EARLY drama in the final McDonald’s T20 round provided the perfect lead-in to the evening’s grand final.
With four sides in contention for the decider, losses from Phones R Us Blues and Autopro Bombers knocked both out of the running.
The Bombers faced a tough ask against fellow final aspirants Are Able Bulldogs – and it only got tougher when they lost Brodey Farley to make them 1/9.
Daniel Higgs and Peter Moore steadied the ship with a quick 38-run partnership.
But the game moved quickly back to the Bulldogs’ terms once both were dismissed.
Kaine O’Connell made 27 runs but struggled to find support around him.
As the Bulldogs’ bowling tore through the Bombers’ lower order, it was the latter’s skipper Ryan Barnes who provided his side with a sign of life.
Barnes held onto his wicket and his 20 not out combined with a quickfire 19 from No.11 Flynn McKnight pushed the total to 136.
Hugh Thompson was the pick of the four multiple Bulldogs wicket-takers with 3/18, while Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, Jack Shannahan and Charlie King all took two each.
The Bombers lost key batsman Jonty Chaproniere for 10 early in the innings.
Bailey Codling came to the crease and showed his intent early on his way to 57 off 44 balls, which included three massive sixes and four fours.
He and Shannahan, who scored 42 not out, blew the game out of the water, chasing down the total with five wickets and one over to spare.
Raiders hold the Phones
NEEDING a win to make the grand final, Phones R Us Blues hosted a cluBarham Raiders side with nothing to lose and pride to gain – and that’s exactly how they played.
Batting first, the Raiders’ top order excelled on their way to a more-than-competitive total of 170 with the loss of four wickets.
Coming in at No.3 with his side at 1/23, Garry Lolicato put on a hitting exhibition, blasting seven fours and three sixes in 49 balls to score 73.
Supported early by steadfast opener Joel Davidson, Lolicato put together an immense partnership with Chameera Akurugoda, who scored 37 off his 31 balls faced.
The pair shared a partnership of 108 runs before Mitch Hinton claimed the scalp of Lolicato.
Lleyton Purcell was the pick of the Blues’ bowlers again, taking 2/22 including the key wicket of Akurugoda.
Blues skipper and opener Benjamin Hallam started the chase with 45, while Brenton Caldwell made 31 off just 22 balls.
However, the lower order were up against an impressive Raiders bowling line-up, as Akurugoda took 2/22 off three overs.
Skipper Jayden Hall also picked up two wickets.
The Blues were kept to 8/146 off their 20 overs in a 24-run win for the Raiders.
Demons conquer the Kitchen
BEVERFORD Tavern Demons survived a scare from Pizza Kitchen Tigers to finish the T20 regular season undefeated.
Even after the loss of opener Connor Fletcher for 28, the Tigers were able to make their way to 2/91, but the wheels soon fell off.
The Demons were able to keep the Tigers to 9/133, thanks to another team bowling performance that included four bowlers taking two wickets each.
Faced with a gettable total, the Demons lost their first three wickets for just 27 runs.
Smit Patel bowled a fantastic delivery to claim the important wicket of Dean Harrop for just five runs.
Tristan Dalbon came to the crease and got the scoreboard ticking, hitting a four and a six on his way to 26.
Justin Toomey was another big hitter, smashing two sixes on his way to 30, while Josh Domaille smacked three fours on his way to 21.
A late partnership between Max Thompson and Shane Fleming was enough for the Demons to chase the target with an over and three wickets to spare, confirming their spot in the grand final.
