Finley won the toss and chose to bowl first, looking to change things up.
This was a decision which proved fruitful, with Dan Eldridge (2/15 off 6) picking up a wicket in the first over.
Nathalia then looked to consolidate against Eldridge and Shibin Benny (0/17 off 6).
A change in bowling saw Cameron Arnold (2/21 off 8) and Murray Urquhart (3/25 off 8) start to make inroads into Nathalia’s middle order, taking regular wickets.
One highlight was Nick Chesworth (1/20 of 4) picking up his first wicket in B-grade.
It was a really good bowling performance to restrict Nathalia to 8-149.
Finley went out to bat knowing they had to start well to chase this total down.
Tristan Mears (71) did just that, hitting the ball to the boundary on regular occasion, getting the Cats off to a great start.
Some tight bowling from Nathalia saw the run rate start to creep up.
Finley’s middle order - Ryan Bauer (11), Logan Eldridge (16) and Arnold (11) - kept the scoreboard ticking over with 30 needed of the last four overs.
Murray Urquhart (25 not out) and Dan Eldridge (9 not out) were looking to get the Cats over the line.
With some really good running between the wickets, the pair had the Cats only needing four off the last over, with Urquhart on strike.
Urquhart got a two early in the over bringing the field up, which then saw him hitting the ball over the top of the infield for four to finish the game in style with two balls to spare.
This finished B-grade’s season on a high note, beating the top of the ladder team for a second time this season.
While Finley didn’t get the results they would’ve liked this season, the team’s captian said the improvement and development of the younger players and juniors that have played this season has been really great to see and a pleasure to play with.
Under-15s
On Saturday morning, the under-15s Cats resumed their match against Barooga, requiring 91 runs off 40 overs.
The Cats started the day off at 2/16, with Evan Lawton and Jordan Dean resuming their innings.
This partnership took the Cats to 3/56 and were looking pretty strong at the drinks break, requiring just over two runs per over to win and qualify for finals.
Following the drinks break, the wickets were falling frequently after the dismissal of Evan Lawton (24) with strong bowling performances from Jedd Flanagan and Ollie Benson of Barooga.
The Cats still required just over two runs an over, but wickets were continuing to fall.
Finley ended all out for 94 after 37 overs, finishing the year in sixth spot.
Top performances in the match against Barooga were from Evan Lawton (2/24, and 24 runs), Ryan Bauer (3/15), and Jackson Pitt (2/11).
15°C