One year after reaching the semifinal round at the inaugural Australian Little League national championship tournament, Waverley Little League claimed the top spot, rolling past Adelaide Southern Little League, 11-1 in four innings, in the championship game at Sir Bruce Small Park in Benowa, Queensland.

The win gave Waverley a perfect 5-0 record in the twelve-team national tournament hosted by the Surfers' Paradise Baseball Club. Waverley advanced as Australia's representative at the Asia-Pacific Region tournament in Chinese Taipei.

Waverley's success in the initial two Australian Little League championship tournaments is a continuation of the success the organization attained prior to affiliating with Little League Baseball. The 50-year-old Waverley Baseball Club on the outskirts of Melbourne has a longstanding tradition of developing top junior baseball talent, including over a dozen players who went on to represent Australia in international and Olympic competitions.

"I think it's (Waverley's tradition of success) got to do with the depth of talent and the coaching system from Under-8 to Under-18," said Waverley manager Richard Mason as his team prepared for the national tournament. "Waverley is the biggest club in Australia with regards to junior players."

Mason's family has been at the center of Waverley's success: his father, Dick, is regarded as the primary architect of Waverley's junior program, and among the multitude of titles his teams won are four national championships earned while coaching Victorian Under-13 state teams in national competitions. Dick Mason was awarded the Order of Australia medal for his service to sport as well as his work in broadcasting, and both Waverley's junior diamond and Under-14 championship trophy carry his name.

Waverley advanced internationally in Little League Baseball's tournament by outscoring its five national tournament opponents by a 45-10 margin. The Wildcats reached double-digits in four of their five games, including all three contests once elimination rounds commenced. Waverley's championship game victory avenged the prior year's semifinal round loss to Adelaide Southern.

Adelaide hoped for a repeat in 2009, and struck first in the title game, pushing across a run when Mitch Duval doubled and later scored on Matt Taylor's grounder. But Waverley quickly reversed the deficit by tallying three runs in the bottom of the inning. After a walk started the rally, Sam Hunter doubled, Corey Poke tripled, and Andrew Hayes delivered an RBI single.

Adelaide threatened in the second before stranding a pair of baserunners, and Waverley seized the momentum with a five run rally in the bottom of the frame. Poke lined a two-run single up the middle, and pinch hitter Griffin James followed later with a two-run triple. The Wildcats added three more in the third to push the margin to double digits, and the game ended after pitcher Trenton Johnson Boe blanked Adelaide Southern in the fourth. Waverley collected ten hits in the championship game, including five for extra bases.

Waverley closely managed its pitching staff throughout the national tournament, using an average of three pitchers in each game leading up to Johnson Boe's complete game effort in the title game. Ten different Wildcat players took a turn on the mound during the four-day tournament, and only three -- Johnson Boe, Hunter, and Jordan Ley -- made multiple pitching appearances.

Waverley opened the national tournament with a pair of victories during the tournament's initial stage. The Wildcats scored in all six at-bats of a 12-5 win over Alice Springs Little League in their opener, then held off Brisbane Metro Little League, 2-1, to close out the action on the tournament's opening day. Waverley grabbed an early 2-0 lead against Brisbane, and allowed just a fifth inning run before darkness forced the game to end after five innings. Hunter, Ley, and Jye Deeble combined to hold the Brisbane offense in check during the win.

The wins gave Waverley first place in what proved to be the deepest pool in the tournament -- both Alice Springs and Brisbane Metro eventually finished among the top eight teams in the tournament -- and gave the Wildcats a bye into the quarterfinal round. Once there, Waverley topped Newcastle Little League, 12-0 in four innings, before eliminating Perth Metro East Little League, 10-3, in the semifinal round.

Waverley needed just 59 minutes to subdue Newcastle, and Wildcat pitchers Johnson Boe and Jack McGraw combined on a no-hitter in the mercy rule-shortened game. Waverley pitchers threw only 40 pitches, including 33 for strikes, during the contest.

The next day, Waverley opened the scoring with four runs in the third inning, before Perth narrowed the Wildcat advantage on David Smith's two-run home run in the bottom of the inning. Waverley added three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to secure the victory.

Adelaide also swept to a pair of wins in its pool, outscoring Western Australia Country Little League and Newcastle by a combined 36-0 margin. The South Australia champions then edged Brisbane Metro, 2-0, in the quarterfinal round before rallying late to eliminate New South Wales' Hornsby Eagles Little League by a 5-4 score. Adelaide and Brisbane were scoreless midway through the game, before Max Guehrer's fourth inning triple helped to produce the game's first run. In the semifinal round, the Hornsby Eagles led 3-0 through three innings, before Adelaide tied the game with a three-run rally in the third and took the lead for good following a two-run push in the sixth.

The next day, after volunteer grounds crew teams worked overtime to make the field playable following heavy rain, Waverley responded to Adelaide's early push with runs in every offensive inning in the championship game.

Waverley had advanced to the national tournament by winning the five-team Victoria state tournament at their own Napier Park complex in Glen Waverley. The Wildcats won three of four preliminary round games, losing only to South East Little League by an 11-4 score, and finished tied with South East and Melbourne West Little League for first place at the conclusion of round-robin competition. Waverley and Melbourne West won tiebreakers to advance to the grand finale, and Hunter's four-hit complete game powered the Wildcats to a 7-0 victory and their second state championship in as many years.

Pool 1 - Game 1	1	2	3	4	5	6		R
Canberra	0	1	4	0				5
Mount Gambier	2	0	4	9				15
Pool 1 - Game 2
Hornsby Eagles	15	11	3	6				35
Canberra	0	0	0	0				0
Pool 1 - Game 3
Mount Gambier	0	0	0	0				0
Hornsby Eagles	3	2	6	x				11
Pool 2 - Game 1
Western Australia Country	0	0	0	0				0
Newcastle	3	1	15	x				19
Pool 2 - Game 2
Adelaide Southern	7	6	3	10				26
Western Australia Country	0	0	0	0				0
Pool 2 - Game 3
Newcastle	0	0	0	0				0
Adelaide Southern	0	0	2	8				10
Pool 3 - Game 1
Far North Coast	0	0	0	0				0
Ringwood	4	0	5	2				11
Pool 3 - Game 2
Perth Metro East	2	4	0	7				13
Far North Coast	0	0	0	0				0
Pool 3 - Game 3
Ringwood	0	0	0	2	0	2		4
Perth Metro East	3	2	1	0	2	x		8
Pool 4 - Game 1
Alice Springs	3	0	1	0	5	0		9
Brisbane Metro	6	2	2	0	3	x		13
Pool 4 - Game 2
Waverley	1	2	1	2	5	1		12
Alice Springs	2	0	0	0	0	3		5
Pool 4 - Game 3
Brisbane Metro	0	0	0	0	1			1
Waverley	2	0	0	0	x			2
Second Phase - Opening Round
Western Australia Country	5	0	0	0	3			8
Mount Gambier	6	3	0	2	7			18
Second Phase - Opening Round
Canberra	0	0	0	2	0	4		6
Newcastle	6	1	0	1	0	x		8
Second Phase - Opening Round
Alice Springs	0	0	0	0	0	3		3
Ringwood	0	2	0	0	0	0		2
Second Phase - Opening Round
Far North Coast	2	0	0	0	0			2
Brisbane Metro	0	0	2	6	4			12
Quarterfinal Round
Mount Gambier	2	0	0	0	0	0		2
Perth Metro East	0	0	5	0	2	x		7
Quarterfinal Round
Newcastle	0	0	0	0				0
Waverley	2	6	4	x				12
Quarterfinal Round
Alice Springs	0	1	0	0				1
Hornsby Eagles	3	2	1	5				11
Quarterfinal Round
Brisbane Metro	0	0	0	0	0	0		0
Adelaide Southern	0	0	0	1	1	x		2
Consolation Game - Round 1
Ringwood	2	15	3	2				22
Western Australia Country	1	0	0	1				2
Consolation Game - Round 1
Far North Coast	1	0	0	0	5	5		11
Canberra	3	0	3	0	9	x		15
Consolation Game - Round 2
Ringwood	2	8	11	5				26
Canberra	0	0	0	0				0
Consolation Game - Round 2
Far North Coast	0	0	1	1	2	1		5
Western Australia Country	0	1	3	1	1	x		6
Consolation Game - Round 2
Brisbane Metro	2	0	0	0	3	4		9
Alice Springs	0	0	5	1	2	2		10
Consolation Game - Round 2
Newcastle	3	6	4	4				17
Mount Gambier	0	2	1	4				7
Semifinal Round
Waverley	0	0	4	0	3	3		10
Perth Metro East	0	0	2	0	1	0		3
Semifinal Round
Adelaide Southern	0	0	0	3	0	2		5
Hornsby Eagles	2	0	1	0	0	1		4
Consolation Game - 11th Place
Far North Coast	1	1	1	0				3
Canberra	0	0	0	0				0
Consolation Game - 9th Place
Western Australia Country	0	0	0	0				0
Ringwood	3	6	5	x				14
Consolation Game - 7th Place
Brisbane Metro	0	0	0	4				4
Mount Gambier	0	2	2	1				5
Consolation Game - 5th Place
Alice Springs	2	7	1	0	0			10
Newcastle	0	0	0	1	0			1
Consolation Game - 3rd Place
Hornsby Eagles	2	0	0	5	2	1		10
Perth Metro East	0	1	0	0	3	1		5
Grand Final
Adelaide Southern	1	0	0	0				1
Waverley	3	5	3	x				11

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