THE Penola Eagles flew to the Barber Shield minor premiership on Saturday after a tense victory against North Sportsman’s at Marist Park in the final minor round of the 2019-20 Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association season.
Little could separate the sides in a fluctuating match, which came down to thrilling finish when the Eagles required 15 runs for victory with just two wickets in hand.
The tensions rose as Conrad Slabber and Lachlan Jones crept towards the Tigers’ benchmark of 150.
After 16 minutes of gritty batting under pressure, the Penola pair eventually tied the scores on the third ball of the final over, but the game was far from over.
In a desperate attempt to achieve victory, Slabber was run out on the next delivery.
But number 11 batsman Daniel McNicol saved the day by sealing an Eagles’ win on the penultimate ball.
The day began with much more optimism for Tigers’ captain Nick McInerney, who ensured his team enjoyed a solid start with the bat.
He opened alongside Jake Schutz and the pair scored 33 runs for the first wicket.
But Michael Waters’ persistence with the new ball paid off when he claimed the big wicket of Schutz for 16 thanks to some smart glove work by Mark Smith.
Smith notched up his second dismissal behind the stumps when he caught McInerney for 19, as the angle of left-arm quick Jones proved effective when he struck twice to leave North in trouble at 3/49.
Tight defence by Aidan Thatcher and Kieran Ashby ensured the home side did not suffer a collapse, but runs remained hard to come by.
Penola continued to build pressure with 19 successive dot balls and eventually the spin of George Kidman proved too much for Ashby.
With the arrival of the more aggressive Justin McConnell at the crease, Thatcher also lifted the tempo of his innings.
The pair pushed the total above triple figures and laid a platform for the middle order during the final 10 overs.
But Kidman had other ideas and clean bowled Thatcher for 33 before dismissing Tom Edwards.
Declan Kenny was also run out in the process, as North slipped to 7/123.
With the Tigers at high risk of being bundled out for a low score, McConnell swung hard to change the momentum.
He struck six boundaries on his way to a quick 45 not out, which boosted the hosts to a competitive total of 7/150.
North’s confidence continued to build after its opening bowlers produced the ideal start with the new ball.
After two maiden overs, Tim Young removed Eagles’ captain Jase Bateman for a duck.
Eventually Lewis March and Jack Mullan saw out the swinging Kookaburra and scored 45 runs for the second wicket.
But their resistance came to an end when Jared Strawbrdige trapped March lbw on 15, while Mullan pushed on until he was stumped on 29.
The contest took another turn when in-form batsmen Kidman and Smith threatened to hit the hosts out of contention.
The duo were proactive at the crease and struck regular boundaries to lift the run rate.
But just when the pair appeared to push Penola into a commanding position, the Tigers roared back to life thanks to Elliott Fisher.
The youngster’s patience paid off when he dismissed Smith for 22 and clean bowled Waters, while Ashby played his part at the other end by finishing Kidman’s dangerous knock on 29.
Sensing an avenue to victory, North’s McInerney brought Kenny back into the attack, who removed Curt Evans and Logan Gibbs in quick succession.
Suddenly the Eagles fell from 3/91 to 8/136 and were on the brink of defeat.
However, Jones, Slabber and McNicol stood tall to defy the Tigers’ bowling unit and secure an unlikely win.
Jones signed off his vital innings of 20 not out with a boundary on the final ball of the match.
North and Penola will meet again this weekend in the opening Barber Shield semi-final.
