IT was less than a month ago that Queanbeyan’s third grade finals hopes seemed to have evaporated in the wake of two straight defeats to finish the regular season.
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What a difference a couple of weeks makes. Now, the side is preparing to defend its one-day title after last weekend’s upset semi-final win over North Canberra Gungahlin.
Queanbeyan’s journey to this year’s grand final has been anything but smooth.
Flying high after winning four of their first five games this season, the Bluebags received a rude shock in the competition’s penultimate round in the shape of a four-wicket loss to Western Districts UC.
At one stage in that match, a near full-strength Queanbeyan had crumbled to be 7/13 – the worst top order collapse 500-plus game captain Michael Frost could recall in his time with the club.
The following week saw Queanbeyan make it back-to-back losses against North Canberra Gungahlin in a defeat that had appeared to put paid to the side’s title defence.
“Even after Wests had us 7/13 in that match I still thought we were definitely going to make the finals but that was before we went and lost the next game as well,” Frost said.
“That’s when I thought we’d missed out but then they recalculated the ladder and we snuck in [to the finals] by one point.
“It’s interesting though because our side on the weekend was pretty much the same as the one that lost to Wests so it’s amazing what can happen in the space of a couple of weeks.”
Queanbeyan’s victory on Sunday against North Canberra Gungahlin - the same side that had inflicted the Bluebags most recent defeat - marked a stunning turnaround at the business end of the season.
And Frost said he was confident of completing that resurrection against Weston Creek on Sunday week
“Once you make finals it’s always a 50/50 proposition,” Frost said. “And I think that attitude and the way you approach the game gets you to 51 per cents so I’m always confident.
“I think we’ve still got a little up our sleeve for the final as well.”
Queanbeyan will take on Weston Creek in this year’s third grade one-day final on Sunday, February 16.