Weston Creek Molonglo claim fourth Cricket ACT John Gallop Cup in five seasons

Creek secured the Cricket ACT one-day title with a 54-run win over Queanbeyan in the first grade grand final at Freebody Oval on Sunday, ending a campaign hit by washouts and COVID-19 in dream fashion.

A premiership dream can so often hinge on one defining moment. For Creek there were two - and both came from club coach Jason McNally.

First he cleared the rope twice and took 17 runs from the final four balls of the innings to propel Creek to 6-270, with Josh Low-McMahon's "coming of age innings" [71 from 57] and Josh Myburgh's 53 laying the platform.

Then McNally struck twice with the ball to reduce Queanbeyan to 3-5 in the run chase, leaving them staring down the barrel of a seemingly insurmountable task before ultimately folding for 216.

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"It's been a very long time between coaches at Weston Creek so we're very lucky to have nabbed him, and he's a half-decent cricketer as well," Rogers said.

"It's fantastic that he can come in and turn it on when the season is on the line."

Michael Curtale hit 56 to revive Queanbeyan's innings before Guy Gillespie fought back with an unbeaten 47. Alas, McNally [4-44] and rising leg-spinner Blake Faunce [3-28] saw the hosts bowled out in 45.3 overs.

"He's a match-winner. He's up for the fight and he's landing leggies that turn. In any form of cricket, that's a match-winning skill for mine," Rogers said of Faunce.

"We are so lucky he is with us, albeit probably not for much longer because I think the state systems would be fools not to pick him up. Hopefully that happens but until then we'll take full advantage of him."

Creek were hunting their fourth title in five seasons, Queanbeyan searching for their first one-day premiership in six years. But the road to get here was anything like those in years gone by after the opening half of the season was decimated by washouts.

Queanbeyan had fought their way into the finals series on the back of three wins and three abandoned games. Creek, just two wins and one loss to complement four games without a result.

"You should never take winning a grand final for granted, regardless of how disjointed the season has been," Rogers said.

"I think we ended up playing the best team in the final in Queanbeyan. I'm really pleased with the way we scraped into the four, and then we scraped through the semi really, and then we put it all together in the final.

"That's really pleasing with a depleted team."

AT A GLANCE

Cricket ACT Gallop Cup final: WESTON CREEK MOLONGLO 6-270 (Josh Low-McMahon 71, Josh Myburgh 53; Kai Brunker 2-32, Jagadeesh Anumolu 2-36) bt QUEANBEYAN 216 (Michael Curtale 56, Guy Gillespie 47*; Jason McNally 4-44, Blake Faunce 3-28) by 54 runs at Freebody Oval.

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