By ADEM SARICAOGLU
KEALBA Green Gully’s dream run in the NWMCA’s Luscombe Shield came to an end in the two-day grand final on Sunday.
Gunning for their third consecutive flag, the Cougars’ attack was taken to task by a rampant Pascoe Vale Central batting line-up led by skipper Cameron Hare, who knocked 118 runs on Saturday.
In quality batting conditions at Gladstone Park’s Jack Ginifer Reserve, Pascoe Vale Central set itself up for victory after choosing to bat first – setting Kealba the formidable task of chasing down 7/282 on Sunday.
The chase never really got going for the defending champions, lasting 63.3 overs before Pascoe Vale Central broke through against its grand final nemesis of recent years.
The Cougars could only muster 155 in response.
Captain-coach Evan Long remained upbeat afterward, telling Star his side should be proud not only of the efforts this summer, but those of the past three years.
“We’re obviously disappointed about the weekend and obviously you put a lot of time and effort into trying to win the premiership but it just wasn’t our weekend,” Long said.
“I think the boys can be proud of what they achieved during the year and definitely how they held themselves during the year, and it was a pretty tough day yesterday with them scoring 282.
“It was a pretty tough day in the field but like I said, I’m proud of every one of them.”
In a moment of madness that seemed to denote Kealba’s fall off the Luscombe Shield perch, Tristan Krizanic was cruelly run out after a Long pull shot cannoned into the foot of the square leg umpire.
Though the incident was somewhat innocuous, Long said it had a lasting effect on the psyche of his side during the doomed run chase.
“You can’t just put it down to one thing but it was just one of those freak things and the confidence and the belief was waning a bit,” Long explained.
“It changed the complex of the game and you can’t take away anything from Pacco being the dominant team on the day.
“But when you’re in those run chases you need a lot of luck to go your way and that moment in particular showed that the luck certainly was on their side and not ours.”
