Back-to-back victories for Phillip Island

• A Grade, Division 1

THEY were shaky throughout the regular season, but when it came finals time, Phillip Island simply would not be denied, producing their best two performances of the year on their way to a second consecutive A1 premiership. 

After just scraping into the finals race, the Sharks reached the decider where they faced 

Leongatha for the second season running, a team who also just made the finals with a final round win.

The two sides faced off at the beautifully prepared Korumburra Recreation Reserve and the Scorpions won the toss and sent the Islanders in to bat first. 

Having been bowled out for under 100 in their final two home and away games, the Island XI had the odds stacked against them against the in form Town attack, but this didn’t bother the reigning premiers.

They lost the talented Eli Richards (17) early with the score 1/19 but were not going to let this be the start of another dark day with the bat, and led by their champion captain Daniel Mock (40 from 96) began to surge. 

Mock combined brilliantly with Lachlan Cleeland (92 from 175) who looked as though he was in for a day, especially after passing the half century mark and getting a second chance after being dropped in slip. 

Following the pair’s 93-run stand, Mock was dismissed as the ever-reliable Amila Ratnaike (2/84 from 18) struck for Town, this sparked a brief fightback as Darcy Hume (1/74 from 16) had Daniel Bourke (3) caught and bowled. 

However, the Scorpions just couldn’t get a roll on, as Shiran Rathnayake (112 from 123) joined Cleeland at the crease and helped the Sharks take back firm control of the innings. 

The pair put on 80, before Cleeland fell, just eight runs short of a century, and Jarrod Black (0) soon followed as the Town boys again began to fightback. 

Although, just as they had the first time, the Islanders recovered superbly and Thomas Keily (84* from 92) joined Rathnayake at the crease and the pair put ‘Gatha to the sword, to the tune of a massive 106-run partnership to send their score north of 300. 

Rathnayake eventually fell to Ratnaike after a scintillating century, but a late flurry from Brodie Johnston (22* from 20) saw the Island finish on a mammoth total of 6/385, setting Leongatha a target of 386 for the premiership. 

On Sunday, Town began the chase and unfortunately, they didn’t quite show the same ability to fight back after the loss of wickets as the Island showed a day earlier.

The Scorpions lost Hume (2) early and just as Ben Hanrahan (8) and their skipper Jesse Giardina (21 from 27) looked to reconsolidate the innings, they lost Giardina to fall 2/24.

Keily then struck again after sending the Town skipper packing, to remove Ron Abeysinghe (8) who was also starting to look strong behind the ball, the opening duo of Keily and Simon Kirton (2/8 from 8.3) proving once again to be a formidable one for the Sharks. 

Hanrahan continued on and was digging in courageously with his side 3/38, looking to wrestle back the momentum however, the call from Mock to bring on Max Royal (5/44 from 15) was a game changer. 
Royal bowled tremendously claiming five wickets, the first of which many would say to be the most pivotal, removing the form man of the competition and ever-dangerous Madura Madasunka (14) clean bowled. 
This ignited the Islanders and Royal himself, he had Hanrahan soon after, caught LBW after a brave knock at number three, then Dulaj Polwaththa Gallage (8) after he combined with Ratnaike (31 from 34) for a brief counterattack. 
With the wicket of Mudassar Riaz (5), Royal had four and had turned the Grand Final on its head, with Town 7/90, still 296 runs adrift. 
However, Ratnaike was not going to see his Scorpions go down without a fight and launched a six out of the ground to change momentum, losing the ball in the process, an almighty strike. 
Ratnaike gave it everything with bat and ball and he’s done so often for Town, but in the end it just wasn’t their weekend.
Royal claimed the wicket of the star all rounder for his fifth of the match and Island were well on their way. 
In a move that copped some negative feedback from the Sharks faithful over the fence, Mock took Royal off with one wicket to go, brining on Kirton who finished the job, capping off the 276-run win. 
The win shows that the Island are truly never out of it and just took ‘the long way’ in their pursuit of perfection, as Mock reiterated in his victory speech post game. 
“We played our best cricket of the year in the last four days (two games) and as I’ve kept telling the boys, the cream rises,” he said.
It certainly did, and once again the Sharks are the cream of the crop.
Congratulations to Phillip Island, the back to back LDCA A grade division one premiers!