North Geelong won its third consecutive Geelong Cricket Association T20 premiership with a 27-run win against a gutsy Leopold at Queens Park, Highton on Monday 26 January.
The GCA adopted a radical overhaul for this season’s competition with Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association clubs invited to play and the format split into two divisions.
GCA 1 and 2 and four BPCA A1 Grade clubs competed in the top division while GCA 3 and 4 and four BPCA A2 Grade clubs fought it out in division 2.
North Geelong won the toss in the top-tier competition and had first use of the pitch with player of the match Olegas Rogers (58 from 51 deliveries) and Connor Hangan (47 from 38) getting the total to 7/143 after 20 overs.
Paceman Ben Horne could not have done any more for Leopold with 2/5 from four overs while fellow seamer Declan Gibson also grabbed two wickets.
Leopold was without star batter Hayden Butterworth, but openers Tom Treble (35 from 34 deliveries) and Henry Hatswell (32 from 37) then provided the Leopold middle order with a good platform via a 68-run stand, but spinner Victor Morrow enticed Treble to hit the ball straight to Ben Demasi at mid-wicket.
Runs continued to be difficult to come by with two left-arm bowlers doing some damage. Spinner Bailey Sykes and seamer Tom Mathieson each grabbed two wickets while leg-spinner Demasi (1/6 from two overs) chipped in and Leopold was stranded at 9/116 when its 20 overs were completed, giving the Magpies their third straight T20 trophy.
LETHBRIDGE won the division 2 title, defeating Newcomb & District with eight wickets and 16 balls to spare.
Newcomb & District made 7/169 after being sent in with Huey Neild getting 31 while Tyler O’Neill smacked 51 not out from just 29 balls in the middle, aided by a rapid 44 from 20 from Blake Ritchie getting the total to something the Dinos would have been happy with. Lethbridge skipper Shane Dillon was the standout with the ball with 3/24 from four overs.
The Rosellas had few problems chasing down the target with Matthew Thomas (78 not out from 49 deliveries), Hayden Spiller (45 from 24) and Dillon (40 not out from 28) delivering silverware to Lethbridge’s trophy cabinet.
