THE Senior Country Cup has returned to the region after the South East representative side dominated the state-wide cricket tournament in Adelaide last week.
The team led by Nick McInerney completed an undefeated campaign in style with a 104-run win over Barossa and Light in the grand final.
Despite the comfortable victory, it was far from a smooth ride for South East in the decider.
McInerney won the toss and elected to bat hoping his top order could ease the nerves with a solid start.
But it was not the case, as Jake Schutz, Sam Graetz and Matthew McInerney fell cheaply inside the first 10 overs.
At 3/36, South East was under significant pressure and two unlikely faces rose to the occasion.
Playing in just his second game of the competition, Adam Somerfield combined with replacement player Aidan Thatcher to swing the momentum of the match.
Batting for first time together, the pair scored 74 runs for the fourth wicket, as Somerfield was at his fluent best and smashed 60 runs from 51 balls, while Thatcher dug in with 43 off 98.
When Somerfield fell with the total at 110, the game remained in the balance, but Thatcher was supported by consistent contributions from the middle order to build the total.
Five of the next six batsmen reached double figures and some hard hitting at the death ensured South East finished at 9/261.
After his vital performance with the bat, Somerfield made an immediate impact with the ball and claimed two early wickets.
But the double strike brought Dael Redmond to the middle, who tried his best to keep his team alive.
He dominated a 61-run partnership for the third wicket, but he soon ran out of support as South East attacked the other end with precision.
Despite Redmond approaching triple figures, South East made regular inroads led by Tom Nieuwerkerk’s four-wicket haul.
Barossa and Light lost its last eight wickets for 91 runs and it was South East’s turn to celebrate when it finally dismissed Redmond for 84 in the 41st over.
Nick McInerney said he was impressed with how his well-balanced side eased to its second Country Cup title in three years.
“The competition is really tight and competitive, so to win so convincingly every day and be undefeated for the carnival was a great achievement for the group,” he said.
“We were lucky enough to have somebody different step up and take the moment when they needed to.
“We had someone post a score of over 50 with the bat each day and had a good contribution from all the bowlers, which gave us a lot of depth.”
McInerney said this amount of team work meant their were several stand-out performers.
“We only had one representative (Schutz) in the team of the carnival and that was due to everybody pitching in when they needed to,” he said.
“Tom Nieuwerkerk was impressive and even bowled well on the days he did not take wickets.
“Tim Young was strong at the top and was unlucky to miss out on the last day.
“Schutz held it together with the bat all week and Thatcher played his role perfectly, while Somerfield and Matthew McInerney stepped up with their experience.”
Although it appeared a perfect campaign from the outside, it did not all go to plan after coach Robert Drenthen pulled out at the last minute for the birth of his new child.
But McInerney said the vast amount of knowledge and skill in the tight group overcame the setback and believes many are keen to return and defend their crown.
“Everyone cannot wait for next year, but there is a lot of water to go under the bridge,” he said.
“They are all keen to go again because we had a good group of guys that gelled really well.”
