CONNOR Slattery and Jameel Qureshi once again proved their all-rounder credentials as Bathurst got its Western Zone Premier League title defence off to a good start with a 36-run victory over Cowra on Sunday.
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In a low scoring affair at Holman Oval, Slattery top scored with 41 while Qureshi hit an unbeaten 28 off 30 deliveries to help Bathurst to a total of 157.
Bathurst needed to bowl well to defend that and they did. Slattery took 2-14 off 10 economical overs while Qureshi snared 2-8 off three overs as Cowra was all out for 121 in the 38th over.
The match played out very differently to what Bathurst skipper Adam Ryan expected. He felt sure his side could post a score in the 200s, but across both innings just seven players reached double figures.
"I'm going to have to eat my words," Ryan said.
"I said earlier, 'We should par score today, in 50 overs 250 would be great'.
"Then the first balls were bowled and I was thinking I was about 100 off there."
Still, he said it had been a tough and gritty win for his Bathurst side.
"It was probably the wrong decision to bat first but it [the pitch] did the same for both and a couple of catches that went our way was the difference," he said.
"We just had to do our job today, after a few early wickets we noticed we just had to get into the grind and do some hard yakka in the middle overs.
"The beautiful part is we were able to keep ticking along to give us something to bowl at which was what we needed."
It took just nine minutes, at which stage Cowra was bowling the third over, for the first wicket to fall on Sunday.
Opener Bailey Brien was trapped leg before wicket for five, while Ryan Peacock soon followed for just three as he was caught by Cowra's Darcy Callaghan to make it 2-10
Henry Shoemark, Dave Sellers and Joey Coughlan all fell without scoring, but Slattery, Ryan (40) and Qureshi helped steer Bathurst to something defendable as they finished their 50 overs at 9-157.
In reply Bathurst had Cowra in early trouble at 3-9 as Dave Henderson (1-37 off 10) and Mitch Taylor (3-43 off 10) did a good job with the new ball.
Mikey McNamara made a stand for the hosts, scoring a solid 34 runs, while Cowra skipper Mick Curtale managed 41.
However, Bathurst's bowling was too good as only one other player managed double figures. The innings came to end as Matt Fearnley (2-16) struck with the fifth ball of the 38th over.
Cowra's keeper McNamara said it had been a tough game on a tough wicket.
"It was pretty tough, the pitch was a bit ordinary, but it was alright after you got yourself in, it was playing okay," he said.
"I think we held Bathurst to a pretty reasonable total, it was definitely attainable but a few things and a few wickets didn't go our way.
"We're a pretty young side but we had a crack and it was a learning curve definitely."
Bathurst will now host Dubbo at the Sportsground in round two.
