The WA Premier Cricket season wrapped up over the weekend with University defeating Subiaco-Floreat at the WACA by 30 runs.
Finishing sixth on the ladder with eight wins during the season, Subiaco-Floreat put up a great fight to keep the game close over the two days, but it was four wickets in rapid succession from University’s Chris Sabburg which wrapped up the final.
Electing to bowl, right arm quick Lucas Martin took 5/60 but University captain William Bosisto led from the front, knocking 107 off 224.
The second innings saw Subiaco Floreat opener Bailey Gregson hit a swift century – 110 runs from 138 balls – to keep University on their toes.
It was class bowling from Corey Rocchiccioli and Chris Sabburg that toppled Subiaco-Floreat’s lower order, both walking away with four wickets each.
SportFM spoke to WA and university off spinner Corey Rocchiccioli this morning after he took his fifth title at the WACA in five years of professional cricket.
“There’s probably two places in the world that I love going back to all the time. One is the middle of the WACA and the other one is the middle of James Oval,” he said.
“I was getting really emotional at the back end of the game on Saturday. I’m not an emotional person when I get on a bigger field in terms of tears and what not, but just seeing the old boys and supporters and you see someone like Will Stibbs who, he’s done it for 15 years, taken a club from basically nothing… to be able to turn that around and do what he’s done… and what they’ve done for my career, it’s something that I can’t describe.
“They put a mountain of time into me. They gave me every bit of resource possible, they sat down with me in their off season, they brought me to things that they probably didn’t have to. They put time into me and it’s the reason why I always go back and play as much as I can. It’s because I wanted to give back to that playing group, to the supporters.”
With Cyclone Narelle threatening sporting events across Perth over the weekend, the clubs were well aware of the importance of staying focussed if we got given a break in the weather like we were.
“I was probably the most optimistic of the lot. I’ve only been around a few years but I’ve seen the weather forecast and I know that in WA particularly, they like to say we’re getting a lot and we don’t get much.”
“As that rain started to disappear all of a sudden, I was sort of the only one saying that I reckon we’d get a fair bit of cricket in.”
Rocchiccioli spent some time on the sidelines toward the end of day two with calf cramps.
The off spinner appraised Chris Sabburg for his reliability when stepping up and taking four to swing the match in University’s favour, with one of the wickets being Jack Rettalack for a golden duck.
“Anyone who knows Chris Sabburg, he’s the bloke who, if there’s something to win or something on the line, I’m giving him the ball and the bat any day of the week.”
“We saw last year in the grade final he scored that unbelievable 100. It’s just always him and he always likes to tell us that it isn’t that hard bowling, so he knew what he wanted to do and he was the guy and it was no surprise.”
University captain William Bosisto took out the man of the match to wrap up a fantastic season for the cricket club.
IMAGE: WA Premier Cricket Facebook