The Ballarat Bolts will aim for a second premiership in as many years when it takes the field in the final of the Cricket Victoria North-West Twenty20 final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ballarat will enter as favorites when it takes on the Greenvale Kangaroos at Greenvale Reserve on Sunday.
A win this weekend would cap off a near perfect season for the Bolts, who finished atop the North-West table for the second straight year.
"They've put in a lot of hard work over the last ten weeks so it's good to see them get the reward on field," Ballarat Bolts senior coach Jeremy Byrne said.
"We made and won the T20 final last year, so this is an opportunity to go back-to-back."
Ballarat will have its work cut against Greenvale which finished second on the North-West table. Although the Bolts were victorious against the Kangaroos earlier in the year, Byrne said they shouldn't be taken lightly.
"They are new and have some strong players," he said.
"We beat them the first time around, but they're a strong side and it should be a good game."
A second premiership would come as a big thrill for the Bolts who entered this season without premiership heroes Renee Moffitt and Emily Sculley. Byrne said this season's group has seen numerous players step up.
"They had big shoes to fill, Renee and Emily had about 1500 runs and 35 wickets between them last season. So to watch other people put their hand up this year has been exciting to see," he said.
The Bolts will rely on a balanced attack on Sunday, led by opening batmen Nicole Edwards and 15-year-old Lillee Barendsen.
Byrne said everyone on the team was capable of making an impact.
"We've got a really strong contingent of bowlers," he said.
"Almost everyone bowls every week and everyone apart from one or two has taken a few wickets throughout the season, so it's a good even spread."
The second finals appearance marks another milestone for the club which played its first game a little over 18 months ago.