It wasn’t Darley’s day on Saturday in the Ballarat Cricket Association grand final.
The Lions had a task in front of them going into the second weekend of the grand final against Wendouree, having conceded first innings points.
With a first innings deficit of 65 runs, the Lions needed wickets early on day two.
But it wasn’t to be – the Red Caps were 5-225 overnight, with a lead of 290 runs.
Lions’ coach Heath Pritchard said they considered ending the game after a tough day in the field on Saturday, but the playing group was determined to have another crack on Sunday morning.
“We battled hard on a pitch that was really flat,” he said. “I didn’t think we bowled that bad and they are a good batting side. They didn’t give us any chances.
“The boys wanted to have a crack for as long as possible. Once it got to over seven runs an over and we still hadn’t got them out it was getting tough.”
When the game was called off, Wendouree was 7-276 with a lead of 341 runs just before tea on day four.
The Lions shared the wickets around with Ben Longhurst and Sajith Rupasingha taking two each.
While disappointed with the result, Pritchard said he couldn’t be prouder of what the club has achieved the past two seasons.
“The club had never been in a Ballarat cricket grand final,” he said. “Wendouree is always in finals and it wasn’t that long ago they won five premierships in a row.
“We were slightly disappointed with the way we batted. But I don’t think the scores reflected the closeness of the game and we needed a bit of luck but didn’t get it.”
Pritchard said the next step for the club was to try to keep the playing group together and bring in some new players to add some depth in the second, third and fourth sides.
Pritchard, who coached the side the past two seasons, won’t coach next season. He had told the club in December that would be the case and he plans to spend more time with his family.
As for playing on and the captaincy?
“When I came to the club I was only going to play and be captain, but they needed a coach,” he said.
“I had told my wife that I wouldn’t coach again and I coached for two more years.
“I’ll have a break and let the body recover before I make a decision. I’m 40 and coming to the end of my career.”
