By Trevor Jackson
EAST GAMBIER d WEST GAMBIER
IN a result which can only be described as unlikely, East Gambier booked a Barber Shield cricket grand final berth on the weekend after a tight victory over West Gambier at Malseed park.
Firstly, both semi-finals were cut short after Saturday was washed out.
Rather than an 80-overs-per-side contest, games were cut back to 50, with just one day to complete.
At Malseed Park the pitch was slightly damp, with the surrounding area of the wicket more dangerous.
With the weather clearing up somewhat overnight and a bit of wind around to dry the ground up, play went ahead on Sunday after a quick mow of the outfield, with a low-scoring result which was hard to pick.
East claimed the win but not without a few scares.
After winning the toss East chose to bowl and the tricky wicket showcased the bowling of Alex Hentschke, Kevin Thomson and Liam Turley, as the trio ripped through the Roos’ lineup, limiting them to just 75 runs.
Jack Geddes was bowled by Turley after facing six balls for no runs, followed soon after by Justin DeJong for four runs, caught off Hentschke.
With no further runs added to the tally, Alex Hill was stumped by Dion Stratford off the bowling of Turley for another duck.
Thomson proved difficult to play, as Sam Willis discovered when he was bowled for just six runs off 30 deliveries.
From there Jack Blackwell and Bray Stephenson settled the innings somewhat, before the latter was caught by Hentschke off the bowling of Thomson for just seven.
Blackwell and Stephenson had added 18 runs to the coffers but it was slow going.
Sam Coxon joined Blackwell in the middle and the pair looked set but just 10 runs into the partnership the latter edged a Hentschke delivery to Stratford and his innings was over for 20 runs off 96 balls.
When Richard Crute came and went for no runs, West was in trouble at 7/46, with no real end to the carnage in sight.
In the end Coxon ensured a total that would be competitive, although 75 runs hardly appears a tough chase.
Thomson topped the bowling figures with 5/24, Hentshcke finished with 3/16 and Turley with 2/12.
Considering the issues West’s batting lineup up faced, it was now up to East to avoid the same carnage.
However, that would not be the case.
This time it was Crute who put his batting performance behind him and claimed six scalps to make it a tough run chase for the Bulldogs.
He claimed his first wicket with just nine runs on the board, sending Leigh Von Duve back tot he sidelines with just eight to his name.
Thomson came next, caught and bowled by Crute for just three.
Stratford fell next, caught off Stephenson for five and three of the big names were spectators.
When Steven Cameron fell to Stephenson for 16, East looked in trouble but a handy partnership between Hentschke and Emerson Marks followed.
The pair settled in and put on 31 runs to place the Bulldogs in a winning position.
What then unfolded seemed unlikely but given the day’s proceedings was anything but.
With the total at 64, both Hentschke and Marks fell victim to Crute and it was game on.
However, with only 12 runs required for victory and four wickets in hand, it appeared East would have enough to advance through to the grand final.
Crute had other ideas, as he claimed the wicket of Ben Robinson for no runs, Before Willis trapped Ben Hentschke lbw for six.
Travis Younghusband fell to Crute without bothering the scorers and suddenly East was in trouble with nine wickets down just six runs shy of the required target.
In the 43rd over the Bulldogs reached the target and celebrated, with the chance to claim a Barber shield crown this week against Penola.
Crute finished with the impressive figures of 6/28 off 13 overs.
PENOLA d MIL LEL
UP at McCorquindale Park Penola started the day as favourite but a cameo in the middle order by Mil Lel’s Jack Miller almost derailed the home side’s plan.
Unfortunately for Mil Lel there were too few decent knocks, with only Miller, William Rowland, Craig Lock and Shannon Megaw reaching double figures.
Rowland looked settled at the crease, banging on 12 runs from just 18 balls before his day was over, caught off Lachie Jones.
It was Jones’s second scalp of the day but did not appear to slow Mil Lel down too much.
Lock played a steady knock and along with Nick Walters, moved the total to 43 before thenext wicket fell.
Walters fell to Michael Waters for seven, while just five runs late Lock was bowled by Josh Doyle for 22.
With no further runs added, Daniel Justin faced 21 deliveries for his duck, caught Conrad Slabber.
Carey Megaw became Slabber’s second victim, caught with just five to his name, while Darcy Williamson could only offer eight runs to the total, another Slabber victim.
When Miller fell for 38, with 110 on the board, it was all over for Mil Lel, as they could only sneak along to 111, leaving a reasonable total for Penola to chase.
Slabber and Jones claimed three wickets each.
With the bat Penola showed its dominance, at one stage not looking like losing a wicket in the run chase.
Jack Mullan was the only victim, caught-and-bowled by Miller for 61.
By that stage Penola had chalked up 92 runs and victory was imminent.
Jones helped finish off the innings, with Penola needing just 35.2 overs to reach the target and book a grand final berth.
