Tambellup stamp authority on competition with grand final domination

Tambellup left no questions unanswered in their grand-final demolition of Frankland River on Saturday. With wet weather looming, the team which had led the competition all summer put an exclamation point on their season with a thumping victory. The two teams met in the semifinal, when Tambellup set Frankland River a total of 171 before bowling them out for a meagre 50. One week later, with that result still fresh in their minds, Frankland River won the toss and decided to bat. They were all out for 25 barely an hour later. Tambellup only needed four bowlers and they all took wickets, with opener Michael Long leading from the front, claiming four wickets for five runs off his six overs. Long dismissed three of Frankland River’s top four batsmen in a performance that earned him man of the match honours. Captain Nathan Willmott took 2-4 from 5.2 overs, while his brother Daniel Willmott claimed 2-10 from his five overs. Tall paceman Ben Hankinson chipped in with 2-6 from four overs. The top-scorer for Frankland River was their No.3, Kim Lange, who managed seven runs before he was trapped in front by Daniel Willmott. Incredibly, five Frankland River batsmen were out for nought. In reply, Tambellup lost three wickets as they chased down the target in 10.5 overs. Muhammad Salman (2-18) gave the visitors the slightest flicker of hope with the ball with his two early wickets. The teams had been battling for supremacy since early in the season, when they played out a draw to remain the GSCA’s two undefeated sides. Their next clash, scheduled for February 9, was called off because of the Katanning bushfire. Frankland River beat Tambellup in the game before the finals, seemingly setting up a thrilling series. Tambellup skipper Nathan Willmott said his team had played out of their skin at the right end of the season. “These last two games, we couldn’t ask for anything better from our players,” he said. “We have not dropped one catch in the last two games and the discipline with our bowling — we haven’t given them any lose balls to get away, we’ve just built and built the pressure. “I know what our bowlers can do. We’ve got a lot of depth and a lot of talent on our list but it’s just been on the spot, all of the time, building up pressure. “The energy in the field was unreal as well after a couple of early wickets.” Tambellup’s triumph snapped Kendenup’s three-season winning streak. “We were a little bit worried about the forecast today,” Willmott said after the grand final. “We bowled them out for 50 last week and we thought if we brought that same intensity there was no reason we couldn’t get them out for 50 again. “We did a bit better this time.”