Seabrook’s sensational run in Victorian Turf Cricket Association west A1 has continued.
Last week, amid tears of joy from some Saints stalwarts, the long-time also-rans broke a 16-year finals drought.
Now they have a premiership in their sights after securing a grand final berth.
It has been so many summers since Seabrook has had the chance to play off for a first XI premiership that even the longest-serving members of the club are struggling to pinpoint the year of their last appearance on cricket’s biggest day.
“Apparently it was about 30 years ago,” Saints captain Leigh Edwards said. “They couldn’t even give me a year – it’s been a long time.”
Seabrook moved through to the big dance with a near flawless performance in a rout of first seed Grand United at JR Parsons Reserve on Saturday.
The Saints bowled their more-fancied opponents out for just 60, put up 4-146 to force the Gorillas to concede defeat early on day two, took three blinding catches and inflicted two direct-hit run-outs.
Edwards cannot remember another game in his time with Seabrook when everything came off so spectacularly.
“In the four years I’ve been at the club, it was the best all-round performance that we’ve ever put on,” he said. “We were just never going to lose that game.”
Seabrook was on top from the first ball, rolling Grand United for just 60 in 28.3 overs.
All the Saints’ bowlers – Hitesh Bavarva (3-4), Chris Kavanagh (2-13), Mitch Haberecht (2-19) and Dhaval Patel (1-23) – got among the wickets and bowled economically.
“My bowlers have never bowled that well as a combined unit,” Edwards said.
“We’ve always had one that will bowl unbelievable each week, but all four of them were brilliant.”
It is never a fait accompli when you are chasing a small target in a final.
Seabrook was getting a little jittery at 2-3, with openers Stephen Morgan and Shaan Turki back in the pavilion.
What the Saints needed was some steadying hands and they got them through Edwards (36) and Andrew Hodgart (41 not out), who got them over the line.
Hodgart has proven to be an iron man at the crease for Seabrook in recent times and was once again impenetrable, batting in excess of 65 overs to have the Grand United fielders at their wits’ end.
Hodgart and Peter Fraczek saw out the last over on day one and the first 20 overs of day two before the Gorillas said enough was enough and conceded defeat.
“Hodgart and Fraczek were brilliant,” Edwards said.
“The team plan was to do it in five over blocks … each over we took off the scorecard is a less one they get for a reverse outright. They just kept chipping away each over and making it tougher for them.”
Seabrook will face Williamstown Imperials in the four-day grand final at Saltwater Reserve starting on Saturday.
The two sides have been hard to separate in recent head-to-head meetings.
“It’s going to be a great fight,” Edwards said. “Every time we’ve played Willy Imps over the last three or four years, it’s always been close.
“We’re definitely all up for it.”
