Plenty Valley showed plenty of fight as it kept its Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west season alive.
The Bats had their backs to the wall against minor premier Williamstown in their qualifying final, but displayed a heap of grit to get the win.
After winning the toss, the Bats made 8-233.
Skipper James Dickinson, who top-scored with 69, said they would have liked a few more runs.
“We had nothing to lose,” he said. “They finished on top of the ladder and we had three players out.
“We left a few runs in out there in the middle order. Ashur Morrison, who made 59, caught our score up a bit at the end.
“We had the runs on the board which is always important in finals.”
The Seagulls had the better of the play early on day two and looked to be cruising at 2-128.
Then things started to turn the Bats’ way, with Dickinson saying they started to find their lines and had got back into the game heading into tea.
It was two bowlers at the opposite ends of their careers that got the job done for the Bats.
Veteran Sean Ayres bowled 34 overs straight from one end, while Tane Cotter tied up the other end in just his second first XI game.
“Sean is just a legend at Plenty Valley,” Dickinson said.
“Tane stood up as an 18-year-old. He bowled the last over. He bowled 18 overs straight and we backed him in to get the job done. They needed 10 runs and we needed a wicket.”
Cotter snagged the wicket as the Seagulls were bowled out for 227
Ayres took 4-54 from his overs, while Cotter took three wickets.
The win has sets up a semi-final showdown with Kew, with a grand final spot on the line.
Bowler Simon Black is among those happiest that the Bats got the job done.
Black missed the game after accidentally scheduling his wedding on the first weekend of finals.
It meant he and his best man, Bats opening batsman Ryan Pearson, missed the win.
They will return this week, with playing coach Matthew Hewat also a chance to return from injury.
