South Australia 8 for 352 (Cooper 99, Weatherald 60, Nielsen 53, Paris 3-70, Moody 3-70) lead Western Australia
Tom Cooper fell agonisingly short of his second Sheffield Shield century of the season, but his 99 helped South Australia to a strong position on day one against Western Australia at Adelaide Oval.
Cooper was bowled for 99 by a cracking inswinger from Joel Paris with the second new ball. But his third half-century of the season, combined with his mammoth 271 not out against Victoria, took him past 600 runs for the competition and to the top of the run-scorers’ list. He struck 12 boundaries and played fluently to combine for an 80-run stand with Harry Nielsen, who made 53.
Jake Weatherald was the third Redback to make a half-century as the home side piled up 8 for 352 after they were sent in to bat by Western Australia stand-in captain Shaun Marsh.
WA made early inroads removing Henry Hunt and Callum Ferguson as the ball nipped and swung in the first hour. Weatherald and Travis Head counter-attacked with a brisk 86-run stand that featured 17 boundaries in just 20 overs, before Paris made the breakthrough forcing a mistake from Head to give wicketkeeper Josh Inglis his third catch.
Weatherald fell to a stunning catch from Marsh at second slip after chasing a wide awayswinger from David Moody, and when Will Bosisto was also caught by Marsh off Moody, the Redbacks were 5 for 143.
But Cooper and Nielsen steadied the ship. The latter looked very comfortable having replaced Alex Carey who is away on international duty, but after reaching his half-century, he fell in the same manner as Weatherald with Marsh taking his third sharp chance.
Cooper looked set for a century but Paris swerved an inswinger back through the gate. South Australia’s tail wagged, though, with Chadd Sayers and Daniel Worrall both making valuable contributions. Sayers made 38 not out and combined with Cooper in a 48-run partnership before adding an unbeaten 38 with Worrall against the second new ball to frustrate the visitors and take the total beyond 350.