Resuming on 3/77 chasing 247 for victory, the Bluebags looked comfortable early thanks to a magnificent 119 run partnership from Peter Colebourne and Dean Mansfield.

The pair took the Bluebags to 153 and what should of been a match winning position, but when Mansfield fell to Brookes for a well constructed 42, and skipper Adam Heading followed shortly after for four, the match again swung back in favour of the Tigers.

Another solid 52 partnership involving Colebourne and Simon Fahey looked as though the Bluebags had recovered, but Collebourne's departure for a magnificent 96, and Fahey for a gritty 34, spelt the beggining of the end for the Bluebags as they crumbled, and lost their remaining five wickets for just 28 runs to be all out for 238.

Coach Peter Baker was obviously disappointed with the result, and said patience in the middle was the key factor in his sides loss.

"It's a hard way to lose when you fall just nine runs short of victory," Baker said. "We were bowled out with a full sesion remaining, so you have to question some of the decisions some batsmen made."

Baker said there was an underlying method at the Queanbeyan club that runs are to be scored quickly, and said chasing a small total would be something they would need to work on.

"We have a percieved image in all grades that we have to score as many runs as quick as possible no matter what the situation," he said. "This can sometimes lead to us losing silly wickets, when we should be working hard to get the runs required in ones and twos instead of fours and sixes."

Baker said this patience has played second fiddle to quick scoring for the better part of the season, and the Bluebags will now probably pay the full price for their inability to win these close matches.

"Unfortunately it's another game we should have won," he said. "And now we look like we may be collecting the wooden spoon at the end of the season."