By Nick Creely
It’s the year of the Magpie.
Narre Warren has clinched the DDCA Turf 2 premiership, producing an outstanding grand final performance to cap off a truly memorable season of cricket.
Ruthless, daring and scattered with star power, the Magpies have been the benchmark for the majority of the season, and will now prepare to return to the top-tier of the association next season for the first time since 2017/18.
It’s opponents, Dandenong West, were always going to provide a stern challenge at Carroll Reserve on Saturday.
But like all quality sides do, an early statement from one of its gun quicks was the catalyst.
Josh Dinger – who has been a colossal this season with 33 wickets at an average a tick under 10 – was immense, applying maximum pressure to the top-order.
In a stunning new-ball burst, the Westers soon found themselves 4/30 with Dinger claiming all four scalps to put the opposition under the pump straight away.
The Westers were never just going to lie down and found some fight through the middle order, but Dinger’s class shone above, snaring 6/21 from 9.2 overs to bundle out the opposition for just 92.
Kasun Balasuriya was also virtually unplayable, bowling four maidens from his seven overs to take 1/7.
In grand finals – as it so often plays out – 92 was a tricky chase. The pressure of being so close to the finish line has brought down plenty of teams in the past.
But as has been the case during the Maggies’ golden season, Ben Swift (34) and Zach Allen (17) raced out of the blocks to immediately put his side in pole position, but a bit fight saw the Westers peg a few wickets back.
It meant little in the end as the Magpies ran away with a six-wicket win and a memorable premiership, with Cam Dinger cooly guiding his team home with 26 not out.
The Magpies also capped off the day with its second XI winning the Turf 2 Reserves premiership against Cranbourne at Narre Warren North Reserve.
Narre Warren coach Brett Lewis told Star News Group that the premiership glory was the culmination of months of hard work, from the first XI down to the grades, it’s been a collective effort.
“We have some really good young talent at the club – our thirds finished on top of the ladder as well but just had a shocking day in the semis, so it was a bit disappointing for them, but the depth and hard work they’ve put in has been great,” he said.
“We had a goal at the start of the year to make sure each player improved, and the group adapted really well to the changes made by Tony Young and myself, so it was fantastic.”
Lewis said that the 2020/21 season has been ‘tough’ after coming into the club as coach this season and with the constant uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that the group rose to the challenges and became stronger and more unified as the year wore on.
“It was challenging to say the least – there was a lot of mental work that went into the season, but it was just about the psychological side of the game and getting each player to play a role,” he said.
“Everyone has put in such hard work – attendance wise, we would have 40 to 50 players at training at any one time, and that happened all the way through.
“Even blokes who weren’t in contention to play finals were still showing up, giving throwdowns and helping out in whatever way they could.
“Having no pre-season and hitting the ground running was quite tough, and we just had to keep pushing them along throughout the season.
Lewis said that the tone was set with an outstanding fielding and bowling display.
“Our fielding was first class on Saturday, the boys were just up and about and hunting in the field,” he said.
“The communication between our captain Brandon Tyzzer, Cam Dinger and Zach Allen was just great, they were really rational with their ideas and the bowlers executed well.”
Josh Dinger was the star of the show, with Lewis providing an insight into the exciting quick.
“He was outstanding on the weekend,” he said.
“I’ve known Josh and the family for a lot of years, and I was keen to get him down at the start of the season, and we were lucky enough to get Cam (too).
“I promised Josh when I returned from Premier Cricket that we would have a season together again, we could sort his action out properly, and he’s really taken everything on board.
“I only have to tell him something once, and he adapts, works hard and makes changes – he was terrific on the weekend.”
Six wickets in a grand final is a special feat, more so considering it was a one-day game, and Lewis said that his spearhead was immense, but believes he can go to the next level.
“He bowled fast, very fast, he bowls a heavy ball – he’s very much a shoulder bowler and coming into that St Mary’s deck, it was nice and hard with a bit of grass on it, and being a shoulder bowler, his shorter ball was very quick,” he said.
“For him, it’s been about his mindset and how to set up a batter – three out of his four wickets came from the bouncer, he used it sparingly, but used it well.
“His execution was good, but we’ve got a bit of work to do still.”
With the Magpies to now return to the top-tier of the association, Lewis said that while the club will enjoy its premiership success, it wants to make an instant impact next season.
“With the cricket talent down there, guys like Ben Swift, Zach Allen, Cam and Josh Dinger, we’re focused on getting back to Turf 1,” he said.
“It’ll be challenging, but we’ve got the cattle to be competitive – I believe we’ve still got 20 per cent improvement in this group even without bringing anyone else in.
“Just getting to Turf 1 helps attract good players at that level – the DDCA is a very strong competition in Victoria, but I just want to challenge our players to be the best they can be.
“A premiership helps, but we want to make inroads into next year – we’re not just there to make up the numbers.”
