By Casey O'Connor
Conditions for anyone playing sport on Saturday were less than ideal and it was no different in Stanthorpe as cricketers from RSL and South’s went head to head on the CF Oval. RSL won the toss and elected to bat first however things did go exactly as planned when Harry Williams clean bowled opener Tom Garland in the first over with the score at 1/1.
With the fall of the first wicket Will Dowie joined brother Sam at the crease and the pair set about building a solid partnership. When Will was dismissed for 26, RSL were 2/100 and on track to set South’s a sizeable total.
Neil Perritt joined Dowie at the wicket and the pair moved the score along to 135. Dowie adding another half century to his season’s tally before he was finally dismissed for 80 when he was caught by Smith off the bowling of Ben Staley.
Perritt was run out only a few balls later with the score unchanged on 135.
With less than eight overs remaining Duane Lihou played a captain’s cameo scoring 25 from 24 balls and was well supported by Becker (10) and Di Bella (15).
The innings closed with South’s requiring 184 to win.
When Tom Garland had South’s opener Singh caught in the first over things were looking much like the RSL innings. The complexion of the game changed when Alex Cameron became Garland’s second scalp dismissed for a duck.
Opener Tom Bonner did his best to get the scoreboard moving in the right direction but was the next to fall bowled Josh Wren and caught by Duane Lihou. The score now 3/28. South’s were in need of a partnership when Zac Hendry joined Harry Williams at the crease. Hendry lasted only seven deliveries before he was out for a duck falling to the bowling of Sam Dowie and a Dave Becker catch.
The dismissal off Hendry’s brought South’s captain Ben Staley to the wicket. He and Williams took the score to 50 before Williams was dismissed by the Dowie Becker combination.
Staley showed his experience scoring another half century as his team mates wilted around him. He was on 58 when he became Dowie’s third victim; caught by Neil Perritt. His 58 coming from just 59 deliveries.
With the dismissal of Staley and the score 8/110 it looked only a matter of time before the RSL bowlers dismissed the remaining batsmen.
South’s were all out in the 28th over for 128 – a comfortable 55 run victory for RSL and an early mark for the players.
Sam Dowie was without doubt the player of the match. He backed up his top score of 80 with a solid bowling performance taking four wickets from an eight over spell that included two maidens. Dowie is certainly one of the in-form players of the season to date.
Tom Garland bowled well for his two wickets while Dave Becker held three important catches.
