Redemption at last

Darren O’Brien (44) top scored for Devon Meadows as they claimed the WGCA District Premiership. 178831 Pictures: ROB CAREW

By Hayley Wildes and Nick Creely

WGCA DISTRICT AND SUB-DISTRICT
GRAND FINAL REVIEWS
2018 was going to be different.
There is no doubt that Devon Meadows was determined to make amends for what captain Ash Adams admitted was a choke in last year’s WGCA District Grand Final.
After dominating all season, the Panthers fell to Clyde in the 2017 Grand Final – unable to make inroads with the bat.
They were never meant to lose that game, but with that added fire in the belly, Devon Meadows came to play against Carlisle Park over the weekend.
Carlisle Park won the toss and elected to bat in hot conditions at Glover Recreation Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
A devastating opening spell from Matthew Hutchinson (4/41) saw his Panthers gain the ascendancy early. Hutchinson took the wickets of both Vikings’ openers – Ammar Bajwa (0) and David Nutting (4) – and had the visitors reeling at 2/6.
Travis Canavan (7) took some pressure off as he faced 44 balls and Jason Hameeteman (39) batted brilliantly in a composed innings before Scott Clark (1/20) struck through to claim the key wicket.
Hutchinson’s bowling was ruthless, keeping the pressure on with a consistent line and length. The left-armer claimed the wickets of Mark Henry (28) and Heath Straughair (11) to have the Vikings struggling at 8/108.
Adams proved troublesome for the Vikings’ middle and lower order batsmen, taking 3/39 in 19 overs.
A key tenth-wicket partnership between Tanay Katarey (28) and James Gilbert (5) frustrated the Panthers as they put on a handy 34 runs to see the Vikings post a total of 149.
After dismissing the Vikings, the Panthers’ batsmen had to endure a tough 15 over period to finish day one.
Chasing 150 runs to claim the Premiership, Devon Meadows opener Lucas Carroll (4) was dismissed in the second over of the innings, bowled by Michael Sinclair (2/33).
Next to fall was fellow opener Kyle Salerno (10), after being trapped in front of his stumps by Straughair (2/49). Nathan Worstelling (6) also struggled with the fire that the Vikings were sending down the pitch.
Day one concluded with the Panthers in an unconvincing position of 3/39 – still needing 111 runs with seven wickets in hand on day two.
Day two kicked off with wind wreaking havoc; blowing bails off stumps and hats off heads.
Despite the windy conditions, Darren O’Brien (44) and Jason Dodd (28) were composed and worked in tandem to ensure the Panthers’ innings got back on track. The Vikings had their chances, but dropped catches will haunt the team as they were unable to take their opportunities in the field.
O’Brien and Dodd put on a crucial 60-run partnership before Dodd was caught off the bowling of Katarey (1/7).
O’Brien continued on his way, dispatching anything that was in his hitting zone. He was eventually dismissed, caught behind by Nutting off the bowling of Sinclair (2/33).
At 5/104, Scott Clark (40) waltzed to the middle and hit a four to get off the mark.
It was a sign of things to come.
On the next delivery, he struck another four as he immediately stamped his authority on the contest.
Devon Meadows headed into the tea break at 5/112, needing just 38 runs to complete redemption.
Clark was in no mood to take things slowly as he put on a batting masterclass. The 60th over, 1-6-4-6-.-., saw Clark smash Straughair all over the park and put the result beyond doubt.
He hit another three boundaries in the next over, before Brad Miles (10) hit the winning runs with a four.
It was party time for Devon Meadows as they claimed the five-wicket victory over Carlisle Park.
Hutchinson (4/41) was named Man of the Match for his efforts in setting up the victory with a brutal bowling display on day one.
“Hutchy was awesome,” Captain Ash Adams said.
“He didn’t perform too well last year in the Grand Final and then this year he just brought his game and he’s too good for this standard of cricket.”
Adams was thrilled with his team’s effort and was proud to be a part of success at Devon Meadows.
“It’s huge for the club because of the pressure we had, after obviously choking last year in the final. To get the club up – who’ve been starved of success – is a really good thing.” Adams said.
In regards to Clark’s match-winning and highly entertaining 40 – which saw him garner runs strictly via boundaries (seven fours and two sixes) – Adams wanted him to be aggressive and get the win as quickly as possible.
“It was really good. At tea, I just told him to bat for 10-15 balls and then just get it done so we could hurry up and win.” Adams said.
He also implored his team to stick together next season as the Panthers move up to the WGCA Premier Division.
In the Sub-District Division grand final down at E Gunton Oval, it was the year of the Bull, with Cardinia recovering from a potentially disastrous start to claim a piece of treasured silverware.
After skipper Ryan Little elected to win the toss and bat on Saturday, his side suffered a dramatic collapse after Rod Berry picked up openers Brady Boswell (6) and Brad Remy (20) to have the Bulls 2/34 and in need of some stability.
Josh Grogan and Little fell shortly after, and after Jack Melbourne (3/62) feasted on the middle order, the home side were in dire straits at 7/69, in desperate need for a partnership to give its bowlers something to work with.
Enter Dan Salvato (81); who played a sublime knock, and combined with Luke Merrett (54), were able to salvage the wreckage and compile 100 runs in a match defining partnership that featured some class and dare.
The Bulls; now with the momentum completely shifted; ended on 204 off 71 overs, an extremely competitive total considering the position they were in when Daniel Boyle (10) was removed with the score not even nearing 100.
That momentum drawn from Salvato’s eventual match winning performance translated beautifully into day two of their clash, with the Lions unable to handle the pressure supplied by a fired up bowling group led by Josh Browne (2/47), Kyle Ashton (3/33), Little (1/18) and Trent Wheller (2/29).
Despite resistance by Nic Close (50); who fought tooth and nail to bring the Lions back to life; the visitors were dismissed for 133 in just 66.1 overs of brilliant pressure by the Bulls.
It’s been a stunning rise for the Bulls, who weren’t in finals calculations at one stage of the year, into a champion side set to take on its next challenge in District next season.