TAMWORTH Plaster Works Tigers roared with a second successive victory as the Halpin’s Plumbing Hurricanes “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory” in their TPL clash at Riverside 2 on Friday evening.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Set a victory target of 116, the Tiger roar seemed to have been choked when AJ Langenbaker strolled to the wicket at 9-85.
However he and Mitch Newman proceeded to frustrate the Hurricanes with some innovative and expertly edged shots to all parts of the Riverside 2 stratosphere.
Langenbaker (16no) and Newman (14no) put on a last wicket stand of 31 to cap the Hurricane and send the Tigers to the top of the T20 table.
Tigers franchisee Tim Simmonds was delighted.
“What a win,” he said.
“I thought we were gone,” TPW’s chief supporter Mal Nash said.
Hurricanes manager Andrew Stevenson was mystified.
“What do they say, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory today,” he joked.
The Hurricanes had made 6-115 with Tyson Rennie (25), Craig Baker (24) and skipper Matt Everett (16) the mainstays against an attack where Jack Richards, Adam Penman and Greg Tighe all grabbed a wicket each.
Richie O’Halloran also claimed 2-16 but then became one of Col Smyth’s four victims as the left-arm paceman sliced through the Tiger top order.
Smyth finished with 4-15 from his four overs to have the Tigers 4-36.
Worse was to follow as Brad Jenkinson (23) fell to Nigel Parkinson (3-22), who also claimed Anthony Bello (26) and then removed Tighe to make it 9-85.
Bello’s wicket seemed to be a key.
The bandylegged left hander, a former professional saddle bronc rider, had made a hard- hitting 26.
Four fours had cannoned off his bat for a man who now plies his trade as a plumber.
“The saddle broncs were too hard on the body,”he grinned after taking off his pads at 8-79.
Six runs later, Tighe’s dismissal, bowled by Parkinson for nine, seemed to point to a quick finish.
However, out strode Langenbaker to join Newman and somehow they conjured up victory, knocking and dinking hits over, around and between fieldsmen.
In the end they reached their target with four balls to spare to send Hurricanes skipper Matt Everett off to Schoolies Week on the Gold Coast with a disappointing loss to reflect on and the bottom rung on the T20.
The Tigers, however, sit on top and tackle McDonald’s at Dick Edwards Oval this Friday with Steggles matching up against Halpin’s Plumbing at Riverside 2.
TABLE: TPW Tigers 12 (1.1096), Steggles 12 (.845), McDonalds 6 (-.5738), Halpin’s Plumbing 6 (-.8788).
