Flying start for hot Hurricanes

THEY dominated last summer’s Big Bash League, only to be knocked out in the semi-final stage. Now the Hobart Hurricanes have a point to prove, and they started their new campaign with back-to-back wins yesterday in the Strike League T20 competition in Darwin. Caleb Jewell, Alex Doolan and Riley Meredith were the standouts, and Simon Milenko (ppictured)) did his bit as well in the two easy wins. .

A HURRICANE called Hobart swept through Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin yesterday.

The Big Bash League side — who topped the table for most of last summer before being cruelly knocked out of the tournament in the semi-final — won their first two matches in the TIO Strike League in a quiet show of class.

The Hurricanes beat the Northern Tide by 10 wickets on the back of an unbeaten 153-run opening stand between Caleb Jewell (87 not out) and Alex Doolan (an unbeaten 60).

They reached their target in just 15 overs, hitting 16 fours and five sixes between them.

The pair put on another century stand in the second match against the Southern Storm, batting down the list.

Doolan’s unbeaten 50 and 47 not out from Jewell sealed a very comfortable seven-wicket triumph.

That result looked a little shaky with Charlie Wakim, Simon Milenko and Sean Willis all back in the shed for a combined 34 runs.

Storm captain Ross Clarkson hit four big sixes — one over the top of NT Cricket’s head office — on his way to a cavalier 56.

Hurricanes fast man Riley Meredith grabbed four wickets in the Storm innings, including bit-hitting pair Clarkson and opener Christian Leopard for two.

“The ball came out all right, I’m working up in pace in what was my first hit-out outdoors,’’ Meredith said.

“Jewells and Dools batted well in both games to get us home and the other young blokes will get a chance.’’

There was plenty of action in the other games, including a shortened 13-over match on Marrara’s No.2 oval because of surface water on the centre wicket.

The City Cyclones made a creditable 5-137 and restricted the strong Southern Storm line-up to 4-126.

The Cyclones’ Matt Calder took his cue from nearby bushfires to race to 52 from only 30 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes in the process.

Matt Rodgers’ 59 was not enough to claim a third straight win for the Storm.

Tide spinners Udara Weerasinghe and Adi Dave grabbed three wickets in their side’s nine-wicket rout of the Cyclones.

The Hobart Hurricanes tackle the Desert Blaze in a Wednesday game at Marrara, starting at 3pm.