Palmerston do the double taking out A and B-grade Two-Day grand finals
Palmerston C.C. has taken out both the A and B-grade Two-Day Premiership crowns, creating history in the process. Read how they did it here.
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Palmerston bowlers overwhelmed a shaky Waratah batting line-up on day two of the Darwin A-grade cricket grand final, recording an emphatic 150-run first innings victory.
A century to Maroon opening batsman Caleb Montague on day-one and a five-wicket haul with by Palmy skipper Hamish Martin on day-two were the key ingredients in the victory.
Waratah skipper Jagadeswara Koduru called correctly but chose to bowl on day one and it all turned sour for the fielding team as inform seamer Roshane Fernando left the field after bowling a single over, and Palmerston’s opening pair, Montague and Harshtik Bimbral, tamed the remainder of the Red Cap quicks, and put on 86 for the first wicket before the tireless Noah McFadyen had Bimbral caught behind by Tim Parker.
Unfazed, Palmerston continued to dominate with the bat and at tea, they were a creditable 1-140.
Treating the injury, Fernando was shattered and said he’d never had such an injury and knew he was gone after bowling just three balls.
“I got the injury after bowling just three balls and knew immediately it was serious and so I left the field which was a terribly sad moment for me and the team,” he said.
“This is the first time I’ve had such an injury. The only other time I missed cricket due to injury was about eight years ago when I strained my back.
“I felt my form was good and to spend such a short time on the field in a grand final was hard luck.”
After the break however, the batting sweet chocolates turned to bitter boiled lollies because from 3-178, Palmerston slumped to 8-192 and 10-222, largely thanks to McFadyen (5-70) and Shaminda Eranga (3-40) who brushed aside some hesitant middle and late order batting.
Commencing day-two with all wickets in hand and chasing 223 for victory, Tahs were immediately on the back foot when Jasper Darley captured the wickets of Sasith Livera and competition top scorer Koduru who were both trapped in front by skidding deliveries, leaving the Red Caps precariously at 2-5.
Worse was to come when both Matthew Scoble and third seamer Daniel McKell got into the act and at drinks Tah’s were a precarious 5-35.
Then the mercurial Martin (5-10 from 7.2 overs) got his hands on the Kookaburra, essentially cleaning up the tail, taking the final four polls.
Ready to pack his bags for the return to his home across the ditch, keeper / batsman Montague said he was prepared for his first innings heroics but acknowledged support from other top order batsmen.
“It was a pretty special moment and to get a century in a grand final is as good as it gets,” he said.
“But it wasn’t easy batting early because it was a good wicket and Waratah’s bowlers kept us under pressure.
“But Harsh and I put on 86 for the first wicket and then Aidan (Firman) and Alex (Bleakley) also proved stubborn, and we got away pretty well.
“We always thought 222 was a winning score especially with the wicket playing competitively and we believed our bowlers were equal to Tahs and with Hamish in such good form that would be a bonus which proved to be the case.
“I learned so much here about my cricket but especially adapting to the conditions. Back home we have rainouts all the time, but here, that doesn’t happen, so I could find some rhythm while batting and that alone was worth the journey.”
RESULT: Palmerston 10-222 (Caleb Montague 109, Noah McFadyen 5-70, Shaminda Eranga 3-40) def. Waratah 10-72 (Udara Weerasinghe 20, Hamish Martin 5-10, Jasper Darley 2-11, Daniel McKell 2-24)
PALMERSTON C.C. CREATE HISTORY BY TAKING OUT THE DOUBLE
Palmerston have taken out the DDCC two-day double crown for 2024.
Toppling Waratah in A-grade by 150 runs and Nightcliff in B-grade by 36 runs (Palmerston, 10/211 def. Nightcliff, 10/175), the cricket club is on cloud nine, soaking in the history making feat.
“Dual premierships is an incredible achievement and a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of everyone involved in the club of Palmerston,” club president Adrian Gallagher said.
“From the players and coaches to the support staff, committee, volunteers, and loyal supporters, this victory belongs to all of us.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together, As and Bs together is a first for the club.”
An utterly dominant performance in the A-grade final, Palmerston snuffed out a faltering Waratah, led by the efforts of Caleb Montague’s epic 109 and captain fantastic Hamish Martin’s 5/10.
The Bs didn’t have it all their way, but stood tall till the final ball.
“Absolute belief in each other, they never panicked and held their nerve when it mattered most,” Gallagher said in regards to the Bs digging deep.
“Their ability to stay calm under pressure and trust their strengths was key.
“Jake (Baker) and (Jayden) Chatto stood up on this day as in every game someone has, all year someone has stood up and it seems to have been someone different each time.
“Yesterday every one of them was a match winner to me.”
Not one to let such an occasion go to waste, the Palmerston crew celebrated late into the night and early morning, capping off their celebrations with the obligatory ‘Mad Monday’ carry-on.
“After such a hard-fought season and both A-grade and B-grade bringing home premierships, the atmosphere was pure joy and pride,” Gallagher said.
“The clubhouse was buzzing, and it’s a night that will be remembered for years to come.
“It was the perfect way to cap off an incredible season.
“The celebrations, as tradition, has continued into Mad Monday and the Palmy song has been sung many times.
“I have no voice left.”
Gallagher said the wins were a reflection of the club’s journey through the years and had been entrenched in an inherent focus on juniors becoming leaders of the club.
Brought to tears, Gallagher was also rapt by a number of his players gifting their premiership medal to club hero and curator ‘Des’.
“We have stuck with our belief in putting time into our locals and juniors and to see so many Palmy juniors in the 22 players brought tears to my eyes,” he said.
“To see a couple of the guys give their GF medal to our curator Des and demand he take it for the work he has done over the last few years is a testament to these kids and their understanding of the club around them.”
Elsewhere, PINT claimed the C-grade premiership after defeating Waratah by 26 runs (PINT, 10/142 def. Waratah 10/116), and Nightcliff Gold won the D-grade championship, defeating Waratah University in a tight three-run victory (Nightcliff, 10/176 def. Waratah, 10/173).
Waratah and Palmerston go head to head for cricket dominance
Two-day minor premiers and bowling heavyweights Palmerston will take on a Waratah unit blessed with strong batters and plenty of experience in the 2024 Darwin Cricket grand final this weekend.
Palmerston dislodged Southern Districts in the semi-final, denying the Crocs a shot at a four-peat and furthering their own hopes of glory.
The Maroons have come to life since the two-day competition began and a consistent squad of committed imports and strong locals has helped them on their journey.
Captain Hamish Martin said that had been key to their success so far in 2024 and hoped with his strong unit around him they would push on toward the victory on Saturday and Sunday.
“At the start of the year we knew having a consistent squad would hold us in good stead compared to some of the other sides,” he said.
“That’s definitely been the case, we’ve had our imports who have been here all year, new locals that have come over and a bunch of people committed to the club, and that’s got us here.
“Our performances have been good, we’ve only been able to get here with the team around us, and we’ve gone through a few bowling and batting partnerships.
“Waratah have been good all year, for us we’ll be targeting early wickets and putting pressure on them by dictating those partnerships in terms of dot balls.”
Martin has been one of the standouts of the season collecting more wickets than any player, and a best haul of 9-52 in the semi-final against Southern Districts.
It came in a season where he also starred in the NT Strike Top End T20 side, but the Palmerston captain gave full credit to the support around him.
“It’s been nice to get a few wickets and do what I’ve had to do, but that’s my job to do and I’ve only been allowed to get those results with the help I’ve got,” he said.
“It’s been a good year, and its reward for commitment and the energy we put in, it’s not always easy juggling work with cricket but it’s very enjoyable and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He’s had plenty of support from his fellow bowlers including spinner Rommel Shahzad, Jasper Darley and Matthew Scoble.
In the batting department Caleb Montague has shone with a team of the year selection, while Alex Bleakley has been at his consistent best.
Waratah aren’t short of talent, particularly in the batting department where their captain Jaga Koduru has racked up more than 1000 runs in 2024.
The man who is also making a name for himself in Victoria has been a consistent problem for bowling attacks all year, and won’t let up this weekend.
“My aim has been on not trying to complicate it too much and taking each game as it comes,” he said.
“It’s just about taking it a game at a time really, whatever happens one week is done and you take the learning from that and keep going.”
But he’s not alone in a Waratah side brimming with not just talent, but experience, as Udara Weerasinghe and Madura Weerasinghe are two of the best at getting a side out of a pinch.
Crandel Siegelwin is one who has matured into the season, while the likes of Rhonan Appleby and Aryan Jain have been reliable in the top order too.
Koduru’s message to the side was to keep playing the way they had been up to the final, and not try to force something because of the occasion.
“We’re here to win it, but from a more a broader perspective we have to stay on the level and keep doing what we’ve been doing the past few weeks,” Koduru said.
“The message to our boys is there’s a reason we’re in this final and that’s what will win it for us, not trying to do anything new.”
The prime batter said they acknowledged the threat of the Palmerston bowlers, but he had full confidence in his own squad.
“Hamish is a class act, we’ve seen it all year and especially in that semi, and that’s something we’ve known for a long time before coming into this game.
“But we’ve just got to back our batters to create good plans and hopefully those plans hold for long periods of time, which is key in a final.
“We’ve had a couple new bowlers come in who have really hit their straps and are building really nicely, so I’m looking forward for them to keep doing what they’ve been doing.”
Meanwhile, Nightcliff will take on Palmerston in the B-Grade final, with the latter’s Kai Snape one to watch out for after taking a 5-fer in the semi-final.
It’s Waratah and PINT in the C-Grade action, with the Red Caps squeezing through to a three wicket win last time out.
And the Waratah University outfit have Nightcliff to deal with in the D-Grade grand final with the sides narrowly seeing off PINT and Southern Districts in their respective semi-finals.
Epic Palmerston bowling heroics deliver grand final berth
Palmerston and Waratah will meet in the Darwin A-grade final to be played at DXC Arena next weekend after both recorded healthy semi-final wins.
Maroon skipper Hamish Martin, who returned both a competition finals best and career best 9-52 and finished by icing the batting cake, led from the front as his team denied Southern Districts the chance of playing for a four-peat of premierships.
Happy to downplay his epic bowling performance, Martin praised his spin bowling partner Rommel Shahzad for the pressure he applied from the other end.
“I’m a rhythm bowler and it felt good from the very first ball and while I got the wickets, Rommel certainly played his part by keeping the pressure on from the other end,” Martin said.
Southern Districts won the toss and elected to bat on day one at Cazalys Oval and the decision proved correct.
Croc openers Dylan Mullen and Nic Broes were pretty much untroubled against the Palmerston pace quartet.
But when Martin introduced off-spinner Shahzad and himself, survival became the premium objective for the batsmen.
Martin removed both Broes (29) and number three Daniel Mylius and at tea Districts was a moderate 2-99.
And when the same bowler got rid of Mullen (57) at the tea score, the momentum switched to the home side.
Martin proved to be the difference and when he took the next three wickets to fall, the Crocs had slumped to a precarious 6-106.
Despite a mini-recovery by Tim Garner (30) and Chris McEvoy (17), the visitors were dismissed for 159 from 71.3 overs.
Starting day-two at 1-13, the home side slumped to 6-102 but when Martin joined Alex Bleakley at the crease, that pair aggressively dealt with the bowlers and carried their team to a monumental victory.
The Districts bowling array was missing its main strike weapon with tearaway quick Lachlan Bangs nursing a foot injury and unable to bowl.
“I’ve had a sore foot up here for the past couple of months, but I kept bowling and it’s a stress fracture and I’ll get more information when I get an MRI later in the week,” said Bangs.
“Unsure how long it will take to repair but it looks like my bowling will be over for eight to 12 weeks.
“It’s been the story of our season at Districts – we’ve worked to get some continuity into our game, but unavailability and injury has upset our tempo and our performance in the semi-final reflected that.”
Bangs is in his second season in Darwin cricket after playing with PINT two seasons ago and he agrees the Top End is not a bowler’s paradise but there are other benefits.
“It’s an absolute graveyard for the quicker bowlers up here, although it’s a great way to get fit and toughen up as a bowler,” he said.
“A lot of the guys are around contracts and it’s not always in their home states’ interest to send them up here to play but it’s still good fun to play and bowl up here.”
At Gardens Oval, visiting Nightcliff made the Waratah bowlers earn every wicket with some resolute top-order batting led by Paul Wasiewicz (61no), Douwtjie Hoogenboezem (56) and Tyler Van Luin (37).
A late-order batting revival lifted the Tigers to a competitive 8-256 after their allotted 80 overs on day one.
Tahs bowlers maintained a disciplined attack and were rewarded with wickets to each of five bowlers used.
On the back of a solid opening stand and subsequent half-centuries from Aryan Jain (54) and Jagadeswara Koduru (98) Waratah clawed its way to 7-260 and a three-wicket win.
RESULTS:
Waratah 7-260 (Jagadeswara Koduru 98, Aryan Jain 54; Andrew Richards 3-89, Douwtjie Hoogenboezem 2-44, Charlie Smith 2-58) d Nightcliff 8-256 (Paul Wasiewicz 61no, Douwtjie Hoogenboezem 56; Udara Weerasinghe 3-67).
Palmerston 6-163 (Alex Bleakley 50no; Andrew Bourne 3-45, Dylan Mullen 2-51) d Southern Districts 10-159 (Dylan Mullen 57; Hamish Martin 9-52).
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