Premier Cricket: Prahran into grand final after defeating Fitzroy-Doncaster

Emotions were high after the True Blues, chasing their first flag in almost 40 years, defeated Fitzroy-Doncaster.

Prahran players sing the club song after defeating Fitzroy-Doncaster.

They packed into the changerooms to hear the players sing the song, and excitement was in their eyes.

There were officials like the legendary former president Ian Crawford and John Raglus, past and present players, supporters and parents.

And there were displays of emotion after Prahran progressed to the Premier Cricket grand final with a strong win over a worthy Fitzroy-Doncaster in the semi-final at Toorak Park on Saturday.

The True Blues have not won a pennant since 1983-84. They’ve won T20 and One Day titles, but not the premiership by which clubs are ultimately judged.

Gone: Prahran’s Will Sutherland knocks over Lion Jack Rudd. Picture: Valeriu Campan

In fact, they haven’t been in another grand final since captain-coach Dav Whatmore’s unbeaten century gave them the season-honours over Essendon almost 40 years ago.

Club great Julien Wiener was not part of that team, but he’s now coach of Prahran and he appeared close to tears in the rooms as assistant coach Justin Graham spoke to the players.

Wiener sat on a chair. He put his hands to his face. He sat back. He sat forward. He looked around. He blinked. He dabbed at his eyes. He nodded in agreement at his assistant’s remarks. He couldn’t speak, shaking his head when Graham asked if he would like to say a few words.

“We’re there!’’ a lower-grades player hollered.

And they got there in style, running down a revised target of 170 off 33 overs with 15 balls to spare, steered to victory by Lachie Bangs (40no) and Will Sutherland (30no) after a boundary-filled blast from opener Nick Blaich.

The True Blues celebrate a wicket.

The left-hander thumped 63 off 37 balls, with 6 fours and 5 sixes.

Three of his sixes cleared the undercover area at Toorak Park and sailed on to Orrong Rd; one wondered if VicRoads would issue a warning to drivers to take care to avoid flying white balls.

Blaich took a particular fancy to Lions right-arm paceman Harrison Goad, taking 22 off his over; there was a hook for six, a four down the ground, and two pulls that sent the ball on to Orrong Rd. One was lost.

Prahran had hustled to 0-78 off nine overs and with Blaich apparently seeing the pill as if it was a pumpkin the target had already been reduced to less than 100.

But the Lions fought back, chiefly through their captain and left-arm spinner Ejaaz Alavi (2-14 off seven overs).

He held one back at Blaich – the ball came out so slowly one spectator said he “almost bowled it backwards’’ – and the batsman hit it to Lakshmn Shivakuma at deep mid-wicket.

Alavi then bowled Damon Egan for one and two more wickets fell soon after, Blaich’s silent partner James Billington for 20 and Prahran captain Jake Hancock for five, swiping at the Lions’ other left-arm spinner, Charles Simondson.

That left the True Blues 4-100. They were wobbling.

Bangs came out to join his former schoolmate Sutherland and Prahran official Johnny Zarb noted that the left-hander had faced only 15 balls since Round 9.

Sixty-four were needed off 11 overs, but Bangs, showing some of the clean hitting that brought him two centuries earlier in the season, was soon tearing chunks off the target, clouting two sixes.

Prahran paceman Matt Wilcox. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Sutherland played cautiously at the start of his innings, accepting the responsibility to get Prahran home. By the time he reached double figures he was into the flow of his partnership with Bangs, who brought up the winning runs with a boundary to fine leg.

Two rain delays interrupted the visitors’ innings and they received 33 of their 50 overs, from which they made 6-138. It became 170 once the umpires punched in the numbers for DLS.

Sutherland was exceptional with his right-arm pace, taking 1-15 off seven overs. He knocked over Lions opener Jack Rudd, whose 42 off 77 balls took him past the 750-run mark for 2020-21.

He had a fine season. Prahran had a fine day, and will now meet Dandenong in the grand final after the Panthers staged a remarkable recovery to defeat Geelong at Geelong.