By Tara Murray
Gisborne fired on all cylinders as it smashed Romsey and earned a spot in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup Premier Firsts grand final against Bacchus Marsh.
The Dragons couldn’t have asked for a better performance, claiming the win with more than a day remaining.
Dragons’ coach Glenn Waites was rapt.
“The momentum has been building at the right end of the season,” he said. “We’ve managed to get the balance back with the bowling.
“Joel [Garbutt] has come back in and we’ve learnt some things with combinations – and we’re really hard to bat against.”
The bowling group set up the win, dismissing Romsey for 102. The previous weekend, Romsey had piled on 475 against Wallan.
The Dragons’ bowlers never let Romsey get going, with Taylor Stevenson top-scoring with 25. For the Dragons, Jay King took 4-23, while Jakson Knight took three wickets. Waites was full of praise for King’s performance.
“He is a big-time player – every time it comes to finals, he ups the level,” Waites said.
With the Dragons needing 103 for victory and with more than a day to get there, Waites said they stuck to what they had been doing throughout the season.
He said it didn’t matter whether they got the runs on the Saturday afternoon or Sunday.
“We had no doubt we could get the runs and there wasn’t many nerves,” he said.
“We wanted to go out and bat positively regardless of the situation … sticking to batting how we would normally.
“Jakson and Darren Ward are aggressive batsmen anyway.”
The Dragons passed Romsey’s total one wicket down before finishing on 1-130, with Knight on 92 not out.
Picture Gallery: Gisborne vs Romsey
Waites said Knight told him after the game that scoring a century after hitting the winning runs never crossed his mind. Waites said making the grand final made up for some of the disappointment of last season when they missed finals.
The Dragons could have a selection dilemma this weekend, with captain Jarryd Vernon in the mix to return.
Vernon hasn’t played since round 11 due to a hand injury.
“I think he is the best batsman in the competition,” Waites said.
“He’s been doing a lot of work in the background and did some batting last week.
“He has some hurdles to get through work-wise … but he’s definitely not ruled out
yet.”
Bacchus Marsh easily accounted for Diggers Rest Bulla, chasing down the Burras’ 183 for the loss of three wickets.
Waites said they know what to expect coming up against the Bulls, who claimed the minor premiership and are looking for a second successive flag.
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