In a high-stakes round eight Cricket Shepparton clash, the Bloods posted a decisive 91-run win over Waaia to cement their place inside the Haisman Shield top six, producing a composed batting effort before letting their bowlers do what they do best.
Karramomus built a defendable 7-192 — and then backed it up with a clinical spell in the field that left the Bombers stranded well short.
Batting first, the Bloods lost Mitch McGrath for a duck in the second over, but from there the innings found its footing through its top order aggressors.
Zavier Davidson led the way with a fluent run-a-ball 61, striking four boundaries and two sixes as he took control of the early proceedings alongside his strike partner.
Declan Newbound complemented him perfectly at the other end, working his way to a measured 53 off 90 deliveries, and though the middle order wilted slightly, a late flurry helped carry the Bloods’ score past 190 in the final overs.
Sam Trower was Waaia’s best with the ball, snaring 4-43.
While the total wasn’t flashy, it was solid — and, as captain Nathan Jones later made clear, gave plenty for his attack to work with.
“I back ourselves to bowl most sides out with 192,” Jones said.
“It was a must-win game for us to cement ourselves in the top six. Had we lost, we probably would’ve found ourselves out of it and chasing tail — so to get the job done was really important.”
In response, Waaia’s chase never truly got going.
Brayden Carey fell early for 12, and Kaleb Gilmour followed for two as Karramomus’ bowlers immediately tightened the screws.
Import Jaime Riley fought his way to 21, but with wickets continuing to tumble around him at a rate of knots, Waaia’s run chase began spiralling.
Number eight bat Jesse Trower offered the most resistance with 27 from 52 balls, but the run rate crawled and pressure mounted as Karramomus’ bowling unit operated as a collective.
Lachie Keady (2-13), Ethan Baxter (1-12) and Zane Newbound (3-17) shared the spoils, with no bowler conceding more than 20 runs — a statistic Jones was particularly proud of.
“Our bowling never really lets us down,” he said.
“No one went for over 20 runs, and as a bowling and fielding group I can’t complain about what we’re doing with the ball. Every week they put in 100 per cent.”
Waaia were eventually dismissed for 101 in the 37th over, handing Karra a comfortable 91-run margin.
While pleased with the result, Jones acknowledged there is still room for improvement — particularly with the bat.
“We do have a couple of aggressive batsmen in Zav and Declan, so they set the game up nicely for us,” he said.
“It would be nice in that middle order if we could put a couple more partnerships together without losing wickets in clumps.
“If we keep putting decent scores on the board to give our bowlers something to bowl at, we feel like we can bowl anyone out.”
THE GAME
Karramomus 7-192 (Zavier Davidson 61, Declan Newbound 53, Sam Trower 4-43) def Waaia 101 (Jesse Trower 27, Jaime Riley 21, Zane Newbound 3-17)
STAR PLAYER
Declan Newbound (Karramomus): Newbound’s tempered half century at first drop helped the Bloods pile on the runs up the top, while he also took two catches in the second innings.
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