A Cricket Albury-Wodonga-stacked Riverina team won the inaugural T20 Country Bash against Greater Illawarra on Sunday.
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Belvoir's Nic Whitelaw posted a superb 67 from only 53 deliveries, including six fours and three sixes, in the visitors' total of 7-156 at Bomaderry's Artie Smith Oval.
Riverina then restricted the home outfit to 8-144 and, fittingly, Whitelaw ran out dangerman Kealen Blattner, who had threatened to rip the game away.
It capped a marvellous weekend for South African Whitelaw, who made 151 not out and took 4-27 against North Albury at club level on Saturday.
"He showed how good he is and what we all think of him," Albury-based Riverina coach Trent Ball offered.
"He's one of the best players we've had out here, at least of this generation.
"There's been plenty of good ones on Saturdays, but to play at a higher level and play even better, there's been only a few who have done that like (English county player) James Weighell."
Whitelaw combined with powerhouse opener Ethan Bartlett, who has played only a handful of games this season and yet managed to crash a quickfire 31 from only 17 deliveries.
Belvoir's Hayatullah Niazi, who along with Joe Cooke only came into the team on Saturday night when Liam Scammell and Luke Docherty were injured at club level on Saturday, then belted 23 from only 14 balls.
Riverina stunned Greater Illawarra when Wollongong run-machine Ethan Debono fell from the first ball of the innings from left-arm quick Niazi.
However, gun teenager Bailey Abela, who starred at the Under 19 National Championships in Albury late last year, was outstanding with 40 runs from 28 deliveries.
"He'll by on TV in his career, either for NSW or higher, he's a special player," Ball revealed.
Wagga-based Sam Gainsford (2-22) captured the left-hander leg before and then No. 6 Blattner hammered 43 from 30 balls, including four boundaries and a six.
Illawarra was 5-127 from 18 overs, needing 30 runs, but two wickets from Danish international Oliver Hald (3-25) eased the pressure.
"The best part of our entire campaign was we had clear plans, we've always known what we wanted to do and we executed really well," captain Ben Mitchell explained.
"It might not have been the perfect game of cricket, but it was very close to it."
The Country Bash is in its first year, replacing the Regional Bash, which was for associations, as opposed to the current zone classification.
State-level success has been extremely rare for Riverina.
At 50-over level, it has won the NSW Country Championships only once, in 2002-2003.
That competition started in 1986-87.
