Another stirring performance has lifted Mil Lel in the thick of the finals reckoning after its lower order rallied to knock off South Gambier at Blue Lake Sports Park on Saturday.
In the final round before Christmas both sides were hunting for an important win to avoid heading into the break near the bottom and the heat was on heading into day two.
After fourteen wickets fell on the opening day the pressure was on the Mil Lel batters to show some resolve to chase down the 83 runs required for victory.
However, the Demons looked to be the team to beat inside the first half hour when youngster Darcy Williamson chopped Jakob Opie onto his stumps.
Until the breakthrough Opie and Robert Drenthen had built significant pressure on the Mil Lel batters and at 5/69, the visitors had a mountain to climb.
But enter Craig Lock and Nick Walters.
The hard grafters used all of their experience to withstand a rampant South attack taking 36 balls to score their first run off the bat.
Their patience started to pay off as the Demons bowlers started to get tired and the runs required ticked to below 50.
Mil Lel shifted gears after an expensive Drenthen over with the pair bringing Mil Lel ahead of the game needing just 30 runs to win.
South captain Cam Jorgensen sensed the game was slipping away and brought himself back to the crease.
It only took four balls for the tall right-arm paceman to remove Waters at a crucial time for 17.
The wicket presented the Demons with some light at the end of the tunnel, but any hope was wiped away from Henry Smith.
The spinning all-rounder entered the crease on a high following his five-wicket haul in the first innings and took it upon himself again to turn the game.
As each selective boundary was hit off Smith’s bat, the more South heads dropped as the deficit vanished and the set Lock took a backward seat.
Smith struck a four off Jorgensen to seal first innings honours as he went on to contribute 32 of the 46-run match-winning stand partnership.
Soon after guiding his team home he became Opie’s third and final victim, while Lock remained steady and brought up a well made half century.
Mil Lel was able compile a 35-run first-innings lead until the flighted leg-breaks of Jed Sims wrapped up the innings when it was too late.
More than 30 overs were still to play after the first innings points were decided and the Demons battled to survive until stumps.
Walters, Williamson and Smith all claimed multiple scalps to limit South to 9/119.
The triumph puts Mil Lel as the unexpected member of the final four and captain Jack Miller said the team has been riding high on momentum.
“Morale was up from the T20 win and time was never an issue so we just had to bad patiently,” he said.
“We probably should have won two of our first three losses which hit home.
“We have not had a lot of success lately, but now we have a good group together and making things happen which is exciting.”
