Defending champions North Geelong booked their place in the ConnectTel Twenty20 Cup Section 1 grand final with a composed six‑wicket win over St Peters, chasing down 128 with 11 balls to spare. St Peters battled to 7/128 from their 20 overs, recovering from an early collapse thanks to a determined 46 not out from Hunter Lewis. His innings, supported by 23 apiece from Mitchell Ford and Matthew Sorgiovanni, gave St Peters something to defend after North Geelong’s bowlers controlled the innings. Dale Kerr (2/22) and Tom Mathieson (2/23) led the way, while Victor Morrow and Benjamin Demasi chipped in with a wicket each.
North Geelong’s chase was anchored by a superb knock from Mathieson, who backed up his bowling effort with a commanding 68 from 50 balls, striking ten boundaries and setting the tone. After the early loss of Olegas Rodgers, Mathieson and captain Philip Visser steadied the innings with a composed partnership. Visser’s unbeaten 34 ensured there were no late nerves, guiding his side home after Jack Trewin threatened with three late wickets in a strong spell for St Peters.
The Magpies will take on Leopold, after the Lions stunned South Barwon by 23 runs in their semi final at Reynolds Oval.
Leopold batted first and made a solid 8/145, thanks to Hayden Butterworth’s fluent 46 from 35 balls and Samuel Mitchell’s explosive 27 off 16 through the middle overs, before Reece Plumridge (12 not out) and Jake Le Maistre (6 not out) put the finishing touches on the innings.
South Barwon’s chase began shakily, losing Gurpreet Singh early, but brief counterpunches from Harry Hauenstein (16 off 11) and captain Nick Butters (12 off 8) kept them in touch. Tom Meredith’s lively 19 from 13 threatened to shift the momentum but regular wickets stalled the chase. Declan Gibson (2/24) and Tom Treble (2/24) applied pressure throughout, while Lachlan Neate’s 3/23 proved decisive as he removed key middle‑order batters. Despite a late push from Bradley Hauenstein and Nathaniel Blyth, South Barwon were bowled out for 122 in the 20th over.
