By Casey O'Connor
As Stanthorpe players prepared for the first Representative games of the season the local competition changed gears and clubs played the first of the T20 matches of the 2019/20 season. In true T20 fashion the game between Wanderers and RSL at the CF White Oval was a last ball thriller.
Set 138 for victory Wanderers clinched the win on the last ball of the innings.
It was nos surprise that RSL with their strong opening batsmen elected to bat after winning the toss.
Sam Dowie did not disappoint and was at his explosive best top scoring for RSL. In a top c classy knock his 73 runs came off 58 deliveries and included seven boundaries and a six.
Hi opening partner Tom Garland smacked a quick 23 before he was dismissed in the fourth over caught by Eddie Filmer off a Weylin Aldridge ball.
Will Dowie joined his brother at the crease but the partnership was short-lived. Will found himself back in the clubhouse after facing only a couple of deliveries. Aldridge had a pair and RSL were 2/28.
The dismissal brought the RSL captain Luke Brady into the game. Brady anchored the innings while his batting partner piled on the runs. A 78 run partnership came to an end when Eddie Filmer again held on to a catch this time off the bowling of Ky Rashleigh. The score 3/106 with a little more than five overs remaining. Dowie pressed on adding to the total as Di Bella came and went.
Dowie looked rock solid throughout he innings but with five deliveries remaining in the innings he was caught by Ryan Jones off the bowling of Andrew Einam. When the innings closed Wanderers were chasing a target of 138.
The Wanders run chase did not get off to a spectacular start. Opener Mitch Drayton was cleaned bowled by Tom Garland in the second over with just five runs on the board. His opening partner Paul Cariage was dismissed in the next over for a duck egg and at 2/10 the prospects of a win were not looking good.
Jamie Carnell came in at first drop and steadied the ship while keeping scoreboard ticking over. Brock Patti the captain joined him and the pair took the score to 31 before Same Dowie grabbed Patti’s wicket.
Josh Rogers joined Carnell in the centre and together they put on a partnership of 42. Rogers was out for 21 stumped by Luke Brady off the bowling of youngster Ryan Hines midway through the 12th over.
With not quite eight overs remaining and another 65 runs required there was plenty of pressure on the Wanderers tailenders to stick with Jamie Carnell as Hines put the brakes on the scoring rate.
Aldridge, Rashleigh and Einam found themselves returned to the clubhouse cheaply. When Aiden Halford joined Carnell at the crease 7/96, 26 deliveries to come and 32 runs still required.
Halford added a quick fire 17 off 11 balls faced before he was caught by Sam Dowie. Carnell was working the ball well keeping the scoreboard ticking over but he was running out of overs and partners.
The match came down to the final delivery of the innings with Ryan Jones punching the ball for three runs as Wanders snuck home with the win.
The match showcased good batting performances from two of the top batsmen in the Stanthorpe competition. Sam Dowie (RSL) 73 and Jamie Carnell not out 63. Carnell’s runs came off just 49 deliveries.
Another highlight was the continued emergence of young spinner Ryan Hines who took two wickets for RSL at a crucial point in the game. Hines although only still learning his craft proves to be a handful for batsmen and we can expect to see further improvement as he gains more experience.
Wanders gladly accepted the points for this win after a narrow loss to RSL in a recent game.
