UGSCA 2023-24: Williams claim thrilling premiership win after denying Wandering in final over of grand final

Williams won their first Upper Great Southern Cricket Association A-grade premiership after a thrilling final-over win against Wandering on Saturday. Wandering dominated the 2023-24 season and entered the grand final having lost only one game, but an inspired Williams side held their nerve to chase down victory with five balls to spare in front of a strong crowd at Wandering. The game came down to the final over and Williams claimed the win with one wicket remaining after man of the match Broc Titko hit a four to complete a remarkable run chase and break the hearts of the home team. Speaking after the match, Williams captain Rodney Ford said the win was “unreal”. “I thought we were gone when we were nine down and then president Mitchell Hogg stood up and hit a boundary and Broc Titko got a boundary,” he said. “Big Micky Forman batted well I thought, he dug in and I thought his innings was pretty good for a young kid.” Wandering set Williams 135 to win and the visitors appeared in control until Lewis Parsons (4-26) removed Toby Lavender, Michael Forman and Michael Cowcher and the game swung back in the home side’s favour. James Moore was then run out by Parsons and Ben Sherry for one, leaving his side needing 25 to win with only two wickets in hand. Williams slumped to 9-119 when tailender Roger Gillett (5) became the fourth scalp for Parsons and brought No.11 Mitchell Hogg to the crease to join Titko. Hogg took six runs from the rest of the Parsons over and Titko hit a four to start the 43rd as Williams crept closer to victory. Williams needed three runs to win from the final over and Titko stepped up to be the hero, hitting the first delivery for four to spark wild celebrations among his side. Titko finished 24 not out in a clutch performance with the bat while Hogg’s six not out proved just as valuable as Williams claimed an epic win. Earlier Williams won the the toss and elected to bowl first with tight bowling keeping things in check as the home side were bowled out for 134 off 43.4 overs. Jacob Schorer and Blake Egerton-Warburton opened the batting and had a partnership of 21 before young gun Riley Ford snared Schorer for 11. Ben Sherry didn’t last long, removed for nine by Rodney Ford and Wandering fell to 3-51 when Cowcher took his third catch, this time dismissing Blake Egerton-Warburton for 14. Ben McMillan and Wandering skipper Bailey Parsons brought stability to the centre and the pair made a 34-run stand but Gillett eventually claimed the key scalp of Parsons for 22. Wandering were in trouble at 6-89 when Titko snared McMillan for 20 and Gillett claimed his second scalp soon after. The experienced Bryan Hardie did his best to hold up the middle order and made a valuable 28 not out but Williams did a good job to clean up the remaining wickets and keep the target under 150. Gillett took 3-41 from nine overs for Williams and Titko finished with a vital 2-10 off seven while Cowcher claimed four catches as the keeper. Wandering bowlers Jordan Hughes and Sherry looked menacing early on and Hughes bowled Garth Nottle (15) before Robert Rose (2) was run out by Sherry to leave Williams 2-25. Forman and Rodney Ford were kept pinned down by Sherry and Hughes and things took a grim turn for the visitors when Rodney Ford was caught for a duck by Bryan Hardie to leave Williams 3-26 inside 12 overs. Riley Ford and Forman combined for a 35-run stand before Riley Ford (21) was undone by Hardie. However another key contribution with the bat, this time Lavender (17) got Williams towards 100. Titko would see his side home however, to hand them a memorable grand final victory. Lewis Parsons gave his all to finish with 4-26 off 7.1 overs for Wandering and openers Hughes (1-24) and Sherry (1-22) were also terrific. After winning a toss Williams usually elect to bat but changed things up for the grand final. “We did something a bit different but it worked well in the end,” Rodney Ford said. “I thought we bowled really well, that’s been our downfall this year, we’ve bowled too many bad balls but to bowl well and a bit more consistent today was huge.” The club’s first A-grade premiership has been a long time coming and after suffering an upset loss to Cuballing in last season’s decider Williams’ focus on youth and consolidation delivered a cherished title, according to Ford. “We’ve lost a few,” he said. “We’ve still got a few old boys hanging in there but I think Riley Ford’s had a great year, he might’ve taken 17 or 18 wickets. “Big Micky Forman, I think he’s a great cricketer and Micky Cowcher’s a good young lad around the boys.”