Valley Sixths in a Premiership breakthrough
It really was a Grand Old Flag for a dozen Moonee Valley players, when the Sixths toughed it out to win the 2013/14 Barron Shield premiership in the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association.
All 12 were cleanskins in terms of senior Moonee Valley premierships - including Joe Ansaldo, who was playing his 291st game for the Club, and skipper Danny Terzini, playing his 248th.
At right: Five-wicket hero Murray Walker receives his Premiership medal from Pascoe Vale Central stalwart Ralph Barron - after whom the grade was named.
The roll of honor included Murray Walker and Jesse Felle, who have played with heart for our Club right from the start of juniors in 1996.
At left: Our Joey! Joe Ansaldo seems emotional as he receives his premiership medal from Ralph Barron.
Our only prior premiership players were Alex Gorham, in his first full senior year of cricket after playing in a Moonee Valley Under 14 flag, and Sam Carbone, who won one with Buckley Park.
In all, our guys had played in a combined 1425 senior games for Moonee Valley, including the Grand Final - and it was only in the tense final couple of hours on Day 2 that they were able to say that their efforts had yielded the highest personal and team accolade - a Premiership!
Finishing top of the ladder and winning the semi meant that the match was played on our turf - the eastern wicket at Ormond Park, and Moonee Valley's players utilised their knowledge of the pitch and the playing 
surface to good effect.
Craigieburn won the toss and elected to bat, but we quickly had them in trouble after Alex Gorham got the first breakthrough.
At right; We did it! Jesse Felle (left) runs towards Pat Taylor as the winning four scorches over the boundary line, while umpire Farhan Khan signals match over.
At left: A colossus in defence: Michael Cumbo shows grit and determination to absorb early overs with the new ball.
We had them 5/52 but then they consolidated, putting on 71 for the sixth wicket before Dino Sapuppo struck, with a super catch by Shaun Rayment on the boundary.
We knocked them over for 170, with the last wicket falling to some foxy fielding from Joe Ansaldo, who effected a runout.
We had eight overs to bat to finish out Day 1, with fielders crowded around the ball. We saw off 4.2 overs before lightning intervened, and stumps were drawn.
There was 6mm of rain overnight according to curator Spider Beel's rain gauge, but there was no delay to play.
At left: Hugs all around: Moonee Valley players and spectators rush the field. L-R Shaun Rayment and Alex Gorham look on, as Murray Walker engages in a group hug with batsmen Jesse Felle and Pat Taylor. Michael Felle (right) also moves in.
But some Craigieburn breakthroughs as crucial times with the ball threatened to be the real dampener, rather than the overnight rain, but each time Moonee Valley was able to consolidate.
At right: Our young gun: Alex Gorham receives his Premiership medal from Ralph Barron.
Things looked a bit grim when we lost our seventh wicket at 129, to a dubious caught-behind to Sam Carbone, but then Jesse Felle and Pat Taylor showed they were made of sterner stuff. Jesse wielded the willow with devastating effect while Pat held up an end and blocked. Jesse took 12 runs off the 63rd over of the innings, and a few of us then dared to believe.
Craigieburn's last roll of the dice was to bring back their spinner - but little did they know that slow bowling was Pat Taylor's comfort zone. Jesse Felle took a single. Then it was four, dot, four with the ball landing right where Pat wanted it, and he launched us to victory.
They say victory is sweet, and so it was for our team. In batting order: Michael Cumbo, Murray Walker, Danny Terzini, Mark Cini, Sam Carbone, Alex Gorham, Dino Sapuppo, Jesse Felle, Pat Taylor, Shaun Rayment and Joe Ansaldo, with Grahame McCulloch 12th man.
At left: Great job, skipper! Past player Tony Hicks looks on as Ralph Barron presents the premiership medal to captain Danny Terzini.
At right: A moment in the rooms: President Charlie Walker holds the crowd as he requests a bit of indulgence while he recaps the journey some of our players have followed on their way to the holy grail of their first flag.
At right: Relief! Over the line! Pat Taylor takes a deep breath, as he's joined by L-R Shaun Rayment, Jesse Felle and Murray Walker.
At left: It's a Grand Old Flag - and it's ours! The victorious gather on Ormond Park just moments after we won. L-R: Back - Michael Cumbo, Shaun Rayment, Jesse Felle, Mark Cini, Pat Taylor, Grahame McCulloch, Murray Walker, Joe Ansaldo and Alex Gorham. Front - Dino Sapuppo, Sam Carbone and Danny Terzini.
