A CLINICAL performance from Gol Gol earned them their second Sunraysia Cricket Association first division premiership in two seasons today.
Following an outstanding bowling innings, man of the match Sheldon Calarco’s unbeaten half-century led the home side to an eight-wicket victory over Irymple at Alcheringa Oval.
Bowled out for 113, the Swallows always looked to be on the back foot and a 76-run unbroken third-wicket partnership between Calarco (56 not out) and Wade Hancock (32 not out) helped them over the line.
Yesterday’s opening day Luke Hickey took three wickets within the opening 11 overs to rattle the top order, before Innes Medal winner Shacaya Thomas chimed in with four scalps down the order.
Captain-coach Adam Thomson was delighted with the team’s performance.
“It was pretty clinical from our boys,” he said after the match.
“They bowled really well yesterday and the boys finished the job with the bat yesterday as well.
“I think we were seventh after three rounds at 1-2 so it’s not a great position but we’ve gone undefeated since then which is obviously a great result.
“We were probably happy with anything under 150. Here at Golly 180 to 200 is normally a par score.
“Maybe the outfield ran a little slower and there was a little bit in the wicket because the covers had been on overnight, but they won the toss and batted and I would have done the same thing.”
Hickey struck in third over of the match with Riley Payne caught behind via a juggling catch from Thomson on the third bite, before four overs later dismissing Swallows coach Bryson Lush with a brilliant reflex caught and bowled.
Irymple skipper Thomson and gun import Scott Steel looked to steady the ship before the former became Hickey’s third victim with an edged drive to gully for 12, then three deliveries later Steel lost his off stump to Matt Cameron for 10, leaving the Swallows at 4/33.
It was an uphill battle from that point for Irymple, as despite a solid 22 from Millar Payne and 16 from Jordan Payne, Shacaya Thomas (4/25) and Jayden Brooks (2/15) took care of the rest of the order.
Hickey’s 3/25, however, was the catalyst to dismissing Irymple for 113.
“Both finals really they’ve set the tone,” Thomson said of Hickey and Cameron.
“To have them 4/33 and both Steel and Mark back in the shed really set it up from then Shac could go to work and Jayden bowled exceptionally well as well.
“Probably not blessed with a lot of pace in our attack so the discipline has been really good from our bowlers and they work pretty hard at that.”
Gol Gol had eight overs to navigate yesterday and two boundaries from the first three deliveries to Calarco had Gol Gol moving quickly, and Greg Beresi also got into the action before he was bowled by Billy Phelan for 12 in the fifth over.
Calarco (nine) and night watchman Brooks (two) survived until stumps where they were 1/28 and requiring 85.
The duo made it through nine more overs before Bailey Anderson made the breakthrough, Brooks going for a big drive with the nick bouncing off the hands of second slip, before skipper Thomson read it like a perfect ruck tap and was there for the rebound at 2/38.
A big shout for LBW turned down on the final ball of that over against Hancock and while a few more decisions went against the Swallows and some edges fell just shy of fielders, the Gol Gol duo navigated their way through.
An unsung hero of the batting unit, Thomson was delighted for Calarco to earn player of the match honours.
“I’m super happy for him to get that,” he said.
“He played a couple of games in the twos after missing the start of the year with a footy injury, but since he came into the ones he was averaging 66 with the bat before today.
“Wade … I don’t think he was going to let this one go. Coming off a hundred last week … we’ve probably missed a couple (grand finals) that we could have won in the past so he was pretty determined that we win this one.”
