Well pitted with a win a piece from previous encounters this season third placed Muddies C Grade met second placed Rovers in one of the season's two 30-over a side semi finals, held at Griffith Park, Cairns on Sunday.

Muddies had a tumultuous time sifting through available players in the lead up, receiving clearance approvals for several unqualified players and even hours before the match found themselves needing to replace Bronson Ryan who had assisted greatly in the previous week's win.

Young Keel Sorensen helped out, stepping up from under 14s for his first senior game and the team was finally set.

Going in a bowler short Muddies skipper Steve Doble gave his team a general game plan whilst inspecting the wicket.

Doble then successfully won the toss and elected to bat.

The skipper opened the batting joined by Darlington in the middle.

Some fine line-and-length bowling proved the latter's undoing, bowled for one.

No Muddies batsmen managed to dominate the bowlers leading into the halfway drinks with the score at 3/53.

But two disastrous run outs, including top scorer Doble for 25 immediately after drinks and a quick succession of wickets had the Muddies floundering at 8/72.

Barnes and Muller came to the crease with plenty of work to do and scrambled to 9/100 when an exhausted Muller was also run out for 13.

Barnes was last man out off the last ball of the innings for the second top score of 15.

Sorensen not out managed a strike rate of 100, Muddies all out for 101 on a pitch that should've returned in excess of 150 runs.

During the innings break, Doble briefly chatted to former Muddies Club President Bill Coulthard and in departing stated "OK, I have to go now; there is a semi final to win".

Schulz opened the bowling with a shocker, 12 off it and Rovers' outspoken player Mark Lawson aimed to plunder the attack.

After two overs, the Rovers were 0/20.

Barnes replaced Schulz successfully with Lawson caught and bowled on the fourth ball.

Schiesser (0/21) continued to apply his excellent pressure at the other end with only one run off his next two overs as Barnes tore apart Rovers’ middle order.

Rovers managed to lose six wickets for 17 runs off 12 overs as bowlers were regularly alternated apart from Barnes managed an extremely deserved 5/17 off six overs.

Rovers slowly built a partnership of 32 before Harrold threw from the outfield to run out the 7th wicket and score on 64.

46 balls remained with 38 runs required.

Schulz (1/17), returned in a superb spell clean bowling the new batsmen for one, Harrold managed a great two overs, 1/7 with a catch into the sun for Schiesser and Redfern (2/16) returned to bowl two of the last five overs, including bowling Rovers' number 10 batsmen to leave them needing 15 off 28 balls.

Rovers number eleven batsman was dropped to a difficult chance in the 27th over and again to a more straight forward chance in the 28th over.

Their not out batsmen was in total control with 49 runs to his name.

Then off the last ball of the 29th over needing just five to win he drove straight to an oddly placed Muller straight and deep who made no mistake and the team erupted, earning a place in the Grand Final in the process.

The win gives the Muddies a chance to take out back to back C Grade premierships when they take on Mareeba next week.