A herculean effort with the ball from Kieran Elliot has propelled Clarence to a stunning victory over the University of Tasmania in another tight round of CTPL action.
In the first two-day game of the season, it was Elliot who grabbed the headlines with the best bowling figures of the season so far.
The Roos were defending 289, with the Lions resuming their innings at 1-15, but quickly found their groove through in-form captain Param Uppal (77) and Zac Phair (55) as the duo put on 135 to take Uni to 3-210.
Enter Elliot who removed both batters, and started a collapse of 7-55, with the right-arm quick finishing with 7-76 from a marathon 27 overs – and coming on the back of a mountain of work for Tasmania’s second XI during the week.
Fittingly it was Elliot who took the final wicket to give Clarence a 24-run win to lift the Roos to second on the ladder and inflict the Lions’ first defeat of the season.
Roos’ playing-coach Harry Allenby said Elliot’s returns were reward for hard work.
“It was pretty special actually,” Allenby said.
“The position we were in and for him to get those wickets late in the day was a terrific effort.
“He had such a good year for Melbourne last year in the Vic Premier League and he thought he’s at that age now if he wanted to have a crack he needed to make a move so he’s done that.
“It is a big tick for him as it is a big thing to move and he’s fitted right in with the club.
“He’s going in the right direction.
“He can swing the new ball, and then his consistency after that is a standout. He hits the top of off stump a lot with that first-class length, similar to a Peter Siddle-type bowler.
“He’s got a bit heart and a big tank so he can go all day.”
Allenby said to pull victory from the jaws of defeat would be huge for his team.
“It is really exciting; we’ve got a really young group with a lot of guys who have come through our youth pathway.
“We keep finding a way to keep ourselves in games. Even yesterday they needed 70-odd runs with only three wickets down, but it has been so pleasing to see our young group stand up in key moments and keep finding ways to win.
“It’s a nice habit to have.”
New Town recorded its first victory of the season in yet another thriller as it switched fortunes with Lindisfarne.
Lindisfarne was coming off a last-ball one-wicket victory the previous round but couldn’t pull off another miracle this time.
Chasing the Bucks 9-299 declared, Lightning skipper Mac Wright led the charge, scoring the only century on day two of the round with a sublime 117.
But he struggled to find the support required to put Lindisfarne in the driver’s seat.
Instead, it was the Bucks new ball duo of Caelan Maladay (4-60) and Tyler Wilmott (3-47) who kept chipping away, as New Town took the last wicket with just six runs in the bank to secure the tight victory.
North Hobart was able to comfortably secure first innings points against the Greater Northern Raiders but could not push on for outright victory as the Raiders showed much more resolve with the bat in their second innings.
The Raiders were in deep strife at the start of day two at 5-51 in reply to the Demons 202 and were eventually dismissed for 142 as Alex Pyecroft finished with 5-50.
Chasing quick runs, the Demons declared their second dig at 6-205 from 33 overs.
However, the Raiders were able to comfortably make it to stumps losing only three wickets while posting 168 with captain Alistair Taylor leading the way with 69 not out.
Kingborough received the equivalent of the highest points scored for the round after Glenorchy was forced to forfeit due to an administrative error that saw the Magpies submit an incorrect team sheet the previous week.
In the women’s competition, Clarence chalked up its first victory of the season in a run feast against the Raiders.
After being easily beaten by the same opponent earlier in the day – only making 7-70 in response to the Raiders 1-170 after a brilliant unbeaten 152-run stand between Emma Manix-Geeves (93 not out from 61 balls) and Meg Radford (52 not out from 53) – Clarence turned the tables in the second game.
Playing their round 10 fixture in the afternoon after their round seven clash in the morning, the Roos slammed on 2-164 from their 20 overs, with Erin Fazackerley (77 not out from 57) and captain Maisy Gibson (51 off 39) powering Clarence’s innings.
The Raiders put in a valiant chase, again led by the superb Manix-Geeves with a 76-ball 96.
However, even her prowess with the bat wasn’t enough as the Raiders fell just six runs short at 4-158 to allow the Roos to taste victory for the first time in the 2023-24 season.
North Hobart has moved to the top of the ladder with a commanding win over New Town, led by red hot captain Ella Marsh.
Batting first, the Bucks were unable to get any momentum through their innings, being held to 5-103 from their 20 overs.
Marsh continued her outstanding season with the ball, proving miserly and potent to finish with 2-15 from four overs.
She now has 15 wickets for the season at just nine runs each and has taken nine more wickets than any other player in the league for this campaign.
The Demons sauntered to victory for the loss of just two wickets and with 38 balls to spare.