Four being the operative word, seeing as Students’ opening quartet of batters showed the Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield reigning premier that Kialla Park Reserve can be a fortress when their feet are dug firmly into the ground.
Hosting Kyabram and heading in as underdogs, Vince Gagliardi couldn’t have asked for much more from his troops as the scoreboard read 230 all out at day’s end.
Sure, at 2-135, Students would hoped for a loftier total.
Yes, the middle order may have misfired.
But little complaint can be placed on a top four that combines for nearly 200 runs against a classy Bombers bowling outfit.
Opening duo Callan McCabe and Oscar Sam O’Brien hunkered down during the early sparring, blocking the onslaught of good balls and dispatching the bad ones.
Kyabram’s breakthrough didn’t arrive until the 22nd over as Charlie McLay snapped the 69-run opening stand after baiting McCabe into snicking behind for 34.
Felix Odell entered as a like-for-like replacement, partnering young gun O’Brien to pick gaps and place further doubt that the Bombers were going to make short work of Students.
O’Brien was next to go in the 36th over, but not before raising the bat for his first A-grade half-century of the season.
Kyabram had its third breakthrough when McCabe departed for 29, yet the younger Students were scoring top marks as Oscar Lambourn also raised his bat for a dashing half-ton.
At that point, the Students’ worm was pointing to a total north of 280.
But while the top four united for 189 runs, the following four could only muster a meagre nine off the bat to hamper the host’s sky-high ambitions.
A touch of late swinging from Jake Sutherland and Liam Callegari carried Students to 230, capping a stellar day out for the home side.
For Kyabram, Kyle Mueller turned the screw with the ball in hand to return 3-36, while Louis Sabbagh-Holt, Alex Young and McLay each took two wickets apiece.
THE GAME
Old Students 230 (Sam O’Brien 67, Oscar Lambourn 59, Kyle Mueller 3-36) leads Kyabram
