Cricket Southern Bayside: Mentone wins Division 1 premiership

A Mentone batsman smashed seven sixes in an extraordinary innings as the Tigers stormed to victory in the Cricket Southern Bayside Division 1 grand final.

Jaws dropped as the hitting got bigger and bigger.

Mentone’s English opener Matthew Walker made his intentions clear from ball one as the Tigers set out after Parkdale United’s 150 in the CSB Division 1 grand final at Hogben/Meckiff Oval on Saturday afternoon.

He clipped his first ball off his hip to backward square for four.

“And then he unloaded,” Mentone skipper Dane Heverin said.

“They brought the spinners on and he hit them even bigger.

“It was a big crowd and everyone was going nuts, the place was pumping.

“People just couldn’t believe what they were watching.”

Walker blitzed 83 off 33 balls, with 8 fours and 7 sixes, as Mentone sped to victory in just 22.5 overs, making 3-152.

Simon Cormie (left) and Matthew Walker with the premiership cup.

Walker and Simon Cormie (30 off 32 balls) put on 121 for the first wicket before Comrey Edgeworth (15no), Heverin (8) and Gavin Brown (6no) completed the job.

The Parkdale United bowlers had nowhere to hide as Walker went ballistic.

“There was no stopping him,” Heverin said.

“It was unbelievable.

“He hit one six that hit the top of the tree next to the cricket nets. It would have gone into the Coles car park if it hadn’t hit the tree.

“He hit another two sixes that smashed into the balcony on the pavilion. He hit another out on to the road. It was unbelievable batting.”

Earlier, Mentone’s bowlers set up victory with disciplined line and length.

Darcy Brown took 4-27 off eight overs, including a string of clever slower balls late in the innings that slowed Parkdale United’s momentum. He bowled a maiden in the 37th over.

Ed McGary.

Ed McGarry was also impressive, taking 2-14 off eight overs and Walker, who took the new ball, snared 2-23.

Edgeworth took two catches and had a hand in a run out.

It was Mentone’s first premiership in 18 years, since 2003-04.

And the celebrations were large.

“It meant so much I so many people, all the past players who were there,” Heverin said.

“Yes, 18 years is a long time.

“There was music going upstairs straight away. All of a sudden it was the early hours of the morning, it went by just like that.”

Mentone lost a gripping grand final to Mordialloc last season so this one meant the world to the players.

“We’re all over the moon, we’ve put in such a big body of work and it’s come together with this, it’s just amazing how it all came together on Saturday,” Heverin said.

The Tigers will rise to Championship Division next season and Heverin said the club was well equipped to succeed.

“We’re excited to go up to championship next year, it will be a great challenge,’’ he said.

“We’re all great mates so we will stick together and see how we go in the top grade.”