen to atone for a poor showing against ladder-leader Central Park-St Brendan’s the previous week, Nagambie captain Mark Nolan said he was incredibly proud of how his side went about its business.

“It was a very good all-round performance with the bat and the ball, coming off a poor performance the week before with a few out we managed to get our best team on the park and we played a really good game of cricket,” Nolan said.

“Missing last week was obviously disappointing, but you can’t really do much about that, so it was just great to get out there, contribute and be part of a great team performance.”

Nolan got the ball rolling for the Lakers, dismissing Mooroopna opener Corey Windridge in the first over to put immediate pressure on the Cats’ top order.

With flashbacks of the previous week’s early collapse firmly on their mind, Brodie McDonald (27) and Jac Smith-Williams (30) went about rebuilding the innings, patiently seeing off the new ball to have Mooroopna relatively well placed at 2-61.

Needing a spark, Nolan would call upon the trusty Josh Sanderson (2-26) and, as he has all season, he delivered, taking two quick scalps to get the game back on the Lakers’ terms.

Brayden Biggs would then keep the momentum going for the home side, wrapping up the tail with figures of 3-25 to keep the Cats under 130.

One thing we have learnt about the Lakers this season, however, is any total is defendable as the classy Mooroopna attack looked to add another chapter to its batting woes this season.

But positive intent had Nagambie get off to a solid start, with opener Dale Short setting the platform with a crucial 32.

Seeing off every blow the Cats’ bowlers could throw, captain Nolan would ensure his side completed the job in style, smashing 37 not out off 32 balls in what was a welcome return to form for the talented all-rounder.

“It was really nice (to chase down the total), they obviously had a couple of their strike bowlers out which helped, but they probably have two of the best bowlers in the league, so I thought if we could see them off, we would be a good chance,” Nolan said of the batting performance.

“It’s been a bit of a lean year (for me), so it was nice to spend some time in the middle and contribute to a good win against one of the best teams in the competition, which puts us in a spot where if we win our last three, we might finish in the top six.”