Cooper Connolly and Nick Hobson recall their strategy after Perth Scorchers win the BBL championship

Inexperienced Cooper Connolly and unnoticed Nick Hobson became unanticipated heroes for the Perth Scorchers at a charged Perth Stadium by the end of a memorable BBL final.

When the cool-headed captain Ashton Turner seemed destined to save the title holder Scorchers from Brisbane Heat in a nail-biting instant classic, it wasn’t in the plan. 

He hit a six to bring up his fifty, but when he was 4 for 137 and needing 176, Turner made a terrible mistake with new hitter Hobson.

“I’m still probably going to wake up with nightmares over that one,”

Hobson later said.

In an additional surprise that perfectly capped the crazy BBL season, the Scorchers still required 39 off 19 balls as the raucous crowd of 53,886 felt calm.

Hobson, an accountant by day who hadn’t batted in six of the previous eight games, and 19-year-old Connolly, who hadn’t batted in three BBL games leading up, were the Scorchers’ best bets for defending their crown. 

Connolly, who led Australia at the Under-19 World Cup last year, remained calm as the Heat, who had won seven of eight games to go to the final, gained momentum.

“I just walked up to Hobo and said ‘mate, we can do this. I have full faith in ourselves‘,”

Connolly said.

Connolly received some advice from Hobson as well::

“Keep a strong base and if it’s there, try to hit it for six and if it’s not there, play a good cricket shot along the ground.”

Connolly, who lacked nerve, took notice and turned the match around in the 18th over with a stunning charge on Heat seamer James Bazley. 

He opened with a six, followed by two balls of short deliveries that he smashed to the boundary, before ending the over with another hit into the sea of orange supporters that was growing increasingly hysterical.

“After that over from Bazley, I thought ‘we can actually do this’,”

Connolly said.

“We sort of just got on a roll and that’s what momentum does, momentum helps you win games so I’m pretty happy.”

Connolly’s best efforts helped the Scorchers’ goal be lowered to a far more reasonable 20 runs off 12 balls, but his whirlwind innings appeared to be coming to an end on 19 when he skied to deep point and Josh Brown dropped the catch. 

It meant that against Michael Neser, a borderline Test fast, the Scorchers needed to score 10 runs off the last over.

“We even though three twos and one boundary and we’re away,”

Connolly said.

Hobson, unfortunately, had other plans. He crushed the second ball for a six over deep midwicket and then secured Scorchers’ sixth championship with a boundary, setting off loud celebrations across the stadium. 

Connolly and Hobson showed the club’s incredible depth as they benefited from the Scorchers’ terrible injury streak, which included great all-arounder Mitchell Marsh missing the entire season.

“When I hit Neser in the final over, it was so loud and I couldn’t hold my excitement,”

Hobson said.

“I’ve never played in front of anything like that, I’ll remember that forever.”

“I felt like I had the full support of the coaches and captain the whole tournament, and it came off tonight.”

Hobson will naturally not be reporting to work on Monday because he took an annual leave from his position as an accountant.

“I’ll come back the week after,”

Hobson laughed.

“I’ll let it all decompress.”

The latest cricket superstar from Western Australia, Connolly, is set for stardom as his name is cheered by ecstatic fans after the game.

“Not many 19-year-olds get to play in front of 50,000, so I’m just here to soak it all in and enjoy the moment,”

“It just gives me that extra boost that I can play at this level.”