Band goes in as favourites Dynamic duo busts Redbacks

THE 2022-2023 Upper Loddon season was almost two months old when Wedderburn played its first match.

Washouts, floods and byes meant the Band’s first match was not until round seven when it defeated Bridgewater.

Its path to the grand final has seen just two losses recorded, the last against Saturday’s grand final opponent Kingower when play resumed after the Christmas break.

But when the combatants last meet in round 18, Wedderurn won at home by four runs with four balls to spare.

Kingower has been the highest run-scoring side in the competition with 1783 for the season although Wedderburn has had the more convincing wins and less time at the crease.

Wedderburn has fielded a more consistent line-up in recent weeks where its dominance and thirst for victory has been on show.

Kingower had a stumble when skipper Braydon Welsh was restricted after a football training injury.

Welsh has recovered to be directing Kingower tactics but is perhaps without the mobility that saw him hit a career best 154 not out earlier in the season.

Key for Kingower in the grand final on Saturday will be young opener Will Deason and bowlers Blake Pickles, Kyle Simpson and Jayden Leech.

Wedderburn has bowling power to burn led by Adam Postle and Will Holt. Shelton and Kirk are more than handy additions to the Band batting depth, while not put to the test often this season, cannot be under estimated.

Wedderburn has favouritism to avenge the washout disappointment of 2021, Kingower cannot be discounted - a ripper final awaits at Arnold.

- CHRIS EARL

The pair combined on home turf to have the reigning premiers at 4-15.

Arnold’s Phil Scholes was out for a golden duck in the second over when snicking a well-timed Postle delivery that was caught by Luke Holt.

Will Holt came back in his second spell to snare the crucial mid-order wicket of Cam Dale who topped scored with 23 for Arnold.

With Arnold on 8-64, Postle came back with the ball to wipe out the tail with just 65 runs scored, a mere two coming in the final four overs with two maidens.

Brad Holt and Luke Holt each took two wickets in the field as Wedderburn asserted its superiority.

Postle and Will Holt returned their best bowling figures of the season, Postle menacing for much of the last month although finding wickets hard to claim at times.

Wedderburn wasted little time chasing what was Arnold’s lowest score with the bat in years.

Lochie Shelton belted a Jaspa Wendels delivery straight to

Parents full of praise for Bob

JUNIOR coaches have been praised by parents for their guidance throughout the Upper Loddon junior season and none more than Wedderburn’s Bob Steel.

The Band was unable to raise a team at the start of the season that saw the competition with just three teams - eventual premiers Arnold, Kingower and Bridgewater.

In stepped Bob Steel, first with seven players deciding to play cricket for the season and with those youngsters drawing in friends, Wedderburn was able to rejoin competition mid-season.

“Bob did the hard lifting to get a team again,” said parent Macabe Turner who had three sons in the Wedderburn juniors. He was there every week helping the players and making sure we had a team ... it’s all been thanks to Bob.” the boundary of the first ball of Band’s innings.

However, Bob says the credit for assembling a team was due to the support of players and their parents.

He said involvement of parents had been at the heart of the junior club with many volunteering for match day tasks.

Upper Loddon association is hopeful that Boort will rejoin the junior competition next season.

Boort had been unable to raise an under 17 team for 2022-2023 but its under 13 team was victorious in the Northern Rivers competition, going through the season undefeated.

Senior clubs have also given opportunities to its juniors throughout the season.

There was a minor hiccup when opener Brad Holt was bowled by Phil Davies for a single run when facing just his third ball in the first delivery of the second over. And Wendels had a minor breakthrough removing Tom Kirk three overs later.

But Shelton and Luke Holt were clinical as they found gaps and opportunities.

A change of Arnold attack to

Ryan Metelmann could not stem the tide and Wedderburn was almost half way to booking a grand final birth after just 13 overs, the scoreboard ticking to 2-31. Runs were a bit harder in the middle for the next few overs before Wedderburn overtook the 65-run target in just 25 of the allotted 40 overs.

Cam Dale returned the best bowling figures for Arnold in his four overs, including a maiden and a wicket.

WEDDERBURN

Sport

ARTHUR Deason (centre) was among the first to congratulate Kingower top-scorers Matt Rowe and grandson Will during the afternoon tea break in Saturday’s semi-final. Arthur was a star player in the old Moliagul side and made the trip to Kingower to see Will in action. “He had a good innings,” the proud grandfather said of Deason’s knock of 44 with the bat. LH PHOTO