A four-wicket haul from Tom Sinclair paved the way for Helensburgh to secure a valuable Twenty20 win over Port Kembla on Saturday at King George Oval.
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The spinner opened the bowling and was almost unplayable when taking 4/12 as the Tigers kept the hosts to just 76.
The target proved an easy one for Helensburgh to chase down.
The Tigers reached the total just three wickets down with Mitch McCrae top scoring on 45 not out.
McCrae gave credit to his spinner in a polished performance from his side.
“We opened with one of our spinner’s Tom Sinclair and he got some wickets for us which was awesome,” he said.
“Our spinners worked really well for us.
“We had the plan to open with it because the wicket was slow. It suited spin.”
Sinclair was well supported by Tim Lloyd (3/19) and Neil Ryan (2/4).
Daniel Lee (23) was Port’s best with the bat while Daniel Phelps (18) and Jim Arsovski (12) were the only two other players to reach double figures. Helensburgh always looked in the box seat to chase the modest total and did so with ease to nab a first-up win in the competition’s shortest format.
“It’s a great start to the season,” McCrae said.
“We had a really good preseason actually. All the boys were working hard and it’s good to be able to begin on the right note.”
While McCrae’s hitting did most of the damage, Shay Brady chipped in with 22 to open the batting. The Tigers reached the total with five overs to spare.