The YMCC B Grade Premiers with their shield. Back: (l to r) Ben Pickering, Geoff Montgomery, Hunter Frauenfelder, Steve Lappin, Tom Draffin, Sam Lidgerwood and Adam Dodd. Front: Josh Bozzola, Gus Browning, Justin O’Brien, Ollie Cope and Ollie Connell.
The Yarrawonga Mulwala Lakers B Grade scored their second premiership in just three years in what looked like an effortless victory in their Wangaratta and District Cricket Association grand final.
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The experienced Lakers travelled to Wangaratta on Saturday to take on Rovers United Bruck at the Bill O’Callaghan Oval.
The City Colts Cricket Club had the ground in good condition and ready to host the grand final.
On what looked to be a good batting wicket Rovers United Bruck won the toss and decided to bat.
Lakers captain Gus Browning led from the front and opened the bowling.
His typical stump to stump line of bowling had the desired effect and found the edge of the bat with his fifth ball of the day, caught behind. The Lakers were off to a flyer!
Browning’s bowling partner, Ben Pickering, was also bowling good line and length and in the fourth over the Rovers Bruck batter shouldered arms to a straight one from Pickering to have them 2/7.
Continuing, nagging, line and length bowling by the openers made it extremely hard for the batters to make runs.
Again, Browning with constant pressure and attack of the off stump line caused the error by the batter and Rovers Bruck were in deep trouble at 3/11.
Even with a change in bowlers the pressure continued as Tom Draffin and Hunter Frauenfelder had wickets with the last ball of one over and the first ball of the next to have Rovers Bruck 5/17 in the 14th over.
Draffin took the next wicket in the 19th over, caught by Frauenfelder, to then have the score at 6/22. Josh Bozzola continued the pressure bowling and had his first wicket, caught behind, Rovers Bruck then 7/35.
Ollie Cope opened the batting for the Lakers and was the sides’ highest scorer with 16 not out.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
Bozzola then took the eighth wicket in his next over and Hunter Frauenfelder took the last two wickets to have Rovers Bruck all out for 36 runs in the 26th over.
Frauenfelder finished with three wickets and figures of 3/10. The other wicket takers, from a very disciplined bowling group were Gus Browning 2/6; Tom Draffin 2/12; Josh Bozzola 2/1 and Ben Pickering 1/7.
The Lakers were chasing 37 runs for the win! Ollie Cope and Justin O’Brien opened the batting for the Lakers and went about their task without fuss and played every ball on its merits.
Cope was solid and the pair put on 22 runs before O’Brien fell caught in the slips for 7 runs.
The score 1/22.
This brought Sam Lidgerwood to the crease who upped the ante. A lofted straight drive for 4 by Lidgerwood levelled the scores in the 16th over and two balls later a cover drive for 2 sealed the victory for the Lakers passing the score one wicket down.
Ollie Cope finished with 16 not out and Lidgerwood 10 not out.
Hunter Frauenfelder was named Player of the Match for his 3 wickets and 2 catches.
A terrific effort by all involved throughout the year.
