Wild Dogs set for GCL final
by Nathan Weatherhead
For the first time since the 2009/10 season, the Warragul Wild Dogs will be playing in the GCL grand final after defeating Bairnsdale at home on Sunday afternoon.
It was the opening stand that held Warragul in good stead early, as Ben Spicer and Jack Armour got the side off to the perfect start, putting on 64 before Armour fell for 34 to Luke Endley.
This didn’t halt Spicer though, continuing to showcase his ability to find the boundary, cracking ten fours before being caught behind for a 70 ball 56.
At 2/100, Warragul were looking comfortable, but when Fraser Duncan, Yashan Samarasinghe and Damon Healy all departed in quick succession, Warragul had slipped to 5/130.
A patient 17 from captain Sam Batson and late hitting from Nick Fairbank and Leigh Diston helped the Wild Dogs to a competitive 9/195 from their 50 overs. But they knew they had to find an early breakthrough to stem the flow of Bairnsdale’s innings and it was Spicer once again who played the part.
His early wicket caused the Bairnsdale order to stumble and after picking up opener Brodie Anderson, Batson and Fairbank followed suit to see their opponents dwindling at 4/24.
A middle order partnership was then built by Bairnsdale, as Ryan Halford and Ben Saxon looked to steer their side back into the contest, but when Halford picked out Fraser Duncan in the field it triggered another collapse, with the Wild Dogs smelling victory as Bairnsdale found themselves 7/95.
Bairnsdale fought late through captain Reagan Kyle, but ultimately it was crafty spinner Natsai M’Shangwe who made sure his side wasn’t overcome, taking the final wicket to stamp the Wild Dogs’ ticket to the final on February 7.
Opening batsman Jack Armour said the win was a brilliant team effort, headlined by the work of Ben Spicer at the top of the order.
“Ben batted really nicely, they were really aggressive early and had four slips to him at one stage, so there were a lot of gaps in the field and once he got going, he was flying,” he said.
With a clear plan in place going into the semi final, the team’s total of 195 was a little below par, but Armour said the old cliché comes back that runs on the board creates pressure.
Armour said the key wicket came when they were able to break the set partnership late in the afternoon.
“Those two (Saxon and Halford) batted well and they were well and truly in the game, they had a good partnership, but you get that one wicket, and it opens the door and we got two more straight away,” he said.
Armour also added that the difference this season had been the team’s consistency, with only a few changes made to the side throughout the GCL series.
He hopes the side can go all the way and win the title but said the improvement the team has made in the last few years should be applauded.
“It’s really good, obviously it will be good to put a performance on the board in the final, but we can be proud of what we’ve done so far as well I think,” he said.
Warragul will host Traralgon at home on February 7, giving them the all-important home ground advantage if weather plays a part.
“We’re pretty excited for it, coming up against the powerhouse in Traralgon, we rolled them for 70 two years ago, so it would be nice to do something similar,” he said.