Sport

Sensational start

IN a sensational start to the season, the Bankstown Sports Bulldogs prevailed by one run in a thriller at Bankstown Memorial Oval.

Bulldogs win by one run in thriller against North Sydney

Bankstown got away to a flyer in the first round of the Sydney first grade cricket season with opening batsmen Nick Carruthers and Daniel Solway compiling a 55-run opening stand.
Carruthers was the first to go with a punishing 41 which included two stunning sixes. He hit a sharp chance back to the bowler which was gleefully accepted.
Solway followed shortly after when he attempted a pull shot from a short delivery but only succeeded in chopping the ball into the stumps.
Newcomer Jake Fawcett added 19 but it was versatile all-rounder Mitch Brown who held the Bankstown batting together. He plundered 79 and drove confidently to keep the Dion Bourne Scoreboard ticking over relentlessly.
Brown held the Bankstown batting together and his cheeky running between the wickets was exemplary, proving a valuable knock and enabled the Bulldogs to post 227, which was short of the Bankstown expectations.
The score, however, gave the bowlers something to defend in idyllic conditions. The only other batsmen to seriously trouble the Bears attack was promising Peter Dignam the grandson of Margaret and Eris Dignam. In a usually elegant knock, he compiled 36 runs which proved decisive.
The Bears openers looked good with an opening stand of 66 but an extraordinary spell by Revesby local Ben Le Bas turned the match around, disposing of the two North Sydney top scorers and finishing with 3-29 from his 10-match winning overs.
Left arm spinner Ben Taylor also captured three wickets to tighten the Bulldogs grip on the match. Super speedster Brad Simpson took two wickets near the end and then pulled off the master stroke with a run out which snared the 10th wicket and left the Bears tantalisingly close with 226.
Nick Carruthers completed a fine day with some brilliant wicket keeping claiming three catches and a stumping and kept the fielders on their toes with his enthusiasm.
Next the Bulldogs take on arch enemies St. George on October 5 and 12 at Bankstown Memorial at 10.30am.