First Eleven Grand Final 2024 - Page 2

Moonee Valley came up agonisingly short in a First Eleven Grand Final for the second year in a row, after finishing top of the ladder both years.
Our opponents Gellibrand put down the anchors in the middle period of their innings and ground out a total that was just out of reach.
We had the home ground advantage of the March 16/17 game being played at Ormond Park, but we couldn't get over the line.
At right: Luke Brock bowls in the GF, with Suraj Weerasinghe behind the stumps.
Gellibrand won the toss and batted and put on 224 in 77.4 overs, with Jack Newman returning the best figures of 3/43.
We had an excellent period from Over No. 23, when we sent down 10 overs, nine of them maidens and took 3/2 to have Gellibrand 5/64.
We then got them 6/83, but a 99-run partnership got them out of the fire and they got past the 200 mark.
It was a similar story when we played them in Round 9, when we had them 6/87 and they got off the hook to post 241. But we ran down that total nine down with 10 balls to spare in a fantastic victory, so we knew we had the form to do it.
There were several other games during the season where the opposition compiled a reasonable total after we had them on the ropes early, so perhaps we need to work on strategies to close out an innings with the older ball.
We got off to a solid start on day 2 of the Grand Final, and got to 64 before we lost our first wicket, Rusiru Jayasiri in the 24th over. We lost wickets on 99, 100 and 107, before a 44-run partnership between Luca Nimorakiotakis and Brayden McGregor gave us some hope and the opposition some trepidation.
At right: The pavilion after the game: L-R Sagar Bhatia, Chand Shrestha and Tony Gilevski.
When Luca was run out for 28 in the 71st over trying to push up the run rate, we were 7/187 and up against it, particularly as Gellibrand stacked the outfield to cut off the boundaries.
It was all over in the 78th over for 199, with us still needing 26 runs off 16 balls.
So close, but so agonisingly short.
Losing the game that matters two seasons in a row is hopefully going to give us the resolve to go one better in 2024/25.
Gellibrand was gracious in victory, and most of their players and many of their supporters hung around to support our club.
At right: The season's now over: L-R our two First Eleven teens Dejan Gilevski and Luca Nimorakiotakis, with Bill Nimorakiotakis and Joe Adams.
And we had the Seconds come back from their Grand Final success at Melton South, so the pavilion quickly shifted into party mode.










Above: Our First Eleven Grand Final team. L-R. Back - Suraj Weerasinghe, Ruwan Jayaweera, Luca Nimorakiotakis, Luke Brock, Tain Piercy, Chand Shrestha and Rusiru Jayasiri. Front - Steve Hazelwood, Sam Younghusband, Jack Newman, Brayden McGregor and Dejan Gilevski.





***FOR MORE PICTURES, CLICK HERE