A seven-wicket loss was the outcome of the West End Redbacks latest Marsh Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland.
In their final home game of the season, the Redbacks won the toss and elected to bat at Adelaide Oval.
There was a special moment pre-game, where Tea Tree Gully captain and Redbacks rookie Kyle Brazell was handed his first Baggy Red by former Redback Callum Ferguson ahead of his South Australian debut.
The innings got off to a very difficult start with the Redbacks top order collapsing to 3-0, before Jake Lehmann and Alex Carey got the innings back on track.
Carey made 49 and Lehmann top scored with 52, but when they lost their wickets the bottom order quickly followed and the Redbacks were bowled out for 132.
While a low score, it was a case of waiting to judge until both teams had a bat, with Queensland falling to 3-13 early in their innings, Jordan Buckingham removing both openers and Wes Agar dismissing Jack Clayton for a duck.
Marnus Labuschagne and Ben McDermott steadied for Queensland until Nathan McAndrew was able to take both crucial wickets.
Wickets tumbled after that as Brendan Doggett got three in a row – one of those with help from a stunning Lehmann hanger – and the Redbacks bowled Queensland out for 159, giving them a lead of only 27 runs.
It was a better start to the Redbacks second innings, with Brazell making his first runs in First-Class cricket, going onto make 25 before he lost his wicket at 3-72.
A 119-run partnership followed between Carey and Lehmann, both bringing up half centuries, with Lehmann raising the bat for the second time in the match.
Carey’s wicket on 90 triggered a collapse, with only McAndrew offering some resistance in the lower order.
The Redbacks were bowled out for 232, leaving Queensland 205 runs to chase on Day Three.
It was a positive start for the Redbacks, with McAndrew claiming the first wicket of Matthew Renshaw to have the Bulls 1-25.
Ten overs later Buckingham struck, removing Angus Lovell, but an 81-run partnership between Labuschagne and Clayton took the game away from South Australia.
Buckingham did dismiss Labuschagne in the 46th over, but the damage was done and Clayton and McDermott were able to reel in the remaining runs in the final session of Day Three.
The Redbacks will return to the field on Friday, March 1, when they take on New South Wales in a Shield clash at Cricket Central.