2013 KATICH CUP: Series Still Alive After Last Over Thriller

The Falcons will have to keep the champagne in the fridge at least a week longer as the 2013 Katich Cup series was kept alive after the Hawks finally had a tight one go their way.
 
The fourth match in a row to go down to the last over was decided off the 3rd last ball of the match when the umpire ruled that Hawks batsmen Julian Goodman had made his ground as he scrambled to get back for a stumping, killing premature Falcons celebrations as keeper Pero Bošnjak wiped off the bails.

Goodman then kept his head and together with Akshay Daxini they negotiated the last two balls of the match to win what is arguably the most exciting match of the nine-match series to date, to make it 4-2.

The Falcons won the toss and elected to bat first, sending in pinch hitter Richard Probst and Luka Papa Stubbs. Run scoring was made difficult by good Hawks fielding and again one soild blow down the ground for 6 from Probst gave the partnership some respectability. Next in were the ever-improving Tabain brothers, again good Hawks fielding, including a freakish run-out when Goodman flicked a Marko Mance throw onto the stumps with his boot. A couple powerful blows at the end lifted the partnership to leave the Falcons in the positive.

Last week's match-winning pair of Bošnjak and Lloyd Anderson were next in and again they left off from how they played last weekend, putting on 19 in a solid partnership. Jasen Butković and Goran Kellet could not get away as the Hawks put the pressure on in the field. Paul Stubbs and Ibad Faraqui consilidating with a sound partnership, taking the Falcons up to 34 with 3 overs remaining. Gus van Rensburg and Paul Mušin managed to take double the total to leave the Hawks with an awkward chase of 67.

Hawks skipper Douglas Kennedy, who caused all sorts of problems with the ball, played a captains knock with the bat for his team when they needed him the most, as he and fellow opener Branko put on 28. With the foundations set, father and son pairing of Conrad and Dario Kellet edged the Hawks closer to the total with a 17-run partnership to leave the Falcons needing wickets to keep them in the game. Some lusty hitting from Ivan Slipčević and Mance, including one massive 6 from Slipčević left the Hawks within 7 runs of the target with 9 overs remaining.

Now the Falcons really did need wickets, and wickets they got, as the Hawks could only add 4 runs in the next 5 overs.The Hawks finally passed the Falcons total in the 15th over thanks to sensible batting from Lokesh Thondavada and Krešo Kekez, but the match took a turn when the Falcons claimed two wickets in the penultimate over to leave the Hawks just 3 runs ahead with 8 balls remaining.

The Falcons thought they had Goodman stumped and one hand on the Katich Cup, but a coat of vanish on his Grey Nicolls bat saved him as the Hawks won a dramatic last over match in the end by 8 runs.

"We chased well, it was a solid performance from my team, I think the Falcons were possibly over-confident going into the match. The series is well and truly on," said Hawks skipper Kennedy at the post-match interview in the bar.

Falcons 66 (P. Mušin 19, R. Probst 10, T. Tabain 6, P. Bošnjak 4, P. Stubbs 4, D. Kennedy 3--2, Branko 2--2,)

Hawks 74 (D. Kennedy 12, Branko 12, C. Kellet 11, L. Thondavada 9, K.Kekez 6, M. Mance 5, P. Mušin 2--2, V. Tabain 1--3, T.Tabain 1-3 L. Anderson 1-1, )

Player of the Series (1 run = 1 point, 1 wicket = 5 points):

1. Paul Mušin 115
2. Lokesh Thondavada 101
3. Doug Kennedy 97
4. Krešo Kekez 91
5. Akshay Daxini 78
6. Jasen Butković 72
7. Gus van Rensburg 71
8. Conrad Kellett 68
9. Tonko Tabain 48
10. Lloyd Anderson 35
11. Julian Goodman 31
12. Pero Bošnjak (wk) 30
13. Marko Mance 30
14. Mike Maric 28
15. Goran Kellett 27
16. Richard Probst 26
17. Ibad Faraqui 16
18. Paul Stubbs 13
19. Šime Ivančević 8
20. Rob Raguz 7
21. Nick Zdunic 4
22. Vicko Tabain 2
23. Dario Kellet 2
24. Vedran Žanko 0
25. Dominic Čičak -5
26. Ivan Slipčevic -7
27. Luka Papa-Stubbs -29