SPRING Gully maintained its edge over Sedgwick to win the Emu Valley Cricket Association premiership at the weekend.
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The Crows kept intact an unbeaten record against the Rams that dates back to the 2014-15 season as they defied their underdog status to win by 81 runs at Maiden Gully.
The powerful Sedgwick batting line-up failed to fire on the grand final stage, with the Rams – coming off scores of 8-364 and 420 in their previous two games – bowled out for 123 chasing Spring Gully’s 9-204.
The match ended with a sharp one-handed caught and bowled by Jesse Marciano off Quinton Bentley (0) in the Rams’ 55th over.
It was fitting Marciano claimed the match-winning wicket for the Crows given he earned man of the match honours and the inaugural Shane Hartney Medal.
As the Crows’ players celebrated the club’s first flag since 2010-11, the Rams will head into their centenary year next season still without that elusive first division one premiership.
The Rams finished 29 points clear of the Crows on the ladder, but were outplayed with the flag on the line as they lost their fourth grand final in the past 10 years.
Spring Gully’s last pair of James Fox and Nick Skeen added 33 on Saturday to give the Crows a score of more than 200 to defend.
Fox and Skeen took the score from 9-171 to 9-204 with an unbroken partnership of 33 that gave the Crows a late day-one boost.
Fox finished 33 n.o. off 27 with two fours and two sixes, while Skeen played the supporting role with 4 n.o.
Earlier, Crows’ openers Joel Bish and Brannon Stanford got their side off to a solid start with a 55-run stand for the first wicket.
The Crows didn’t lose their first wicket until the 24th over when Andrew Sheehan (1-25) got the breakthrough with the dismissal of Stanford (25).
However, the Crows squandered their good start when they endured a collapse of 5-33 as their score later fell from 1-82 in the 35th over to 6-115 in the 55th.
Those wickets to fall included Bish for 45, as well as the Crows’ leading run-scorer for the season Rhys Webb (20).
Veteran Scott McKenzie took three of the five wickets to fall during the period where the Rams gained the ascendancy.
However, while the wickets tumbled, No.4 Marciano batted through the challenging period on his way to Spring Gully’s top score of 57.
Marciano faced 107 balls and struck five boundaries and one six during his innings, which ended in the 70th over with the score at 171.
McKenzie, who also took two catches, finished with the Rams’ best figures of 3-42 off 16 overs, while Daniel Chamberlain (2-31) was also a multiple wicket-taker for the Rams.
Sunday’s second day was dominated by the Crows, with their surge to the flag starting early when captain Alex Sutton combined with wicket-keeper Stanford to dismiss opener Chamberlain (1) in the fourth over.
The dangerous pair of Matt Dwyer and Sheehan pushed the score along to 41 before Byron Perrin made his first mark on the contest in the 12th over by bowling Dwyer (23).
The dismissal of Dwyer sparked the loss of five wickets for 35 runs for the Rams between the 12th and 29th overs as what had been 1-41 became 6-76.
Perrin claimed four of those five wickets to fall as he also removed Sheehan (25), Rams captain Greg Thomas (0) and Dustin Elliott (9).
The writing was on the wall for the Rams at tea as they were on the ropes at 6-94, with the Crows taking a further 18.3 overs after the break to wrap up the remaining four wickets to claim the premiership.
The one player the Crows couldn’t dismiss was stalwart McKenzie, who showed plenty of grit in his 92-ball stay at the crease for an unbeaten 24 to follow on from his efforts on Saturday.
Perrin claimed the grand final’s best bowling figures of 4-30 off 13 overs, while Fox’s valuable 33 n.o. was followed up by 3-51 off 17 overs with the ball, and Marciano added 2-10 to go with his half-century.
Webb conceded just three runs off 11 overs with his leg-spin.
For all Spring Gully players who took to the field at the weekend, it was their first premiership in division one for the club.
“I couldn’t be happier for all the boys… we played well this weekend, which we needed to because they are obviously a very talented side,” Crows’ premiership skipper Sutton said.
“To win the toss, bat first and get 200 on the board was what we were aiming for on Saturday and we knew if we could do that then it would be hard to chase down if we bowled well and that’s what happened.
“They have good players all through their batting line-up, but some really dangerous players at the top, so we knew if we could get them early we could put the pressure on.
“Our bowlers were all exceptional today and that’s what won us the game.
“None of us playing this weekend had won a premiership for Spring Gully before, so it’s fantastic we’ve been able to do it today.”
The Crows’ premiership team included Sutton, Stanford, Fox and Liam Pilcher who endured a grand final defeat to United two seasons ago, with that disappointment now eased.
Premiership team – Alex Sutton ©, Joel Bish, Lachlan Brook, James Fox, Jesse Marciano, Ryan Pedrotti, Byron Perrin, Liam Pilcher, Nick Skeen, Brannon Stanford, Rhys Webb, Damien Venville (12th).
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OTHER GAMES:
DIVISION 2
Emu Creek 240 d Maiden Gully 104.
Greg Strawbridge Medal – Shane Hamilton (Emu Creek).
DIV 3 SECTION 1
Emu Creek 5-128 d Mandurang 125.
Bryan Coghlan Medal – Matt Constable (Emu Creek).
DIV 3 SECTION 2
West Bendigo 150 & 3-59 d Golden Gully 41 & 183.
Frank Reid Medal – Cory Page (West Bendigo).