Sunshine United captain Ben Foster says his side is determined to make the most of another turf cricket grand final appearance.
The Tigers qualified for the West A1 decider with a comprehensive 122-run win against St Andrews Footscray.
After losing last year’s grand final to Sunshine Heights, the Tigers are desperate to go one better this time around when they meet Williamstown CYMS on Saturday and Sunday and, if necessary, the following eekend.
“We have a bit to make up for after losing the grand final to Sunshine Heights last year,” Foster said. “We’re jumping out of our skins to make sure we don’t let this one slip.”
The Tigers go into the match in red-hot form after a complete performance with bat and ball against St Andrews Footscray.
Batting first, United was always in control following a 94-run stand from opening pair Neeten Chouhan (56) and Daniel Pace (71).
Even when the duo was dismissed, there was no letting up on the pressure and Foster added a vital 55.
“We always talk about having a team contribution,” Foster said.
“I put it on the top five and was really happy we did that. To have almost a 100-run stand at the top and then myself being able to contribute after having a pretty lean year … it was a really satisfying performance.”
While the batting was impressive, the bowling was at another level again as United ripped through the St Andrews Footscray line-up, barely allowing any batsman to get settled.
Michael Glowacki was the standout with the ball, taking 4-36.
“We feel like we have a very strong bowling line-up and it’s probably saved us a few times this year,” Foster said.
“We have full confidence in all our bowlers. Once we’ve set a target of over 200, we’ve known our bowlers will get the job done for us.”
