GRAND FINAL RESULTS BELOW.
TARNEIT refused to enter quietly on the Williamstown and District Cricket Association scene this season.
A short pre-season, home-and-away campaign, semi-final and final was all the expansion club needed to carry out the unthinkable and claim a first XI premiership in its inaugural season.
The new kids on the block got their hands on the Bgrade matting flag on Saturday with a stunning outright victory over Melton Centrals at Featherbrook Oval in Point Cook.
“We’re over the moon,” club president Sandeep Singh said.
“Our firsts were premiers and our seconds were runners-up. You can’t ask for more in our first year.”
Tarneit set up the victory on the opening weekend of the three-day battle. Centrals amassed 242 from their 72.1 overs. This was a huge improvement for Centrals, who made just 83 and 72 in the two previous meetings between the sides.
Tarneit had to produce one of its best batting efforts of the season to claim the first innings honours and ultimately the rights to the title.
Enter Deepak Sharma, who played the innings of a lifetime with a patient 121.
Sharma’s departure flicked the green light for Tarneit’s tailend to thrill with extravagant strokes.
Maninder Buttar slogged a quick-fire 61 off 25 balls.
Tarneit held a massive 126-run lead and it would take something special from the underdogs to set a target.
Centrals could muster only 154 – a lead of 28 – after three wickets apiece to Buttar and Raghunandan Pallath, who finished with eight for the game.
Instead of coming back for the inevitable Tarneit victory chase on day four, Centrals captain Mick Docherty sportingly conceded defeat and sparked the celebrations.
WDCA GRAND FINALS
A1 turf: Williamstown Imperials 142 (O Alsop 42 D Slattery 38 CJ Irving 7-33 CW Irving 2-39) and 105 (CJ Irving 7-42 inc hat-trick) d West Newport 232 (CJ Irving 48 T Jones 37 C Elliott 31 P Mac Donald 29 M Shiell 26 O Alsop 4-70 P Hudson 2-45).
C-composite: Grand United 358 (J Preston 156 C Edwards 60 R Leith 45 S Comensoli 29 A Farrier 5-60 P Cambasis 3-63) and 9-175 (S Comensoli 55 J Preston 40
A Farrier 5-52 J Tobias 2-35) v Point Cook 149 (A Farrier 31 J Hicks 30 S Kathuriarachchi 5-15 S Najdek 3-39).
B-grade matting: Tarneit 368 (D Sharma 121 MS Buttar 63no C Kavanagh 52 S Singh 39 K Singh 37) d Melton Centrals 242 (R Pallath 5-51 MS Buttar 2-40) and 154 (R Pallath 3-19 MS Buttar 3-26 H Singh 2-14).
