Jack Atkins was the hero as he struck a maximum off the final delivery to secure a one-run win over Twenty20 heavyweight Noorat.

“We were cruising along on the board pretty well with the batting – the last few overs I think it was a-run-a-ball and we lost a couple of wickets,” Lakers captain Steven Fisher said. “We needed five off the final ball and Jack Atkins hit a six to win it.”

The win came on the back of a strong performance against association powerhouse Mortlake on Saturday morning.

Led by Jye McLaughlin, who smashed 53, the Lakers posted 7-108 and restricted the Cats to 7-114.

“It gives us a little bit of belief that we can match it with good sides, we’ve just got to come in with a good mindset,” Fisher said. “It was a bit surprising; there was no real expectation on us going in.”

Noorat held on for a narrow two-run victory against Bookaar in its other match.

Mortlake skipper Todd Lamont had a blistering start to his summer, claiming 4-16 in the win over Camperdown, before snaring 4-9 in a 29-run win over Bookaar.

Heytesbury Rebels defeated Pomborneit by six wickets and posted an eight-wicket win over Terang. Cobden split its results, accounting for Terang by six wickets, before losing to Pomborneit by eight wickets.