Tasmania won the Sheffield Shield with a seven wicket victory over NSW in the final at Bellerive Oval on Monday.
The Tigers chased down their victory total of 203 just before tea on day five of the final, capping off a brilliant season in which they won their last six games.
There were a few wobbly moments during the run chase, but the home side got there in the end, with Mark Cosgrove hitting the winning runs off NSW spinner Stephen O’Keefe.
Sent in late on Sunday after an aggressive declaration from the Blues, Tigers openers Ed Cowan and Nick Kruger were lucky to survive the four overs they faced when the visitors missed three catches.
But the Blues held them on Monday morning to dismiss both Cowan (21) and Kruger (31) as Tasmania weren’t out of the woods at 2-71.
Cowan was the first to go, caught by Phil Jaques at mid-on while trying to hook Scott Coyte (1-8).
It was slow going for the Tigers from there, as scoring got tougher against the weary Blues pacemen on an inconsistent fifth day pitch.
Kruger was out to a juggling effort from O’Keefe at square leg as he flicked a Trent Copeland delivery off his pads.
After tea, skipper George Bailey (25) had a mental lapse and took off recklessly for a single, and Cummins obliged him by throwing the stumps down to make it 3-131.
But Doolan and Cosgrove were steady, putting on a 72-run partnership to see the Tigers home for their second Shield title.
The Tigers’ only other Sheffield Shield title came in 2006-07.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
The two new Melbourne big bash teams will be known as: 1. Melbourne Stars (playing out of the MCG) 2. Melbourne Renegades (playing out of Etihad) New clubs/leagues have plundered the Eureka Stockade (which didn't even happen in this city) to such an extent that future teams will need to to start looking at the Russian revolution for their next sources of inspiration, e.g. the Revolutionaries, the Trotskyites, etc
sledgeross
Guest
Fair point mate, any of the young guns at the top of the grade wicket taking table would do, we had a young attack as it was, one more wouldnt have hurt, adn we have seen some young NSW players do remarkable things in shield finals before. I just think we were never going to win with 2 bowlers (coyte being an allrounder of sorts).
fisher price
Guest
But who? Aside from Clark (who should retire), Hazlewood, Cockley, Bollinger, Hauritz and Starc are injured, while Henriques has been ineffective all season. As it is, Cummins, like Bills in the previous game, got a run earlier than expected, and Coyte seems a touch below first-class standard. There's not a bottomless pit of Shield-standard NSW bowlers.
sledgeross
Guest
I think the selectors failed for NSW, when Clark was injured they should have went for another bowler, we needed to bowl out Tassie twice to win. Instead Cummins and Copeland bowl 100 overs and toil like dogs and the only back up is Coyte and O Keefe. We needed another option. If teh Blues had finished first, I would agree with another batsman, but we needed to win! Selectors=fail. Well played though Tassie, best team all year!
Rob McLean
Guest
Well done, Tassie. NSW lost it in the final session yesterday - slowish batting and three missed chances in the final three overs of the day killed them.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Congrats to Tassie on their second Sheffield shield victory.