Final over heroics lift Rockets to victory
CRICKET: There was no shortage of drama when the Darling Downs Bush Bash League returned to Toowoomba at the weekend.
With fixtures taking place at Captain Cook Reserve, all three games came down to the wire, with two decided on the final ball.
The Hip Pocket Rockets had to defend a modest total of 7/107 from their 20 overs on the back of an unbeaten 44 from Michael Sippel, with RobScan Knight Riders skipper Kris Glass excelling with the ball (3/24).
The Rockets kept things tight with the ball throughout the run chase, with the Knight Riders sitting at 7/99 with one over remaining, requiring nine for victory.
Captain Shaun McCarthy (3/15) stepped up to the plate, restricting them to just five runs to secure a two-run victory.
“It was a good old-fashioned low-scoring thriller,” McCarthy said.
“RobScan bowled the house down and fielded really well. They didn’t make things easy for us.
“We hit a bit of a purple patch with the ball, and were able to make things come down to the last over.
“They needed nine runs, so we backed ourselves as a team. We had the right field set and were able to execute the balls we wanted to bowl.” LIGHTNING STRIKES BLAZERS IN DEBUT GAME
In their debut outing, the
Grammar Blazers found the going tough early, struggling at 6/41, before reaching 102, with Aidan Watterson, Steve McGiffin and Kieren Gibbs taking two wickets apiece for the Livewired Lightning.
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Lightning however, with Stuart McDonald (3/11) tearing through the top order to leave them under the pump at 5/47.
A key seventh-wicket partnership between Lachlan Vellacott (43 runs) and Gibbs (19*) steadied the ship, guiding the Lightning to a four-wicket victory with seven balls to spare.
AZTECS LIFT IN HIGHSCORING THRILLER
Sent in to bat, Raptors skipper Harrison Wood led from the front, carrying his bat through the innings with an unbeaten 62.
They posted a challenging total of 4/178, with late contributions from Simon Dennis (30 off 10) and Michael Topp (29* off 10).
A steady chase, led by Chris Gillam (43 off 29) and Jared Sippel (57) put them in a strong position, needing eight runs off the final over for victory, with Ashley Sippel hitting a four off the last ball for a three-wicket win.