Carlton fire warning shot in Premier T20 title defence

Reigning National Premier T20 champions Carlton fired a warning shot to their challengers for this year's title after qualifying for the tournament in astonishing fashion over the weekend.

The Blues were one of four clubs along with Monash Tigers (the other Victorian qualifiers), Adelaide University (South Australia) and Lindisfarne (Tasmania) to book their places for the second edition of the showpiece club tournament this week, which will be held later this season in Adelaide.

But it was the winners of last year's inaugural event, featuring the best 10 club T20 teams from around Australia, who marked themselves as the team to beat once again following an extraordinary 10-wicket win over Northcote to take out the 'Renegades conference' in Victoria.

Carlton needed just 25 legal deliveries to chase down Northcote's 85, with more than half those deliveries going to or over the rope as wicketkeeper Brayden Stepien (62 off 19 balls including seven sixes) and former KFC BBL allrounder Evan Gulbis (20 off seven) thrashed their way to an early finish.

They had earlier knocked over Northcote in 18 overs, led by a three-wicket haul from former Tasmania and Melbourne Renegades paceman Cameron Stevenson (3-14 off four overs).

The BBL experience of Gulbis, whose nerveless final over with the ball in last summer's National Premier T20 final ensured Carlton defeated University of Queensland, and Stevenson, a current USA international, will have the club in a strong position to defend their crown.

Monash, who defeated last summer's other Victorian qualifiers Dandenong on Sunday in a low-scoring tussle, will have an early chance to mark themselves as contenders when they face Carlton in the Victorian Super Slam final at the Junction Oval this weekend.

The Tigers, who could call on Australia U19 World Cup star Jake Fraser-McGurk and Renegades allrounder Daniel Christian for this year's championships, only managed 7-133 in the 'Stars conference' final but Sam Mills took 4-16 from three overs to curtail Dandenong, who finished five runs short of victory.

In Adelaide, East Torrens captain Mike Cranmer, who scored two centuries to be named player of the tournament of last summer’s National Premier T20 Championships, will not get the chance to go back-to-back after his side lost to Adelaide University at Karen Rolton Oval on Sunday.

Uni racked up an imposing 5-167 before Sheffield Shield swing king Nick Winter removed his South Australia teammate Jake Lehmann for 20.

Cranmer smashed four sixes to post 76 off 59 balls but he found little support as East Torrens fell 18 runs short with Winter claiming 2-15 from his four overs.

Lindisfarne meanwhile clinched a thrilling two-wicket win over Clarence to become Tasmania's qualifier, with No.10 Anthony Marr hitting 10 off three balls to seal the final-over win after Hobart Hurricanes batter Mac Wright laid the platform with a run-a-ball 45.

It means seven of the 10 qualifiers for the showpiece Premier Cricket event are now known, joining Desert Blaze (Northern Territory) as well as Sydney and Hawkesbury (both New South Wales).

The remaining competitors from Queensland (which will host its Premier Cricket T20 final on Sunday), Western Australia (final on February 2) and the ACT (February 9) will be known in the coming weeks.

Sydney secured their second NSW T20 title in three seasons earlier this month thanks to former NSW Blues wicketkeeper Daniel Smith, who plundered 89 from 47 balls in the final against Hawkesbury,

Desert Blaze qualified from the Northern Territory Strike League in July (the NT's tropical climate means their cricket season is played during their winter) with Tasmanian-listed players Jordan Silk and Gurinder Sandhu among their top performers.