WGCA PREMIER
GRAND FINAL REVIEW
By Russell Bennett
Who would have thought the sequel would be even better than the original?
Last year’s Premier division grand final between Pakenham and Kooweerup at Toomuc Reserve was one for the ages, but on the weekend the two sides produced a rematch that could barely be believed even by those who were lucky enough to be at Denhams Road to witness it.
From the first ball of Saturday’s play, to the fall of the last wicket late on Sunday afternoon there was pure, unrelenting pressure from both sides.
It magnified mistakes, and made each momentum swing seem irreversible.
Ultimately, a combined 20 wickets were taken across the two days for just 221 runs.
As the Demons warmed up prior to play on Saturday, it all seemed to be business as usual – Round 16 of their season, they were calling it.
But it was just the calm before the storm.
Mark Cooper won the toss and elected to bat and shortly after, in the rooms, he brought his men together before the pre-game ceremony began.
They stood as one, behind them signs that read: “No regrets” and “It’s not what the club can do for you, but what you can do for the club”.
These signs were nothing new, but they befitted the same team-first mentality the Demons had carried with them all season.
It’s a mentality they’d have to rely on more than ever over the next two days.
Disaster struck early in their innings with Cooper – Premier’s leading run-scorer – run out from a brilliant piece of fielding by Zac Chaplin off a Chris O’Hara drive.
This set the tone for what was to come from Pakenham – an entire day of relentless pressure in the field.
As O’Hara fought tooth and nail just to survive, Ben Spicer was the next wicket to fall – hitting across the line and trapped in front by Chris Savage for just three. Then from 2/10, the home side fell even further after young gun Mitch Cammarano (3) was spectacularly caught by a diving Rob Elston behind the stumps off Tom Tyrrell.
But with a ball remaining in his seventh over, Savage (1/10) was forced from the field with a calf injury – adding even more drama to the showdown.
Jess Mathers joined O’Hara at the crease but was soon sent packing – without scoring – caught by Jack Anning off Lions skipper Dom Paynter. There was some conjecture as to whether or not it was a bump ball, but the damaging Demons all-rounder was still on his way at 4/14.
Over the next hour, O’Hara and Chris Bright – who was battling a painful muscle injury in his side – did everything they could just to survive. At the end of the 20th over, the Demons were fighting for dear life at 4/24 and the road back looked just brutal to navigate.
Paynter rotated through his bowlers superbly – executing a clear plan. Thom Jones, Tyrrell (3/17), Zac Chaplin, Chris Smith, and Paynter (1/23) were outstanding all day but the real star of the show with the ball for the Lions was Jason Williams. Proving at times impossible to get away, he finished with 4/36 from 20 overs and looked every bit the potential match-winner.
Bright (15) ultimately holed out to Chaplin off Williams shortly before 3pm and with the overs fast ticking away, the Demons almost looked down for the count at 5/33 after 30 overs.
Kooweerup entered the tea break at 5/53 – an almost identical total as the same stage the week before against Cardinia, but this time with just five wickets in hand.
Soon after the resumption of play, Matt Bright’s bizarre dismissal – out hit wicket for 11 to Tyrrell – seemed to put another nail in the coffin at 6/56.
New batsman Matt Davey and O’Hara – still unbeaten, and at one stage on 28 off 134 deliveries – were deep in conversation at the end of every Tyrrell and Smith over. They were giving nothing away, and the Lions’ field seemed impenetrable.
Davey (14) fell to another unbelievable piece of work in the field – this time by Paynter at slip off Williams – and at 8/93, a shattered O’Hara fell for 44 to Paynter at mid-on, again off Williams. The Demons’ ninth and tenth wicket stands only amounted to a total of 20 runs, but they proved to be the 20 most important runs of the entire season. Kooweerup’s resistance finally fell away after 72 overs – dismissed for 113. Surely it wasn’t going to be enough – not even for a side so skilled at defending such low grand final totals.
No batting line-up ever wants to face five overs before stumps, but that was the task awaiting Pakenham to close out day one. A rampant spell of opening bowling by Mathers (5/50) and John Bright (2/27) left the home side reeling and fans right around the ground stunned at the end of the day’s play – the Demons were off the canvas and the reigning Premiers, this time, were in a deep, dark hole at 4/12 – including Chris Smith to a contentious LBW decision.
By the start of day two, the complexion of this enthralling clash had already changed, and changed again.
The first half an hour of the second day was just as crucial as the last half an hour of day one. Paynter and the stricken Savage resumed and from just the second ball of the day there was a huge shout for caught behind off Savage’s bat. It was turned down but 20 minutes later Savage fell leg-before and the Lions slumped to 5/31.
Enter Jason Williams. As Paynter displayed his usual counterpunching flair before ultimately falling for 19 to a catch at point at 6/44, Williams played the steady hand. Joined by Elston, the pair put on 45 for the seventh wicket – surviving a tense stalemate and showing at times unflinching focus.
But just as the ball was back in their court, the Lions blinked. Williams (29) fell to Matt Bright at first slip off Mathers, and Sean Gramc – after belting a stand-and-deliver four over mid-wicket, was run out in bizarre circumstances.
At 8/93, but just 20 runs in arrears of Kooweerup’s total, it was all down to Elston and Tyrrell. After a series of dropped chances, the pair took the Lions into triple figures before O’Hara – brought into the attack late – snared Tyrrell leg-before.
Elston (33 not out) desperately tried to see his side home and protect young number 11 Thom Jones, but O’Hara struck once again, bowling Jones, and leaving the Lions (108) just six runs shy of a famous back-to-back premiership win.
Possibly the greatest top-flight grand final in the history of the WGCA, it’s impossible to imagine a greater contest at any level.
The words of Paynter and Pakenham president Phil Anning after the game summed up just what makes this rivalry so special – the respect between the two teams is genuine.
“When our two clubs get together, we certainly put on a hell of a show,” Paynter said.
“But there always has to be a loser and today that’s us.
“Full credit to our guys, who I thought were absolutely magnificent on Saturday. It’s just that when it came down to some of the key moments, Koowee won them.
“To see 20 wickets for barely 200 runs, it says a lot about the pressure of both sides.
“To our guys – we’ll go again next year. Our side changed a fair bit from last year and we’ve still got a long way to go to get to where we want to be – we’ve still got a lot of growth across the whole club.
“Take this today – you can’t win them all. It’s going to hurt, but at the end of the day there are a lot of worse things going on in the world so if the only thing we’ve got to deal with is losing a game of cricket, so be it. We’ll go again next year and hopefully play at a neutral venue for the third game against Kooweerup.”
With incredible grace and poise, Anning – who along with Paynter is one of the most respected figures in local sport – entered the Demons’ rooms after the game to address the winning side and its supporters.
“We’re very happy for you, but we’re disappointed – we’re upset,” the former Kooweerup coach said.
“We thought we could win it, but we just weren’t good enough on the day.
“But one thing I do know is that we’ll conduct ourselves with the humility and dignity that you displayed last year when we won the game, and I’m sure you’ll do the same in return.
“That’s what makes these two clubs the best-run clubs and two of the best clubs in this association.
“Last year it was us, this year it’s you guys. If we ever had to lose a grand final to a side, it’d be to Kooweerup because I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for everybody involved here.”
Snatching victory from the clenched jaws of defeat – it’s just what the Demons do.
