Lowry bats Wests back

DETERMINED to make an impression in Wests colours, Sam Lowry produced an innings rarely seen in Townsville one-day cricket.

The Queensland Country ace defied the heat and slow outfield to spearhead his side’s 115-run triumph over Wanderers on Saturday, finishing with 113 from 130 delivers.

On the same day as Brothers star Craig Mcelligott plundered 155 against Northern Beaches, Saturday marked the first time since the 2018/19 season a batsman scored a century in the region’s 50-over format.

While Mcelligott’s blitz featured a typically boundary dominated performance (24 fours and a six), Lowry was forced to run the Wests pitch slope under sweltering conditions with only 42 of his runs coming from boundaries.

With North Queensland selection just around the corner, Lowry said he entered Saturday’s clash determined to thrust himself into the frame.

“Being new to the club and town I sort of wanted to impress, especially before they pick the North Queensland team,” Lowry said. “It helps if I hit it a bit harder but it could be worse. It depends on the day to be honest, but if they bowl well to you, you have to run them – you can’t be hitting fours and sixes all the time.

“Traditionally here I think you have to run a bit harder because there’s an uphill and the grass is pretty thick. I’m just happy to score runs to be honest.

“They bowled well with the new ball, we were one for not many so we had to dig in the trenches and set up some sort of platform. We did that with a couple of blokes and I was lucky in the end.”

Wests backed up the victory on Sunday with a win over fellow unbeaten side Sub Parks to take the outright lead of the competition after four rounds.

It’s a huge turnaround for the Magpies following last summer’s disappointment when, after coming off a championship season, they went without a win, which according to their star recruit forced a pre-season overhaul.

So far those efforts are bearing fruit with Lachlan Ford also shining in the win over Wanderers (52 runs, 4/23).

Lowry said their strong start enabled the team to relax and play the brand of cricket they knew they were capable of.

“It just takes pressure off us. Coming into a year where you went so poorly before there’s a bit of angst about when our next win is going to be,” he said. “But to get a couple of wins on the board early we can relax and play a bit of cricket now.”