TAMWORTH Plaster Works Tigers won their first Tamworth Premier League Twenty20 Final at No 1 Oval on Thursday night against McDonalds by three wickets with three balls to spare and one wounded but top Tiger.
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Set 91 to win in the low-scoring final, the Tigers were cruising when Matt Everett (19) and Chris Dobson (37) put on a 59-run opening stand but it all started to go awry for the Tigers when McDonald’s skipper Dave Mudaliar stumped his Tiger opposite Everett.
Brock Ridgewell then claimed 3-2 off his four overs as the Tigers lost 4-0 and then 7-12 to be 7-67 when Tigers skipper Adam Jones entered the fray.
Jones had torn his right bicep in last Sunday’s War Veterans Cup semi-final win over Armidale and wasn’t supposed to play.
He had been hoping his teammates might chase down the low total but answered his side’s distress call in fine but painful fashion.
With Luke Paterson, he forged an unbeaten 26-run eighth wicket partnership.
Paterson remained 11 not out and Jones unbeaten on 10 as the Tigers limped to 7-93 in a low-scoring, thrilling finale to a T20 season that has been knocked around by all the wet weather before and after Christmas.
It was also fitting Jones and Paterson scored the winning runs in the final over as Paterson had changed the game earlier in the night when the McDonald’s side had forged its own half century opening stand.
Jye Paterson, Luke’s younger brother, and Toby Whale had amassed 53 before Jye (27) was run out by his brother.
A brilliant piece of sliding interception enabled Luke to pick up the ball and return it to run out his sibling for 27.
He then bowled Whale for 35 to leave the Maccas 3-63 and finish with the fine figures of 2-19.
Young leg spinner Lachlan Cooke also excelled, claiming 3-13 with some smart bowling to help crumble the Mac attack. Mackenzie Morison (2-1) and Tait Jordan (2-9) also chimed in as McDonald’s fell for 90.
Then it was the Tigers’ turn to start strongly but fade.
Ridgewell’s scything pace was a highlight.
He bowled three maidens in his 3-2 four-over spell.
Mudaliar had seen how effective spin was for the Tigers and looked around his side, settling his gaze on Toby Whale.
Can you bowl spin, he asked the teenager.
Sure, was the reply, leg spin.
Whale finished with 2-11 from his three overs to almost get his side home as Jack Mooney also chimed in with 1-21 to keep the pressure on the Tigers.
In the end though, Luke Paterson and Jones prevailed.
A sore but jubilant Jones was able to hold up the McDonald’s T20 Tamworth Trophy with franchisee Tim Simmons from TPW.
Jones’s bicep injury is a disaster for his club and Tamworth’s hopes of winning a War Veterans Cup Final in Narrabri next Sunday.
“It hurt a lot,” Jones admitted.
“I was hoping I didn’t have to bat.
“Getting them out for 90 was fantastic after Toby and Jye had put on their half century opening partnership.
“We were looking at 150 but the boys pulled them back. Luke was great.
“Lachlan (Cooke) bowled so well. Mackenzie (Morison) and Tait (Jordan) were outstanding.
“Then we were 0-59 but lost four for none and we were staring down the barrel.
“Luke did bat real well – took his time.”
TPW Tigers manager Andrew Peiper was celebrating a T20 success that had looked forlorn early on in the competition.
The side had won its last two games just to make it and then to have your inspirational captain seemingly unable to play was a killer.
“Jonesie shouldn’t have played,” Peiper said.
“But then when we were seven down and I looked up he was walking out, padded up. That was pretty gutsy.”
Unable to put any power into his shots, Jones still managed two boundaries and gave Luke Paterson the steadfastness at one end so he could build on his bowling and fielding performance to bat the Tigers home.
The $3000 winner’s cheque was an added bonus for Simmons, Peiper said.