By Nick Creely
HE has been proclaimed ‘The Finisher’ for at least twelve months now, but Casey-South Melbourne’s Dylan Hadfield can finally lay claim to the tag, after a stunning performance in Sunday’s Twenty20 win against Footscray.
The rising all-rounder, who also hit the winning runs in the heart-stopping win the previous day against St Kilda, was named Round 11 Premier Cricket’s player of the round on Sunday, after smacking 48 not-out off just 23 balls, to guide the Swans home after a disastrous start.
Coming in to bat at 5/54, chasing the Dogs total of 121, Hadfield rose to the occasion, spanking two sixes and five boundaries in the whirlwind knock.
“Walking out to bat on Sunday against Footscray with the score at 5/50 we needed 9 or 10 an over, so I was looking for one or two boundaries an over,” Hadfield explained.
“Having watched the beginning of our innings I had an idea of which bowlers I was aiming to target and I had to take some calculated risks and thankfully they paid off.
“It was a fantastic weekend of cricket for us, getting a couple of wins on the board against some quality opposition.”
Earlier in the match, Hadfield also bowled a disciplined spell of bowling, going at just five runs per over, claiming a direct hit run-out and getting a vital wicket.
And Hadfield said that the wins over the weekend have the potential to lift the group after a lackluster last month of cricket.
“It’s definitely nice to get back on the winner’s list after a lean month and hopefully we can gain some momentum to keep pushing ourselves up the ladder,” he said.
“It was the first time we had beaten St Kilda in 30 odd years and we are quite proud to have done that.
“It was a big morale booster for the guys, we’ve been working really hard at training and it’s nice to see some reward for our hard work.”
Now the ‘Finisher’, who is starting to live up to his nickname, is ready to continue his electric form into the second half of the season, and says he has the confidence that he can be the go to man with either bat or ball.
The nickname came about after a couple of games last year – Nath Lambden started it as a bit of a laugh but it seems to have stuck, and the boys don’t mind stitching me up with it,” he said.
“But when the game is on the line I want to be the bloke the team can turn to, to play the innings to give us the ascendancy in the game or take the important wicket or get that run out that can change the course of the match.
“I enjoy the challenge of performing during the important moments in matches when the game is evenly poised and trying to get the win for the team.
“Winning games of cricket is what we are here for and hopefully we can have a strong finish to the season.”
