The astounding part is that the side that finished top and dominated all season is actually a combined XI from two clubs, Cobram and Katamatite, neither of which would have been able to field a side if they didn’t merge.
“We both only had six players each and we've both been pretty strong in the under-17s for the last few years,” Katamatite Cricket Club president Simon Daniel said.
“But just with kids this age, we’ve both really struggled, and we didn't really want to take players from each other.
“I made a phone call to Manny Artavilla, the president of Cobram, and we put it together and the boys were happy to go ahead with it, but otherwise, one team probably wouldn't have been playing.”
It’s proven to be an astute move, as the Cobram-Katamatite under-17s waltzed through the season to secure a 5-1 record, and with it top spot, and on Sunday punched their ticket to the grand final with a huge 58-run victory over Tocumwal in the semi-final at Katamatite Recreation Reserve.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, the victory was set up off the back of 44 to Rocco Anastasio, the only Tiger to surpass 15, as the home side posted a total of 10-115 from 35 overs.
It was a demolition job with the ball, as five Tigers took wickets, four of them with multiple scalps, led by Giordan Lukies’ 3-14, while Archie Paterson (2-1), Riley Thompson (2-5) and Cooper Mynard (2-9) each took two, and Bodey Webb (1-15) one, as the combined side bowled Tocumwal out for 57 to secure a mammoth victory.
The ease with which the two teams have combined comes as no surprise to Daniel, who said there was plenty of crossover between the group at both school and representative level cricket, which had made the transition to a combined side fairly straightforward.
“Half the boys go to school together in Nathalia at St Mary's, and they’ve all grown up playing against each other,” he said.
“A lot of the boys have also played Country Week (for the Northern Rivers side) in the festival over January, so a lot of them have actually played with each other in representative sides anyway.
“So (in a way), nothing has really changed, there’s this good banter, and they have good fun and enjoy it.”
Just one win now separates the Cobram-Katamatite players from a fairytale finish, although standing in their way is the only side to have defeated them all season in Barooga, with the Hawks defying their third-place finish to defeat second-placed Katunga by 36 runs in Sunday’s second semi-final.
Cobram-Katamatite and Barooga have built a healthy rivalry this season, splitting the regular season meetings, with the Tigers earning a seven-wicket victory in round one at Barooga Recreation Reserve, while the Hawks levelled the ledger in the final home and away round, securing a 22-run win at Katamatite Recreation Reserve.
Daniel expects nothing less from the game this Sunday, with the two sides unwilling to take a backwards step.
“We beat them very convincingly in the first game of the year, and then we only played them two weeks ago at Katty and they got the better of us,” he said.
“Both teams have got a lot of top-age players, and there’s a fair bit of banter, obviously, being the Cobram-Barooga rivalry between the border.
“I think Barooga actually won it last year, so they’ve probably been the favourites heading into this year. Last game there was a lot of chatter, and we’re expecting the same this weekend.”
It sets the scene for a brilliant finale this Sunday at Katamatite Recreation Reserve, with the first ball set to be bowled at 10:30am.
