By Casey O'Connor
With the mercury sitting at around 33deg on Saturday conditions were pretty tough for Stanthorpe cricketers in round seven of the competition.
On Sheehan Oval Tenterfield went head to head with RSL. It was no surprise when RSL elected to bat after winning the toss. Tenterfield are yet to post their first win in the 2019/20 season but sent a shudder through the RSL ranks when opener Sam Dowie (13)out caught by William Sheathe off the bowling of Daniel Leeson in just the sixth over. With the score at 1/48 the dismissal of Dowie who can be so explosive with the bat gave Tenterfield plenty of heart.
Dowie’s opening partner Tom Garland joined him in the clubhouse only three over later when he was dismissed by the wily Tenterfield veteran Alan Donges for 47. The score 2/68. Unfortunately that is where the joy finished for Tenterfield as RSL captain Jason Lawer and Neil Perritt took to the bowling attack.
In an excellent innings Lawer scored a ton and went on to score 120 from 101 deliveries before he was dismissed by Pat Skinner with just a little more than over to go in the RSL innings. In a dominant knock Lawer’s smacked 14 boundaries and four sixes.
At the other end Neil Perritt’s effort was far from shabby. Perritt finished his innings unbeaten on 63 from 89 balls faced and included five boundaries.
At the close of the innings RSL were 4/308. Extras (57; including 44 wides) again playing a relevant role in the score.
After such a promising start early in the game Tenterfield found themselves chasing an Everest like total. Matters were not helped when their openers Nick Savins (duck) and Dan Leeson (2) fell cheaply. The score 2/6 after only four overs.
Pat Skinner was the next to go for 18 however William Sheather and Brad parker steadied the ship slightly taking the score to 90 before the fall of the next wicket.
