Red Cliffs Secondary College boys best in Victoria

RED Cliffs Secondary College is still toasting its success in the state final of the Intermediate (Year 9-10 Boys) Cricket Blast Secondary School Cup on Monday.

The Red Cliffs side was far too strong for Waverley Christian College at Cricket Victoria’s CitiPower Centre, scoring 4/202 and then bowling its opponent out for 84 in the modified eight-a-side game.

“They are absolutely stoked,” teacher Jo Connelly said.

“They’ve had the music pumping with the traditional theme song they sing, ‘Reddy is on fire’; they are really stoked.

“Our boys were just too strong.

“They were just really powerful.

“There was plenty of sixes hit – in Super 8s cricket they have different scoring zones so some of the sixes are 12s.”

Mildura Settlers’ Seamus Keogh top scored with 54 not out for Red Cliffs, with Irymple’s Bailey Anderson making an unbeaten 40.

“We had nine players so we substituted in a fielder and batters and bowlers – all our boys played,” Connelly said.

With the ball Irymple’s Jed Connelly took eight wickets, Nichols Point’s Tanner Clancy took seven and Swallow Chris D’Amico took five (under the modified rules runs are subtracted for wickets falling, rather than batsmen going out).

The win was a breakthrough for the secondary college.

“It’s a lot of years they had made it this far if they had made it through,” Connelly said.

“We’ve been to the regional finals for the past four years that I know of but not progressed any further.

“They’ve done an excellent job.”

Most of the players will not be eligible for the Intermediate grade next year, but there are a few who will be able to carry the can.

“Three of them are Year 9 – Zane Hunt, Hudson Moule and Clancy,” Connelly said.

“We talked about maybe the other boys at school who didn’t get a look in for this team and who are up and coming.

“We have some good cricketers still to come in who just didn’t make the cut this year, really.”