In a nail biting two days of play Workers Gol Gol snatched a five run victory over Merbein South in the Sunraysia Cricket Association First Division Grand Final on Sunday.
After making only 137 runs on Saturday Workers Gol Gol captured 3/33 before stumps were drawn.
Night watchm,an Matt Walder and Luke Jones then set about the path to victory on Sunday and a partnership of 47 runs between the pair was promising.
Walder, after being given not out in a run out decision which was borderline, was eventually out caught off change bowler Nick Carroll bringing Jarrod Armsden to the crease to join Jones.
Jones was eventually dismissed when he flicked the ball off his pads and it was caught by Andrew Petrie in leg slip.
Armsden was out when he lofted a ball towards fine leg and Matt Cameron raced in to take a diving catch.
The next to go was Mark White, who looked sound until he misjudged a Brett Cumming delivery, left it and watched it take a stump.
Aaron Finch had a shaky start against Workers Gol Gol spinner Nick Jensen but then started to hit the ball about as the score 7/117 and victory was just 20 runs away.when
Jensen deceived him with pace and flight.
Going back to a ball he should have moved forward, he was clean bowled.
Andrew Fairlie and Tony Trinick carried the ball to within eight runs before Fairlie holed out to the deepest man in the field Aiden Calarco just two metres inside the deep mid-wicket boundary.
Workers had put down a couple of very hard catches during the afternoon and with 19 leg before appeals dismissed, the Merbein batting had to run out of luck eventually.
The last ball of Jensen’s 32nd over beat Shane Trinick hands down but he got a slight snick of bat as the ball hit his pads in front of middle stump.
The very next ball saw Trinick move across in front of his stumps to a Matt Cameron delivery and strike his pads.
There was complete silence from the Merbein South camp as umpire Rick Gane gave Trinick out and Workers Gol Gol had won the flag.
Ther umpires awarded the player of the match medallion to Jenson for his 3/40 off 32 overs and 32 with the bat.
Coomealla won the premiership over Workers Gol Gol in Division Two while Workers Gol Gol scored 5/114 (Tim MMcKenzie 42, Robert Lindsay 22mo, Billy Stevens 2/18) to beat Mildura Settlers in Third Division.
SUNRAYSIA CRICKET ASSOCIATION TANKARD DENTAL FIRST DIVISION GRAND FINAL – PLAYED AT Mildura West Aero March 24-25
Workers Gol Gol won and toss and batted to be all out for 137
Merbein South First Innings (resumed at 3/33)
Luke Jones c Andrew Petrie b Tony Hickey 40
Mark Thomson c Simon Groves b Tony Hickey 5
Adam Thomnson c Simon Groves b Tony Hickey 1
Chris Grimmer c Simon Groves b Nick Jenson 0
Matt Walder c Ryan McClure b Nick Carroll 17
Jarred Armsden c Matt Cameron b Brett Cumming 17
Mark White b Brett Cumming 10
Aaron Finch b Nick Jensen 15
Tony Trinick lbw b Matt Cameron 14
Andrew Fairlie c Aiden Calarco b Nick Jensen 5
Shane Trinick not out 0
Sundries 8
FALL: 14, 16. 17. 64, 77, 95, 96, 117, 129, 132
BOWLING: Brett Cumming 2/28 off 12 overs; Matt Cameron 1/34 off 18.1 overs; Tony Hickey 3/20 off nine overs; Nick Jensen 3/40 off 32 overs; Aiden Calarco 0/1 off 1.3 overs; David Hogarth 0/4 off three overs, Nick Carroll ½ off three overs.
Workers Gol Gol won by five runs.