By Colin MacGillivray

Homers’ cadre of big-game specialists was at the fore as the club captured its second straight Horsham Cricket Association A Grade premiership at the weekend.

The Pigeons defeated a gallant Noradjuha-Toolondo by seven wickets in an outright win, 10-111 and 3-63 to 10-89 and six declared for 84, at Horsham City Oval.

Between shifting weather conditions on Saturday and Sunday and a pitch that proved difficult for batting, Homers captain Adam Atwood admitted he was glad to have a decision to bat or bowl taken out of his hands.

“They won the toss and batted. I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I was happy either way,” he said.

Atwood called on his attack to keep its lines tight and avoid bowling short, handing the ball to dangerous brothers Baxter and Gibson Perry to begin the innings.

Bullant openers Jamie Byrne and Justtin Combe adopted a patient approach, but became bogged down as the scoreboard stagnated.

Byrne made just one run from 38 deliveries before he was caught behind off Gibson Perry, while Combe reached 16 from 49 balls before being bowled by Chaminda Gamage.

Gamage, regarded as one of the association’s best spinners, found plenty of turn in the wicket and had the Noradjuha-Toolondo batters at a disadvantage throughout the innings.

He bowled a team-high 19.5 overs, taking 4-35 including the prized wicket of Tony Caccaviello, who came to the crease with the Bullants foundering and set about trying to turn their innings around, making 39 runs in an innings that included three fours and his team’s only six.

“Tony definitely batted with the most intent, which you kind of had to do because it was a wicket where you could get out at any time,” Atwood said.

“For the bottom few batters it was a hard pitch to bat on. We saw it in our innings too.”

Caccaviello’s wicket proved to be the key to the innings, with three of the final four Noradjuha-Toolondo batsmen falling for ducks. 

In addition to Gamage’s heroics, Baxter Perry took 4-13, while Atwood and Gibson Perry had one wicket each.

Homers were left to navigate a period at the end of day one that Atwood knew could make or break his team’s chances.

The skipper departed for 10 runs, but Hugh Dougherty and Luke Miller guided the Pigeons safely to stumps.

“It was a magnificent job by Hugh and Luke that night,” Atwood said.

“To get through at about 1-60 that night was massive. It released a little bit of pressure for the young group going in overnight.

“I think they would have been fairly nervous if we had been five down and needed another 50.”

Resuming on Sunday, Dougherty and Miller continued to bat patiently until both were removed by Bullant danger man Matt Combe for 31 and 26 respectively.

Paddy Mills added a vital 25 runs at number four to help his side surpass the Bullants’ first-innings total, but Combe ripped through the Pigeons’ middle-order and tail to have them all out for 111 – a 22-run first-innings advantage.

Atwood said his side knew all the pressure was on the opposition as the Bullants were left with no choice but to try for an outright win.

Justtin Combe made an unbeaten 22 at the top of Noradjuha-Toolondo’s order, but the Perry brothers, with three wickets apiece in the second innings, did enough to ensure the Bullants were only able to build a 62-run advantage before declaring at 6-84.

“In my mind they had to do a lot very quickly to win,” Atwood said.

“They had to get 19 wickets in a day, plus make runs, so it was always going to be tough, but they gave it their best shot and you can’t fault that.”

The skipper made 24 runs to open the innings but fittingly it was Gamage, who was named man of the match, who brought up the winning runs, finishing unbeaten on 24 from just 12 balls.

Atwood hailed his team’s back-to-back premierships as a ‘magnificent effort’.

“It’s a really good achievement, especially with such a young group,” he said.

“A few of the boys might be looking to play a higher standard of cricket next year, whether it’s in Ballarat or elsewhere, so the group might look a bit different next year, but it’s very satisfying to win back-to-back.”

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