Country team just shy of grand final

ONE 10-over bowling spell and a batter reaping the rewards from chancing their arms stood between Sunraysia and a Melbourne Country Week grand final.

That’s the view of SCA coach Josh Berry who praised his squad for their impressive performances across three days of play which yielded two wins a loss.

Sunraysia fell just shy of qualifying for Friday’s decider, with their defeat to grand finalists Warrnambool on Wednesday hurting their chances.

Berry said his side believed they could chase down a total around the 240 mark, however, batsmen Todd Lamont’s 77 from 44 deliveries blew the target out to 297, one Sunraysia could not chase down.

“It is disappointing to miss out because we felt like the boys played really good cricket each day,” Berry said.

“It was probably just a 10-over patch at the end of our bowling innings against Warrnambool that cost us. He (Lamont) chanced his arm and it came off so all the power to him, I think he finished with eight sixes.

“We were pretty confident that we could chase down 240 or 250 but him being able to blow it out to nearly 300 made it tough.”

In their most recent Country Week appearance, Sunraysia were defeated in the 2020 Division 3 grand final by Bellarine, adding to the frustration felt by the players believing they’re not far away from their first title since 2014.

Berry, however, was impressed with how the squad performed across the week, highlighted by centuries from Nafis Shaikh and Brad Thomas on Thursday, Bryson Lush taking five wickets in game one, and Jhy Berry finished the week with a four-for.

Plenty of eyebrows were raised by opponents at the speed of Sunraysia’s pace attack, with Berry, Charlie Walker, Harvey Ault, Billy Phelan and Ryan Muir all performing at different stages.

“The batting group was really consistent across the week,” he said.

“You obviously had the 100s on Thursday, Adam Thomson getting a couple of half-centuries as well, and others like Nick Giofre and Leigh Thomson-Mathews playing a role as well.

“We got a couple of comments from the opposition about how fast we were bowling and the carry through to the keeper.

“The pace bowlers really worked well as a unit and then to have ‘Lushy’ and ‘Shauny’ (Mathews) complement them with their spin too… I think it was one of the best bowling units we’ve taken away in a decade or so.”

Berry said he hopes the rep side will have the backing of the SCA again in 2024, which could be the year they break through for the flag.

“With those 10 overs this year and being in the grand final last time … we’re so close but we’re just falling just short,” he said.

“Hopefully we can take a similar squad to this year because the calibre of players that have put their hands up has been fantastic.

“Hopefully the SCA continue to support us competing because we love playing Country Week and there are some really passionate Sunraysia representatives in this playing group.”