Tigers to fight it out

THOMSON captain- coach Sam Stoneley says his side has not given up hope of securing an unlikely victory against St Peter’s.

Staring down the barrel of defeat at 6-26 in pursuit of the Saints’ 100, the Tigers need a monumental effort from the lower order to avoid handing the visitors their first win of the GCA2 season.

But Stoneley has backed his team to fight to the end.

“At the end of the day it’s not like it’s a bad wicket, it just makes it challenging for the batsmen,” he said of the pitch and lush outfield at Godfrey St Oval.

“If you don’t throw it away and you dig in, you can get there. If you get sick of digging in and you just try to play a big shot or smash one through the covers when it’s nipping around, you’re not going to get anywhere. It’s about patience and control.”

But with only four wickets in hand, Stoneley concedes his team is up against it.

“A couple of decisions didn’t go our way, but that’s cricket,” he said.

“We’ve just got to see what happens. The pitch will get flatter and flatter, and as soon as the ball gets softer it gets easier for the batsmen.

“But I’m confident in the batting we’ve got and I think they can get us over the line.”