Gallery | The first Saturday Sundries of 2025 has massive mashing and ... moot points

We were warmly greeted and treated for this week’s edition of Saturday Sundries as local cricket roared back into life.

News photographer Rechelle Zammit was behind the lens for the high-scoring Jim McGregor Shield encounter between Mooroopna and Pine Lodge, where the Cats prevailed by three wickets.

The Lau’d house

Talk about leading by example.

Kicking off with the return of two-day cricket in the Clyde Young Shield in 2025, we head out west where Kyabram and Numurkah tangled.

Blues captain Jahlan Lau had gotten a couple of solid contributions further up the order by the time he found himself in the middle, but he decided to ensure these 80 overs were seen out all by himself.

Not that he was content just soaking up minutes at the crease — he began punishing the Redbacks and sending their fielders in every direction, finding the rope no fewer than 16 times.

No easy ones to chase, either: all 16 were fours, so he was beating the field again and again en route to a starring 112 as his side closed the day out nine down, keeping Saturday to itself by the thinnest of margins.

More than a century, this was a colossal strategic victory in and of itself for the visiting Blues.

Same time next week?

Sticking within the Clyde Young Shield, an interesting scorecard situation presented itself at Princess Park where Shepparton Youth Club United entertained Northerners.

The combine got off to far from an ideal start to this two-dayer, with Moin Ali’s valiantly prolonged unbeaten 29 the only resistance Stuart Turner’s men had to work around in bowling the hosts out for 94.

The Tallygaroopna outfit had 26 overs to work with on offence and, sure enough, Trent Sidebottom inched the visitor ahead with two balls left in the day’s play to sit at 2-95 once stumps were called.

The question, then, is obvious: what exactly do you do next week?

Sure, you could bat another 40-odd overs and try and nab another 10 poles if you’re Turner, but as things currently stand, you don’t technically have to ... right?

You don’t really even have to turn up at all, technically speaking, do you?

You could alternatively just wipe the slate clean and try and replicate day one’s results by sending the combine straight back in, but six points won’t ever hurt as is.

A News round-up can’t hurt, can it?

As one can probably imagine, there may have been something of a tip-off about this feature.

The Jim McGregor Shield meeting in Shepparton’s east between Central Park-St Brendan’s and Karramomus featured one of the more courageous displays of lower-order defiance in recent times.

Having fallen to 7-37 in desperate times, Tyler Maher indulged in a rescue mission to give the Tigers some life, and did so — despite perhaps leaving a few runs out there.

Boasting his first double-figure tally since February 24 of last year against Invergordon, Maher would battle on to a hard-earned 19 — unbeaten at that — through methods of veteran trickery such as calling off runs while actively participating in them.

For his toils, Maher was the last one standing as Central Park carved out what turned out to be a genuinely respectable 104 given the predicament that loomed 20 overs in.

By hook or by crook, miracles eventuated and the Tigers were able to roll the dangerous Travis Guppy and friends for 78 to secure a famous C-grade victory.

Meanwhile, imminently full-blooded sports reporter Marcus Beeck made more of a front-footed return to the crease for Katandra in the Clyde Young Shield down south against Nagambie.

His 15 off 31 was only undone by a brilliant spell out of Archy Harrison on a tricky deck, the Lakers bowler producing terrific figures of 3-3 off seven overs with four maidens.