James Murphy
NORTH SPORTSMAN’S 7/203 d PENOLA 5/190
NORTH Sportsman’s has started its Barber Shield season well with a solid win over Penola in Saturday’s opening round clash.
Played in the one-day format, the Tigers won the toss and sent Penola in to bat.
The Eagles put in a steady performance and their 190 runs was a credible score.
Openers Jack Mullan and Lewis March were off to a strong start and their partnership lasted 41 runs before Mullan was bowled by Matt Robinson for 25.
Michael Waters took to the crease but did not spend long with March, as the latter was judged LBW and sent to the sidelines with 12 runs.
However, another impressive partnership followed as Waters teamed up with Drew Clayfield.
They shared the heavy lifting and proved a challenge for North bowlers, with a further 96 runs added before Waters was caught off a Mitch Lewis ball for 46.
Eli Hunter stepped up and joined Clayfield for a 23-run partnership.
Eventually the latter was dismissed – LBW off a Nick McInerney delivery – but not without raising his bat for a half century of 54 runs.
With the overs running out, the middle order kept the runs ticking over, with Hunter bowled by McInerney for 22, while Tom Clayfield and Joshua Doyle finished unbeaten with 15 and one run respectively.
That set a target of 5/190 as North padded up for the chase.
The Tigers’ openers also had a solid start with Alex Hutton and Brad Robinson in good form.
The pair added 49 runs before Hutton was caught off a Gerard Merrett ball for 24.
Robinson kept his cool and as Nick McInerney joined him at the crease, the duo kept the scoreboard pressure on.
Their partnership lasted 66 runs and when Robinson was run out for a game-high 42 North sat in a good position at 2/115.
Next in was Nicolas Brown, but his time at the crease was short, bowled by March for a single run.
McInerney’s wicket fell soon after when he was bowled by Waters for 41, with Declan Kenny then joined by Isaac Mulraney.
They kept things ticking over and when Mulraney was caught out for 20, the tally had reached 5/172.
The target was well within reach and Kenny teamed up with Lewis to get the job done.
Their partnership of 30 runs pushed the Tigers over the 200-run mark before Kenny was sent packing for a respectable 36 runs.
Lewis made 19 runs before he was also caught out, with Nicholas Copping and Matt Robinson seeing out the final few balls to finish things off at 7/203.
It was a strong team effort by the Tigers, with six double-figure scorers, while McInerney was the best with the ball for North, with figures of 3/22.
Penola looked to Merrett with ball in hand and he claimed three scalps in an attempt to slow down the hosts.
However, North was too strong on the day and head into Round 2 against West Gambier with plenty of confidence.
