DESPITE a quicker than a run a ball 43 from Ulladulla United product Matthews Gilkes, the NSW Blues suffered their fourth loss on their 2019/20 Marsh One-Day Cup campaign on Wednesday to Tasmania.
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At North Sydney Oval, the visitors won the toss and elected to field first.
The decision by Tasmanian skipper Jordan Silk immediately paid dividends, as Riley Meredith had Australian players David Warner (four) and Steve Smith (nine) out cheaply.
Moises Henriques (eight) fell soon after, which brought the Ulladulla High School alumnus to the crease - joining Daniel Hughes with the team at 3/57.
The pair put on 49 runs before Hughes fell for 44.
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Gilkes would be the next to fall but not before he hit five boundaries and one six, on his way to scoring a solid 43 from 41 deliveries.
Blues captain Peter Nevill did what he could with the bat, top-scoring with 56 but received little support, as the hosts were all out for 237 inn the 44th over.
Nathan Ellis was the star for the Tigers, taking 5/38 from his 8.1 overs, as Clive Rose (2/44) and Meredith (2/65) both claimed two scalps each.
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Although the hosts sported a bowling line-up which contained Australia's Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, the Tigers were never challenged in their chase.
Half-centuries from George Bailey (67), Silk (59) and Ben McDermott (58) saw Tasmania reach the target (4/239) in the 46th over.
Hazlewood (3/47) and Lyon (1/48) took the Blues' wickets.
NSW's next one-day fixture is on November 17, when they play Nowra's Nic Maddinson and his Victorian side at the MCG from 2pm.
