And this time, it came on the home turf of one of the competition’s heavyweights.
The Bloods rolled into Nagambie on Saturday and walked away with a statement four-wicket victory, chasing down 142 against last season’s grand finalist on a tricky wicket to make it two wins from two.
For captain Nathan Jones, who was sidelined with injury on the day, the win was as satisfying as it was hard-earned.
“We got off to a really good start, the boys bowled super tight and took a lot of wickets early,” Jones said.
“It’s always hard when you go over to Nagambie, especially when you bat second.
“I think we managed to get them 9-70 but they got a 60-run partnership towards the end which got them off to a reasonably competitive total on that ground.”
That late surge came from the Lakers’ last pair, with Ryan Ezard (40 not out) and James Auld (25 not out) defying the collapse to lift their side from 9-76 to a respectable 9-142.
Until that point, Karramomus’ bowlers had been relentless.
Lachie Keady (4-23) tore through the top order, claiming the first four wickets in a fiery opening burst, while new addition Bailey Simpson (3-17) continued his tidy early-season form, closing out the innings with precision.
“Our bowlers set it up for us, Lachie Keady got the first four wickets and Bailey Simpson again with the ball, 3-17 off nine overs just tidied things up as well,” Jones said.
“The bowling performance overall was pretty solid - if you walk away with them 142 out chasing 143 for the win, we’d take that every day of the week.”
Batting second on Nagambie’s deck can prove treacherous, but Bloods’ openers Ethan Baxter (47 runs) and Mitch McGrath (22) laid the platform with a steady 49-run opening stand.
From there, Simpson (21) and Zavier Davidson (37 not out) took control, guiding the chase as wickets fell around them.
“Batting second over there is always pretty tricky,” Jones said.
“To chase down 142 is one of those totals in the middle where it could go either way.
“Mitch and Ethan got us off to a nice steady start, and Zav Davo ended up with 37 not out towards the end which steered the ship home — which was really nice.”
But perhaps the day’s most memorable moment came from 15-year-old debutant Toby Keady.
Thrust into the middle order under pressure, the teenager held his nerve to carve a key partnership with Davidson that swung momentum back the Bloods’ way.
“Young Toby came in, there was a bit of pressure on us, and he stood nice and tall for his first game,” Jones said.
“He got a few runs under his belt and that partnership there was a nice little breaker for us.”
Karramomus now sits two from two and eyes off a date with fellow unbeaten side Tatura in the annual Rod Kilmartin Memorial match.
THE GAME
Nagambie 9-142 (Ryan Ezard 40 not out, James Auld 25 not out, Lachie Keady 4-23) def by Karramomus 6-146 (Ethan Baxter 47, Zavier Davidson 37 not out, Brayden Biggs 3-17)
STAR PLAYER
Lachie Keady (Karramomus): Continuing his fast start to the season with ball in hand, Keady’s four wickets - including the scalps of danger bats Mark Nolan and Mitch Winter-Irving - were crucial. His early devastation set the tone for the Bloods to go on and take the win.
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