RUSSELLS Creek produced a stunning effort in the field to claim a hat-trick of Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA) under 17 premierships yesterday.
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The undefeated Creek completed their perfect season with a 77-run victory, dismissing Nestles Maroon for just 47 at Warrnambool’s Reid Oval.
Coach Andrew Thomson was delighted with his side’s performance after making 7-124 on a pitch offering variable bounce and sideways movement.
His bowlers, led by opening pacemen Glenn Moore and Brad Hunt, were miserly as they struck early, reducing Nestles to 3-7.
Only Nestles’ top scorer Max Hannah (16) and Matt Dennis could forge a partnership. But when Hannah was dismissed with the score at 4-30, it sparked another collapse, with Dennis run out by Sam Younghusband and dangerman Jake Hetherington trapped leg before wicket first ball by Liam Boyle. At 6-30, Creek was well on the way to victory.
“It was the best fielding exhibition I’ve seen by a junior side by that far it wasn’t funny,” Thomson said.
“There were four run outs.
“I’ve been involved with kids cricket for the last five years and I’ve never seen a more clinical bowling performance and their fielding was exceptional.
“To manufacture four run outs . . . they were enormous.”
Thomson coached the first of the three under 17 grand final successes before Matt Ansell guided last season’s successful side.
Yesterday’s joint captains Liam Brown and Jack Ansell were the only players to have been part of all three premierships.
Thomson said Creek’s bowlers shared the wickets, with player of the match Moore impressive with 1-10 off six overs, the same figures as his opening partner Hunt.
Moore, a year 11 student at Warrnambool College, was excited to play in his first premiership.
“We had two sides last year. I was in the other one,” he said.
He said he expected a tight contest and was surprised to pick up the player of the match award.
“It means a lot. There was a lot of good players. It was a tight contest for it,” he said.
Moore, who was promoted to division one last game, is in rich form. Bowling in his second division one match on Saturday he picked up 3-17, giving him figures of 9-41 at an average of 4.56 in three innings.
Creek’s effort with the bat was pivotal. Openers Charlie Locke (31) and Liam Antonio (20) put on 57 for the first wicket in 23 overs.
“They put a value on their wicket. It was incredibly difficult to score runs. It would be understating it to call the outfield extremely lush,” Thomson said.
“I thought 124 was as good as 170 or 180, so 124 was very defendable.”
He said Nestles’ off-spinner Bailey Jenkinson was the Factory’s best bowler with 2-15 off five overs, while his batsmen showed respect for Nestles’ most likely bowlers Hannah (1-19 off seven) and Tom Smith (1-18 off nine).