City United have started their premiership defence with a 51-run win against Northern Suburbs at Lorn Park.
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The game was part of a minority of matches to proceed in Maitland cricket on the weekend with the much-anticipated first grade game between Eastern and Western Suburbs cancelled because of rain.
Kurri Weston set Thornton a target of 153 at Kurri Central. Thornton fell 10 runs short in their chase, giving the Warriors their first win of the season
City made 7 for 183 from their 50 overs, with recruits Ricky Dent (56) and Michael Heinrich (23) giving their new team a solid start in difficult conditions.
Matt Trappel scored 37 and Jason Morris made 22 as a wet outfield made scoring boundaries extremely difficult.
Jordan Callinan (2-24) and Cael Smith (2-39) finished with two wickets each with Smith claiming the prized wickets of Heinrich and No.3 Brad Bidner.
Will Fort, fresh from his selection in the Australian under-17 team, got Norths off to a flier with a quick fire 21.
But City United paceman Ben Davies had Norths on the back foot capturing Fort leg before and bowling his opening partner Luke Stewart. When Tim Baker had Logan Smith caught behind Norths had slumped to 3-27 in the ninth over.
Norths skipper Mike Wilson (37) and talented teenage all-rounder Callum Gabriel (30) staged a fight back and had lifted their sides total to 107 in the 27th over when Nick Bower dismissed Wilson with a smart catch off his own bowling.
Bower was bowling in tandem with fellow spinner Heinrich and City put the clamps on the talented Norths batting line-up. When Bower had Gabriel judged leg before Norths resistance ended.
Ben Davies struck twice to take his tally to 4-21, Baker dismissed Jordan Callinan for 15 and Heinrich got reward for his excellent spell earlier to claim the final two wickets to leave Norths all out for 132.
- Full reports and more photographs to come