A tough start to the season for the 1s, who were inserted on a track that was destined to improve through the day. A battling opening stand from Tom Flint and Guarang Patel, who top scored with 34, was about as good as it got as wickets began to tumble quickly.

Ultimately, a score of 83 was never likely to be competitive, although had a few aerial shots gone to hand early in Mill Hill's reply it could have been a different story. In the end, Mill Hill Village eased home for the loss of 3 wickets.

Southgate Adelaide - 83 all out G Patel 34
Mill Hill Village 84-3 A Wilkinson 2-14

2nd XI - Knebworth Park won by 59 runs

Under new skipper Rohan Patel, the 2nd XI bowled first. Despite keeping it very tight in the first 10, wickets were hard to come by and Knebworth's number 3 in particular played well for 67. Form the bowling side, Ellis Heath and Ben Whiting both picked up 4 wickets, offering promising signs for the season to come.

Knebworth's 178 all out was an imposing total, and one that Southgate Adelaide struggled to get close to, especially after an unfortunate run out in the first over of the reply. The middle order of Krishan Naik, Gabriel Carroll and Rohan Patel did offer some resistance, but in the end the 2s fell 59 runs short.

Knebworth Park - 178 all out B Whiting 4-23; E Heath 4-51
Southgate Adelaide 119 all out K Naik 29

3rd XI - Southgate Adelaide won by 31 runs

Stand-in captain Mike Cox was dealt a tough hand with only a handful of players appearing for the 1pm start time. Botany Bay sportingly offered the Adders the chance to bat, an offer that didn't look so friendly when the Botany Bay opener took 4-0 from his first 8 balls and Southgate Adelaide found themselves 2-4 with no runs yet scored off the bat. Dan Simms came in at 6 and played patiently for 24, with Chitnum Singh and Jack Robinson showing grit towards the end of the innings to drag the 3rd XI to 80 all out - something to play with at least on a slow track and outfield.

Late stand-in Martin Flack then showed why he's taken over 1,500 Adelaide wickets, leading from the front with the new ball as Botany Bay lost regular wickets. At 42-5 the game was in the balance and the Adders had at least a chance. Cue league debutant Garry Khosa and Nic Buckley, without a wicket since his Colts days, who mopped up the tail in double quick time as Botany Bay collapsed to 49 all out. A wonderful win in a low-scoring thriller.

Southgate Adelaide - 80 all out D Simms 24
Botany Bay 49 all out G Khosa 3-2; N Buckley 3-7; M Flack 3-17

Team of the Week

G Patel (34)
K Naik (29, 1 catch)
D Simms (24, 1 catch)
R Patel (24, 2 catches)
C Singh (14)
J Robinson (13)
N Buckley (3-7)
M Flack (3-16)
G Khosa (3-2)
E Heath (4-51)
B Whiting (4-23)

Sunday XI Shout Out

The Sunday XI fell to defeat against the Roving Reporters. However, 1s bowler Ryan Hammond showed that there's an all-rounder in there with his maiden adult-level 50 - anchoring the Adelaide innings with a wonderful 72. Skipper Pete Tatakis was in awe of the 'gorgeous shots' played by Ryan.