Swamprats claim the Propeller Trophy after seeing off the Woodburners at Mike Thorn’s fabulous field of dreams

High up in the Porongurups lies Mike Thorn’s field of dreams, a cricket pitch at the top of a hill which plays host every year to the battle for the Propeller Trophy.

The teams involved — the Porongurup Woodburners and the Youngs Siding Swamprats — turned out on Sunday for a day of intense competition, unusual rules and several beers.

The venue was Thorn’s oval at his Mountain Retreats, a dusty climb off Porongurup Road to a stunning plateau nestled amid the bush and a granite outcrop.

The trophy is a relic of Thorn’s attempt to fly his powered hang glider out of the Youngs Siding ground, an attempt which ended with him dangling in a hedge, and the machine with a busted prop.

The match is now an annual sideshow to the main league, the Pigs Arse Shield, the pinnacle of local social cricket, which includes Sunday’s protagonists plus the Denmark Muckrakers and the Elleker Locos.

The Woodburners’ pre-match team talk was serious business.

They set themselves a target of 200 runs, aiming for an impressive 10 an over, before the discussion switched to how best to set the field to manage Greg’s dodgy knees.

It was brought to a conclusion only by the arrival of the Youngs Siding team, their orange bus bursting out of the bush and circling the outfield, past the giant stumps created by Mt Barker artist George Corke.

It was quite an entrance.

If the 200-run target sounded ambitious, the rules included doubling anything scored by the over-60s, and trebling those bagged by the over-70s.

A freebie first hit was also allowed, lbw calls were non-existent, and a trumpet on the sidelines was blasted at regular intervals to herald fast scoring, slow scoring, ducks and catches.

The match itself featured cricketers with some experience, and talent, and others who had neither but who still gave their all.

The Swamprats batted first, with the order decided by names drawn out of a hat.

They reached 4-108 after 11 overs at drinks, awarding themselves a well-deserved break considering the heat, with Woodburners providing some decent fielding on a tricky outfield which tested their goalkeeping skills.

Accelerating the run rate after the refreshments, Swamprats eventually set a target of 246 in their 22 overs, with the Woodburners unable to come close.

They were dismissed for 174 to concede the Propeller Trophy by 72 runs.

Steve Grimmer (56) and Andrew LeFort (50) grabbed half-centuries for the Swamprats while Thorn top-scored for the home side with 44.