The hosts looked to be cruising when they headed into the last 11 overs needing 62 to overhaul Parkes’ 239 all-out, with eight wickets in hand and Henry Shoemark and Jameel Qureshi well-set at the crease.

Both those batsmen fell in quick succession, though, Shoemark for a superb 101 and Qureshi for 54, precipitating a collapse in which they lost 8-56 to be all-out for 233.

Parkes will now meet Dubbo in the final after Dubbo thrashed Blue Mountains in the other semi.

Aaron Seymour, coming off a century in club cricket the day before, almost got his side across the line when he hit consecutive fours off the first two balls he faced in the penultimate over.

He was run out attempting to retain the strike, however, as Parkes completed a miraculous win, one that captain Anthony Heraghty admitted he thought was beyond them at one stage.

“In all honesty, I thought we were gone when Henry and Jameel were batting together. They were doing it pretty easily and we bowled poorly for a lot of the innings,” he said.

“I did think, though, that if we got our lengths right and could get rid of one of them we might be able to get ourselves back into it.

“That last 16 overs or so was the best I’ve ever been a part of. We bowled beautifully and built the dot balls and put the pressure on.”

Earlier, the game was shifted from the Sportsground to Morse Park 1 after overnight repairs to the Sportsground pitch had not been completed in time. 

It didn’t seem to worry Heraghty.

Getting off to a good start with a boundary from the second ball of the innings, he orchestrated what looked like it was going to be a score approaching 300.

He put on 62 for the first wicket with Peter Yelland (29) before Daniel Donato finally made the breakthrough for Bathurst, and though Ben Orme removed Vince Umbers for 10 soon after, it didn’t halt Parkes’ progress.

Heraghty got great support from Myles Smith (68 not out) until he was finally out for a magnificent 106, bowled by Orme.

The bottom seven batsmen for Parkes all fell in single figures as Bathurst dragged themselves back into the contest, aided by a freak run-out when Joey Coughlan spilled a catch off his own bowling.

The ball ricocheted out of his hands onto the stumps to remove Hayden Sealy for five.

Orme (2-42), Matt Fearnley (2-42) and Coughlan (2-44) were the best with the ball for Bathurst, while Seymour was tidy with 1-27 from 10 overs.

In their chase, Bathurst lost Coughlan in the third over to Brent Tucker for one and Orme followed for six, but it brought Shoemark and Qureshi together and they dominated for the next hour-and-a-half.

Their stand was worth 144 until Qureshi spooned a catch off Sealy, and the rot began to set in.

Shoemark was run-out soon after he brought up his ton, having narrowly avoided another run-out on 99.

Parkes’ bowling improved noticeably as they began to find a fuller length, and the boundaries dried up as the pressure intensified.

Andrew Best (14) and Derryn Clayton (20) kept them in touch, but with the wickets tumbling the run rate began to get out of control.

When skipper Daniel Casey fell with two overs to go, Bathurst needed 17 from 12, which became 16 from nine by the time Seymour got on strike.

An all-run four and a cover drive to the boundary momentarily brought the equation back in Bathurst’s direction, but the third run-out of the innings ended the charge.

“It is pretty disappointing, especially considering the season we’ve had. I would have loved to make the final and have another crack at Dubbo ... To not win that game hurts,” Casey said.

“When you need a run a ball, chasing is hard, and to Parkes’ credit they bowled brilliantly and their fielding was outstanding at the end of the game.”