St George have qualified for the playoffs in the T20 Cup premier competition after toppling local rivals Sutherland in the derby clash.
St George were in trouble at 4/45 yesterday at Hurstville Oval chasing Sutherland’s total of 139.
A good crowd gathered to watch the derby and got plenty of entertainment when Englishman Harry Finch took it on himself to rescue St George. The number three batsman blasted 77 not out off 55 balls to help the home side win the match – eight wickets down with four balls remaining.
St George bowler Ben Patterson, who took 2/20 earlier in the match, also chipped in with a hard-fought 35.
“We always tend to have some very tight matches and close struggles with Sutherland and this was no different,” Saints coach Peter Jackson said. “It came down to the last over with us getting the winning runs.”
St George lost their afternoon match to Newcastle but scraped into the playoffs with a record of three wins and one loss. Sutherland miss out on the T20 playoffs.
The playoffs for the Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup begin this coming Sunday. If St George win their quarterfinal match against Mosman (away) they will play at the Sydney Cricket Ground the following Sunday in the semifinals and possibly the final. St George won the T20 competition in 2014.
Jackson said their good form in the T20 Cup would give them confidence for the main competition, the Belvidere Cup.
“Most of the guys are between 19 and 23 and haven’t had a lot of first-grade experience. So we are a young side that are developing their cricket especially at first-grade level.”
In the main competition for NSW premier cricket, the Belvidere Cup, St George have got off to a poor start against Parramatta while Sutherland are also in a bad position against Bankstown, following the first day of play on Saturday. Those matches are two-day games and wrap up this coming Saturday. Both Sutherland and St George are playing at home.
- Australian captain Steve Smith, who plays his club cricket for Sutherland, has re-written the history books following a brilliant knock at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
- Australia got off to a slow start against New Zealand on Sunday, but Smith helped rescue his side’s innings by scoring 164 runs, as Australia went on to win the match.
- His score was the highest ODI total for an individual at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
