Mackay Magpies trump cards Jaxn Sign and Ben Zurvas stole the show as the CiteCon Kingfishers captured the inaugural Porters Mitre 10 Twenty20 Smash title last weekend at Great Barrier Reef Arena.
The 20-year-old young guns showed nerves of steel to help engineer a Grand Final victory over the BTB Electrical Breakers with their batting heroics.
Sign – who was named Player of the Final - top scored with 71 runs off 42 balls in an innings that featured four sixes and six boundaries while Zurvas hammered an unbeaten 62 off 44 balls with eight boundaries and a six and skipper Sam Vassallo (25) as the Kingfishers posted 4-191 from their allotted twenty overs.
A highlight was the crucial third wicket stand of 131 shared by Sign and Zurvas to place their side in the box seat.
The Electrical Breakers – who edged out the Gibbs Air Crocs for a Grand Final spot – were restricted to 7-167 with Brothers star Matthew Wicks cracking a superb 88 off 45 balls and St Patrick’s College schoolboy Haiden Mellifont (Pioneer Valley) compiling an unbeaten 33.
Wicks’ power knock included three sixes and six boundaries with Walkerston spinner Chris McEldowney (2-30) and Pioneer Valley quick Bailey Camilleri (2-32) the pick of the Kingfishers bowlers.
Brothers quick Floris Duvenhage (2-35), Magpies paceman Todd Dixon (2-40) and Walkerston seamer Nick Lotarski (1-29) spearheaded the Electrical Breakers attack.
In the lead up to the Grand Final, the Kingfishers won five of their six matches to grab top spot with impressive performances from all rounder McEldowney, Camilleri, Vassallo, Darryn Dyer and Scott Randles.
An opening stand of 152 between Norths batsman Dyer (84) and Walkerston ace Vassallo (61) proved a highlight.
Pioneer Valley’s Mitch English smashed an unbeaten 115 off 49 balls for the Electrical Breakers in the early rounds – sharing a 175 run union with Chris Day (88) plus a belligerent 46.
The prolific scoring Wicks was a stand out – also amassing scores of 92, 82 and 49 with Brothers bat Mitch Wadsworth posting 66 and Mellifont a valuable 53.
Norths run machine Lane Kohler blasted 114 off 45 balls for the Gibbs Air Crocs that included 13 massive sixes and three boundaries while all rounders Mason Kohler (Norths), Conor Bryant (Magpies) and Jason Butterworth (65) shone for the Custom Fluidpower Mudcrabs.
The championship-winning Kingfishers squad included Sam Vassallo (Walkerston) captain; Darryn Dyer (Norths), Ben Zurvas (Magpies), Jaxn Sign (Magpies), Chris McEldowney (Walkerston), Bailey Camilleri (Pioneer Valley), Nick Lotarski (Walkerston), Liam Newbery (Walkerston), Scott Randles (Walkerston), Cooper Spencer (Pioneer Valley) and Cameron Tomerini (Brothers).
