Twenty-four hours after being dismissed, Lindisfarne is back at the crease and ready to contest the Tasmanian Cricket Association (TCA) first grade final against South Hobart-Sandy Bay this weekend.

By virtue of its higher finish at the end of the season's preliminary rounds, the top-placed side had qualified for the Final when last weekend's semi final against fourth-placed New Town was abandoned after no play had been possible.

But, on Monday night, a TCA pennant committee upheld an appeal from New Town that the wicket square at Lindisfarne's home ground had not been fully covered and therefore properly protected from the effects of rain. As a result, it ruled that the club had forfeited the match.

Lindisfarne, in turn, appealed against that decision to the TCA permit committee. Following more than two hours of hearings and deliberations, the three-man panel subsequently decided that there was doubt as to whether any play would have been possible even if the ground's curator had used all of the covers available to him.

Under existing TCA by-laws, there is no further avenue of appeal that is formally available to New Town.

The final will be played at Hobart's Bellerive Oval - a neutral venue - this weekend.

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