Adrian Smith and Jordan Ashby secure Coburg Sydney Road Trophy
Staring defeat in the face, Coburg tailenders Adrian Smith and Jordan Ashby produced a stunning last-wicket stand to rob Brunswick and secure the Lions the Sydney Road Trophy.
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A pre-Christmas honesty session sparked Coburg’s return to the VSDCA winners’ circle on Saturday.
The Lions claimed a miraculous one-wicket win over Brunswick thanks to Adrian Smith and Jordan Ashby’s last-ditch 33-run last-wicket stand.
Chasing the Wicks’ 141, Coburg collapsed to 4-22 and the result appeared a formality at 9-109 before Smith (19 not out) and Ashby (14 not out) secured victory with five balls remaining.
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“We had a chat before Christmas about how we’d been performing,” Coburg captain-coach Aaron Shellie said.
“We talked about winning the key moments of the game and knowing when it’s time to knuckle down or expand our shots.
“I think we’re a lot better than how we’ve been performing, I think a lot of blokes are happy with 20s or 30s, rather than going on to get big scores.
“It was really good. The boys went away for Christmas, came back and trained really well and there’s a different feeling around the club.”
Shellie (3-11) and Jack Sheppard (3-14) were the destroyers as Brunswick were bowled out with 2.3 overs remaining.
No.9 David McKay top-scored with 35 for the Wicks.
Coburg made a disastrous start to its chase before Shane Lee (19) and Nick Brandt (26) steadied the innings with a 40-run partnership.
Shellie praised his middle and lower-order batsmen for saving the day and was happy to cop the banter from his bowlers.
“We didn’t do too much right at the top, but the boys down the bottom (of the order) dug in and got us over the line,” he said.
“When you’re 4-22 you’ve got to dig in and the boys in the middle did just that. I was really impressed with how they went about it.
“They think we should flip the order upside down.
“The banter has always been there, so it was great to get back in the rooms after the game, because you know everyone was going to cop it.”
Despite the win, Coburg remains last on the North-South group ladder and faces the tough task of toppling leader Oakleigh in a two-day clash starting Saturday.