Playing its final game of the home-and-away season at Northern Oval, the Flames wanted to make use of a notoriously good batting track and home conditions to put runs on the board early.
Miller Griffiths and Tim Nelson weathered an early storm to come out of the first 10 overs unscathed.
Not long after, Adam Nunn was able to break open the game when Jessie Johnstone hung onto a shot by Nelson (10).
Griffiths (25) managed to soldier on for another five overs, but he to found himself walking back to the sheds a touch before drinks after being trapped lbw by Lachlan Caldwell.
Shannon Fleming was a linchpin in the middle order for the Flames with Bohden Learmonth (7) and Brett Andison (5) coming and going around him.
Fleming’s 57 from 73 balls was precisely what the Flames needed, before Tongala players finally got the breakthrough they were searching for through Alex Williams.
Cohan Cooper (0) and captain Robert Salter (0) fell in quick succession before Riley Carver and Tom Owen’s ninth wicket partnership gave the Flames an injection of runs in the back end of the innings.
The pair managed to put on 52 crucial runs before Caldwell claimed the scalp of Owen (20) through a Williams catch.
Fire Brigade’s innings came to an end when Matt Ohlsen managed to beat Carver (34), leaving 11th man Jackson Bennett (0 not out) stranded.
With just 10 overs remaining in the day, Tongala captain Alex William and Stephen Townsend put the pads on and faced the music.
Luckily for the Blues, both survived until stumps, facing 30 balls each, with Williams tallying seven and Townsend notching five.
Tongala will need 161 more runs to beat Ky Fire Brigade and prevent the continuation of its season, with pride the only thing left to play for the Blues.
The game
Ky Fire Brigade 175 (Shannon Fleming 57, Riley Carver 34, Alex Williams 4-50) lead Tongala 0-14 (Alex Williams 7 not out, Stephen Townsend 5 not out, Tom Owen 0-2)
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