Karramomus will play finals for the first time in nearly a decade, with its giant defeat of Pine Lodge sealing its spot in the top six after a Haisman Shield finals drought that extends back to the 2016-17 season.
The Bloods booked their ticket in style, chasing an outright victory after racing towards Pine Lodge’s total, and surpassing it with ease on day two.
Starting the day on 3-99, opener Mitchell McGrath picked up where he left to see Karramomus overtake Pine Lodge’s total of 144, but as he chased his own feat, he would fall short by five runs, caught out in the field on 95.
Lachie Keady produced a mouthwatering stint with the willow, rocketing to 68 off 49 deliveries before Pine Lodge’s Xavier Waters bowled him through the gate, while Luke Forge was also commendable for his 47.
Keady’s wicket called for a declaration after 55.2 overs, with the Bloods on 8-292, and the Lodgers sent into bat again.
Karramomus skipper Nathan Jones commended his lower order batsmen for producing a big total, as the Bloods aimed for 45 overs to get the bonus points off the Lodgers.
“We got the runs pretty quick, Mitchell McGrath was unfortunate to fall on 95 but he batted brilliantly, as did the lower order bats who gave us a really good total, Lachie Keady and Luke Forge,” Jones said.
“It was great reward for effort.”
However, off nearly 43 overs, Pine Lodge was able to avoid a second capitulation, ticking over to 7-115 by the end of its innings, with a tidy 30 by Rohan Francis the leading run scorer.
Karramomus shared the wickets, with Keady, Zane Newbound and Ethan Baxter claiming two each, as Bailey Simpson chipped in with one of his own as well.
But any bonus points were in fact “just a bonus” for the Bloods, with the entrance into March marking a day to celebrate.
“It was a big day for us,” Jones said.
“We needed victory to sew up finals and we came for the six points and we got them - anything else after that would’ve been just a bonus.
“It’s great reward for the work we’ve done, we finished last year strongly after Christmas and have built it into this season.
“It’s been a pretty good effort to get here.”
With finals sewn up for Karramomus, the Bloods will face Katandra in a round 11 dead rubber, as the Eagles’ round 10 loss places it outside of finals contention.
Meanwhile Pine Lodge’s final chance at a win on the season comes up against 11th-placed Shepparton Youth Club United, in the Lodgers’ most promising opportunity for success this summer.
THE GAME
Pine Lodge 144 (Darshana Prasad Loku Hettige 32, Lachie Keady 5-26) & 7-115 (Rohan Francis 30, Zane Newbound 2-9) lt Karramomus 8d-292 (Mitchell McGrath 95, Lachie Keady 68, Karan Saini 3-33)
STAR PLAYER
Lachie Keady (Karramomus): Mitchell McGrath is stiff to miss out, but Keady’s all round excellence with both bat and ball is hard to ignore, playing a significant role in the Bloods’ finals berth.
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