ELMORE will start warm favourites to end a 21-year premiership drought when it plays Dingee in Saturday's Northern United Cricket Association grand final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Redbacks and Blowflies clash at Colbinabbin.
Elmore has been touted as the team to beat since the opening round of the season and have already captured the competition's Twenty20 trophy in January.
The Redbacks head into the grand final with just one loss in their 15 games and coming off a massive 132-run semi-final win over Colbinabbin last week when they made 176 and then bowled the Ducks out for 44.
Saturday's grand final opportunity for the Redbacks - who last won the flag in 1998 - comes on the back of semi-final defeats in two of the past three years.
"It was a huge relief to get through last week, but we know it will step up another level this week against Dingee," Elmore captain Matt Gilmour said this week.
"It was a good performance with bat and ball last week. Bailey Boyack (61) batted really well and set it up for us and for Tyler Oliver to then come on with the ball and take 6-6 was really impressive."
Oliver's superb figures for Elmore last week continued a fine season in which he is the NUCA's leading wicket-taker with 31 at the remarkable average of just 5.8.
The Redbacks also boast the competition's leading run-scorer in opener Chris Smith (438), who in his two games against Dingee has scored 107 and 54.
Star recruit Jake Wright (367) and Gilmour (318) also have more than 300 runs for the Redbacks.
While the premiership silverware has eluded Elmore for more than two decades, Saturday presents the experienced Dingee with a chance of claiming its third flag in the past four seasons, having won back-to-back in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
However, the Blowflies have a big gap to bridge from their first two games this season against the Redbacks when they were belted by 213 and 93 runs.
"Elmore has been a super dominant team all season and certainly given us a couple of touch-ups," Dingee skipper Darran Lawry said.
"We're looking forward to getting another crack at the best team in the competition.
"They certainly deserve plenty of credit because it was only a few years ago when they were copping some beltings, but they have built a team around Jimmy Harney and are now ticking along nicely."
Dingee - which has only been bowled out once this season - ended the home and away rounds second on the ladder and accounted for Bagshot by six wickets in their semi-final last week.
Apart from the two hidings they copped from Elmore, the Blowflies' only other loss of the season was to Bagshot by six wickets in round five.
Scott Lawry has once again produced a consistent season with bat and ball, combining 381 runs with 22 wickets and winning the league's champion player, while keeper-batsman Kyle Patten has shown his class, averaging 40.
And all-rounder Sam Barnes has been a valuable inclusion in the second half of the season, particularly with the ball in the past two games in which he has taken a combined 9-23.
"We're happy to be the underdogs this weekend. We'll go out there and give it our best shot," Lawry said.
THE TEAMS
ELMORE
Matt Gilmour (C)
Runs: 318 Avr: 31.8
Highest score: 74
Wkts: 15 Avr: 12.8
Best bowling: 3-7
……………………...
Jauvane Bannon
Runs: 50 Avr: 25.0
Highest score: 17
Wkts: 7 Avr: 14.8
Best bowling: 3-12
……………………...
Connor Beckmans
Runs: 2 Avr: 2.0
Highest score: 1*
……………………...
Bailey Boyack
Runs: 281 Avr: 31.2
Highest score: 106
……………………...
Pierce Cail
Runs: 4 Avr: 1.3
Highest score: 4
Wkts: 4 Avr: 7.5
Best bowling: 2-6
……………………...
Shivam Goel
Runs: 0 Avr: NA
Highest score: 0*
Wkts: 2 Avr: 22.5
Best bowling: 1-0
……………………...
Jim Grogan
Runs: 16 Avr: 5.3
Highest score: 7
Wkts: 9 Avr: 14.0
Best bowling: 3-21
……………………...
James Harney
Runs: 160 Avr: 14.5
Highest score: 37*
Wkts: 19 Avr: 9.0
Best bowling: 4-17
……………………...
Joe Harney
Runs: 159 Avr: 31.8
Highest score: 51*
Wkts: 1 Avr: 15.0
Best bowling: 1-15
……………………...
Tyler Oliver
Runs: 55 Avr: 11.0
Highest score: 36*
Wkts: 31 Avr: 5.8
Best bowling: 6-6
……………………...
Luke Price
Runs: 143 Avr: 23.8
Highest score: 41
……………………...
Chris Smith
Runs: 438 Avr: 48.6
Highest score: 107
Wkts: 3 Avr: 11.0
Best bowling: 3-26
……………………...
Jake Wright
Runs: 367 Avr: 52.4
Highest score: 85*
Wkts: 8 Avr: 23.8
Best bowling: 2-8
………………………
DINGEE
Darran Lawry (C)
Runs: 106 Avr: 10.6
Highest score: 27*
Wkts: 0 Avr: NA
Best bowling: 0-21
………………………
Dale Anderson
Runs: 48 Avr: 8.0
Highest score: 14
………………………
Adam Baird
Runs: 194 Avr: 32.3
Highest score: 35*
Wkts: 8 Avr: 18.7
Best bowling: 3-9
………………………
Travis Baird
Runs: 97 Avr: 16.1
Highest score: 28*
Wkts: 14 Avr: 14.6
Best bowling: 3-26
………………………
Sam Barnes
Runs: 80 Avr: 40.0
Highest score: 37
Wkts: 11 Avr: 5.0
Best bowling: 5-16
………………………
Rodney Ellis
Runs: 12 Avr: 12.0
Highest score: 8
Wkts: 3 Avr: 51.3
Best bowling: 2-20
………………………
Matthew Hind
Runs: 129 Avr: 18.4
Highest score: 28
Wkts: 22 Avr: 17.1
Best bowling: 6-10
………………………
Anthony Lawry
Runs: 25 Avr: 6.2
Highest score: 12
Wkts: 0 Avr: NA
Best bowling: 0-4
………………………
Scott Lawry
Runs: 381 Avr: 38.1
Highest score: 97
Wkts: 22 Avr: 8.7
Best bowling: 6-17
………………………
Kyle Patten
Runs: 245 Avr: 40.8
Highest score: 75
Wkts: 2 Avr: 13.0
Best bowling: 2-5
………………………
Brendan Westley
Runs: 23 Avr: 12
Highest score: 4.6
………………………
Nick Whitfield
Runs: 28 Avr: 9.3
Highest score: 12*
Wkts: 2 Avr: 27.5
Best bowling: 1-8
………………………
Daniel Whitfield
Runs: 0 Avr: 0.0
Highest score: 0*
Wkts: 10 Avr: 22.1
Best bowling: 3-7
………………………
PATH TO THE GRAND FINAL
ELMORE
Round 1: 9-242 def Goornong 108
Round 2: 8-218 def Calivil 58
Round 3: 7-248 def Colbinabbin 136
Round 4: 5-96 def Raywood 90
Round 5: def Heathcote (forfeit)
Round 6: 2-141 def Bagshot 8-140
Round 7: 2-280 def Dingee 9-67
Round 8: def Goornong
Round 9: 3-84 def Calivil 77
Round 10: 117 lt Colbinabbin 8-122
Round 11: 6-148 def Raywood 7-143
Round 12: drew Heathcote (washed out)
Round 13: 153 def Bagshot 120
Round 14: 3-230 def Dingee 9-137
Semi-final: 7-176 def Colbinabbin 44
…………………………….
DINGEE
Round 1: 9-109 def Calivil 6-101
Round 2: 3-82 def Colbinabbin 72
Round 3: 8-177 def Raywood 89
Round 4: 5-81 def Heathcote 79
Round 5: 89 lt Bagshot 4-90
Round 6: 0-58 def Goornong 55
Round 7: 9-67 lt Elmore 2-280
Round 8: 1-71 def Calivil 69
Round 9: 7-175 def Colbinabbin 100
Round 10: 6-239 def Raywood 6-171
Round 11: 9-112 def Heathcote 111
Round 12: 1-107 def Bagshot 94
Round 13: def Goornong (forfeit)
Round 14: 9-137 lt Elmore 3-230
Semi-final: 4-108 def Bagshot 106
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
