ST Mary’s Tyntynder were made to earn their spot in the Kookaburra Cup grand final, defeating Woorinen by one run in a heart-stopping finish.
The Tigers entered the final over on Saturday afternoon needing 10 runs to win.
When Guri Singh sent bowler Jack Shannahan over the rope on the second delivery, the home side appeared well on their way.
The twists kept coming, however, as St Mary’s Tyntynder claimed three wickets, including two run-outs, from the final four balls for what proved a vital win.
Wandella defeating RSL and Nyah District’s three points from a washout against Murrabit meant St Mary’s Tyntynder needed at least three points to advance.
Bulldogs captain Nathaniel Holmes-Brown was relieved after the match, which started an hour and half late and was reduced to 25 overs each.
“We got a bit lucky at the end, but as I said to the boys at the end of the day, if you’re good enough to win, you take it,” Holmes-Brown said.
“It gives us a chance to go back-to-back in the Kookaburra Cup, which is another great opportunity for our team and our club.
“It was a pretty good feeling to win, there was a lot of raw emotion at the end of the match, and I think both sides would have felt it was a pretty exciting game of cricket considering we didn’t think we were going to play at all.
“(The pitch) was a little bit slow and it popped a bit off a good length, but other than that it played pretty well, considering the rain.
“One end of it was mud late on Saturday morning, so to get the wicket up to what it was, (Woorinen) did a hell of a job.”
Batting first, St Mary’s Tyntynder scored freely, making 116 despite the regular loss of wickets.
Paul Johnson used the conditions to his advantage, taking 4/14 from five overs to lead the wicket-takers for the Tigers.
The home side’s run chase got off to a shaky start, however, sitting precariously placed at 4/11 at the end of the third over and key batsmen Connor Fletcher, Mitch Uhlhorn, Dean Morpeth and Cooper Fox all back in the shed.
Stefan Mangiameli (24) and Jason Mangiameli (20) went about reviving the innings, putting together a 38-run partnership for the fifth wicket, before Jason was dismissed with the score on 49.
His departure brought to the crease Guri Singh (47), the veteran all-rounder continuing Woorinen’s recovery until his final over dismissal.
Singh skied a ball into deep, where Connor Power claimed what proved to be the match-winning catch on the second last ball of the game.
“It was looking a bit dicey there after Guri hit Jack (Shannahan) for six in the last over,” Holmes-Brown said.
“(Singh) was striking them really well too. We tried to get him off strike at the start of the over.
“We had them in a very good position early on in their innings, but the Mangiameli boys batted very well and stuck around, and brought the game back to an even contest.
“They got them back into the game, and then Guri (Singh) came in and blasted the ball everywhere.”
The win kept St Mary’s Tyntynder on top of the A Grade ladder and sent them to a fourth-consecutive Kookaburra Cup grand final, where they will face Nyah District.
