Big Bash League: Perth Scorchers title celebrations spill into second day in Fremantle

Perth Scorchers’ celebrations of their sixth Big Bash League title have spilled into a second day in Fremantle. The club’s players and support staff celebrated long into the night on Sunday after toppling their arch-rivals Sydney Sixers in front of more than 55,000 fans at Optus Stadium. And while some of them may have still been sporting sore heads, their party showed no signs of slowing down the day after, with players beginning to arrive at the Norfolk Hotel before midday. Mitch Marsh had the trophy firmly in his grasp and was among the first group of players to arrive at the venue, alongside Aaron Hardie, Ashton Agar and Finn Allen. Marsh’s daughter Olive also made an appearance at the venue, with the veteran re-posting an Instagram story from wife Greta showing her nestled inside the trophy. Rising star Cooper Connolly was still sporting his championship medal and hat when he rolled in, while player of the match David Payne came alongside batter Nick Hobson, who made seven appearances this season but did not feature in the final. Some of the club’s stars may not have a chance to celebrate for a third day running, with Marsh, wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, and up-and-comers Connolly and Mahli Beardman set to depart for Pakistan tomorrow as part of an Australian squad for a Twenty20 series against Pakistan which begins on Thursday night. Speaking at Bathers Beach, star bowler Jhye Richardson said he did not expect to feature prominently in the second day of celebrations. “I’m not a massive drinker, my social battery can run out pretty quickly,” Richardson said. “I’m happy to leave it up to the boys and have a chill one knowing there’s still a lot of cricket for me moving forward . . . I’ll probably be straight back into training tomorrow.” Injured spinner Ashton Agar was another player to get in on the family feel as part of the celebrations, posing for a photo with the trophy alongside wife Madeleine. Richardson said the players’ celebrations across Sunday night and Monday morning were “pretty low-key” and had made involving family and friends, as well as the entire wider club, a priority. “We just hung around the ground. We just soaked in what the ground had to offer,” he said. “We saw 55,000 people (in the crowd) and we were very happy just to spend the time around the change rooms with friends and family. “We know all the hard work that goes in behind the scenes — it’s not only friends and family, but there’s staff behind the scenes as well, there’s quite a few staff members that are very well-loved at the WACA. “It’s always nice to have our friends and family there. You always know they’re your number one supporters, so to have them there and to make them feel a part of it is really, really important.”