Captains Corey Galloway and Sean Fitzsimmons say batsmen hold key to Kookaburra Cup grand final

GRAND final combatants Alberton Ormeau and Broadbeach Robina will adopt the same blueprint for Kookaburra Cup supremacy during their two-day battle at Bill Pippen Oval.

GRAND final combatants Alberton Ormeau and Broadbeach Robina will adopt the same blueprint for Kookaburra Cup supremacy during their two-day battle at Bill Pippen Oval.

While the bowlers – headlined by top-10 wicket-takers Corey Galloway, Shane Connors (Alberton), Tom Scriven and Reece McDonald (Broadbeach) – have been the driving forces in their sides’ premiership charge, both captains believe the fate of the final rests with their batsmen.

Time at the crease, they said, was key to success when play begins at Robina at 10am today.

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“We just have to bat 90 overs,” said Cats skipper Sean Fitzsimmons, whose side batted for 68.4 overs to make 150 against Burleigh in their semi-final triumph last weekend.

“We have to do the same as what we did (against Burleigh), just bat the overs out and bat as long as we can. We were a bit behind the run rate at some stages but we’ve just got to bat the overs.

Kookaburra Cup grand final captains Corey Galloway (Alberton Ormeau) and Sean Fitzsimmons (Broadbeach Robina). Picture: Jason O'Brien

“If you bat 75 to 90 overs, you’ll win the game so that’s our biggest plan. I think the better deck (at Robina) will suit us because we’ve got a pretty good batting line up.

“One-hundred-and-thirty wins a lot of grand finals on the Coast.”

Having won the toss against Southport Labrador last weekend, Alberton’s batsmen backed up captain Galloway’s decision with a total of 9-230 from their 75 overs.

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“I think if we can try and bat first (against Broadbeach) and do the same, put 200 or 250 on the board, scoreboard pressure will be the biggest thing,” Galloway said.

“They do have a lot of good batsmen so we need a good score, especially at Kerrydale because it will be a good field.”