Red-hot Redbacks

The Redbacks advanced to the season decider on the back of a match-winning spell of bowling from Charlie McLay and disciplined batting performances under pressure from skipper Kyler Mueller, Kyle Fitzgerald and Cade Mueller.

McLay and his bowling teammates struck back hard after Katandra openers Ben Pedretti and Ben Clurey had grafted a promising stand of 42.

But the next five Katandra batsmen could muster only 27 runs between them as the collapse set in, and only three more got to double figures with a top score of 18 for the remainder of the Katandra innings, which was terminated for 132 runs in 71 overs.

McLay, who claimed Katandra opener and top scorer Clurey for 34 , added another five scalps to his belt after the initial breakthrough to finish with 5-31 off 22 overs, including eight maidens, in a big-hearted match-winning performance.

He was well supported by his bowling spearhead brother Jackson McLay with 2-36 off 18 overs and Tom Holman 2-35 off 16 overs.

Spinner Louis Sabbagh-Holt was the other wicket taker with an economical 1-9 off 11 overs.

Kyabram openers Paul Parsons and Billy McLay faced six overs at the end of Saturday’s play and resumed the innings at 0-8 on Sunday.

At one stage, Katandra was back in the game when it had Kyabram an unsteady 5-71, but in typical fashion, skipper Mueller stepped up again and was supported to the hilt by Kyle Fitzgerald, picked off the runs needed for the Kyabram victory.

Mueller top scored with an unbeaten 36 off 43 balls with one four and two sixes while Fitzgerald contributed 32 not out with off 52 deliveries with three fours and a six.

Earlier, Cade Mueller made 27 off 66 balls at first drop after openers Bill McLay (14) and Paul Parsons (16) had made a solid start.

Cade shared a vital 41 runs stand with McLay for the second wicket as Kyabram slumped to 5-71 after both Jackson and Charlie McLay had fallen cheaply.

Kyabram takes on Mooroopna — after the side upset minor premier Waaia in the other semi-final — this weekend at Katandra for the 2023-24 flag.

• Kyabram’s B-grade side, the minor premier, got out of jail against Mooroopna to claim its semi-final win and book a spot in the season decider against Central Park-St Brendan’s at Mooroopna.

Kyabram made only 106 after winning the toss and batting but its bowlers, again led by Connor McLeod, rallied brilliantly to strike back and dismiss Mooroopna for 101, five runs short of its target.

But it was an edge-of-the-seat climax, with Mooroopna’s last two batsmen putting on 17 runs to almost bring off an unlikely win.

McLeod fittingly got the last Mooroopna wicket to finish with a match-winning bag of 6-25 off 14.2 overs to dramatically tilt the game back into Kyabram’s favour in an inspired spell.

He was well supported by opening bowler Nic Chambers, who took 2-25 off 13 overs, while Lukas Hanslow and Alec Young were tight with a wicket each.

In Kyabram’s innings, Tim Nelson’s 21 runs were the biggest contribution, but knocks of 20 from Alex Young and 15 from Connor McLeod proved crucial in the final wash-up.

• The young and old Kyabram E-grade side suffered a 10-wicket loss to Katandra to bow out of the premiership race.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Kyabram could only scrape together 122 runs, with Andrew Porch’s fighting 43, making up a good portion of this total.

The next highest scorers were opener Paul Wickham with 18 and his son Quinn with 15, who was not out at number seven.

In reply, Katandra’s openers Sam Smith (48 not out ) and Brad Murray (60 not out) took only 16 overs to bat their side into the premiership decider against Nagambie, which edged out Waaia by 25 runs to win the other semi-final.