The Batemans Bay Cricket Club’s third-grade side won the club’s first ever grand final in the Shoalhaven District Cricket Association with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Sussex Inlet at Hanging Rock Oval.
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The one-day final, played on Saturday, December 22, pitted an undefeated Batemans Bay side against a Sussex Inlet side who knocked out second-placed Nowra in last weekend’s elimination final.
Sussex Inlet won the toss and chose to bat first on the synthetic pitch. That decision didn’t pan out in the early stages, as the visitors lost a wicket and struggled for scoring in the first five overs.
They eventually got going, as Glenn Hayek and Geoff Benning combined at the crease for an important early partnership.
Benning eventually holed out to mid on, and when Shane Isherwood was snared at mid off, the visitors were struggling at 3/44.
Dave Goodwin joined Hayek at the crease, and the two managed to take Sussex Inlet to the mid-innings break at 3/65.
Batemans Bay took the scalp of Goodwin in the first over after the break for 14, as Mark Templeman took a running, over-the-shoulder catch at deep square.
Mark Robson joined Hayek at the crease, and the two put on a partnership of 28 before Hayek was trapped LBW by Paul Cullen.
Robson was the last resistance for Sussex Inlet, scoring an unbeaten 41 despite a lack of support from the tail.
Sussex Inlet managed to bat out their 40 overs, finishing with a score of 9/138. Andrew Malcolm took three wickets for the home side, while both Paul Cullen and Lachlan Malcolm took a brace.
Batemans Bays’ run chase got off to the worst possible start when Lachlan Malcolm was bowled out for a duck in the first over.
Tom Purcell joined David West at the crease, but West wouldn’t last long as he fell to the bowling of Stephen Jones for just 11 to leave the Bay at 2/19.
Youngster James Dickinson came to the crease with the side in crisis, and he and Purcell went about steadying the ship against a solid Sussex Inlet bowling attack.
The two looked solid with the willow as they built the score to 2/80 at the mid-innings break.
Sussex Inlet thought they had a breakthrough shortly after the break when Dickinson’s stumps were sent flying, but the umpire called a no ball for having more than two men behind square leg.
That was the last sniff the visitors would get of victory, as Purcell (61*) and Dickinson (41*) guided the Bay to victory with more than 10 overs to spare.
Purcell was named man of the match for his display with the bat, his first half century of the season.
