Weston Creek Molonglo skipper John Rogers is the first to tell you grand finals have "plenty of twists". His Ginninderra counterpart Rhys Healy uses the same term and expects there will be plenty more.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Ginninderra's fast bowlers have put the Tigers in the box seat heading into the final day of the Cricket ACT Douglas Cup grand final at Phillip Oval. But both captains say this is far from over.
The Tigers were bundled out for 193 on day two before a Michael Ninneman masterclass left Weston Creek Molonglo precariously poised at 5-66 at stumps on Saturday.
But Rogers has all the confidence in the world his side can chase down the runs. And if they don't? There is still 112 overs scheduled to force a result on Sunday.
"Ginninderra will come away thinking they’ve got the inside line, but grand finals have a tendency to have a few twists," Rogers said.
"There were a few twists [on Saturday] and I daresay there will be a few [on Sunday]. All we’ve got to do is stay in the game, if you do that, you never know. I’ve got full confidence that we can get close if not run over these runs. There’s lots to play for.
"We know we’ve got some work to do, absolutely, we accept that. We also accept that we’ve got plenty of batting in the sheds who can alls copre. That’s really important, to continue to look to score.
"That’s what we’ll do, and we’ll give it our best shot and see how we go."
Rain had robbed both sides of the chance to press home an early advantage with day one abandoned without a ball bowled, and it was Creek looking the goods when the game began on day two.
Ginninderra's bid to "bring Dougy home" looked in serious strife when they slumped to 4-38 in the midst of a Harry Medhurst (4-50) blitz.
Just one of the Tigers' top five managed a score above six before Amit Sharma (61) and Adam Le Lievre (35) banded together for a 68-run stand to breathe life into Ginninderra's premiership hopes.
But true to form, Djali Bloomfield (3-58) struck just when Creek needed to find some momentum, with the another three wickets falling in clusters before the Tigers' tail wagged.
Nicholas Owen added 30 from No. 8 while Jarryd Hatton scored 39 at No. 9 to steer Ginninderra to 193 - enough to give their quicks something to bowl at.
When Shaun Kimber (2), Sam Myburgh (0), John Rogers (7) and Sam Taylor (14) all went cheaply, a genuine belief washed over Healy and his Ginninderra teammates.
"Plenty of twists and turns in the game, and I’m sure there will be plenty more, so we can’t hang our hats on unreal bowling from a few of the guys late in the day, but we can still be happy with our effort," Healy said.
"The boys are pretty switched on and trying to keep a level head. There is a reason Creek have played in the last five grand finals, and that’s because they’re not just going to shut up shop because they are five wickets down.
"We know there is plenty of cricket still to be played, there is 112 overs scheduled for Sunday. We can’t get too ahead of ourselves."
AT A GLANCE
Cricket ACT Douglas Cup grand final: Stumps, day two - GINNINDERRA 193 (A Sharma 61, J Hatton 39; H Medhurst 4-50, D Bloomfield 3-58) v WESTON CREEK MOLONGLO 5-66 (R Trickett 32, S Taylor 14; M Ninneman 3-26, J Hatton 2-10) at Phillip Oval.
