Instead they were left to rue what could have been against a team who hadn't beaten them all season.

Cats captain-coach Josh Thompson thought the pressure South Wagga applied was just too much to handle.

"We were supposed to try to bat deep and get as close to 200 and above but it obviously didn't go to plan and we fell a few runs short," Thompson said.

Wagga City got off to a good start with both bat and ball.

Ben Turner and Tim Jenkins put on 64 for the opening wicket but the Cats couldn't accelerate their innings before being bowled out for 184.

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They then couldn't capitalise after having South Wagga at 3-35 despite Jon Nicoll picking up a five-wicket haul.

The veteran finished with 5-34 off his 9.4 overs including taking the two big wickets.

"I thought Lukey (Naumann) and Jonny were great up front and to have them 3-30 odd was a great position to have them in but when you're on a brilliant performance from Blake Harper and Jake Scott and you can't get them out and they're scoring pretty quickly it is a hard job to rein them in," Thompson said.

Thompson also thought their running between the wickets really cost them.

"I think we left 30 runs out there running between the wickets," he said.

"That's been one of our strongest points all year but today for some reason we just held back a touch and didn't run hard to their boundary fielders and things like that.

"At the end of the day that 30 runs cost us in the end but it is a credit to them.

"They bowled and fielded superbly and I think it is their best bowling and fielding performance all year.

"Off the back of a special knock from Jake Scott and Blake Harper there isn't much you can do when you get out cricketed like that.

"It just wasn't our day."

The loss also sees South Wagga take back the Max Knight Challenge Cup for the first time since the Blues' legend's death just hours after last year's grand final.