RSL have started their 2023-24 campaign off with a win, defeating league newcomers Murrabit by just 12 runs in a hard-fought affair at Gurnett Oval.
It’s the first time for three seasons RSL have claimed the points in their opening match, also ensuring Murrabit are still chasing their first win since joining the SHDCA.
Batting first, it was RSL’s veterans who got the home side away to a strong start.
Stuart Patterson (55), Ryan Hinton (38) and Paul Munro (31), along with a late-innings cameo from Pat Caldwell (23 not out), contributed to a formidable score of 9-210.
It was the second time in as many games that Murrabit have conceded more than 200 runs with the ball, Toby Gray (4-38 off eight overs) and Blake Watts (3-37 off eight overs) being the pick of the bowlers.
For RSL captain Ben Hallam, it was the perfect performance to start the season with what he hopes will be his team’s big strength this campaign.
“I was really happy when we finished batting but we squandered a few opportunities at the start with the ball,” Hallam said.
“But the boys contributed well with the bat and 210 was always going to be a pretty hard target to chase down.
“Ryan (Hinton) was as classy as ever and was probably a bit stiff not to go on with it, and ‘Budda’ (Munro) supported him and ‘Stewy’ (Patterson) really well.
“I think we can consistently put 180 to 220 on the board each week with our line-up.
“I know every team has days where you struggle with the bat but looking at our batting line-up we genuinely bat to 11 and we’ve got a lot of experienced players mixed in with the younger guys.”
While there’s no doubting RSL’s batting performance was first class, Murrabit were equally up to the challenge, with a 52-run second wicket partnership between Leigh Sobotnicki (66) and Tim Millard (15), combined with an 81-run third-wicket partnership between Sobotnicki and Toby Gray (58), giving Murrabit hope of an unlikely chase-down.
It was the introduction of Oscar Hier into the bowling attack in the 23rd over that changed the course of the game, with the leg spinner producing a match-winning 4-28 from eight overs, with Hallam full of praise for his new-found strike bowler after the match.
“Everyone loves him (Hier) at the club,” Hallam said.
“He’s the first bloke to training, the last to leave, rolls the wicket all on his own, he’s just a heart-and-soul player for us,” Hallam said.
“He’s an extremely hard worker who was probably in and out of the side a lot more than he should have been last season but he absolutely earned his opportunity on the weekend and he took it with both hands.
“Oscar’s worked really hard on his bowling.
“He’s bowling leggies, which is the most difficult craft of all and he’s gone a long way to locking down a spot in our best 11 after Saturday.”
Hier removed both Sobotnicki and Gray and added the dangerous Nathan Henry and Watts to his haul, with Murrabit losing five wickets for just 18 runs in the middle order to halt their charge towards victory.
Murrabit’s gallant chase came to an end in the final over when Kye McKerrow was run out with just three balls remaining and the visitors fell 12 runs short of their first win.
“Even with 200-plus runs on the board we weren’t underestimating them (Murrabit),” Hallam said.
“Both Sobotnicki and Gray showed that they can play.
“Sobotnicki absolutely smacks the ball but they had three or four guys who looked really good.
“The flip side for us is that even with ‘Brenno’ (Brenton Caldwell) and ‘Cookie’ (Cameron Cook) not playing, who are usually our go-to bowlers that we go with to break a partnership, we still found a way to win.
“Credit to Murrabit: they paced their innings well and gave us one hell of a fright and I’m sure they will be a very competitive side this season.”
