Sunshine Heights didn’t even realise it had claimed its win of the Victorian Turf Cricket Association Clark Shield season on Saturday.
After a tough start to the season, the Heights had some luck on Saturday as it was able to take to the field on day two of its match with Seabrook.
Heights had made 218 on day one of the match.
Rain throughout match day meant getting a result was going to be difficult.
Heights bowlers stuck to the task and managed to have Seabrook at 9-132 off 59.3 overs.
While the Heights waited for the last batter, the players soon realised that was it and they had won the game.
“They played with 10 players and we didn’t realise,” Heights president Giulio Venditti said. “They kept it a secret.
“We didn’t realise until they lost the ninth wicket when they were both walking off and we thought what was going on there.
“We were a bit flat when we realised they were one short. We were a bit deflated with the celebration.”
Venditti said after play was stopped for about 90 minutes due to rain he thought the match was headed for a draw.
But the Heights bowlers had other ideas.
Seabrook went from being in control at 2-114 to to 9-132.
Arun Joiya took 5-9 off 10.1 overs to be the pick of the bowlers for Heights.
“It was a really great effort by a group of kids with a couple of older guys.”
Venditti said it was a monkey off the back to get the first win of the season.
As luck would have it, Heights second XI also got on to play and got its first win of the season as well.
All the club’s junior sides that played on Friday and Saturday also got wins.
Venditti said the turning for the first XI had been its round two T20 match.
“We were struggling there and then we’ve been able to turn our season around 10 days ago.
“We got the win and were pipped on Tuesday by a couple of runs in a super over.”
The win moves Heights off the bottom of the ladder.
This weekend it’s got a Saturday-Sunday match against Barkly St Uniting.
Venditti said playing back-to-back days would be different for some of the playing group.
“Hopefully we can get over the line and then we have the game before Christmas,” he said.
“We’re pushing for two wins and that’ll put us near the top four.”
In other matches that managed to get on, Caroline Springs lost to Point Cook in the Roy Picone Shield.
In the Steve McNamara Shield, Grand United had Newport-Digman 6-141 in reply to 259 when that match was called off.
