Central West Wranglers fall in five-wicket defeat to Newcastle Blasters in Plan B Regional Bash final

Having progressed to a maiden final earlier in the day follow a five-wicket win over Coffs Coast Chargers in the semi-final, Wranglers put on a respectable total of 144 from its 20 overs, however, Newcastle Blasters would claim a five-wicket win with just 11 balls to spare.

While it was far from the ideal result, Wranglers head coach Shane Broes said his team put in a credible performance.

"We were very credible against a really good opposition. We batted first and I thought we put a good score on the board, a defendable total with 144," he said.

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"Just unfortunately with our bowling, a few things didn't go our way with a few dropped catches. But Newcastle batted really well and we took it down to the last 11 balls.

"Obviously it would've been great to win but we were gallant in defeat."

Matt Corben lead the way with the bat, hitting 59 off 44 as an opener, while Connor Slattery and Adam Ryan were not out on 19 and 12 respectively.

Mac Webster and Lachlan Skelly both took two wickets each, while Angus Parsons took just the one.

Wranglers had previously fallen at the semi-final on three separate occasions - in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22 - all to the ACT Aces.

Broes said it was great to have finally made it through to the decider.

"I think this was our third attempt. To get through to the final and to put on a really good showing was pleasing," he said.

"We didn't exactly get the result we wanted but obviously it's a step forward from where we've been in the past."

In getting to the final, Wranglers secured a strong five-wicket win over Coffs Coast Chargers, with skipper Ryan Peacock hitting an unbeaten 66.

"It was a great captain's innings from Ryan Peacock. Him and Bailey Ferguson steady the ship, with us at 3-11 at one stage," Broes said.

"They had a really strong partnership to help us chase those runs down. Obviously that gave the boys some belief going into the final. It was a great performance.

"To finally get the monkey of the back and get through to the final was really pleasing."

Over the years, most Plan B Regional Bash deciders have been held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but this year organisers opted for North Sydney Oval.

While not the cream of the crop, Broes said playing at North Sydney Oval "was not a bad second", with the venue having a history that dates back to 1867.

"Obviously the SCG is prime venue however this was not a bad second," he said.

"The facilities were good and the ground was fantastic. They can tick the box, playing at North Sydney Oval. The boys were happy there.

"The SCG is the carrot for all country cricketer to play at but it's not a bad second."

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