Western Australia 118 for 4 (Goodwin 53*) trail Tasmania 183 (Hope 63, Silk 55, Paris 4-48, Gannon 3-49) by 65 runs
Reigning champions Western Australia fought back to trail leaders Tasmania by 65 runs with six wickets in hand after a dramatic first day of their Sheffield Shield match in Hobart.
WA captain Sam Whiteman’s decision to bowl first on a tricky Blundstone Arena paid dividends as the visitors tore through Tasmania’s top-order.
After losing opener Tim Ward on the first ball of the match, Tasmania’s day didn’t get much better. It could still have been worse for the home side, who were reeling at 19 for and 90 for 6.
Like Tasmania, WA found themselves in early trouble with the bat as snubbed Test hopeful Cameron Bancroft fell for 2 in the third over.
But No.3 Goodwin and veteran allrounder Hilton Cartwright helped steady the innings.
WA will resume their innings on Saturday hoping they can the ruin Tasmania’s prospects of hosting the Shield final. They sit top of the table with three games to be completed, while WA are third having had an inconsistent title defence so far.
