On a super Saturday for the Werribee Giants last weekend, the club hosted three grand finals featuring its junior teams, winning two out of the three hotly contested fixtures.
In the City West under 13s, Werribee defeated Sunshine 6-3.
Werribee’s U13 coach Jayden Sulufaiga said despite a bit of a slow start, he was very proud of his team.
“I think the weight of the occasion got to them a little bit. It was more of the second half of the game that they really turned it on its head, with their batting and base running, so really proud of that,” he said.
In the City West under 15s, Werribee defeated Sunshine 6-5.
Werribee’s U15 assistant coach Mark Riches said his team also felt the pressure of contesting a grand final early in the game.
“Today was probably the biggest amount of pressure that we had on us. Our pitching was a little bit erratic early,” he said.
However, despite the close contest his charges came good.
“The Sunshine team took it right up to us and the game could’ve been anyone’s til the last moment,” he said.
In the MWBL under 17 reds, Doncaster defeated Werribee 4-2.
Congratulating his team on their impressive situational hitting, Doncaster coach Duffy Dowling applauded their efforts.
“When we needed to move runners along, we did it. Very good and productive outs. I think 3 of our 4 runs were either on sac flys or productive outs, and in a Grand Final that’s how you want to see it played,” he said.
Dowling praised pitcher Luke Hutton for his outstanding performance.
“I think his first pitch strike percentage was really high. He was certainly our best player today,” Dowling said.
He also praised his team’s opposition.
“[It was] a really great grand final, I think a 4-2 game in a grand final is really good. Werribee were outstanding today, and they’ve been one of those teams that have been really close to us all year. I thought we both brought our best,” he said.
Of course, with three teams contesting grand finals at their home ground, the Werribee crowd was loud, and was rewarded with two flags.
Stay tuned for match of the round coverage each week for the rest of the season.
