MID City Plantat
ion Motel Panthers have done it again.
The Panthers claimed their third consecutive Willowfest Australian Cricket Club Championships Cup Grade title after defeating Sportspower Demons by 39 runs at Mildura Senior College yesterday. But the Panthers, perennial champions since their Cup Grade debut in 2000, had to do it the hard way after batting first and slumping to 7/40.
“They (Demons) took a couple of really good catches to start with and got a couple of our really good batters out,” Panthers captain Glenn Motschall said.
“Then they bowled pretty tight and we seemed to keep losing wickets.”
It was a captain’s innings by Motschall (24 not out) and his former Ringwood teammate and now Merbein South coach Shane Trinick (25) that helped the Panthers to 91 all out to give their bowlers something to defend.
“We had a partnership myself and ‘Maxy’, but we didn’t think that 91 was ever going to be enough,” Motschall said.
Irymple’s Damon Morrish was the pick of the Demons bowlers with 4/22 off eight overs.
Defending such a small total, Motschall said the Panthers had it all to do.
“They only needed to get half a partnership going and the game would be over in no time,” he said.
With that in mind, the skipper praised the effort of his bowlers who struck early and often to give the Demons little hope.
“We kept the pressure on and didn’t really give them a chance to get away with boundaries,” Motschall said.
“We got some wickets real quick and went on from there.”
Kyle Adams finished with 4/6 off of seven overs, with the last three being maidens, including the last two wickets in consecutive balls.
Andrew Ross (17 not out) and Jason Morrison (11) were the only batsmen to reach double figures for the Demons.
Motschall, who couldn’t exactly pinpoint just how many times the Panthers have now taken home the Willowfest urn, paid the Demons the ultimate compliment after the match.
“They were one of the best teams we’ve played against for a few years now I reckon,” he said.
“We were a lot more concerned than a few of the other years.”
Motschall confirmed the Panthers, who mostly hail from Greenvale in Melbourne’s north, would return again in 2016 to aim for a Willowfest Cup Grade fourpeat.
Courtesy: of Sunraysia Daily, Journalist Angus Dearlove
