By Tania Phillips
Defending premiers Redbacks will be looking to move a step closer to defending their Warwick Cricket Association Condamine Cup title when they take on Victoria Hill in the Qualifying final at Slade Oval on Saturday in Warwick.
The two teams have been neck and neck all year with Redbacks finishing narrowly on top of the ladder on 58.5, just ahead of Victoria Hill on 55.5. Warwick Colts and Wheatvale will battle for survival in the knockout final at Queens on Saturday after Colts finished third with 50.5 and Wheatvale, fourth, on 48.5 while Allora Green Ants 33.5 and Sovereign Animals 19.5, have hung up their bats for the final.
The winner of the Redbacks-Victoria Hill game go straight through to the final in two weeks while the loser takes on whoever triumphs in the Colts Wheatvale match.
Redbacks take good form into this weekends final after the side took the points over their rivals in the last home and away round this past weekend.
Victoria Hill won the toss and elected to bowl and looked to have the measure of the Redbacks team when they had opener John Tickle back in the pavilion for a duck and Redbacks in a little trouble at 1-10.
But it was short-lived thanks to a 145-run partnership for the third wicket between Tom Allison who finished with a stylish 91 off just 107 balls including ten fours and three sixes and Samson Lowney 84 off 94 with seven fours and five sixes.
Mitchell Darton pitched in with an unbeaten 23 as Redbacks made it to a highly competitive 5-225 off their 40 overs with Nicholas Webber the most successful of the Vic Hill bowlers with 3-41 off eight overs.
In the end Victoria Hill finished just 16 runs short to be all out for 209 in their 40 overs.
It was a steady performance from Vic Hill lacking the explosive early partnership that Redbacks enjoyed. Nick Morris top scored with 53 and while several other players made starts only the extras 32 and Michael Bourke 32 and Ahamed Muneer 23 made it over 20.
Samson Lowney 4/39 off eight and David Drewery 3-37 off six took the wickets for Redbacks to give their team the win and the form going into this weekends all important final.
Meanwhile third-placed Colts defeated fifth-placed Allora Green Ants at Slade Park. Allora Green Ants won the toss and elected to bat finishing with 8/89 off 26.3 overs with Jason Manttan scoring 17 while Colts were best served by David Walker with 2-10 off seven overs in a game where all the bowlers performed well.
In reply Colts secured the points with the loss of just four wickets in the 21st over fighting back from 3-24 to win with number five batsman James Saunders 43 not out getting his team home to victory. Jamie Holmes put everything into his bowling to take 3-9 off six overs and keep his team in the game.
In the other match fourth-placed Wheatvale took the points over Sovereign Animals. Animals batted first making 110 off 31.2 overs, Mitchell Hay 36 and Chris Cantwell 2-19 with Wheatvale passing them for the loss of one wicket in the 22nd oval with opener Lachlan Boal 60 not out and first drop Hayden Doherty unbeaten on 34.
