HOBART-BOUND KANN THE MAN IN T20 FINAL
YOUTH and aggressive batting shined as Southern Storm capped off a memorable and competitive T20 Strike League tournament with a 30run final win over City Cyclones in Friday night’s final.
Hobart Hurricanes-bound Josh Kann (55 off 39 balls) and Josh Hartill (37 off 41) started their team’s innings with plenty of intent, Kann hitting aggressively while Hartill anchored from the other end.
And even when the opening duo were eventually dismissed, their successors Dean Fry (46 off 25) and Ash Chandrasinghe (28 not out off 16) continued the run rush.
Such was the batting dominance of that opening four that their combined knock of 3-183 was the highest total of the 20-over tournament up until that point.
Cyclones followed with Jack Edwards (29) and Nick Larkin (41) hitting for the fences, but the side lacked fluency in attacking their opposition.
Reiley Mark (3-33) and Fry (2-25) got key scalps with the ball to put Storm in a clear position.
And while Cyclones chipped away over after over, they were unable to overcome their deficit finishing with a total of 8-153.
Storm coach Tony Judd was pleased with his team’s win, crediting the performance and bond of his young players.
“It was a great night. We played enough good cricket out there to come away with an excellent win,” Judd said.
“Every one of our first four contributed well. Kann is a great, aggressive cricketer who started the push while Hartill controlled the pace.
“But the shining light was the contribution of local boy Dean Fry, who alongside Ash was just the icing on the cake. We have our aggressive batter and those who control the innings and it worked perfectly for us.
“Since we came together 10 weeks ago the entire group bonded really well. The dressing room vibe has been fantastic.
“We may have lost some of our big players such as Beau Webster or Mac Wright, but it was young guys who bonded well and got the job done.”
Judd congratulated NT Cricket for putting on the event, saying it now made Darwin the go-to cricket location in the Australian winter.
“Cricket 365 has been terrific – NT Cricket has put on a great show,” Judd said. “It sends a clear message to everyone in the Territory, particularly the younger kids, that there is a chance to play with this calibre of player and that’s something we’ve been missing for a while.”
Full match replays of every game can be found at ntnews.com.au.
• MEANWHILE in Darwin Premier Grade action, an Ashley Chandrasinghe century piloted Waratah to a nine-wicket win over rivals PINT in the round 14 game at Gardens Oval.
Chandrasinghe’s 172 from 261 balls was one of two big centuries from opening batsmen on day two, Southern Districts opener Lochie Hardy blasting a matchwinning 178 in his side’s successful run chase at Palmerston’s Cazalys Oval.
That knock allowed the Crocodiles to chase down their imposing 327-run target. Chandrasinghe’s long stay at the crease was the response Waratah was looking for after its big loss to Tracy Village last round.
The left-hand bat hit 25 boundaries and two sixes.
“It was pretty tough out there with conditions in our favour with the flat pitch and a good day to bat, but it was a good test of concentration out there in the middle,’’ Chandrasinghe said. Districts’ Hardy hit 21 boundaries. “It was a pretty good deck to bat on chasing 327. Kierran (Voelkl – 70 runs), my opening partner and I just ticked along nicely,” he said.
Darwin had three batsmen who topped 60 in its winning pursuit of 305 against Nightcliff at Kahlin Oval.
Anthony Adlam’s 77 at the top of the order was supported by Will Anstey’s 73 and Ben Reichstein’s 65.