Victoria bows to rampant Tigers
The Age
Monday March 1, 2010
VICTORIA's one-day title drought has extended to 11 years after a ruthless performance from Tasmania last night handed it a 110-run thrashing in the Ford Ranger Cup final.The result, inspired by a 132-run opening stand between man of the match Tim Paine (100) and Michael Dighton (80) and a five-wicket haul from Tigers paceman Gerard Denton, ensured Tasmania left the MCG with its third title in the past six years, cementing its status as the nation's premier 50-over team.Conversely, it condemned the Bushrangers to a fourth consecutive one-final loss €” three of which have come on home turf.After allowing Tasmania to post a formidable 6-304 (Dighton capitalised on being dropped twice in the first half of his innings) the Bushrangers needed to beat the all-time chasing record at the MCG for the second time this season.Their chase began terribly when opener Aiden Blizzard was spectacularly caught by Rhett Lockyear at backward point in the fourth over.It was compounded by the departure of Chris Rogers (14) in the eighth over and talisman Brad Hodge (14) in the 10th.While a 55-run partnership between McDonald and Aaron Finch (28) steadied the home team's innings it did little for its chances of victory because the required run-rate was just under eight by the time Finch fell in the 23rd over.Andrew McDonald (64) and Matthew Wade (40) briefly got the home team back into the contest with an 82-run stand off 89 balls, but a superb spell of 6-22 from 31 balls ensured the Bushrangers' chase ended with a whimper.It included Jason Krejza's brilliant throw from long-off that caught Wade just out of his crease; captain George Bailey's superb catch at deep mid-off to removed top-scorer McDonald; and veteran Denton's fifth wicket after debutant Glenn Maxwell holed out to long-off in the 42nd over.Earlier, Paine and Dighton justified Bailey's decision to bat with a first-wicket stand that was six runs short of the biggest partnership conceded by Victoria this season.Dighton and Bailey departed within two overs to peg the Tigers back to 2-140.Ed Cowan then reinforced his status as the domestic recruit of the year by dominating a crucial 111-run stand with Paine, compiled off just 95 deliveries. Left-handed Cowan clubbed six boundaries and a six in his innings to reach his half-century from 52 balls before departing at the tail-end of the Tigers' batting powerplay.Paine fell shortly after, one ball after reaching his third one-day century, but Lockyear's brutal 28 not out off 13 balls ensured the team's momentum did not suffer, piling on 103 from the last 10 overs.
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