A Mark Murphy century and five-wicket haul from veteran bowler Jason Greer has delivered Brierly-Christ Church a long-awaited piece of silverware.
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Second-year captain Murphy made 101 in a man-of-the-match performance to help the Bulls to a 23-run Warrnambool and District Cricket Association twenty20 grand final win over Woodford at Davidson Oval on Sunday.
The victory, which booked the Bulls' spot in the regional-based Sungold Cup, had added significance for the Murphy clan which has been waiting at least a decade for a division one premiership flag.
Murphy's brother Nathan, himself a former club skipper, played in the win, while grandmother Beryl and dad Michael were on hand to watch the victory.
"They've been around the club for a very long time and you've also got (club members) Dale Mitchell and Dave Ryan who have been around the club forever and we share this moment as much with them as we do with the players,” he said.
Murphy joked his nanna and brother would star at the Bulls' celebrations.
"I am a bit worried about her with the state she'll be in later tonight," he said post-game. "Her and my brother Nathan might have a contest to see who might fall off the chair first."
Murphy, who spent time at East Warrnambool-YCW, said he was thrilled to make a statement in an important game. He scored the bulk of the Bulls' 136 runs.
"That was my first (ton) for Brierly and I've copped it enough for never making one for Brierly so it was a good time to do it," he said.
"I am just happy with the whole team performance, Jason Greer taking five wickets played a massive part.
“We pride ourselves on being one of the best fielding sides in the comp and Campbell Love's run out was a great one-handed pick up and and Tyler Mungean's from the boundary was a direct hit.
"It's just those things that go your way in the final and thankfully it was our way today."
Brierly-Christ Church has played in the one-day and twenty20 finals this season.
Next on the agenda is the coveted two-day decider.
"It's great for the club. We've all been heading in the right direction the last five years and we've got the right people on the committee," Murphy said of their T20 flag.
"It's been progress-building the last few years and we got the reward for it today."
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