Cool-headed Kyabram cruises into Haisman Shield grand final, ending Katandra’s season

While the band was inside, all vibrato and melody, the Redbacks were on the oval, crashing and banging with the bat as they chased down Katandra’s score for a five-wicket win and a place in the grand final.

The proverbial fiddles of Kyle Mueller and Kyle Fitzgerald were in perfect harmony as they finished with a flurry of boundaries to win the match.

Mueller’s monster maximum over long-on was backed up by two brutish boundaries from Fitzgerald, the Kyles finishing with swagger and style.

On Saturday, Charlie McLay’s five-wicket haul was pivotal in restricting the hosts to a manageable total, leaving a smile on coach Jackson McLay’s face in the wake of a complete effort.

“We spoke about it as a group; every time our backs have been up against the wall during the year, we’ve found a way,” McLay said.

“They had a good partnership early, but we fought back with the ball and finished really strong.

“Today we started well and then we had a bit of a hiccup through the middle order, but the boys just stood tall and were strong up top.

“After the first month, we’ve just found a way to get across the line, so it was a fantastic effort by the boys.”

Katandra looked ripe for a grand old score as Ben Pedretti and Ben Clurey weathered the initial Redbacks assault with ball in hand.

The Rolls Royce opening partnership — or ‘‘Mercedes Bens’’ — pushed past 40 without loss, but when Clurey got a little too comfortable, Katandra was down a man as his lofted drive was caught at long off.

Brady Black (one) copped a Jackson McLay pearler to the pads five balls later and, suddenly, the Eagles’ start wasn’t so sweet.

Kyabram was ripping back the ascendancy at a rate of knots with star all-rounders Andrew Riordan and Hadleigh Sirrett making way for six runs apiece and, for Katandra, the lull which followed was ever so timely.

Twelve overs passed and no wickets were conceded.

Pedretti and Jedd Wright fingered the reset button and began to champion the Eagles’ resistance, yet just when things seemed sunny once more, Charlie McLay pounced.

He took the big wicket of Wright for 14 and Kieran Collins for a duck in his next over, going on to claim his five-for as Katandra crumbled for 132.

Paul Parsons whacked nine runs at the top at the end of the day, further elevating Kyabram’s status as the game favourite before stumps.

However, something stirred within Katandra two hours into day two.

The visitors were in cruise control at 1-57 before Scott Richardson sent Billy McLay packing for 14 then, in the following over, Sirett found himself on a hat-trick.

Cade Mueller chopped onto his own pegs and one ball later Jackson McLay nicked off for a golden duck, sparking the Eagles into flight mode once again.

Yet it wasn’t to be for the reigning premier, with Kyabram sliding home with relative ease.

The Redbacks' redemption arc is jaw-dropping when considering the side lost four of its opening five games, tasting defeat just once since mid-November.

McLay knows his boys are at their best when the pressure is cranked up high and said the looming decider would be the ultimate test of that.

“It’s never been toys out of the cot or drop the heads, we just keep chipping away,” he said.

“Two-day cricket suits us to a tee, we can bowl longer spells, we can tie opposition down and can also bat longer periods.

“It just seems to suit our style of play and it’s been a format that we’ve done quite well in.

“We had a good back half of the year, so whoever we come up against (in the grand final) we’ll be putting our best foot forward.

“Like any other game, when our backs are against the wall we’ll find a way. Both sides will go in confident and you’d expect it to be a ripper game.”