A ONE-RUN win over Golden Square has propelled Sandhurst into its first BDCA grand final since 1979.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Dragons’ total of 262 on Saturday proved narrowly out of reach of Golden Square at a windsweept Weeroona Oval on Sunday.
Needing 11 to win off the final over to be bowled by Dragons’ captain Craig Howard, Golden Square had whittled its target down to three off two after Darren Clutton launched a six down the ground off the fourth ball.
RELATED – DAY ONE PHOTOS
A dot ball followed, leaving Clutton needing to score three off the final delivery to win, with a tie not good enough for Square to advance given the Dragons’ higher finish.
Clutton (25) hit the final delivery to mid-wicket where it was fielded by Nick Gladman, who combined with Howard to run out Clutton as the Square batsmen tried to squeeze an unlikely second run.
With only one scored off the final ball, Square finished at 8-261 and its hopes of a centenary premiership were dashed.
The Square run-chase featured a 106-run partnership for the second wicket between opener Tim Wood (88) and skipper Ben Gunn (56) that had their side in a solid position, before Howard (1-66) struck when he bowled Gunn.
Gunn’s dismissal left Square 2-126 in the 41st over, while Wood batted through until the 57th over before he was the fourth wicket to fall with the score on 173.
Sandhurst’s Will Keck had an impact in his first final for the Dragons with a haul of 4-59 off 18 overs, which included dismissing Wood, who he trapped lbw, with his performance with the ball following a handy 15 with the bat.
On Saturday, a 97-run partnership between captain Taylor Beard and Ash Gray provided the backbone of Sandhurst’s 262.
The Dragons had been 5-102 in the 39th over when the hard-hitting Gray joined Beard at the crease.
Together they batted for 23 overs, pushing the score to 199 before Gray’s dismissal for the Dragons’ top score of 59 off 75.
RELATED – DAY TWO PHOTOS
Beard contributed 54 off 107, spending 38 overs out in the middle, while the Dragons’ innings also featured 42 from No.3 Sam de Silva.
Shane Robinson – the only Sandhurst player at the weekend to have played in a Dragons’ first XI final – finished unbeaten on 23 to help push his side above 260 before the innings ended in the 84th over with nine balls left unused.
Connelly was the chief wicket-taker for Golden Square with 4-34 off 14.3 overs, while Scott Trollope (1-53) claimed the key wicket of the competition’s leading run-scorer, Nayana Palamandadige, who he yorked for 16 to have the Dragons 2-28 in the 11th over.