Lobethal made it three Aexandra & Eastern Hills Cricket Association (AEHCA) ‘A’ grade premierships in a row after defeating Langhorne Creek by seven wickets in the Grand Final at Langhorne Creek yesterday. Lobethal, once the dominant force in the Torrens Valley Cricket Association, are now the undisputed kings of the AEHCA.

Yesterday, Langhorne Creek won the toss and decided to bat first but disaster struck early with skipper Brodie O’Dea (4) run out. Jaspa Tonkin and James Dawson then came together to add 66 runs for the second wicket before Tonkin went for 33 (68 balls). Dawson continued on to top score with 52 (109 balls), while Troy Blackwell chipped in with 21 (21 balls) as Langhorne Creek posted 7/165 from their 45 overs. Sam Graeber was the standout bowler for Lobethal with 3/26 from his nine-over spell. 

Lobethal started the run chase in good fashion with Mitchell Weeks and Ben Matthews (35) adding 88 for the first wicket. Matthews’ dismissal brought Jeremy Hackett (29) to the crease with he and Weeks putting the game to bed with a 59-run union for the second wicket. Weeks continued on to top score with 90 not out from 112 balls (8 x 4’s) as the winning runs came up in the 39th over. Blackwell was the wicket taker for Langhorne Creek with 3/33 (9).