by Elliot Stevenson
The return of Nathan Ellis powered Lindisfarne to a 30-run victory over New Town at Lindisfarne Oval on Saturday in Round 2 of the CTPL season.
The Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmania Tigers star struck 64 off 79 balls as the Lightning’s posted 9-242 off 50 overs.
Lindisfarne coach Matt Wilkie said having experienced players like Ellis in the side made a huge difference.
“It really is such a bonus to have those guys, especially [Nathan Ellis and Charlie Wakim] who are so helpful for the other players and really keen to keep developing the rest of the club,” he said.
“Nathan is a beauty.
“He’s always trying to help everyone and play whenever he can even though he’s a very busy man these days.
“It’s so valuable to have them come back in.”
New Lightning captain Tom McGann also starred, hitting 65 from 75 balls to partner Ellis in a key middle-order stand.
“He’s a bit of a natural leader,” Wilkie said. “Keegan [Oates] and Tom are a good pair for that group.
“He batted very maturely yesterday, so I think [the captaincy] has been a real positive for him.”
In reply, New Town struggled early in their chase, losing key batsman Jayden Vince and Jesse Willmott to a pair of run outs, while Ellis and Hobart Hurricanes teammate Marcus Bean took two wickets apiece for the Lightning.
A lower order fightback from the Bucks Tom Luchetti (53 not out off 77 balls) and Tyler Willmott (56 not out off 63) provided resistance for New Town, but the Lightning held firm to win comfortably.
The result means Lindisfarne has opened its season with back-to-back victories and is sitting second on the CTPL ladder.
Despite this, Wilkie says there is still much room for improvement within the Lightning team.
“We probably have not played the cricket we’re trying to,” he said.
“We’ve had some really good individual performances but haven’t quite put it all together.
“There’s definitely still some rust there.
“But it was very pleasing to get that win [on Saturday].”
Clarence won its first game of the season, defeating South Hobart-Sandy Bay at Kangaroo Bay Oval by seven-wickets.
The Roos restricted their opponents to 7-207, led by off-spinner Blake Garrett’s 3/38 off 8 overs, before managing to chase down their target with 17 balls to spare.
Justin Galeotti reminded the competition of his batting brilliance, playing his way to an unbeaten 91 off 145 balls to help steer Clarence across the line.
Star teammate Mac Wright provided valuable support, executing a run-a-ball 42 as the Roos claimed full points.
South Hobart-Sandy Bay’s Harry Nichols (69 off 73 balls) continued his strong early-season form, registering his second half-century in as many matches.
The Greater Northern Raiders claimed a pair of rain-affected victories over North Hobart and Kingborough to surge to the top of the CTPL table.
On Saturday, the Raiders batted first against North Hobart, posting 7-185 from a reduced 39 overs.
Young Tasmanian Tigers all-rounder Aidan O’Connor anchored the innings superbly, making 89 from 112 balls to guide his side to a competitive total.
Further rain restricted North Hobart’s time to bat and allowed the Raiders to gain control of the match.
Needing 151 from 24 overs, the Demons managed only 6-111, opening their season with a loss as Greater Northern took full advantage of the conditions.
Greater Northern carried that momentum into Sunday’s clash with Kingborough, where the weather again played a role in a shortened contest.
The home side batted first once again, and another young Raider in Cooper Anthes stepped up to the occasion.
Anthes belted his way to a century off 98 balls, despite the curtailing attempts of Knights seamers Tom Martyn (3/35 off 9 overs) and Josh Henley (4/50 off 9 overs).
Greater Northern posted 8-208 off a reduced 43 overs, leaving Kingborough to chase 217 from the same number of overs.
It seemed like it might be Zac Curtain’s day once again when the Kingborough young gun raced to a quickfire 46 from 32 balls, before being struck on the toe by Oliver Wood, swinging momentum firmly back in the Raiders’ favour.
The Knights innings was cut short by another shower during the 23rd over at 7/129, 40 runs short of the par score under DLS.
Play failed to resume for the remainder of the day, and Greater Northern claimed its second victory of the wet and wild weekend.
In the women’s competition, North Hobart defeated Kingborough in back-to-back T20s, cementing its place at the apex of the CTPL ladder.
The firepower of Demons duo Naomi Stalenberg (58 not out off 32 balls) and playing-coach Julia Cavanough (49 not out off 37 balls) pushed North Hobart to a total of 3-167 off 20 overs, before a downpour hit the Twin Ovals and caused Kingborough’s chase to be restricted to 12 overs.
Needing 90, the Knights fell 16 runs short at 2-74.
The Knights managed 6-80 in the second match, losing five overs again due to the inclement weather.
Clare Scott (2/19 off 3 overs) was a key factor with the ball for North Hobart.
Requiring 44 off 8 overs, Demons star Melodie Armstrong scored over half the runs herself, chasing the hosts’ buffer down with 14 balls to spare.
The Greater Northern Raiders began their quest to avenge their two grand final losses from last season, splitting two games with Clarence in Launceston.
Last season’s Kim Fazackerley Medallist, Emma Manix-Geeves, seems determined to maintain her position as the premier player in the competition, belting 79 not out off 53 balls in her opening innings of the season.
Her new team-mate, Courtney Sippel (66 not out off 45 balls), provided equally bright sparks at the NTCA Ground as the Raiders posted 2-195 off 20 overs.
Clarence’s task was always set to be a challenging, and the revised target of 64 off 5 overs made life even more difficult for Jeff Hemming’s team.
The Roos finished at 0-49 off the 30 allocated balls, falling 15 runs short.
The second match proved more fruitful for Clarence, however, as Tabatha Saville (41 off 34 balls) led the Roos to 7-135 off a full 20 overs.
Charlotte Clayton (3/14 off 2 overs) was the pick of the Raiders bowlers.
The rain stayed away, setting up a thrilling chase that provided similar fireworks from Courtney Sippel (40 off 32 balls), but ultimately resulted in a narrow 10-run Clarence victory.