Barwon Heads ends Anglesea’s reign in BPCA decider

BARWON Heads has ended Anglesea’s reign as kings of the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association (BPCA), with a 61-run win over the four-time defending premiers in Jan Juc on Sunday.

The Seagulls put up a formidable 227 on Day 1 of the Grand Final on Saturday and needed some quality bowling to overcome the Roos.

Darcy Hewitt and Sam Schaller provided relief in that sphere taking the first four of Anglesea’s wickets between them, before dismissing Tyron Norman from his crease on 54.

Barwon Heads, led by Schaller’s five-wicket haul, bowled out the reigning premiers three balls short of 69 overs for 166.

Heads captain Max Melzer said his team was elated with the results following several years of hard work to get to this point.

“The group has rolled up the sleeves, put in on the training track, had a hunger to improve, and a growth mindset.

“This is the culmination of three years of hard work. It’s a happy camp.”

Barwon Heads came into the A1 division this season, after securing the BPCA’s A2 flag in 2023, but Melzer said his side wanted to be competitive in the top division from the season’s first delivery.

“We came into A1 and wanted to be competitive.

“We knew we had a pretty determined and hungry group but weren’t sure how we would stack up.

“One thing that has worked well for us this season has been the mix of experienced heads and youth in our side.

“We have had four players up from our junior program, that have invigorated the side, given us great enthusiasm, energy and momentum through the season.”

Key standouts for Anglesea included Dylan Taylor, who was handy with the ball, taking four wickets off 18 overs, while Ben Harcombe also took three wickets.

Barwon Heads’ Daniel Donaldson was his side’s top scorer with 48.

“Anglesea are a classy team. They have been winning in this competition for a sustained period,” Meltzer said.

“They expect to win games of cricket and have the belief to win from anywhere in a match. We were always going to be up against it this game.

“We were happy to get the chance to post a total and thought 227 put us in a strong position.

“Our bowling group did a clutch job executing line and length throughout the afternoon, we held onto the catches that were offered, and the total proved to be a bridge too far.”

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