Alexandra & Eastern Hills Cricket Association (AEHCA) have won their first Harry Meyer Shield since 2014, following their 24-run win against a gallant Murray Towns Cricket Association (MTCA) in the Grand Final at Summit Sport & Recreation Park in Mount Barker today. AEHCA batted first and posted a competitive total of 156 before being bowled out in the 50th over, with James Dawson (40), Luke Timmins (27) and Ben Matthews (23) leading the way with the bat. Dawson and Timmins put on a vital 45-run partnership for the sixth wicket after AEHCA had slipped to 5/74. Zakk Bullard was the best of the MTCA bowlers with an excellent spell of 4/23 from nine overs. Aaron Zrim (2/33), Sam Elliott (1/25), Nick Neumann (1/25) and Josh Boylan (1/28) were the other wicket takers for Murray Towns.

Murray Towns got off to a slow start as opening batsmen Jared Marston and Zak Muirhead struggled their way to 0/7 after 10 overs before Muirhead was dismissed for a 33-ball duck by Troy Blackwell in the 11th over. Nick Lindner (1) went cheaply as MTCA were in early trouble at 2/11 with Brady Wrigley joining Marston at the crease. This pair set about resurrecting the innings with a 58-run third wicket stand before Wrigley was dismissed for 24 (58 balls). Marston was next to go for a top-scoring 43 (95 balls) and AEHCA were back on top again with MTCA at 4/72. Veteran Zrim and Boylan joined forces as the required run rate pushed up to over a run a ball. This pair put on another important partnership worth 53 runs for the fifth wicket as MTCA needed 35 runs from the final four overs. The turning point came in the 47th over as Boylan was run out by Lachlan Barrett for 27 (40 balls) which led to a collapse of 6/7 with Murray Towns being bowled out in the 50th over for 132. Zrim battled hard to score 25 (38 balls). Three AEHCA bowlers took wickets with Troy Blackwell the standout with the brilliant figures of 5/12 from 10 overs. Veteran Ben Warren also bowled an excellent spell to snare 3/19 (9). Off-Spinner Matthew Weeks (1/43) was the other wicket taker, while Nathan Fitzgerald bowled a miserly opening spell of 0/2 from seven overs, before finishing with figures of 0/15 (10).

So Alexandra & Eastern Hills end the Hills Cricket Association’s (HCA) dominance with their first Meyer Shield victory in eight years, with Mark Abbott (Strathalbyn) the only player remaining from that Grand Final victory against the HCA at Mypolonga Oval in 2014. It was great for Kangaroo Island to host the preliminary rounds after having to move the carnival due to the devastating bushfires in 2019/20. It was a tough decider with AEHCA proving a bit too strong for Murray Towns in the finish.