SPRING Gully has the opportunity to win back-to-back premierships, while Mandurang will be chasing its first flag for nine years when they meet in the weekend's Emu Valley Cricket Association division one grand final.
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The Crows and Rangas will clash in the grand final at Ewing Park on Saturday and Sunday from 1.30pm.
It will be the first grand final meeting between the two sides since Spring Gully defeated Mandurang by 62 runs in the 2011 decider.
Mandurang heads into the grand final having finished on top of the ladder and then dismantled Emu Creek inside a day in their semi final encounter last weekend.
The Rangas have won six on the trot, with that streak including a 12-run win over Spring Gully in a low-scoring tussle in round nine in their previous meeting.
Mandurang will be led into the grand final by second-year captain Beau Clements.
"We dropped a game early this season to United (round five), which gave us a bit of a wake-up call in terms of some areas we needed to work on," Clements said.
"We've been able to do that and play some good cricket, but we know we're coming up against a quality outfit in Spring Gully, which has been one of the benchmark sides for quite a few years and won the flag last year."
We dropped a game early this season to United (round five), which gave us a bit of a wake-up call in terms of some areas we needed to work on
- Beau Clements - Mandurang captain
The grand final side includes three players who have already played in a premiership for Mandurang, with opening batsman Phil Berry, all-rounder James Pietromonaco and opening bowler Jeremy Hancock having been part of the club's last division one flag in 2015.
Hancock played a starring role in last week's semi final demolition of Emu Creek when he produced the EVCA's best bowling figures of the season of 7-31.
The new-ball combination of Hancock (24) and James Bailey (26) have combined for 50 wickets for the season, while the Rangas - the No.1 ranked bowling unit in the EVCA - also have the trio of Pietromonaco (18), spinner Pask (17) and Clemets (12) who have had solid seasons with the ball.
With the bat Linton Colclough (476) has been one of the competition's leading run-scorers.
The trio of Colclough, who is averaging 52.8, Berry (313 runs) and Pask (250) have all made centuries this season.
Spring Gully has the opportunity to win back-to-back premierships for the first time since 2010 and 2011.
The Crows defeated United in last year's grand final and then disposed of the Tigers by 30 runs in their semi final last weekend to set up a crack at the Rangas for the flag.
This weekend is Spring Gully's fifth grand final in the past nine seasons and co-captain Nick Skeen is confident his side's finals experience will hold it in good stead with the flag on the line.
Spring Gully's team of 12 for this weekend's grand final includes 10 players who were part of last year's flag, with only batsmen Jayden Mannix and Noah Willits not having played in the triumph 12 months ago.
"We've built up a lot of finals experience over the past few years... we've played finals the past seven seasons and getting back here now with the chance to defend our title, that experience will hold us in good stead for the weekend," Skeen said.
"I'm proud of the group; we've been challenged on and off the field this year, so to get back to a grand final and have the chance to go back-to-back is very exciting."
I'm proud of the group; we've been challenged on and off the field this year, so to get back to a grand final and have the chance to go back-to-back is very exciting
- Nick Skeen - Spring Gully co-captain
Skeen (29), spinner Beauden Rinaldi (25) and James Fox (19) have combined for 73 of the 114 wickets taken by the Crows, while the clear standout with the bat has been No.3 Jesse Marciano, whose 546 runs at an average of 49.1 are almost twice as many as the Crows' next best batsman, Lachlan Brook's 276.
TIP - Mandurang.
THE TEAMS:
MANDURANG
BEAU CLEMENTS (C)
Runs: 110 Average: 18.3
Highest score: 23
Wickets: 12 Average: 19.7
Best bowling: 6-3
Fielding: 3 MVP: 380
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DYLAN ACHISON
Runs: 236 Average: 21.4
Highest score: 81
Wickets: 2 Average: 15.0
Best bowling: 1-6
Fielding: 10 MVP: 376
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JAMES BAILEY
Runs: 85 Average: 14.1
Highest score: 34
Wickets: 26 Average: 15.0
Best bowling: 5-15
Fielding: 7 MVP: 675
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PHIL BERRY
Runs: 313 Average: 31.3
Highest score: 103
Fielding: 11 MVP: 428
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LINTON COLCLOUGH
Runs: 476 Average: 52.8
Highest score: 115
Wickets: 2 Average: 6.0
Best bowling: 2-12
Fielding: 4 MVP: 556
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COREY DICKINS
Runs: 210 Average: 26.2
Highest score: 49
Wickets: 0 Average: -
Best bowling: 0-19
Fielding: 2 MVP: 230
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JEREMY HANCOCK
Runs: 69 Average: 13.8
Highest score: 42*
Wickets: 24 Average: 12.7
Best bowling: 7-31
Fielding: 5 MVP: 599
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JUSTIN LAIRD
Runs: 65 Average: 9.2
Highest score: 24
Fielding: 5 MVP: 120
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MATTHEW PASK
Runs: 250 Average: 35.7
Highest score: 136
Wickets: 17 Average: 12.1
Best bowling: 4-35
Fielding: 4 MVP: 630
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JAMES PIETROMONACO
Runs: 244 Average: 27.1
Highest score: 54
Wickets: 18 Average: 13.8
Best bowling: 3-11
Fielding: 2 MVP: 629
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JOEL RENTON-KEEN
Runs: 17 Average: 5.6
Highest score: 7*
Wickets: 7 Average: 21.7
Best bowling: 3-35
Fielding: 3 MVP: 187
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BRANNON STANFORD
Runs: 142 Average: 23.6
Highest score: 31
Fielding: 14 MVP: 282
SPRING GULLY
SHAUN O'SHEA (C)
Runs: 135 Average: 33.7
Highest score: 40
Wickets: 2 Average: 47.5
Best bowling: 2-36
Fielding: 6 MVP: 240
........................................
NICK SKEEN (C)
Runs: 11 Average: 3.6
Highest score: 5*
Wickets: 29 Average: 11.2
Best bowling: 4-15
Fielding: 4 MVP: 636
........................................
LACHLAN BROOK
Runs: 276 Average: 27.6
Highest score: 67
Wickets: 5 Average: 24.6
Best bowling: 3-42
Fielding: 12 MVP: 496
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JAMES FOX
Runs: 123 Average: 20.5
Highest score: 47
Wickets: 19 Average: 18.1
Best bowling: 5-56
Fielding: 8 MVP: 583
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WES HOPCOTT
Runs: 46 Average: 15.3
Highest score: 25
Fielding: 2 MVP: 66
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SHAUN MAKEPEACE
Runs: 136 Average: 34.0
Highest score: 70
Wickets: 2 Average: 9.5
Best bowling: 1-4
Fielding: 3 MVP: 211
........................................
JAYDEN MANNIX
Runs: 172 Average: 28.6
Highest score: 64
Fielding: 1 MVP: 182
........................................
JESSE MARCIANO
Runs: 541 Average: 49.1
Highest score: 106
Wickets: 7 Average: 17.0
Best bowling: 2-29
Fielding: 6 MVP: 741
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BEAUDEN RINALDI
Runs: 62 Average: 12.4
Highest score: 20
Wickets: 25 Average: 21.8
Best bowling: 5-53
Fielding: 4 MVP: 602
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ALEX SUTTON
Runs: 167 Average: 33.4
Highest score: 71
Wickets: 6 Average: 15.1
Best bowling: 3-26
Fielding: 0 MVP: 287
........................................
RHYS WEBB
Runs: 262 Average: 32.7
Highest score: 53*
Wickets: 6 Average: 17.6
Best bowling: 4-37
Fielding: 9 MVP: 477
........................................
NOAH WILLITS
Runs: 146 Average: 18.2
Highest score: 51
Wickets: 1 Average: 8.0
Best bowling: 1-8
Fielding: 10 MVP: 276
OTHER GRAND FINALS
DIVISION 2
Mandurang v California Gully at Spring Gully, 1.30pm.
DIVISION 3
Mia Mia v Bagshot at Mandurang, 1pm.
DIVISION 3 SECT 2
United v Spring Gully at Club Court, 1pm.
