Mooroopna’s Kelsey McDonald belts one to the ropes during the Cats’ dominant victory over Katamatite on Sunday.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
If any Goulburn Murray Cricket women’s side is capable of beating Mooroopna, it hasn’t yet been found.
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Using the sting of a grand final defeat during their maiden season as fuel, the Cats have burned through foe after foe in the 2024-25 campaign to remain unbeaten in 10 matches.
Sunday was no different, albeit with a hearty dose of sportswomanship splashed in.
Taking on Katamatite at Mooroopna, the Cats lent the services of wicketkeeper Ava Wood to a Tigers side sporting just nine players on the day.
However, Wood would have to wait a full 20 overs for her Katty debut.
Katamatite’s Kylie Wooden paces out her run up before ripping one down.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Mooroopna’s Mia Earl prods one to the off side and sets off running.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Katamatite fielder Isabelle Haberfield fires one into the keeper’s mitts.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Mooroopna’s Ebony Sleeth charges between the wickets.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Katamatite’s Hayley Hendrie scoops the ball up off the deck.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Mooroopna’s Ava Wood showed great sportsmanship, filling in for Katamatite behind the stumps.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Funnily enough, no byes were scored off the bowling of Katamatite’s Amy Bye.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Mooroopna won the toss and elected to bat on an inviting deck, tapping openers Ebony Sleeth and Mia Earl on the shoulder to begin the bashing and crashing.
Earl took her leave in the 10th over, retiring not out on 33, while Sleeth followed suit nine balls later for 23 as Katamatite failed to make a breakthrough.
Enter the destroyer: Gemma Boyd.
The talented right-hander cracked 40 not out to push the Cats to 150 alongside Kelsey McDonald (32 retired not out), adding to the former’s hastening reputation as the competition’s best player with 252 runs (second) and 12 wickets (first equal).
Sure, the game hadn’t gone the Tigers’ way, but the best was left for last.
Hailey Hendrie removed Poppy Vandermeer with the last ball of the innings, taking her first wicket in Katamatite colours and closing the first phase on a high.
Unfortunately for the visitor, the fleeting Cinderella story ended there.
Chasing 151 for victory with only nine bats available, the Tigers lost Isabelle Haberfield without score in the second over and two more departed before the fifth over finished.
Wickets continued to fall and Vandermeer found herself on a hat-trick, but in a defiant act Sienna Hutchinson smacked the third ball to the ropes.
Fittingly, Hutchinson was the last Tiger to walk as her knock of 26 made up two thirds of Katamatite’s final total of 8-39.
Amelia Gall (2-8) was the pick of the Cats’ bunch during a win that elevates Mooroopna 24 points clear of second-ranked Nagambie, which defeated Moama on its home oval.
Kayla Shepherd made 35 and took a wicket as the Lakers chased down Moama’s 8-57 total for the loss of two wickets.
Shepparton Youth Club United held on for a 26-run win over Nathalia which featured respective 23-run and three-wicket cameos from Sophie Ullah and Lia Beecroft.
Finally, Echuca breezed to a 10-wicket triumph over Bamawm-Lockington United, while Cooma secured an eight-wicket victory against Rochester.
