Wests/UC batsman Adam Hewitt pulls one to the boundary during the Cricket ACT grand final win over Tuggeranong at Manuka Oval. Photo: Colleen Petch
ADAM HEWITT missed Wests/UC's last premiership through injury, so it was only fitting he had a leading hand in the club returning to the top of ACT cricket.
Walking to the crease with his side teetering at 3-32, Hewitt and teenager Matt Condon performed a rescue mission of astronomical proportions to leave Tuggeranong to concede defeat in the Douglas Cup decider with a day to spare.
Hewitt finished unbeaten on 154 and Condon compiled 94 as Wests/UC walked off Manuka Oval on Saturday at 5-289 in response to Tuggeranong's first innings of 195.
It was Wests/UC's first two-day success since 2007-08, a match Hewitt was forced to sit out due to injury.
"I made my debut eight or nine years ago and watched the '07 grand final in the stands with injury, so it's very sweet,'' Hewitt said. "Obviously not ideal [coming in at 3-32], but I like batting at Manuka and against Tuggeranong it's always a battle and gets me going.
"Just went out there, and Condo, for such a young fella, he's got a cool head and is very easy to bat with.''
Condon's knock capped a remarkable debut season in the Canberra competition for the Batemans Bay product, the 17-year-old finishing as the club's leading run-scorer.
Wests/UC all-rounder Ethan Bartlett collected the Greg Irvine Medal as the player of the final for his seven-wicket haul on Saturday, which laid the platform for the ground-breaking victory.
Having lost to Eastlake in the one-day final in February, Wests/UC was determined to make the most of its unbeaten season in the two-day format.
It was Hewitt's first century this campaign after falling for 95 to Tuggeranong earlier in the season, this time going on with the job to guarantee the result.
"We've had club legends have a chat to us before the game, and it's amazing how many of them know what's going on and follow it closely,'' Hewitt said. "It'll be a great night for Wests tonight.''
Resuming at 8-185, it wasn't long before Tuggeranong was back in the sheds as Ben Oakley cleaned up the tail.
Wicketless on the opening day, the Wests/UC skipper knocked over the remaining two batsmen for the addition of just 10 runs to leave his side well in control.
That all changed as first Chris Prescott (2-61), then Luke Ryan (1-45), combined to take 3-1 to leave Wests/UC on shaky ground.
Prescott - who had taken a remarkable 23 wickets in his past two games - picked up Darren Richards (15) and Nick Polhill (0) in successive balls before Ryan clean bowled Beau McClintock for one.
Condon and Hewitt steadied the ship with a terrific 172-run partnership to take the game out of Tuggeranong's grasp.
Condon fell six runs short of his century, but by then the damage had been done, Hewitt carrying his bat until Tuggeranong conceded defeat half an hour before the end of scheduled play.
Disappointed Tuggeranong captain Michael Wescombe said 195 was never going to be enough on a Manuka Oval pitch renowned for batting.
"An hour and a day to go, you want to be better than that,'' Wescombe said.
"At 3-30 our tails were up, we thought we were in with a chance, but to their credit, Hewitt and Condon knuckled down and got them well over the line.
''If blokes are fair dinkum, they need to put the time in at training to bat for long periods if we're going to improve next year.''
AT A GLANCE
Douglas Cup grand final: WESTS/UC 5-289 (A Hewitt 154no; M Condon 94; M Stiller 2-46, C Prescott 2-61) bt TUGGERANONG 195 at Manuka Oval.
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