Trent Cody’s tight last over sends Uniting into grand final

Asked to bowl his first over in the last over, ‘darter’ Trent Cody came through for Bentleigh Uniting against East Sandringham.

Bentleigh Uniting leader Luke Russell.

Bentleigh Uniting is the first team through to the South East Cricket Association Longmuir Shield grand final after holding out East Sandringham in their semi-final at Chisholm Reserve on Saturday.

In an outstanding match, Uniting posted 6-215 and held East to 7-213.

It went down to the last ball, as did all the finals in Longmuir and Woolnough Shield.

Both teams enjoyed outstanding innings that made for a high-scoring affair.

Uniting No 3 Tom Backman was run out for 70, having faced 96 balls and put away 4 fours and 1 six.

Then young Josh Bregazzi played a blinder, blitzing 73 off 64 deliveries, including 4 fours and 4 sixes.

Of the East Sandy bowlers, only Tim Edwards, with 3-18 off eight overs, escaped punishment.

The home team lost opener Billy Phelan and the prolific Chris Diggle for ducks to slump to 2-12.

Matthew Harris zipped to 42 off 37 balls, and from there Matt Blunden led the run chase.

His 90 included 5 fours and 3 sixes, and came off only 102 balls.

Jack Munnings slipped in with 20 and Ben Pryor (28no) was busy in the late overs as East Sandy charged at their target, getting hold of Bentleigh Uniting captain Luke Russell.

East Sandy’s Matt Blunden.

But Russell pulled a matchwinning move when he threw the ball to Trent Cody for the last over with East Sandy wanting six runs to win.

The offie conceded only four.

“To be honest, I probably got them back in the game, because they needed 40 off the last three overs and we dropped a catch off my first ball in the 38th over and then they took 21 or 22 off it,’’ Russell said.

“I just thought with that last over, when they needed seven, maybe we should try to take the pace off and bring a darter on, bring on Trent. And it worked.

“He’s actually a pretty decent bowler but he doesn’t bowl much at training. I’d love to throw him the ball more.

“Being captain I probably should have taken it upon myself but they were taking a liking to me.’’

Russell praised the knocks of Blackman and Bregazzi.

He said Bregazzi was a “gun, one of the better young batsmen I’ve seen for a long time’’.

“When he gets out in the centre he’s got a very mature head on him. He doesn’t go from ball one. He gets through those first 15, 20 balls, which all batsmen should try to get through, gets his ones and twos on the board, and then launches after that.’’

He said Backman was a class player and played a typically composed innings.

Russell is in his first season at Uniting, having crossed from South Caulfield in Cricket Southern Bayside, where he enjoyed much team and personal success.

He was in Perth and missed the early exchanges but his team still made a smart start.

Bentleigh Uniting was last in a Longmuir Shield grand final in 2014-15, when it defeated Mackie under the captaincy of Glenn Lalor.

East Sandringham will now play in the preliminary final, meeting Elwood, which nosed out Brighton Union in the other semi.

Dismissed for 150, the Woods kept Union to 7-148 in another tight, tense finish.

John Donohue took 4-14 off six overs for Brighton Union, whose batsmen were pinned down by spinners Rob De Haan (2-26 off eight overs) and Mitch Clarke (2-29 off eight).

In Woolnough Shield, Harry Wardlaw hit 102 not out from the opening slot to lead Omega to 6-197 and victory over Washington Park, which tallied 7-193.

Wardlaw, a prominent under-age player, faced 118 balls and hit 9 fours and 2 sixes.

Ryan Heywood blasted 85 off only 62 balls for the Sharks, with 4 fours and 5 sixes, but they didn’t quite get there.

It was a similar story at Mackie Rd Reserve, where West Bentleigh protected its 7-172, restricting Carnegie South to 8-166.

The consistent Tom Cameron (74) anchored the South run chase.

Adam Wakeling’s blast of 27 not out in the last three overs was crucial in West’s success.

Washington Park and West Bentleigh will meet in the preliminary final.