By Jonty Ralphsmith
Over the Christmas period, the Star News’ sports team will be re-sharing some of the most popular stories from over the course of 2023.
Thank you for supporting our newspapers over the course of the year. We hope you enjoy the selection and have a wonderful holiday period, however you choose to celebrate.
Move over, Matt Renshaw.
The Brisbane Heat batter ramped Beau Webster’s final delivery of the Heat v Melbourne Stars BBL clash for four to win his team the game at the MCG last week.
Doveton president Kaine Bundy went one better and ramped Springvale South offie Jarryd Straker for six off the third-last ball to give Doveton an incredible win in the DDCA T20 competition.
Playing Turf 4 cricket as recently as the 2019-20 season, the Doves have risen and risen quickly, their win over a Turf 1 powerhouse emphasising the improvement.
The president has made a name for himself in the first part of the season as Kaine the crease-occupier.
On Tuesday night, he became Bundy the basher.
Entering with the run-rate at about 7.5, he guided the chase expertly, with 35 off 28 including three sixes and a four.
His team needed to go at nine an over for the last three overs, and he got it down to seven off the final one.
Captain Nanga Wilson was dismissed LBW to start the 20th, then Dale Kilpatrick faced a dot ball, before unconvincingly slicing a shot over Straker’s head for one
That’s when Bundy went bang.
As he saw it sail over the fence, Bundy tossed his bat and threw his helmet in the air in fierce celebration.
“He finished it off like Michael Bevan I thought in the end,” said Wilson.
“He practices these shots in the nets and tells us how good he is but he actually produced it today so props to him.
“He played (a ramp) in the first t20 against Parkmore on the final ball of the innings that he got away as well, he hit it for four, so he has been talking it up for the last couple of weeks.”
After a slow start, Simon Mackie, finished with 42 off 33, while marquee player Dale Tormey contributed 23 off 11 in pursuit of 153.
When that pair were dismissed there were plenty still to get for a team that struggles against Turf 2 calibre bowlers, let alone Blade Baxter, Josh Dowling and co.
But they found a way.
“I said to the boys at the start ‘we’re probably about 50-1 in a two-horse race here’, so be confident, and then at halftime when we kept them to 152, you could see the confidence grow a little bit,” Wilson said.
Missing trump spinner Ryan Hendy, it was Tormey (3/24 off four) and seconds players, offie Ethan Coates (2/15 off four) and slow-medium bowler Greg Bundy (2/28 off four) that did the damage.
“For a club that was struggling to keep the doors open four years ago, to make the semi-finals of the whole competition is a really proud moment and pretty special I reckon,” Wilson said.
The semis and final will take place on 5 February with Doveton taking on Buckley Ridges, which defeated Parkfield.
In the other semi-final, Berwick will face North Dandenong after they defeated Springvale and Beaconsfield respectively.
