Cricket premierships to be decided

CRICKET comes to a close this weekend with Senior Grand Finals taking place across the region.

The Geelong Cricket Association (GCA) and Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association (BPCA) will hold their respective Grand Finals on Saturday and Sunday.

The GCA’s top division’s decider will be a repeat of last year’s GCA1 Grand Final with North Geelong and East Belmont again showcasing the region’s best local cricketing talent.

North Geelong has continued to have East Belmont’s number in Grand Final matchups, most recently defeating the Lions by 31 runs in the 2022/23 decider and then again in the 2020/21 decider by 78 runs.

North Geelong and East Belmont will play the GCA1 Grand Final on Reynolds Oval at South Barwon Reserve starting from 11.30am on Saturday.

North Geelong top bowlers/batsmen:
Ned Cooper, 539 runs (49.0 average) – 3rd in GCA1
Dale Kerr, 25 wickets (13.52 average) – 3rd in GCA1
Tom Mathieson, 24 wickets (14.79 average) – 5th in GCA1

East Belmont top bowlers/batsmen:
Joshua Lacey, 545 runs (49.55 average) – 2nd in GCA1
Jack Jenkins, 27 wickets (16.15 average) – 2nd in GCA1
James McMahon, 22 wickets (14.05 average) – 7th in GCA1

Down the highway, Torquay will aim to go one step further than last season’s Grand Final loss, when it takes on St Peters at Leopold Memorial Park.

Torquay denied Leopold a home Grand Final by defeating the Lions in last week’s Semi-Final, while minor premiers St Peters were too strong for Bell Post Hill.

St Peters will also be in search for its second flag in three years in GCA2.

St Peters top bowlers/batsmen:
Matthew Sorgiovanni, 381 runs (34.64 average) – 6th in GCA2
Luke Ford, 367 runs (40.78 average) – 10th in GCA2
Joshua Sorgiovanni, 28 wickets (15.18 average) – 2nd in GCA2

Torquay top bowlers/batsmen:
Tom Dunn, 485 runs (44.09 average) – 1st in GCA2
Ash Russell, 23 wickets (12.87 average) – 7th in GCA2
Gurpreet Singh, 21 wickets (16.95 average) – 8th in GCA2

Anglesea, the most dominant side in local cricket over the past decade, will play in its ninth BPCA A1 Grand Final in 10 years.

To win its fifth consecutive premiership, the Roos will need to defeat an old foe and newly returned A1 opponents Barwon Heads at Bob Pettit Reserve in Jan Juc from 11.30am Saturday.

Anglesea staved off Barrabool in the Semi-Final despite a relatively low run total of 166, knocking the Bulls over for 145.

Barwon Heads’ 245-run total was enough of a buffer to get Armstrong Creek all out for 170 in the parallel Semi-Final.

Anglesea top batsmen/bowlers:
Tyron Norman, 568 runs (47.33 average) – 2nd in BPCA A1
Brett Venables, 331 runs (30.09 average) – 11th in BPCA A1
Darcy Elliott, 26 wickets (13.65 average) – 3rd in BPCA A1.

Barwon Heads top batsmen/bowlers:
Max Melzer, 371 runs (37.1 average) – 9th in BPCA A1
Daniel Donaldson, 33 wickets (14.88 average) – Tied 1st in BPCA A1
Sam Schaller, 21 wickets (14.67 average) – 6th in BPCA A1.

Collendina and Drysdale’s A2 Grand Final clash rounds out the top tier deciders with former riding a dominant bowling display to easily knock off St Leonards in the semis.

Drysdale’s tail-end of the order stayed strong thanks to a strong partnership between Mitch Grinter and Tom Stewart, defeating Portarlington by just 14 runs in the second Semi-Final.

Collendina and Drysdale will meet on neutral turf at Len Trewin Reserve in St Leonards.

Portarlington top batsmen/bowlers:
Brenton Toole, 717 runs (55.15 average) – 1st in BPCA A2
Stephen Illingworth, 357 runs (29.75 average) – 10th in BPCA A2
Stephen Illingworth, 26 wickets (12.77 average) – 5th in BPCA A2

Collendina top batsmen/bowlers:
Corey Walter, 580 runs (58.0 average) – 2nd in BPCA A2
Peter Angus, 27 wickets (16.41 average) – 2nd in BPCA A2
Stan Grazotis, 24 wickets (11.0 average) – 7th in BPCA A2.

Other Grand Finals taking starting this Saturday are:
GCA3: Thomson v Bell Park at Hamlyn Park (11.30am start)
GCA4: Lethbridge v Waurn Ponds Deakin at Grinter Reserve (12.30pm start)
BPCA B1: Ocean Grove v Barrabool at Armstrong Creek West Oval (11.30am start)
BPCA B2: Queenscliff v Wallington at Drysdale Recreation Reserve (11.30am start)
BPCA C1: Ocean Grove v Barrabool at Armstrong Creek East Oval (11.30am start)