Tons to Matt Gabriel and Jamie Krake as Thornton put Raymond Terrace to sword on day one

Gabriel made 168 and Krake 120 as they shared in a 266-run partnership after coming together with the score on 2/152.

Jono Gabriel got Thornton off to a flier scoring 76, including 12 fours and three sixes, in an opening stand of 109 with Jack Reeves.

Reeves was out for 45 with the score on 152 and then it became the Matt Gabriel and Jamie Krake show.

Their partnership was a lesson in sharing the strike with plenty of ones and two to keep the score board ticking supplemented by regular boundaries.

It was a tough day for the Raymond Terrace bowlers, but Tom Callan stuck at the job and picked up the wickets of both Gabriels and Krake, bowling the two century makers.

Gabriel said they had discussed declaring, but he felt it was such a batter friendly wicket that it was better to keep Raymond Terrace out in the field.

"They obviously weren't enjoying it out there and to be honest there wasn't any real chance of us bowling them out on that deck so we kept them out there," he said.

"Hopefully we get on next week and with a bit of rain during the week it mightn't be such a batter friendly pitch.

"It certainly was a good toss to win."

Gabriel said he had promoted Jake Reeves to open the batting with his brother Jono and it had paid off with a 100-plus opening partnership.

"Jake plays a lot better against pace and he and Jono are both aggressive so if it works it gives us a flier at the start of the innings and puts the pressure on the opposition bowling," he said.

"It makes such a difference when you come in after a 100-plus opening stand.

"We were able to rotate the strike and pick up plenty of ones and twos and hit the bad balls for four.

"I'm not big enough to be hitting boundaries everywhere, but it was nice to get a ton first up. I'd love to be able to take that deck with me everywhere I bat."

Gabriel said the big total would come in handy next week with a younger team taking the field in the absence of three regular first graders.

"It gives us the chance to let them bowl some overs and try a few different combinations and see how they work out for us going forward," he said.

City United claimed first inning points against Tenambit Morpeth courtesy of an unbeaten ton by opener Karl Bowd and a five wicket haul by spinner Andrew Vickery.

But the victory came at a cost with star all-rounder Todd Francis straining his side while taking a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Bulls skipper Adam Sidoti for 29.

It was a key moment in the match with the Bulls going from 2-80 to be all out for 128 with Ryan Wind top scoring with 51.

Vickery was the chief destroyer taking 5-33 bowling in tandem with Ryan Merrick who picked up 2-14.

In reply City got off to a solid start until Ricky Dent was run out for nine with the score on 29.

Despite wickets falling around him, Bowd batted with control hitting 18 four and two sixes in his innings of 105 not out.

Bowd was joined by young keeper Aiden Eather with the score on 7/118 and the pair combined for a 37-run partnership with Eather making 24, to see City pass their target and eventually all out for 167.

In the other games Western Suburbs posted 8/304 on day one of their match against Northern Suburbs.

There was no play between Eastern Suburbs and Kurri Weston.