After five months of hard work, tough competitive competition and long days in the sweltering heat, finals have finally arrived for the cricketers at Mt Evelyn Cricket Club. With four senior teams featuring in the business end of the season, the energy and enthusiasm around the club has lifted with anticipation.
The Community Bank – Mt Evelyn 1st XI travelled to Seville for another instalment in their intense rivalry, this time under the do-or-die spotlight of an Elimination Final. The visitors won the toss and took the opportunity to set the scene, and the score, and batted first. The early exchanges between the opening batsmen and bowlers were tight, with neither looking to give their opponents the vital early advantage. Mt Evelyn openers Adam Smith and Jesse Fraser gave the Mounters the solid start they were after, added 47 runs to the scoreboard and saw off the opening bowlers, but as the bowling changed, so did their fortunes. In the space of three balls, the opening pair were dismissed and the game swung back to level pegging. Jake Blackwell and Daniel Giblin would then combine for a steadying partnership and regain control of their innings. Blackwell would be the mainstay of what would turn out to be a match-winning innings. A series of handy partnerships would continue to keep the scoreboard ticking over, keeping wickets intact and tiring a disciplined Burras bowling attack in the process. Whilst his partners couldn’t quite capitalise on some promising starts, Blackwell would go on to score a memorable century. Blackwell would construct the perfect innings, cautious early before building momentum as his innings progressed. Blackwell would finally fall for 110 looking to ramp up the scoring rate, but his efforts had opened the door for a blistering finish for his teammates. Daniel Fraser (50 not out) and Mike Mawson (44 off 23 balls, featuring 3 fours and 4 sixes) would oblige and the pair would blast the visitors beyond 300. 7/311 was a terrific total, a great time for the Mounters to find form with the bat. From the outset, the total would prove to be a tough task for the Burras, especially as the Mt Evelyn bowlers would hit the mark taking early wickets and keeping the scoring in check. Seville would have a string of useful, fighting innings through the middle overs to give the hosts a sniff of victory should they be good enough after the tea interval. However, when the time came to crack to whip, and ramp up the scoring rate, the Burras found the task too great, and the Mounters would capitalise. The hosts would see out their allotted overs, but the scoring dried up and when stumps were drawn, Seville would fall 103 runs short of victory finishing on 8/208. Blackwell would cap off a memorable weekend by taking 3/50 off an extended stint at the bowling crease, whilst tearaway Bohdie Jones would prove too quick for the batsmen taking 3/18. The Mounters now have a Preliminary Final date with Warrandyte, a team that has been dominant for the entire season, except for failing in their first final. The Bloods will be a formidable foe and it will take the Mounters’ best to surpass them, however, the 1st XI have been building over the final rounds of the season to be hitting their straps at the right time of the season.
The Professionals Outer East 2nd XI have had an up-and-down season recording some memorable wins and some tough losses. Consistency has proven to be a challenge with an ever-changing lineup. The team would travel to Heathwood for their semi-final against a team that they had had some success against during the season. The hosts would win the toss, and elect to bat in glorious conditions. The innings would be would be a classic two-day arm wrestle. Scoring would prove tough for the Lions, however, they would not give away their wickets lightly and the bowlers would have to toil hard for any success. A final score of 9/224 would be testament to the fortitude of the batsmen, whilst no batsmen scoring a half-century would show that the bowlers wouldn’t give an inch in their efforts to contain their opponents. Kynan Yates (4/66) and Luke Shepherd (3/54) would be the key wicket-takers, whilst Will Macklin would prove miserly in his return from injury taking 1/38 off 20 tight overs. After day one, both teams would be pleased with their position in the contest. ‘Runs on the board’ has been the catch cry of cricketers for decades, and this proved to be the case in this contest as the Mounters failed to muster any resistance or partnerships of significance. A combination of tight bowling and poor decision-making from the batsmen consigned the visitors to a disappointing loss being bowled out for 98. A performance that belied their improvement, desire and fight throughout the season will leave a bitter taste for the 2nd XI across the winter months. A missed opportunity.
The Hop Hen Brewing 4th XI had the task ahead of them up against a formidable foe in Ainslie Park in their Semi-Final. Taking the opportunity to bat first, the Mounters would be immediately put under pressure through early wickets. Cambell Finch would do his best to keep the Mounters afloat early, but regular wickets would prove difficult to overcome. Captain Chris Doyle (44 not out) would do his best to keep his team in the contest, and some key partnerships with Caleb Doyle, then Mason Jones would give the visitors a chance as they would bat out their overs to score 8/148. Ainslie Park have built their success around an experienced lineup, and despite giving their all with the ball, the Mounters couldn’t break down the cool and calm approach of the Parkers batsmen. The home team would have little to worry about in the chase and would cruise to victory and a place in the Grand Final. Although disappointed with the final result, the 4th XI have uncovered some genuinely talented youngsters, and with another preseason, and a winter of growth, these juniors will find themselves in the higher grades striving for higher honours.
The Lilydale Tyres 5th XI would have the heart-stopper of the weekend as they took on Templeton at Gary Martin Oval. The 5th XI have quietly gone about their business this season, occupying a spot in the top two on the ladder for the entire season. They have faltered in recent weeks with losses against Kilsyth, and a final-round loss against their opponents in the final round. This would give the Taipans an air of confidence going into the game. As would be the case for most finals over the weekend, the winner of the toss, Templeton in this case, would be quick to bat first. Despite some strong resistance from Andrew Hathaway, the Mounters would assert their dominance with the ball as the visitors would fall to 5/69 to have the contest well within their grasp. Arjun Arun Nair would join Hathaway at the wicket and the pair would turn the contest with an initially cautious approach that would flourish as the innings progressed. Hathaway would retire for a well-made half-century, whilst Nair would add some scoring oomph with a run-a-ball innings of 42. Eventually, the innings would be closed on 9/164, a more than competitive total. Ben Dunstone would continue his wicket-taking ways with 4/28, whilst Mark Kuhne’s two early strikes would get the Mounters off to an ideal start. The chase would be a classic one. Like the visitors, Mt Evelyn would find themselves in a desperate position early as they fell to 6/70 to be on the precipice of a devastating end to a promising season. Like their opponents, the Mounters would find a face-saving innings courtesy of the experienced pairing of Mark Kuhne and Craig Steele. With the game slipping from their grasp, Kuhne found the accelerator to his innings and after a painfully slow start, he would blast a series of match-defining boundaries, whilst Steele would show all his skill to compliment Kuhne’s strokeplay. Both would fall within sight of victory to give this contest one last twist that would take the game to a final gripping overs. Needing 17 off the last two overs, it was anyone’s game, if anything you would’ve given the Taipans a slight advantage. Jonah Langenbacher and Paul Flavel would hold their nerves to lead their team to a heart-stopping victory. Well deserved considering their standing throughout the season. The 5th XI will now face Montrose in next week’s Grand Final after the Wolves upset a rampant Kilsyth lineup. As with all finals contests, this promises to be a classic as both teams have the firepower to take their team to victory.
