LAST Man Standing Season favourites Hit and Run were knocked out of contention in the semi-finals after the Beauy Bucheurs pulled of a stunning upset win on October 13.
Batting fist, Hit and Run was slow to get off the mark and only managed to set a modest score of 7-131.
Opening batsmen Simran Singh (12) and Andrew Hardy (14) were dismissed cheaply and number three batsman Shaun Harkin was bowled out LBW for only three runs.
The Bucheurs bowling attack proved lethal against Hit and Run with Daniel Lake (1-24), Cameron Turbill (1-29) and Matt Turbill (2-23) doing the damage.
Only Hayden Teese made an impact with the bat and scored 49 runs from 33 balls before he was caught.
The Bucheurs did not hesitate to take advantage of Hit and Run's rare vulnerability.
Openers Matt Turbill (22) and Tyson Breed (50) hit runs freely and were supported by a man of the match performance by Daniel Lake, who scored 39 runs from 17 balls.
The Bucheurs easily chased down Hit and Run's target with 133 runs and three overs to spare.
Semi final two
GRIP it and Rip it secured their place in the grand final after defeating Jimby Crickets.
Batting first, Grip it and Rip it's man of the match Joshua Graham top scored with 66 runs from 31 balls and guided the team to 7-157 from 20 overs.
Jimby Crickets bowler Arden De Lima put Grip it and Rip it under pressure with figures of 3-24 from four overs.
Unfortunately, a batting collapse prevented Jimby Crickets from chaisng down the achievable target.
Jason McNamee was the top batter with 54 runs from 44 balls but it wasn't enough as Jimby Crickets fell 28 runs short with only 6-129.
Grip it and Rip it bowlers Reid Breeze (2-22) and Phil Myors (2-18) played a crucial role to secure victory.
Grand final
THE Beauy Bucheurs failed to carry their winning momentum into the most important game of the season and suffered a comprehensive defeat to Grip it and Rip it.
Batting first, the Bucheurs scored 7-135 with only Tyson Breeze scoring well with 49 runs from 32 balls.
Grip it and Rip it easily claimed victory and cruised to 1-136 with almost eight overs to spare.
Man of the match and player of the finals, Reid Breeze scored 50 runs from 15 balls to complement impressive bowling figures of 2-20.
Tom Jellie also scored 50 runs from 18 balls.
Grip it and Rip it won the series despite sitting third on the latter with 70 points behind Jimby Crickets (76 points) and Hit and Run (80 points).
Five players were presented with season awards for excellence in wicket keeping, bowling, batting, overall season performance and finals performance.
Awards
- Wicket keeping award: Jason Hart (two catches and eight stumpings).
- Player of the season: Craig Whatmore (413 runs, average 62.71, strike rate 217 and six wickets)
- Bowling award: Josh Graham (11 wickets, average 24.82)
- Batting award: Tom Jellie (391 runs, average 97.75, strike rate 260)
- Player of the finals: Reid Breeze
