Excelsior win first Grace Shield in over 50 years

Excelsior High School celebrated their first title in 53 years after wrapping up victory in the first hour of Wednesday’s third and final day of the ISSA Grace Shield final against Eltham at Melbourne.

They dismissed Eltham for 90 to win by 220 runs. Eltham, chasing an unlikely 311 to win, had resumed on 53-3.

Raewin Senior took 6-34 off 17 overs to lead his team and ended with 50 wickets for the season. Rashawn Riley supported with 3-13.

Although they won the limited overs knockout in 1981 and 1996, this is Excelsior's first league title since 1963.

Coach Kirkland Bailey said it had been a long time in coming. “We’ve had this programme sorted out for the last 10 years and it has been rolling. We have had some near misses, hard losses and we have come back to fight again. We have been battled- hardened because these youngsters have been playing together from grade seven and quite a few of them now are in sixth form,” said Bailey.