The wait was anticlimactic, but the resounding 114-run win failed to take the gloss of Westbury polishing up the Greater Northern Cup for the first time on Sunday.
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The club finally celebrated its first piece of 50-over silverware that dates all the way back to the 1980-81 season when the Shamrocks took out the Kookaburra Cup.
Droves of club supporters, past players and members of the victorious team from nearly 38 years ago turned up to witness Westbury prove to be too good for Ulverstone.
Westbury captain Richard Howe said the cup win was the culmination of more than just the 12 games this season.
“To be fair, it’s awesome at the moment,” Howe said.
“We had a lot of support, past and present players, out here today watching. I think they were anticipating the fact that we got over the line.
“When it all sorted of happened it was a bit like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s nice, it’s happened now’. But yeah it was really good to finally win it.”
The Shamrocks all but smothered the Black Caps right out of the contest.
The flat home strip blunted Ulverstone’s pace strength and heaped pressure on the visitors to run down 232 against a disciplined attack.
Howe said it was not until late in the second innings did his players felt like they had the title wrapped up.
“While Josh Walmsley batted for a fair while, we tried to let him get ones and work on the other guys,” he said.
“So I think while he was out there still, there was a thought they could get the runs. Credit to to our bowlers – we bowled to our field.
“That was part and parcel of how the result went on the back of Dane Anderson’s 95 and other guys pitching in.”
The win was a high point for club favourite Anderson.
After years of focusing on a Tasmanian career, the 34-year-old has guided his side back to its holy grail.
“Everyone stood up and played their role,” Howe said.
“But Dane started us off at the top, batted really well and obviously set the innings up.
“It was obviously disappointing he got out for 95, but the way he went about it shows he’s still a class above.”