Box Hill and Dandenong to meet in women’s Premier grand final

Howzat for success? The club that Meg Lanning calls home has produced a remarkable run of success in Victorian cricket.

Danielle Montague goes at Melbourne in the semi-final. Pic: Chris Thomas, Cricket Victoria.

Box Hill is into the Victorian Premier Cricket Women’s Firsts grand final.

Again.

Without any fuss or fanfare, the Mustangs have built a remarkable record in Victorian cricket.

They’re playing in their 12th consecutive finals series and have reached their ninth grand final in 11 years.

Their most recent premiership came in 2016-17, when they defeated EMP.

The Mustangs played in eight deciders on the bounce, losing the first three but winning the next three. The run produced four flags.

“As a club we’re very proud of what we’ve been able to do with our women’s program, bring young players through and get them to compete strongly in big games,’’ coach Alan Carter, in his second stint in charge, said.

“You cop your share of thrashings along the way as young players learn how to play in those contests. It shows that ones we’ve got are made of the right stuff and can bounce back.’’

Box Hill has had women’s teams since the 1992-93 season, brought in at the instigation of former president Ken Fewster.

Carter said Fewster and his committee had been “remarkably visionary’’ in establishing the female cricket section at the Sub-District club.

Holly Spencer of Box Hill runs out Melbourne’s Teagan Parker.

“People like me who were playing at Box Hill at the time didn’t really understand or appreciate how visionary they were,’’ he said.

“Our focus was on our own cricket, typical of men at the time. But strategically Ken and his team were ahead of their time in thinking like that.’’

Box Hill made the grand final in 2010-11 under the coaching of Carter, who was appointed in 2009-10.

It lost the decider to Essendon Maribyrnong Park, as it did the following season.

Dandenong defeated the Mustangs in 2012-13, making for three consecutive grand final disappointments.

“That was shattering. It was like, how often can we get there and get beaten?’’ Carter said.

Success finally came their way with a gripping last-over victory over an EMP team thick with state players in 2013-14.

In fact, Vic Spirit players made up EMP‘s attack. Box Hill had only a young Anna Lanning with any state experience.

With Meg Lanning cracking 82, the Mustangs defeated EMP again in 2014-15 and then held out Melbourne in the 2015-16 grand final.

Box Hill also reached the next two title-deciding matches, taking another premiership in 2017-18, again in the last over, the winning runs coming from Hayleigh Brennan, who had earlier captured 6-24 off 10 overs.

Although the Mustangs have held top-dog status, there has been an element of the underdog about their success.

It was like that last Sunday, when they defied their position on the ladder to up-end Melbourne.

Hayleigh Brennan is jubilant after a wicket for Box Hill.

Melbourne finished 16 points clear on top of the ladder, but fourth-placed Box Hill upset it at the Albert, hitting 4-166 in reply to 165.

The Demons were ultimately made to pay for not batting out their 50 overs.

They were dismissed in the 46 over after Renee Moffitt was caught for 41, made off only 50 balls and with seven boundaries.

Skipper Teagan Parker (30), Ella Hayward (22) and Elly Donald (33) contributed too after the Mustangs made a bold start by removing Rhiann O’Donnell for a first-ball duck, bowled by team mainstay Danielle Montague, and Amy Vine (8), caught off the bowling of Brennan.

The Mustangs lost Holly Spencer early in the chase but an 85-run partnership between Anna Lanning (46, with 9 fours) and Zoe Griffiths (69no) put them well down the road to victory.

Griffiths followed it to the end, unbeaten after a 131-ball stay. She hit seven fours, and got sturdy support from Lara Shannon (18no) at the end.

Proud coach: Alan Carter.

“We got thrashed by the same opponent a couple of weeks ago, and we only just scrambled into the four,’’ Carter said.

“And we were playing the team that had been on top all year. So it was a tremendous effort by the girls. We were very pleased for them and very proud of their effort.’’

Carter said grabbing the two early wickets made for an excellent start. “That was massive,’’ he said. “Rhi O’Donnell is the leading run scorer in the competition and Danny Montague managed to take the top of her middle stump with the first ball she bowled to her. And Amy Vine is a Vic squad representative and so to get those two wickets put us in the ascendancy.

“From there though it was an arm wrestle, it went back and forth, but every time we took another wicket or another couple of wickets it sort of put us back on top.

“Our bowling and field were solid and the batting was a really well controlled, mature chase.’’

Carter said that when he first took over as coach, opponents liked but never respected Box Hill.

Now the Mustangs are much admired throughout Victorian cricket.

“Other teams used to turn up and routinely beat us,’’ Carter said.

“It’s been a long journey. Initially it was all about making us competitive, earning some respect and being a good, competitive club, and being somewhere that young females wanted to play.

“The ability to compete unconditionally every ball until the result is known is something I strongly believe in as a coach and our players know that’s a way we’ve been able to be successful.’’

In the grand final, Box Hill will meet Dandenong, which won a tight semi against Essendon Maribyrnong Park to progress to its first grand final since 2012-13.

The Panthers put up 8-186 off their 50 overs and dismissed EMP for 181 in the final over.

Un Paisley Medal champion Kim Garth had a superb match, cracking 78 not out off 86 balls, taking 2-34 off 9.1 overs and hitting one stump in the run out of Briana Binch.

After Binch’s dismissal, EMP lost Makinley Blows the very next ball, caught off young offie Uvindee Wijesena for 85. She’d received 115 balls and hit 6 fours.

The Panthers had claimed EMP’s star No 3 Natalie Schilov (1) cheaply, when she cut a full Julie Fearns delivery to Lucy Cripps at point.

Pace-off bowler Fearns finished with 2-25 off her nine overs, and the fast-rising Wijesena collected 1-28 off eight.

Dandenong Panthers celebrate a wicket against EMP on Sunday.

The Panthers defeated Box Hill in their last grand final appearance in 2012-13.

From that team, only Kelly Applebee and Emma “Gags’’ Gallagher remain with the club.

Dandenong coach Andy Christie admitted he thought his team had come in 20 runs short after being asked to bat.

But he said the Panthers had enough “big moments’’ to make the total stand up.

“It was one of those games where the momentum kept swinging, up and down both ways, and you felt you were in the game and then there were times when you felt you were well off it,’’ he said.

“All the way through the girls kept their belief and stayed positive. And all of a sudden scoring 30 runs to win the game was quite challenging for them (EMP).’’

The grand final will be at the Junction Oval on Sunday, starting at 10.30am.