ORANGE City’s 2014-15 Orange District Cricket Association season came to a gut-wrenching end in last weekend’s preliminary final, going down to reigning champions Cavaliers in an eight-wicket outright loss.
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After finishing the regular season second, the Warriors produced an underwhelming performance in the penultimate match of the summer, costing themselves a chance at contesting a third-straight decider.
“I’m proud of the fight we showed in the preliminary final, but it is disappointing,” Warriors captain Matt Findlay said.
“The grand final is where you want to be and I think we should have been there, but if you don’t get up for big games ... you won’t find yourself in those finals.
“It’s a pity, we know we were a much better side than we showed in that preliminary final, and I think we had the side to win the title, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.”
Findlay all but put the third place finish down to one factor, preparation - or a lack thereof in this case.
“I really just don’t think we worked hard enough off the field,” Findlay admitted.
“I can’t fault our effort on field, but in terms of commitment off the field, and training, we weren’t where you need to be to be winning titles.”
VIDEO: Matt Findlay's thoughts after Sunday's preliminary final loss:
The 24-year-old did highlight several positives to come from a season which netted no silverware for the Warriors.
“In the past we relied on two or three guys to do a lot of work, this year everyone contributed, that’s one thing I’m very pleased with,” Findlay said.
“In terms of individuals, welcoming Jay Shah and Ben Jonas to the club was huge for us. Jay produced consistently, and BJ (Jonas) really is a class above, if we get him for the full season next year he’ll score a ton of runs.
“My biggest highlight though was Adam Cowden’s performance. He’s been on the fringe, and suffered some disappointments in terms of selection over the last couple of years.
“Seeing him take his chance, cement his spot and mature as a batsman is very pleasing. His innings in the first dig of the preliminary final, while he only got 36, was the best he’s played for Orange City.”