A CHAMPAGNE innings of 66 by Jayden Hicks and a cavalier 55-run partnership between Matt Douglass and James Winnard got Central Highlands agonisingly close to a historic first WJ Dowling Shield at Albert Park Oval in Melbourne yesterday.
Central Highlands failed by just two runs on the last ball of the 50-over final - Southern Rangers taking the elite under-16 Cricket Victoria Pathways Program title 9-206 to 9-204.
Central Highlands needed 12 runs in the last two overs and scored five in the 49th over.
A single in each of the first five balls of the last over increased the tension to a knife's edge, but Jarrod Burns was unable to get it through the field on the last ball and was run out out trying to create two runs out of nothing.
It was a gallant effort by the Central Highlands boys, who ranked themselves about 10th in the 16-team competition, which has been dominated by Melbourne clubs and regions for the past 51 years since the shield was struck
in the season of 1954-55.
Co-coach Travis Faulkhead (Ballarat) was rapt with the endeavour and the professional approach of his team.
"But probably our fielding let us down a little bit ... and we didn't take the opportunities that came our away; but it was a fantastic effort to get so close against quality opposition."
The team's other co-coach Brett Gardner from Woodend, added: "Dougo and James Winnard got us into a situation where we could have won - from nine an over to one run a ball. Matt and James hit the ball hard when we needed
it, but it came down to the last couple of overs in the end and we were just not quite good enough."
Southern Rangers looked too powerful early with their openers Chris Krause and Brett Forysth, who also won player of the final.
They laid the foundations with a 45-run partnership.
While Forsyth went on to make 69, Central Highlands struck back with four wickets from Brett Farrugia, but it wasn't until the fourth wicket fell at 159 that Central Highlands went up a gear.
Southern Rangers lost five wickets for 47 runs with Farrugia finishing with four and Alistair Collins from Brown Hill snaring two.
Yet it was the tight bowling of Buninyong youngster Adam Gilbert who took 1-19 and another wicket from Hepburn's James Winnard that restricted Southern Rangers in the end when they looked like posting a 250-plus score
earlier.
Central Highlands got off to a hesitant start, losing 2-22 including Sam McVitty at the start of the second over.
But when Jayden Hicks came to the wicket, the large band of Ballarat supporters roared approval as Central Highlands fought back.
Hicks, Wendouree's Tristan Dixon showed his potential and a love for the sweep, which earnt him 22 valuable runs before he was run out.
That signalled Douglass to take the long handle to the ball and his crashing innings of 37 included a six.
Although he fell in the second last over going for a big hit, Central Highlands was still in the match.
It simply ran out of luck in the end in a final that will be remembered for the fact a country side almost beat the best the metropolitan area could throw at them.
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