Wests/UC opener Blake MacDonald chose the perfect moment to score his maiden first-grade century, the 17-year-old playing a pivotal role in the club reaching its third straight Douglas Cup final.
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MacDonald (142) and experienced campaigner Adam Hewitt (113) combined to drive Queanbeyan into the dirt for a comprehensive victory at Freebody Oval on Saturday.
Queanbeyan had little choice but to concede the game, with Wests/UC holding a dominant lead of 277 runs on the first innings with two wickets in hand.
Who Wests/UC will face next Friday is still to be decided, with Weston Creek Molonglo holding the upper hand in its semi-final with Eastlake.
The Demons will be after quick wickets when play resumes on Sunday at Kingston Oval, with Creek resuming at 4-163 in its second innings, an overall lead of 246 runs after dismissing Eastlakes for 150 in its first innings.
Adelaide Strikers batsman Jono Dean is unbeaten on 74 after Creeks had slumped to 4-53.
While both teams will still be battling hard, Wests/UC is one game away from winning its second piece of silverware of the summer and third straight two-day title.
"It's really exciting to get to play in another grand final," MacDonald said.
"It's a great opportunity for the boys next weekend, to be part of that is pretty special."
MacDonald and Hewitt batted beautifully as Wests/UC finished at 8-489 after bowling Queanbeyan out for 222 on Saturday.
It was the first time MacDonald had passed triple figures for Wests/UC in the top grade after going close several times.
"It's been a long time coming, too many scores between 50 and 100, but it's nice to do it at this time of the year," he said.
"I was pretty nervous in the 90s because I hadn't score a hundred for a while.
"Hewy kept me pretty relaxed and having him there was really enjoyable."
Creek is in the box seat to join Wests/UC in the final after Dean and Warren Clunes (36no) put on an unbeaten stand of 110 for the fifth wicket.
But Creek paceman Djali Bloomfield, who bowled beautifully to finish with the figures of 4-53, knows Eastlake cannot be discounted.
"If they come out tomorrow morning and take a few quick wickets, anything can happen," Bloomfield said.
"We saw last week that they chased 350 with three down with plenty of time to spare, so they'll be able to score quickly on their home deck.
"Hopefully we can score 300-plus and not leave too much time to chase down the runs."
Second day of three-day Douglas Cup semi-finals: Wests/UC 8-489 bt Queanbeyan 222 on first innings at Freebody Oval. Weston Creek Molonglo 233 and 4-163 v Eastlake 150 at Kingston Oval. Play continues Sunday at Kingston Oval at 11am.
