HALPIN’S Plumbing skipper Matt Everett labelled Brendan Rakus’s match-winning knock one of the best he’s seen after the Hurriances blew their way into the McDonald’s Tamworth Twenty20 final with a last-over win over Tamworth Plasterworks on Friday night.
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Not only did Rakus’s unbeaten 50 help them get over the line, but a couple of late sixes pushed them ahead of the Tigers and McDonald’s on sixes.
That was crucial in the end, with all three ending up on the same points behind Steggles.
Halpin’s were in serious trouble when Rakus strolled out at 4-10.
He and Craig Baker (16) steadied things with a 31-run stand for the fifth.
Then, after a couple of little partnerships, he put on an unbroken 28-run stand with Nigel Parkinson.
Rakus was the aggressor of the partnership and really pulled the Hurricanes back into it with a 16-run 19th over.
“All it takes is one good over in 20 overs to change the score,” Everett said.
“We got that.”
Tigers skipper Adam Jones reiterated Everett’s sentiments.
He thought they’d done enough.
“I thought we had that,” he said.
“We were definitely on top for most of that innings.”
“We couldn’t have done much more than that.”
As far as in the field anyway.
He didn’t think they batted well enough.
“We got out in a few bad ways and a few bad times,” he said.
“Blokes got bowled playing rash shots.”
They were behind the eight-ball early, with Jones and Harrison Kelly both going cheaply.
Luke Ayres was their top-scorer with an unbeaten 19 at the end.
He and Greg Tighe put on 26 for the last stand after Anthony Bello (15), Aaron Follington (16) and Jack Richards (12) had led the recovery effort.
Jones, particularly, was good early for the Tigers with the ball.
He snared three of the first four wickets, including dangermen Everett and Mitch Holt.
Harrison Kelly (1-19) took the other.
Tighe (1-14) and Greg Kellett (1-16) were similarly tidy.
They were backed up in the field.
“That was the best we’ve fielded by a long way,” Jones said.
Everett said they had been a bit inconsistent all tournament.
Either their bowling’s been good, or their batting, but not both facets in the one game.
On Friday night aside from a bit of wayward bowling – they bowled 15 wides – it was a good effort with the ball.
“To bowl like we did on such a small ground and keep them to just over 100 was really good,” Everett said.
Jack McVey (2-9), Bryce Natty (2-28) and Brad Mills (2-20) were the main destroyers.
McVey, particularly, kept things tight early.
Steggles continued on their merry way in the other game, beating Maccas by five wickets.
