A last-ball run-out sealed a thrilling one-run victory for the Newcastle Blasters against the Hunter Hitmen in Sunday’s Regional Bash Twenty20 match at Maitland.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Hitmen needed two runs from the final ball and a single to take the game into a super-over finish for the second year in a row.
But Newcastle bowler Tom Allen wrote another chapter in the growing rivalry between the Hitmen and Blasters when he fielded a Greg Sheehan smash down the pitch and threw the wickets down before Sheehan could make his ground.
It was a dramatic end to an action-filled last two overs after Newcastle’s 5/157 seemed out of reach of the Hitmen
The Hitmen needed 37 runs of 12 balls, when Maitland-raised marquee player Josh Trappel, who had been forced to use a runner because of severe cramp, launched into spinner Nathan Hudson scoring 25 including three sixes and a four for the second last over.
Blasters skipper Nathan Price tossed the ball to pacemen Allen and turned the game back the Blasters way himself with a spectacular catch to dismiss Trappel off the third ball of the final over.
Running with the flight of the ball Price dived and took the catch horizontally in mid-air to end Trappel’s innings of 63.
Sheehan hit the second last ball for four and it was two runs to win, one run to tie and a dot ball or wicket would get the Blasters home.
“I thought with them needing 30 odd in the final two overs a couple of good balls in the second last over it would have got us the win,” Price said.
“Fair play to Josh though he batted really well. He nearly got them home he did the job to nearly get them victory.
“Fortunately for us, Tommy held his nerve and put in quite good final over for us.
“Tom Allen nerves of steel. I went up to him before the over but he knew exactly what he was going to do.
“He had his plan and executed it.”
Price said he had stuck with Hudson as the spinners had been successful in clamping the Hitmen’s run rate.
“I stuck with the spinner for that second last over as there were seven overs of spin where they’d barely got away so I thought I might as well stick with him as he was warm and doing the job,” he said.
“Any bowler in that point of time if they missed their spot Josh was probably going to hit them for six or four.”
Price said catching Trappel was a sweet moment.
“I was saying to the guys I haven’t caught a catch like that in 10 years and to do it at such key moment made it even sweeter,” he said.
Opposing skipper Matt Trappel was ruing another close loss.
“We know how to play close matches. We did really well again today but there were just a couple of moments where they got the better of us,” he said.
“Josh’s inning at the end was pretty special to hit three sixes in a row and get us back in it.
“But we just fell short again on the last ball.”
City United’s Kurt Mullard made a valuable 48 for the Hitmen and Sheehan scored 16 including three fours before being run out.
Josh Trappel and Nick Bower were the best of the Hunter’s bowlers with 2-12 and 2-24 respectively.