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“IT was as close to the perfect cricketing performance as you’d see”.
CYMS skipper Hamish Finlayson lauded the efforts of his players, particularly Hugh Le Lievre and Mitch Winslade, following the green and golds’ 267-run thumping of Cavaliers in the Orange District Cricket Association grand final over the weekend.
Le Lievre pummelled his second consecutive grand final century in leading his side to a mammoth total of 8-335, before Winslade snared four wickets as the green and golds routed Cavaliers for just 68 to seal a second straight title win.
With Cavaliers on the ropes at 6-57 and the game all but won Winslade cleaned up the tail, dismissing Chris Martin (8), Brad Wright (2), Scott Kennedy (2) and Mark Maybin (4) to finish with sterling figures of 4-12 from just three overs.
“It was just one of those games where absolutely everything went right for us,” Finlayson enthused.
“Hughy batted beautifully again, another really special innings, and everyone bowled well and we took all our chances. Mitchy did a wonderful job at the end, it’s great to see him be able to do something like that considering he’s only 17.
“We just wanted it so badly and we worked so hard in the lead up to it. We were very determined to get it done and we did, it’s too good.”
Despite losing Matt Baker (8) early, CYMS’ top order did what they hadn’t been able to in recent games and set a strong foundation for their middle and lower order to work from, primarily through Michael Hannelly, who notched 54 opening up.
Coming in at 3-71, Le Lievre combined with Hannelly in a 50-run fourth wicket stand and then added another 74 with Tom Belmonte (32) for the fifth.
But it was his sixth wicket stand with Michael Delaney which truly set up the victory.
Le Lievre and Delaney (82) added 42 to see CYMS through to 5-237 at stumps on day one and added another 74 on Sunday morning before the former was dismissed for 100.
With just 10 overs to bat on the second day CYMS piled on 98 to catapult themselves to the massive total.
In reply, Cavaliers stuttered immediately, losing skipper and newly crowned ODCA cricketer of the year Richie Venner (7) and John Warrington (1) in the fifth over of their chase.
From there, wickets fell constantly as the maroons slumped to just 68 - the only time they failed to reach 100 all summer.
“All our bowlers did their jobs perfectly,” Finlayson said.
“As a captain, I couldn’t ask for any more from the boys. I couldn’t be happier, I couldn’t be prouder of them all.”
“We only have ourselves to blame,” Venner said.
“Dropped catches hurt us. We dropped five or six that cost us almost 200 runs and they were all at really crucial times of the game.
“Those big moments came and CYMS won them. Then with the bat we put pressure on ourselves. Scoreboard pressure was there and we built more and more on ourselves.
“CYMS thoroughly outplayed us, they deserved the win. Congratulations to them.”
CYMS’ win was the first time a side has gone back-to-back since Centrals in 2010-11 and 2011-12, and the first time the club had done so since winning three in a row in 1963-64, 64-65 and 65-66.