The final round of the KFC festival of Cricket was played on February 11 with Mount Gambier and Districts Cricket Association side booking a place in the final having gone undefeated in its three matches.
With two dominant wins against Hamilton Districts Cricket Association and Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association, a win was all the side needed to book its spot in the final in a fortnight’s time.
Players travelled to Casterton to take on the Horsham Cricket Association.
Winning the toss Mount Gambier sent Horsham into bat.
Penola’s Michael Waters would open the bowling for Mount Gambier and apply pressure to deliver a maiden to start to Horsham’s innings.
Isaac Mulraney would be brought on from the other end and Horsham would look more comfortable hitting the opening boundary of the game.
Waters continued to build pressure with more dot balls, result in the first wicket of the game in the third over with Waters dismissing the Horsham opener for an 11-ball duck.
An eight-run over by Waters was followed by four dot balls and a wicket from Mulraney.
Waters then claimed his second wicket of the day in the second ball of the following over, leaving Horsham in trouble at three down for less than 30.
Horsham would look to survive and attempt to rebuild its innings with a couple of quiet overs, but could not avoid losing another wicket for long with Trent Badman coming into the attack and taking his first scalp.
Badman would claim his second wicket not long after, knocking over the stumps of the Horsham batsmen.
A run out less than an over later would send Horsham even further into trouble at 5/65.
Emerson Marks found a way to score the big breakthrough, dismissing the only Horsham batsmen that had offered resistance to the Mount Gambier bowlers for 43.
This sent Nick McInerney into the attack to quickly clean up the tail with three quick wickets.
Horsham was bowled all out for 86, a low score that would be tough to defend, but this is cricket and anything could happen with lower totals being defended.
Horsham’s bowlers were up to the task of pulling off a miracle though and Jack Mullen opened the batting with William Rowland and they duo did not let Horsham have a sniff.
They score well early including a boundary in the first over and holding a consistent run rate.
In the eighth over Mullen hit the first six of the game and then together with Rowland they hit 16 off of the 11th over.
The following over Mullen was caught lbw for a destructive 45 off 50 balls.
Mullen’s 45 runs, scoring more than half the runs Mount Gambier were chasing, placed the side in a comfortable position.
The next ball Nicholas Brown was sent back to the stands to place Horsham on a hat-trick, being bowled for a golden duck but the damage was done.
Rowland was caught on 25, leaving Jake Blackwell and Emerson Marks to finish the run chase which they completed with ease.
Mount Gambier chased down Horsham’s 86 in 18.1 overs, finishing the day 3/87 with Blackwell seven not out and Marks six not out.
Mount Gambier’s bowling attack again proved itself to be strong, with the wickets evenly shared.
Mullen was the pick with the bat with a terrific 45 that guided his side to victory, they will now face a Warrnambool side that is also undefeated in what is sure to be an enthralling game of cricket.
