Wallington chases its maiden first grade premiership since 1993-94

An A2 contender is chasing its maiden first grade premiership in more than 30 years as its opponent on Saturday has bounced back hard from demotion following a winless season.

James Sood and Billy Gravett put on 255 runs for the fifth wicket against Newcomb in Round 14. Picture: Wallington Cricket Club.

He was only coming off a few steps after an ACL injury, but new Inverleigh coach Henry Collins knew he might have a difference-maker on his hands in an Anglesea recruit.

Former Roos left armer and Bellarine footballer Daniel Midolo, who had shifted from Anglesea in the BFNL to the Kookaburras in the GDFL in 2024, had been talked into having a game with the Kookaburras after buying land in the area.

Collins, who had also joined Inverleigh CC from Geelong City with his brother Will to coach during the off-season, sensed Midolo could provide a point of difference.

In his last game with the Roos in March, 2023, Midolo took 6-18 against Armstrong Creek in the final round of A1, so there was little doubt about his pedigree.

Henry and Will Collins returned to their roots at Inverleigh after careers at Geelong City. Picture: Alan Barber

“He did his ACL last year, so the first training session he came down and was coming off two steps,” Collins said.

“I thought: ‘god I hope that knee’s all right’, because you could tell even off two steps he was going to be very handy.

“Not many people enjoy (facing him) that’s for sure, but he’s added another great dimension to our bowling line up.

“I think we might have been a little bit same same without him in there, so when he’s not taking wickets he’s really economical.”

Collins batting for the Kookaburras. Picture: Mike Dugdale

Collins would be proved correct with a “terrific” Midolo leading the club with 26 wickets.

He complemented Locke Perrett, who was a damaging force with the ball early in the A2 season – 17 wickets at 7.7 from his first five games – before he suffered a back injury, and did not play between late November and early January.

Inverleigh has put a winless 23-24 season behind them to qualify for the A2 grand final and chase its maiden flag since a second tier triumph in March, 2021.

In a similar vein to Lara in GCA2, the Kookaburras have bounced back hard from A1 demotion.

The arrival of the Collins brothers has given the Kookaburras’ batting a lift, too.

Will and Henry were second and third respectively in the club batting aggregate with both making more than 250 runs for the season.

Inverleigh didn’t breach the 200-run barrier as a team last year, rolled for scores of 70, 71, 75, 101 and 112.

However, a modest Henry said he and Will had not quite produced the numbers they would have preferred.

Wallington captain Matt Sampson-Barnes with Inverleigh skipper Henry Collins at the league’s presentation night. Picture: Mark Heenan Media.

“Will and I would be the first people to say that we probably haven’t had the seasons we would have liked,” he said.

“A couple of starts and not really gone on with it.

“But it takes the pressure off ‘Platty’ (Lachlan Platt) and ‘Peely’ (David Peel) a little bit.

“Kieran McNally I think he made 50 runs last year and he’s probably made nearly 200 runs for us in the middle order which has been invaluable and steered us home for a couple of wins.

“We’ve been performing well as a team, we haven’t just been relying on the one or two people, that’s been the key to our success.”

Most importantly for Henry, he’s enjoyed the vibe around the club.

“I think what I’ve enjoyed is just the community feeling of it, absolutely everyone hangs around and gets around each other,” he said.

“It’s a really tight-knit group, they’ve all played junior sport together. Whether it’s cricket or footy.

“It’s been a great group to be around.”

Wallington chase maiden first grade flag since 1994

The Wallabies have overcome some pretty unique circumstances to qualify for the big dance.

Wallington, who finished sixth last year in A2, were assisted by the rain in the semi-final after posting 9-230 against Portarlington, but it was far from a walk in the park.

The visitors were confronted by tough conditions when they finally got onto the park on Sunday, with the rain consistently coming down from about 10.30am to 4pm.

With the Demons’ innings reduced to 24 overs to reach the total, Wallington couldn’t rely on their seamers with one bowler slipping over.

Wallington’s Matt Sampson-Barnes. Picture: Mark Wilson

It’s leading bowlers of the season in Billy Gravett and Dane Wise-Graham, who have combined for a total of 49 wickets, were limited to just six overs between them.

Captain Matthew Sampson-Barnes, who had bowled just two overs since early February, snared 4-35 off six to limit Portarlington’s scoring.

It was his best figures since taking 6-26 against Surfcoast in early December.

Despite that, Sampson-Barnes said the squad was “fighting fit” and keen to break a 31-year first grade drought.

“It’s been a while, I think I was two years old,” Sampson Barnes said.

“There was a lot of excitement on Sunday ... when we got across the line.”

The Wallabies recruited heavily from the UK for this season, picking up James Sood, Billy Gravett and Adam Southorn.

Originally published as Wallington chases its maiden first grade premiership since 1993-94