Swan proves too strong for Tigers

Queensland 6 for 238 (Reardon 66, Carseldine 55, Doherty 3-52) beat Tasmania 197 (Laughlin 4-43, Swan 3-17, Hopes 3-39) by 41 runs
Scorecard

A tight and dangerous opening spell from Chris Swan snuffed out Tasmania's chances in Hobart, where Queensland jumped to the top of the FR Cup table with a 41-run win. Swan, Ben Laughlin and James Hopes ran through Tasmania so efficiently that nobody passed fifty, highlighting the value of the contributions from Nathan Reardon and Lee Carseldine in setting up Queensland's 6 for 238.

It was a gettable but challenging target on a two-paced pitch and when Swan bowled his ten overs straight and grabbed 3 for 17, it left the Tigers languishing at 4 for 54 after 20 overs. Swan's collection included Michael Dighton caught behind second ball and he went on to deceive Rhett Lockyear with a slower ball and Daniel Marsh with extra bounce.

Swan was the Man of the Match but Laughlin's efforts were just as wide-ranging and effective. He picked up 4 for 43 and found some impressive reverse swing, while Hopes finished off the innings with his 3 for 39. The Tasmania lower order showed enough fight to avoid conceding a bonus point - the last three pairs put on 97 - but they needed their batsmen to copy the Bulls top order.

Chris Simpson's decision to bat first was not an easy one in the conditions and it began to pay off when Clinton Perren and Hopes combined for an 81-run opening stand. Perren made 40 and Hopes fell for 49, one of three wickets for Xavier Doherty, but it was Carseldine and Reardon who were the main problems for Tasmania.

Carseldine, 33, kept up his strong comeback after his career looked to be over last year and his 55 pushed him to third on the FR Cup run tally this season. Reardon continued to show his promise with a powerful 66 from 63 balls and their 90-run partnership was enough to put Queensland on the path towards victory.