Western Australia have started their 2023-24 Marsh One-Day Cup campaign in style, with a dominant four-wicket win over Queensland at Allan Border Field this afternoon.
Philippe, Morris star as WA power to Marsh One-Day Cup Victory
Dynamic wicketkeeper batter and last season's Marsh ODC Player of the tournament Josh Philippe was the star of the show, scoring a match-high 90 off just 88 balls, including ten boundaries and a six.
WA reached their target of 239 with 9.4 overs to spare as they made a successful start to their bid for a third straight one-day domestic cup, despite having eleven players unavailable due to international duty or injury.
The win made it 11 straight victories in the 50-over format for WA, who have lifted three of the past four Marsh One-Day Cup trophies.
They lost opener D'Arcy Short for a first-ball duck and Cameron Bancroft for 10, but Philippe's third-wicket stand of 90 off 80 balls with Sam Whiteman (62 off 52) took the game away from the Bulls.
Philippe, who scored a century for Australia A against their New Zealand counterparts in a first-class game earlier this month and totalled 40 runs across three one-day games, was at his destructive best, striking the bowlers to all parts of the ground with his combination of power and skill.
Perth's 2022-23 BBL final hero Cooper Connolly was superb on List A debut for WA, combining with captain Ashton Turner (27 off 55 balls) for a 63-run partnership which broke the back of Queensland, and put them within reach of the 239-run target.
The 19-year-old showed he is a player to watch, finishing with 42 off just 32 balls, before he was caught on the boundary in search of the winning runs.
The Bulls paid the price for not turning several starts into more substantial scores as they were dismissed for 238 with 22 balls remaining.
Four of their top seven scored at least 36 and the other three got to double figures, but no one made more than Ben McDermott's 52 off 69 balls.
They were well placed at 1-102 in the 20th over, but lost 3-19.
Paceman Lance Morris. (4-64 off 10 overs) was expensive and wayward early but made a successful return from a back issue, as he smashed through the bottom half of the order, with Queensland losing 5-40.
Australian T20 and ODI representative McDermott, who has returned to Queensland from Tasmania, was run out backing up too far after bowler AJ Tye deflected a Matt Renshaw straight drive on to the stumps.
Max Bryant (42 off 50), Michael Neser (40 off 50) and Sam Heazlett (36 off 43) were the other batters who perished after being well set.
Pacemen Cameron Gannon (1-22 off 8), Tye (2-46 off 10) and spinner Short (2-47 off 7.2) supported Morris in keeping up the pressure.
Philippe provided the spark at the start of the WA chase, but was happy to play second fiddle when Whiteman tore into the Bulls bowlers.
Whiteman, who has returned from a stint with English county Northamptonshire, took 14 off four balls from Neser, including a ramp for six over fine leg before the paceman switched to around the wicket and got him to chop the ball onto his stumps.
WA will hope to make it two wins from as many starts, when they face South Australia at the same venue on Tuesday. The clash will be a rematch of last season's Marsh One -Day Cup Final, when a Josh Inglis century and Ashton Agar's career-best haul inspired WA to a 181- run victory at the WACA Ground.