Hogan, Agar keep Redbacks in check

South Australia 7 for 237 (Ferguson 63, Brown 55, Hogan 3-38) v Western Australia
Scorecard

South Australia battled towards a competitive first innings against Western Australia at Adelaide Oval after Victoria's concurrent collapse in Melbourne gave the Redbacks a chance of climbing to the top of the Sheffield Shield table in the penultimate round.

The Warriors bowled with persistence and good sense after losing the toss, claiming wickets every time SA threatened to mount a significant partnership. At the same time, the Redbacks avoided the kind of batting slide that would have gave up their innings entirely, and will resume with a chance of pushing toward 300.

Callum Ferguson and Jake Brown did best for the hosts, but both were dismissed when more substantial scores beckoned, leaving Johan Botha and Joe Mennie in occupation.

Michael Hogan bowled intelligently and tightly all day for WA, while Ashton Agar again caught the eye with his thoughtful left-arm spin, defeating the young batsman Alex Carey after had looked fluent in the morning.