By Nick Creely
Mordialloc skipper Stuart Squires won’t go into any record books for his 33 on Sunday, but it was the kind of gritty knock that certainly deserves some praise.
On day one, the momentum ebbed and flowed, with Greg Todd (65) rescuing the Bucks from a precarious 4/41 to 171 in a cracking knock, despite the best efforts of the seasoned bowling group of Dylan Campbell (3/28), Squires (2/39) and the returning Chathura Athukorala (2/22)
The Bloodhounds lost in form opener Brendan Morris, Jakob Woinarski and the prized Ian Daniel (33) before stumps; courtesy of top line bowling from Jurgen Andersen; leaving them 3/81 at stumps.
But the Bloodhounds stumbled early on day two, and Squires entered the field at 5/87, and soon enough, a pair of wickets to medium pacer Susa Pradeep (3/38) had the visitors 7/109 and in dire need of some stability.
With Andersen (4/41) having his tail up and Pradeep hooping the ball back into the left hander, Squires; and his younger partner in Lochlan Davies (33 not out) were under the pump immediately.
There was an eerie quiet over Park Oval as Andersen bowled maiden after maiden with his pressure a sight to watch, but Squires refused to give in, defending solidly on the front and back foot, and shielding Davies with immense leadership.
While the Bucks got into the pair with some verbal chatter, the two slowly worked the singles, and soon enough, Squires began to take more charge, pulling the ball with force as they peppered him with bouncers at one point, while Davies remained steadfast in defence, desperate to see it out until the end.
Bucks skipper Troy Aust brought his strike bowler Daniel Watson back into the fray for a late charge just before tea, but the Bloodhounds had all the momentum, and with each increasing run, its small band of supporters cheered with excitement.
The Bloodhounds found the winning runs on the stroke of tea with a pull to the boundary, bringing themselves into the grand final against Springvale South, and a chance at defending their 2016/17 premiership.
The grand final will be played at Carroll Reserve on Saturday/Sunday, in what will be a mouth-watering conclusion to what has been an exciting season.
Mordialloc 7/172 (S.Squires 33, L.Davies 33, P.McDermott 33, I.Daniel 33, J.Andersen 4/41, S.Pradeep 3/38) def Buckley Ridges 171 (G.Todd 65, D.Campbell 3/28, S.Squires 2/39, C.Athukorala 2/22)
