For Perth Doo’cot, it was a landmark and special moment which will not be forgotten anytime soon.
The Fair City club batted and bowled with skill and craft on Sunday afternoon to gleefully lift the 3 Counties Cup.
In what was a thrilling final against Meigle, on home soil, Perth ran out winners by seven runs to lift the trophy for the very first time.
Captain Rory Pennycook was still smiling when the PA caught up with him during the week.
“It was a really special win,” he admitted. “We always had the belief that we were the team to beat on Sunday.
“But to win the trophy for the first time in the club’s history and pick up the club’s first piece of silverware in nearly 10 years is a massive achievement for all of us and a very proud moment for myself personally.”
Desire, determination and heart - of course some nice cricket, too - all played their part in the showdown success.
Pennycook added: “It was very tight, we felt like we were 20-30 runs under par with our total in the first innings.
“But it just shows how vital every run can be in T20 cricket. Every single one of the boys showed a lot of heart to even get us close, never mind win the whole thing.
“Every run was a prisoner, we were fully switched on every ball and most importantly bowled excellently to the plans we had set, which was the key to us winning in the end.”
Now that the silverware monkey is off the back, the Perth skipper is determined for more to follow in the not too distant future.
“I think it could be a pivotal point in the club’s history winning the 3 Counties Cup,” Pennycook explained.
“We probably have the youngest average age the first XI has ever had at the moment, with six players in Sunday’s squad under the age of 25.
“The future is bright, we just need to capitalise and bring our T20 form into the league over the coming years and who knows what could happen.”
That league form has been a slight sense of frustration for Pennycook, who is craving more consistency in order to challenge right at the top of the standings.
He said: “We’ve had an up-and-down season league wise so far.
“We had targeted top three at the start of the season and we are currently sitting fifth, so there’s definitely work to be done.
“We know how strong a team we are - we’ve proven that in the T20 competitions - and have an excellent coach in Usman Saeed.
“We’re always improving individually and as a team, but now the focus is on bringing that form into the longer format for the rest of the season and finishing as high up the league as possible.”
