Cricket
31 October, 2025
New look Giants WMCA win opener against Birchip
The Southern Mallee Giants commenced their 2025/26 season with a commanding seven-wicket win over the Birchip Swans.
The Southern Mallee Giants commenced their 2025/26 season with a commanding seven-wicket win over the Birchip Swans.
The game, played on a hard wicket at Birchip High School due to roller issues, saw the Giants bowl first after losing the toss.
Jayson Kiem's first-ball direct-hit run-out set an early tone.
Birchip’s top order steadied well and looked set for a decent total, but after drinks, the Giants’ bowlers tore through the middle and lower order, taking 8 for 21 to dismiss the Swans for 163.
Jacko Moore led the attack with 3/20, supported by Srikanth Kasaram (2/55) and Kybe Bellinger (2/12).
Chasing 163, the Giants got off to a flyer thanks to Luke Mitchell, who was in fine touch and punished anything loose on his way to a blistering 59.
He and Leighton Hateley put on a strong opening stand of 70 before Mitchell departed.
Jack Flavel and Kasaram added to the tally before Hateley (48 not out) and Zac Robins (24 not out) steered the Giants to 3/164 with three overs to spare, securing a well-deserved victory.
This dominant all-round display provides a perfect start for the Giants, who now look to continue their momentum in their first home game against St Arnaud next week.
In other games, Wachem defeated Charlton by two wickets.
Sujeesh mohan Mohanan Sreekala scored 54, but the hosts could only amass 109 runs.
The Panthers' Connor Boyle took 3/11.
In reply, Wachem scored 8/121, passing the target of 110 with 32 balls to spare.
Austin Dean scored 32, while Boyle finished with 28 not out.
Cooper Boyle finished with 5/15 for Charlton.
A tense junior fixture at Brim ended in fine style as the Young Warracknabeal side scraped home by seven runs against the SMG Giants Juniors after a shaky chase.
On day 1 Warracknabeal posted a modest total that left the Giants needing 94 for victory.
What followed on day two was a challenging chase.
The Giants’ senior batters took time to adjust to the conditions, with a few dismissals coming as they looked to lift the scoring rate.
Momentum proved hard to maintain early, as partnerships struggled to build through the early overs.
What looked like a comfortable chase early on suddenly turned into a tense and uphill battle.
Those early dismissals left the Giants staring down a mounting required-run rate and forced the younger players into rescue mode.
The junior brigade responded admirably. Ned Jones stood firm, guiding the younger giants and finishing an unbeaten 21 to drag his side deep into the closing overs.
His calm, watchful approach — rotating the strike and picking loose balls — frustrated the Warracknabeal side and gave the Giants a real chance.
Young Koby Weir also played his part, contributing a gritty 7 and helping to steady the innings.
Together, the youngsters batted out the remaining overs and pushed for the target right to the end but ultimately finished seven runs shy of what was required.
This result will sting the Giants’ older players — a reminder that in cricket, shot selection matters as much as power.
For the younger members of the side, however, there are plenty of positives to take away: composure under pressure, useful contributions in the late overs, and the experience of anchoring a chase.
We have the week off next week for the Melbourne Cup weekend before returning to Brim for the first One-Day game of the season.
This season will feature a mixture of Two-Day (40 overs a side) and One-Day (25 overs per side) with teams fighting for points throughout the whole season to find the ultimate winner.
The Southern Mallee Giants would like to thank its sponsors who have jumped on board for the 2025/26 season: North West Ag, Wela Home Maintenance, Hopetoun Bulk Storage, Paech Auto Electrical, Cambacanya Earthworks, Daven’s Lawn Care Service, Loud Signs, Southern Mallee Diesel, Mealsbox, Thompson’s Diesel & Hardware, Kmc Hair Studio, Southern Mallee Spares.
