Coby Cornish’s East Torrens team wins West End One Day Cup

Former Narrabri District Cricket Association representative first XI vice-captain Coby Cornish is a champion once again.

Cornish, the son of Steve and Bec Cornish, was a member of the NDCA’s 2017-18 War Veterans Cup grand final win back in February 2018 before relocating to the Barossa Valley later that year with his family.

The 20-year-old has established himself as the South Australian Cricket Association Premier Cricket side East Torrens Cricket Club’s first grade wicketkeeper since then.

During his successful time at the club, Cornish has played alongside the likes of well-known Australian cricketers Adam Zampa and Jake Lehmann and has won two grand finals.

The first was in the 2018-19 season when his team won the SACA Premier Cricket West End T20 Cup by eight wickets against Port Adelaide on January 20, 2019.

On Sunday he played in the 2019-20 SACA Premier Cricket West End One Day Cup grand final against Adelaide University.

East Torrens won the toss and batted first and made 6-254 from its 50 overs. In reply Adelaide University reached 225 runs before losing its final wicket in the 49th over as East Torrens secured a 39-run victory.

“It’s pretty hard to explain the feeling really,” Cornish told The Courier on Monday.

“All season we were one of the dominant sides in white ball cricket, but to lose to Uni’s in the T20 final, I feel like that gave them a mental step up on us coming into the one day final.

“Losing the T20 did make us more hungry for the win and I think that did show on the day, everyone was up and about and it was awesome.

“I couldn’t really ask for much more than two premierships in the two seasons I’ve been with East Torrens and hopefully we can add another one to that with the two-day final in a few weeks’ time.”

Sunday’s one day grand final continued a competitive rivalry between Cornish’s East Torrens side and Adelaide University.

Those two sides had already faced in a grand final once this season when Adelaide University downed East Torrens in the first grade T20 decider on Sunday January 19.

On that day it was Adelaide University which got the job done, winning by 17 runs after batting first and making 5-167 before restricting East Torrens to 6-150.

In the 10-round-old West End Men’s First Grade competition East Torrens is currently ranked second on 145 points while Adelaide University is third, also on 145 points.

There are three regular season rounds remaining in that competition ahead of the March 21 semi-finals which will precede the March 28 grand final.