Tasmania close in on final

Most Popular posts from other blogs...

Tasmania are on the verge of securing a Sheffield Shield final spot after Luke Butterworth led them to a commanding position against Western Australia at the WACA Ground.

Western Australia vs Tasmania

Stumps

SHEF - WACA Ground21 February 2011 - Day 2, Session 3Tasmania 1st Innings

Western Australia won the toss and elected to Bat.

Western AustraliaWestern Australia160 TasmaniaTasmania8/411 BatsmenRunsBalls4s6sSRL. Butterwort...9115810057.59B. Hilfenhaus4130030.77

The Tigers finished day two at 8-411 in their first innings, leading WA by 251.

Butterworth ripped through WA's top and middle orders on day one, claiming a career-best 6-51, and continued his brilliant form with the bat with 91 not out to leave his third Shield century and first in the competition since 2007 within reach.

Ben Hilfenhaus was also unbeaten on four.

Mark Cosgrove (86) produced a 129-run partnership with Butterworth for the sixth wicket, which saw Tasmania improve from 5-208 to a position where they'll be heavily favoured for the outright victory that will all but ensure their spot in next month's final.

The second-placed Tigers moved 14 points clear of third spot when they claimed first innings points earlier in the day and will guarantee a spot in the decider with two matches still to play if they win outright and Queensland don't take the six points from their in-progress match against South Australia.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

WA's slim hopes of making the decider will also end unless they can claim an unlikely outright victory.

Cosgrove's third score above 80 from his last five Shield innings came off just 104 balls and included 13 boundaries, while he was backed up by Ed Cowan (81) and Nick Kruger (68).

Pace bowlers Ryan Duffield and Michael Hogan and part-time spinner Marcus North each have two wickets for the Warriors.

Tasmania began the day at 0-79, after they bowled WA out for 160 on day one, and Kruger and Cowan continued their good form on their way to a 137-run partnership.

But their dismissals before lunch sparked a collapse, with the Tigers losing 4-31 at one stage midway through the day.

Cosgrove and Butterworth saw the Tigers through to tea in a strong position and continued their good form after the break.

Butterworth's half-century was his first in the Shield in nearly two years but Cosgrove finally fell when he tried to hook Hogan over the fine leg boundary but miscued it.

Debutant wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt (16) then bizarrely slipped and fell back onto his stumps when taking off for a single and Xavier Doherty (14) was caught behind off North, before Hilfenhaus and Butterworth saw them through to stumps.