Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
32 YEARS for Colbinabbin and 22 years for Elmore.
They are the two premiership droughts the Ducks and Redbacks carry into Saturday's Northern United Cricket Association grand final at Heathcote.
As well as the chance for a lengthy premiership drought to be broken, Saturday's grand final could also hold some extra significance to it given the air of uncertainty around the future of the NUCA, which has this season been reduced to six teams.
For the third year in a row Elmore has proven to be the best team of the home and away season, again finishing on top of the ladder.
Yet the previous two years the Redbacks haven't been able to convert their home and away dominance into their first premiership since 1998, bowing out to Heathcote in a semi-final in 2018 and last year losing the grand final to Dingee when they were bowled out for just 54 chasing 8-152.
"It's a big weekend for the club given the past couple of years and not having won it for more than 20 years," Elmore captain Matt Gilmour said this week.
The Redbacks go into the grand final boasting the competition's three leading run-scorers of the season in Gilmour (548), James Harney (430) and Bailey Boyack (411), while only twice this season has the powerful Elmore batting line-up been bowled out.
With the ball the Redbacks also feature three of the NUCA's top four wicket-takers in Tyler Oliver (24), Shivam Goel (21) and Jauvane Bannon (21).
The Redbacks have only lost two games for the season, both against Heathcote, and only once have conceded more than 150.
Colbinabbin spent the bulk of the season sitting in the top two, but dropped to third late and was forced into the elimination final against Bagshot.
After beating Bagshot by 34 runs the Ducks then disposed of Heathcote by 40 runs in last week's preliminary final - the NUCA introduced a new finals format this season - to set up a crack at winning their first flag since 1988.
Colbinabbin last played in a grand final in 2015 against Calivil when it went into the decider undefeated.
However, the Ducks were beaten by 53 runs.
This time though they will go in as the underdogs with a side whose top performers with both bat and ball have been skipper Daniel Morgan (351 runs, 19 wickets) and Hamish Hooppell (364 runs, 17 wickets).
"It's been a long time between flags for Colbo, so it's very exciting to be able to have another crack at it on Saturday," captain Morgan said this week.
"We've got some momentum after winning a couple of finals and, hopefully, we can continue that momentum."
Elmore has won both encounters against Colbinabbin this season by seven wickets and 55 runs.
Saturday's game starts at 1pm.
THE TEAMS
ELMORE
Matt Gilmour (c)
Runs: 548 Avr: 45.6
Highest score: 169
Wickets: 12 Avr: 9.5
Best bowling: 2-5
............................................
Jauvane Bannon
Runs: 25 Avr: 4.1
Highest score: 13
Wickets: 21 Avr: 11.3
Best bowling: 5-19
............................................
Bailey Boyack
Runs: 411 Avr: 41.1
Highest score: 103*
Wickets: 5 Avr: 10.0
Best bowling: 2-22
............................................
Pierce Cail
Runs: 3 Avr: 1.5
Highest score: 2*
Wickets: 1 Avr: 20.0
Best bowling: 1-9
............................................
Grant Fuller
Runs: 22 Avr: 22.0
Highest score: 14*
Wickets: 2 Avr: 32.5
Best bowling: 2-25
............................................
Shivam Goel
Runs: 0 Avr: 0.0
Highest score: 0*
Wickets: 21 Avr: 6.4
Best bowling: 5-21
............................................
Kane Goldsworthy
Runs: 71 Avr: 14.2
Highest score: 38
Wickets: 5 Avr: 32.8
Best bowling: 2-10
............................................
Jim Grogan
Runs: 47 Avr: 15.6
Highest score: 26*
Wickets: 9 Avr: 14.7
Best bowling: 5-2
............................................
James Harney
Runs: 430 Avr: 35.8
Highest score: 85
Wickets: 11 Avr: 11.8
Best bowling: 3-3
............................................
Joe Harney
Runs: 140 Avr: 20.0
Highest score: 42
Wickets: 2 Avr: 18.0
Best bowling: 1-6
............................................
Aaron Juffs
Runs: 192 Avr: 19.2
Highest score: 72
Wickets: 4 Avr: 15.5
Best bowling: 3-13
............................................
Tyler Oliver
Runs: 233 Avr: 33.2
Highest score: 53*
Wickets: 24 Avr: 8.3
Best bowling: 4-13
............................................
Luke Price
Runs: 206 Avr: 17.1
Highest score: 41
Wickets: 2 Avr: 1.0
Best bowling: 2-2
............................................
Hayden Trewick
Runs: 20 Avr: 6.6
Highest score: 12
Wickets: 5 Avr: 9.0
Best bowling: 3-0
COLBINABBIN
Daniel Morgan (c)
Runs: 351 Avr: 27.0
Highest score: 55
Wickets: 19 Avr: 15.7
Best bowling: 4-9
............................................
Darcy Brown
Runs: 12 Avr: 4.0
Highest score: 7
Wickets: 3 Avr: 11.6
Best bowling: 2-20
............................................
Riley Coghill
Runs: 6 Avr: 2.0
Highest score: 4
............................................
Brian Dwyer
Runs: 144 Avr: 20.5
Highest score: 28
Wickets: 10 Avr: 10.8
Best bowling: 3-19
............................................
Chris Guinane
Runs: 142 Avr: 23.6
Highest score: 51*
Wickets: 5 Avr: 25.6
Best bowling: 2-17
............................................
Hamish Hooppell
Runs: 364 Avr: 33.0
Highest score: 74
Wickets: 17 Avr: 9.1
Best bowling: 3-3
............................................
Xavier Hooppell
Runs: 39 Avr: 7.8
Highest score: 21
Wickets: 13 Avr: 14.8
Best bowling: 3-14
............................................
Darren Lambert
Runs: 11 Avr: 1.8
Highest score: 4
Wickets: 8 Avr: 9.6
Best bowling: 4-1
............................................
Kane Moroney
Runs: 89 Avr: 8.9
Highest score: 31
Wickets: 10 Avr: 19.3
Best bowling: 2-20
............................................
Brad Stewart
Runs: 223 Avr: 17.1
Highest score: 51
Wickets: 7 Avr: 7.5
Best bowling: 3-7
............................................
Matthew van Run
Runs: 118 Avr: 11.8
Highest score: 27
Wickets: 9 Avr: 13.8
Best bowling: 2-7
............................................
Riley Wachter
Runs: 72 Avr: 14.4
Highest score: 26*
Wickets: 3 Avr: 33.3
Best bowling: 1-22
............................................
Gavin Waixel
Runs: 162 Avr: 16.2
Highest score: 39
Wickets: 0 Avr: -
Best bowling: 0-4
............................................
PATH TO THE GRAND FINAL:
ELMORE
Round 1: 7-217 def Goornong 38
Round 2: 7-104 def Calivil 89
Round 3: 5-287 def Heathcote 9-77
Round 4: drew Colbinabbin
Round 5: 8-194 def Bagshot 48
Round 6: 9-322 def Goornong 40
Round 7: 7-260 def Calivil 9-101
Round 8: 114 lt Heathcote 8-141
Round 9: 3-155 def Colbinabbin 152
Round 10: 6-126 def Bagshot 8-125
Round 11: 4-170 def Goornong 149
Round 12: drew Calivil
Round 13: 112 lt Heathcote 9-116
Round 14: 7-137 def Colbinabbin 82
Round 15: 5-199 def Bagshot 8-132
Qual final: 6-110 def Heathcote 7-103
COLBINABBIN
Round 1: 5-107 def Heathcote 9-104
Round 2: 115 def Goornong 77
Round 3: 5-158 def Bagshot 5-155
Round 4: drew Elmore (washed out)
Round 5: 3-110 def Calivil 7-109
Round 6: 8-148 def Heathcote 6-145
Round 7: 142 def Goornong 44
Round 8: drew Bagshot
Round 9: 152 lt Elmore 3-155
Round 10: 6-219 def Calivil 9-68
Round 11: 9-153 lt Heathcote 3-154
Round 12: 78 lt Goornong 142
Round 13: 6-161 def Bagshot 8-157
Round 14: 82 lt Elmore 7-137
Round 15: 5-158 def Calivil 59
Elim final: 130 def Bagshot 96
Prelim final: 113 def Heathcote 73
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.