Howzat? South East Veterans snare two flags in first season

In their first season in Over 50s cricket the Kangaroos are celebrating two tight grand final victories over Geelong.

Kangaroos Firsts players take a cool drink after winning the premiership.

Two out of three ain’t bad.

But the fact that the South East Veterans won a pair of premierships in their first season in Over 50s cricket makes the achievement even better.

The Kangaroos, springing from the Endeavour Hills veterans, fielded three teams and all made the finals.

And on Sunday the firsts and seconds won their grand finals, prompting “Mad Monday’’ celebrations (as seasoned cricketers, they know how to handle such sessions) at club sponsor Rogue Squire.

In the premier grade, the Saxon Sports Shield, South East came up against a strong Geelong team at Lara and won by one run, defending 7-196.

It came down to the last ball, delivered by medium-pacer Anthony Wilkes.

Geelong needed two to tie, which, as the higher ranked team, would have been enough to secure the flag.

But the Cats’ eighth pair was run out coming back for the second.

The South East Veterans First XI.

The Second XI after their success.

“It was all a bit of mayhem there at the end,’’ Kangaroos captain Rohan Pike said.

In South East’s innings, middle-order pair Johnny Hammond (45no) and Alan Jones (45no) both bombed sixes to reach the retirement mark of 40, and Rory Ingram (35) and Andrew Bethune (22) put on 58 for the first wicket.

With the ball, Richard Saniga and Christian Stacey both took two wickets.

Former Hallam Kalora Park star Hammond was man of the match.

Pike said it was a tight and tense match and the Kangaroos were already forming a great rivalry with Geelong, which was unbeaten going into the grand final.

The clubs also fought out the A grade grand final at Casey Fields and the locals won by two wickets after a tremendous partnership between David Bell and Danny Ferguson took them past their target of 9-142.

Ferguson was 28 not out - and man of the match - and Bell 11 not out.

Reuben Paul, a former Indian first-class player, top scored with 36.

Rohan Pike and Nick Bole-Brown.

Premiership teams

Firsts: Andrew Bethune, Nick Bole-Brown, Dillon Fernandesz, Johnny Hammond, Rory Ingram, Alan Jones, Rohan Pike, Steve Rando, Richard Saniga, Andrew Sharp, Steuart Snooks, Chris Stacey, Anthony Wilkes.

Seconds: David Bell, Stick Buhar, Tim Cockayne, Peter Cutting, Shehan Dhanapala, Henry Dolphin, Danny Ferguson, Michael Hancock, Jason Quirk, Reuben Paul, Gary Peters, Paul Rapson, Greg Scott.