TALLANGATTA’s pace barrage has delivered an unlikely victory over the defending premiers Wodonga and thrown the Provincial cricket finals wide open.
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The Dogs’ loss sets up a knockout semi-final between the teams that finished first and second in the home and away season.
The Bushies snuck into the finals in fifth place and made just 180 on Saturday at Kelly Park.
Their cause looked even more forlorn after the Dogs were at one stage 0-78 yesterday.
But Englishman James Weighell with four wickets and Steve Wood, three, put the brakes on the runs and the Tallangatta fieldsmen did the rest.
With a handful of overs left in the day, Wodonga needed just nine runs and Tallangatta needed two wickets.
A drinks break turned the game with Tallangatta’s Mat Armstrong calling on his troops to rally once more.
“I just said to them we had 10 more minutes of cricket, that we needed to lift for every ball and show them that we wanted it more than them,” he said.
“Even at the start I thought were in it on a pitch that had something in it for the bowlers, Trent Ball got 55 of that opening stand so I wasn’t too worried.
“We were unable to unleash a couple of quicks today, blokes that could bowl a bit quicker than they could and that was the difference.
“And backing that up was the fielding — we caught everything that came our way, probably took a couple we were entitled to drop.
“Torquil MacKillop took one at mid-wicket diving full stretch with one hand and Fraser Bremner took that last catch in slip after I’d made him come up thinking it wouldn’t carry and he caught it one handed behind himself.”
Tallangatta will now play a resurgent St Patrick’s after they won their semi against North Albury, while the Dogs will travel to Alexandra Park to play East Albury.
Lavington were the first side bundled out of the finals.
The Panthers were bowled out for 84 in less than 35 overs — Cameron White (5-25) and Chris Bridle (4-19) doing the damage for the minor premiers at Alexandra Park.
Lavington coach Robbie Mackinlay said they failed to adapt to the conditions.
“We always knew the toss of the coin would decide the game at Alexandra Park,” he said.
“Both captains were hell bent on sending the other in and to be fair the same thing happened to East Albury in the preliminary final last year.
“I don’t want it to sound like a whinge — they bowled well and we didn’t play the conditions — but I would like to see a little less juice in the deck for a final.”
East Albury passed the Panthers first innings on Saturday and played was abandoned after only an hour of play on the second day with the Crows 3-191.
Mackinlay expected Lavington to benefit from the experience.
“Some of the young blokes need to learn to bat better in those type of conditions and I’m sure they will,” he said.
“Had we taken our chances on Saturday we could have had them 5-60 ... but we dropped catches and let them off the hook.”