Cats creep into division five grand final

by Samuel Laffy
Catani (8/144) def. Western Park (142)
In a heart-stopping semi-final encounter Catani edged out Western Park by the barest of margins, with the Cats claiming a two-run win over the Warriors in a contest that well and truly lived up to expectations.
Catani had been relatively untroubled across the home-and-away season before being trounced by Western Park in their round 15 clash a fortnight ago, and the 103-run loss saw the ladder-leaders forced to confront the realisation that the flag wasn't a foregone conclusion.
And for much of the Cats' innings they were forced to battle to accelerate, as a miserly spell from Gordon 'Jandals' Winstone (1/15 off 7) reduced the run-rate early.
Vipin 'The Doc' Vyas diagnosed dot balls as the cure for what potentially ailed the Warriors alongside Winstone, and despite an excellent 40 from Archie Purvis, when he was smartly stumped by Benjamin 'Calf' Laffy the scoreboard read 8/112 with just a handful of overs remaining.
However, some loose bowling at the death - alongside a rollicking 14-ball 22 from Jackson Peacock - boosted Catani's total late, and they made their way to 8/144 at the end of 35 overs.
A feature of Western Park's late season form has been the ability of their entire XI to impact the contest, and they began their chase keenly aware that the Cats would be out to atone for their recent shock loss.
Indeed, Purvis (2/19 from 7) and Cameron Wagstaff (3/18) applied immense pressure with ball in hand - although at the very least one of their scalps was fortuitous considering the path the Kookaburra was taking when striking pad - and they made inroads to curtail the Warriors' chase.
Just as they were channelling the stray cat strut however, Ben Lemmens (32 from 34) and Vyas (19*) combined for a last-gasp 10th-wicket stand that soon had Western Park faithful raucously cheering each scoring shot.
Working the ball smartly through the field, the duo mixed the odd boundary into their partnership and a step-hit to the mid-on boundary in the final over of the day saw three runs required from the final three deliveries.
Peacock knew continuing to attack the stumps was his ticket to success however, and an attempted follow-up boundary from Lemmens only resulted in his stumps being cartwheeled, with Catani sealing their narrow victory in the last gaps of the afternoon.

Hallora (6/106) def. Iona (104)
Heading into their semi-final clash against Iona as firm favourites - despite the Swamp Tigers having snatched a rollicking victory in their round 14 clash - Hallora duly delivered on their potential, taking home a four-wicket win to seal their place in the division five grand final against Catani.
And, as expected, it was some of the more experienced heads in the Kangaroos squad who led the way, with Paul Bridges-Black and Leigh Cook delivering stupendous displays of bowling that prevented the prevented Iona from notching a winning total.
The Ionan combination of Charlie Piner (22 from 41) and Dion Pavlic (who rounded out a superb summer with a gritty 26) combined for a 47-run opening stand that threatened to take away the advantage from Hallora.
But once Bridges-Black (4/8 from 7 fresh off an international tour with Blackbridge CC) removed the pair, there was precious little to continue the early run-scoring ways.
Jason Siegel (27 off 22) briefly inspired a comeback but Cook (4/31 off 6) ensured the Swamp Tigers' tail couldn't capitalise and they were bundled out for 104 in the 34th over.
Against some testing spells from James Weitering (2/12) and Siegel (2/20 off 7), Mal McLeod (10 from 26) and Glenn Barnes (20 off 52) began cautiously, knowing that run rate pressure didn't apply, and the slow-but-steady approach was continued by Aaron Summergreen (12 from 32).
The Ionan bowlers did their level best to make risky shots the only option for Hallora, but Cook's boundary-hitting ability released the pressure valve and Darren Humprey (14 from 6) was soon able to apply the finishing touches as the Kangaroos reached 6/106 in the 29th over.