STILL ALIVE
Tigers scrape home ... Vics final test
TASMANIA survived a Travis Head master class to secure a thrilling Sheffield Shield victory and put itself on the brink of a first finals appearance in four seasons.
The Tigers moved into second spot on the ladder with one round remaining after yesterday’s pulsating 16-run win against South Australia at Blundstone Arena.
Next week George Bailey’s men host Victoria in a showdown that will not only determine who features in the final, but hosting rights could potentially be on the line pending the result of Queensland’s rain-affected match with Western Australia, which finishes today.
Redbacks captain Head (145) produced one of the innings of his career to nearly drag his side over the line in its pursuit of 331, only for the visitors to fall short after tea. Jackson Bird (4-64) claimed the last wicket of the match.
Bird bowled Nick Winter to seal the win, but it was Sam Rainbird (3-86) who landed the killer blow by removing Head just when it looked like he was about to lead the Redbacks to a memorable win.
Head and Winter had launched 38 runs from the first four overs of the second new ball to leave only 20 required when Rainbird had Head caught by Beau Webster at second slip.
It was the opening the home side needed and Bird, who had lifted the Tigers after claiming a double breakthrough 10 minutes before tea when he removed Joe Mennie and Kane Richardson, finished off proceedings.
“Today was one of those seesawing days where we would get a few wickets and they would put a partnership together. We knew that would be the case but to get that close wasn’t ideal,” Tasmanian coach Adam Griffith said.
“But it was pretty satisfying to get that last wicket.
“We knew it would be a tough ask — they have some really attacking players and we knew they would score reasonably freely. Trying to dry them up as much as we could was plan A and just bowl really good channels.
“We did that for a lot of the day, but we lost our way at times when they got away from us, but we fought back.”
Three wickets in the first three overs from Andrew Fekete and Rainbird reduced SA from its overnight score of 1-49 to 3-69 before Head and Tom Cooper combined for a 115-run stand. The Tigers snared Cooper and Alex Carey in quick succession, but tailenders Mennie and Nick Winter hung around long enough with Head to give the Redbacks a chance.
Head said: “Pretty disappointed. We probably should have got there in the end and unfortunately I lost my wicket, but we showed great fight in the back end but just wasn’t good enough. It is nice to get a big score . . . but once you get that opportunity to win a game you want to be there to win it.”