RSL cause a major upset to win senior cricket competition
Wednesday March 17, 2010
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The RSL Club cricket team’s win over minor premiers Nymagee in the senior cricket grand final on Saturday is bound to go down in the history books as one of the biggest upsets in local cricket history. The young, and relatively inexperienced, RSL team came from fourth place in the semis to defeat Nymagee who was looking at their fifth successive premiership. .
A young RSL Club team (dotted with a couple of veterans) caused a major upset in Saturday’s senior cricket grand final when they thwarted minor premiers Nymagee in their attempt for a fifth successive senior cricket premiership.
With most of the team aged 18 or under and inexperienced in playing in a senior cricket grand final, RSL’s victory was even more noteworthy as they did not win a match in the first round of the competition and also came from fourth spot in the semi finals to win the competition.
RSL captain Glenn Spinks won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first.
Opening batsmen Peter Neale and Clay Neale made a bright start in a partnership of 22 before Clay did not offer a shot to a ball from Phil Harley and was clean bowled for four.
Good batting from Geoff Potter 18, Peter Neale 21, Spinks 12 and Paul Gauci (who top scored with 44) took RSL’s score to 130 for the loss of five wickets in the 38th over.
With the remaining inexperienced players
to bat, RSL’s innings could have folded at
a total of 150 however the youngsters dug in and were eventually dismissed on the last ball of the innings for a very respectable total of 190.
Wade Potter finished not out for 37, and this was his highest score in senior cricket and what a time to do so.
He was supported in the late order by Travis Dunlevy 14 and Shane Munro who made 10 from only six balls.
Wicket takers for Nymagee were Jade Buckman with 3/36, Phil Harley 1/31, John Potter 1/31, Mitch Shields 2/37 and Wade Smith, bowling the last over of the innings, took 3/7 which included three wickets in four balls.
Nymagee started the run chase knowing that the target of 191 would be a tough one, however not insurmountable with their good batting line-up.
Opening batsman Roger Mitchell was dismissed when the score was 10 but a good partnership between Craig Dillon and Mathew Nicholson took the score along to 55 before Nicholson was the second wicket to fall.
The season’s leading run scorer Harley was then out for five and, when Dillon was dismissed for a top score of 56, Nymagee was 4/88 and the pressure was on the middle to late order batsmen to take them to victory.
However wickets continued to fall at regular intervals including two unfortunate run outs and Nymagee had slumped to 9/118.
Smith joined his captain Buckman at the crease and together they put on a last wicket partnership of 36 from six overs before Smith was dismissed for 11.
Buckman played a good captain’s innings remaining not out for a well compiled 41.
Nymagee was all out for a total of 154 falling 37 runs short of their target with still 6.3 overs remaining and were left wondering what would have happened if the two runs out had not occurred.
All of RSL’s bowlers chipped in with wickets with Spinks taking 2/16, Clay Neale 2/19, Geoff Potter 2/33, Shane Munro 1/40 and Wade Potter 1/41.
The Ernie Toshack medal for the Player of the Match in the Grand Final was presented to Jade Buckman (for his innings of 41 not out and taking three wickets for 36 from 10 overs) in a close decision from Wade Potter, Craig Dillon and Paul Gauci.—contributed
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