A man-of-the-match performance from Dion Blair carried Longford to its fourth-straight TCL premier League Twenty20 title on Thursday.
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Sent in to bat at Legana Oval by ACL captain-coach John Kedey, the Country Tigers finished 5-205.
Openers Jason Snare and Jackson Blair made 14 apiece before captain Dilan Sandagirigoda smashed 22 off just seven deliveries to have the perennial champions 3-54 at the five-over mark.
Longford coach Josh Adams was joined at the crease by Dion Blair with the experienced duo going on to establish a game-defining 111-run partnership.
Adams fell for 49 off 35 balls in the 16th and Blair was caught for 66 in the penultimate over before the innings was rounded off by all-rounder Max Magann (17 not out off eight balls).
Ash Batty was the Bluebacks’ most prolific bowler with 3-42.
In the chase, Matthew Oates (2) was the first to go and Chappell (5) was not far behind.
Keeper-batsman Jesse Digney was doing some heavy scoring before he was dismissed for 32 off 16 balls with his side 3-44 in the fifth.
Shaun Woods (20) and Kedey (16) joined forces for a 34-run stand with two run outs changing the course of the match.
First Kedey and then Ben Harris (8) were caught short of their ground with Michael Pickard (21), Batty (18), Stephen Daniels (20) and Eden Burns (11 not out) helping the runners-up to 8-161 – 43 runs short of the required total. Adam Smith was Longford’s chief destroyer with 3-20.