Diggers Rest Bulla earns miracle win, remains in GDCA finals hunt

Diggers Rest Bulla kept its GDCA season alive with a fighting win over Wallan on Saturday, claiming victory despite five ducks.

Jayden Schwarze in action for Diggers Rest Bulla. Picture: Hamish Blair

In the wise words of Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious “it doesn’t matter if you win by a second or a mile, winning is winning”.

But even Diggers Rest Bulla skipper Rhys Berry admits he was shaking his head at how the Burras claimed a stunning upset victory over Wallan at Diggers Rest Recreation Reserve on Saturday.

The Burras collapsed to 4-7 as five batters made ducks and only three reached double figures – the home team bowled out for 116.

However, Wallan were quickly in similar strife and finished with four ducks of their own – rolled for just 108.

The nail-biting eight-run win at was the club’s second of the GDCA McIntyre Shield campaign and, perhaps even more startling, has it just nine points outside the top six with three games to play.

Diggers Rest Bulla captain Rhys Berry. Picture: Stuart Milligan

“It was a very stressful day but it ended well, which is all that matters,” Berry said.

“All night Saturday night I kept saying ‘I don’t know how we did that’.

“We’ve been in so many games this year, we’d just forgotten how to win, but the pieces fell into place on Saturday.

“When we were 4-7 I thought to myself ‘here we go again’ but to the boys credit, especially Lincoln (Grant) and Jayden (Schwarze), they did really well to get us back in the game.

“We knew we had to bowl well, a couple of early wickets and the pressure just built and built, and we got over the line.”

Grant was the hero, rescuing the Diggers Rest Bulla innings with a hard-fought 40 – that included just two boundaries – before taking 2-18 with the ball.

He combined with Schwarze (37) in a 75-run fifth-wicket partnership that changed the game and Maninder Buttar scored a vital 18 tail-end runs.

Berry revealed Grant performed despite suffering an injury early in his knock.

“Lincoln told me after the game, in the first or second over he popped his calf.

“So to still go on and get 40 and then he did the job with the ball at the end, he got the two set batsmen to get us over the line, it was a super job.

Diggers Rest Bulla coach Nalaka de Silva. Picture: Hamish Blair

“It was the same with Jayden, he battled early but he managed to survive and then started to get a few away.”

Defending a small score, Marcus Ciunik (4-26) and Berry (2-20) ripped through the Magpies top order, removing the first six batsmen.

Kieran Atkin (27), Chris Vecchie (27) and Matthew Clayton (25) launched a valiant rescue mission but the damage had been done.

Backing up his work with the bat, Buttar wrapped up the tail with 2-13.

“(Marcus) has been super all year,” Berry said.

“With his work, especially early, he could only play every second game but he’s worked something out now and he’s play three in a row now and he’s been huge.

“They only needed 15 or 16 with three wickets in hand but Minny just cleaned them up and it was game over.

“I think we were running behind on time as well.

“The umpire warned me a couple of times that he didn’t want it to come down to it, I think if you lose overs it minus five runs or something like that.

“I think the umpires were relieved when we got the last wicket that they didn’t have to make that call.”

ELITE XI: PREMIER CRICKET TEAM OF THE WEEK

LEADER GET YOUR LOCAL CRICKET NEWS HERE

VTCA: WEST COBURG REVIVE RELEGATION BATTLE

Diggers finish the season with matches against fellow bottom three clubs Sunbury Kangaroos, East Sunbury and Rupertswood.

Berry isn’t giving up on a miracle finals appearance.

“We finish with Kangaroos, East Sunbury and Rupo, all three around us, so they’re all winnable games and you never know,” he said.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Gisborne (3-115) defeated East Sunbury (114), Bacchus Marsh (9-184) belted Woodend (54), Sunbury United (9-196) were too good for Rupertswood (87) and Romsey (3-114) eased past Kangaroos (5-110).