Sport
1 December, 2022
Caboolture wins one-day decider
RAIN and lightning could not prevent Caboolture from winning the Sunshine Coast Div 1 one-day cricket grand final against Maroochydore at the Buderim-based Elizabeth Daniels Park last Sunday.
Maroochydore tallied 184 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs, before the match was cut short with Caboolture sitting on 3/99 from 30.5 overs.
Under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern mathematical system, Caboolture was awarded victory by five runs.
While Caboolture had won a number of senior cricket competitions over the years, the club had received bad luck in recent seasons when wet weather impacted finals fixtures.
Caboolture skipper John Flew said it felt “awesome” to win this time, as it was the first time that a number of his team-mates were in a title win.
Flew opened the bowling after losing the toss, and took the first wicket with just two runs on the board as he reached low with his right hand to snaffle a superb return catch.
The second wicket was also a caught-and-bowled, with Cameron Trask taking a simple catch to leave Maroochydore 2/17.
The total was only 28 when the third wicket fell in the 16th over. Having been tied down, opener Lachlan Kropp chanced his arm and skied the ball towards mid on where Jackson Mills took a fine running catch.
With the run rate still below two per over, Mills held another catch. This time he was at cover while the batter was left-handed, and there was some uncertainty as the umpires consulted each other before the batter was given out.
With the pitch flattening out, the hosts recovered as 105 runs were added for the fifth wicket before the loss of 3/3 left them 7/152.
Danyn Stewart, on 55, became the third Maroochydore batter to be caught-and-bowled as Mitchell Lee held a well judged catch from a skied shot. In the same over, Luke McInnes flicked a catch into the outfield.
Carter Simpson became the fourth bowler to hold a return catch, as Samuel Gunson chipped the ball back to him.
Thirty-two runs were added in the last 3.3 overs, with Steven Sistern Tate hitting two sixes.
The eighth wicket fell from the final ball of the innings in comical circumstances, as Blaine Schloss was run out for a hard fought 81. Schloss smacked the ball into the deep and didn’t run, as he expected the ball would reach the boundary.
Schloss belatedly ran when he realised the ball had been fielded, and he paid the price as he slipped when taking off for a second run.
Trask was the pick of the bowlers with 2/14 from 10 overs, while Flew had 2/25.
Having put on an opening stand of 179 at better than a run per ball against Nambour the previous day, Jackson Mills and Jackson Simpson adopted a more cautious approach on the Sunday.
“We talked about being able to turn the strike over, and not take too many risks,” Flew said afterwards.
“We got good value for our shots. The outfield was pretty quick.
“The openers saw off the new ball.”
Caboolture was 1/29 after 12 overs when Mills skied a full toss beyond mid on, where Joshua Tyson took a good catch.
The score was 2/41 when a cut shot brought about Glen Batticciotto’s downfall, before Tom Rowley helped Simpson turn the tide Caboolture’s way.
Simpson had scored 46 from 95 balls when he was run out, leaving Caboolture needing 86 runs from 115 balls.
There was no further play as bad light and rain forced the players from the field, and there was also a bit of lightning.
Flew said the Caboolture players waited to see if they had done enough to win, with anticipation turning to excitement when they learned the outcome.
“We felt comfortable. We were cruising along,” he said.
