By Elliot Stevenson
In an extraordinary afternoon of cricket on Sunday, North Hobart and New Town played out not one, but two super over thrillers in a remarkable CTPL Women’s T20 double-header.
Both matches were forced into super overs after the chasing side lost a wicket off the final delivery needing just one run for victory, with North Hobart ultimately emerging victorious on both occasions.
And if the drama of two super overs wasn't enough, the second encounter required a boundary countback to separate the sides after even the additional six balls failed to produce a winner.
In the first clash, New Town posted 2-150 courtesy of 64 not out off 50 balls from opener Ella Hayward, her first game for the club since her move from Victoria in the off-season.
Mia Barwick (62 off 55 balls) led North Hobart’s chase, and needing one run to win off the final ball, Kelly Rowlings (2-15 off two overs) bowled Josie Rose (18 off 18 balls) to send the match to a super over.
Hayward bowled for New Town, conceding eight runs to Barwick and Caitlin Mair, before young gun Mackenzie Stewart displayed her coolness under pressure by going for just five to ensure victory for the Demons.
The craziness did not cease there, however, as an almost carbon copy of the first game occurred just hours later in the second.
Hayward (63 off 43 balls) backed up with another half-century for the Bucks, before Melodie Armstrong (42 off 40 balls) and coach Julia Cavanough (60 off 44 balls) got North Hobart close.
Hayward then emulated Rowlings’ feats, bowling Cavanough on the final ball when the Demons needed a single run, to enter a second super over of the day.
Again, no wickets were taken as both teams managed nine runs off the super over, meaning North Hobart would win on boundaries scored in the opening 20 overs.
In slightly less extraordinary fashion, the Greater Northern Raiders won their first match of the year with a six-wicket win over Clarence in the afternoon game.
That came after a seven-wicket defeat to Kingborough that same morning at Windsor Park, with Shelby Leonard (24 not out off 22 balls) taking the Knights across the line.
In the men’s competition Kingborough secured a home Kookaburra Cup semi-final with a win against the Northern Magpies at the Twin Ovals on Sunday, but it wasn’t smooth sailing across the weekend for the Knights.
A narrow loss to North Hobart on Saturday cast some doubt over Kingborough’s place in the one-day finals, but the Knights were able to regroup and cement their place in next week’s finals.
Coach Tom Martyn says he was pleased with his side’s ability to shake off the loss and go again on Sunday.
“We spoke about it in the rooms after the game on Saturday that we needed to get back to being a little bit harder to play against and try and grind out a win,” he said.
“It was really pleasing yesterday. Late in the afternoon on a Sunday, to be able to stand up and get the result was really nice.
“It was a different group again, quite a young group. So, it was a pleasing result yesterday to make another semi-final.”
Young up-and-coming batsman Adil Tariq made his mark on the Knights’ first-grade setup for the first time with an impressive century, despite the loss.
It could have been a vastly different weekend for Tariq, with Martyn admitting the opener was likely to miss out on selection if Tasmanian Tigers all-rounder Nivethan Radhakrishnan had been available.
“I’m really pleased for Adil and very happy for him,” Martyn said.
“For him to be able to tackle a bit of bad news that he's going back to second grade and then actually get pulled back in when [Radhakrishnan] got picked in the Shield team, and then to make his debut hundred and lead the way there was really pleasing.
“Against a really good attack, which North Hobart had, he should take great confidence out of that.”
Alex Vincent also starred for the Knights, taking eight wickets across both games, as well as a quickfire 50 off 25 balls against North Hobart.
Vincent is a frequent contributor in all facets of the game, something that Martyn values in his players.
“He’s a really good multi-skilled player, whether it be with bat, ball or in the field,” he said.
“And every week he's chipping in for us and just has a knack of taking wickets at the moment.
“It’s really pleasing that he's cashing in on that and taking some big wickets for us.”
The Knights will host Clarence in a Kookaburra Cup semi-final on Sunday.
The Roos enjoyed a similar weekend to Kingborough, losing on Saturday to University but confirming their place in the semi-finals with a crucial victory over the Greater Northern Raiders.
Uni skipper Tom Chapman made his first big score since returning to the club with 94 off 107 balls in a rain-affected 74-run win over Clarence.
Determined to bounce back, the Roos managed 197 against the Raiders on Sunday but were able to defend it through a diligent team bowling performance.
Despite the loss, the Greater Northern Raiders held on to fourth place and will travel to the bike track in Hobart to take on minor premier New Town.
The Bucks fell short against South Hobart-Sandy Bay at Queenborough, with Jesse Willmott’s 5-40 off nine overs and Josh Hartill’s 57 off 59 balls not enough to overcome the Sharks.
Caelan Maladay (88 off 103 balls) and captain Sam Voss (67 off 60 balls) proved too strong for Peter Di Venuto’s side.
It was the Jai Lemire show on Sunday, with the young Victorian blasting 133 not out off 114 balls for New Town against Lindisfarne, powering the Bucks to a dominant nine-wicket victory.
Chasing 201, Lemire hit 17 boundaries and was assisted by opening partner Joe Randall (58 off 112 balls) who played a steady hand at the other end.
Lemire is now averaging an impressive 66.57 since relocating south, including two centuries.
Lindisfarne was similarly unable to win on Saturday against the Northern Magpies at Anzac Park, with Magpie Harshit Takkar taking 5-33 off 10 overs and reducing the Lightning to 135.
A somewhat unsteady yet successful chase was impacted by the fast bowling of Lindisfarne’s Marcus Bean, who took 6-49 off 9.2 overs in a notable return from state duty.
South Hobart-Sandy Bay capped off a successful two days with a powerful win over local rivals University, with skipper Sam Voss (62 off 73 balls) making his second half-century of the weekend. He was supported by Will Prestwidge (66 off 76 balls) as the Sharks posted 5-285.
In reply, Tom Chapman (58 off 57 balls) again scored heavily for Uni, but Prestwidge (3-27 off 10 overs) and off-spinner Tom Willoughby (3-30 off 10 overs) took control for a dogged South Hobart-Sandy Bay.