SPRING Gully is into the Emu Valley Cricket Association grand final after yesterday winning an epic semi-final against United at Ewing Park that is bound to be remembered for years to come.
Spring Gully won on the second-last ball of the game, and will meet Sedgwick in the grand final.
The semi-final began with United winning the toss and batting, but what then unfolded over the following five hours was remarkable.
Within 34 overs United had been bowled out for just 51 as Peter Stepien and Brad Gillett tore through the Tigers’ batting line-up.
The Tigers lost their wickets with the score on 4, 5, 14, 26, 27, 28, 30, 34, 45 and 51.
Gillett claimed 5-22 off 16.2 overs, while Stepien took 4-26 off 17.
The top-scorer for the Tigers was Josh White, who made nine.
However, United’s score of 51 proved enough to take a first-innings lead as Spring Gully answered with a meagre total of 35.
At one stage Spring Gully was 4-2, with Scott Gray (0), Jayden Mannix (1), Des Gilmore (0) and Andrew Curran (0) all dismissed.
The Spring Gully innings lasted just 26 overs before it was bowled out 16 runs shy of United’s total.
From 4-2, Spring Gully lost its last six wickets with the score on 18, 24, 26, 27, 27 and 35.
Only one player scored over five for Spring Gully - Marc Millard (6), while five players made ducks.
The star with the ball for the Tigers was Robbie Walsh, who took 4-6 off 5.5 overs.
Stephen Cruse (3-9 off eight) and Tim Gleeson (2-10 off eight) were also key contributors in ensuring Spring Gully capitulated in stunning fashion.
With the game going to a second innings as more than a full day of play was still scheduled, United went to stumps at 1-11, meaning on Saturday alone, 21 wickets had fallen for just 97 runs.
Neither side could blame the conditions of the Ewing Park pitch - EVCA games are played on carpet wickets.
Batting on yesterday, United made an improved 103 in 61 overs, giving the Tigers a lead of 119.
This time, four players made it into double figures, James Smith (25), Brenton Dillon (18) Gleeson (17) and opener Mick Webb (11).
Liam Crapper bowled brilliantly for Spring Gully, collecting 5-16 off 14 overs.
After his five-for in the first innings, Gillett took 3-26 off 16 overs in the second.
With United bowled out for a second time, it left Spring Gully needing 120 runs to win off 27 overs.
Halfway through Spring Gully was reasonably placed at 3-61, but United then took control, picking up 5-42 in the space of 11 overs to have the Gully 8-103 in the 24th.
However, the game had one last twist with Reece Gray and Crapper at the crease for Spring Gully.
Entering the final over of the match, to be bowled by Walsh, the Spring Gully target had been whittled to just four runs.
With Crapper on strike, the first ball was a dot, before Crapper (9 n.o.) hit the second for a single, leaving Gray to face Walsh.
The following two balls were dots, meaning Spring Gully needed three off the last two balls to win.
On the fifth ball of the over Gray (11 n.o.) hit Walsh over mid-wicket to the boundary, securing Spring Gully an incredible win by two wickets as it finished at 8-121.
Captain Shaun Makepeace top-scored in the second innings with 19 as he was one of seven batsmen who made between 10 and 20.
Seamus O’Connor (3-28) was United’s leading wicket-taker in the second innings of the see-sawing game.
In the other A grade semi-final played at Spring Gully, Sedgwick’s score of 158 was too good for Marong, which answered with 123.
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