Sport
27 March, 2025
Lions good form rewarded
NOORAT Terang has earned its spot in this weekend’s Warrnambool Moyne and District Cricket Association’s division one championship grand final.
The Lions showed their batting depth when they took on and defeated neighbours Mortlake in last weekend’s semi-final.
Held at the Terang Turf, the game gave the Lions an opportunity to show their depth with the bat.
Sent in, the Lions got off to a steady start with 29 on the board after eight overs.
The introduction of Neil Kelly’s spin in the seventh over changed proceedings.
Getting spin and bounce he deceived Isaac Toombs who was well stumped for 26 off 37 balls.
Dom Moloney was adjudged LBW for one and Tyson Hay played back and was bowled by a ball that turned sharply for four.
The score line read 3/34 and the tandem bowling combination of Kelly and Herry made scoring difficult.
Co-captain Stephen O’Connor 19 off 71 and Bailey Kavenagh 22 off 99 got the total to 73 before both lost their wickets within four runs.
At the half-way mark the score was 5/77.
Either side of the tea break the Lions lost Tim Keane and Gus Bourke and were 7/93.
Liam Geary and Isaac Kenna weathered the bowling and eventually got on top and then put the foot down on the accelerator as both achieved their highest score of the season and put on a club record eighth wicket partnership of 105.
Geary fell in the 76th over for 82 off 113 balls which included five boundaries and two sixes.
Ned Roberts blasted off, with cars in danger of being hit, as he hit three towering sixes on his way to 25 off just 12 balls.
The ninth wicket partnership was reset, with 39 achieved.
Isaac Kenna remained not out with 53 off 111 balls as he worked the ball around the field.
The Lions finished at 9/239 scoring 4/162 off the final 40 overs.
Mortlake started their innings on Sunday positively until Tyson Hay broke through, with Gus Bourke taking the catch of Neil Kelly.
Sam Munro broke through when he broke the stumps.
The introduction of spin at both ends saw Isaac Tombs get a wicket, however the young pair of Max Slater and Riley Kelly were looking set.
Gus Bourke was brought back into the attack and took a wicket in each of his next three overs, starting with a classic catch by Dom Moloney at second slip.
The next proved to be perfect field placing as the ball was flicked off the pads for Hay to take a forward diving catch.
After conceding a four off the second last ball of the first session, Bourke ripped a yorker through to have Mortlake 6/75 at tea in a similar situation to that of the Lions.
Isaac Kenna utilised the slower ball to take the next two wickets, a run out and Munro finished off the innings with Mortlake being bowled out for 100 in 53.3 overs.
Bowling figures were Bourke 3/30 from 15, Munro 2/9 from 8.3, Isaac Kenna 2/12 from eight, Hay 1/16 and Toombs 1/17.
The Lions will now play Allansford Panmure at the Ubergang Oval at Allansford.
Play again is Saturday and Sunday with the start time of 12.30pm.
Last week four of the Lions’ cricketers won awards at the association’s awards night.
Isaac Toombs was the division one Championship Cricketer of the Year, highest run scorer and batting average winner.
Dean Abbott was named joint division four Cricketer of the Year.
Wicketkeepers Luke Kenna (division one Championship) and Liam Venn (division two) were the runaway winners for the fielding awards.