South Launceston players take some quick runs during their side's clash against Westbury last Sunday. Picture: SCOTT GELSTON
SOUTH Launceston will resume the final day's play in the NTCA first-grade grand final today at the No.1 Ground in a strong position to win its first flag since 2003-04.
The Knights went into the match as underdogs against reigning premier Westbury, but outplayed the premiership favourite on the first two days to take the honours and put themselves in the box seat to pull off an upset victory against the team that had been the yardstick of the competition all season.
South dismissed Westbury for 191 in its first innings and then batted well on the second day to finish at 6-218, a first innings lead of 27, with four wickets in hand.
Chris Hay, Nathan Philip and Cody Weedon all made half centuries.
South will resume batting today, weather permitting, with Weedon not out 52 and Jeremy Jackson not out 1, and will bat for as long as possible to build the biggest lead that it can.
Knights coach Ben Austen said his side had its nose in front with a first innings lead but still had some work to do to wrap up a victory.
Westbury coach Adrian Tudor rued his side's failure to take its chances with bat and ball.
Westbury's premiership hopes rest on manufacturing an outright result.
That will be dependent on dismissing the last four South batsmen as quickly as possible and hoping that forecast showers do not interrupt play.
``If the cricket gods smile on us we could still force a result, but we have to bowl them out, erase the deficit, set them 120 or 130 and try to bowl them out in under a session - that's basically where we're at and our best-case scenario,'' Tudor said.