With four of its five male teams booking a place in finals action, it was a thrilling end to the regular season for Upwey-Tecoma. The Women’s League also kicked off their finals series, with the Tigers featuring in semi-final action.
The first XI have secured a double chance after securing their 10th win in a row and esults fell their way. Hosting the Ferntree Gully Footballers, Upwey-Tecoma lost the toss and were asked to field in overcast conditions.
It was a red-letter day for young opening bowler Steven Conotitsos (5/27), tearing through the Griffin’s top order to claim his first five wicket haul at Norm Reeves Shield level. The Griffins could only manage a paltry 104, with Liam Dunning (2/6) and Cam Wheeler (2/35) chiming in with two wickets apiece.
Passing showers threatened the run chase but it was all over by the halfway mark with the Tigers mowing down the target for the loss of only one wicket. Skipper Jackson Waters finished with 30 not out as the Tigers finished on 1/105.
The Tigers’ attention then turned to the other fixtures, needing one of the top two sides to lose to earn a double chance. Incredibly, top team Lysterfiled succumbed to The Basin, seeing Upwey-Tecoma clinch second spot to book a date with Ferntree Gully in the first week of finals.
The second XI have clung onto their finals spot, finishing in fourth position after a disappointing loss away to the footballers.
Batting first, the Tigers managed 8/176 thanks to captain Damian Berenato’s 47 and an unbeaten 40 to young gun Sam Wicks. Wickets were hard to come by for the Tiger bowlers and the Griffins chased down the total with relative ease, finishing on 4/177.
The third XI faced a mammoth task against top-of-the-table Knox Garden. A win would secure a finals berth, a loss would likely see them drop out of the four.
Bowling first, regular wickets helped ensure the Falcons innings never really got out of first gear, finishing well short of their compulsory innings closure to be all out for 126. Veteran Wayne Moore was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3/32, while youngsters Noah Weston (2/15), Atticus Todd (2/7) and Alex Moore (2/6) all played their part.
A 62 run opening stand to Richard Wicks (66*) and Todd (19) all but sealed the result, with keeper-batter Bon Sullivan finishing the job with 34 not out. The Tigers cruise to victory finishing on 1/128 with 10 overs to spare.
The fourth XI needed a win to be a chance for finals but came up short against a strong Johnson Park outfit. James Todd capped a fine season with the bat, making 65 to help the target at 178. The Sharks were never troubled, finishing on 1/182.
The Under 16s finished fourth after a tough loss to Upper Ferntree Gully. Batting first, Asher Caldow blasted 48 and Jonah Thompson compiled 31 to help the Tigers reach 6/131. An aggressive Kings batting line up took the fight to the TIgers, passing the score with two overs to spare to finish on 4/132.
The Women’s XI played in their first ever finals series, travelling to South Belgrave on Sunday afternoon for their semi-final.
Batting first, Upwey-Tecoma recovered from a sluggish start to post a highly competitive 2/131. Alex Bantock was the star of the show, bludgeoning an unbeaten 50 off just 23 balls, while Captain Jacqui Cooke anchored the innings with 44 not out.
The South Belgrave openers batted beautifully to take the game away from the Tigers. Leah Borg (1/12) and Kaitlyn Roleff (1/29) struck late but it wasn’t enough as South Belgrave reached 2-133 with plenty of time to spare.
It was a brilliant first year for the FTGDCA Women’s League, with Olinda and South Belgrave duking it out for the inaugural premiership flag next weekend.
