Grand Final LIVESTREAM REPLAY: Southern Storm win T20 Strike League Tournament grand final against City Cyclones
Aggressive batting got Southern Storm over the line to win the TIO Strike League T20 Tournament grand final against City Cyclones, and we were there to LIVESTREAM EVERY BALL for you. WATCH THE GAME REPLAY.
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AGGRESSIVE top-order batting shined as Southern Storm capped off a memorable and competitive T20 Strike League tournament with a 30-run final win over City Cyclones in Friday night’s final.
Josh Kann (55 off 39 balls) and Josh Hartill (37 off 41) started their team’s innings with plenty of intent, Kann hitting aggressively while Hartill anchored from the other end.
And even when the opening duo were eventually dismissed, their successors Dean Fry (46 off 25) and Ash Chandrasinghe (28 not out off 16) continued the run rush.
Such was the batting dominance of that opening four that their combined knock of 3-183 was the highest total of the 20-over tournament up until that point.
Cyclones followed with Jack Edwards (29) and Nick Larkin (41) hitting for the fences, but the side lacked fluency in attacking their opposition.
Reiley Mark (3-33) and Fry (2-25) got key scalps with the ball to put Storm in a clear position.
And while Cyclones chipped away over after over, they were unable to overcome their deficit finishing with a total of 8-153.
Storm coach Tony Judd was pleased with his team’s win, crediting the performance and bond of his young players.
“It was a great night. We played enough good cricket out there to come away with an excellent win,” Judd said.
“Every one of our first four contributed well. Kann is a great, aggressive cricketer who started the push while Hartill controlled the pace.
“But the shining light was the contribution of local boy Dean Fry, who alongside Ash was just the icing on the cake.
“We have our aggressive batter and those who control the innings and it worked perfectly for us on.
“Since we came together 10 weeks ago the entire group bonded really well. The dressingroom vibe has been fantastic.
“We may have lost some of our big players such as Beau Webster or Mac Wright, but it was young guys who bonded well and got the job done.”
Judd congratulated NT Cricket for putting on the event, saying it now made Darwin the go-to cricket location in the Australian winter.
“Cricket 365 has been terrific – NT Cricket has put on a great show,” Judd said. “It sends a clear message to everyone in the Territory, particularly the younger kids, that there is a chance to play with this calibre of player and that’s something we’ve been missing for a while.”
THE final is upon us with City Cyclones and Southern Storm set to bat and bowl it out for glory in the TIO Strike League T20 Tournament, and we will be there to LIVESTREAM EVERY BALL for you.
The NT News and Cricket NT have come together in a partnership to livestream TIO Strike League T20 Tournament which is being played at DXC Arena from 6pm.
Southern Storm secured their place in the final after winning three from four games and have shown they have credible batting threats right across their line-up.
All-rounder Josh Kann has been in fine form with both bat and ball for the Storm while Josh Hartill has managed some big recent innings.
City Cyclones had to do it the hard way losing their opening two encounters before bouncing back in consecutive games against Northern Tide.
Campbell Kellaway and Nicholas Larkin were the batting stars for Cyclones across the two games and they will be looked to once again in the final.
MORE STRIKE LEAGUE
Watch FULL GAME REPLAY: Northern Tide v City Cyclones in T20 Strike League Game Eight
FULL MATCH REPLAY and match replay: Southern Storm beat Desert Blaze in T20 Strike League Game Seven
“We’re excited to partner with News Corporation Australia to livestream all 17 matches and we look forward to showcasing the best of the Territory on and off the field,” said NT Cricket chief executive Joel Morrison.
News Sport Network Managing Director Michael Wilkins said the company was thrilled to be partnering with NT Cricket on the T20 component of the Cricket 365 program.
“At News we are committed to bringing more sports content to our readers nationally,” he said.
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