The Upwey-Tecoma 1st XI claimed a crucial win over fellow finals aspirant The Basin in a tense encounter at Upwey Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Batting first, The Basin were cruising at 1-120 with 15 overs to go in their innings, and would have been eying off a score of 220 plus.
English import Julian Whetstone turned the momentum the Tigers way in a fiery spell of fast bowling, helping to restrict the Bears to 6-182 off their 40 overs
The wickets were shared with Whetstone, Cam Wheeler and Stephen Gannell finishing with 2 wickets apiece.
The Tigers run chase started poorly, losing a wicket in the first over, which brought captain Jackson Waters to the crease.
Waters stamped his authority on the contest with a brisk 64 to put the Tigers in strong position, with Wheeler pitching in with a better than a run-a-ball 40.
A late Tiger batting wobble gave the Bears hope of a miracle victory but the Tigers scraped home in the last over, finishing on 7/183 and grabbing a crucial 6 points.
The Upwey-Tecoma 2nd XI saluted away to The Basin.
Brenton Hurst (64) and Jordan Tailby (61) combined for a 116 run stand for the second wicket to set up the innings, before a quickfire 37 not out from youngster Sam Wicks saw the Tigers finish on 5/183.
A batting collapse saw The Basin reduced to 6/45 in their chase, with the swing bowling of Steve Atherton wreaking havoc. The Bears fought hard but were dismissed 17 runs short of the target for 166.
Cooper Colee was the pick of the bowlers finishing with 3/27 off his 8 overs, while Atherton claimed 3/26 off of 5.
The Thirds were outplayed by the Silvan Slugs, all out for 58 in pursuit of 153. Young off-spinner Florian Todd picked up 3 wickets in an otherwise forgettable day for the Tigers.
The Fourths went down to Rowville in a close one. Chasing 189 for victory, the Tigers fell 15 runs short, finishing on 8/174. James Todd continued his fine form, top-scoring with 37.
The Fifth XI didn’t get a start due to the ground being unplayable, while the Women’s XI and Under 16s had the weekend off.
NR Shield: Upwey-Tecoma 7/183 (Waters 64, Wheeler 40) def The Basin 6/182 (Gannell 2/30, Whetstone 2/32, Wheeler 2/36)
Div 3: Upwey-Tecoma 5/183 (Hurst 64, Tailby 62, Wicks 37*) def The Basin 166 (Colee 3/27, Atherton 3/26)
Div 5: Upwey-Tecoma 58 def by Silvan 153 (F. Todd 3/58)
Div 7: Upwey-Tecoma 8/174 (J. Todd 37) def by Rowville 3/189
