The first representative clash of the summer has gone the way of the blue and gold, with Wangaratta and District Cricket Association winning the Cooper-Welsh Perpetual Trophy over Cricket Shepparton.

On Sunday, 16 November, the two associations’ junior representative squads went head-to-head at grounds across Wangaratta and Benalla, with WDCA coming out on top five games to four.

WDCA Under 12 Blue stomped Shepparton Blue by 116 runs, bowling Shepparton out for 79 after making 7/195.

The batting was led by Yarrawonga Mulwala’s Isaac McLarty, who blasted a half century off 42 balls batting at seven, while Rutherglen’s Tyler Mullavey (37 off 49) and Ovens Valley’s Thenuk Alwis (32 off 44) batted well.

Alwis would do the damage with the ball, taking 3/2 from his four overs, while Beechworth’s Dristan Kopacz was the only other multiple wicket-taker (2/4 from two).

It was a closer match for Wangaratta Under 12 Gold, who managed to chase down Shepparton White’s 135 target with one wicket in hand.

Benalla’s Jack McKenzie took 3/16 in the first innings, but Shepparton’s middle order made enough to put the pressure on WDCA Gold.

It was a tough start to the chase, with WDCA Gold finding themselves in trouble at 6/58.

Benalla’s Lachlan Osbourne (32 from 53) and City Colts’ Jake Gray (24 from 41) put on 52 runs together to keep the game alive, before Oliver Ross (5* from 11) and Luke Conway (2* from five) steered the chase home.

The under 13s were unsuccessful in their match, despite a brilliant individual effort from Yarrawonga Mulwala’s Benji Wollington, who carried his bat and finished on 52* from 76 balls.

Under 14 Gold secured a monster 95 run win over Shepparton White, posting 7/150 thanks to great knocks from Sam Newton (34 from 46), Oliver Smith (34 from 79), and Ollie Fisher (35* from 56).

Noah Anderson (3/13 from three) and Harry Edwards (3/8 from three) performed well with the ball.

The under 14 Blue also secured the win by 53 runs, with opening pair Bodi Jackson (33 from 86) and Angus Fraser (43 from 49) partnering for 69 runs to get the WDCA off to a flyer, with Louis Sanderson’s 44 from 45 and Mitch McMasters’ 27* from 35 vital in posting 6/193.

With the ball, it was a team effort, with seven bowlers taking a wicket, knocking Shepparton over for 140.

Luke O’Brien’s half century was crucial in Wangaratta’s under 15 team chasing down Shepparton’s target of 156 to pinch a two-wicket win, scoring 53 from 52 balls batting at three.

The under 15 girls lost by three wickets in a low-scoring affair, making 90 from their 30 overs before Shepparton chased it seven down in 26 overs.

Arabella Brett top scored for Wangaratta with an unbeaten 11* before taking 2/7, while Ava Penney took 2/3.

Shepparton had the last laugh in both the under 16s and under 17s encounters, with WDCA going down by three wickets and 110 runs, respectively.

Under 16 opener Andrew Fraser led the way, making 40, while the under 17s were rolled for 89 chasing 199.

The next representative clash will be against Murray Valley CA on Sunday, 14 December.