All of the festive cheer from a Greater Northern Raiders breakthrough win in the last days before Christmas has dissipated quickly days into the New Year.
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A batting collapse around a stoic Jake Williams at the top of the order spoiled any sort of resolution of stringing back-to-back Cricket Tasmania T20 home triumphs.
"I thought we bowled well, fielded well, so we executed well, but obviously the batting was a disaster," Raiders coach Andrew Gower said.
Clarence captain Harrison Allanby knocked around 63 off 46 deliveries to ensure the Roos reached 8-141.
Devonport paceman Sam O'Mahony was one who kept the top-order honest enough on the UTAS Stadium wicket with 3-25 from four overs.
Two wickets falling in the first 11 balls was not the start the Raiders wanted in the 7.1 run-an-over chase.
But after a 15-ball reprieve without losing another scalp, Clarence grabbed three more in consecutive overs.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
"Our gameplan wasn't to do that - it was to chase 140. We needed to consolidate and have one of our top four bat through. Jake was outstanding - he followed an instruction to bat beautifully to be not out," Gower said.
"But I just thought that the boys' maturity was lacking and we just didn't go about it the way we talked about it.
"So against a quality attack we just fell away."
Nine of the Raiders failed to pass single figures out in the middle with the bat, but Williams hit a half-century to all but match Allanby.
The Westbury teen carried his bat for 60 off 59 balls, all the while striking four out of team's six boundaries and a final-ball six to finish with 8-104. Allanby had the final say opening the attack with 3-23.
Gower hopes the Raiders batsmen could follow the lead of Williams on Saturday, bouncing back on Sunday over Glenorchy in a weekend and venue double-header.
"It's really just about understanding their games a bit better and just playing their way, rather than being pressured into hitting boundaries and feeling the pressure of scoreboard," he said.
"It's also just a matter of being smarter, to hit the gaps, because it's a huge ground, so we have to rotate the strike and let the guys who can hit the boundaries hit them."
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