BUANGOR has picked up a cheque for five thousand dollars after finishing runner up in the Sungold Twenty20 Cup at Warrnambool.
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The Grampians Cricket Association team defeated 2015 winner Portland Colts with just four balls to spare, and downed the Pigeons Ponds, to progress through to the decider.
Unfortunately for Buangor, Port Fairy was too classy with the bat on Australia Day – smacking a quick-fire 194 runs and losing just four wickets. In response, the Grampians side could only manage 94 from 16.3 overs.
Buangor captain and opening batsman, Harry Ganley said while the grand final result was disappointing for his team, he was happy with their attitude in chasing the mammoth total.
“I said to them, ‘Just go out swinging’,” he said. “If we’re going to lose, we’re going to lose trying to chase it down.”
It was the first time the side has competed in the Sungold Cup and Ganley’s teammate, Ben Hargreaves, described the Warrnambool experience as ‘really interesting.’
“It was very competitive. We learnt just how competitive we need to be, and how serious other associations take their Twenty20 competitions,” Hargreaves said.
“We also saw how everyone is trying to expand them. It is growing, and I think they (the Buangor players) are really enjoying playing Twenty20 cricket.”
Buangor finished on top of the GCA’s Twenty20 Henry Gunstone Cup table, and its reward was either an appearance at Warrnambool or at the Cricket Willow in Daylesford.
The team chose Sungold Cup because it had played in Daylesford before. Hargreaves said it was good to go somewhere and play cricket a bit differently to what Buangor are used to.
Also, the cup was definitely worth competing in – the club is thrilled with the $5000 awarded for its efforts.
“It’s great. We haven’t made up our minds about what to do with it yet, but it’ll go towards something at the club,” Hargreaves said.
Stand out players for Buangor at Warrnambool were spin bowlers Lachlan Oddie and Chris Jerram. Oddie claimed 3/17 in the nailibiting four-wicket semi-final win over Portland Colts and picked up 2/17 in the grand final. Jerram’s best figures were 2/13 in the semi-final thriller.
Harry Ganley batted solidly in the semi-final victory to top score with 36 runs while Tyson Carr chipped in with 28 (not out).