Cricket
10 March, 2025
Panthers win stunning premiership
The Watchem Panthers defeated Donald Jeffcott in the Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association's B-grade grand final by 79 runs in a memorable match.
Donald Jeffcott came in as favourites, finishing top of the ladder with 11 wins for the season, while Watchem finished third on nine wins.
Watchem won the toss and elected to bat. Their innings started steadily through openers Ty Colbert and Daniel Slater, who put on a 22-run opening stand before Slater was dismissed for 16, caught by Kalon Green off the bowling of Niluka Nanayakkara.
Colbert then fell for 14, caught by Jack Tellefson off the bowling for Jake Needs and the Panthers found themselves 2/35.
Daniel Tatarskyj and Joshua Woods worked together to put on a 20-run partnership. Both were dismissed within an over of each other, with Jacob Donnellon getting the wicket of Tatarskyj for 23, caught by Jack Tellefson, and Jake Needs taking a brilliant catch off his bowling, dismissing Woods for three.
Austin Dean and Connor Boyle came to the crease and built a solid partnership. They put on 47 runs together before Colby Anderson bowled Boyle for 22.
At 5/104, and Dean still at the crease, Jam Borden scored 20 runs in a 39-run partnership with Dean to help push to a defendable total.
When Borden fell for 20, bowled by Thomas Reekie, Dean fell not long after for 33, bowled by Nanayakkara.
The Panthers, through Riley Hogan and Noah Dean, pushed the total to 9/163 off their 40 overs.
Nanayakkara was the pick of the bowlers for Donald Jeffcott with 3/46 (8).
In reply, Connor Boyle started well with the ball for the Panthers, getting the prized wicket of Jack Tellefson for one, with a ball that went through him to collect the stumps.
Despite the early wicket, Donald Jeffcott managed to get on top slowly, with Sam Postlethwaite and Andrew Bayles putting on 21 runs before Bayles was caught and bowled by Boyle for nine.
Kalon Green and Postlethwaite batted well together, adding 25 runs, before Green was run out by Ty Colbert and Daniel Tatarskyj for two.
That run-out changed the game. Thomas Reekie was dismissed shortly after for one, caught by Tatarskyj off Colbert's bowling. Two overs later, Colbert bowled Postlethwaite for 46, and the Panthers could smell the victory, with Donald Jeffcott reeling at 5/65.
Sam Milne then got in on the action, catching Jake Needs off his bowling for one, and when Austin Dean trapped Colby Anderson in front for leg before, they had Donald Jeffcott at 7/69.
Dean then took the next two wickets of Glenn Pearse and Chase Campbell in quick succession and Connor Boyle took the last wicket of the match, trapping Niluka Nanayakkara in front for leg before to seal a memorable victory.
Postlethwaite's 46 came off 26 balls with five fours and two sixers.
Dean was the pick of the Panthers' bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/28 (8), and was awarded man of the match.
Following the grand final, the season awards were given out. Ty Colbert (Watchem) won the batting aggregate with 431 runs. Billy Sexton (Charlton) won the batting average with 298 runs at 59.6, Elliott Fitzpatrick (Charlton) won the bowling aggregate with 21 wickets and the bowling average award with 8.38. Ty Colbert (Watchem) was the champion player with 651 points.