ST Mary’s Tyntynder has gone back-to-back in the Kookaburra Cup, defeating Wandella by 109 runs in the grand final at Ken Harrison Reserve on Australia Day.
The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story, however.
At one stage, the Saints looked in trouble, with the Bombers tearing through the middle order to leave them reeling at 9/153.
This is where the game-changing period occurred – No.11 Robin Sebastian met young star Charlie King out in the middle.
There are far worse No.11s than Sebastian (who has hit an A Grade century) floating around and it showed, as the pair dealt a dagger blow to the Bombers’ flag aspirations, compiling a 54-run final wicket stand.
Sebastian finished with 34 not out and would go on to be awarded player of the match after a superb all-round performance with bat, ball and in the field.
Saints skipper Nathaniel Holmes-Brown told The Guardian he was delighted to have him back at the club.
“He’s a player with an A Grade century batting at 11, so it’s awesome to have him back in our setup,” he said.
“You just know what you’re going to get with him week in, week out with the ball and his batting is just a bonus.
“We lost 7/30 at one stage and were looking at being bowled out for 160, but Robin and Charlie just batted sensationally to get us to 200, which was a fantastic score.”
Winning the toss and batting first, the Saints attacked hard early, with Jake Foster (24) and Jonty Chaproniere (27) putting on a 50-run opening stand within six overs.
Chaproniere, like Sebastian, is another who has recently re-joined the club and the former South Australian grade cricketer has been a welcome bonus for Holmes-Brown, to say the least.
“He’s a great cricketer, and it’s awesome to have someone who’s played a bunch of representative cricket in our top order,” he said.
It looked like anything was possible for the Saints, however the Bombers, to their credit, picked up the opening pair in quick succession with the McKnight boys Bohden (1/54 off eight overs) and Ethan (4/30 off eight) snaring the prized scalps.
On another day, Ethan might have been awarded best afield. He was superb with the ball throughout the middle overs and was the instigator of the collapse that left the Saints vulnerable.
Bailey Codling (21) and Jake Shannahan (29) continued the Saints’ quick start, something the team has been targeting this season.
“We got off to a perfect start being 0/50 off six, and even if we did slow down, it still sets you up on a platform,” Holmes-Brown said.
“Early runs on the board means your No.3 and 4 don’t have to go out there and blaze away because they have time.”
The Saints didn’t allow the Bombers to build any pressure with pinched singles and quick running between the wickets.
“We’ve been working on that throughout the season,” Holmes-Brown said.
“We identified we don’t need to hit a boundary every over – if we can just keep ticking the scoreboard over, it’s worth its weight in gold.”
While the Saints were going at a fair clip, none of their players were going on for the big score.
From 3/129 to 9/153 there must have been a shudder through the rooms of a side who have lost their fair share of big finals matches.
That was until that massive last-wicket partnership swung the momentum right back in the Saints’ favour.
Along with Ethan McKnight, opening bowler Ryan Barnes also had a good day out, with the ball taking 3/39 from his eight overs.
Chasing 208 in a grand final is tough enough, but against arguably the best bowling attack in the league, it was always going to be a step too far for the Bombers.
Captain Gregory Dickson (11) was the key man, but he fell early when Corey Daniels nicked him off to a waiting Foster at slip.
Sebastian’s day to remember continued when he produced a brilliant piece of fielding to run out Bohden McKnight on 5, leaving the Bombers 3/34.
The tail provided some resistance, with Daniel Higgs’ 15 not out being the highest score of the day for the Bombers.
They were eventually rolled for 98 in a commanding display from the best white-ball side in the SHDCA.
After running amok against sides with the white pill all season, it was a feeling of vindication for Holmes-Brown as captain and leader of the bowling cartel.
“It was good to have a plan and it to work out well – I tell the boys if we bat our overs, our bowlers will always be able to defend it,” he said.
“We have great depth in our bowling, and it showed when Corey (Daniels) got no-balled out and other blokes like Austin McKerrow (3/16 off five) did the job.”
Tough assignments are on the horizon for the Saints, with a blockbuster against Nyah District a fortnight away.
The Saints and Demons appear far and away the competitions two best sides this season and Holmes-Brown can’t wait to test his side against them.
“We’re looking forward towards the back end of the season – I feel red ball cricket suits our brand well,” he said.
“It’s always great to play against sides like Nyah – it’s where you want to be, challenged against the best sides.”
While it wasn’t the way the Bombers envisaged their Kookaburra Cup campaign finishing – making the grand final in only their second season in the SHDCA is an achievement in itself.
