While the Newcastle Blasters breezed through their pool to qualify for the final four, finishing undefeated, the Wagga Wagga Sloggers’ road to the Sydney Cricket Ground was substantially tougher.
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Wagga, the Border Bullets and South Riverina Vipers all finished their Thunder Conference Griffith pool campaigns with two wins and a loss, but ultimately the Sloggers clinched top spot and progression thanks to a superior net run rate.
It was only a narrow advantage though, the Sloggers’ net run rate of 0.70 just edging the Vipers’ 0.67, with the Bullets (-0.48) finishing third.
In the end, the Sloggers’ win over the highly-fancied Border side – which included former New Zealand Test quick Daryl Tuffey – late last month is easily pointed to as the decisive result, Wagga winning the grudge match by 64 runs.
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Although the Sloggers downed the inaugural champions last summer as well, Border was still considered favourites for last month’s clash and Bullets selector Trent Ball labelled Wagga’s 2016-17 win “a fluke” leading in as well.
But Wagga comfortably took care of their Albury-based rivals, knocking up 6-161 before skittling the Bullets for 97, the meagre chase proving costly for Border in the run rate stakes.
The winner of the Sixers Conference Coffs Harbour Pool – Coffs Coast Chargers, Macquarie Coast Stingers, Northern Inland Bolters or Northen Rivers Rock – will claim the last spot in the final four.
That carnival, in its entirety, will be played on December 2 and 3, after being postponed from late October thanks to rain and a Midnight Oil concert.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
