Rats carry big burden

Oak Flats captain Kerry Penfold says his team will be carrying the hopes of the whole South Coast competition when they contest the Illawarra Cricket Twenty20 final against Helensburgh at North Dalton Park tonight.A South Coast team has never won the competition, now in its third year, which includes both Illawarra and South Coast teams."An Illawarra side have won it every year, so it would be good for us to win it for a change," Penfold said.While Oak Flats are chasing the first Twenty20 title for a South Coast club, Helensburgh have the chance to claim their first grand final win in any competition.Captain Andrew Northridge said a win would be a breakthrough for his club, which struggles to attract and keep players."It will boost everyone," Northridge said. "There's huge excitement there at the moment, hopefully it will encourage all of the juniors to stick around and play for Helensburgh."The Burgh will feature guest player Jason Holley (Sutherland) but it is their all-round team efforts that has got them to the decider."Everyone's chipping in - we haven't really relied on anyone, we haven't really set huge totals and we've defended them pretty well," Northridge said.The crowd will be entertained with a third-placed play-off between Balgownie and Corrimal, a longest-throw and longest-hit competition, plus music and catering. Games begin at 5pm with the final to be played at 7.45pm. Entry is free.