The team opened the day at North Dalton Park with a tight four-wicket loss to St George in a match that Greater Illawarra will have been disappointed to lose. 

A solid start with the bat was crippled by the loss of 3-5, before they recovered to reach 6-118. The total proved short of the mark, with St George reaching their target with four balls to spare. 

The team improved with the bat in the afternoon game, with Greater Illawarra reaching 8-134 batting first against Newcastle. 

The bowlers were no match for Newcastle captain Nathan Price, however, with the opener blitzing his opponents from the onset. 

Price blasted 75 off just 40 balls to put his team in control, before Nicholas Watkins finished off the job in the 18^th over. 

Greater Illawarra captain Kerrod White was disappointed, but remains upbeat about his side’s chances in the competition. 

“It wasn’t a great day,” White said. “The first game we struggled, lost wickets in clumps and we were on the back foot early on. Obviously it’s hard to come back from that, it’s not a total you want to be defending. 

“In the second game I thought we would be a bit more competitive with 134, the wicket was playing a few tricks. But it didn’t turn out that way, Pricey batted really well and was striking the ball as well as I’ve seen anyone strike it for a while. 

“It is disappointing, but it is what it is. Don’t get bitter, get better.”