Last season’s Victorian Turf Cricket Association senior division premiers, Yarraville Club, is ready to go again and will kick off its finals campaign against the team it just lost to in a thriller.
On Saturday, Yarraville Club faced Sydenham Hillside in a finals preview like no other, with the match going down to the second last ball of the match.
After batting first the Clubbers posted 9-192 from their 40 overs despite being at 2-8 early in the innings.
Batting at three Michael Hill continued his scintillating form as he made 81. Hill has scored the most senior division runs this season with 557 at an average of 50.64.
In the chase the Storm was cruising at 1-135, the Clubbers began to get into their work taking 6-44. The Storm then required nine off the final over for victory with Scottish import Adrian Neill and Alexander Barlas at the crease.
Neill reverse swept the first ball of the final over for four, then inside edged the next one for two, before rotating the strike giving Barlas the opportunity to strike the winning runs.
The Storm finished their innings on 7-193 with just one ball remaining.
Clubbers’ captain-coach Mitch Johnstone said it was a good game of cricket that felt like a final. The win means the Storm will host the semi final between the two teams this weekend.
“They’re a good side, they’re well rounded and are one of the more cohesive units in the competition,” he said.
“It was a good game of cricket, hard fought, finals like intensity.
“Same opposition, same venue this weekend. They’ve beaten us twice narrowly so it’s time we won the important one.”
Heading into finals Johnstone said his side is as good of a chance of taking out silverware as anyone. The club came up against the fellow three finalists the last three rounds, beating Deer Park and Aberfeldie and going down narrowly on Saturday.
The club has also just lost three games for the season, one by 10 runs and twice in the final over of the match.
“If someone offered me we’d win two of the last three games and just go down in the other, you’d take it,” he said.
“One thing that we’re really proud of is we’re really hard to beat, even if we don’t win.”
Heading into finals from the same position as they finished last year the Clubbers can definitely not be overlooked in this finals series. With their experience and time together only holding them in good stead for the weeks ahead Johnstone said.
“We think we’re the most united, aligned group compared to the other three teams in the four and we think that’ll serve us well come the pressure moments,” he said.
“A lot of our guys have played together for some time now so we know what’s expected of each other and there’s that trust in the contest as well, so, it’s exciting.”
