Two local cricketers have returned from a successful trip west with some new silverware.


Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association players Robbie Drenthen and Josh Thompson represented SA in the Over 40s National Championship, playing against Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales during a week in Perth.


After coming up short last year in Brisbane the pair made it to the grand final where they faced Queensland.


In the final the whole SA side played a great game with Drenthen taking two crucial wickets in the match while Thompson made 10 important runs and two stumpings.


Drenthen said he enjoyed the trip and the overall win.


“It was obviously fantastic as we had the win, every game was really tightly contested and we were probably the standout fielding side and in the end that was probably the difference in all of the games,” he said.


Drenthen thought the main strength for the side was they did not rely on one person to be a standout player, with everyone doing their job.


“No one in our team played particularly well, I think our leading run scorer was maybe seventh or eighth in the comp as well as our leading wicket taker,” he said.


“But it was not like there was any heavy lifting to be done by a single person, no one was really a standout.


“That was probably our strength, we batted all the way down to 11 and nearly everyone could bowl and everyone could field so that was probably the strength which helped us in the end.”


Drenthen said it was one of his most enjoyable carnivals to be a part of as well as playing with a great team.


“It’s just a fantastic group of blokes, honestly it’s one of the funnest carnivals I have ever been on and it was the same when we were in Brisbane as well,” he said.


“The best part of the trip was watching Josh Thompson behind the stumps, he was flawless and everyone was really happy with his glove work.”


Next year’s over 40s tournament will be held in Adelaide with SA having to field four sides.


Drenthen said he would love to get plenty of interest from South East cricketers to play in the tournament.


“It is seriously the most fun carnival, you have got guys like George Kidman and Josh Reader and there’s some really talented over 40s cricketers in Mount Gambier,” he said.


“It’s just a matter of spreading the word and just trying to get as many involved as we can because it’s a seriously fun carnival.”