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Courtesy of a strong contribution from its batsmen, Stanhope claimed its first Goulburn Murray Cricket B grade premiership on Saturday.
In its clash with Moama at Kyabram’s Northern Oval, Stanhope’s batsmen were more than up to the challenge of scoring the 167 runs needed to win the flag.
Mick Coad with an unbeaten 37 and opener Tom Hepburn with 37 combined with Lachlan West (24) and Jorge Maxwell with 30 to edge past Moama with five wickets in hand and 14 balls remaining.
Steve Hall (14 not out) and Jonathan Pearson (10 not out) were at the batting crease when Stanhope claimed the flag.
Pearson and Jye Patten with two wickets each were the most successful Stanhope bowlers while Craig Emmett and Steve Hall were the most economical.
Stanhope’s place in the finals was in doubt late in the season but it was able to rise to the occasion just as did on Saturday.
The triumph has come in the club’s centenary season and in its second season in the second level of competition.
It had fielded a side at A grade level up to two years ago since the former Campaspe and Kyabram Cricket associations amalgamated to form the Goulburn Campaspe Cricket competition.
●C GRADE
Kyabram Fire Brigade suffered a fatal batting collapse against Echuca in GM Cricket’s C grade final on Saturday at Bamawm.
The Flames were in the box seat to take the flag when they dismissed Echuca for 108 in the 40th over, but then suffered an attack of batting jitters themselves to be all out for just 77.
Veteran Scot Hearn was the only batsman to get going for The Flames with a fighting 35 off 103 balls.
Brenton Sheppard, who made 11, was the only other double digit scorer in the batting surrender as Echuca new ball bowler Jeff Shannon dismissed five of the first six Brigade batsmen to fall for a cost of just 19 runs.
In Echuca’s innings Chris Cleveland with 3/17 and Barty Carver with 3/21, both off eight overs, and Scot Hearn with 2/14 off six overs had set the stage for The Flames batsmen to win the game but unfortunately they couldn’t oblige.
●D GRADE
Stanhope was celebrating two premiership wins over the weekend with its GM Cricket C grade team also claiming the flag against neighbour Rushworth.
With its top order firing in the game at Tongala’s Brose Oval, Stanhope had the pressure on its rival from the start after assembly a handy score of 3/170 off its 36 overs.
Openers Brendan Kearns and Dayne Webber showed the way for Stanhope with half centuries while
Cobey Aynsley (23), Shane Webber (31), Ricky Glass (23 not out and Tanner Webber (20) also contributed to the winning score.
Rushworth started shakily in its run chase with veteran opener Peter Raglus run out for two.
Fellow opener David Baldwin and Tom Stevens temporarily restored hope with a second wicket stand of 51. But Baldwin with 27 and Stevens, run out for 18, both fell within five runs of each other as Stanhope bowlers gained the whip hand.
Brett Pateman then gave some hope for Rushworth with a top score of 38 but after he fell only experienced Peter Francis with 30 offered any resistance as Rushworth fell behind the run rate needed and was contained to 8/147.
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