Monash Tigers hold out Dandenong Panthers in Super Slam Stars decider
The young Tigers will now play Carlton in the Victorian Grand Slam and are off to Adelaide for the national T20 club championship.
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What a weekend for the Monash Tigers.
On Saturday they pulled out a broom and made a clean sweep of Casey South Melbourne in the Round 11 Premier Cricket one-day fixtures.
On Sunday, with much style and skill, they were crowned the Victorian Super Slam Stars Conference champions when they held out Dandenong in an absorbing final at the Junction Oval.
They will now play Renegades Conference grand finalist Carlton for the Victorian title in the Grand Slam this Sunday.
But both clubs have punched their pass to Adelaide for the national T20 club championship, which the Blues won last season.
The Tigers raised 7-133, and restricted the Panthers to 8-129.
The most critical period of the final came in Dandy’s fifth over.
As rain, thunder and flashes of lightning appeared, there were doubts about play continuing.
Given that five overs constitute a match, all eyes turned to the DLS.
The players stayed on the ground and Sam Mills struck three hefty blows for the Tigers when he captured 3-0 in the fifth over, James Nanopoulos (12) bowled as he took a swing across the line as wild as the weather, Ed Newman (0) well caught by Adam Amin as he hooked to the fence and Tom Donnell (8) also snaffled by the sure-handed Amin.
The Panthers had crashed to 4-25.
West Indian all-rounder Jerome Jones and Comrey Edgeworth repaired the innings with a 55-run stand, Jones (39 off 29) thrashing, Edgeworth (21 off 25) accumulating.
Both fell to young leggie Wil Parker, who took 2-21 off four overs for a team with such a youthful look it could be renamed Monash Cubs.
From 6-89 the Panthers kept pushing but come the last over they were nine wickets down and needing 16 runs for victory.
Peter Cassidy (19no) and Jacques Augustin (10no) took the total to 9-129, a boundary shy of forcing a tie. It would have been enough to send the higher qualified Dandenong through to the Grand Slam, which it won in 2018-19.
Mills finished with 4-16 off three overs, and 16-year-old offie Reiley Mark had 1-21 off four after opening the bowling. Mark was also sharp in the field in the late overs, not a nerve in his young body.
All-rounder Marcus Berryman (0-34) was the Tigers’ most expensive bowler, but their most productive batsman, cracking 30 off 20 deliveries, with six meaty fours.
The Panthers were relieved to dismiss him, caught by Brett Forsyth off Jones (3-24).
Skipper Jackson Waters (29 off 23) and Andrew Humphries (28 off 30) played handy knocks too as the Tigers poached 26 off their last three overs to go past 130.
Mills had also taken a star turn in the semi-final, grabbing 5-10 off four overs as the Tigers (5-150) saw off Frankston Peninsula Heat (127).
Mark collected 2-20, and Humphries had the dazzling double of 50 not out from 39 balls (4 fours, 1 six) and 2-29 off three overs.
Monash Tigers coach Shannon Young acknowledged the fifth over of the final was decisive.
“It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? That variable of the weather came and both teams were trying to work out what to do,’’ he said.
“We were trying to finish the fifth over and I think they (the Panthers) got a bit spooked by Duckworth-Lewis.
“It’s probably a lesson for my young blokes, just to play the game and control what you can control.’’
He said the Super Slam was a tremendous experience for his team.
“It’s great for these kids to play against a Dandenong side with an international player in Suraj Randiv and the West Indian guy (Jones). We played against David White (South African batsman) against Frankston this morning. We’ve gone down the path of young blokes and homegrown talent, and for this young group to get this reward is fantastic.’’
Vic SUPER SLAM Grand Slam
Carlton v Monash Tigers
Sunday, Jan 26, 2.30pm
CitiPower Centre
(Free entry)