NORTHERN Raiders skipper Joe McKinnon says the club is "flying" and labelled its second-successive Warrnambool and District Cricket Association division two flag as the icing on the cake.
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The Purnim-based outfit overcame the last-minute loss of its most damaging batsman - reigning cricketer of the year Dallas Armitstead - to clinch another seconds premiership against Koroit on Saturday.
McKinnon said the success capped a stunning year for the club in just its second year of existence.
"It's really good. We're sort of really starting to hit our straps now, the vibe around the club is unreal," he said.
"We're just starting to settle into the WDCA and how it works and we're starting to go well. The turf went down Wednesday week, so all is going well.
"We had probably 30 blokes out there helping the turf go down at 6.30am the other day. You can see how driven our club is and really think now is the best time for us to go up and give division one a crack."
Spring Creek division three captain Phil Edwards dedicated the Strikers' seven-wicket triumph over Wesley Yambuk to the club's band of volunteers.
The club, which entered the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association on the back of the Grassmere Cricket Association's decision to pull up stumps this past year, was the new identity of a merger between Woolsthorpe and Mailors Flat.
Edwards said the result was special for those behind the scenes.
"It's been a great year. The hard work just pays off. All the people behind the scenes who've done a great job, we get to enjoy the benefits of that," he said.
Edwards said the early merger - which occurred when the GCA was still running - had benefited the club.
"I think being merged together and then coming in really helped us," he said.
"We all got together and then came in so we knew what it was about. It wasn't such a big transition for us."
Edwards said his side's ability to restrict Wesley Yambuk to just 76 laid the foundation for the triumph.
He heaped praise on bowler Chris Woodbridge, who finished as player of the match courtesy of a six-wicket haul.
Brierly-Christ Church division four skipper Rodney Roberts said the club's triumph over Spring Creek was a positive for the club as a whole.
The Bulls restricted the Strikers to just 108 at compulsory closure and reached the total in just 22 overs.
"It's not just about the team for us, it's about the club. We've got a great family environment and we have kids coming through and that sort of thing," he said.
"It's really good because we haven't sort of won one officially for a while."
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Nick Ansell
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
