THE A grade grand final went down to the wire, but Rovers United Bruck managed to pip Wangaratta Magpies at the post, claiming the Geoff Welch Shield by just 17 runs at the Wangaratta Showgrounds.
It was clear from the first ball it was going to be a low-scoring match, with the outfield lush and making runs so much more valuable.
Batting first, the Hawks managed 128, led by a fighting effort from young Reid McNamara, who’s battling innings of 47 from 172 staved off a top and middle order collapse.
Everything started off wrong for the Hawks, finding themselves in trouble at 5/55 early on day one.
Oliver Andrew (4/21 from 15 overs) and Fraser Ellis (3/55 from 30 overs) ripped through the top and middle order, dismissing Charith Perera, Ryan Collier, Paddy McNamara, Jeremy Wilson and Matt Whitten for single digit scores.
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Schonafinger and McNamara got the score past 100, but after Schonafinger was knocked over for 26, the innings started to stagnate.
Kyle Winter-Irving was the bane of the lower order, picking up 3/21 from his 12 overs.
With a small total on the board, the Hawks needed to bowl out of their skin on day two to claim victory.
Paddy McNamara set the tone, dismissing Jarryd Wallace and Cooper Matheson in successive balls to see Wangaratta at 2/3 early.
A fightback was started by Jack Davies, whose 69-ball stay at the crease kept hopes alive for the Magpies.
Unfortunately, there was no one to go with him.
Oliver Andrew, Kyle Winter-Irving and James Thewlis were all dismissed cheaply, and when Davies himself fell for 13, it was up to Fraser Ellis and the tail.
Ellis was composed, while Nic Bonwick (13) and Callum Honey (22) chipped in with vital runs.
The Magpies were 9/95, with victory still in reach, but a massive effort was needed.
Zac Guilfoyle was determined to help his side to the victory, content to block everything out and let the in-form Ellis score the runs.
The pair managed to add a further 16 runs, but when Guilfoyle tried to punch a shorter one over point off Paddy McNamara, it caught the edge and sailed into the gloves of Perera.
McNamara was the spearhead with the ball, taking 5/26 from his 19.2 overs, while Jacob Schonafinger (2/31) and Brady Bartlett (3/25) were among the wickets.
McNamara said it was a fighting victory from his side.
“We had a bat, thinking if the ball gets wet it would be pretty tough to bowl, but to their credit, Magpies bowled unbelievably, it was a tough deck to bat on and we lost a couple of early wickets and were in a bit of strife,” he said.
“We had one huge partnership between ‘Schona’ and Reid; Reid’s knock was so crucial and he ended up getting the well-deserved man of the match.
“We always back our bowlers, it’s always been our strength.
“We started off well, we knew Cooper [Matheson] was the big wicket and to get him first ball was huge.
“We felt on top there but they dug in, a few of their players dug in and it looked like they were going to get it in the end, but we just got wickets at the right time, and it worked out well.”
Despite taking a five-fa in a grand final, McNamara said his cousin Reid was the deserving Player of the Match.
“We wouldn’t have won without Reid and his knock – if we didn’t have his 47, we simply don’t have enough runs on the board to win,” he said.
“He came in at two down and the ball was doing absolutely everything and he was there for the whole day pretty much, he faced 172 balls.
“As a cousin and almost a brother, I’m so proud of him.”
