00:00Hello and welcome to Elbert Park Station.
00:29Welcome to Elbert Park Stadium. I'm Glenn Driscoll.
00:31We have got one big match coming up for you in just a moment.
00:34A history-making match. It's the first time ever a country basketball team has made the Victorian Basketball Association's Grand Final.
00:40And the Hames Heritage Ballet and Minors have done just that.
00:43They're going in the underdog of course because they're playing the national side, the Melbourne Tigers.
00:47Lindsay Gaze's Tigers. It's going to be one hell of a game.
00:50And we're going to bring you the action right now.
00:52There's no doubt we're all wound up a fair bit and stuff like that.
00:55It did take us a while to sort of get going, so definitely the nerves played a little part in it.
01:01But having the hometown support and the amount of people that we had there that night was just fantastic.
01:06Elbert Park wouldn't have held a thousand people seated.
01:25And so we ensured that we got there early because there was really unreserved seating.
01:30So we dominated the court at the old Elbert Park Stadium.
01:35And I think anyone else who was there, apart from those directly associated with Melbourne, wanted Ballet to win anyway.
01:41Because primarily we were the underdog.
01:45And in those contests, everyone's looking, A, for a close contest, but then perhaps for an upset.
01:52And it was something that we never dreamt of, was reaching a final against one of the top NBL teams.
02:00We were probably 40-point underdogs by everyone else's account except ours.
02:05And we had some confidence that we'd get pretty close to Melbourne.
02:18Of course, people like Eric Cooks were instrumental.
02:21And everyone in Australia found it very hard to guard and to stop Cooks.
02:26Indeed, on that night of the grand final against Melbourne, he had, I think, 34 points.
02:30And as well as that, of course, Andrew, who was averaging about 38 points a week in the National League.
02:37And I think we kept him to 35 that night.
02:40So he was, of course, the prolific scorer in both the National and the VBA leagues.
02:47Straight on Ballarat's defense.
02:49Their little men have got to have to scrap, ferret out the ball for them.
02:57Now this has got to be one of the rare times, though, in a basketball game where the Melbourne Tigers are really...
03:03This is not, you can't say this is their home court.
03:06We've got more Ballarat minor supporters here than Melbourne Tigers.
03:10Tight ballgame, a minute 12 to go.
03:12Unbelievable. Come on, Miners, you can do it.
03:14Anthony Hodgson with the ball, looking around for moves. Gilbert makes it.
03:17Hodgson goes for three. Go in, go in, go in. It does! It does!
03:21Anthony Hodgson, baby, is delivering the good.
03:24It was loud, deafening, actually.
03:27And as Dennis said, I mean, Albert Park would be lucky to hold that many people.
03:31But they had seats at one end of the court, but at the other end of the court they had seating also,
03:37which was at first to Albert Park, I suppose, and just standing room as well.
03:41So it was sort of fairly daunting going up and down the court with that many people.
03:46It's in! It's in!
03:48Two points, 33 seconds remain.
03:50They must, Melbourne Tigers must get a three-point basket.
03:53They've just got to keep the three-point basket away.
03:56This is unbelievable.
03:58This is too good.
04:00Puts the stuff, Gase has got it.
04:02Keep Bailey out, keep him out.
04:04It's no good!
04:05It's out of play, 17 seconds remain. Miners by three, 101 to 98.
04:09In this situation, they go and double their two, their three-point shooters,
04:12who are Dave Colbert, Andrew Gase, and Eric Bailey.
04:16The one guy who can give the three-point shot attempt to,
04:19maybe the two guys, is definitely Warren Giddy and David Simmons.
04:23So you'd have that defender, those two defenders, and the guarding man,
04:26they can leave their man, give up the two-point field goal,
04:29but go and double-team with excellent style on the big-time shooters.
04:33Let's listen to Al Westbrook's time-out.
04:39Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave!
04:47It was a team, and we did work hard together,
04:50and we did a lot of hard work to get where we did,
04:52and to get the results that we had.
04:54We just had a will to win.
04:56We just had those sort of teams in those early years
04:59that just didn't give up and just wanted to win games,
05:02and I think that night showed the will to win by our guys.
05:08And I'll tell you, they've earned this win.
05:10They've outplayed them tonight. I think they deserve the ball game.
05:13Now's not the time to be gambling.
05:15Lindsey Gates has got coins on the floor.
05:17I want to say this, though.
05:19Alan Westover has taken up the job.
05:21I don't mind batting back. It's the job of Brian over here.
05:23Brian Gordon has started.
05:25But what a great basketball community Ballarat has shown itself to be.
05:29And regardless of the outcome of this game,
05:31which Ballarat has a very great opportunity of taking out the first state title,
05:36what a great effort on their part.
05:38Well, here we go, 17 seconds left.
05:41Minus by three, 101 to 98.
05:43No threes.
05:44Keep Bailey out. Keep him out.
05:45Hands up. Come on, guys.
05:46No threes.
05:47Going double. Going double.
05:49Gates shoots.
05:51Doesn't make it. Rebound required.
05:53Colvin pulls it down.
05:54It's the ball game.
05:56Four seconds to go.
05:57Three, two, one.
06:00Ballarat.
06:01Ballarat.
06:02Ballarat.
06:03Ballarat.
06:04Oh, my.
06:05They're on the ground.
06:07Oh, my.
06:08Divider spin.
06:09Final, 101 to 98.
06:11Unbelievable.
06:12Look at the speed.
06:13Look at the speed.
06:14Oh, my.
06:15Oh, my.
06:16Oh, my.
06:17Oh, my.
06:18Oh, my.
06:19Oh, my.
06:20Oh, my.
06:21Oh, my.
06:22Oh, my.
06:23Oh, my.
06:24Oh, my.
06:25Oh, my.
06:26Oh, my.
06:27Oh, my.
06:28Oh, my.
06:29They've earned it, and I am so happy for this ball club.
06:33♪♪♪
06:55Congratulations to the Ballarat Miners.
06:57The 1989 Victorian State Champions.
07:00And once again, we see this incredible sight on the court.
07:03Final score is Ballarat Miners, 104 to the Melbourne Tigers, 99.
07:08Beautiful, Brian.
07:09Beautiful.
07:10Well, it's a dream come true, Al.
07:12It's ours.
07:13It is a dream come true, Glenn, and it's just an unbelievable feeling.
07:17Unbelievable.
07:18I said to the guys before the game, I said,
07:20Melbourne's been around for a long time.
07:22I said, they've had their time in the sun, and now it's our time.
07:25The Miners' time to shine, and it's very bright right now.
07:29We'll be wearing sunglasses for some time.
07:31It's a great feeling.
07:33♪♪♪
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