A lower-order fightback was the catalyst for a courageous win by Taylors Lakes at the weekend.
The Lions toppled Aberfeldie to claim a berth in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association north A1 grand final this week.
Having lost to Aberfeldie in the final round of the regular season, the Lions made a horror start to the semi-final on Saturday.
Taylors Lakes slipped to 5-40 and it looked like its finals dream could be over in a hurry.
Mark McLachlan and Jarrod Wakeling had other ideas. The duo combined for a match-turning partnership, pushing the Lions’ score well past 100.
McLachlan finished with 43 while Wakeling top-scored with 72.
Romesh Kaluarachchi then got in on the act, picking up where his teammates left off on his way to 52.
The runs proved invaluable, with the Taylors Lakes score climbing to 225 at stumps on day one.
Taylors Lakes president Rob Arnold said the fightback with the bat was vital in keeping his side’s hopes alive.
“It was a fantastic effort from the middle and lower order,” he said. “They just stuck in, worked hard and got the runs on the board.
“We were pretty confident with 225 on the board. I don’t think any side has made more than 200 against our bowling attack.”
When Aberfeldie moved to 5-150 in its run chase, it seemed as if the Taylors Lakes total might have been a little on the low side.
But Wakeling returned to the action, this time making an impact with the ball.
The off-spinner took 5-68, cleaning up the batting side’s tail and securing the Lions a 19-run win.
“I think Jarrod is well and truly in man of the match calculations,” Arnold said.
“He was fantastic with both bat and ball and it is a real credit to him.”
Arnold said it was a sign of the maturity in the group that it had been forced to fight hard to secure the win.
He believes such determination will hold the Lions in good stead come the grand final, in which Taylors Lakes will take on Brimbank based-rival St Albans this weekend.
Arnold said most of St Albans players had watched the Taylors Lakes-Aberfeldie match as they had won the previous day.
“When we played them earlier [in the season], the second day of the match was heated out
but the match was very evenly balanced,” he said.
“We had such a big crowd here for our semi-final – it was like a footy crowd. We are really excited to carry that support into the grand final.”
