4th XI (J Grade) 2024/25

The 2024/25 season began with shared leadership, as Kyle Muir and Kev Wong proudly took on the captaincy. In Round 1, a diverse Blackburn South side, ranging from promising 15 year-olds to experienced veterans in their late 50s, took to the field and made an immediate statement, crushing Wyclif by 9 wickets.

Round 2 brought a twist, with the team falling to Vermont South despite posting a massive 327 runs. But from setbacks came turning points. The following week, Aaron Pitt and Jack Pitt joined the squad and the impact was instant. From that moment, the team hit their stride, storming through the rest of the season undefeated.

Opening the batting for the grand final run chase, Kev Wong and Jake Stone took on the job. Jake looked in great touch early, playing some great shots, but his innings ended on 27 after being caught on the boundary at fine leg. Captain Kyle Muir was next to the crease but, unfortunately, his stay was short-lived, adding 13 before falling to a good ball. While wickets fell around him, Kev Wong stood firm, holding the innings together and steadily building his way towards a well-deserved half-century.

By stumps on day one, the scoreboard read a commanding 2/118, setting the stage perfectly for a grand final finish.

Fast forward to the grand final, tensions high, crowd buzzing. Captains Kyle Muir and Kev Wong headed out for the toss, but luck wasn’t on our side. Sent in to bowl first, we wasted no time making an impact. Just three balls into the sixth over, Rob Dean pulled off a brilliant one-handed pickup and direct hit, sending the batsmen packing. The moment was sealed with an “Ice in my veins” celebration that had the team and supporters fired up.

The next breakthrough came courtesy of Henry Mills, who went on to claim an impressive 3 wickets for the innings. Aaron Pitt chipped in with a tight 1/21, while Jack Pitt struck once after a quality opening spell from Eddie Wong and Pranav, whose pressure up front set the tone for the day.

After an expected patch of rain, Day 2 of the grand final was completely washed out, forcing play to resume the following Saturday. Resuming the innings at 2/118, Kev Wong pushed past his half-century and finished with a composed 68. Robbie Dean followed with a batting masterclass of his own, adding a valuable 43 runs to the total. From there, however, disaster struck. The team suffered a dramatic collapse, with five of the next seven wickets producing just four runs between them, including four ducks. As the pressure mounted, thoughts of falling short began to creep in. Fortunately, the Pitt's — Aaron and Jack — steadied the ship. Showing patience under fire, they combined to add just over 30 crucial runs, dragging the total to a fighting 198

After a week’s wait due to rain delays, we restarted our bowling innings with confidence. Pranav struck early, claiming his first wicket of the game, a snick off to the keeper. Two early breakthroughs had us buzzing, but St Davids dug in, building a stubborn partnership and steadily adding runs without losing wickets.

It wasn’t until the 52nd over that the partnership was broken. Jack Pitt took out their in-form batter with a style, knocking out all three stumps. Just a few balls later, Jack struck again, trapping the next man LBW and taking his tally to a quality 3/21.

Then came the moment every cricketer dreams of. With the tensions high and victory in sight, a combined effort from Jack Pitt and Drew Sinclair produced a brilliant run out to seal the grand final win.

GF STARTING XI:

Henry Mills

Jack Pitt

Mark Lane

Jake Stone

Rob Dean

Joe Rosemeyer

Pranav Vashisht

Kev Wong (c)

Robbie Campbell

Drew Sinclair

Aaron Pitt

Kyle Muir (c)

Blackburn South C.C

198 Def.

St Davids C.C

170