Cougars crowned A2 premiers

A Grade, Division 2

KOONWARRA L/RSL stood victorious against Glen Alvie in the A2 grand final over the weekend.

The premiership match was held over two days at Wonthaggi’s Butch West oval.

Saturday offered an overcast morning, but ultimately it was beautiful conditions for cricket.

Koonwarra L/RSL had only faced Glen Alvie once through the season, winning a one-day match early on.

The scheduled two-day match was washed out, so neither team knew what to expect from the long format, with depth in the batting and bowling on both sides. 

The Cougars started on its winning way with a successful toss and chose to send Glen Alvie in to bat first.

Koony bowlers Nick Arnup and Joshua Thomas quickly claimed the wickets of opening partnership Matthew Donohue and Scott Peatling.

Donohue’s wicket fell first at 1/6, which saw young Matthew Dakin step up to the crease.

Dakin steered the ship back in the right direction, hitting 80 runs before a catch from Thomas saw him sent back to the sheds.

Once Dakin was dismissed at 5/114, Koonwarra L/RSL was able to chip away at the rest of the order.

Coming in at number four, Dean Williams added 19 to the scoreboard, followed by captain Stephen Kennedy and Wayne Luke with 17 and 18 runs respectively.

Arnup was Koonwarra L/RSL’s top bowler, taking 3/31.

Two wickets also fell to Azhar Mehmood.

Glen Alvie was bowled out 10/172.

Koonwarra L/RSL took its turn to bat on Sunday.

Glen Alvie looked to have the upper hand, dismissing Matt Cooke for a duck and quickly taking Amad Mujtaba and Mehmood’s wickets.

The third wicket fell at 3/23.

All wickets were claimed by Glen Alvie vice captain Nathan Findlay.

The rain started and threatened a wash out, but play was only delayed for half an hour.

Once play resumed, Isuru Darshana and captain James Rushton got the job done for the Cougars.

The pair made 86 and 70 runs respectively and were both not out as they passed Glen Alvie’s score. 

“We saw ourselves in a similar situation during the semi-final. We were 5/20, but there’s a bit of depth in our batting order and we’ve been able to keep a level head,” club president Arnup said.

“It was a good game of cricket all round, and it was great to see two of the smaller clubs represented in the grand final. Both teams were pushing hard all season to get up there.” 

Koonwarra L/RSL won the match with a final score of 3/175.