South 8/131 d North 101
AN upset victory to “underdogs” South Gambier over an otherwise dominant North Sportsman’s in the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association Twenty20 Cup grand final shocked onlookers at Frew Park on Sunday.
The Demons claimed a big win over Millicent earlier in the day and were fired up from the opening delivery.
Coming off an impressive run at the South Australian Senior Country Cup carnival Robbie Drenthen continued his momentum into the major game on Sunday, earning himself player-of-the-match.
He opened with South captain Dylan Clough at the crease.
Drenthen found the boundary early and was supported by Clough who ran hard between wickets to increase the run-rate.
The duo put South on the front foot in the opening three overs, until the skipper’s time was cut short.
Seven runs was all Clough could contribute before Josh Fidler knocked over his woodwork.
His dismissal gave Josh Thompson a chance to shine.
Both Thompson and Drenthen went to work and left little in the tank.
Thompson played a supportive role and ran singles to ensure his team mate – who was finding the boundary on every opportunity – remained on strike.
The duo put together an impressive 73-run partnership and South had the momentum.
However, an impressive catch in the outfield to Nick McInerney off a Michael Johnston delivery saw Drenthen return to the sidelines for 63 and North finally had a reason to celebrate.
The dismissal of the batsman controlling the innings allowed the Tigers to find momentum and the wickets began to tumble.
South had eight wickets remaining, but tight bowling from North stifled those in the middle and bottom order.
Camron Jorgenson (2), Matt Bowering (1) and Brad Mitchell (3) all failed to play a supportive role to Thompson.
North’s purple patch handed it back the momentum.
An accurate delivery from Matthew McInerney dismissed Thompson for 27 and the Demons were on 6/118 and shaky ground.
Three overs remained where Nick Seager (three) and Dane Pople (four) were clean-bowled by North’s attack and South’s run-rate dwindled.
Adam Kuhl and Sam Von Duve finished the 20th over with an unbeaten five and two respectively.
South was 8/131 by the end of the 20th over and went in to field.
What could easily be described as North’s worst nightmare, opener Matthew McInerney was clean bowled by Clough on the first ball of the innings.
The golden duck to one of the South East’s best batsmen put the momentum into South’s camp.
The Demons’ celebrations continued when Jake Schutz was also sent back to the sidelines by Clough for three runs.
North was 2/5 and South had a firm grip on the cup early.
However, veterans Gavin Coon and Michael Johnston put North back into contention and steadied the ship.
Their patience allowed the Tigers to claw their way back into the game.
The two found the boundary and ran hard between the wickets, but the end result was still questioned.
A mistake by Coon (23) prematurely cost him his wicket and North was back to the drawing board.
Nick McInerney joined Johnston and the duo quickly made up for lost time.
North was still in the game until both Johnston (21) and McInerney (18) were given out.
The Tigers crumbled with the pressure.
North needed 57 runs from its bottom order batsmen with eight overs remaining.
And while it was a possible feat, tight bowling from South assured the cup went to the “underdogs”.
Declan Kenny (6), Tom Edwards (7), Matt Robinson (7), Josh Fidler (1) and Brad Robinson (4) were all out for minor scores, while captain Tim Young was unbeaten on one.
North was significantly short on runs, making 101 before it was all out in the 17th over.
Clough was most impressive with the ball, taking two important wickets early and finishing with three scalps for the game where the dark horse prevailed.
The skipper said the full side put in a big effort to get over the line.
“I am proud of the whole team, it was a really good effort by everyone, they all stepped up when it counted,” Clough said.
“Robbie Drenthen did what he does best at the top of the order.
“He found the boundary early and it was really good.
“He also held his own with the ball and might have found a new strength with a couple of off-spins there.”
Drenthen – who was awarded man-of-the-match for his efforts with bat and ball – said he believed in his side from the outset.
“Perhaps externally we would not have been expected to get the win, but we were pretty confident in the players we have got to get a job done,” he said.
“In this format it only takes one or two to really get away with the bat or ball and you can really get your side in a good position.
“I’m really proud of the boys.”
