Celebrations rang out from Blundstone Arena when the University of Tasmania Cricket Club’s Lions defeated Lindisfarne to win the Tasmanian Premier League First Grade T20 competition grand final.
Lindisfarne won the toss and elected to bowl, but they can’t have been counting on the Lions getting off to a blistering start and scoring 173 runs, losing just six wickets in the process.
The Lions were then able to restrict Lindisfarne to 7/161.
Lions skipper and former Australian captain Tim Paine earned the player of the match gong after a knock of 63 (43).
Paine and Sam Harbinson 41 (34) set up the game with a superb 112-run opening partnership to place the Lions in a position to score 173 runs at the end of their 20 overs.
But it wasn’t just the batsman who performed well, with Andrew Kealy (2 for 19 off 3), Bradley Hope (2 for 30 off 4) and Tim Oakley (2 for 23 off 3) preventing Lindisfarne from gaining too much momentum. Tim Ward proved outstanding in the field taking two catches but the turning point of the game was when he ran out Jarrod Freeman just when the Lions’ opposition was starting to peg back the total.
Hope took the wicket of Lindisfarne opener Keegan Oates early in the run chase and followed up with fellow opener Mac Wright one run later. And though Charlie Wakim (68 not out) put in a sterling effort, he could not get his team over the line.
Lions coach Damien Wright said they knew going into the match that Lindisfarne had only lost one game in the T20 competition and that had been against Uni in round one.
He said the efforts of Paine and Harbinson were pivotal during both the campaign and crucially again during the final.
University of Tasmania Cricket Club president Gene Phair said it was great to have a large crowd of club supporters there to cheer the team to victory in the T20.
“It’s been a great season so far for the team and we’re pleased with how they’re going.
“Now that the First Grade side has won the T20, the team will take on North Hobart this Sunday in the One Day semi final and hopefully they’ll be through to that grand final in February.
“Right now the Lions are 15 points clear on the top of the overall ladder, which includes the T20, one day and two day games. If we can make the major semi final and then the final then hopefully we can take out the 2022/23 overall competition.”
The Lions last won the overall Premier League First Grade competition and One Day competition in 2020/21 and the T20 grand final in 2010/11.