There will be eight different venues for the modified rules cricket format, which provides a pathway into the GMC under-11, 13, 15 and 17 divisions.
Tongala Recreation Reserve, Ironbark Stadium at Rushworth, Rochester’s Windridge Oval, Bamawm Recreation Reserve and Victoria Park at Echuca will host rounds before the final pre-Christmas game is played on December 8.
Moama dominates the Master Blaster format in regard to sheer numbers, having four teams entered alongside the individual teams from the other six clubs.
· Stanhope last night (Tuesday) hosted Kyabram Fire Brigade in its return to junior GMC competition when a mixed team from the small club played the rescheduled opening round of the 10-week under-11 season.
Heavy rain on Friday meant the round was moved and the season is still on track for 10 rounds between now and February 21.
Ten teams, with another three from Moama, will compete against two Echuca teams and teams from Tongala, Rochester, Stanhope and Kyabram.
Tongala’s under-11 mixed team faced Rochester at Brose Reserve on Friday.
· A 22-over one-day game between Fire Brigade and Moama Black last week opened the under-13 season, the highlight an unbeaten innings from opener Billy Sheppard.
Moama batted first and posted 4-130 after its top three batters retired with 20-plus runs to their credit.
Fire Brigade bowlers Oscar and Archie Andison struck back later in the innings when Moama lost four wickets for nine runs.
Lincoln Polson took the other wicket before Fire Brigade lost two early wickets, bringing Aidan Greiner to the wicket.
Greiner (24 not out from 23 deliveries, with five boundaries) and Sheppard (six boundaries in his not out 29) were the stars.
Fire Brigade lost nine wickets in the run chase, including 6-25 in the middle order as Moama’s Eli Dohnt took 3-2 from two overs.
Rushworth opened its under-13 season with a nine-wicket win against Stanhope, Heath Ogden the star with his retired 21 at the top order.
Stanhope was sent in after losing the toss, losing four early wickets before Cooper Fisher and William West steadied the ship in the middle order.
Stanhope finished its 20 overs at 8-82 before Rushworth rounded up the total with 2.3 overs to spare.
The pick of the bowlers were River Dunbar from Stanhope and all-round star Ogden for Rushworth.
· Antonio Depasquale’s half-century for Fire Brigade was the headline act in the under-15 competition as his team opened the season with a 103-run win against Echuca.
Fire Brigade scored 9-188 from its 40 overs in the two-day format, then skittled Echuca for 85 on day two of the match at Kyabram Secondary College.
Paddy Westerveld (22 from 29), Isaac Grealy (30 from 27) and Charlie Pekin (27 from 38 deliveries) were stars, while Jack Carver (10 not out from 45 deliveries) and Max Stockdale (11) contributed to the tally late in the innings.
Carver and Pekin both took two wickets for Fire Brigade, with five other bowlers also claiming scalps.
Fire Brigade has a bye this Thursday, while Tongala (which had the bye in round one) opens its season against Echuca.
· The under-17 game between Fire Brigade and Rochester, where Archer Backway scored a half-century to open the season and his team post a tally of 4-175 from 40 overs, was abandoned due to rain on Friday.
Fire Brigade faces Bamawm-Lockington United on Friday in day one of a two-day match, while Echuca faces Moama in the other game of the five-team competition.
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