After the wash-out of their T20 series opener on Sunday night, Logan Beutel and Oliver Bembrick co-starred in a robust team performance as Wide Bay Flames made a winning start to the 2020 Bulls Masters Cricket Youth Cup on a rain-interrupted day at Bundaberg’s Salter Oval yesterday, defeating Far North Fusion by 48 runs.
But the biggest winners of the round were South East Queenslanders Seamers, who not only took out their day game, accounting for Mackay-Whitsunday Nitros, cruising to their Duckworth-Lewis method revised target for the loss of just one wicket, and also playing the night T20 game against North Queensland Maroon, and surging to a five-wicket victory.
Sent in to bat, the Flames lost an early wicket but recovered to reach 8-140 in 28 overs, with opener Logan Beutel leading the charge with 32, before rain forced a four-hour delay.
Tait Coghlan was the best with the ball for Fusion with 3-30, but in their chase, they slumped to 2-2, and they never recovered, finally being bowled out for 92 in 23.4 overs with only four players reaching double-figures, headed by No. 7 Steele Gadd with 24.
Oliver claimed the first three wickets for Flames before finishing with 3-20 from his four overs, while fellow opener Harrison Sippel chimed in with 2-25 from six overs, and Jayden Santacaterina picked up 2-7.
Many Nitros’ players made starts but none of them were able to go on with the job as they were shot down for 111 in 29.3 overs, with Lucas Sefont and Sohail Khatree sharing the bowling honours with three wickets apiece.
Stormers then charged to 1-84 in 13.5 overs with openers Fletcher Madden (34 not out) and Zac Fisher, who had earlier grabbed the first wicket, smashing six fours in his 27, taking control.
Backing up in the T20 bash in the evening, Zac was the main destroyer with 3-29 as Monsoon were restricted to 9-101, before Stormers hit out to post 5-102 in 15 overs with Jared Adamski the main-stay with an unconquered 24.
The Duckworth-Lewis method was also used in revising targets for yesterday’s two other one-day matches, with Darling Downs Suns powering to a nine-wicket triumph against Central Queensland Seamers, and Gold Coast Thunder surviving the North Queensland Monsoon fury.
Seamers amassed 8-126, before the Suns responded to charge to 1-87 in 15.4 overs with openers Paarth Menon (27 not out) and Rex Tooley (25) hitting out.
Thunder were struck down for 131 in 35.2 overs, with first change Jarrod Camer and opener Ryan Scodellaro doing the damage with three scalps each.
Jarrod also opened the batting and completed an excellent double with 39, but he lacked support, and they could muster only 6-78 in 20 overs to fall short.
The carnival continues today with four more 50-over matches at Salter Oval, starting at 9am, before tonight’s T20 shoot-out between Suns and Fusion at 6pm. Spectators are welcome.
Bulls Masters Cricket Youth Cup scores
DARLING DOWNS SUNS 1-87 (Paarth Menon 27no, Rex Tooley 25) d CENTRAL QUEENSLAND SEAMERS 8-126 (Josh Welsh 27, Sam Young 23no, Matthew Spanner 2-11, Joseph Fry 2-21) on Duckworth-Lewis method.
GOLD COAST THUNDER 131 (Riley Tattle 26, Alastair Johnson 25, Griffith Williams 21, Jarrod Camer 3-20, Ryan Scodellaro 3-40, Oskar Morrison-Beard 2-11) d NORTH QUEENSLAND MONSOON 6-78 (Jarrod Camer 39, Linden Clark 2-9) on Duckworth-Lewis method.
SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND SEAMERS 1-84 (Fletcher Madden 34no, Zac Fisher 27) d MACKAY-WHITSUNDAY NITROS 111 (Lucas Sefont 3-20, Sohail Khatree 3-22) on Duckworth-Lewis method.
WIDE BAY FLAMES 8-140 (Logan Beutel 32, Riley Sippel 25, Tait Coghlan 3-30, Dwayne Margiotta 2-19, Hamish Wright 2-25) d FAR NORTH FUSION 10-92 (Steele Gadd 24, Oliver Bembrick 3-20, Jayden Santacaterina 2-7, Harrison Sippel 2-25).
T20: SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND STORMERS 5-102 (Jared Adamski 24no, Bailey Gould 2-13) d NORTH QUEENSLAND MONSOON 9-101 (Christian Payne 22, John McLean 19, Reece Foley 19, Zac Fisher 3-29, Aum Thanki 2-9).
- Earlier report: Rain dampens Bulls Masters Youth Cup
