By ADEM SARICAOGLU
SUNSHINE Heights’ grand final success in Turf Cricket’s West B1 grand final was 23 years in the making.
Coming into its 60-year anniversary next summer, Heights claimed its third senior turf premiership with a stirring six-wicket win over Sunshine United – the club’s first flag since the summer of 1990/91.
Coach Matthew Shawcross has taken great pride in the fact that the club did not have to break the bank to climb its way to the peak after what has been a lean and difficult two decades between premierships.
“We’ve been a club that’s always tried to not only play good cricket, but be a good community club and ensuring that we were always able to find that balance,” Shawcross said.
“It’s taken a while to get the team to where we’ve got to now, but we didn’t want to become a local club that came out and paid a whole lot to our players.
“We wanted to develop from within. We had six home-grown players play in the premiership and they were all guys that have played with the club since they were eight years old, and so as a result it is very rewarding for all the hard work that’s gone in and very rewarding for all the volunteers in our club as well.”
Former Footscray Edgewater player Tim Mahoney’s 69 in the first innings proved vital in a game dominated by bowlers, while team-mate Dilum Samarasinghe won man-of-the-match honours.
Samarasinghe contributed 33 runs to the first innings total of 158 before destroying Sunshine United with the ball in the second, claiming 5/41 in just eight overs.
The number four batsman then carried his bat through to the end of the final run chase, staying alive with 19 runs as Heights collected the required 87 runs in 38 overs.
Promotion now awaits Sunshine Heights and Shawcross is confident the club has enough depth in its talent pool to be successful after its second XI also triumphed in the final game of the summer.
“We’ve been working towards promotion for a couple of years now, and I think we’re ready for it,” Shawcross said.
“Apart from Akon Mawien who’ll go off to Footscray Edgewater, I think all our guys are committed to playing next year.”
