DOUG BARNES

Round 2 of the Muddies Big Bash competition started with a whimper and finished with a bang, as the slow and steady Port Douglas Royals took on the big hitting IGA Bandits at the Port Douglas Sporting complex last Friday night. 

The Royals, looking dazzling in their canary yellow uniforms, batted first on what looked like a superb batting track. 

Luke was the only batsman who showed application against an, at times, wayward attack, compiling 22 valuable runs off 35 balls. No other batsmen made double figures with the 19 wides and 10 no balls keeping the scorer busy. Jordan was the pick of the Bandits bowlers, ending with 2 for 5 off his two overs. 

The Royals limped to a disappointing total of 89, looking to be around 30 short of a competitive target.

The Bandits team took to their batting task with gusto, the alliterative top three Mitch, Max and Matt making a great start with scores of 24, 26 and 14 respectively, taking the game away from the Royals in the first 10 overs. 

The target was reached in the 13th over with the Bandits and Royals continuing to ensure all players batted and bowled. The Bandits ended up all out for 150 after some wayward bowling and big hitting, with Sean being the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 13.

Next week will see the Sheraton Shockwaves playing the Port Douglas Royals in what will be an evenly matched game. Come on down from 6.30pm this Friday for a great night of cricketing entertainment.