WARRNAMBOOL and District Cricket Association is celebrating an emphatic win in yesterday’s Twenty20 Festival of Cricket grand final but it came at a cost.
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The WDCA skittled Portland’s representative side for just 59 in reply to Warrnambool’s 7-140 at Hamilton’s Melville Oval.
But one of the WDCA’s finds for the weekend, Dennington’s Kahinagalage Silva, missed the last five overs of the match after being taken to hospital.
Silva, who made 25 in the final and 42 in the semi-final, split the webbing in his hand, all but ruling him out of Dennington’s match against Port Fairy this Saturday and Sunday’s Cross Border Cup 50-overs a side match between the WDCA and Mount Gambier in Port Fairy.
While Silva was receiving treatment, his teammates were celebrating the WDCA’s fourth win in the tournament in five campaigns, with last year’s washed out without a ball being bowled.
Captain Ben Boyd, who has played in all four triumphs, said he was delighted with yesterday’s result.
The victory was sweet for the WDCA after it came within a run of not qualifying for yesterday’s semi-finals.
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The WDCA claimed one-run wins in each of its first two qualifying matches on Saturday against South West Cricket and Mount Gambier but suffered a three-run loss to Portland in its final game.
Other results fell Warrnambool’s way, giving it a semi-final berth against Hamilton. After making 8-128, the WDCA dismissed the home side for 85, thanks to an astonishing performance by Boyd who finished with 5-5 off four overs, setting up the showdown with Portland.
“We were equally as good today (Sunday) as we were yesterday (Saturday),” Boyd said of his side’s standards.
“Everyone carried themselves very well, you couldn’t be more pleased through the whole team.
“Everyone over the weekend contributed. It’s a bit gruelling playing five matches and travelling but everyone did something at some stage so the team got over the line and into the final.”
Boyd said he was worried about his side’s chances of making the semi-finals entering Saturday night’s final game against Portland, knowing a loss and a big win by another side could eliminate it on percentage.
Boyd said his bowlers were superb in the final,
backed up by some brilliant fielding including a run-out from substitute fielder John Houston.
Opening paceman Tim Cain (3-10 off three overs) and Jason Mungean (2-26 off four overs) ripped the heart out of Portland’s line-up, reducing it to 3-3 in the second over and then 6-33 in the ninth over.
Merrivale’s English import Will Chapples picked up 2-1 off one over while Boyd and Chetan Sharma each picked up a wicket.
Portland’s Ben Menzel, a former Dennington player, was the only batsman to do any damage.
Boyd said the weekend was all about preparing a side for next weekend’s Cross Border Cup and February’s Melbourne Country Week.
He said opening batsman/wicketkeeper Cam Williams had impressed with both bat and gloves, producing four stumpings and two catches off medium pacers in the final. That came after he had top scored opening the innings with 34.
Williams, Chapples, Port Fairy’s Aaron Williams, Wesley-CBC’s Brad Pattison and Silva had been rock solid with the bat in the top five throughout the five games.
