By DAVID NAGEL
PINES Cricket Club is one-step closer to playing on the hallowed-turf of the MCG after winning the South East Country Region of this season’s Statewide Twenty20 Cup at Pakenham on Sunday.
Pines overcame local T20 powerhouse Kooweerup in the morning semi-final and then survived a grand final sized scare from Eildon Park, which had earlier defeated Woori Yallock to make its way through.
Pines skipper Jake Prosser said Sunday’s win was great reward for a club that had made a rapid rise in recent years, winning premierships in 2011/12 and again last season to make it back to the top grade in Mornington Peninsula cricket.
“It’s great… to win our competition last year, then to come here and take this out, it’s a great effort from our boys,” Prosser said.
“Three years ago we were in sub-district in our comp, now we’re up in the top league and playing well in competitions like this, it’s just been a tremendous effort by all the boys.”
Prosser is spot on, with Pines having to overcome last season’s Statewide Cup winner Baden Powell and then MPCA champions Mornington just to make it through to this stage. Pines will now head to Traralgon and take on the winner of the Gippsland Region in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Highlights at Pakenham’s superbly presented Toomuc Reserve included a semi-final century from Eildon Park opener Ben Morris, and a brilliant ton from Pines run-machine Harley Peace-Stirling in the final.
“He was superb again today,” Prosser said of Peace-Stirling.
“In our final last year he made 70 off 40 balls and today he just stood up again, he’s just fantastic under pressure and he batted beautifully today. He really set things up.”
Eildon Park came hard at Pines in the final, and was on track for victory until the eventual winners tightened things up late.
“We spoke about not bowling like they did, but we did exactly the same,” Prosser said.
“We put unnecessary pressure on ourselves but I thought we fought back well.
“It wasn’t our best performance but we’ll take the win.”
