Senior grand finalists locked in, juniors claim glory as SDCA season nears finale
Seniors
Seymour Club A Grade
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Tallarook 3-99 (J Rudge 30no, M Archibald 27no, J Leary 2-24) def Alexandra 94 (V Hewage 18, W Ashton 15, K Winnell 4-21, L Watts 3-14)
Tallarook will play in its fourth consecutive grand final, chasing a fourth consecutive premiership, following a convincing win over Alexandra at home.
Batting first, Alexandra was halted early by a strong spell of fast bowling from Blake Munari-O’Dwyer who finished with 2-7 off six overs.
From 3-17, Vinu Hewage (18) and Will Ashton (15), combined for a 44-run partnership, before Hewage was dismissed and wickets fell at regular intervals.
The spin twins of Kal Winnell with 4-21 and Lachlan Watts with 3-14 did the damage for Tallarook, ensuring only a small run chase was on the cards.
Tallarook wobbled early as Josh Crane picked up an early wicket, followed closely by Justin Leary dismissing both Leigh Irving and Lachlan Watts.
From there Matt Archibald (27no) combined with Josh Rudge (30no) to steady the ship and get Tallarook over the line without the loss of any further wickets.
Seymour 9-168 (B Gordon 30, C Evans 26, W Dalton 2-19, M Steiner 2-20) def Yea 110 (T White 20, B Hardinge 19, H Smith 2-7, L Drummond 2-11)
Seymour has booked its spot in the A Grade grand final for the first time in more than 15 years.
Batting first, it was an all round team performance for the Maroons, as several players chipped in with important contributions.
Up top Jason Brown (17), Hugh Smith (16) and Cameron Evans (26) played solid knocks, before Brett Gordon contributed a rapid fire and critical knock of 30 off 36 balls late in the innings.
With the ball, Will Dalton, Dylan Thompson and Marc Steiner all picked up two wickets each as Seymour finished with a strong score of 168.
Dan Bergowicz claimed a couple of early wickets and while Thomas White and Biron Hardinge did their best to get some momentum in the batting innings, the loss of regular wickets made Yea’s chase incredibly difficult.
Cameron Evans took the big wicket of Cam Armstrong and Yea was bowled out for 110, falling 58 runs short. Much like the batting, it was an even performance with the ball for Seymour as Dan Bergowicz, Lachlan Drummond, Cameron Evans and Hugh Smith all took two wickets each.
Atmos Renewables B Grade
Puckapunyal 109 (D Grundell 23, S Chisholm 15, R Kuttikadan 4-12, L Crane 3-9) def by Alexandra 5-114 (A Wood 29, M Mawson 24, J Nipperess 2-18, C Fing 2-25)
Tallarook 133 (D McCullough 28, T Caddie 5-40, P Reynolds 2-17) def by Pyalong 7-162 (D Sowden 90no, M Leahy 20, A Winnell 2-12, B O’Donnell 2-33)
Juniors
GMCU Under 16s Grand Final
Seymour 0-60 (H Melville 34no, H Smith 14no) def Avenel 59 (T Byers 27, C Brown 10, K Sison 5-10, H Smith 2-7)
Seymour finished up a dominant season in the under-16s with a thumping 10-wicket win in the grand final.
Batting first, Tom Byers (27) and Conrad Brown (10) did their best to provide a platform for Avenel but crumbled from 2-44 to be all out for 59, largely thanks to a fantastic spell of bowling from man of the match Kharl Sison, who claimed 5-10. Harvey Smith was the other bowler to take multiple wickets with 2-7.
Seymour cruised to Avenel’s target for the loss of no wickets as Hamish Melville (34no) and Harvey Smith (14no) guided the Maroons to the premiership.
Under 13s Grand Final
Tallarook 3-167 (B Inness 37no, B Winnell 25no) def Alexandra 78 (C Broadway 17, N Webb 14, H Edwards 3-6, B Winnell 2-7)
Tallarook has completed a second undefeated season in the under-13s, claiming the premiership by 89 runs.
Sent in to bat, Tallarook did not lose a wicket until reaching 116. Charlie Clarke (13), Campbell Smith (19), Blake Winnell (25), Oscar Hall (23) were all retired not out.
However the standout performer with the bat and man of the match was Brock Inness who finished 37 not out off 35, in an innings that included five boundaries, leading Tallarook to 3-167 off 25.
In reply, Alexandra lost a wicket in the first over courtesy of Blake Winnell, with only Nathan Webb (14), Charlie Broadway (17) and Zander Williamson (12no), reaching double figures for Alexandra.
Harry Edwards did most of the damage with the ball to finish with 3-6, while Blake Winnell picked up 2-7.
Senior Grand Finals
A Grade - 12:30pm Saturday, March 21
Tallarook v Seymour at Tallarook
B Grade - 12:30pm Saturday, March 21
Alexandra v Pyalong at Alexandra