ROUND 1 SUMMARY
1st GRADE
Sturt 215 def. by Adelaide 2/216
Wes Agar, Euan Fletcher and Patrick Page Jr all made there Adelaide Cricket Club debuts, while new Coach, Shaun Tait also started his career with the club.
Sturt elected to bat first at Price Memorial Oval, but lost wickets consistently as Agar (3/28) and Josh Pengelley (2/55) collected multiple wickets. A handy 9th wicket partnership for the Blues ended with Page Jr (2/23) finishing the innings.
The Buffalos fell to 2/25 early before Page Jr (93*) and skipper, Cam Valente (78*) steadied the innings. The pair went on to record an unbeaten 191 run stand to see the team to a comfortable 8 wicket victory.
2nd GRADE
Adelaide 6/185 def Sturt 184
Skipper Russ McLean’s decision to send Sturt in at Glandore Oval paid off, with the Blues falling to 5/77. Some later partnerships saw Sturt 184 before they were dismissed. Bradley Fallon (4/43) and Mineth Heenkende (3/20).
Brad Dingle (75) was the key performer with the bat. He was involved in important partnerships with Zach Reekie (31) and Chris Quinsey (43), that helped the side to a comfortable 4 wicket win. It was a pleasing chase from a side that struggled in similar situations last summer.
3rd GRADE
Adelaide 7/199 def Sturt 88
After being sent in, Adelaide were in deep trouble at 5/36 at Unley Oval. The recovery came with a mature partnership of 134 runs from Harrison Strunk (68) and Wilson Otto (71*). The Buffalos finished on 7/199 after their 40 overs.
A great spell from Jordan Steer (3/12) had Sturt in early trouble before the spin twins, James Patton (2/7) and Darcy Herriot (3/18) finished the innings off, with Sturt falling 111 runs short. It was a fantastic win for the side in James Patton’s first match as skipper.
4th GRADE
Adelaide 7/150 def Sturt 7/147
Sturt batted first at Park 23 but regular wickets robbed them of momentum throughout the innings. Brad Roberts spun his way to 3/22, with support from Tom Carlson with 2/44. Scott Kenny was also tidy with figures of 0/14 from his 8 overs.
It was a comfortable chase for the home side with good contributions from Cooper Heesemans (23) and Matt Barnes (31) in their senior debuts. Tynan Economou chipped in with an entertaining 23 runs from just 16 balls.