Crabs claw back Kats
The Pegs Creek Crabs have gone from last season's bottom-feeders to dual premiers in the West Pilbara Cricket Association's Twenty20 and 40-over formats.
On Saturday, the Crabs defended a paltry 95 runs with a stingy bowling attack that dismissed the Karratha Kats for 69 runs in the 29th over at Millars Well.
Crabs captain Paul Marrion and wicketkeeper Bevan Meston said coming into the evening session of the grand final they didn't have a strategy.
Rather, they relied on their previous outings in the season when they bowled their way out of trouble.
Initially Crabs had appeared comfortable with the bat.
Opener Gavin Hay lofted two fours over the heads of Kats fielders but was caught behind off the bowling of Brendon Blizzard (1-23) after 23 minutes.
George Du Preeze (2-24) dismissed Nathan Hampson for 10 runs and Daniel Carse for one and imposing bowler Warwick Durack (3-12) dealt damage to the middle order.
Alex Fitzmaurice, Ben Marion and Steven Wright managed to stick around long enough to bring Crabs out of the doldrums but they were all out for 95 after 33 overs.
Crabs were thrown in the pot with the heat way up as Kats went to the crease with a friendly crowd and a low target.
Their start was shaken two minutes in as Ethan Surrell was caught behind by wicketkeeper Meston for a duck off Kim Wilson's bowling.
Wilson's 3-23 was a man-of-the-match display that gave Crabs the early breakthrough they needed to stay in contention.
Mitch Davey (1) was gone in the exact same fashion before Wilson got his third when Geoff Spence (12) got caught on an lbw call.
Brayden Lee was the danger man having struck 56 in the semi-final against Rec Club.
In a tense moment, he was bowled by Hay (1-21) on just 11 runs.
There was a brief verbal between the two after the wicket that left at Kats 4-30.
Durack was gone not long after.
Durack had hit a four moments before he swung at a bouncer from Marion (2-18) which nicked the end of his bat into the gloves of Meston.
Lachlan Napier and Sam Robinson gave the Kats a moment of stability.
With plenty of overs still on the board the pair settled in with Napier out there for over an hour.
But they couldn't get the run rate ticking along and Napier's batting partners fell steadily one by one.
Kats were 8-66 when Napier (9 runs) was caught in the 25th over and when Wade Van Dalen (2) fell victim to Carse for nine wickets the last 29 runs needed seemed like a mamoth task.
In the end Meston ran for an over-the-shoulder high ball hit by Blair Dyer that nested safely in his gloves to finish the low-scoring final and give Fitzmaurice the final wicket.
