Kyabram’s Kyle Mueller storms to emphatic Lightfoot Medal win at Cricket Shepparton presentation night

A packed assembly littered with the cream of the crop across the governing body’s five senior grades gathered inside the Shepparton Golf Club for the series of counts.

The Haisman Shield awards were the evening’s pièce de résistance of course, but those who excelled in the lower grades were duly recognised for their efforts all the same on a night which had plenty to offer.

There were a couple of thrilling medal finishes, but to be perfectly blunt, the evening’s main event was by absolutely no means one of them.

The Lightfoot Medal, carried into the day by Shepparton Youth Club United’s Rehan Bari as last year’s winner, appeared all but a foregone conclusion just over the halfway point of the count.

Tatura young gun Blake Armstrong had made a sensational start to the count and loomed as a serious boilover threat with full marks in his side’s first three games.

However, Kyabram ace Kyle Mueller polled in five of his Redbacks’ first six contests, including maximum recognition for his unbeaten half-century against Euroa in round four and for 101 not out against Karramomus in round six.

He found himself trading places with stablemate Billy McLay, who drew himself within two votes of the leader Armstrong after five rounds courtesy of his resolute batting against Pine Lodge.

That showing would become the first in a string of three consecutive three-vote salutes heading into the festive break for Mueller, though, affirmations which all but sealed the deal with much of the count to go.

Having five rounds remaining, it was the Mueller and Armstrong show as the former sat four votes clear of the latter, their respective tallies of 18 and 14 the only double-figure returns at that stage of the count.

The two would combine for only two more votes down the stretch, though, with Nagambie talisman Mark Nolan dominating proceedings towards season’s end.

Nolan remarkably rattled off 11 of a possible 15 votes in the Lakers’ final five outings amidst a charge to second place on the table, finishing the evening in a dead sprint after claiming a hat-trick of three-vote rewards to snatch second spot at the death with 16.

It was all academic, though, as Kyabram’s star man held firm to comfortably wrap up the night with the Lightfoot Medal around his neck, Mueller running out a winner with 20 votes in a dominant campaign.

Naturally, it was far from the only accolade he walked out with on a busy night, claiming the Haisman Shield’s most runs award with 762 and batting average honours with a staggering 108.86.

On the other side of the ball, it was a one-horse race most of the season birthing a deserving winner in the wicket standing as Central Park-St Brendan’s ace Jarrod Wakeling cantered home with 41 in a mighty effort.

Though Armstrong would ultimately walk away from the Lightfoot Medal count empty-handed, he achieved most prominently within his age division and promptly claimed the competition’s Under-23 Cricketer of the Year award.

Old Students’ Oscar Lambourn would take second in that category, with Karramomus opener Zavier Davidson coming home with a wet sail to take third.

For their part, the lower grade best-and-fairest awards went to players who featured in The News’ Super Saturday Sundries Team of the Season.

Mooroopna’s Simon D’Elia crossed the line with his neck in front to be crowned the B-grade Clyde Young Shield’s premier player, amassing 15 votes.

Karramomus serial masher Travis Guppy did a capable enough job to receive the C-grade Jim McGregor Shield best-and-fairest, while Numurkah all-round enforcer Dustan Ebborn was the top of the D-grade SJ Perry Shield by taking his place at the summit.

Rounding out the league MVP grants, Waaia willow-wielder Mark Nichol and his monstrous 701 runs would earn him the E-grade Whitelock Shield honour.