Tigers Triumph In KFC T20 Max

Peirson’s colossal innings of 102* (50) and Marnus Labuschagne’s hat-trick sealed Redland’s commanding 41 run win over Valley.

Peirson was the only Tiger’s player to score over 20 all night with his man-of-the-match knock contributing 53% of the total innings tally.

It proved more than enough with Labuschagne landing a knockout blow with the ball later in the evening, taking the final three wickets in consecutive deliveries to secure victory and deny Valley back-to-back titles.

Earlier, Labuschagne and Sam Heazlett opened for Redlands on a blustery September Saturday at Allan Border Field in the premiership show-down.

Labuschagne was inventive early, attempting to ramp Jack Wildermuth off his first ball of the innings.

With fine leg and third man the only two fielders on the rope in the powerplay, Labuschagne gave himself room and repeatedly carved the new ball through the offside.

A change of ends brought a change of fortune for Wildermuth who claimed the first wicket of the final with a yorker that Labuschagne (16 off 10) scooped to ’45. 

Spin was introduced immediately after the powerplay with veteran leg-spinner Cameron Boyce and young off-spinner Tighe Morris combining to take another two wickets to swing momentum.

Morris nabbed the second wicket with a caught and bowled that ballooned off the upper portion of Mac Wright’s bat before the young tweaker was in the action again with a catch to dismiss Heazlett for 16 (17) in front of a packed Matthew Hayden stand.

With Redlands floundering at 4/53 inside 8 overs, Brisbane Heat stalwart Jimmy Peirson got to work, reversing Morris over short third for a boundary off his second ball. 

His partner, Lachie Bangs, provided the spark Redlands desperately needed with a 19 run over off left-arm seamer Charlie Thomas.

The big-hitting Victorian all-rounder clipped the first six of the innings in the 11th over with a beautiful pick-up off the hip that landed in the Redlands dug-out.

One ball later, he launched Thomas on the roof of Queensland Cricket’s administration building.

Impressive paceman Benji Floros struck a timely blow when Bangs holed out to long-off, giving Valley the ascendancy once again in a final that was already subject to wild fluctuations. 

However, Peirson, who has so often been Redland’s talisman this tournament with 252 runs at an average of 84 coming into the final, was hard to prise out.

The keeper produced the shot of the tournament with a sumptuous lofted straight drive that cannoned into the sight screen at the Eddie Gilbert End.

Two overs later, he brought up a 33-ball 50 in what was shaping to be a crucial counter-attack that swung the pendulum once more.

In less than half-an-hour, Peirson and a cameo from Leigh Drennan (19 off 18) had taken Redlands from a precarious position at 5-89 to 5-146 at the end of the 17th.

Peirson exploded in the penultimate over, combining straight drives and deft late cuts with agricultural lap sweeps and off-side slaps to take down Floros with a monstrous 24-run over.

Needing sixteen off the final five balls to bring up his century, Peirson deposited Wildermuth for an enormous maximum and two consecutive boundaries on the leg-side to reach three figures off 49 deliveries in a match-winning knock that contained 10 fours and 5 sixes. Redlands finished with an imposing 6-191.

Cam Boyce (1-21) was the most economical bowler for Valley while Floros (2-35) and Hallion (1-27) provided support.

With an EA-18 Growler jet tearing across the city skyline, Redlands ripped through Valley’s top order in a suffocating bowling display that all but sealed the title.

NSW import Connor O’Riordan opened the bowling for Redlands and claimed a decisive double blow in an eventful first over that had extra deliveries, wickets, runs and no-balls. J

Wildermuth, the form batsman of the competition, was given a brief reprieve when he was caught behind off a no-ball, though O’Riordan drew first blood in his very next delivery with a short ball that Hugh Weibgen skied to deep square-leg.

Incoming batsman Dylan McLachlan lasted one ball before nicking off to Labuschagne at first slip.

Two became three as Wildermuth found Mac Wright at mid-off in the next over as Redlands ran riot.

Max Bryant played a lone hand for Valley with a ferocious display of straight hitting including a six that bounced off the commentary box window.

On the back of Bryant’s 30-ball half century, Valley reached 4/87 needing an improbable 104 in the last 10 overs.

Bryant accelerated after the halfway mark, bringing up the team hundred in the 11th over with three consecutive boundaries but departed soon after for a brave 76 (38) in a six-laden knock that wasn’t quite enough to single-handedly haul his team over the line.

Labuschagne chimed in for three catches and a stunning leg-spin hat-trick to clean up the tail and slam the door on any hope of a miraculous Valley recovery. 

The 2025-26 KFC T20 Max spoils were bayside bound, with Redlands triumphant in the men's competition and neighouring Premier club Wynnum-Manly victorious in the women's competition. 

Lars Sagorski