THE under 19s national title defence of North Nowra-Cambewarra product Kaleb Phillips and his ACT/NSW Country side will go on the line on Wednesday when they face NSW Metropolitan in the semi-final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Phillips, who was man of the match in the 2018 Australian Championships final victory, and his Country side have enjoyed an up and down past two weeks during the this year's tournament pool stage - splitting their six matches.
The Nowra High School alumnus's side opened the 2019 national championships in Perth with a loss to Victoria Metro (7/241 to 205) - despite Phillips' 1/33 and nine runs.
They suffered their second straight 50-over defeat to open the tournament when they went down to Victoria Country (6/268 to 9/248), with Phillips scoring 21.
But Country got on the board in game three, when they defeated hosts Western Australia (9/228 to 129), on the back of 42 from Phillips.
Related content: Match abandoned between Maddo's Vics and Western Australia
One win quickly became two when Phillips' 28 runs and 1/10 helped Country down Tasmania (6/211 to 143).
Phillips' side made it three wins on the trot against Northern Territory, easily accounting for their rivals (3/250 to 9/209) - with the Shoalhaven junior contributing 40 runs.
But Country lost their final group match to Queensland (7/238 to 235) - with first-drop Phillips only managing 12.
With a 3-3 record, Phillips' side will now cross-over against NSW Metro in Wednesday's semi-final at Lilac Hill Oval - with the two Victorian teams clashing in the other playoff to get in the decider.