West Gippsland Cricket Association Agrade grand final

PLAY in the Agrade grand final between Kooweerup and Cardinia was abandoned at 3pm on Saturday without a ball being bowled.
This was after heavy overnight rain and continuing showers saturated the playing surface and the match was rescheduled to start at 1pm next day.
There were no changes from either semifinal team when Kooweerup won the toss and elected to bat.
However, the Demons started shakily and when its star batsmen Chris O’Hara was dismissed for nine, last season’s Bgrade premiers slumped to 3/26.
Steve Johnson scored a chancy 18, but when he fell to a sharp Ben Da Rose catch at short cover, the underdogs were struggling on 4/60.
Resolute batting from Carl McGregor and Chris McConnell saw Kooweerup safely through to the teatime score of 4/95.
However, when McGregor was adjudged to be runout after scoring 40, the pendulum swung back towards the charging Bulls.
McConnell advanced his score to 27, but by then the spin duo of Dwayne Doig and Mark Cooper were successfully bowling in tandem and excellent fielding that included a brilliant catch in slips by Troy Da Rose, gave Cardinia the ascendancy.
Chris Remy bowled with hostility to claim three early wickets for Cardinia, Doig and Cooper each snared two victims, while Adam Hobson claimed the prize wicket of O’Hara.
The darkness of defeat appeared likely to descend on Kooweerup, but an unbroken lastwicket partnership of 47 crucial runs between Matthew and Paul Bright brought a ray of light to the Demons’ camp.
Matthew scored an impressive 32 notout, while his older brother Paul remained undefeated on 15.
Minor premiers Cardinia still decisively took the honours on the opening day of play.
However, Kooweerup’s final total of 9/175 kept the Demons in the game that is likely to reach an end next Saturday.