Competition standouts only whisker ahead of bunch

THE five-team bunch that makes Upper Loddon cricket packs plenty of punch.

While Kingower and Wedderburn were the standouts of season 2022-2023 - and rightly deserved to play off in the grand final - the competition’s evenness is ever evident.

Yes, the top two had pretty convincing entries into the season decider but along the way Boort Yando, Arnold and Bridgewater each created headaches as they tried to swing the mathematical equation in their favour.

On their day, the trio had the demonstrated capacity to cause an upset and some times they did.

That’s the strength of the current Upper Loddon structure. Another team or two would be great but with a good batch of juniors coming through all clubs the player shortage that befalls some other sporting codes may just be avoided in the next few years, acknowledging that all clubs would welcome more youngsters.

Kingower scoops major awards

BRIDGEWATER’S Tom McKinley and Kingower’s Jayden Leach are joint winners of the association’s Bishop player of the year.

Both amassed 551 during the season that has seen Kingower scoop most prizes.

Kingower skipper Braydon Welsh won the Merv Gilmore Memorial batting aggregates with 421 runs and the batting averages with 60.14.

And while reflecting on the season now finished, it’s also worth noting that all five clubs have made grand final appearance in the last three season.

Wedderburn has had two - some say cruelled of the flag in 2020-2021 when rain forced abandonment of play, the extreme weather on Saturday perhaps playing a hand in another near miss. Still, sportsmanship wins out in this great competition.

- CHRIS EARL

The Sportspower bowling aggregate was taken out by Kingower’s Kyle Simpson with 26 wickets while Leach took the Graham Family bowling average with 23 wickets at 6.57.

Peter Scullie wicketkeeping award went to Phil Scholes 14 dismissal while the Empire State Hotel catching award was shared by five players with nine catches - Leach, Tom McKinley, Harry McKinley, Boort Yando’s Fergus Bear and Isaac Holt (Wedderburn).