After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Lakers reached 8-294 off 50 overs. The Rats remained in with a hunt throughout the entire run chase, ultimately requiring 78 off the final 10 overs. 

Lake Illawarra captain Mark Ulcigrai and veteran Kerrod White each bowled five of the final 10 overs, holding their nerve to claim a thrilling four-run victory. 

“It feels great to take it out,” Ulcigrai said. 

“With the side we have, to lose the experienced players from last year, the young blokes really stepped up. They are really enjoying the victory.

“We knew it would be a high-scoring, close game and that’s how it panned out. In the end, our field positioning and a bit of experience from myself and Kerrod helped us finish on top.”

The thrilling finish came after Scott Ulcigrai led the Lakers with an impressive 88. While hoping to surpass 300, Mark was confident they had set a defendable total. 

Oak Flats captain Scott McAndrew was also feeling pretty good about the state of play at the midway point, and with Sean Condello (95) batting well, he had faith his batsmen would run down the total in the dying overs. It was not to be, but remained proud of his team’s effort. 

“It’s pretty gut-wrenching,” McAndrew said. 

“There wasn’t much in it. I thought we were in a good position all through the run chase, but Kerrod and Mark’s bowling was top shelf at the end there unfortunately.”