By Tara Murray
Bacchus Marsh will play finals for the first time in the Ballarat Cricket Association after a thrilling final round win against cross town rivals Darley.
It was a virtual elimination match in the final round, with the Bulls and Lions needing to win to play finals. A couple of outright results was the only way one of those teams wouldn’t finish in fourth.
Bulls captain-coach Sam Crea said it was pretty exciting for the club to achieve playing finals in only their second year in the competition.
“The club has long term aspirations and for us in our second year, with the challenges we’ve had through this year it is pretty special.
“We know there is still work ahead of us. We still have to face Mt Clear this week.”
Crea said the script couldn’t have been written much better with the two local rivals facing each other in the final round with finals on the line.
Day one of the match was all about the bowlers.
The Bulls had been bowled out for 125, with the Lions resuming on Saturday at 4-35.
Crea said the wicket flattened out during the week and was always going to be a bit more batter friendly.
“We toiled away,” he said. “They had a couple of guys working hard and batting really well.
“We knew we would create six chances, We dropped a couple of chances though.
“We had then 8-50 and then dropped two catches in an over. It should have been 9-50.
Jarrod Burns and Madushanka Ekanayaka fought hard for the Lions to get them within sight of the target.
Crea said the pair didn’t look for boundaries, just tried to tick the scoreboard over.
They put on 42 before Burns fell for 42, which had come off 153 balls.
The game then turned again.
“We gave Will [Lalor] a couple of overs and he bowled Jarrod with a nice ball,” Crea said. “He then bowled two full tosses and was taken out of the attack.
“The game had everything. We knew we would create another one of two chances and we stuck to that belief.”
Ekanayaka and skipper Ben Longhurst got the score past 100 to give their side some hope.
That dream ended on 106 when Longhurst fell to give the Bulls the win and a finals spot.
Burns top scored for the Lions, while Ekanayaka made 20 not out off 87 balls.
Crea took four wickets for the Bulls with Shanin Silva taking three.
The Bulls finish in fourth spot and the Lions slip to sixth behind Golden Point.
The Bulls will face Mt Clear this weekend in a two-dayer with a spot in the grand final on the line.
Crea said facing Mt Clear would be a good challenge.
“Eastern Oval is a good track,” he said. “They’ve been the best side all season, the most consistent.
“They beat us comprehensively in a one-dayer before Christmas. People might doubt us, but we know what we are as a club and we can match it with the best.”
Crea said across the club they had shown some really strong form with a number of other sides playing finals.
It will be a big weekend for Bacchus Marsh, with its women’s side hosting Macedon in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association women’s league grand final.
