The Bush Blues have remained undefeated at the national country championships at Shepparton by beating Queensland twice on Saturday – including a defence of their Twenty20 title in the afternoon.
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After beating Queensland by 33 runs on Saturday morning, NSW notched their third win of the tournament in a 25-run defeat of Queensland in the final.
NSW won the toss in the final and batted. Skippered by South Tamworth veteran Tom Groth, the Bush Blues finished on 7-112. Openers Graeme Batty (35) and Alec Baldwin (32) top-scored.
Groth faced three balls and was dismissed for one. His South Tamworth teammate, quick Tom O’Neill, did not play.
The Bush Blues then dismissed Queensland for 87 in 18.1 overs, with Scott Burkinshaw (4-11 off four overs) and Ben Patterson (3-15 off three overs) the chief destroyers.
In the earlier T20 game, NSW won the toss and batted, finishing on 8-147. No.3 Caleb Ziebell (38-ball 49) continued his strong tournament. Alec Baldwin and Ben Patterson both made 22.
Jake Roach snared 3-23 off three overs for Queensland.
In reply, Queensland finished on 9-114.
Patterson took 3-28 off four overs, while Cameron Suidgeest (2-13 off three overs) and Burkinshaw (2-13 off four) were also effective.
Opener James Spargo (37) top-scored for Queensland.
Speaking after the morning game, Groth said: “It was a good win. We played really well today. If we can replicate that [in the final] we’re going to be hard to beat.”
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Groth said there were “about six new guys” in the Bush Blues’ lineup compared to last year’s side.
He said there was a good feeling amongst the players, although he cautioned that there was a long way to go in the championships. The nine-day event finishes on Friday.
“Obviously when you’re winning your games your confidence is building,” he said. “Everyone’s having fun. It’s always good winning. We’re enjoying the cricket.
“We just need to keep it going. It’s a long tournament … we’re only three games in. There’s a lot of cricket to be played yet.”
NSW beat Western Australia and Victoria on day one of the championships, on Thursday. They are the only undefeated side.
NSW’s clash against South Australia Country on Friday afternoon was cancelled after the mercury soared to 44. At the time of writing this article, it was 19 degrees in Shepparton, with a forecast maximum of 26 degrees Celsius.
