By Russell Bennett
The WGCA’s Twenty20 Kookaburra Cup has been dominated by the ‘big four’ of Kooweerup, Cardinia, Tooradin and Pakenham since its inception but on Sunday at Toomuc Reserve Upper Beaconsfield broke through to defeat two of those and show the real potential that lies within.
Facing the nightmare draw of Tooradin in the semi-final on the front ground before a potential matchup with Cardinia on the Premier ground if they were to win through, the Maroons remained undaunted.
Instead, they let their abilities shine and showed real creative flair with both bat and ball.
Tooradin batted first on the front ground and, unsurprisingly, led by a Tom Hussey half-century (66) amassed 9/150 from their 20 overs.
But some impressive bowling from skipper Bathiya Perera (2/18) and young spinner Harry Sharlassian (2/24) played a key role in keeping the Gulls to a reachable total.
Then, in Upper Beaconsfield’s top and middle orders during their chase, they showed they meant business – attacking whenever possible and constantly looking for gaps.
Perera was part of a 52-run opening stand with Zenith Wickramanayaka before Kulith Rabel (29 not out) and Julian Bayard (28) were instrumental in securing the Maroons’ berth in the final with seven balls to spare. Russell Lehman (3/27) threatened to blow the game open with a pair of LBWs to remove marquee man Kaushalya Weeraratne (from HSD) and Jonathon Caderamanpulle, but the Maroons steadied.
In the other semi-final, meanwhile, Lang Lang (113) was simply no match for Cardinia’s (1/114) rampaging top order.
Batting first in the decider against the Bulls, the Maroons continued right where they left off with the willow – reaching 5/151 thanks to a string of contributions from the likes of Perera (20), Caderamanpulle (36), and Bayard (24).
Twenty20 is such a game of momentum, and Cardinia wasn’t able to muster any in its response – rolled for 104 with Perera taking 4/15 from his four overs in a man-of-the-match performance and Will Haines snaring 3/11.
In the wake of the clash, Bayard was particularly honest about what the Cup win means for his club.
“I honestly can’t remember how many times I’ve gone to that semi-final weekend – we’ve left after we’ve either lost the semi-final or lost the grand final,” he said. “We’ve been there a number of times and haven’t been able to get the chocolates, and we’ve had some pretty close losses along the journey so to finally be able to win it was a tremendous result for the club and hopefully we can use that as a springboard for the rest of the club going towards the back half of the season.”
Fittingly, the win came against the same Cardinia side the Maroons are battling against to secure a Premier finals berth.
“We have to overtake them in the last couple of rounds so it gives us confidence that we can beat sides in the top four when we play our best cricket,” Bayard said, adding that Sunday’s result proved the Maroons have the talent to match it with any side. It’s just about putting it together when it matters most.
“That’s what Bath has been pushing and trying to instil in us – you can’t just leave it up to one or two blokes to get the job done,” Bayard said.
“If you want to be competitive with the best sides, you have to step up when it’s your time to go.”
Finally, Bayard praised Perera, not only for his stellar play, but he’s outstanding leadership – empowering the likes of Haines and Sharlassian in the big moments.
“He’s brought us all together,” Bayard said.
“It’s no secret that we’ve got a mixture of blokes who’ve been around the club for a number of years, and blokes who’ve come to the club from different backgrounds in the past couple of years. People would think there’s probably a segregation, but we’re all really good mates.”
Particular recognition from Sunday must also go to the Pakenham Cricket Club and its tireless volunteers for once again hosting the event over its two main grounds.
UPPER BEACONSFIELD’S T20 CHAMPIONS
Bathiya Perera (capt)
Julian Bayard
Will Haines
Kyle Gibbs
Kulith Rabel
Harry Sharlassian
Kaushalya Weeraratne
Zenith Wickramanayaka
Imesh Jayasekara
Jonathon Caderamanpulle
Marcus Gehling
Sam Curtain
