A “lethal” spell from opener Jack Sylvester set Central North on the path to a bonus point victory, and back into Bradman Cup contention at Lavington on Tuesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sylvester led charge as Central North tore through Greater Illawarra, who had won their opening game, for just 78.
The paceman captured 5-20 and set the wheels in motion with two quick wickets to have Illawarra 2-5 and in early trouble.
“The umpire described it as one of the best opening bowling sessions he’s seen from someone at this level,” Central North co-coach Kel Walls said, adding that it was the best has has seen Sylvester bowl for a while.
“He was accurate and fast – he was lethal,” he said.
“They couldn’t handle his pace and movement.”
He was well backed up in the field, and by his fellow bowlers.
“The bowlers bowled extremely well and they never allowed Illawarra to get in the game at all,” Walls said.
Dylan Smith (2-25) was a great foil for Sylvester at the other end, while Cameron Wyne (2-7) and Tom Druery (1-22) backed them up brilliantly.
“It was a good improvement from yesterday,” Walls said.
“They were up and down.
“This was concentrated.”
Whereas on Monday they also wavered at stages in the field, they had a lot more energy and the intensity was there for the full innings.
They then chased the runs two wickets down, passing Illawarra’s total in 27 overs to pick up a valuable bonus point.
It was fortunate timing with a storm hitting about half-an-hour later.
As Walls noted small run chases can be harder than bigger scores but the batsmen applied themselves well. Zac Clarke and Alex McNeill laid the foundation with a 33 run opening stand, Clarke top-scoring with 37.
He said the win had certainly lifted the boys spirits after a disappointing first day.
They’ve got two Twenty20 games on Wednesday against Western and Riverina.
“T20’s are a bit of a lottery. We’ll see how we go in those,” he said.