Plenty Valley was left shell-shocked as its Victorian Sub-district Cricket Association north-south premiership dreams ended in tatters on Sunday.
The Bats chose the wrong time of the season to produce their worst batting performance and were left to pay big time by Caulfield.
Needing 224 for victory, the Bats knew if they performed to their potential that they could grab victory.
Instead, they crumbled – and there would be no celebrations, just shocked players and supporters.
The Bats spent about two hours at the crease and were bowled out for a very disappointing 67.
Only opening batsmen James Seymour, who made 18, and Simon Black (14), coming in at No.8, reached double figures.
Not one batsman faced more than 37 balls, such was the quick turnover.
Bats skipper Brad Mitchell was lost for words in the rooms after the match.
“It all happened so quickly, I don’t know how to explain it,” he said.
“There was a lack of application and a mix of good bowling.
“A couple of dismissals didn’t go our way, but the lack of application [was the key].”
Making the Bats’ collapse even worse was that they had shown in the previous round what they could do with the bat.
“You go from one extreme to another,” Mitchell said. “Their bowling attack isn’t any better than what we’ve faced in the finals … I don’t know how to explain it.”
While the Bats’ batting will be seen as their downfall in the grand final, they were left to rue missed chances in the field on day one.
Caulfield skipper Jake Thorne was dropped before going on to top score with 58.
Mitchell said the Bats were made to pay for making fundamental errors.
“You can’t do in a grand final and against a team like Caulfield, who will make you pay and they did,” he said.
Mitchell said that while there were positives to come out of the season, ultimately their finals performance would be how they were judged.
“Home and away season, it’s good to finish on top and all that but you don’t get recognised for finishing on top,” he said.
“We had the opportunity to win the game – and we didn’t play well enough.”
