Melbourne Country Week: Ferntree Gully wins Provincial title in milestone year of carnival

Ferntree Gully and Warrnambool have taken out Melbourne Country Week cricket grand finals in the 100th year of the competition.

Ferntree Gully has claimed its maiden Melbourne Country Week Provincial cricket title with a crushing 109-run grand final win against perennial powerhouse Mornington Peninsula at the Albert Ground on Friday.

Appearing in its first Provincial final in 72 years, Ferntree Gully made the most of batting first by compiling the huge score of 7/340, helped along by a breathtaking 89 from 63 balls from man-of-the-match Andrew Brolic.

Brolic clubbed six sixes and four fours after coming in following the loss of two wickets in the space of only seven runs.

Opener David Smyth, who top scored with 93 from 78 balls, was the first of the two wickets to fall.

He was followed soon after by captain Nathan Walsh for 45 to have the team delicately placed at 4/172.

Ferntree Gully's Anthony Brolic was named man of the match in the Country Week Provincial grand final with a score of 89 from only 63 balls. Picture: Supplied

But Brolic and Jake Toohey (59 from 59 balls) took the game away from Mornington Peninsula with a 112-run partnership.

“It’s nice to have a platform already set for me to play my role and hit big towards the end,” Brolic said.

Ferntree Gully captain Nathan Walsh and VCCL president Kelvin White at the Albert Ground. Picture: Supplied

Needing to score at 6.8 runs per over, Mornington Peninsula was in trouble from the outset.

It slumped to 6/90 before being eventually dismissed for 231 after valuable late order contributions from Justin Grant (50) and Sam Holland-Burch (47 not out).

Grant made his half-century from 44 balls before falling caught and bowled to spinner Luke McComb.

Ferntree Gully celebrates its first Melbourne Country Week Provincial title at the Albert Ground. Picture: Supplied

Paceman Jake Sherriff was the leading wicket-taker for Ferntree Gully with 5/32.

He could have had six, but grassed a tough caught and bowled chance from Holland-Burch.

Ferntree Gully made its debut in Country Week in 1950 and has had three stints in Provincial section without making a final until this year.

Its grand final score was the second 300-plus score for the week after making an even bigger total of 3/353 on day one with Smyth again top scoring with 144 and Walsh making an unbeaten 120.

Ferntree Gully had three players represent Victoria at the recent national country championships, Walsh, Cameron Wheeler and Jake Toohey.

Walsh and Wheeler were picked in the All-Australian team with Walsh the leading runscorer of the tournament.

Ferntree Gully captain Nathan Walsh and VCCL Hall of Fame inductee Norm Reeves at the Albert Ground. Picture: Supplied

Walsh said the Country Week triumph was a “really special moment”.

“There were so many people following (the team) from all the clubs,” he said.

“Lots of guys missed work and missed getting paid.

“I’m really grateful that everyone put their hand up to play.

“It was so important for our association to win one of these.”

In the division two final, Warrnambool beat Wangaratta by five wickets after successfully chasing down Wangaratta’s 247 from 44.2 overs.

Warrnambool’s Joe Kenna claimed 3/48 from his 10 overs and Todd Lamont, Matthew Petherick and Ethan Boyd all took two wickets.

Warrnambool was the Melbourne Country Week cricket division two premiers. Picture: Supplied

Harkaran Mann top scored for Wangaratta with 86 from 87 balls.

In reply, Chris Bant top scored for Warrnambool with 62 and Ben Threlfall (32), Geoff Williams (43) and Jack Burnham (43) guided the team to victory with more than eight overs to spare.

Warrnambool and Wangaratta have earned promotion to Provincial next year.

Traralgon, Latrobe Valley, Ballarat and Bairnsdale have all been relegated from the top division.

Originally published as Melbourne Country Week: Ferntree Gully wins Provincial title in milestone year of carnival