History has repeated itself after Invergordon defeated Undera in the Jim McGregor Shield C-grade grand final for the second year in a row.
Invergordon bested Undera in the 2021-22 final and it replicated that same result with a six-wicket victory on Saturday at Vibert Reserve in Shepparton.
An impressive half-century from Steven Valentin helped Undera reach 8-165, but Invergordon chased its way to 4-168 to earn a memorable victory.
Skipper Aaryn Cormican was the hero with the bat for Invergordon, blasting a superb 61 not out that powered his side to the premiership.
Cormican said the premiership victory was made all the sweeter by those playing alongside him.
“We are all good mates and that is what makes it so much better, playing with your best mates,” he said.
“A lot of us have been here for a long time, it is great. It was a great effort all year. Everyone who has played has put in a super effort.
“I’m just proud of the boys, I reckon we’ll celebrate for a few days.”
After getting walloped in the 2021-22 grand final, Undera was no doubt determined to put in a better performance this time around.
Batting first, Undera reached 4-46 with Valentin leading the way, while Sean Arnold (3-21) did the early damage with the ball as he claimed two wickets.
From there, a 51-run partnership between Valentin and Glenn Campbell helped drive the score up to just shy of the 100-mark.
Valentin was finally out bowled for 57, but Undera carried on to reach 8-165 – more than triple the score it made in the 2021-22 final.
Undera then struck early in the second innings, with opener Harley Green out caught on the second ball of the opening over off the bowling of Greg Watts.
Watts struck again shortly after, with Arnold (17) trapped in front of his stumps to have Invergordon at 2-25.
Even with Undera claiming a pair of early scalps, Cormican said he was still confident his side had the depth to get the job done at that point.
“They posted a decent score. We backed our batters in, we bat pretty deep,” he said.
“We lost a couple of early wickets which probably wasn’t ideal, but it was good to get a bit of a partnership going.”
Cormican came to the crease after Arnold’s dismissal and provided a true captain’s knock.
He teamed up with Travis Murdoch (34) to put on an 89-run partnership, a contribution that was vital for Invergordon.
Even once Murdoch was sent back to the sheds, Cormican batted on to reach 61 not out as Invergordon notched the final runs required with three overs remaining and six wickets in hand.
With two C-grade premierships in as many seasons under its belt, Cormican was coy on whether Invergordon will make the jump up to B-grade next season.
“We will see what happens,” he said.
“We will see what happens.”
THE GAME
Undera 8-165 (Steven Valentin 57, John Valentin 22 not out, Sean Arnold 3-21, Lachlan Gilligan 2-34) lt Invergordon 4-168 (Aaryn Cormican 61 not out, Travis Murdoch 34, Greg Watts 2-29)
STAR PLAYER
Aaryn Cormican (Invergordon): When Invergordon needed him to lead the way, captain Cormican answered the call. Cormican’s knock of 61 not out was immense, providing the backbone of his side’s innings as Invergordon clinched back-to-back C-grade premierships.