T20 (KOOKABURRA SHIELD) 2022/23

Off the back of several successful T20 seasons, the team entered this year hungry for redemption after last season’s only loss came in the semi-final. Building on the core group from last year, Jacko Waters slotted seamlessly into the side, fitting in like a glove. Also joining the ranks was Scotty Edwards, who may not have approached these games with the same intensity as he would with the T20 World Cup, but none the less still proved a valuable asset with the bat.

Heading into the grand final, preparation was far from ideal. Rescheduled to a Sunday midway through the season, the day before both the 1s and 2s had bowled 80 overs, while Anthony Giuliano and Jarryd De Haas were away at a bucks party. To make matters trickier, Pri was playing another grand final, leaving us a man down for the start. Facing Heatherdale, we were sent in to bowl and started poorly, conceding 0/45 in the first five overs. From there, we fought back brilliantly, taking 3/16 in the next five thanks to Gihan De Silva, Matty Magee, and Mitch Fitton. Bowling back up the hill, our attack stayed tight, adding 2/40 through wickets from Jacko Waters and De Haas. Magee struck again late to finish the innings with Heatherdale all out for 111. Final figures: Fitton 1/7, De Silva 1/19, De Haas 1/23, Waters 2/32, and Magee 3/12.

Chasing 111, we started with a bang as Jacko Waters launched several towering sixes, even smashing a window in the process. By the end of the fifth over we were 2/49, but when Jacko fell the very next ball, the game turned sharply, and we collapsed to 6/81, still needing 31 runs. That’s when Jarryd De Haas joined Anthony Giuliano at the crease. After they steadied the innings, we required 25 from the final five overs. De Haas then exploded, smashing 15 from the next over to swing momentum our way. With scores level, Giuliano calmly nudged the last ball for a single, sealing the premiership. It was yet another win in our dominance of the T20 format over the past six-seven years

GF STARTING XI

Jarryd De Haas

Mitch Fitton

Anthony Giuliano

Matthew Magee (c)

Tim Snow

Jackson Waters

Thomas Ashby

Riley Blackburn

Arjun Dhingra

Jonty Sinclair

William Bull

Thuduwage Kumara ( Pri ) (wk)

Gihan De Silva ( G )

Blackburn South C.C

6/112

Def.

Heatherdale C.C

111