Jubilant: Echuca Cricket Club’s Kookaburra Cup team. Photo: Echuca Cricket Club
Echuca Cricket Club can lay claim to the title of the best T20 side in the region, taking out the Northern Rivers Kookaburra Cup on Sunday at Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo.
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Contested by the defending champions and grand finalists from last season’s T20 competitions in the Northern Rivers region, Echuca beat Emu Valley Cricket Association side United in the final to clinch the title.
“It was obviously a good day, winning the three games was pretty impressive,” Echuca captain Aidan Young said.
“If we were going to go over there and play the whole day, we wanted to win it, so that was quite pleasing for us.”
The day wasn’t without its hiccups, however, with the side under siege early on in its first outing against Kyabram Redbacks, finding itself down 4-9 in the opening overs on a pitch that was doing plenty.
“We’ve got a pretty good player in Kobyn James who stood up out there and got a 50,” Young said.
“We were 4-9 and we were thinking ‘if we could just scrounge together 50 or 60 to give ourselves something to bowl at, that would be nice’.
“But Kobyn really stood up with Ewan Davidson and put on about 70 or 80 and got us to 106 which was enough on the wicket, so that was really pleasing as well.”
After a miraculous escape in the first game, the side would go on to comfortably account for Bamawm-Lockington United in the second game, winning by eight wickets to qualify for the final.
Leader: Aidan Young captained Echuca to the title on Sunday. Photo: Aidan Briggs
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Aidan Briggs
Facing off against United in the decider, Echuca won the toss and opted to bowl and got things off to a hot start, removing the United openers for three each.
Brendan Moyle snared the scalp of the opposition number three Fraser Gentry for four runs to have the EVCA side in trouble early, before Harry Whittle and Tom Calvert made 28 and 21 respectively to help United to 8-97 after a dire start.
Moyle (2-6) and Matthew Hinks (2-17) did the damage for Echuca, while Rylea Jones (1-14), Charlie Hinks (1-21) and Young (1-24) were among the wickets.
The GMC side would put in its best performance of the day with the bat in its chase, reaching the required total from 12 overs for the loss of three wickets, led by a half-century from the powerful Townrow to add yet another piece of silverware to the cabinet at Victoria Park.
“I think it was a pretty good team performance from all the boys, there was no real standout,” Young said.
“Simon Maddox took 4-4 in the first game, but other than that it was two or three wickets each and a really good fielding performance.
“I don’t think we had any dropped catches the whole day and a few run-outs as well, which was good.”
Echuca’s attention will now turn to the Haeusler’s T20 Goulburn Murray Cricket competition, with the side facing a do-or-die clash against Moama on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of that battle, Young said his side had eyes only for the win.
“We got a walk over last game, but we’ve got Moama (on Thursday night),” he said.
“So look, we’re hoping to win, hoping to get through and, obviously, we’ve won the last couple, so we’re looking to continue that as well obviously.”
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