ADCA 2025-26: Berridge stumps hamstrung Mt Barker as Manypeaks march on to earn grand final date with Royals

Manypeaks earned the right to face Royals in the Albany and Districts Cricket Association A-grade grand final after knocking out reigning premiers Mt Barker in Sunday’s preliminary final. They came through a testing weekend, going down to Royals in the qualifying final on Saturday but recovering the following day to set their best target of the season in the game which counted most. On Turf North on Sunday, the Bulls, who had cruised to an elimination final victory over Colingwood Park on Saturday, fell short of Peaks’ 7-254, reaching 210 all out. It was a contest which threatened to turn into a humdinger but fizzled out as what looked like a stirring partnership between Jeremy Wood and Jarrad Gardner was ended by Alby Berridge’s lightning-quick stumping. The English import keeper grabbed what turned out to be the key scalp to dispatch Wood on 35 in the 38th over as the Bulls were accelerating in a pursuit which had looked doomed to failure for long spells. Just as it looked a though the chase was on, Berridge’s effort robbed Gardner of his partner and left Gardner at the crease to hit an unbeaten 47 as he ran out of company. Coming in at number nine, Gardner had only Seth Davies and Harrison Woite to follow him in, and they lasted 10 balls between them to hand Peaks a 44-run victory and a place in the title decider this Saturday. There had been drama early on too, as Neil Ferreira pulled a hamstring and needed Alex Fergie as a runner as he made 20 off 30 balls, coming in at three. Tyler Crommelin (11) opened with Fergie (21) before Ferreira took the Bulls to 3-71 and then 4-78 after the dismissal of Ryan Gaerth for 15. Jeremy Wood steadied the ship, but Peaks’ total never really looked under threat until Michail Muller came in all guns blazing and walloped 28 off 19 balls. He galloped down the wicket to hit a mammoth six onto North Road and followed it up with a straight-hit four. However, Liam Davies earned revenge for those blows when another Muller gallop, followed by another wallop was ended by Seb Stanton’s catch at cover and a walk back to the pavilion. Joe Robinson followed shortly after having made three, but if that looked like curtains for the Bulls, Gardner had other ideas until Jeremy Wood became Peaks’ eighth victim and Seth Davis and Woithe exited stage left. Hamstrung by Ferreira’s hamstring and then by that late loss, the Bulls season came to a close in agonising fashion, 45 runs short of victory. Oliver Douglas was the best of the Peaks’ bowlers, with 3-40, and he also added some oomph into their lower order as they won the toss and opted to bat. Stanton and Regan Poett gave them a more than solid start, putting on 65 for the first wicket despite Jeremy Wood beating the bat several times in a decent spell of pace bowling. Warwick Durack continued the good work and added 31, and there were also meaningful contributions from the middle order as Liam Davies made 22, and Paul Donaldson 43 before Douglas’ late cameo saw out their overs and set a testing target. Gardner, as well as being Bulls’ best with the bat, turned out to be their best with the ball too, taking 3-54 with Gaerth the most economical at 3.9 runs per over from his 10 overs despite not taking a wicket. Berridge would have been disappointed with his 13 with the bat, but he made up for it in the field, taking two catches and two stumpings to be the man who made the difference when it really mattered and make sure Peaks get another crack at the Lions.