By David Nagel
The biggest day on the West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) calendar is still to play out – but the Tooradin Cricket Club has already achieved something quite remarkable with all four senior teams making it through to their respective grand finals on Saturday.
The Seagulls four teams this season – Premier, A Grade, B Grade and D Grade – have progressed to the big dance in differing fashion.
Premier and D Grade finished a game clear on top of the ladder, then won their major semi-finals to earn a week’s rest and a direct passage through to the season decider.
A Grade was well entrenched in finals, finishing third, two games clear of fifth, but still had to defeat Clyde in the minor semi-final, and then back up with a thrilling win over Cardinia in the preliminary final on the weekend to earn its shot at glory.
And as for B Grade, well its progression has been the most unlikely of all.
Led by club veteran Peter Stone, the Seagulls sat outside the top-four after 13 rounds and only snuck in after a last-round victory over Clyde.
The Seagulls repeated the dose against the Cougars the following week, and then brought down Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll’s first XI in the preliminary final on Saturday…earning a shot at runaway ladder-leaders Devon Meadows.
And with all four teams playing in close proximity on Saturday, with two in Tooradin, one at Kooweerup, and one at Devon Meadows, it could quickly develop into the biggest premiership celebration in the club’s history.
Senior coach at Tooradin, Cal O’Hare, is understandably proud of what his club has achieved this season.
“I’m very proud of the club, especially considering the way the seconds and thirds have done it, just sneaking in and winning two games each to get there,” O’Hare said.
“Then our thirds get up and knock off a first-eleven team on the weekend…that’s a great effort for a very young thirds side.”
The Seagulls’ juniors have also had a fantastic season, with their Under-18s already hoisting silverware, while a combined Tooradin/Devon Meadows team will take on Cardinia/Kooweerup in the Under-16’s grand final on Saturday morning.
And with the Under-14s taking on Officer at the same time…the potential for this day just keeps on getting bigger and more exciting.
“It’s a massive effort for us all to get in, there’s no doubt about that, and to have the under 18s already win the premiership, and two other teams in as well, it’s fantastic for the club,” O’Hare said.
“I’m super proud of what we’ve achieved and it would be nice to bring a few cups home on the weekend.”
O’Hare, a star opening batter in the elite Premier Division, thinks there is one key factor that has driven the success this season.
“We’ve been really lucky that we’ve had good kids come through,” he said.
“If you look at all our teams at the moment, they’re all pretty young, even our seconds and thirds are young, and that makes a huge difference.
“We give them opportunity, but we don’t throw them in at the deep end, and we’re probably lucky that we have the opportunity to play them at their right level.”
O’Hare was hesitant to single people out, saying the successful season to date is a club effort, but did highlight the leadership at the club and the continued support of club stalwarts.
“Benny Mantel, the president, in his third year, he gave me the coaching job and he’s pretty young for a president, but he’s been awesome,” he said.
“BJ (Ben Parrott), he’s done a power of work behind the scenes, assistant coach, social media stuff, vice president, and coached the under-18s to a premiership.
“And people like Stoney, Dave Freeman, Barry Freeman, he looks after all the kids, under 10s and under 12s, and then scores for the seniors on a Saturday.
“He’s been at the club for something like 50 years.
“And someone like Nicky Simpson, she does an enormous amount of work behind the scenes as well.
“As I said earlier, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved…but it would be nice to bring a few cups home on the weekend.”
