University was the big winner of round 21 as it withstood a Mitch Owen storm before delivering one of its own.
The CTPL men’s competition has never been tighter, with the bottom three sides all recording victories, but it was Uni that was the biggest victor, jumping from seventh to back inside the top four and ending a five-game losing streak with a thumping of New Town.
Whatever Lions coach Damien Wright did during last week’s bye worked as Uni completely reversed its form slump in the two-day clash with the Bucks at New Town Oval.
New Town skipper Mitch Owen was the highlight of day one smacking 117 from just 99 balls (13 fours and four sixes), but the contributions of Owen and Joe Randall (59 not out) masked an otherwise disappointing batting performance from the home side as they were dismissed for 256, with Hurricanes spinner Paddy Dooley taking 4-73 for Uni.
It appeared a competitive target with Uni 2-60 in reply, but Lions skipper Param Uppal continued his outstanding form by posting 139 – his seventh 50-plus score for the season but his first century.
Unlike previous rounds, Uppal received support with Tom Chapman (135) also registering three figures for the first time this season.
The duo put on 246 for the third wicket to end the Lions losing streak and put their season back on track.
There were more upsets across the round, with the Greater Northern Raiders (eighth) taking down top team Kinborough at UTAS Stadium.
The Knights appeared set for another victory after holding the Raiders to 209 with Alex Vincent (5-48) the chief destroyer.
The visitors were then on track at 2-95 in reply, before a collapse by Kingborough, who were bowled out for 171.
The Raiders Sam Omahony was the star of the show, not only continuing on his red-hot form with the ball with 4-29 – taking his tally to 34 wickets for the equal most in the league – but also top-scoring in the match with 71 from No.7 to show his importance to his side.
Last-placed South Hobart-Sandy Bay also recorded an against the odds win with a four-wicket victory over Lindisfarne and seriously denting the Lightning’s chances of defending its CTPL title.
A team bowling performance saw the Sharks restrict Lindisfarne to a modest total of 200, a target South Hobart-Sandy Bay chased down through contributions from Harry Nichols (53), Kayden Hine (43) and an unbeaten 50-run stand for the seventh wicket between Sam Voss (28 not out) and captain Gabe Bell (19 not out) when things could have got a little tense.
North Hobart jumped into second place on the ladder courtesy of an absolute smashing of Glenorchy at KGV Oval.
The Demons bowling has been strong all season, but this time North Hobart was able to put it together with bat and ball for their most comprehensive performance of the campaign.
North was able to run through the Magpies for just 113, with Tom Rogers (3-13) leading the way and dismissing the league’s leading run-scorer Glenorchy skipper Josh Hartill for just 16.
The Demons domination continued with the bat, posting 7-339 declared as skipper Jack White (140 from 158 balls) registered his best score of the season with plenty of support from Aiden Bariol (51) and Robb Macmillan (58 not out from just 34 balls, seven fours and three sixes).
The Magpies were much better with the bat in their second innings, denying the Demons an outright win by making it safely to stumps at 3-135.
The women’s CTPL also saw plenty of upsets, with the Greater Northern Raiders slumping to their second straight loss after being undefeated across the first three 50-over games, this time at the hands of a resurgent North Hobart.
Shelby Leonard’s 5-15 rocked the Raiders who were humbled for only 64 with only Emma Manix-Geeves (26) and Meg Radford (10) reaching double figures.
The chase was a cakewalk for the Demons, who did not lose a wicket as Naomi Stalenberg (41 not out from 31 balls) and captain Ella Marsh (22 not out from 27) stormed to the target in less than 10 overs to complete the rout.
It was a similar one-sided affair at Kangaroo Bay as Clarence slumped to new lows.
Still chasing their first 50-over win of the season, the Roos must have given themselves a chance after restricting in-form New Town to 215 through Taylor Brooks’ 5-41.
But any thought of victory soon vanished as Clarence was rolled for only 30, with no batter reaching double figures and six batters failing to score at all.
There was no standout with the ball for the Bucks as Kathryn Bryce (2-6), Callie Wilson (2-8), Bethany Lane (2-1) and Tara-lee Pearce (2-3) all shared the honours.