Mortlake captain Todd Robertson says it's a thrill for his team to be back in January's $15,000 Sungold Cup Twenty20 tournament.
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"It's good to have a little bit of exposure against other teams and leagues," he said.
The Cats defeated Cobden in the South West Cricket short-form grand final on Thursday night on Terang's turf wicket.
Mortlake, which won the toss and batted first, posted a formidable 5/177 which proved too much for the Knights which recorded 8/144.
The Cats fell short to Pomborneit in last summer's SWC decider but won the 20/19/20 Sungold Cup.
Robertson said there was a sense of relief to get the win after last season's loss.
"We we pride ourselves on our short-form cricket as much as our one-day cricket at Mortlake," he said.
"We've had a lot of success in the Twenty20 format, it was very pleasing to get the win."
Robertson explained openers Isaac Wareham (19) and Neil Kelly (22) laid the foundation for a strong batting total on Thursday.
"The wicket played really well compared to the week before," the skipper said.
"A little bit of warm weather on the deck and it was actually pretty easy for batting.
"Isaac and Neil got us off to a really good start.
"They set up a platform for Todd Lamont (53) and Clinton Baker (38) to really go after the bowling in the back 10 overs."
Robertson added the Cats capitalised on their free hits as the Knights bowled some front-foot no balls. He felt that made a difference in the end.
Lamont, a right-arm off-spinner who claimed 1/26 bowling figures, was named man of the match for his efforts.
"He and Neil (3-30) bowled really well, the pitch had a bit of spin, the slower bowling was a bit harder to get after," Robertson said.
Overall, the captain feels the team is benefiting from an even spread of contributions.
"It's just probably a little bit different from the past few seasons, we're not so reliant on too few now," he said.
"We've got some youngsters at the moment who have stepped up and taken responsibility which is playing a big part in why we have started so well."
Wareham, Will Kain and Jack Lehmann are among the Cats' young blood.
Otherwise, Mortlake has a one-dayer to get stuck into on Saturday against Woorndoo.
The Cats are undefeated and flying along.
But Robertson highlighted they had been adjusting to the coloured clothes and coloured ball this season like all other sides.
Teams had been playing in whites and with a red ball up until now.
He said the coloured ball didn't swing as much and there was a little bit more for batsmen after 10 overs.
The skipper said the Cats had been forced to become a lot more attacking and it was working well so far.