Tasmania Ease Past Western Australia Behind Meredith and Webster Doubles

Tasmania 117 for 1 (Owen 43, Jewell 41*) beat Western Australia 115 (Meredith 4-11, Webster 3-31) by nine wickets

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, visiting captain Jordan Silk’s decision proved futile as Meredith claimed an outstanding 4 for 11 from eight overs to earn player of the match honours, while Webster contributed 3 for 31 to bowl Western Australia out for just 115 from 30.2 overs.

Western Australia’s batsmen struggled throughout, with only four players reaching double figures and none managing a score beyond 20.

In pursuit of such a modest target, Tasmania made light work of the chase, reaching 117 for 1 from just 16.2 overs.

Openers Mitch Owen (43) and Caleb Jewell (41 not out) put on a commanding 76-run partnership from 9.1 overs to seal the victory with ample overs to spare.

Webster complemented his impressive bowling performance with a valuable unbeaten 26 off 26 balls as Tasmania’s bowlers dominated every phase of the innings.

Western Australia’s troubles began early when, after just 2.3 overs and seven runs, Meredith had Sam Fanning caught behind, feathering an edge outside off stump.

Bowling medium pace, Webster induced an edge behind down the leg side to remove Joel Curtis, leaving Western Australia 35 for 2 before a middle-order collapse of 4 for 37 accelerated their downfall.

Cameron Bancroft fought valiantly to 19 off 35 balls before edging a catch to Webster at second slip off quick Will Prestwidge, who then removed Will Malajczuk caught behind for a duck. Western Australia lost their final five wickets for only 24 runs, leaving Tasmania’s top order to make the target appear effortlessly simple in stark contrast to the home side’s dismal innings.