Central Queensland Seamers quest to defend the Country Challenge title they won in spectacular fashion last year was off to a good start when skipper Joe McGahan won the toss and sent the Far North Fusion in to bat.
Fusion openers Aidan Firman (38 off 18) and Jake Roach (34 off 31) set a strong foundation with the score 2/88 in the 11th over when Jeff Case got the crucial wicket of Roach.
When Marcus Berryman was caught from the bowling of Brent Hartley a few overs later it looked like the Seamers were getting back into the game but Matty Wilkins (36 off 34) and some late hitting from Angus Warnock (20* off 11) and Adam Trewin (15* off 10) pushed the Fusion up to a very competitive 6/172.
Last year it was the big hitting Joe McGahan who took the game away from the Fusion but when he nicked off to Seth McGinty for just 24 (15) the Fusion knew they had the big fish they needed.
When McCartney bowled Callum McMahon in the 10th over it looked like a big hill for the Seamers to climb. They needed 102 runs off the final 10 overs and couldn’t find the boundary often enough. The Seamers never stopped trying but were eventually all out for 135.
The Fusion join the North Queensland Monsoons as the only three-time winners of the Bulls Masters Country Challenge.
Jake Roach who stepped up as captain in the absence of Justin Reed claimed his second player-of-the-final award for his 34 runs and two for 17(3) after he claimed the award in 2022 as well.
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