It was Finals Day in the Belt Up Association T20 Cup on Sunday January 14, with the WASTCA and SMCA claiming titles across the Colts, Masters and Senior Divisions.
Belt Up T20 Community Cup Finals
South Metropolitan Cricket Association (SMCA) claimed victory in the Colts, while Western Australian Suburban Turf Association (WASTCA) showed their strength by taking out both the Seniors and Masters titles.
Colts
SMCA claimed back-to-back Belt Up T20 Cup Colts titles, with a five-wicket victory over WASTCA in a hard-fought encounter.
SMCA won the toss and elected to bowl on a sweltering afternoon in the Swan Valley, but it was WASTCA openers who got their side off to a promising start.
WASTA openers James Courtney-Bennett and Luke Sudlow produced a flurry of boundaries in the opening exchanges, combining for a 48-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Courtney-Bennett top scored for WASTCA with 40 runs off 23 balls, including five fours and two sixes, while Owen Reilly (18 off 15) provided the innings much needed momentum in the last few overs.
WASTCA were eventually bowled out for 120, with Jaymon Needham (3-8 off four overs), Dylan McHugh (2-20 off four) and Jake Back (2-31 off four) all finishing with multiple wickets.
In reply, SMCA innings started well, with openers Jackson Edgar (34 off 21) and Lewis Beaumont (20 off 17) producing a 49-run opening stand, before WASTCA bowler Thomas Sykes got the key wicket of Edgar.
Edgar repeated his heroics from last year’s final, striking six boundaries in his stay at the crease to put his side in a favourable position in the chase.
Middle order batters Nathan Boyle (26 off 31) and Ben Scotson (18 off 26) then got SMCA within striking distance before Miles Davis (7 off 3) finished off the job with an over to spare.
Match Scorecard here
Seniors
The Seniors final was a clash under lights between the two dominant associations in community cricket, NSCCA and WASTCA.
After winning the toss and electing to bat NSCCA got off to a shaky start, with openers Jack Maraldo and Ash Mclean both falling cheaply to WASTCA bowler Andrew Hall.
Luke McQuade (21 off 28) and Duncan Taylor (24 off 34) stabilised the innings, before late cameos from Brayden Quinn (25 off 23) and Blair Oakley (22 off 18) propelled NSCCA to 5-113 off their 20 overs.
Hall (2-30 off 4 overs) was the standout bowler for the WASTCA, finishing as the only multiple wicket-taker.
WASTCA got off to a horror start, losing key opener Josh Marrs and number three Jacob Johnson in the second over of the innings to Jack Daymond, to leave them teetering at 2-12.
Number three batter Riahn Pieris (56 off 40) and Tim Boteler (30 off 29) came together to produce a match-defining 92-run partnership for the third wicket to take the game away from the NSCCA, before David Melling (11* off 12) then joined Pieris to hit the winning runs with 33 balls to spare.
Jack Daymond (2-32 off three) was the only wicket-taker for NSCCA, while Pieris earned Player of the Match honours for his unbeaten half-century.
A second consecutive Seniors title for WASTCA, as they cruised to a comfortable victory against NSCCA once again.
Match Scorecard here
Masters
WASTCA and NSCCA battled it out in the Grand Final of the Masters Division, to kick off Finals Day at Swan Valley Sporting Club.
After winning the toss and elected to bat, WASTCA compiled a solid score of 6-145 off their 20 overs.
Their innings was paced by opener Suresh Perera, who struck an impressive 55 off just 36 balls, including ten boundaries.
Number three Simon Morgan (27 off 23) also contributed nicely, as WASTCA managed to keep the score ticking over consistently throughout the innings.
NSCCA bowler Cory Howes (2-21 off four) was the best performer with the ball for NSCCA, while spinner Luke Salisbury (1-25 off four) kept things tight during the middle overs.
In reply, NSCCA’s batters were never able to get going, losing wickets at regular intervals, eventually being bowled out for 100 in the 19th over.
Dwayne Procter (27 off 27) was the mainstay of the NSCCA innings, while WASTCA had four bowlers who finished with multiple scalps.
Match Scorecard here
About the Belt up CricketWest Cup
The Belt up CricketWest Cup is played by four community cricket associations, Western Australian Suburban Turf Association (WASTCA), North Suburban Community Cricket Association (NSCCA), South Metropolitan Cricket Association (SMCA) and Perth Swan Cricket Association (PSCA) in a round-robin format where each association plays against each other to determine who makes the final.