T20 Max Turns Up Heat

Big Name Recruits Shine, Locals Impress in Week 1 of the KFC T20 Max

Week 1 of the KFC T20 Max certainly did not disappoint! Big name players made big plays and plenty of white Kookaburras were sent flying. Let’s look at how each club performed throughout their first weekend of fixtures.

Toombul | 4 games | 3 wins, 1 loss | NRR 1.9

Toombul 7/168 def Sandgate-Redcliffe 9/155

Toombul 5/197 def University 9/145

Toombul 7/164 def by Redlands 8/166

Toombul 5/215 def Wynnum-Manly 121

After narrowly missing finals last campaign, the Bulls boys will be elated with their first weekend’s performances. Their recruits starred across the weekend, helping lead them to first place on the ladder.

Veteran allrounder Preston White was his side’s standout performer, scoring 63 in each of Toombul’s wins against Sandgate-Redcliffe and Wynnum-Manly. White also leads the competition for wickets taken (10), 4/15 against Wynnum-Manly and 3/26 against University his best returns. 15 maximums were hit by the Bulls against Wynnum-Manly. Addy Grewal (68 off 41), Jack Webster (53 off 21) and White (63 off 33) each hit 5 sixes.

Interstate recruit Ryan Gibson (40 off 24) and Queensland Bull Matt Renshaw (43 off 33) helped lead their side to a strong position against University, before new recruit Sam Wilson (50* off 30) charged the total to 5/197. Alongside White’s 3/26, Tom Balkin and Matt Renshaw took 2 wickets each to help limit Uni to 9/145. Elijiah Eales took a remarkable 5/27 in what was a thrilling match against Redlands. Captain Lachlan Hearne top scored with 63.

Norths | 4 games | 3 wins, 1 loss | NRR 0.7

Norths 2/140 def Wests 7/138

Norths 189 def Souths 144

Norths 5/216 def Valley 194

Norths 9/116 def by Gold Coast 3/120

Norths batting unit again showed their brutal power across the first weekend, while their new and interstate recruits were damaging with the ball.

Their weekend started with a Friday night blockbuster against Wests. In the bright lights of Ian Healy Oval, Victorian Ejaaz Alavi’s left arm finger spin turned the screws on Wests batters. His 2/15 off 4 overs set the tone, before Sydney-sider Scott Rodgie (3/15) decimated their middle order in a flurry of wickets. Scott Palombo (56* off 31) impressed in his first outing at his new club.

A team batting performance against Souths gave Norths’ bowling unit a strong target to successfully defend. Rodgie (3/26) and Alavi (3/36) again leading the wicket takers, while NSW leg spinner Toby Gray (2/19) and Sam Neale (2/22) taking the rest of the wickets.

Josh Brown (59 off 32) hit 7 maximums, before Joe Burns (50 off 38), Palombo (30 off 18) and Nikil Chaudhary (29 off 14) saw their score reach an impressive 5/216. Alavi, Rodgie, Gray and Blake Maher all took 2 wickets en route to Norths win. It was a forgettable finish to their weekend, losing comfortably to the Gold Coast.

Redlands | 3 games | 3 wins | NRR 0.3

 Redlands 9/127 def Gold Coast 125

Redlands 8/115 def Wynnum-Manly 8/114

Redlands 8/166 def Toombul 7/164

 The Tigers roared in their first three games, the only side yet to drop a match. Especially satisfying will be the close nature of all three victories, their experience shining through.

Their opening match was a final ball thriller against the Dolphins, international superstar Marnus Labuschagne able to hold his nerve with the ball for the Tigers to win by 2 runs. Redlands rolled out a Big Bash spin quintuplet of Jack Sinfield (1/24), Lloyd Pope (4/25), D’Arcy Short (0/10 off 2), Marnus (0/17 off 2) and Sam Heazlett (0/13 off 3). Tasmanian and Sydney Sixer Lawrence Neil-Smith (3/27) also impressed.

Neil-Smith lead the Tigers to a 2 ball victory against Wynnum-Manly, his 17 not out getting them home 8 down. Short (3/19) and Jordan Silk (43 off 44) showed their Big Bash experience in their second low scoring match of the day.

A late wobble nearly saw the Tigers fall over against Toombul, Lachlan Honan (11* off 4) and Leigh Drennan (8* off 6) securing another win 8 down. Lloyd Pope (4/21) again wreaked havoc with his leg spin.

Ipswich | 3 games | 2 wins, 1 loss | NRR 1.3

 Ipswich 6/205 def Sunshine Coast 3/201

Ipswich 8/135 def by Wests 5/136

Ipswich 5/186 def Valley 119

The Hornets got their men’s T20 Max campaign underway with a huge run chase win against the Sunshine Coast. Playing at Sandgate, Ipswich needed 202 to win. Jack Wood (71 off 36) started his return to Queensland with a bang, launching 8 sixes. Noah Emmerson (28* off 18), Jake Cross (37 off 21) and Bryn Llewellyn (9* off 4) held their nerve to win with 10 spare deliveries.

No batters were able to pass 30 against Wests and despite New Zealand recruit Michael Rae’s 4/33, Ipswich were unable to defend the score. They finished their weekend with a strong win against Valley, Jack Wood again going ballistic. Wood (94* off 63) smoked 6 maximums, before Llewellyn took 5/27 with the ball.

Souths | 4 games | 2 wins, 2 losses | NRR 0.4

 Souths 4/231 def Gold Coast 9/169

Souths 144 def by Norths 189

Souths 6/179 def by Wynnum-Manly 3/180

Souths 6/163 def Sandgate-Redcliffe 6/149

A weekend of mixed results for last years grand finalists. They started their weekend by positing a mammoth 4/231 against Gold Coast. Dylan Hunter (88 of 47) and Brandon Faber (66* off 38) led the way with the bat before Harmon Sandhu (3/37), Sam Geyer (2/32) and James Rosewarne (2/34) reduced the Dolphins to 9/169.

Sandhu and Rosewarne both took 3 wickets in Souths loss to Norths. The Souths batting unit were unable to convert starts, Hunter (25) top scoring. Aryan Jain (47 off 38) top scored in their final ball loss against Wynnum-Manly.  

Souths finished their weekend with a win against Sandgate-Redcliffe, Jain (45 off 37) again top scoring. Gurinder Sandhu (2/27) and Billy Stanlake (2/25) were the pick of the bowlers.

Gold Coast | 4 games | 2 wins, 2 losses | NRR -0.1

 Gold Coast 9/169 def by Souths 4/231

Gold Coast 125 def by Redlands 9/127

Gold Coast 5/179 def Sunshine Coast 3/172

Gold Coast 3/120 def Norths 9/116

It was a slow start for the reigning premiers, before heading back to the coast with two strong wins in the bank. Dolphin’s bowlers were unable to interrupt the momentum of Souths batters at Allan Border Field, and despite Xavier Bartlett’s (67 off 47) inning they were unable to chase the huge target.

Tasmanian recruit Bailey Kenzie (3/16) and Brad Munro (2/24) kept Redlands to 127, however a middle order collapse inhibited victory. Munro (23 off 26) and Iain Carslile (14* off 16) put on 35 for the final wicket, before a run out was affected on the final ball leaving them 3 runs short of victory.

Hugo Burdon (67* off 55) and Bartlett (55 off 32) combined for a 108 run fourth wicket partnership. Their innings steered the total to 5/179. Despite a Mackenzie Harvey masterclass, the Dolphins bowling unit managed to hang on for a 7 run victory.

Kenzie (3/22), Jackson Smith (2/28) and Callum Taylor (2/23) were dominant in their win against Norths, restricting the home side to 9/116. The Dolphins top 5 all contributed to evenly to chasing the score in 14 overs.

Wests | 4 games | 2 wins, 2 losses | NRR -0.6

 Wests 7/138 def by Norths 2/140

Wests 9/106 def by Valley 7/138

Wests 5/136 def Ipswich 8/135

Wests 5/137 def Uni 8/126

Wests interstate recruit Cooper Connolly (58 off 52) impressed in his first outing for the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, no other Wests batter was able to pass 20 in their Friday night loss to Norths. The side’s loss to Valley at home was another misfiring with the bat, five dismissals coming for less than 10 runs including 2 ducks. Arjun Nair (2/7) was near unplayable in his two overs.

BBL star Paddy Dooley (3/15) led the bowling unit against Ipswich, before new recruit Harry McNeilly (56 off 51) notched his first half century and win in the new colours. Another recruit in Tom Campbell (39* off 33) led their batting against Uni, before Dooley (2/25), Tom Whitney (2/27) and local legend Chris Sabburg (2/17) helped defend the score successfully.

 

Sandgate-Redcliffe | 4 games | 1 win, 3 losses | NRR -0.5

 Sandgate-Redcliffe 9/155 def by Toombul 7/168

Sandgate-Redcliffe 4/218 def Sunshine Coast 5/213

Sandgate-Redcliffe 188 def by Uni 5/203

Sandgate-Redcliffe 6/149 def by Souths 6/163

The Gators started their new season with a tough loss to Toombul, some late hitting from Mitch Swepson (42 off 25) nearly stealing victory. Interstate recruits Gabe Bell (3/16) and Tate Robins (3/44) bowled sharp under lights for their new side.

Jack and Ben Cooper went bezerk against the Sunshine Coast, power hitting their way to victory. Younger brother Jack (90 off 44) hit 8 maxiums compared to other brother Ben’s (46 off 27) 4 sixes. The bash brothers helped the Gators to 4/218, a score which their bowlers successfully defended.

Jack (51 off 19) and Ben (59 off 39) again went ballistic against Uni, however the set target of 203 proved to be too many. Robins (3/32) was again leading the wicket takers. They were again unable to successfully chase the target Souths set in their last match of the round.

University | 3 games | 1 win, 2 losses | NRR -0.8

 Uni 9/145 def by Toombul 5/197

Uni 5/203 def Sandgate-Redcliffe 188

Uni 8/126 def by Wests 5/137

University’s T20 Max campaign didn’t get off to the start they would have been hoping for, going down to Toombul on Ken McKay Oval. Callum Henderson (2/31) lead the wicket takers, before Toombuls proved to be too much for Uni’s batters.

New recruit Alecz Day (84 off 46) combined with QLD players Bryce Street (44 off 33) and Jack Clayton (30 off 18) to help Uni post 5/203 against Sandgate. Matt Willans (4/27) was damaging in cleaning up the tail and ensuring a victory was sealed.

Willans (2/31) again led the bowlers, however their batting unit was again unable to chase down the score. Bryce Street (47 off 44) was in shape to guide his side home before being run out in a passage that saw Uni lose 5/26.

Valley | 3 games | 1 win, 2 losses | NRR -1

 Valley 7/138 def Wests 9/106

Valley 194 def by Norths 5/216

Valley 119 def by Ipswich 5/186

Brisbane Heat and QLD Bull Jack Wildermuth (44 off 36, 3/15) led Valleys to a win in their first outing of the competition. Interstate recruits Harry Manenti (42* off 31) and Muhammad Irfan (2/32) also impressed in their new colours.

Valleys headed to Norths for their final two games of the weekend, a venue their bowlers might not want to be visiting again anytime soon. Outside of Zanden Jeh (2/23 off 3), it was an unhappy experience against Norths batters. Valleys did their best to return serve in a gallant effort, Jack Beath (56 off 33) and Jake Weatherald (33 off 20) top scoring. It was more of the same for the bowlers against Ipswich at Norths, Valley suffering a heavy defeat.

 Wynnum-Manly | 3 games | 1 win, 2 losses | NRR -1.6

 Wynnum-Manly 8/114 def by Redlands 8/115

Wynnum-Manly 3/180 def Souths 6/179

Wynnum-Manly 121 def by Toombul 5/215

A young Wynnum-Manly side almost managed to snare a victory in a low scoring thriller against Redlands. Interstate recruit Nick Hobson (42 off 21) was flying before coming unstuck to D’Arcy Short. Led by captain Liam Guthrie (3/31) and Cameron Steinhardt (2/14), Wynnum’s young bowlers must be commended for their fearless attitude to the big interstate names in the Redlands outfit.

Corey Hunter (66 off 56), Hobson (39 off 20) and Cameron Trask (51* off 36) batted brilliantly, guiding the Sea Eagles to victory against the Magpies. Hunter and Hobson were also instrumental in the field, running out the in form Brandon Faber and Stirling McAvoy. Interstate recruit Wilson McGillivray impressed with the ball all weekend, his 4/33 in the loss to Toombul his best return.

 Sunshine Coast | 3 games | 3 losses | NRR -0.6

 Sunshine Coast 3/201 def by Ipswich 6/205

Sunshine Coast 5/213 def by Sandgate Redcliffe 4/218

Sunshine Coast 3/172 def by Gold Coast 5/179

Despite some massive totals, Sunshine Coast were unable to register a win in the first weekend. Interstate recruit Mackenzie Harvey shone, scoring two hundreds and leading the competition run scorers by over 70 runs. Harvey (103* off 64) and South Australian Liam Scott (55 off 37) helped the Scorches past 200, however Ipswich were able to chase it. Scott (3/21) flexed his allround abilities.

Harvey (49 off 31), Scott (88 off 54) and a whirlwind innings from Jay Lenton (39 off 14) which included 5 sixes saw the Coast get within five runs of Sandgate’s massive total. Harvey (103 off 66) was again phenomenal against the Gold Coast, however the Scorchers fell short by another slim margain. Scott (2/26) led the bowlers, while Oliver Bembrick snared two wickets as well.

WOMEN

The Women’s T20 Max competition has set up a tight finish for Sunday’s Final at Allan Border Field.

Of the eight clubs, just four points separates first and sixth place. With the final round games underway from tonight, the next 72 hours are set to be crucial.

How the teams have faired:

University of Queensland

UQ | 3 games | 2 wins, 1 loss | NRR 1.3

UQ 6-154 def by Valley 3-163

UQ 7-52 def S/Redcliffe 8-136

UQ 2-112 def Gold Coast 5-107

The defending title holders are in the hunt again, with a first-up loss to arch-rivals Valley followed by good wins over Sandgate-Redcliffe and Gold Coast. New Zealand import Hannah Rowe (49) was solid in the loss to Valley while Heat pace bowler Nic Hancock was a multiple wicket-taker against Valley and Sandgate-Redcliffe. Allrounder Charli Knott (59) was a stand-out against Gold Coast.

Valley

Valley| 3 games | 2 wins, 1 loss | NRR 0.92

Valley 3-163 def UQ 6-154

Valley 2-115 def Gold Coast 8-114

Valley 8-118 def by S/Redcliffe 4-121

A strong opening win, set up by a stirring 89 from Fire and Heat batter Mikaya Hinkley, was followed by a solid showing against Gold Coast, with Austalian player Jess Jonassen (49) making the most of her chance to bat up in the order. Allrounder Sianna Ginger top-scored with 35 against Sandgate-Redcliffe but the Gators roared to victory.

Western Suburbs

Wests| 3 games | 3 wins, 0 loss | NRR 1.75

Wests 4-136 def Sunshine Coast 122

Wests 6-150 def W/Manly 6-104

Wests 4-152 def Ipswich 107

The only unbeaten side, Wests has powered to its three wins off the back of fine batting from the likes of Grace Parsons (90no off 57) and Courtney Sippel and impactful bolwing by the likes of Lilli Hamilton (4-13 from four overs v Sun Coast) and Naiya Varidel (3-18 v Ips). They have a well balanced side and should be a front-runner for one of the Finals spots.

Sandgate-Redcliffe

S/R| 3 games | 2 wins, 1 loss | NRR 0.56

Sandgate-Redcliffe 8-136 def by UQ 7-152

Sandgate-Redcliffe 2-176 def Gold Coast 3-147

Sandgate-Redcliffe 4-121 def Valley 8-118

The Gators are looming, with their astute recruiting providing the club with some serious cricketing firepower. Former player, now Perth Scorcher Lilly Mills, proved a match-winner against Valley with 4-13 from four overs while Georgia Voll (62) and Tess Cooper (53no) dominated against Gold Coast on the way to a compelling 2-176. 

Wynnum-Manly

W-M| 3 games | 2 wins, 1 loss | NRR 0.22

Wynnum-Manly 6-104 def by Wests 6-150

Wynnum-Manly 1-162 def Sunshine Coast 135

Wynnum-Manly 114 def Ipswich 8-82

The big improver in the competition so far. with local talent rubbing shoulders with proven interstate, State and international performers. Sydney Thunder regular Tahlia Wilson hit the highest score of the competition to date, with her 93 not out part of a 120-run opening stand alongside Tasmania's Erin Fazackerley (44) steering the Sea Eagles to a comfortable win over the Sunshine Coast. Indian World Cup allrounder Shika Pandey (3015), left-armer Clodagh Ryall (3-18) were impressve in the win over Sunshine Coast while Holly Barr, a Queensland Under-19 rep last season, claimed the first hat-trick of the tournament with her 3-7 against Ipswich. 

Sunshine Coast

S-C| 3 games | 1 win, 2 losses | NRR 0.38

Sunshine Coast 122 def by Wests 4-136

Sunshine Coast 3-70 def Ipswich 69

Sunshine Coast 135 def by Wynnum-Manly 1-162

The Scorchers will rue a loss to Wynnum-Manly whch dented their confidence after bouncing back from a first-up loss to Wests with a composed win over Ipswich. Bright points include Catherine White's haul of 3-10 against Wests, Isabella Malgioglio's 3-18 and Sydney Thunder's Hannah Darlington (2-8) against Ipswich and Tarah Staines' clean hitting 33 from 17 balls against Wynnum. The potential of Mikayla Wrigley, Lucy Hamilton and Bonnie Berry mark them as a danger side in the final run to Sunday.

Ipswich 

Ipswich| 3 games | 0 wins, 3 losses | NRR -2.37

Ipswich 69 def b Sunshine Coast 3-70

Ipswich 107 def by Wests 4-152

Ipswich 8-82 def by Wynnum-Manly 114

A tough campaign to date for the young Ipswich side but the experience gained is sure to pay off further down the track for the Hornets. Some eye-catching efforts with the ball from Keely Freiberg, Erin Moran and Trinity Doyle will have been noted as would be Heidi Cheadle's effort in scoring 40 off 34 balls against Wynnum-Manly.

Gold Coast

GC | 3 games | 0 wins, 3 losses | NRR -3.16

Gold Coast 8-114 def by Valley 2-115

Gold Coast 5-107 def by Wests 2-112

Gold Coast 3-147 def by Sandgate-Redcliffe 2-176

The Dolphins came up against some heayweights in round one, and while not able to overcome their opponents for a win, have showed they will be better for the experience. The influence of local legend and former Heat and Queensland, now Sydney Thunder, allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson cannot be underestimated. Gold Coast supporters will take heart from their effort in posting 3-147 against Sandgate-Redcliffe, with a fine 40 from Carly Fuller a feature. If they hadn't been chasing 176, it could well have been a winning score.