Echuca makes statement with Goulburn Murray women’s victory over Shepparton Youth Club United

Sunday presented a chance to resume correcting course against a top side in Shepparton Youth Club United, though, and with puddles from the previous day’s precipitation still prominent by the fences at Princess Park, it went to work.

The unaffected pitch played well, but Echuca’s openers played it better than anyone as Gillian Noelker and Chloe Moyle complemented each other brilliantly to get things going quickly.

Youngster Moyle proved the star of the show by day’s end, taking the initative with 32 off her 30 balls as Noelker provided the anchor in a top-notch partnership with both retiring not out.

Di Poole breathed some life into the home side’s efforts to constrain the offence by dismissing captain Jessica Cox first ball, but a deep Echuca line-up kept on rolling.

The truest momentum swing in Shepparton’s favour came when import Sophie Ullah, who was featured late last week in a News profile, produced a double-wicket over to suppress Sophie Good and Zoe Cook and leave the visitors at 3-71.

Again, though, Echuca simply overcame and kept on rolling as Grace Riddell and Amy Cooper combined to offer almost 50 without loss in closing out a resolute innings, sharing in five boundaries as the combine got set to chase 120 for victory.

While both openers for the blue outfit were able to soak up their 30 deliveries apiece as well, the reigning premier was able to contain some scoreboard impact with skipper Lia Beecroft taking her leave on 11.

Ullah and Mel Saunders picked up the pace with the latter running up 24 at close to a run a ball, but the Englishwoman simply ran out of time and once Saunders found herself caught off Sophie Good, Echuca firmly pumped the brakes.

That was that before long, with a couple of late Jessica Cox breakthroughs putting an exclamation point on a powerful 40-run victory.

Echuca coach Andrew Good believes anything is still achievable for his side coming into the back end.

“We’re pretty happy with where we’re sitting at the moment,” Good said.

“We just got outclassed in the Mooroopna game and we’ve had a couple short, but we’re in the mix again this year.

“Chloe is only 14, so she’s coming along really well, and ‘Gill’ has a great technique and knows a fair bit about cricket, plus it was good to get a partnership going late.

“Jess is important to us and for her to not trouble the scorers was something I thought might hurt us a bit, but Grace and Amy put together something great towards the end of the innings.

“We should be a fair chance against Rochester. Mooroopna and Nagambie are two good teams, but I think we’re definitely still in the mix as long as we can get everyone on the park at the same time.”

Three of round eight’s four other games got up despite the conditions, with the aforementioned Cats and Lakers doing their business handily.

Amani Issell made a certainty of it with the bat after Mooroopna’s bowlers limited Cooma to only one double-figure score, wrapping up a safe nine-wicket win with eight overs to spare.

Meanwhile, Nagambie took less than half that time in a stunning destruction of Nathalia, with Breanna Davison taking 4-6 in setting 34 to win, which took barely five overs to complete.

With those two winning sides deadlocked at the top, Moama evened its ledger by notching win number three at Rochester’s expense.

Delaney Laffy had herself a day out over the border with three scalps and 24 (five fours) in a tremendous individual showing as her side moved into fifth.

Kyabram and Bamawm-Lockington United were not so lucky with their game abandoned due to the rain, with the latter side enduring one of the more frustrating runs anywhere in country cricket as a result of three consecutive games called off.

Up next on the women’s cricketing schedule is the intra-league showdown between Goulburn Murray and Cricket Shepparton representative sides from within this league, set for Mooroopna on Friday.