EAST Metro secured its second-consecutive win in the Under 18s VicSpirit Championships as the team defeated Mallee Murray by 10 wickets, while the Under 16s Dowling Shield fell short by 13 runs to take silver.
Also for the second year, East Metro has remained undefeated throughout the competition.
This year, the final was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and, after losing the toss, East Metro fielded first.
Annabel Martin and Makinley Blows opened for Mallee Murray and faced the Box Hill duo of Tansi Price and Holly Spencer.
After the batters negotiated the opening bowlers, Knox junior cricketer Tess Flintoff came into the attack, a change which brought a wicket in the seventh over.
Martin was caught for five by Zoe Griffiths with Mallee Murray on 18.
Runs remained hard to come by with the first four scored by Shania McKinnon in the eighth over.
McKinnon was then caught by Price without adding to her score, as Flintoff picked up her second wicket of the game with the score on 27.
This brought Luca Gallo to the crease for the first time this Championship.
Despite scoring just five runs, she shared a useful 24-run partnership with Blows before she was caught by Alyce Collett off Madeline Wright.
Murray’s skipper, Rhiann O’Donnell, joined Blows and the pair shared the highest partnership – 25 runs – of the innings.
It took the return of opening bowler Price to end the stand as O’Donnell was caught by Jessica Adams for 10 with the score on 76.
With just one over remaining, Sheree Moore went out to the middle but was only able to make a single before being run out off the last ball, which saw Mallee Murray post 5-80 from their 20 overs.
Flintoff was the pick of the Metro bowlers, claiming 2-13 from her four overs but it was certainly a team performance in the field as four out of the five dismissals came through catches and the other bowlers finished with economical figures.
Blows was the standout batter finishing unbeaten on 30 off 59 balls, an innings which saw Murray make a potentially defendable total.
In response, East Metro’s Wright and Griffiths opened and appeared more comfortable than Murray were at the start.
Requiring just 81 to win, the openers were attacking and after six overs, Metro were already 0-29.
Both Wright and Griffiths found the boundary with apparent ease hitting two fours and a six and four fours respectively as they led Metro to a comfortable 10 wicket win in 14 overs.
After leading from the front with the bat throughout the tournament, it was rather fitting that Wright scored the winning runs and did so in such an emphatic manner – hitting an impressive six to finish on 33 off 32.
Griffiths also finished the tournament well and was named Player of the Final for her unbeaten 38 off 52.
Well done to Madeline Wright (East Metro) and Jacinta Goodger-Chandler (Central Highlands) who were named Players of the Championship.
As well as captaining the successful East Metro side Wright scored 240 runs at the impressive average of 80 and also took six wickets at just 6.33.
Dowling Shield
After a soggy start to the Under 16 Dowling Shield match at Jubilee Park Ringwood, Northern Rivers won the toss and elected to bat.
Their opening batters accumulated a 52 run partnerships between Rivers – Vlaeminck (34) and Ryan (27) giving the opposition a settled start however a smart run out from Daniel Scholz and a clever bowling change bringing on Jacob Quigley was to change their momentum momentarily.
Ryan Peter-Budge controlled 2 catches whilst Scholz was involved with 2 run outs.
Mitch Perry took 2/23 and Quigley finished with 2/31.
Rivers completed their allotted 35 overs with 6/148.
Unlike Rivers, Eagles were struggling to settle into any partnerships, Masters (1), Nathan (15), Peter-Budge (17), Thompson (24); most batters getting starts but not consolidating.
Liam Dunning came in at the end with his ‘never give in’ attitude and slayed a quick 24, however, running out of balls seeing the Eagles falling short by 13 runs to finish 8/136.
This result is the best performance from an Eagles male team in a long time – we are all very proud of the players and staff and congratulate them on their endeavors.
Season 2016-17 is looking exciting for the Outer East Eagles.
Mitch Perry, Daniel Thompson and Daniel Scholz were selected to play in a Cricket Victoria Pathway Under 16s Showcase game representing the Metro Stars competing against Metro Renegades at Frankston last Sunday, with Scholz finishing off his excellent carnival taking a seven-wicket haul.
