Wagga has claimed Twenty20 bragging rights over Albury-Wodonga for another year after the Sloggers pulled off one of the best Regional Bash wins since the competition’s inception.
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In a game that had a bit of everything, Wagga set the Border Bullets 137 to win on a dry Robertson Oval track before restricting them to 7-132 courtesy of some thrilling death bowling from Jesse Hampton and Alex Smeeth.
Former Delhi Daredevils squad member Sahib Malhotra (55 from 50) looked almost certain to get the job done for Border before Alex Jones sent him packing with a high catch off Smeeth, leaving Bullets tailenders Cameron Suidgeest and Ben Paddle with 15 runs to get from the final over.
Paddle took one from Hampton’s first delivery before Suidgeest plundered eight runs of the next three balls, leaving Border with seven runs from the last two deliveries.
Suidgeest couldn’t quite connect with the second-last shot, leaving Paddle needing to clear the rope for the win and Hampton kept his cool, restricting the Bullets to just 11 from the final over.
Earlier, the Sloggers got off to a tidy start with the bat before Smeeth (12) had his stumps by Bullets seamer Dave Tassell.
Aaron Maxwell (3) fell victim to a sharp catch from Suidgeest to leave Wagga at 2-29 in the fifth over before James Richards combined with Brayden Ambler for a handy 39-run stand.
Ambler (29) and Richards (22) then departed in the 12th and 13th overs respectively while Sloggers captain Kurt Robertson (3) made an early exit to leave Luke Gerhard and Jeremy Rowe in the middle.
Rowe (8) cleared the rope with his first swing before being bowled by Jack Craig but Gerhard (26), Hampton (15 not out) and Jones (5) did enough to build a defendable total.
Wagga needed a miserly bowling effort to give themselves a chance and Lachie Skelly delivered in the fourth over, removing Ashley Borella (5) and Jack Craig (0) in successive deliveries to have the Bullets reeling a 2-16.
Robbie Jackson (0) survived the hat-trick ball but couldn’t get through Jones’ first over, falling LBW to leave his side at 3-24 after five overs
Nathan Brown (32 from 20) threatened to blast his way out of trouble before Jones skittled his stumps in the seventh over and things looked dire for Border at 4-44.
It was left to Malhotra and Drew Cameron, who ground their way to 4-54 at the 10-over mark before the former started to find his feet.
Malhotra pushed the score to 4-92 before Cameron (12) fell on the final ball of the 15th over and pushed on to notch up his half century in the 18th over.
Greg Daniel (5) offered little resistance and when Malhotra eventually departed for 52, the total proved too much for Borders’ tail.
