By David Nagel
Beautiful sunny weather provided the perfect backdrop for grand final day in the WGCA on Saturday.
It was also a perfect day for the home teams, with all five of the higher-ranked grand final participants taking home premiership glory.
Here’s a closer look at the Minor Grade grand finals and how they all played out.
B GRADE
It has been the best team in B Grade all season and Devon Meadows (3/103) has proved that point beyond doubt with a seven-wicket win over Tooradin (8/101) at Glover Reserve on Saturday.
The Panthers went into the grand final as hot-favourites, against a Seagulls’ side that had finished fourth and done a remarkable job just to make it through to the big dance.
The Seagulls needed everything to go right but, after being sent in by the Panthers, were on the back foot from the start.
The cornerstone of the Seagulls’ batting this season has been Peter Stone (4), and when he was trapped in front by Arthur Churchill (1/27), the Gulls were immediately on the back foot.
Cooper Shipp (17), Ben Proctor (24) and Adam Jacobs (24 not out) tried hard to make a resurgence, but the Panthers were simply too good with the ball.
Callum Cavanagh (4/15) sent shockwaves through the Gulls, while skipper Mick Floyd (2/15) played a decisive role in the biggest game of the season.
With 101 on the board, the Seagulls needed to strike early, but when Will Halton (30) and Billy Loudon (21) weathered the early storm the destination of the premiership was beyond doubt.
Churchill (27 not out) and Nathan Kleinig (11 not out) had the rare pleasure of being in the middle when the winning runs were struck.
Luke Townsend (3/18) was magnificent for the Seagulls…but glory goes to the Panthers!
C GRADE
Upper Beaconsfield (7/173) is the king of C Grade cricket after the Maroons survived a great battle against Merinda Park (6/167) at Upper Beaconsfield on Saturday.
The Maroons well and truly proved they were the best team in it, having defeated the Cobras for the second time in two weeks.
The Maroons won the toss and elected to have a hit.
Josh Westra (20) and Marcus Gehling (24) got the home side off to a solid start, crucial in grand final cricket.
The Cobras fought back through the efforts of Brenton Huyskens (2/20) and Marty Donaldson (2/24) and would have been well pleased with their efforts when the Maroons lost 4/26 to slip to 4/72.
But match-defining knocks from Sam Wellwood (52 not out) and Mitchell Summers (21) saw the Maroons post a more than competitive score.
The second half of the contest was a cracker, with the Cobras keeping wickets, but the Maroons doing a good job to stifle the run rate.
In the end it was the bowling that paid dividends, with Beau Watson (2/24) and Josh Trembath (2/23) bowling their team to the premiership.
Glen Ward (40) was best for the Cobras, while Donaldson (31 not out) was left too much to do late. Chris (24) and Leigh Smith (24) were bogged down early against some tight bowling.
D GRADE
Tooradin (1/110) has transformed its utter dominance of WGCA D Grade into premiership glory with a crushing nine-wicket win over Devon Meadows (107) at Rutter Park on Saturday.
The Seagulls’ bowling attack was irresistibly good on the big stage, taking wickets at regular intervals to keep the Panthers under pressure.
The star of the show for the Gulls was Shaun Tongue (4/16), while Jeremy Bodley (3/24) and Brock Goldberg (2/13 off 8) also had a huge impact on the end result.
Skipper Luke martin (26) and Ethan Wood (21) looked dangerous at times for the Panthers, but the Gulls’ bowlers always had the upper hand.
Chasing 107, with a powerful batting line up to call on, the Seagulls thoroughly enjoyed a pressure-free run-chase and a simple amble to victory.
Skipper Kane Latham (55) smashed through the 500-run barrier, making it 548 for the season with a brilliant half-century…laced with eight boundaries.
Shannon Warn (32 not out) shared an 87-run opening stand with his captain, before Latham departed just 21 runs short of victory.
Tongue, after his four-wicket haul, then had the pleasure of being in the middle for the winning runs.
This is a wonderful premiership for Tooradin, while the Panthers should also be congratulated for making the grand final from third place on the ladder.
E GRADE
Pakenham (5/187) captain Troy Wilson (54 not out) is celebrating his first-ever premiership success after his fine half-century led his Lions to a dominant 125-run win over Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll (62) at Toomuc Reserve.
Wilson has been a classy contributor across numerous sports across his career, but has suffered the pain of many losing grand finals.
But there were no nightmares this time around, with Daniel Williams (31)) and Mick McLaren (35) backing up their skipper to make sure the Marygoons were going to have to bat very well to succeed after tea.
But, after Brandon Interlandi (17), Russ Perry (11) and Greg Interlandi (12) had put up an early fight, the Marygoons capitulated losing their last nine wickets for just 20 runs.
The Lions were never in danger of defeat, with Zac Downes (4/13 off 8) bowling a super-impressive spell, while veteran performer Terry Smith (3/11 off 8) bowled with his usual deadly accuracy.
The Lions were the only team in the WGCA to not lose a game this season, either in home and away or finals cricket.
They were totally dominant and thoroughly deserving of this premiership.
Wilson, who was named man-of-the-match, got to share his joy with son, and teammate, Luke.
F GRADE
It’s home-ground at Gunton Oval turned into a field of dreams for the Cardinia (2/57) F Grade team on Saturday after the Bulls made a one-act affair of its grand final against Pakenham (53).
The visiting Lions won the toss and elected to bat first, but that’s where the good news would end.
The Lions’ top-order was decimated, 4/8 at one stage, as Chris Remy (2/7) and Ray Perkins (2/13) went to work.
Adam Roseby (11) played a brief cameo for the Lions, but Ash Smith (3/8) had seen enough and zoomed in on fishing off the job.
The Lions were bowled out for 53…in the 31st over.
The remainder of the game turned into a cakewalk, with Remy (29 not out) hitting two fours and a six, to take his season tally to 567 runs, while the Lions fell apart even further…conceding 18 runs to the extras column.
Les Jones (1/10) who was celebrating his 60th birthday on Saturday, was the only Lion to make an inroad.
Well done Cardinia…well deserved champions of F Grade!
