Tallarook climbed back to the top of the Seymour District Cricket Association A-grade pinnacle on Saturday in a commanding seven-wicket triumph over reigning premier Eastern Hill.
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The Rooks, led by a masterclass captain performance from Lachlan Watts, cruised to the grand final victory at Chittick Park in stifling hot and blustery conditions.
Watts crunched a blistering 62-run knock which handed him the player of the match medal.
But it wasn’t just the captain who excelled on the biggest stage, with a superb all-round team effort from the Rooks which helped provide the win.
On a slow pitch, which favoured Watts’ charges, Tallarook’s bowling line-up got on top of the Eagles and some elite fielding helped it restrict the minor premier to 137 from 45 overs.
Shane Topham was a standout with the ball and grabbed 2-39, while Kalon Winnell (1-16) and Ben Tarran (1-22) contributed strongly.
Eastern Hill’s Ben Bryant flew the flag for the Eagles with a top-score of 39, but his teammates struggled to convert starts into big scores.
The Eagles looked to be in control after two early wickets left Tallarook reeling at 2-30, however Watts and gun bat Kasey Duncan combined for a match-winning partnership of 88 runs.
Duncan showcased his poise at the crease with a brilliant unbeaten 35.
It was a magical day for the club with the B-grade outfit saluting in its decider by seven wickets over Pyalong.
The victories see the club cap off an extraordinary turnaround inside 12 months.
It has gone from only fielding one senior side last season to now holding the premierships for the A and B-grade competitions.
Watts said the scenes back at the club rooms on Saturday night were “special” for the players and supporters.
“It’s pretty exciting for everyone involved at the club, considering we didn’t make finals last year and didn’t field a B-grade side. To have both teams win was really special,” said.
“The B-grade game finished early and they were able to come and cheer us on towards the end, which was great to have them there. I’m rapt for the whole club, to be honest.”
Watts heaped praise on his side’s bowling and fielding exploits.
“The pitch played a bit slow, which suited us. Usually you like to win the toss but it didn’t turn out too bad,” he said.
“The boys did a really good job to restrict them with the ball and we took the chances which went our way with a couple of important run-outs.
“Kalon and Shane really bowled well and pegged them back. The bowlers made our life easier out there batting.”
But the run chase wasn’t all smooth sailing.
The Eagles’ opening quick Braydon Avola scored the first wicket of the innings when he sent Josh Rudge packing via a caught and bowled dismissal which left Tallarook 1-12.
That brought Watts out to the crease and the star number-three bat remained at the crease for a further 106 runs. By the time he departed, the result was well and truly in the bank.
“Losing a couple of early wickets makes you nervous,” Watts said.
“I was lucky to find a few out of the middle. It helps when I have confidence with the boys in the shed who were still to come in, knowing that they can get the job done, which allows me to bat a bit more freely.
“And then to have ‘Duncs’ (Duncan) out there who you know is not going to give away his wicket cheaply and he reads the state of the game well, it was nice to be out there and bat with him.”
THE GAME
Eastern Hill 6-137 (Ben Bryant 39, Brayden Speechley 19, Oliver Bryant 18, Shane Topham 2-39, Kalon Winnell 1-16) lost to Tallarook 3-138 (Lachlan Watts 62, Kasey Duncan 35 not-out, Jake Sutherland 2-37)
STAR PLAYER
Lachlan Watts (Tallarook)
Watts said he hoped Tallarook could use the momentum of the weekend to push the club into a new, successful era.
“I think maybe we underachieved last season and we were desperate to make amends. Hopefully we can keep it going now,” he said.
“To win two flags and get juniors up was awesome for the club and I’m rapt with the progress we’ve made and it’s a credit to all of the volunteers and people involved.”
In B-grade, Tallarook gun bowler Madison Albers spearheaded her side to a dominant win over Pyalong.
Albers chalked up impressive figures of 4-20 which saw Pyalong bowled out for 102 runs, while Stephen Korosec chipped in with 3-20.
Tallarook started slowly with the bat, but chipped away and eventually went on to win in comfortable fashion with captain Luke Marshall not out on 38 and Korosec unbeaten on 34.
In the C-grade decider, Yea recorded a convincing seven-wicket victory over Eastern Hill.
Chasing the Eagles’ total of 7-108, Yea cruised home thanks to a sublime half-century from Michael Waghorn.
The Tigers’ opening bat chalked up a scintillating unbeaten 64-run knock as Yea reached the target inside 26 overs.
Teammate Paul Hildebrand was phenomenal with the ball and finished with incredible figures of 3-3 from six overs.
Sports Editor