CRICKET
CLV PREMIER A
By LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET really is a funny game.
Finals cricket especially.
The two biggest local cricket powerhouses in recent seasons won’t be playing off in this season’s Cricket Latrobe Valley Premier A Grand Final.
Ex Students and Glengarry were defeated by Churchill and Morwell respectively at the weekend.
The result sets up not only a Grand Final, but a huge grudge match given players from both sides have swapped between clubs over the last few years.
Expect plenty of fireworks at Morwell’s Keegan Street Reserve this Saturday and Sunday.
“Something tells me they’ll be plenty in it,” a source close to one of the competing clubs told this author.
Morwell will be looking to cap off a strong season that saw it finish second on the home-and-away ladder.
The Tigers have won two first grade flags in the last decade: 2017/18 and 2022/23.
Somewhat fittingly, given Morwell is one of the oldest cricket clubs in Gippsland, both came in what was the last season of those respective competitions.
Central Gippsland finished after 2017/18, becoming Latrobe Valley District, which then finished after 2022/23 when Traralgon District combined to form the Cricket Latrobe Valley that exists today.
Having won premierships in the two smaller leagues, the Tigers will be aiming to assert true Latrobe Valley dominance in the expanded comp.
While Churchill certainly doesn’t have the length of history Morwell does (the town only being just over 60 years old), the Cobras won the first-ever Latrobe Valley District Premier A flag in season 2018/19.
Finals are a part of Churchill’s DNA, and it’s fair to say anything less is a real shock to the system (in footy or cricket).
In the last 10 seasons, Churchill has missed cricket finals just once, and played in five consecutive grand finals.
One part of the record however is hard to ignore – just one premiership in that time. The Cobras will therefore be desperate to make up for some lost ground.
Churchill has already well and truly proven a point though in reaching the Premier A Grand Final.
The Cobras did not take kindly to getting relegated last season, and enticed most of its past guns back to ensure its stay in A Grade was short-lived.
Churchill succeeded in that, spending just one season in the lower division, and is now into the decider of the top grade.
One disgruntled local cricket follower thought Churchill shouldn’t have been promoted because it didn’t win the premiership.
Having now made the Premier A Grand Final with the same team however, there can surely be little doubt the Cobras were bumped up on merit.
Once again, there is the beauty and also the harsh reality of finals – you can be the best team all year and not make it.
Premier A Semi Finals
Churchill 7/170 def Ex Students 10/41
IT’S not often Squid gets outdone by his namesake.
The ‘other’ Chris Williams had his moment of glory at the weekend, getting Churchill into the Premier A Grand Final.
Churchill’s most capped sportsman had arguably his crowning glory, after taking 5/12 against Ex Students.
Day 1 of the semi-final left most league pundits dumbfounded, as the Sharks were knocked over for just 41 at Terry Hunter Oval.
Ryan Ayres started the rot, taking the first three wickets to fall, before Williams took the next five.
Williams bowled Michael Stockdale first ball, and nabbed Rick Battista for a duck, before bowling league linchpin Lee Stockdale.
In scarcely believable scenes, Ex Students slumped to 6/33.
Equally astonishing, seven batsmen were bowled, and two Churchill players took five fas.
The Cobras used just three bowlers, with Ayres taking 5/10 off 15.1 overs alongside Williams.
The first innings meant just one thing as far as Churchill was concerned – bat, and bat, and keep batting.
Only 31 overs had been completed by the time the Cobras started its innings, meaning ample time for the Sharks to try and set up a reverse outright.
Churchill’s first task was winning on first innings, which it was able to do for the loss of only two wickets.
By stumps however the score was 7/122 – giving the Cobras a lead of 81.
The Sharks needed early wickets on Day 2, however Ayres and Matt Harvey batted the entire second day to see their team to safety.
Jordan Higham scored 35 on Day 1, yet it was Ayres who stood tallest with an unbeaten 93 in a total of 7/170.
He was denied a century, but was happy to shake hands with Ex Students counterpart Jimmy Pryde once it became clear no other result was achievable.
Harvey put up one of the great stonewall efforts, scoring 12 not out off 109 balls (respect).
Stockdale took 5/36 off 29 overs.
The result was perhaps a degree of levelling out for both teams. The Sharks won the 2023/24 premiership after somewhat controversially blocking out to escape with a draw in that season’s semi-final. Churchill, by the same token, was bundled out of finals after a dominant season in A Grade just on 12 months ago.
Remarkably, this will be the first season since 2012/13 not to feature Ex Students in an A Grade playoff.
Morwell 10/236 def Glengarry 10/199
GETTING close to Tiger Time.
Morwell defeated Glengarry in a thrilling Premier A semi-final.
The Tigers were asked to have a bat at the toss, and ended up doing so for more than 100 overs at Keegan Street Reserve.
The home side eventually put up 236, with the middle order all making some form of contribution, either by runs or balls faced.
Morwell’s depth was on full display, as Jordan Campbell scored 57 not out batting at seven.
The club favourite has been described as the first player one would choose for a final, and it was evident why, as he steered his team past 200.
Blake Mills also registered a half-century, while Mark Cukier made 28 earlier in the day off just 25 balls.
The Tigers were 9/222 overnight, and added a handy 14 runs on the resumption.
Importantly, Morwell kept Glengarry in the field for 107.4 overs.
Nat Freitag sent down a back-breaking 37.4 overs for figures of 5/51, while Al Jenkin bowled 40 overs of finger spin.
A high-class second day saw both teams fight tooth and nail for a spot in the big dance.
The Magpies were mighty in defeat, getting to 199 before the last wicket was taken.
The telling moment came when Freitag was bowled by Morwell off-spinner Ross Whelpdale for 18.
This left the Marks boys, Frank and Ben, to take up the slack.
Frank batted for an eternity, while Ben played an attacking hand off 70 balls as both players scored 52.
Morwell however bowled very well as a collective, and saw wickets shared among four bowlers.
Tim Ford (who registered his 1000th club run during the game) continued his sublime form, taking 4/93, while Dylan Day (2/15) and Whelpdale (2/38) chipped in.
The Magpies were bowled out in 72 overs, setting up the first Morwell versus Churchill Grand Final since season 1980/81.
A Grade Semi Finals
Rovers 10/242 def Willow Grove 10/123
ROVERS have waited a long time for this.
The boys from Duncan Cameron are just one win away from the Cricket Latrobe Valley A Grade premiership.
Rovers defeated Willow Grove by 119 runs in the semi-final at the weekend.
A suburb effort from Ewan Williams saw Rovers to a total of 242 batting first on a Mirboo North strip that had plenty of runs in it.
Conditions could not have been better for batting, with a true surface and bowling green outfield.
The Wolves’ hand was somewhat forced however, given Rovers was the higher ranked team.
As conditions were so good, there remained the chance Rovers could have blocked out on Day 2 to draw its way to the Grand Final.
Rovers openers Liam Little and Tyler Pearce combined for a 53 run opening stand, with the former making 27.
They fell either side of each other, however Rovers veteran Simon Duff steadied the ship with 32.
James Hayter scored 40, but similar to what had taken place earlier, Rovers lost two wickets back-to-back.
At 4/125 the game was delicately poised, but Williams batted with the rest of the card to take the score close to 250.
Willow Grove toiled well, and were rewarded with wickets at semi-regular intervals.
Rovers were nine down at stumps, and batted on into Day 2 to make it 96.2 overs in its innings.
Darcy Walsh took 3/48 with his leg spinners, and younger brother Logan 2/16.
Wolves veteran Peter Grima was brought into the side for the first time this season, replacing Anthony Wilkes, who had commitments with a veterans team overseas.
Thing started disastrously for Willow Grove, with a wicket falling off the very first ball of the innings.
The situation didn’t improve much from there, and when Duff took the key wicket of Luke Payton for 39, it was just about game.
Darcy Walsh added some runs with 32 off 42 and was the last man out, leaving the Wolves well short at 123.
It was perhaps fitting that Little, grandson of Rovers 200 gamer Dave, took 3/8, including the winning wicket, to send Rovers into the Grand Final.
Equally fitting, the only other Rovers 200 gamer, Duff, took 3/34.
In an interview with the Express after his 200th A Grade game in 2022, Duff said the lure of a premiership was what kept him playing.
“It would be the ultimate, that is the only thing left to do,” he said at the time.
He now has a chance to do just that.
The result put to rest a tricky week for Rovers, after it is understood some tense words were shared between club officials and captain Dougal Williams, who chose to forgo a home ground advantage at Duncan Cameron by playing at Mirboo North.
For Willow Grove, while it was a disappointing end, it should not detract from the season, nor the growth the club has had in recent times.
The Wolves decided to play A Grade only four years ago, and had six teams from across the club play finals this season. (A Grade, womens, veterans and juniors)
Raiders 10/119 def Traralgon West 10/48 & 10/36
RIDICULOUS really.
Keenan Hughes made a mockery of what a semi-final is usually like, taking 12 wickets in a single day.
The carnage saw Raiders win outright on Day 1, totally embarrassing Traralgon West in the process.
Raiders elected to bowl first on its home deck, and took just 24.3 overs to complete the job.
Hughes and Will Robertson were the only two bowlers used, and they each took five fas.
Chasing 48, the home side had no interest batting for two days, and got the runs only four down.
Tom Griffiths almost outdid the Eagles on his own, making 45.
Raiders were bowled out for 119, making for a lead of 70.
Ben Fleming took a somewhat forgotten 5/31, while Hayden Kimpton (3/42) and Alfie Peck (2/30) got among the wickets.
Just 17.3 overs is all Raiders needed to win outright, wrapping things up to ensure they got an extra day’s rest heading into the Grand Final.
Hughes turned up the heat even further, taking insane figures of 7/11.
Robertson had to make do with 2/8.
Traralgon West was bowled out for 36 second time around, completing what is surely the most tame finals exit in Gippsland cricket history.
Hughes has set a new Raiders record with an astonishing 60 wickets to his name for the season.
An interesting hypothetical: where would he bowl if he played when Raiders had Jeff, Brett and Brad Knowles all playing, along with Les Brown?
It was said Raiders’ bowling was so strong back then, they would have little trouble defending scores as low as 80.
It is set to be a big weekend at Yinnar, with Raiders in the A and B Grade grand finals.
