Blackburn South C.C
4th XI (E Grade) 2012/13
Heading into the season, our 4th XI was a perfect blend of club legends and emerging young talent. Once the side was settled, we proved hard to beat dropping only three matches all year, twice to ladder leaders Vermont and once in an unfortunate slip up against Heatherdale. Come finals time, we were surprised to see Blackburn North as our grand final opponents, after they upset Vermont in the semi-final. While the grand final was always going to be a big occasion, there was a quiet confidence in the group we’d beaten Blackburn North before, and we knew we could do it again.
Winning the toss, we chose to bat first, opening with the reliable pairing of Don Edwards and Dean Sneddon. The start was steady, but Don fell in the 13th over for 11, and just five overs later Dean followed for the same score, leaving us 2/31. Mick Magee joined Anthony Giuliano in the middle, and while they looked to steady the ship, Mick’s stay was short, departing for 4. This brought Chandan Singh to the crease, and alongside Ant, the pair added a valuable 53-run partnership before Giuliano was dismissed for a well-made 44.
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Jack Alderton was next in, offering great support as Singh pushed towards a half-century, eventually falling just short on 47. With two young guns, Alderton and Matty Magee, now together, they kept the scoreboard ticking until Jack was dismissed for 14. Craig Miller came in, but soon after Magee departed for a solid 37, leaving us 7/176 and feeling confident about our total. Unfortunately, the innings lost momentum late, adding just 6 more runs as Patrick O’Shea and Mark Lane both went for ducks, with Ian Fyfe remained not out on 0.
With the ball in hand, Dean Sneddon and Craig Miller opened the attack brilliantly, keeping things tight from the start. The pressure paid off in the 7th over when Dean struck first, clean bowling their opener. Maintaining the squeeze, Dean struck again soon after, this time with Craig taking a sharp catch in the field. The pair continued to restrict scoring, forcing the opposition to merely nudge singles. Craig then broke a stubborn partnership, reducing them to 3/31.
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Just as the new batsmen began to settle, Dean struck for a third time, finishing his spell with an outstanding 3/22 from 12 overs. First change saw Ian Fyfe take the ball, and his spell was nothing short of elite. Bowling with precision and control, Ian tore through the middle order, claiming 4 wickets in just 8.2 overs for only 18 runs. Matty Magee then chimed in with a tidy 3-over spell, taking 1/7, while Craig wrapped up his day with 1/36, bowling Blackburn North out for 94
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The relentless pressure and disciplined bowling saw us dismantle the opposition, sealing a memorable grand final victory.
GF STARTING XI
Mark Lane (wk)
Craig Miller
Ian Fyfe
Dean Sneddon
Don Edwards
Mick Magee (c)
Anthony Giuliano
Matthew Magee
Patrick O'Shea
Chandan Singh
Jack Alderton
Justin Lui