Tatura and Karramomus play out a wild Haisman Shield double-figure nail-biter

Round four was one which generally didn’t throw up a lot of huge scores, but Tatura produced another doozy with the ball after the Bloods elected to take first strike.

As has so often been the case up to now in season 2024-25, an Armstrong took firm control over the game with immediate effect as Jayden had Karramomus skipper Mitch McGrath back in the sheds for a duck.

Tatura was again more than tidy as its bowling stocks got to work, conceding almost nothing in the way of extras, but recruit Declan Newbound brought his red and gold side back into the game as best he could in finding the rope six times en route to a top score of 36.

Unbeknown to observers at the time, 36 was a precious and highly valuable knock and the best anyone could find on the day.

Chaz Cheatley brought more of his best stuff, claiming Newbound as a vital first of four victims with only Jayden Dhosi offering resistance down the order as the home side set itself 94 to win.

While the run chase started in equally inauspicious fashion for the host as import Matthew West fell quickly, the odds were in its favour.

Moving more than halfway to the target with eight wickets in hand, everything seemed pedestrian enough even after Preston Aurish eventually departed to Billy Holmes.

However, Blake Armstrong’s sudden run out before keeper Nicholas Watt saw just one ball in the middle threatened to plunge the chase into chaos.

An honest and proper battle was in progress with Karramomus fighting tooth and nail for a first set of points this campaign, removing three more batters within 10 runs of a Tatura victory.

Suddenly reduced to 8-87 with every outcome well and truly in play, it was left to Matt Macansh to hold his nerve and drive home the winning runs with a boundary, retaining the Kilmartin Shield — and no doubt a significant sigh of relief to go with it.

Coach Daniel Coombs certainly provided one post-match.

“I thought we did pretty well to keep them to 93 after they were two down for 50-odd,” Coombs said.

“Bowling them out was a great effort. The wicket was fairly dry and the new ball did a bit when they took it.

“They bowled well in those first 10 overs with the new ball and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy from there before, obviously, a bit of a collapse.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t finish it off more convincingly, but it’s a win.”

On a day which offered the hitters absolutely no favour, Coombs was quick to plug the efforts of two of his reliable top and middle-order charges.

“Blake (Armstrong) and Preston (Aurish) batted really well,” Coombs said.

“Preston soaked up a bit of the early pressure and, obviously, runs were valuable, so that proved important as the game went on.

“We were looking comfortable before two run outs and then having a couple caught on the boundary, but hopefully we learn from it before we get into Katandra.”

To that end, while Tatura has held up its end of the bargain across the season’s opening month, the intensity will only ramp up from here.

The ladder-leading bolter has a pair of stern tests awaiting, first with the Eagles in a one-dayer before the moving to two-day fixtures where Waaia will be waiting.

Coombs’ men are under no illusions, but won’t count themselves out now.

“With the next couple of games, we’ll have some hard tests with experienced players and some good depth,” Coombs said.

“We’ll need to play better cricket than we did today with the bat, but we’ve bowled well every game.

“The boys will be excited for the challenge to see where we’re at.”

It gets no easier for the 0-3 Bloods either, set for a trip to Numurkah in round five as the search for a breakthrough win continues.