TROJANS GET OFF TO FLYING START
Met-Easts down Diggers
Metropolitan-Easts has started its Harding-Madsen Shield campaign in style, with a first round victory on Saturday.
Battling last season’s grand finalists and a mid-game hail storm, the Trojans defied the elements to claim the important scalp.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, Met-Easts limped through the opening stages of the contest, finding themselves at 2-33.
A 65-run third-wicket partnership between Darren Koch (51 runs) and Daniel Brown (27) helped things along, before the elements came down.
A rain delay, which saw hail fall at Captain Cook Reserve, reduced their innings to 41 overs, sparked the Trojans into gear.
They belted 81 runs off their final seven overs, as Pieter van der Kooij (43) and Liam Brown (54*) combined for nine boundaries to finish their innings at 5-211.
In response, Diggers were always under the pump, struggling along to 6-102.
First drop Kris Glass (62) offered a mountain of resistance, as he looked to form a sustained partnership.
Eventually he was dismissed with Diggers at 8-138, before going on to suffer a 62-run defeat.
Met-Easts all-rounder Ross Milton said it was a positive way for the Trojans to get their campaign under way.
“It was an ideal start to the season, especially against a side like Diggers. They were missing a few of their top-tier players, but still fielded a strong line-up,” Milton said.
“Darren had a look at the wicket and thought batting first was the right move.
“We took a positive approach to the game, and with the rain delay, we had to reassess and change the way we played.
“Liam and Pieter really went along well after the delay. They gave us a good score that we would’ve taken for 50 overs.”
After posting a competitive total, Milton said the bowlers did a great job to restrict Northern Brothers early on.
“When overs are reduced, the team batting second has an advantage,” he said.
“We were able to take a couple of early wickets that got them on the back foot.
“Kris Glass batted well for them, but once we were able to get him out, the game was pretty much over.”
Jack Carter led the way for the Trojans with 4-38 from his nine overs.
The other fixture at Captain Cook Reserve saw defending premiers Western Districts score a convincing 89-run victory over University.
Despite losing Chris Gillam (6) early, a 90-run secondwicket partnership between Brian May (47) and Sam Neale (45) propelled Wests to a first innings total of 221.
University wasn’t able to piece together a decent stand, as they were dismissed for 137.
Southern Districts showed strong signs in their seasonopener against Lockyer at Middle Ridge Park, scoring a four-wicket victory.
They dismissed the visitors for 105, before chasing down the total with nine overs to spare.
Highfields-Railways felt the pressure of leading competition contenders Laidley, as they were defeated by four wickets.
After being dismissed for just 129 runs, the Bulldogs caused the visitors a few headaches, but ultimately fell short.