United has produced a major shock to win the A-grade women’s section of Werribee Softball Association’s Heather O’Keefe Memorial Shield.
United, made up of players from a wide area and with no club affiliation, was put together in the weeks before the tournament and the players instantly clicked.
They were victorious 4-1 over the highly fancied Waverley in the grand final match at Presidents Park on Sunday.
“We’re a thrown-together team that got ready about a week or two before the tournament,” United’s Loryn Batrich told Star Weekly.
“We’re from pretty much everywhere. Two of our girls were from Bairnsdale, a couple are local and some of the others are from the other side of town and Geelong. To come out and win was such a good effort by the girls.”
In the round-robin section, United put together a strong performance to finish second. The team won four of its games to make it through to the tournament decider.
Sure, you have to be in it to win it, but few would have given United a chance in the final.
Waverley went through the first stage undefeated with 44 runs scored and only three conceded.
To provide further evidence of Waverley’s dominance, it faced United in the last round before the final, inflicting a 14-2 result.
The last group game took place only hours before the final, but the United players somehow managed to put it behind them and refocus for a title tilt in the grand final.
“A 14-2 loss is pretty hard to take in any sort of competition,” Batrich said. “A lot of the girls in the Waverley team have played at a high, competitive state level.
“To come out and beat them after that was a big deal for our girls. It was a really good feeling.”
It was the 16th annual Memorial Shield hosted by Werribee and the biggest yet.
More than 500 players from 35 teams across the state took part.
“The atmosphere was great during the grand final,” Batrich said.
“We had people watching us and we had people watching the men’s competition. To get a turn-out like that was really good.”
The men’s A-grade title was won by Narre Warren, which beat Geelong Cougars in the grand final.
