Greater Northern Raiders had resumed on Saturday a flicker of hope of pinching an outright win, but by the final session the newcomers were left fighting for survival.
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The end result was defeat by an innings and 16 runs to a more seasoned Clarence unit that had the composure to wrestle back the match after the Raiders threatened multiple times to strike.
Raiders captain Miles Barnard was left frustrated.
“It was really the same old, same old for us,” he said.
“We’re just so patchy.
“We came out with a bit of a plan and we went alright for the first half an hour, 45 minutes even, but they just got back on top of us again.
“We needed 180 or so to make them bat again and potentially stave off an outright.
“It wasn’t beyond us, but a few early wickets hurt us.
“Thanks to a big partnership from Briggsy and Cuzzy, we were half a chance, but we weren’t quite there today.”
The Raiders outed for 107 hoped to reduce the damage when Clarence led by 54 runs and just three tailend wickets left in last week’s final hour.
But the Roos’ tail wagged on for 131 more runs – 100 on Saturday – to end the kill at 292.
Daniel Salpietro proved the mainstay with an invaluable 55 while Lawrence Neil-Smith, the eight-wicket wrecker with the ball, belted around 50 off just 62 balls.
Legspinner James Curran took 4-53 and paceman Ollie Wood grabbed 3-69.
It was really the same old, same old for us
- Captain Miles Barnard
Needing to basically bat out two sessions or pass 185 to force the Clarence’s hand, the home side lost wickets in a large cluster.
Barnard’s dismissal for 17 moved the Raiders out of a solid 1-27 to an ill-fated 6-61.
The Devonport opener said that’s when “the fire had gone out of the game”.
But both Corey Briggs and Curran had other ideas.
The lower-order pair just didn’t hold up an end and play for time, but piled on runs to erase a mighty deficit.
Briggs top-scored with 62 from 102 balls, but when Curran’s 88-minute vigil ended on 35, the Raiders were still left 42 runs short.
Barnard admitted the side had faith it could hold on.
“I mean, for sure we thought that,” he said.
“We weren’t far away – if that partnership had added another 20 or 30 runs, we’re pretty much in front. And with the 10-minute changeover, you’re just that bit closer.”
Barnard had conceded the loss inside the last hour nine wickets down for 169 after making a call not to ask vice-captain Alistair Taylor to bat on.
Last week Taylor suffered a nasty knock standing up to paceman Shaun Redman, copping a deflection into his helmet that forced him off the pitch for a hospital check.
“He’s still pretty groggy – he still has a fair concussion there,” Barnard said.
“I think if it got down to maybe the last dozen balls or something like that and he just had to stay out, well maybe. Anything more than that, it’s a real health issue and a risk – it’s not worth it.”