Barooga and Nathalia are locked in a tense tussle for the position, which the Hawks now hold after claiming victory in tense circumstances over Deniliquin at the weekend.
Travelling to Memorial Park to take on the Rhinos away from home on Saturday, Barooga emerged with a two-run victory in a brilliant display of cricket.
With 45-over matches on the agenda for round 13, the Hawks were asked to bat after losing the toss, and were immediately on the back foot after losing Riley Gow (2) in the opening over, an issue compounded by the dismissal of Murphy Stephens (6) halfway through the ninth, leaving the visitors in trouble at 2-20.
Skipper Riyaad Henry and Crue Lucas set about building a total, and while they managed to lift the run rate and add 26, an attempted quick single spelled the end for Lucas, who was run out on 12 as Barooga slipped to 3-48.
With Henry at the crease, however, the Hawks continued to gain momentum, with the skipper constructing a 46-run partnership with Zach Dunn for the fourth wicket, and when that ended with Dunn’s dismissal to leave Barooga at 4-94, Henry resumed his progress with Harvey Johnson.
The pair whacked 72 runs in their stay at the crease, increasing the scoring rate considerably as they raced beyond the 150-run mark.
But the pursuit of quick runs came at a cost, with Henry holing out for 68 in the 43rd over after what had been a crucial knock for his side, while Johnson followed suit the very next over, having blasted 40 from 30 deliveries.
The partnership was the driving force behind Barooga’s total of 7-175 from 45 overs, which Deniliquin’s Rory Bartlett did his best to contain, snaring 3-33.
In the chase, the Rhinos were anchored by a patient 43 from opener Tom McCallum; however, Barooga’s bowling attack, spearheaded by Jonathon Oliver (4-19), snared wickets at regular intervals, ensuring momentum was hard to maintain for Deniliquin.
Efforts of 25 and 18 in the middle order by Andrew Hogan and Lachlan Holloway, respectively, kept the Rhinos in with a shot, as it all came down to the final over.
At 9-169, the Rhinos required seven runs for victory, while Barooga needed just one wicket to complete the win, with the ball thrown to Oliver to close things out.
A wide, two leg byes and a single off the first four balls of the over left Deniliquin requiring three from three deliveries to win; however, in a desperate attempt at a single the stumps were thrown down, with the Hawks nailing a run out to claim victory by two runs.
The win has huge implications on the ladder ahead of the final round of action starting this week, too, with Barooga having risen to second spot after Nathalia’s loss to Cobram.
Hosting the Tigers at Nathalia Showgrounds, Nathalia was sent in to bat after losing the toss, and while the top four collapsed for a combined 13 runs, Emile Haratbar produced a composed 70 under pressure to help steer his side to a total of 168 before being bowled out in the 45th over, with Cobram’s Adam De Cicco snaring 6-31 in a dominant display.
Despite a valiant effort from the home side with ball in hand, Cobram proved far too good in the chase, securing a six-wicket win in the 42nd over, spearheaded by an unbeaten 48 from De Cicco and 41 from Tyron Baden.
Cobram has comfortably wrapped up top spot already; however, the loss could prove detrimental to Nathalia’s hopes of a deep finals run, with the defeat seeing it cede second spot to Barooga ahead of the two sides meeting in the final round.
The Hawks will hold home ground advantage, too, hosting the encounter at Barooga Recreation Reserve, with the winner of the two-day clash set to seal second spot on the ladder.
In the remaining round 13 clash, Katunga completed a rout of Tocumwal at Tocumwal Recreation Reserve, restricting the Bloods to 9-130 from 45 overs, led by Hugh Duncan’s 4-27, before unbeaten half centuries by Daniel Henderson (53) and Jacob Bartlett (60) helped the visitors chase down the runs for the loss of one wicket in only 20 overs.
