Valiant effort by the Thirds

 
Valiant effort by the

Mighty Thirds

Moonee Valley's Thirds came up short in their Grand Final match against Reds, but it doesn't disguise what a great season they had - particularly in the run home after Christmas.
The Valley boys proved they were able to match it with the other contenders, as we grabbed fourth spot on the ladder and then won two finals against higher-placed sides as we won through to the March 25 Grand Final.
Left: The team: L-R: Back - Luke Brock, Jacob de Niese, Dean Jukic with Izzy, Jesse Felle, Ed Rayner, Ben Thomas, Matt Esmore and Paul Bannister. Front - Peter Golding, Clyde D'Cruz, Geoff Shiell and Alex Davidson.
But it wasn't to be, and we conceded a few too many runs, particularly in the middle and later overs, as Reds ran up a competitive total.
Moonee Valley, under the astute captaincy of Ed Rayner, got a couple of promising partnerships going, but we couldn't sustain them as the pressure mounted.
Reds 7/193cc def Moonee Valley 160. Best efforts: Matt Esmore 2/27, Jesse Felle 2/51, Alex Davidson 39, Jesse Felle 25, Dean Jukic 23.