Pelham’s five-wicket haul helps Upper Great Southern Cricket Association U14s clinch country week grand final

The Upper Great Southern Cricket Association under-14 B side won the pool A grand final at junior country week, clinching a two-wicket victory over West Pilbara in a tense showpiece finale. Coached by Olympic hockey champion Bevan George, they knocked off West Pilbara for 90 runs thanks to a superb spell of bowling from Darcey Pelham, who took five scalps at a cost of only seven runs. Joel Hay struck twice, with the bowling shared across the whole team as Sully Sheldon top-scored for West Pilbara with 23. In response, Louis Dowling and Thomas Ditchburn put together a 35-run partnership for the second wicket but when Mathew George, Darby Ball and Max Durack all went cheaply, things started to look tricky. However, Matthew Grieve came to the rescue with 35 runs off 45 balls — an effort which included four boundaries, and the Uppers were up and running again. It was left to Fletcher Parsons to hit the winning four as his side clinched the title by reaching 8-92 in the 31st over. The coach was delighted with the performance, especially as it was a whole-team effort. “We made sure everybody got the opportunity to bat and to bowl, and they all played really well,” Bevan George said. “It got a bit tight in the final, but it was a lot of fun, and everybody enjoyed the whole week.” He said his aim was not to teach technical skills but to emphasise the mental side of the game. “It’s not about being hell-bent on winning, but enjoying what you are doing,” the coach said. “We want to show them there’s always tomorrow, help them build resilience and have good, direct conversations. “They buy into it, they digest it, and it made for an enjoyable week.” His side reached the final after topping their six-team pool thanks to five wins on the trot. Their first victims were their grand final opponents West Pilbara. Set a target of 4-107 after bowling first, Uppers reached 4-118, with Dowling retiring on 31 not out and Mathew George contributing 25. Next up were Bunbury, who were dismissed for 92 while Uppers reached 6-113, with Ditchburn and Pelham doing best with the bat, both unbeaten on 24. After two Twenty20 games, round three was a one-day match, and a walloping for Eastern Districts who were dispatched for 113, with Bryce Carruthers collecting three wickets. Uppers batted with panache, Flynn McNamara (41), Ditchburn (67), Grieve (42) and Mathew George (35) all making substantial contributions to their 9-264. They then got the better of Albany and Districts in another one-dayer, removing ADCA for 173 and then piling on the misery by reaching 6-235 in response. McNamara grabbed 43 runs, with Mathew George next best on 41. Their final pool game was against Mortlock, and with it came another 200-run haul. Mortlock made 5-157 in their 50 overs, but Uppers romped to 7-284, with Ditchburn stockpiling yet more runs with an unbeaten 55, and with contributions coming right through the order. That put them on top of the ladder and clinched their slot in the glory game. Ditchburn finished the week with 194 runs.