NONDIES survived a late comeback from Scriptors to claim the Northern District Cricket Association under 17 grand final, determined at the weekend.
A boundary from Riley Hird enabled Nondies to surpass the victory target of 118, with the eventual premiers scoring 6/122 from 42.3 overs.
Both teams went into the grand final undefeated, with Scriptors choosing to bat after winning the toss on Saturday morning.
Despite the best efforts of Oscar McGraw (51) and Patrick Doyle (21), the minor premiers were dismissed for 118, with Sam Leitch and Hird claiming two wickets each for Nondies.
The eventual premiers took control of the match in their reply, with player of the match, Blake Cooke (50 not out) and Nick Farr-Jones (40) having the side well positioned at the drinks break.
However, the game turned after the break, with Liam Treacy (four wickets) giving Scriptors the chance to record a win.
“The side made a pact at drinks that with 20 overs to go, they were going to make the most of it,” Scriptors coach, Peter Doyle said.
As a result of Treacy’s efforts with the ball, Nondies needed all of its allotted overs to secure the win, with Hird and Leitch guiding the side to victory.
“It is great for such a little town like Cohuna to have such talented cricketers,” Nondies coach, Josh Novoselek said.
* LEITCHVILLE/GUNBOWER won a third consecutive Northern District Cricket Association under 14 title at the weekend, thanks to an 11-run win against Wandella.
Electing to bat first, player of the match Mitchell Gunther (28) and Jasper Wilson-Keir (23) helped the hosts score 115 during the opening day of the decider.
The openers put on a 63-run first-wicket stand, but four wickets to Patrick Oliver gave the Bombers the chance of claiming the win on Sunday.
However, two wickets each to Silas Kingma, Abel Prout and Harry Wright helped the hosts dismiss Wandella for 104, with Keenan Messer (21) the Bombers’ leading run scorer.
