Border Bullets suffered a gut-wrenching second-last ball loss to fierce rivals Wagga Sloggers on Sunday.
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Warren Clunes' slog sweep of paceman Jake Burge over the mid-wicket boundary at Robertson Oval ended the Bullets' hopes of moving through to the T20 Regional Bash finals, which are generally at the SCG.
"I knew roughly where he was going to bowl and just had to put it over the rope really, I had no other option," Clunes said just minutes after the match-winner.
Wagga sent the visitors in and held the early advantage, restricting the Bullets to 3-39, with opener David Farrell blasting 23 from only 12 balls.
Nathan and Kade Brown steadied the innings with a 67-run stand as the Bullets posted a competitive 7-143.
Wagga's openers Josh Thompson and Ethan Bartlett threatened to rip the match away in racing to 0-39 from just three overs, with former Sri Lankan first-class spinner Mahesh Kodamullage and David Tassell on the receiving end with 15 and 16 runs respectively.
Bartlett destroyed the Bullets with a blockbusting 117 from only 56 deliveries four years ago.
However, Tassell claimed Bartlett (22 runs from 11 balls) to give his team an outside chance and when Ryan Brown captured Thompson leg before for 30, the Sloggers were 2-58 from six overs.
The introduction of Michael Galvin's spin in the ninth over turned the match.
When he finished a four-over spell, Wagga was 5-108 after 15.
Burge and Tassell conceded only four and two runs respectively, but Wagga took 14 runs from Burge.
It left Wagga at 6-128 and then Tassell allowed only two runs to set Wagga 14 runs from the last over.
It was then six off two balls.
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"I can't really remember what was going through my head (prior to the last over), apart from thinking, 'I've got to find the boundary at least three times'," Clunes said.
I can't really remember what was going through my head (prior to last over), apart from thinking, 'I've got to find the boundary at least three times'.
- Warren Clunes