By Elliot Stevenson
The CTPL Two-Day Grand Final scene has been set, with New Town overcoming Kingborough in a rollercoaster match at New Town Oval across the weekend.
The Bucks will play Clarence in the red-ball decider following their 65-run victory at the bike track in which Caelan Maladay starred for the hosts.
Maladay (58 off 143 balls) top-scored in the game, dragging his side out of a difficult position at 5-21 early on day one, before completing a five-wicket haul to ensure New Town’s progression into the final.
Coach Peter Di Venuto heaped praise onto the all-rounder, as well as a number of other key contributors with the bat.
“Caelan was measured all the way through his whole innings,” he said. “He just absorbed any pressure and played really well.”
“And that just allowed Hugh Williams and he to put a good partnership on of nearly 70.
“And then another partnership between he and Tyler [Willmott] of 30 odd.
“When you chip away you get a score of 200 and at least it gave us something to bowl at.
“Jesse Willmott (34 off 31 balls) was the one that initially started to take the game on a bit and pushing pressure back on the opposition, which at that particular point in time was obviously needed.
“You can go one of two ways then, you can roll over or you can decide that you want to take the game on and fight, and Jesse did that really well.”
Despite the late fightback provided and Maladay and company to salvage the batting innings, Kingborough remained firmly in the box seat at stumps on day one.
Nivethan Radhakrishnan was looming large at 43 not out off 84 balls, and assistance from fellow opener James Scott (25 off 28 balls) and young star Zac Curtain (37 off 43 balls) had taken the Knights to 2-111.
With 200 on the board to defend, Maladay and pace partner John Montgomery went to work on day two, taking six wickets for just seven runs and assuming control of the game.
“We spoke about it [on Saturday night] that we probably handed an extra 30 too many runs just by being a little bit too aggressive,” Di Venuto said.
“[Sunday] was really about just hitting good areas, being relentless in forcing the batsman to make a decision, and I felt that both Caelan and John Montgomery did a fantastic job.
“Obviously it wasn't going to plan early on, and as the opposition, you'd be rocking up thinking we need 90 runs and we've got 96 overs and it's a beautiful batting day.
“So, from our perspective, certainly we had to be much better compared to what we delivered [on Saturday night], and we were, and we got that result.”
“It's all about belief and I said we've got the bowlers to do it, and the boys were relentless today.
“It was the best spell of bowling that I've witnessed for the year.
“They've done an enormous amount of work, [Maladay and Montgomery], and bowling on a consistent basis over at Bellerive to the state players because they're at that level.”
The fast-bowling pair have taken a combined 67 wickets this season, with Maladay equal third in the competition leaderboard with 39, alongside Clarence veteran Sam Rainbird and Kingborough’s Cam Walter.
Kingborough was eventually bowled out for 135, with Maladay (5/33 off 18.3 overs) and Montgomery (3/40 off 14 overs) the major difference makers in the game.
The Knights optimistically sent New Town in to bat once again in hopes of a reverse outright, but a strong opening stand from Joe Randall (17 not out off 58 balls) and Tom Luchetti (20 not out off 69 balls) resulted in both captains shaking hands in the early afternoon.
Clarence advanced comfortably in its semi-final with Lindisfarne, with the Lightning not even being granted the opportunity to bat in the eventual draw.
The Roos were made to bat by the visitors, a decision that proved costly as skipper Justin Galeotti (52 off 79 balls) and Kieran Elliott (88 off 110 balls) put on a 109-run opening partnership.
The mantle was soon taken up by in-form superstar Mac Wright (101 off 185 balls) and the ever-reliable Michael Jones (96 off 188 balls).
The century marked Wright’s fourth in the CTPL this campaign, and his third in as many innings for Clarence as the season comes to a head.
The pair’s 176-run partnership extended the Roos’ score to 4-351, before Harry Allanby added a quickfire unbeaten 75 off 76 balls to put the match beyond any doubt.
Lindisfarne ceded the contest at 5-467, ensuring Clarence’s place in the grand final due to their superior position on the CTPL ladder.
In second grade, a similar story unfolded, with the Roos and the Bucks cementing their places in this weekend’s decider at New Town Oval.
A mammoth chase from Clarence and Connor O’Brien (114 off 170 balls) ended University’s season, while New Town defeated Kingborough in hostile territory by four wickets.
In third grade, Clarence will host the two-day grand final after a comfortable victory over Kingborough at Lindisfarne Oval.
Meanwhile, South Hobart-Sandy Bay seamer Blake Johannesen took six wickets in the corresponding semi-final to fire the Sharks into the decider.