Victoria Country makesitback-to-back

TomHAYES

THE AustralianCountry Cricket Championships came to aclose in Canberra last month, as Victoria walked away as deserved champions once again.

Victoria was 4-0, sitting on top of the table with only two games remaining, with the title seemingly in their hands.

Following those two games, although losingto Western Australia,enoughwas already done to seal the championship.

In Round 5, Victoria had the bye, thus receiving awell-deserved day off, before consecutivedaysofcricket tocomplete the tournament.

For Victoria’s Round 6fixture, it was a top-of-the-table clash when it faced WA

Captain Lee Stockdale, from Traralgon District Cricket Associationclub, Ex Students, was rested and Jordan Moran took the captaincy role for the day.

WA wonthe toss and elected to bowl, a decision that some teams weremade to regret in the past.

Victoria’s Brayden Stepien and Cameron Williams put on a57-run stand for the opening wicket,until the former was dismissed for aquick-fire46from26, an innings that included nine boundaries.

Williamscontinued to knock them around, sticking around to see another three batting partners, until his innings was bought to an end via LBW for 62, when the scorestood at 4/150.

Stratford’s Jack Rietschel made asteady 33 not out from 40 deliveries, while Sale’s Jack Wrigglesworth only made six runs during his short stint at the crease.

Victoria ended its 50-over allotment with ascoreof8/240, ascorethat would need plenty of defending considering WA’s line-up.

Victoria had WA on the ropes early at 2/20, as the tournament leaders put the pressureon.

Rietschel was the best of the local bowlers, taking the breakthrough wicket of Julian Crudeli for 59, via LBW

WA’s fourth and fifth-wicket partnerships werepractically enough to get the job done, as Victoria struggled to break the strong partnerships.

Rietschelgrabbedanotherscalp, finishing with figures of 2/51 from his 10 overs, while Wrigglesworth was expensive from his 5.4 overs, going for 43 runs.

WA chased Victoria’s total with alittle over two overs remaining, an innings that included three half-centuries.

While Victoriatook ahit toits record, they werestill one point ahead of WA and four points clear of Queenslandinthird, still untouchable.

With the championship sealed, the Victorians playedone last game against Australian Capital Territory, closing out the championships with agutsy win.

ACT won the toss and chose to bat, posting adecent totalof6/280 from its 50 overs.

Jack Sanson top-scoredfor the ACT with 77 from 95, including 10 boundaries, four other batsmen chipped in with an innings of 25 or more.

Stockdale, back in the squad, took 2/49 from his 10 overs-the best figuresfor Victoria.

Rietschel was unable to take awicket yet only went for 34 from his 10 overs, while he also took acatch in the field offthe bowling of Stockdale.

With thebat, Stepienwas quickoff the markonceagain,racingto 34 from 15 beforehis dismissal.

With the score at 3/54, thingsweren’t looking so certain for Victoria, but amonster fourth-wicket partnership from Nathan Walsh and Jake Toohey put the odds back in favourofVictoria,asthey scored 116 not out and 69 respectively.

After Toohey’s dismissal, the scorestood at 4/205, but the win was still in doubt as the tail dropped easily.

The presence ofWalsh helped Victoria, as he brought up his ton with the chase still alive.

Rietschel and Stockdale werewelcomed to the crease for short stays, making two and 11 respectively.

The winning runswerehit in thefinal over with threeballsremaining, Victoria ending the championships on the highest note possible.

Stockdale finishedthe championships with the second-most wickets for Victoria, rankingsixth overallfor wicketstaken with eight scalps, at an average of 16.25 runs per wicket.

Wrigglesworthwas not toofar behind, with seven wickets at an average of 16, while Rietschelfinished with six wickets at an average of 26.67.

Cameron Wheeler took the most wickets for Victoria with 10, and was one of two people to take afive-wicket haul throughout the tournament.

With the bat, Stockdale scored 79 runs at an average of 39.5, outdone by afew Victorian teammates. He was especially outdone by Walsh, who scored the most runs throughout the entiretournament, 340tobeexact -20morethan the next best. He was the only player to scoretwo centuries, while averaging 85 runs per innings; to put into contexthow crazy that is, the next best average was 69.75, by ACT’s Sanson.

The Vics have now gone back-to-back at the, following their 2020 triumph. Players havesince returned totheir respective clubsto finish the seasons, chasing moreglory in 2023.