After nine losses and one match being abandoned, Euroa finally has the opportunity to break its Cricket Shepparton drought in the 2023-24 season.
Euroa elected to bat after it won the toss and the decision paid dividends as the Magpies made a first-innings total of 221, tied with their highest score for the year, from 66.1 overs.
There were contributors across the board with opening batter Declan Redfern top scoring with 69 runs from 89 balls (nine fours), while Nicholas Hill (51 runs from 97 balls) and Cameron Armstrong (44 from 57) also delivered for the Magpies.
Euroa captain Scott Hamilton was proud of his side’s efforts on Saturday as he believes it was its best batting performance of the season.
“To accumulate 221 yesterday was really pleasing,’’ Hamilton said.
“We brought Declan Redfern back into our squad. He’s a local kid living in Melbourne and he played a couple of games for us prior to Christmas and expressed his desire to come back and play as many games of cricket with us after Christmas.
“He was outstanding with the bat.
“If the stars align and we get the win and we are hoping that we do, but there is a lot of work for us to do. We are just hoping for a bit of pride back into the community about their cricket club.”
Hamilton knows the Magpies still have a long way to go in terms of their development, but he believes his young side has been improving throughout the season.
“Internally, we have a few KPIs that we know we are achieving,’’ he said.
”We know we have a very young squad.
“A few of our key young cricketers are tied up in Bushrangers footy, so we know that it (this season) was going to be a fairly arduous task.
“A win for the club would mean the world.”
THE GAME
Euroa 221 (Declan Redfern 69, Nic Hill 51, Josh Sidebottom 4-42) v Northerners 3-35 (Mitchell Brett 27, Declan Newbound 4*, Walter Jackson 2-14)
Meanwhile, for Northerners, opening bowler Josh Sidebottom was busy as he collected 4-42 from 14.1 overs, including five maidens, while captain Stuart Turner was equally influential, taking 4-50 from 21 overs.
After bowling Euroa out for 221, Northerners had 10 overs to survive before the end of the day’s play.
Opening batter Mitchell Brett made a good start for the away side as he struck a fast-paced 27 from 31 balls before coming unstuck thanks to a Vaughan Kirk delivery.
Euroa opening bowler Walter Jackson was electric in the last 10 overs, taking 2-14 from five overs to help reduce Northerners to 3-35 at stumps.
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