Tooradin captain Cal O’Hare couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as took the catch that ended a nine-year premiership drought for his beloved Seagulls in the WGCA Premier Division grand final at Tooradin on Saturday.
Defending a healthy, but gettable, 7/161, O’Hare looked to the skies as an off drive from Cardinia number-11 Jack Bacon sailed towards him…virtually un-droppable at this level of the game.
“I started smiling when it was in the air…there was no way I was dropping that one, and then when everyone started piling on, I got poleaxed, it was very emotional,” O’Hare said, shortly after the Seagulls had secured their first top-flight flag since 2013.
“There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears over the journey and it just means so much, I can’t believe we’ve done it to be honest.”
The Seagulls had many fine contributors, with Brad Butler’s 46 not out absolutely crucial to the final outcome, while Josh Lownds (25 and 2/12), Dylan Sutton (2/20) and veteran performer Steve Hamill (2/32) delivered on a regular basis to keep the Gulls’ noses in front in the late-afternoon session.
But it was a man-of-the-match performance from star all-rounder Russ Lehman (51 and 4/24) that proved the difference and added further lustre to an already incredible career.
Lehman’s steadfast half-century, off 83 balls, which included three boundaries and a six, stopped the innings from breaking down as wickets fell at regular intervals around him.
The left-hander departed in the 35th over, and then sat back and enjoyed Butler’s explosive exploits…with four boundaries and two power-laden sixes seeing the Seagulls score a critical 1/46 from their last five overs.
Lehman, or ‘Goose’ to his teammates, then struck some vital blows as the Bulls began their run-chase looking for back-to-back flags.
Lehman found the edge of Alex Nooy’s (1) bat in the second over of the innings and then did likewise to dismiss Travis Wheller, two overs later…both gleefully accepted by O’Hare in the slips.
The second catch, to dismiss Wheller, was an absolute blinder high to his left-hand side.
Lehman bowled five overs in his opening spell with the Bulls only scoring off two of his 30 balls.
Add in his two wickets, it was mesmerising stuff…2/6 off five!
He then returned in the 31st over, with two wickets in two balls finally snuffing out the Bulls’ brave title defence.
Lehman also took two magnificent catches, one low to dismiss Bulls’ skipper, and dangerman, Jake Prosser, and a special catch on the boundary, looking into the sun, to dismiss the hard-hitting Leigh Paterson.
O’Hare couldn’t speak more highly of Lehman, who made the move across from Pakenham after winning a premiership with the Lions in 2015/16.
“Freak cricketer, freak footballer, one of the best local sportspeople going around,” O’Hare said.
“He does it in the big games, he’s a star, and I’m just rapt that we got a cup for him because he came across to win one with us boys and now, we’ve done it.”
Wheller (3/21), Prosser (37) and Paterson (25) were best for the Bulls…who put up one hell of a title defence.
