Men's KFC T20 Max Finals Loom

T20 Max | Week 2 Review

The second and final weekend of fixtures for this season’s KFC T20 Max has come and gone. Let’s see how each team performed, and which teams are in the hunt for silverware. First up, the top four which will contest the semi-finals.

Ipswich | 5 wins, 2 losses

Ipswich 5/203 def Souths 116

Ipswich 7/162 def by Gold Coast 2/163

Ipswich 7/170 def Toombul 8/169

Ipswich 8/144 def Wynnum-Manly 101

Thanks to some brutal batting performances and two particularly outstanding bowling performances, the Hornets finish the fixtures in first place.

Jack Wood carried on his week one form, hitting six sixes in his sixty-six against Souths. Kiwi duo Leo Carter (41 off 34) and Josh Clarkson (43 off 19) impressed in their first match. Young local leg spinner Dylan McAteer (5/35) decimated the Souths run chase and led the ‘Switch to victory.

Despite a captains knock from Anthony Wilson (58* off 38), the Hornets went down to the Gold Coast. Toombul surged towards the Ipswich target at Baxter Oval, however the Hornets were able to hang on in a finals like win. Defending 20 in the final oval, there were 2 run outs, 2 sixes, and 22 very nervous players. These two teams meet this weekend in the semi final – stay tuned.

Ipswich finished their weekend with a strong win against Wynnum, Jack Wood (44 off 33) again top scoring. Bryn Llewellyn took 3/8 with his crafty off spin.

Gold Coast | 5 wins, 2 losses

Toombul 6/171 def by Gold Coast 3/177

Ipswich 7/162 def by Gold Coast 2/163

Gold Coast 7/152 def Wests 6/135

The Gold Coast put themselves in a strong position to claim a three peat of T20 titles after another good weekend of cricket. Hugo Burdon showed why he gained a QLD contract this season, passing 50 three times and only dismissed once all weekend.

Burdon (77* off 50) and Xavier Bartlett (65* off 40), saw the Dolphins beat fellow finalists Toombul with four balls and seven wickets to spare. Two runouts in the field helped stem the scoring of the Bulls to go with good out fielding.

Burdon (64* off 48) and Lewin Maladay (72 off 42) combined in another successful Gold Coast run chase, this time with 16 balls to spare. Callum Taylor (2/22), Mitch Owen (2/5) and Bailey Kenzie (2/25) shared the wickets. Burdon (57 off 39) was finally dismissed in his third game of the weekend, however still top scored. The Gold Coast bowling unit again shared wickets and bowled economically to help win by 17 runs. Was also worth noting that schoolboy pace bowker Zak McDermott joined his older brother Ben in the Dolphins line-up on Sunday, the latest member of the McDermott clan to appear on the cricketing radar.

Norths | 5 wins, 2 losses

Norths 5/209 def Sandgate-Redcliffe 171

Uni 3/192 def by Norths 6/196

Sunshine Coast 4/185 def Norths 101

Norths will play the Gold Coast in semi-finals for the second straight T20 Max campaign, this season hoping to overturn last years result. New stars shone in a side which showed it’s batting prowess to launch into contention yet another year.

Josh Brown (52 off 27) hit 6 maximums out of his sides 14, Joe Burns (35 off 24) and Scott Palombo (41* off 35) the next top scorers. Sydney sider and return customer Scott Rodgie (3/33) showed his class and experience. Palombo (90* off 55) was all class in Norths run chase against Uni. Palombo guided his new side home with five balls to spare. Norths were beaten comfortably by Sunshine Coast in their final match of the weekend.

Toombul | 4 wins, 3 losses

Toombul 6/171 def by Gold Coast 3/177

Souths 8/166 def by Toombul 6/167

Ipswich 7/170 def Toombul 8/169

A superior net run rate sees the Toombul side sneak into finals for the KFC T20 Max. Some tough matches will have them feeling prepared heading into their Friday night clash with Ipswich.

Matt Renshaw (87 off 52) was dominant against the Gold Coast bowlers, however no team mate was able to contribute a score greater than Preston White’s 27 (33). White (2/35) also led the bowlers.

White (2/20 and 49 off 24) was monumental in the Bulls win against Souths. Souths started strongly with their opening pair before the Toombul bowlers were able to claw back momentum by taking 4/1. Addy Grewal (25* off 15) was able to secure the win with 3 balls to spare.

Toombul nearly snatched victory against Ipswich, going down on the last ball of the innings. White (2/18) was again at the forefront, while Tom Balkin (2/26) bowled quick with the new ball. Needing 20 from the last over, Toombul were all but gone. A run out of the first ball, followed by 6, 2, 1, 6 left the Bulls needing 3 to draw, 4 to win. With a fumble from the bowler, there was hope of a successful third run, however it wasn’t to be – losing by one run.

SEMI-FINALS

Thursday, 6pm, Gold Coast v Norths, Ian Healy Oval (STREAM & KAYO)

Friday, 6pm, Ipswich v Toombul, Allan Border Field (STREAM & KAYO)

FINAL

Saturday, 6pm Allan Border Field (STREAM & KAYO)

 

Other performances

Redlands | 4 wins, 3 losses

Redlands 8/149 def by Uni 9/150

Valley 7/112 def by Redlands 4/117

Sandgate-Redcliffe 8/160 def Redlands 65

Souths 6/149 def Redlands 6/143

A fifth placed finish sees Redlands finish short of their high expectations. Some middle and late order batting from Stephan Muller (26 off 25), Connor McInerny (37 off 24), Leigh Drennan (30 off 24) and Jack Sinfield (35 off 15) got the Tigers to par total. They lost in a nailbiter, Uni winning with one wicket and one ball to spare.

A low scoring match at Valley’s saw Redlands register their first and only win of the weekend. The spin quartet of McInerney (0/10 off 2), Sam Heazlett (2/22 off 3), Lloyd Pope (2/24) and Jack Sinfield (2/24) was in full flight. Their top order, led by McInerney (35* off 28) won with 10 balls to spare.

Against Sandgate-Redcliffe, Redlands went down convincingly despite arguably the bowling performance of the weekend coming from Jack Sinfield (5/12). This result had significant ramifications on the Tigers season as they finished on the same points as Toombul but with a lesser Net Run Rate. Redlands fell short in their must win run chase against Souths, Muller (48 off 36) top scoring.

Wynnum-Manly | 4 wins, 3 losses

Ipswich 8/144 def Wynnum-Manly 101

Sunshine Coast 7/113 def by Wynnum-Manly 3/115

Valley 6/101 def by Wynnum-Manly 7/102

Wynnum-Manly 4/167 def Uni 8/161

Finishing on the same points as fourth place, Wynnum-Manly will be happy with their progress this campaign but disappointed not to be competing this weekend. Skipper Liam Guthrie (2/18) and Wilson McGillivray (3/26) were the pick of the bowlers against Ipswich. Their batting unit failed to make an impact with 9 scores off 11 or less. In a rain affected game against the Sunshine Coast, Jed Wilson and Zac Foulkes were able to notch a win thanks to a pair of 41 off 25s. Liam Guthrie (3/11 off 3) impressed in the high scoring 13 over match.

The Sea Eagles beat Valley with two balls to spare in a low scoring thriller. Sukhveer Singh (3/11 and 6* off 4) skittled the Valley top order before hitting the winning runs. Young keeper Ruben Burger (16 off 12) and Liam Guthrie (12 off 8) got their side within touching distance of the win, before Singh and Kieran Elliot saw them home. Corey Hunter (53 off 39) and Cameron Trask (53* off 40) anchored the innings against Uni before Guthrie (23* off 6) launched 3 maximums to round out the innings. Singh (2/14) was again unplayable in the win, McGillivray (3/23) and Elliot (2/34) also performing well.

Sandgate-Redcliffe | 3 wins, 4 losses

Norths 5/209 def Sandgate-Redcliffe 171

Sandgate-Redcliffe 3/242 def Wests 8/227

Sandgate-Redcliffe 8/160 def Redlands 65

 

Sandgate-Redcliffe proved to be a team to watch, their batting performances some of the best of the competition. Captain Adrian Lascu (2/27) bowled exceptionally well in a match which all bowlers  felt the wrath of the willow. Mitch Swepson (64* off 32) surged late in their batting innings with five boundaries and five maximums.

Interstate player Jake Winter launched the power hitting display of the tournament against Wests, his 133* (53) including 16 sixes! He fell one shot shy of a century of sixes. Ben Cooper (45 off 30) and Jack Cooper (36 off 21) also hit three sixes each.

The Gators were able to hold on for victory, Gabe Bell (3/42) leading the attack. A dominant win against Redlands rounded out a good weekend for Sandgate. Ben Cooper (74 off 44) steered the side to a strong total before the bowlers had a day to remember. Harry Conway (2/16 off 3), Mitch Swepson (2/6 off 2), Adrian Lascu (1/5 off 2) and Conor Weal (3/20) were all relentless in victory.

 Wests | 3 wins, 4 losses

Sunshine Coast 5/147 def by Wests 4/149

Sandgate-Redcliffe 3/242 def Wests 8/227

Gold Coast 7/152 def Wests 6/135

After a closely fought victory in their first game of the weekend, Wests were unable to win either of their next two for a chance at finals. Pace pairing Brendan Doggett (2/16) and Tom Whitney (2/35) bowled really fast and showed their First Class natures. New Wests trio Luke Davies (49 off 39), Rex Tooley (25 off 18) and Tom Campbell (32 off 34) saw Wests win with an over to spare.

The Wests bowlers had a tough day against the rampant Sandgate-Redcliffe. Staring down a mammoth run chase, Thomas Kelly did his best with a rapid 95 (35). Some tail end hitting saw the Doggies get within 15 of the score, however 242 proved to be too many to chase. Against the Gold Coast, Chris Sabburg (5/26) was every bit the Local Legend with the ball. Despite Tom Campbell’s 53 (48), Wests were unable to chase the Dolphins score. 

Souths | 3 wins, 4 losses

Ipswich 5/203 def Souths 116

Souths 8/166 def by Toombul 6/167

Souths 6/149 def Redlands 6/143

Grand finalists in last year’s campaign, Souths will be disappointed to not be in finals contention this year. They were beaten convincingly at home by Ipswich, Stirling McAvoy (38 off 17) the only batter to pass 20 in pursuit of the 200+ total.

Dylan Hunter (48 off 33) and McAvoy (59 off 39) got Souths away to a strong start against Toombul. However, a collapse of 4/1 halted momentum and had the Magpies short of the total they would have been aiming for. Parram Uppal (1/9 off 2) and Sam Geyer (1/10 off 2) bowled tightly in the loss. They finished the weekend with a great victory against old rivals Redlands. Batting first, Aryan Jain (45 off 34) and the Souths middle order got the side to 149. Skipper Gurinder Sandhu (2/21) and brother Harmon (2/34) managed to close out the game with the ball, finishing the weekend on a high.

Sunshine Coast | 2 wins, 5 losses

Sunshine Coast 5/147 def by Wests 4/149

Sunshine Coast 7/113 def by Wynnum-Manly 3/115

Valley 5/178 def by Sunshine Coast 3/179

Sunshine Coast 4/185 def Norths 101

It was mixed results across the second weekend of the KFC T20 Max for the Scorchers. Sam Truloff (58 off 37) started to show form in the Scorchers rain affected loss to Wynnum-Manly. Against Wests, interstate pair Jay Lenton (55* off 36) and Liam Scott (34 off 23) top scored in the loss.

The tournaments leading run scorer Mackenzie Harvey (78* off 53) continued to add to his enormous tally of runs against Valleys. He and Truloff (69 off 47) batted their way to the Scorchers first win of the campaign in front of a great local crowd. In the afternoon against Norths, Truloff (67 off 37) backed up his morning performance in another win. Scott (42 off 37) was again classy, while Josh Matthews (34 off 21) finished the innings with two maximums. Ben Baker (4/12) was brilliant with the ball, taking the two prized wickets of Josh Brown and Scott Palombo.

Valley | 2 wins, 5 losses

Valley 6/101 def by Wynnum-Manly 7/102

Valley 7/112 def by Redlands 4/117

Valley 5/178 def by Sunshine Coast 3/179

Valley 5/195 def Uni 9/145

It didn’t click for Valley in this year’s T20 Max campaign, the side registering one win each weekend. It was a low scoring slugfest at Peter Easton Oval, Zanden Jeh (3/22) did his best to bowl his side to victory. The afternoon game was another low scoring affair, Valley’s soundly beaten by Redlands.

Despite new recruit Max Bryant’s 81 (53), Valleys were unable to come away with the win against the Sunshine Coast. In their final game of the campaign, Jack Beath (63 off 42), Dylan McLachlan (40 off 25) and Josh Neill (39 off 23) were able to get Valleys to their highest score of the Max. Benji Floros (4/15), Muhammad Ifran (2/20) and Don Whyte (2/32) were then able to keep Uni well under the total.

University | 2 wins, 5 losses

Redlands 8/149 def by Uni 9/150

Wynnum-Manly 4/167 def Uni 8/161

Uni 3/192 def by Norths 6/196

Valley 5/195 def Uni 9/145

Last year’s two day grand finalists had a disappointing campaign compared to their usually high watermark. They managed a cracking win against Redlands on Friday evening under lights at the magnificent Allan Border Field. Callum Henderson (3/23) was the pick of the bowlers, and even managed to squeeze in a solitary run as number 11 to get Local Legend Will Sanders on strike to steer them to victory. Interstate player Nick Larkin (35 off 25) and QLD player Jack Clayton (39 off 33) top scored.

Against Wynnum-Manly, Angus Lovell (75 off 50) did his best in pursuit of the target. However the next five batters all failed to score more than 5, Uni going down by 6 runs in the end. Uni scored their biggest total of the weekend against Norths, however were run down by the top four side. They finished the weekend beaten soundly by Valleys.