ADCA 2024-25: Royals Twenty20 captain Ryley Valli ‘relieved’ after gritty title triumph over rivals Railways

Royals youngster Ryley Valli believes their gritty Twenty20 grand final victory over Railways last Friday can be the circuit breaker his side needs to turn around their one-day form ahead of a defining final fortnight of the season. The top three in the Albany and Districts Cricket Association A-grade competition is decided but top spot and direct qualification into the one-day grand final is wide open. Royals have 52 points and sit on top by net run rate ahead of Mt Barker (52 points) while the third-placed Railways are just one point away. The Bulls and Tigers meet in round 19 this Saturday and the Lions face Manypeaks, while in the final round the Bulls have the bye and the Lions and Tigers face off in what could be a ladder-defining clash. Before the T20 title win, the Lions had lost three of their last four one-day games. Valli, who captained his side to the T20 victory, said that result can help spring the Lions back into top form. “We definitely had a tough few weeks,” he said. “We probably lost two or three games that we probably shouldn’t have but to win the (T20) grand final — hopefully we can turn it around (in one-day games).” The Lions defended just 116 runs in the T20 decider, and Valli said his side dug deep. “I was pretty happy,” Valli said. “Probably halfway through the innings I thought we’re going to struggle to get to 100, but thanks to Mitch Green he got us through to that score.” Valli said getting a score on the board batting first always makes a difference in a big final. “It’s a bit more pressure batting second but we felt pretty confident with a decent score on the board and then just had to go out there and bowl out our plans and take wickets,” he said.