By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – GRAND FINAL
KOOWEERUP’S West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) Premier side made history on Sunday at Holm Park Road in Beaconsfield, becoming the first team since the Demons of the 1970s to win four grand finals in the space of six seasons.
And they did it by giving their Cardinia opponents an absolute master class in perceived pressure.
In circumstances eerily similar to last season – the same result, against the same opposition, at the same venue – the Demons were unable to reach the 200 mark after winning the toss and batting first.
On a slow pitch, but a lightning outfield, the Bulls bowlers – including skipper and man of the match Neil Barfuss (6/46), Brayden Browne (2/24) and Travis Welsh (2/34) – restricted the reigning premiers to just 179 all out. Yet a series of costly extras, dropped catches and misfields aided the cause.
Kooweerup keeper-batsman Chris Bright (55) didn’t always look comfortable at the crease, and was hit on the body by a couple of Barfuss bullets, but he battled through and stayed confident.
More importantly – he kept his composure.
Gun all-rounder Matt Davey (45), meanwhile, took the challenge to the attack from the middle order.
At stumps on the first day, there was a sense of calm in the Demons’ dressing room – knowing they’d won from a worse position in the 2013/’14 decider.
The Bulls resumed at 1/20 on day two, but then lost a steady stream of wickets throughout the day to be eventually rolled for a painstaking 126. Travis Welsh (31) came to the crease at number three and showed maturity beyond his years, but there simply wasn’t enough help for Barfuss (26), who eventually holed out to Chris O’Hara – the same fielder who took the winning catch against the Bulls last year.
