Waaia claims its maiden Haisman Shield title in a genuine grand final slog against Nagambie

By doing so, Mitch Cleeland’s side marked a culmination from the middle ranks of Murray Valley Cricket Association to the zenith of Cricket Shepparton, capping a seven-year journey with the ultimate exclamation point.

“It was a roller-coaster to be fair with; I think everyone’s looking forward to a bit of a break from that game of cricket,” Cleeland said.

“But that’s what you get at this time of year and we’re happy we’re on the winning side of it.

“It was a nice wicket, I think we probably didn’t quite handle the pressure that well and I think both teams could probably say there were bits and pieces they controlled and bits and pieces they wished they could have back, but that’s the game of cricket I guess.

“They always say it’s the hardest to win ... It makes it all the more rewarding I guess.”

Winning the toss, Nagambie had no reason not to pad up and bat on what appeared to be an inviting wicket enveloped by a slightly heavy outfield.

What the Lakers didn’t expect was for that road to soon become a minefield.

Opener James Auld nibbled early, edging to Jordan Cleeland in slip during Mitch Cleeland’s first over before the trickle of runs slowed to a drop.

Next up, after soaking up 86 balls of pressure, Ben Tarran found the hands of Cleeland in the cordon as Nagambie crawled to 2-27 off 32 overs.

Waaia won the next fight in what was fast becoming a war of attrition as Mitch Winter-Irving came and went for two runs, the first of Nagambie’s free scoring weapons tanked.

Not long after, Luke Nolan’s marathon stay of 22 off 133 was undone as Jesse Trower smashed one into his pads, uprooting the Lakers’ anchor.

Then came the hammer blow.

Mark Nolan, a name surely highlighted in red by Waaia before the game, had been tied down like all before him, yet it still felt like if anyone was going to dig Nagambie out of its rut, it would be him.

Instead, Trower (5-27) ripped through Nolan and all to follow, combining with Liam Evans to claim the final six wickets for 48 runs.

If not for Tom Barnes’ late bruising act, the Lakers’ score would’ve mirrored that of their head scratching one-day final loss, the number 10 batter belting 37 runs off 32 balls to take his side to a total of 97 by the close.

Waaia must’ve had rocket fuel in its cordial in the between innings drinks, notching eight runs off Nolan’s opening over — a total Nagambie took 11 overs to reach.

However, the game’s trajectory returned to an eerily familiar pattern as Nolan removed Damien Atkins via a nick to first slip.

The shaky start continued and, at stumps, Waaia stood at 5-66.

On day two, the opening half hour brought still waters for the Bombers, then Winter-Irving decided this wasn’t a game he wanted to watch pass him by.

A mercurial spell that yielded four wickets, containing the big wicket of Mitch Cleeland for 40, almost completed a magnificent Bombers tailspin until a pair of unlikely heroes started the ascent.

Number nine and 11 batters Kaleb Gilmour and Will Trower swatted and blocked a swathe of balls in a climax that jangled the nerves, with Waaia teetering at nine wickets down and the outcome hanging by a spooling thread.

However, the pair eventually edged Waaia over the line, conjuring a mammoth roar from the crowd when Trower bumped one through a gap in the off side for two.

The Bombers were all out for 113 with Winter-Irving’s glistening spell of 6-33 ultimately in vain, but Nagambie, not admitting defeat, then went on the attack in its second innings with another boundary hailstorm from Barnes (34 off 19).

It sparked some life out of the Lakers, but they were fighting a losing battle.

Nagambie reached 8-106 before declaring and, in that session, the biggest cheer went to Brenton Low, who produced a gravity-defying superman catch on the boundary to remove Mark Nolan.

All Waaia had to do in its second hit was avoid losing all 10 wickets and that’s precisely what transpired as the Bombers held on by two wickets in a game that went the full distance.

“It was a massive team performance, these things don’t win themselves with individuals,” Cleeland said.

“Kaleb Gilmour and Will Trower were the two young fellas that got us over the line in the first innings and Liam Evans bowled really well in the first innings as well as 40 with the bat in the second innings.

“Those guys are probably a few highlights, but it takes 11 guys to win it and everyone contributed to make sure we got over the line.

“I think it’ll take a while to sink in. We’re over the moon, but it’s been a lot of hard work and hopefully it’s a nice reward for effort for all the guys.”