VICTORIA narrowly avoided outright defeat in its comprehensive loss to reigning champions New South Wales in the first round of the Australian Country Cricket Championships.
VICTORIA narrowly avoided outright defeat in its comprehensive loss to reigning champions New South Wales in the first round of the Australian Country Cricket Championships.
The Vics crumbled to be all out for 112 and 9/153 yesterday in reply to NSW’s first innings total of 343.
Just two Victorian batsmen, Andrew Fergusson and Paul Arandt, reached double figures in the first innings in South Australia.
The third-highest score was posted by NSW bowlers, who fired off eight no-balls.
Ben Woolmer continued his superb match, claiming 3/22 from his 10 overs after top-scoring with 108 for NSW on Sunday.
After surviving just 35 overs in their first dig, including six on Sunday, Victoria was sent back to the crease for a second innings.
The result was a little better, with the Vics surviving the remainder of the day’s play to deny NSW an outright victory by a single wicket.
Opener Bryn Gaunt made 71, a marked improvement on his first innings effort of four.
Fergusson backed up his first innings score of 29 with 27 in the second dig.
Queensland posted the first outright victory of the carnival, bowling the International Cricket Council’s East Asia Pacific team out for 60 and 132 in reply to the Brahmans’ 7/333 declared.
Queensland opening bowlers Luke Feldman and Ryan Dowson finished with five wickets apiece in East Asia Pacific’s first innings, and three and two wickets respectively in the second innings.
In the final match, South Australia (283 and 2/91) defeated Western Australia (142).
Today’s one-day matches will see Victoria face Western Australia, while NSW will take on Queensland and South Australia will play East Asia Pacific.
Full scores are available from: http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/common/pages/asphost.aspx?id=RRS&entityid=7576
