Cricket
23 October, 2025
Young Laharum side to meet Bullants
Round two of the Horsham Cricket Association season takes place this Saturday, when Laharum will look to take down last year’s A grade grand finalists, the Noradjuha Toolondo Bullants.
The Bullants opened their season with a five-wicket victory over St Mary’s, led by Matthew Combe’s 36 runs and four wickets, and this week will play their first home game at Noradjuha Recreational Reserve.
Josh Mahoney, Laharum’s A grade captain, says he knows the Bullants are a strong side, acknowledging the side will do its best to nullify key players.
“In most games, there's going to be a couple of guys who try to get early or see off,” Mahoney said.
“With them (Bullants), it’s someone like Matt Combe with the ball, or Jordan McDonald, who is not particularly quick, but he’s accurate and moves the ball.
“You need to try to get through the dangerous players and cash in when you can.”
With a predominantly young side, including some new players, Mahoney said there would be learning lessons for the side, including their round one loss against Donald Jeffcott.
“Last week was probably a bit of a learning experience, given we have a few new players and are a really young team,” Mahoney said.
“It was just trying to feel out how we're going to make everything work and what everyone's role was.
“There are going to be ups and downs, and we saw that last year as well, but most of this group has come through together for a couple of years now, and we’re learning every week.”
Despite being a younger team, Mahoney said there was plenty of talent.
“There’s a lot of talent there and a couple of the standouts for last week, Max Bunworth and Josh Huchinson, are some players to watch out for most weeks,” Mahoney said.
“Jackson Hoffman, he was unplayable at times last week but just didn’t have the luck to go with it, and you see at training he’s pushing himself to be better.”
Elsewhere, Donald Jeffcott will look to register their first home win in the HCA against the Tigers.
The new side entered last week with the pedigree of having won consecutive premierships in the Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association, and another win on Saturday would prime them as one of the top contenders for the 2025-26 premiership.
Conversely, the Tigers will be hoping for an improved bowling effort, given that Lubeck Murtoa scored 192 runs in 33 overs against them after the Horsham side put up a decent total with the bat.
Donald Jeffcott’s Dylan Ruurds looms as a potential X-factor, having scored 68 runs off just 48 balls in round one.
The Mudlarks host the reigning one-day premiers, West Wimmera, in what serves to be an exciting matchup.
Lubeck Murtoa’s opening batting pair of Aaron Leith and Shannon Reddie put on a round-high 167-run partnership on Saturday, but this week go up against a Warriors unit consisting of 2024-25 bowling average award winner Nathan Alexander, who finished with figures of 6/34 against the Colts last Saturday.
Brim Kellalac Sheep Hills (Brim KSH) take on the Colts at home, where both sides will search for their first win of the season.
Last year’s semi-finalists would appear to have the advantage, particularly playing on their home turf, but the Colts will look to make up for last week’s defeat to West Wimmera, when they had control for the majority of the match.
Brim KSH vice captain Lachlan McGinniss is one to watch with the ball, having taken 4/20 last week, while Colts opener Dylan Arnott will look to replicate last week’s form, where he hit 66.
Swifts-Great Western will aim to make it consecutive wins when they host St Mary’s, after overcoming McGinniss’s impressive bowling spell to defeat Brim KSH by four wickets in round one.
After a tough start to their round one clash against the Bullants, St Mary’s demonstrated they will be a competitive side and will be keen to get their first win in the association.
Round two games will be one-dayers commencing at 1pm: Donald Jeffcoat v Tigers at Donald Recreation Reserve, Lubeck Murtoa v West Wimmera at Murtoa Recreation Reserve, Bullants v Laharum at Noradjuha Recreation Reserve, Brim KSH v Colts at Brim Recreation Reserve, and Swifts-Great Western v St Mary’s at Central Park in Stawell.
The junior HCA season starts this Friday, with the under-12 and under-16 competitions playing day-night games from 5pm, while the under-14s start on Saturday at 9am.