Sport
25 March, 2025
Evans’ six-wicket haul earns him best on ground
It was six of the best for Ben Evans, as he claimed A grade best on ground after spinning his way to six wickets against Carisbrook.
It wasn’t just any six wickets either, with Evans grabbing six of the first seven wickets of the innings, including the big wickets of Liam Hurse and Dean Nalder.
Evans said it was a euphoric feeling to fulfill the club’s ambitions set at the start of the season.
“It means everything, all year we knew we were every chance of winning but we knew the rest of the league didn’t back us in,” he said.
“Laanecoorie Dunolly is such a good side, they have won so many games in a row, five premierships on the trot, but we always had that belief we had a side that could do it.
“We were stoked when we saw Carisbrook, we feel like we matched up pretty well against them, they are a very good side but we thought we were in the box seat.
“There was a little bit of nervousness going into it, being the underdogs all year and then coming into a game where you feel like you are in the box seat there’s a different mindset.”
Evans was brought into the attack with the game in the balance, as openers Brayden Wright and Martin Mark had got Carisbrook to 0/41.
After Evans got off to a flying start, grabbing the wickets of Wright, Mark and Jordan Hooper in quick succession, the Colts decided to keep Evans bowling for an extended period while rotating their other bowlers from the opposite end.
After feeling he could have done more with the ball during the regular season, Evans said it was invigorating to repay the club’s faith in him on the biggest stage.
“I was just trying to lock into my process, I bowl better when I’m just thinking about the next ball,” he said.
“I can get into my head a little bit and psyche myself out so it was that constant thought of being in the game.
“There were a couple of times where I had three or four wickets and I was tired and thought ‘I’ve done my job’ and I had to keep telling myself to keep going.
“The last couple of games I feel like I’ve got into a bit of form, I felt like I’ve underperformed this year, so to contribute when it matters the most means a lot.”