IT was the ball that ended a 17-year Bendigo District Cricket Association premiership drought - Bendigo captain Tim Alexander's final delivery of the 1994 grand final to Eaglehawk's No.11 Darren Rodda.
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The scenario: Rodda needed three runs off the final delivery for the Hawks to pass the Goers' total of 280 at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Rodda strode down the wicket, but missed Alexander's flighty leg-spinner and was stumped by David Bakes, leaving the Goers two-run winners and their first premiership since 1977. It's also their last.
The Goers will relive the classic grand final at a 20-year premiership reunion at the Bendigo District RSL on Saturday night.
"There was a bit of confusion on that last ball as to whether we needed two or three to win," Rodda recalled this week.
"I thought we only needed two to win. I danced down the wicket to Timmy Alexander and tried to get to the ball on the full and hit a four, but missed it and was stumped.
"To get so close was obviously disappointing at the time, but looking back on it now, it was an incredible game of cricket. Who'd have thought it would come down to the last ball of what was a 200-over match."
The Hawks had needed eight runs off the last over to win and seven to tie.
Kurt Brereton, who finished 23 n.o., missed the first two balls from Alexander, who was bowling his 44th over of the innings.
Brereton then scored two twos and a single off the next three balls, which put Rodda on strike for the final ball of the match. The rest is history.
