Date-stamped : 13 Apr96 - 06:19 SACA Grade Grand Final Tea Tree Gully v Adelaide 6,7 April 1996 Adelaide Oval, Adelaide ====> REPORT EASTER MIRACLE FOR GULLIES AS THEY CLINCH FIRST PREMIERSHIP by Lawrie Colliver Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club won its first major title by defeat- ing Adelaide by one run in the 1995/96 Grade Grand Final on Eas- ter Sunday. Adelaide, chasing TTG`s modest 155, were 6/150 at tea, but collapsed sensationally to lose 4/4 in 8.1 overs to be all out for 154. The bowling heroes for Tea Tree Gully were State leg-spinner Peter McIntyre, fresh from his Shield success, who took 6/34 from 25.1 overs and left armer Derek Woodcock who snared 4/40 from 19 overs. Under overcast conditions, Tea Tree Gully`s skipper Martin Faull won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch which did offer the bowlers something in the first session. Paul Hutchison took ad- vantage of this and in the second over picked up the wicket of Matthew Kelton bowled for nought. This was the second consecutive duck in a row or the young opener. Shortly after skipper Faull was dropped at third slip by Ben Johnson when on 3 which would have made the Gullies 2/5. Just on the half hour Damon Hall went to a catch in the gully for 5 and TTG were in strife at 2/11. New batsman Michael Russack had some edgy moments surviving a confident caught behind appeal second ball, edging one through gully for two to get off the mark and then playing a t missing at Gillespie`s last ball of the over. TTG soldiered onto drinks at 2/24 and after the brief break Rus- sack broke the shackles and scored the first boundary of the in- nings driving over gully. Faull also hooked a boundary to move into the twenties but fell soon after bowled by Ben Arthur for 21 to see TTG 3/38 after eighty minutes of play. Rob Zadow playing his last match, was out quickly trying to pull Arthur only to get a top edge and be caught by keeper Smith for 1 - 4/40 Ten minutes before lunch Greg Faull was caught in two minds whether to play or not at Johnson and gave a catch to the keeper for 5 - 5/52. After lunch Chillingworth and Russack played confidently with the left hander playing a glorious cut for four off Johnson and Chil- lingworth playing confidently on the off-side. But at 68 Russack played a loose drive at Johnson and presented Smith with his third catch. Russack had batted patiently for just over two hours and faced 85 balls. New batsman Matthew Stokes went on the attack immediately hitting two fours in an over from Gillespie and Chillingworth employed his cut stroke to good effect in a promising stand which yielded 26. However at 94 Stokes played across a straight ball from Arthur and was bowled for 11. Peter McIntyre joined Chillingworth and after a half an hour of resistance was bowled behind his pads getting far across to a ball from Hutchison. Darren Hall was leg before next ball to leave TTG 9/113 and the likelihood of the game finishing on Sa- turday. However, Derek Woodcock, known for his stubborness in the lower order played a valuble hand being not out 13 at the close with Chillingworth not out 47 including four boundaries. When rain stopped play at 2.56pm TTG were 9/142 from 59.4 overs, and the last wicket partnership had yielded 29 - the highest partnerhsip of the innings. Easter Sunday saw a further 13 added to the score with Chilling- worth bringing up his half century with a slashing cover drive (145 mins, 110 balls). Woodcock, who added two to his overnight score, was caught at mid-on by Gillespie for a valuble 15 which occupied 61 mins. In their chase Adelaide were away to a very good start adding 72 before Johnson was caught at the wicket by Darren Hall off Peter McIntyre for 40. In the following over, Woodcock who was suprisingly used for just two overs in his open- ing spell was swung around to the Northern end where he trapped Damien Kitto for 16. Adelaide went to lunch at 2/72 needing a further 83 for victory. After lunch Hook and Ramage took the score to 102 before Hook was stumped by Darren Hall off Peter McIntyre for 18. A very nervous looking Adelaide captain Paul Nobes came to the wicket and was very fortunate to survive an LBW shout first ball. He managed just a single before edging Woodcock to second slip where Chil- lingworth took a simple chance. New batsman Paul Hutchison went on the attack but this became his undoing when he tried to hit McIntyre over the infield only to be caught by Martin Faull at mid-off - 5/114 Ramage then survived a confident shout for caught behind off Woodcock but fell just before tea well caught by Darren Hall off McIntyre for a patient 18 - Adelaide 6/131. Podger and Smith took Adelaide to tea with an unbroken stand of 19 and within a sniff of victory. After tea Woodcock and McIntyre gave nothing away with Woodcock forcing an erronous hook shot from Smith to the keeper two overs after tea. Adelaide still needed six runs with three wickets in hand. Adelaide took twenty-three minutes to score their first run after tea. As soon a this occured Birrell was caught at slip by Chil- lingworth for a duck and Adelaide in a state of panic were 8/151 - still five runs short. Three overs later and without another run scored a resolute Podg- er fell caught behind (Hall`s fifth victim) off Woodcock for 18 after an hour and a half of resistance. Adelaide still needed five to win as Arthur joined Gillespie. Arthur then nicked the first ball he received through the vacant fourth slip region for three runs - Adelaide 9/154. Gillespie, one South Australia`s hero this season could not get Woodcock away off the reamining deliveries. McIntyre then in his 26th over, tossed up a wrong-un, Arthur dancing down the wicket swung, missed and was bowled to give Tea Tree Gully its first premiership at 3.35pm on Easter Sunday. Contributed by Lawrie Colliver (colliver@ozemail.com.au)