RELATED – COUNTRY WEEK FINALS PHOTOS
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MURRAY Valley may have won the dress rehearsal on Thursday, but on Friday it was Goulburn Murray that stole the show in the big dance that was the Bendigo Country Week division one final.
On the back of a brilliant bowling performance from Englishman Alexander “AJ” Woodland, Goulburn Murray crushed Murray Valley by eight wickets at the QEO to win its second division one title in the past four years.
Despite a delayed start of 11.30am after rain had earlier threatened to wash out the final for the second year in a row, the game was all over at 3.20pm after a Murray Valley batting capitulation.
Having gone into the final undefeated – which included beating Goulburn Murray by 45 runs a day earlier – Murray Valley dished up its worst performance of the week when it mattered most.
After winning the toss and batting, Murray Valley was all out in just 27.2 overs for 63 – the lowest total a division one side has been bowled out for since Shepparton routed Campaspe for 61 in 2009.
Woodland – who went wicket-less against Murray Valley the previous day – led the demolition for Goulburn Murray, with his relentless line and length yielding 6-17 off 10 overs in what was a man-of-the-match performance.
He claimed wickets in his second, third, fourth, seventh, eighth and 10th overs, with his scalps featuring five caught and one bowled.
“We knew if we got the pressure on early with some wickets we’d be able to restrict them,” Goulburn Murray coach Dylan Cuttriss said.
“AJ’s spell was very impressive. He bowled good lines and we set good fields and held our catches, so we made the most of our chances.”
Fellow Englishman Luke Deeprose also ensured little respite for Murray Valley, chipping in with 3-3 off 4.2 overs, meaning Goulburn Murray’s two imports combined for 9-20 off 14.2 overs.
There were no signs of the carnage to come when Murray Valley openers Michael Mitchell and Adam Wiffen (5) had got through to the eighth over without losing a wicket.
However, by the 20th over Murray Valley was at a shaky 4-54, before it then lost its last six wickets for just nine runs to be bundled out for 63.
Only Mitchell and No.3 Andrew Hogan (23), who battled valiantly for 75 minutes, reached double figures for Murray Valley, which had been aiming to win the division one title in its first year back in the top flight.
Apart from Mitchell and Hogan, no other Murray Valley player made more than five in the debacle.
In reply Goulburn Murray took 25.2 overs to answer with 2-64, with the winning runs hit by Manoj Vemula (4 n.o.), while fittingly, Woodland (18 n.o.) was also at the crease when the title was won.
Opener Anthony McMahon (32) almost saw Goulburn Murray over the line, but was dismissed four runs short of victory by Murray Valley off-spinner Liam Evans (1-20).
McMahon was Evans’ 16th wicket of the carnival in which he set a new Murray Valley record at Bendigo Country Week, surpassing the 14 Alan Connors took in 1974.
“We last won it in 2014 and really set ourselves at the start of the week that we wanted to come here and have a real crack at winning another one,” Cuttriss said.
“Anything less than that was going to be a fail for us, so it was nice to get the job done.”
Murray Valley captain Ash Quinn said his side had been given a cricket lesson by Goulburn Murray.
“We really got shown how to play cricket today… (Goulburn Murray’s) discipline bowling and batting was streaks ahead of us,” Quinn said.
“We’ve been happy with our week, but obviously disappointed to lose today.”
DIVISION TWO
Castlemaine made sure its stay in division two was only for one year and that it will be back in division one in 2018.
Batting second, Castlemaine defeated Portland in the division two final at Weeroona Oval.
No match details were supplied.
Castlemaine will take the place in division one next year of Emu Valley, which has been relegated after going through this week winless.
DIVISION THREE
Wangaratta’s solid batting form continued in the division three final as it proved too strong for Colac in a rain-shortened match at White Hills.
In what was a game cut to 37 overs per side, Wangaratta – which had made 715 runs the previous two days – posted 4-203 after winning the toss.
Opener Reid Clarke (72) was the best of the batsmen for Wangaratta, which also had contributions from Jack Davies (47), Luke Whitten (31) and captain Jacob Schonafinger (27 n.o.), who ended the carnival with 229 runs at an average of 76.3.
Dylan Landgren then bowled Wangaratta to victory with a return of 5-36 off 12 overs as Colac was all out for 116 to lose its only game of the carnival.
Schonafinger claimed 2-22 for Wangaratta, which has earned the right to step up to division two next year at the expense of Grassmere.
No batting or bowling details for Colac were supplied.