THE Leongatha and District Cricket Association’s Under 18 team has claimed the 2023-24 Gippsland Region 7 T20 Cameron White Cup but the result in the final against the Latrobe Valley swung on a couple of crucial moments.
One came during Leongatha’s batting and the other when they were in the field.
A crucial fourth wicket partnership between Harry Butcher, 38 runs off 37 balls faced, and Mitch Croatto, who took the total to its ultimate conclusion of 136, before being run out after a match-winning 63 off 54, set up Leongatha’s win.
But just when the Latrobe Valley looked to have the runs in sight, Harry Butcher and Rhett Hume struck with the ball and Jesse Dugard added a run out with the Valley score stuck on 86, it was “game over” from that point.
All that remains now is for the Leongatha Under 18s to win the 50-over format this coming Sunday, February 4 at Hallora for a clean sweep.
Here is Scott Checkley’s report:
The LDCA U18 team travelled to Moe on Tuesday evening to take on the Latrobe Valley in the T20 Cameron White Cup Final.
The result was LDCA 7/136 def LV 110.
Skipper Tadgh Gannon won the toss and elected to bat first on the magnificent Ted Summerton Reserve at Moe, with Isaac Seuren and Noah Christensen opening up.
The loss off both boys had us on the back foot, Gannon was looking in great touch getting off to a flyer before his innings was cut short to have the LDCA 3/35.
Enter VC Harry Butcher (38) and Mitch Croatto (63) who formed the match winning partnership as they peeled off 74 runs at better than a-run-a-ball with some great strokes all round the oval and aggressive running between the wickets.
Despite a few late wickets in the push for quick runs the boys posted a very good score of 136.
Our turn to bowl saw Jesse Dugard and Tim Niven open up with Dugard claiming the first scalp.
LV were scoring at a rapid rate until the introduction of Isaac Seuren who grabbed two wickets in his first over to have the LV on the back foot at 4/34 after Rhett Hume claimed a wicket caught by his Scorpion teammate Ethan Smith.
LV continued to come at the LDCA bowlers with Jacob Bloomfield and Liam Cuminsky combining very well to put on 40 before Harry Butcher showed his class to dismiss Bloomfield.
The LDCA boys stuck to the task with tight bowling and sharp fielding to dismiss LV in the 19th over for 110 to claim the Cameron White Cup for the second time.
A great all-round effort by the lads.
Isaac Seuren with 3 wickets, Rhett Hume and Harry Butcher with 2 wickets were the leading bowlers.
Congrats to Mitch Croatto who was named Man of the Match for his 63 off 54 balls.
Thanks to Brian Gannon and Andrew Dakin for the work as team managers and everyone who went over to support the lads. We now move onto the GCL 50 over Grand Final on Sunday at Hallora against LV.
