Numurkah keeps its pre-season promise, sending Mooroopna spiralling in Haisman Shield opener

There was no rust on Numurkah’s bats, but first, the Blues’ bowling arms were greased and ready to go after Mooroopna won the toss and elected to set a total.

Henry Barrow’s boys never truly trundled along to a defendable score and fell well short of the par of 180 that Saracino thought was needed.

Numurkah then launched into action and chased down the runs in the 35th over, largely thanks to a 72-run masterclass from maestro Dylan Grandell.

The result left new mentor Saracino elated that the off-season hard yards were put to good use in a real litmus test for a Blues side that fell painstakingly short of finals in last season’s tilt.

“The fact that we had a strong pre-season then translated into a really good win for A and B-grade against a very strong Mooroopna side, especially what they’ve done over the last four or five years,” he said.

“We’d done the work and wanted to reward ourselves with a win and we’ve done that, so it’s great.

“Up on the Numurkah pitch, you need 180, especially in the one-dayers.

“Early on in the season it’s always tricky chasing a low score, but we thought with the way we’d bowled and the work we’d put in at pre-season with the batting, if we got out to a good start which we did, we would be able to get the runs.”

After losing the toss, Numurkah got off to a flyer.

Returning import Raguvaran Aravinthan held on to a wayward shot from Joel May off Matt Cline’s bowling before spinning Tasman Hall into a web for one and, when recruit Ethan Baker departed for two off a stunning Tim Braybon catch in his 250th senior game for the club, Mooroopna was in hot water.

Scrambling at 3-3, the visitors sought solidarity and found it in Brodie McDonald as the second drop played a steady innings in tandem with Ben Woods.

Though Woods walked on 19 after Riley Dawson cannoned one into his pads, McDonald continued to anchor, this time alongside Barrow.

But when McDonald left, so did the rest.

No sooner had he raised the bat for 50, McDonald edged behind into Grandell’s gloves to trigger a torrid 6-16 collapse and leave Mooroopna stranded, all out for 124.

On the chase, new Blue Nathan Gossayn got off to a horror start as he snicked off for a duck seeing Mooroopna tug back a smidgeon of ascendancy.

However, that would not last long.

Grandell and Aravinthan forged a short but sweet partnership that lasted five overs, the latter with smoke on his bat as he wasted no time trying to get the game done early only to be caught down the leg side off an inside edge for 20.

Primed off a brilliant summer with Chessington, Grandell continued right on through until the 34th over before being removed by Baker, cracking 13 boundaries on the way to 72.

Kody Jackson hit the winning runs with Saracino for company in the middle, making relatively easy work of a Mooroopna side that has been scaled back by off-season departures.

With a bonus point in the bag, Numurkah’s leader pointed to his side’s skill in all three facets of the game as being crucial to kick starting the season off in style.

“Matty Cline, his spell was superb. We didn’t drop a catch, no misfields, 5-10 for him and Ragu, he opened the bowling as a spinner and he got us an early wicket,” Saracino said.

“His fielding was exemplary as well as a really good catch to Tim Braybon to get their import out early, which put them on the back foot at 3-3.

“We’ve talked about someone going big as a bat and Dyl Grandell was able to do that, so it was a really good effort by him as well.”