VMCU grand finals: Eastern wins Beitzel Shield, Inner South East claims Phil Arnold Shield

Openers Xavier Tapsell and Sam Olsen put on a century-stand and carried the ECA to an outstanding victory over the South East.

The Eastern Cricket Association team with the Jim Beitzel Shield.

Quality bowling a pitch that had produced 600 runs the previous day and an impeccable opening partnership carried the Eastern Cricket Association to the VMCU Under 16 Jim Beitzel Shield premiership on Sunday.

Under blue skies at the Walter Galt Reserve in Mordialloc, the ECA defeated the South East, last year’s Beitzel champion, by 10 wickets.

Xavier Tapsell was named player of the match after his outstanding innings of 84 not out off 81 balls.

The right-hander hit 13 boundaries and with captain Sam Olsen (47no) put on an unbroken 138 for the first wicket in 25.4 overs.

Olsen faced 74 deliveries, clipped 2 fours and happily took singles in a partnership noteworthy for sharp running between the wickets.

ECA opening pair Sam Olsen (left) and Xavier Tapsell.

They never allowed the SECA bowlers to settle, and the South East fielding was poor.

SECA chose to bat first on a pitch on which the Second XI teams of Kingston Hawthorn and Fitzroy-Doncaster had both reached 300 the previous day in Victorian Premier Cricket.

Runs had flowed on the Saturday. But they came in a trickle for the South East and wickets fell regularly too.

Eastern used eight bowlers and all but two collected wickets.

Tom Kenny, who is playing in the Fourth XI for Premier club Melbourne, took the new ball and had 1-28 off eight overs.

SECA opener Will Lourie top scored with a hard-fought 29 and wicketkeeper Hugo Dale got busy in the later over, hitting 21 off 32 balls.

But Olsen and Tapsell soon had Eastern scooting towards victory, untroubled by pace or spin. They were quick to skip down the wicket to the slow bowlers and hit them down the ground.

Eastern coach Callum McIlveen said his team could hardly have played better.

He said it lost early in the series but got better as it went on despite Covid “hiccups’’.

“There’s been gradual improvement day on day, doing one thing better – fielding, batting, bowling – than the previous day, and today culminated in a pretty impressive performance, amazing.’’

He said Tapsell and Olsen batted brilliantly against an attack that took a lot of wickets during the carnival.

Tapsell had made a century against Inner South East and wound up with 287 runs at 57.4.

Luca Van Der Sluys (278 runs) and James Sparks (262) weren’t far behind him.

“It’s been a pretty good effort from our top six all the way through,’’ McIlveen said. “We made four scores over 200, which is a big effort in this format.’’

He said Eastern had been pleased with its squad and believed it would do well “but to go all the way and beat SECA, who are always strong and had seven teams in grand finals across the board, we probably exceeded expectations’’.

The SECA Under 12s after winning the Keith Mitchell Shield.

In the Under 18 Phil Arnold Shield, Inner South East’s lower-order rallied to lift it past Western Region in the grand final.

Highlighted by Farzan Chowna’s even 50, Western put up 7-189 and had Inner South East 7-140 and then 8-152.

But Flynn Evans (49no) and Patrick Schmitt (15no) put on an unbroken 40 to take their side over the line in a tense finish at Kings Park in St Albans.

Ringwood and District clinched the Under 16 Keith Mackay Shield, hitting 3-198 to run down South East’s 7-193.

Liam Guiliano hit 84 not out from 128 balls for SECA, but half-centuries from Ringwood District openers Tom Collins (50) and Hudson Semple-Hetherton (78) set up their team for a successful response.

Ringwood and District’s Under 16 team: Pic: Field of View Sports Photography.

But SECA did win the Under 14 Russell Allen Shield, making 9-163 and holding Ringwood District to 7-152.

Openers Axel Karlsson-Lacy (49) and Philip Galanopoulos (41) put on 90 for the winners.

Opener Sam Hawkins blasted 54 off only 42 balls at Eastern zapped to 2-155 against SECA (8-152) in the Under 14 Des Nolan Cup.

Charlie Hester (38no) and Jack Massey (35no) were in the runs too.

SECA came out on top in the Under 12 Keith Mitchell Shield, holding Western Region to 6-168 as it sought 6-184.

Nick Critchley (48) and James Damiano (35) retired for SECA.

Damiano is the son of Brighton Sub-District stalwart Johnny.

James Damiano.

It was the same result in the Under 12 Josh Browne Plate, with SECA (8-177) too strong for Western Region (73). No 3 Oscar Virlombier hit 53 retired.

In the female sections, SECA claimed the Under 12 Claudia Fatone Shield, reaching 177 off 40 overs and dismissing North West Metropolitan for 97.

Lyla Sinclair took a star turn with 4-2 off her three overs.

The Under 14 Julie Savage Shield is in Eastern’s hands after it cracked 4-108 in reply to North West Metropolitan’s 108. Emily Costigan (4-23 off six overs) rattled through the North West Metro batting.

Last Friday, in the first of the VMCU grand finals, North West Metro (4-113) defeated Inner South East (112) in the Under 17 Mel Jones Shield.

Georgia Egan was 39 not out.