Pakenham/Kooweerup showed pure grit and saluted to take home the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) Under-18s premiership over Beaconsfield last Wednesday.
Both teams were formidable all season, coming into the grand final with records of 5-1.
At Toomuc Reserve, the Lions batted first and posted 8/130 in their 20 overs at the crease, a run rate of 6.5 an over.
Noah Langham (33) top scored for Pakenham/Kooweerup in a knock that came off 28 balls.
Andrew Thompson (15), Lincoln Varty (13 not out), Cullen Anderson (13), Mitch Varty (11) and Liam Kezik (11 not out) were the other batters in double figures, signifying a well-rounded team effort.
Levi Strohbeck and Sharad Kulkarni each managed a pair of wickets for the Tigers.
The chase began poorly for Beaconsfield as Thompson claimed the wicket of Saad Malik (2) in the second over.
But a strong 58-run partnership between Kulkarni (37) and Daniel Guzzardi (22) got the innings back on track and put pressure back on the hosts.
And that’s when Pakenham/Kooweerup responded.
Cooper Davey, Lachlan Taylor and Lincoln and Mitch Varty worked as a collective to slowly push the contest back onto their terms.
Davey took three crucial poles while the other three each managed a pair to knock over Beaconsfield for 110, marking a 20-run grand final triumph.
