The West End Redbacks have secured a dominant 186-run victory over NSW in their Marsh Sheffield Shield clash at Adelaide Oval.
Placing South Australia atop the standings at close of play after two fixtures, with Western Australia and Tasmania still to complete their second round fixture, the win is the perfect bounce back from a tough loss in the opening round.
A maiden triumph of the summer, the win was built on the back of several key performances highlighted by 10 wickets to quick Nathan McAndrew and an incredible century from vice-captain Nathan McSweeney.
Fellow pacemen Harry Conway and Wes Agar were just as important, taking a combined nine wickets across the clash as South Australia bowled NSW out twice for a total of just 319 runs across both innings.
McSweeney was dominant with the bat across all four days, scoring an even 100 in the second innings to back-up a determined 64 in difficult conditions on day one.
Largely made up of a patience and persistence, McSweeney’s maiden century of the summer will be long remembered for the stunning final 28 runs that came off a single over. Sitting on 72 with the Redbacks nine wickets down, the powerful right-hander unleashed for three sixes and two fours to raise the bat in celebration, not just for the milestone but just an importantly for the vital runs in added to the home side’s lead.
The ten-wicket haul is McAndrew’s first in First-Class cricket, with his match figures of 10-61 showing the huge value he brings to the Redbacks attack. Remarkably dismissing both openers in both innings, McAndrew was unplayable at times on his way to the career best haul, something further evident by the fact he sent the top four NSW batters all back the sheds in the final innings.
Conway wrapped up the game on the final morning with a masterful spell of bowling to see him finish with match figures of 6-86, while Agar provided the support throughout the fixture, charging in to extract pace and bounce consistently.
It was perhaps the opening day of the game where victory was setup, when beneath overcast skies, NSW elected to bowl first and looked to have the best of the conditions as the ball moved in the air and off the pitch to make conditions difficult for the batters.
South Australia stood firm however to tally 293 runs, highlighted by McSweeney’s half-century and supported by the seven scored of 25 of more from his teammates, including a patient stay at the crease from wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen and vital runs from the tail.
Strong not just with bat and ball, the Redbacks were also fantastic in the field across the game, with skipper Jake Lehmann and McSweeney particularly excellent, both taking sharp catches in the slips to secure key wickets.
South Australia now turn their attention to a Marsh One Day Cup match against New South Wales, on Friday, October 20 at Adelaide Oval, with a 13-man squad has been selected for the match.
Squad of 13 for Marsh Cup v NSW: Jake Lehmann (C), Nathan McSweeney (VC), Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Jake Carder, Harry Conway, Daniel Drew, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Henry Hunt, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Harry Nielsen, Henry Thornton
SACA Members will get free entry to the match starting at 10am, with tickets for the general public $10. Match day information can be found here.