Northern Territory have continued their campaign at the Cricket Australia Under 17 National Championships in Brisbane with defeats against New South Wales Country and Queensland.
The third round of the Championships saw NT bowl first against NSW Country, with the opposition posting 7 for 289 from their 50 overs. Cooper Williams (118) and Lochlan Shoemark (58) top scored for NSW Country, while Waratah’s Junaid Mansoor (1 for 39), Southern Districts’ Deepanshu Panwar (1 for 27) and Nirav Sharma (1 for 26) were the most economical of the Territory bowlers.
NT’s batting response got off to a slow start, with only Nirav Sharma (46) and Darwin’s Ralph Stephens (21) reaching double figures across the top and middle order. Southern Districts’ Angad Panwar (39) and Waratah’s Arlo Everett (10 not out) showed late fight, with Panwar striking five fours and one six as the pair combined for a 49 run partnership to lift NT to 154 all out.
Friday’s match against Queensland saw Stephens (32), Sharma (17) and Palmerston’s Cadell McMahon (33) get the Territory off to a stronger start. However, middle order wickets again halted momentum as NT slipped to 9 for 132. Late contributions from Junaid Mansoor (16 not out) and Southern Districts’ Sam Barker (38) sparked a fightback, helping NT reach 9 for 186.
An unbeaten 95 from Theodore Bacalakis and a half century from Ishaan Sandhu (55) guided Queensland to the target for the loss of three wickets. Deepanshu Panwar (1 for 26), Junaid Mansoor (1 for 42) and PINT’s Noah McDonald (1 for 12) were the wicket takers for NT.
NT will now have a rest day before playing their final two matches on Sunday and Monday, with ladder position determining their opponents.
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