It was fitting Brock Gannon was at the crease when his Warrnambool Blue side clinched the under 17 country week title at Reid Oval on Friday.
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The all-rounder, who was awarded player of the final and tournament, finished 67 not out alongside Oscar Ritchie (23 not out) as his team recorded a memorable win in the decider. Blue surpassed Horsham's imposing 9-173 with six wickets in hand and seven balls to spare.
Gannon, who snared 3-13 with his tweakers, arrived at the crease when Blue were 2-28 and in a spot of bother.
He put on 33 with Taj Podger (19), before combining with Mack Mills (38) for a match-winning 77-run partnership.
When Mills fell to an outstanding boundary catch by Oliver Potter, he and Ritchie then peeled off 38 runs for victory.
Warrnambool's Jack Lenehan (3-34) and Horsham's Monty Wynne (40) were important contributors for their sides.
Gannon was unstoppable with bat and ball across the week, recording a tournament-high 250 runs with two 50s and a century.
He also topped the competition's wicket-taking charts with 14.
The teenager reflected on his stellar campaign following the win.
"It's pretty good, I obviously had a good week, the team had a real good week," the West Warrnambool teen said. "Obviously beating the other Warrnambool team's pretty good (too).
"It's pretty good to get the individual awards but the team's what matters."
Warrnambool Blue co-coach Matt Noonan was ecstatic with the result and his side's composure under pressure.
He sung Gannon's praises and predicted a bright future for the youngster.
"That bloke, he's going to be elite," he told The Standard.
"It's really hard to put it into words how good that kid's going to be. 60-odd (not out) here, 113 red yesterday, he's a brilliant cricketer."
The Blue mentor was pleased with the efforts of each of his players across the week.
"We were pretty blessed to have a good group of 13 lads and every single one of them got an opportunity and they did something with it."
Noonan also lauded Horsham for its impressive performance.
"Unlucky for them, they're probably unfamiliar with these conditions but they batted really well and they bowled fantastically as well," he said.
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
