By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG Women’s Cricket Club brought home their 10th VWCA first XI premiership with an amazing fight-back from Sarah Elliott guiding the Lions to victory.
Box Hill won the toss on Saturday and elected to bat on a batting-friendly pitch at AH Butler Reserve – a credit to the Frankston-Peninsula Cricket Club for creating the perfect grand final wicket.
The battle of Australian superstars – Box Hill’s Meg Lanning (6) and Julie Hunter (4/48) didn’t build up to expectation as Emma Gallagher (3/30) continued her amazing season – with 34 wickets to her name – by dismissing one of Australia’s best cricketers.
Box Hill stabilised through Kate Dempsey (73) – despite losing steady wickets – to get to 5/132 before Hunter smashed Dempey’s stumps.
Tilly Lucas-Rodd reeled in one of the catches of the year, a one-handed backwards diving effort, to dismiss Anna Lanning (13).
The Mustangs would lose 4/2 in a destructive spell from Hunter/Gallagher before a last-wicket stand from Sarah Chancellor-Goddard (34) and Casey Hawley (19 n.o.) gave Box Hill some fight to their total at 8/191 at conclusion.
In reply Dandenong lost three of their best bats early – with Laura Croft (12) co-captains Erica Kershaw (13) and Kelly Applebee (1) sent back to the sheds at 3/48.
Dandenong turned to their Australian representatives – Elliott (73 n.o.) and Hunter (48) to wrest back control – as the pair accumulated a match-defining 81-run stand for the fourth scalp.
Hunter fell two short of a well-deserved half-century as Penelope Cleghorn (2/15) enticed Hunter to hit one down the throat of Danielle Montague.
It left Dandenong 62 runs in arrears and in need of another crucial partnership.
Elliott – no stranger to the big stage having struck 81 not out on Test debut in 2011 – guided the side home, with a Belinda de Feyter (25 n.o.) providing the necessary support at the other end to get the Lions the title with three overs remaining.
Returning to the field a few weeks after the birth of her son Samuel in October, Elliott has been essential to Dandenong’s success – hitting 339 runs at 67.8 including a 139 against Box Hill earlier this year.
“It was fantastic, really good team effort- we’ve had a pretty tough year numbers’ wise, but the girls have just grown so much and developed in their cricket and full credit to our coach Kelly Applebee – it’s been a great year,” Elliott said.
“We knew if we batted our overs we’d get the runs, so it was just a matter of being smart, so all the girls chipped in and we had some really good partnerships in the end.”
Captain-coach Kelly Applebee said Elliott’s contribution was enormous to guiding the Lions to victory.
“Sarah’s been fantastic for a number of years and it’s great to have her playing in our side,” Applebee said. “Her experience came through today (Saturday) and we knew if she was there at the end, we’d come away with the win and that’s what she did as Sarah’s a fantastic player.”
Applebee said the premiership was a brilliant indication of Dandenong’s strength and encouraged any players interested in wearing the Lions’ blue and yellow to come down to the club.
“It’s fantastic for the club and the girls played really, really well today and we knew if we batted and bowled well as a group and our partnerships were strong, we’d get over the line.
“The support of all our families and friends has been outstanding and if anyone wants a game of cricket in the south east, feel free to come along
“We’ve got a great bunch of girls and we’d love new players to come along.”
