Premier Cricket 2020-21: Melbourne wins inaugural Dean Jones Cup

And Melbourne unveiled exciting prospect Kobe Herft as it locked up the club championship over Carlton.

Melbour skipper Blake Thomson accepts the Dean Jones Cup. Pic: MCC/Adam O’Sullivan

It was a memorable day for Melbourne.

The Demons unfurled their 2019-20 First XI premiership.

They won the inaugural Dean Jones Cup over Carlton.

They claimed the club championship.

And they unveiled an emerging young player, Kobe Herft, in the victory over the Blues at the Albert Ground.

In a first-versus-second match reduced to 37 overs per team, Melbourne held Carlton to 9-139 and replied with 7-141 off 35.5 overs.

Jack Prestwidge (4-38 off eight overs) and Glenn Hannah (2-10 off seven) led the way with the ball and on debut Herft, 17, played a dazzling cameo with the bat.

Melbourne celebrates a Carlton wicket.

His 25 came off 27 balls and included 4 fours and 1 six.

The right-hander was promoted for his first match in the top team after scores of 57, 141, 20 and 91 in the Second XI.

He also slipped in with a Carlton wicket with his off-spin.

Herft played junior cricket in Queensland and Grade cricket in NSW before joining Melbourne at the start of the season.

“If he’s not the most talented kid at our club, he’s close to it,’’ Melbourne coach Ben Vague said.

“He walked in off the street and asked if he could train. And he blew us away the first time we set eyes on him.

“He’s a remarkable talent, full of class. He’s got so much time. He reminds me a young Will Pucovski, so much time at the crease and he has every shot. He’s only a small bloke but he times the ball so well, very delicate with his hands. His technique is faultless. A 17-year-old kid playing his first game and he helps get us over the line for an important win…’’

The victory and results in the other grades helped Melbourne win the club championship.

And the Demons received the Dean Jones Cup, named in honour of the former Test batsman who played District/Premier cricket at Carlton and then Melbourne.

His wife, Jane, and daughters Phoebe and Isabella unveiled the trophy, which Melbourne said recognised “the enormous contribution and legacy that Dean left at both clubs’’.

The Jones family also helped the club fly the 2019-20 premiership flag.

“It was a special day on quite a few fronts,’’ Vague said.

“Winning the first Dean Jones Cup was tremendous. We wanted to go out there and play with his flair and sense of competitiveness against the top team and a team we rate very highly.’’

He said the club championship reflected Melbourne’s “remarkable job’’ to overcome the loss of Matthew Brown, Chris Tremain, Jackson Coleman and Sean Sturrock.

“We didn’t go out and replace those guys. We thought we had the depth and the talent to promote players, a lot of them young players, from within,’’ Vague said.

“Really proud of what we’ve achieved but now part two of the season begins.’’

All four Melbourne teams have qualified for the finals.

The First XI finished second on the ladder and will host Dandenong (seventh) in the first week of the finals.

The Demons had 14 players unavailable on Saturday but will regain captain Cameron White (who had coaching duties with South Australia in the Sheffield Shield), paceman Kieran Elliott (ankle) and allrounder Fergus O’Neill (hamstring), as well as Sam Harper, who had to have a COVID test after returning from Queensland.

Vague said Dandenong was a dangerous team; indeed, any side in the top eight could win the premiership this season.

“White-ball cricket, you just need one player to get away from you and all of a sudden you’re chasing a decent score and there’s pressure in finals,’’ he said.

“But we’ve said all year that if we bring good attitude and effort, the result will take care of itself.’’