Sport
13 February, 2026
Busted! Redbacks falter against Band
WILL Holt loomed as the great wrecker of Arnold in Saturday’s Upper Loddon match that saw a strengthened Wedderburn assert dominance.
“Buster” opened the bowling against the Redbacks and took 3-17 from seven overs as Arnold battled to 5-107 from 35 overs.
Then Holt strode to the crease at first drop and began clubbing the Redback bowling all over the ground, hitting a quickfire 29, with two sixes and three fours.
His innings came to an end when he was trapped LBW by Henry McCullough, and other Band batsmen had to play their part.
Andrew Brett came in with one intention – don’t run.
And so, he either blocked or smashed Arnold’s attack to the tune of six sixes and two fours – eight scoring shots for 44 runs.
Brett was brutal on Kale Hewett’s one over, the last of the innings, hitting three successive sixes to end the match and belting 26 from the over.
The last six overs that Wedderburn faced produced 70 runs, with Rohan McHugh providing stability at the other end in compiling 31 not out.
McHugh was back from Perth, where he has been an assistant coach with the West Coast AFLW team led by Daisy Pearce.
Wedderburn finished at 4-131 following Brett’s onslaught.
Arnold’s 107 looked a long way away when the Redbacks fell to 3-12 batting first, with key batsmen Heath Lock (0), McCullough (2) and Cameron Dale (0) back in the pavilion within six overs.
Ryan Metelmann helped spark the recovery with 23, Flynn Lock made a steady 15 and Isaac McLean added 18 in an excellent partnership with Adam Davies, who made a season-high 30 not out that included four boundaries batting at number eight.
Arnold needed quick wickets when Wedderburn batted and when captain Isaac Holt fell for one to Metelmann hopes were raised.
However, Will Holt’s rapid innings, along with Finn Turnbull’s 22, McHugh’s steady hand and Brett’s pyrotechnics, saw the Band home in just 19 overs. Opening bowlers Metelmann (1-21 off seven overs with two maidens) and McCullough (2-40 off seven) did their part, but the rest of the Redback bowlers copped some stick.
Harvey Lakey’s one over cost 17 runs, Heath Lock’s single over went for 10, and Hewett’s spell to forget told the tale.
- GARY WALSH