Bolters learn from 'eye-opening' Regional Bash defeat

Bolters captain Tom Groth said the side was hopeful ahead of today's game, which began at 10am at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but also aware that they were up against one of the dominant sides in the competition.

"They were a level above us, to be brutally honest," Groth said.

"In all facets of the game, really ... Effectively, they're Newcastle guys and all quality players, so we knew we'd be playing against good cricketers.

"It was just a good experience for our boys, and they were a level above us, but it was good for our blokes to see that and see where we need to be if we want to compete in this tournament."

The first fortune to fall in favour of Lake Mac Attack was the toss, which they won. Having elected to bat first, openers Dylan Hunter (84 from 49 balls) and Daniel Arms (68 off 47 balls) put the Bolters to the sword.

The game was played on the same SCG wicket as the previous night's T20 International between Australia and Sri Lanka, but still possessed even bounce and life for the seamers.

It was only when the score had reached 153 that Hunter became the first wicket to fall, to the bowling of Vanuatu import Jelany Chilia.

This opened the door for young Nathan Trindall to take three wickets of his own and, after an expensive early spell, he finished with 3-44.

"I thought he was the pick of our bowlers and bowled quite well," Groth said.

"It's great he got the opportunity, and he was good. He took a good catch as well."

Though Trindall's wickets slowed the batting side's momentum somewhat, it came too late to prevent the massive total of 5-204.

Facing a gargantuan challenge in the second innings, Groth said the focus for the Bolters was not on the target but on enjoying their opportunity.

"We just had to be positive and try to enjoy it," he said.

"We had a crack, and obviously losing Simon [Norvill] first ball wasn't ideal, but it was a big ask."

There were a number of starts from Bolters batters, but the constant pressure of the required run rate stifled any momentum throughout the innings as wickets continued to fall.

Mitchell Swain's 20 was the highest score of the second innings, as the Bolters were rolled for just 95 in 19.4 overs.

Despite the loss, the opportunity to play on the SCG and experience the level required to compete in the Regional Bash was sufficient reward for the players, Groth said.

"[To play at the SCG is] awesome, it's unreal, and it's just great for guys to get a taste of it and just be out there," he said.

"It's a great experience, it's once-in-a-lifetime to be honest. I've been lucky enough to play there quite a bit, but our younger guys were there for the first time.

"The take-home message is that we all saw firsthand where we've got to be if we're serious about winning this competition.

"The other team fielded better than us ... so it's just little things like that. It's a bit of an eye-opener for our boys."

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