For the second consecutive season Gladstone took down perennial grand finalists Orange City in Saturday’s Orange District Cricket Association second grade decider and if you ask the latter side’s skipper, there’s only one reason why.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Warriors didn’t score enough runs.
Gladstone sent Orange City in and kept the Warriors quiet during the middle overs of their dig and despite having plenty left in the sheds, Stedman’s side could only muster 4-140 from 40 overs as a result.
Scoreboard pressure is an undeniable advantage in grand finals and that did show, Gladstone’s chase was a nervous one which needed a handful of vital lower-order contributions to ensure it was also successful.
Gladstone started that chase well, player of the final Kyran Bubb (38) got his side off to a flyer, adding 36 for the first wicket with Luke Wilson – who only made two.
Then Brad Johnson (4-35) took all of his wickets in a short stint in which the Gladstone lost 5-29. They were reeling at 6-78 at that point.
The side slumped to 7-96 and then 8-106, but then those late-order contributions came from Scott Barrett (21), Ben Easter (21 not out) and Brad Cotter (12 not out).
The last two added an unbeaten 35 for the ninth wicket to push Gladstone over the line.
Earlier in the game, Shaun Churchill (40) and Jock Cartwright (38) were the Warriors’ best with the bat, while Ben McAlpine (3-26), Bubb (0-28) and Cotter (0-25) all bowled superbly.
“Brad Cotter bowled really well at the death and then got them over the line, it was a big effort from him and Benny Easter,” Stedman said.
In third grade Wanderers, as was expected by most, took care of Orange City comfortably, eventually winning by 58 runs.
As they have been all season Gav Smith and Mark Wiegold were the stars too.
Smith and Wiegold made 64 and 40, respectively, in Wanderers’ innings of 177 before snaring four wickets between them to seal the win.
Smith took 3-27 to seal a man-of-the-match showing while Wiegold took 1-10, as Orange City succumbed for 119.
Jason Corby was Orange City’s best performed, taking 3-19 with the ball.
Miserly performances with the ball from Hugh McIntyre and Ed Taylor led their KWS Young Guns side to the Orange District Cricket Association Centenary Cup title on Saturday.
The duo, who nabbed 3-11 from seven overs and 2-4 from five respectively, helped restrict clubmates KWS Tens enough to ensure their side earned bragging rights from the thrilling derby decider.
The Young Guns made 95 – Chris McIntyre (30) and Lachlan Smith (24) the best at Country Club Oval – before Hugh McIntyre and Taylor set about their work.
Harry Jeffrey (3-4) and Will Roberts (3-17) were the Tens’ best bowlers.
Only Phoebe Litchfield (20) and George Cumming (15) could crack double figures as the Tens were strangled, finishing 9-88 – seven short of the Young Guns’ total and eight short of victory.