Downs strong to the finish in securing another Schaefer Shield

Darling Downs South West Queensland has gone through the Schaefer Shield undefeated to reign supreme across south Queensland.

Darling Downs South West Queensland in action against South East Queensland. Picture: Rob Williams.

CRICKET: Darling Downs South West Queensland has secured back-to-back Schaefer Shields with a dominant display in Ipswich.

Coming into yesterday’s third and final round encounter with Gold Coast, both teams sat on two wins, setting up a grand final scenario.

A strong start from Tully Willson (67), Chris Gillam (49) and Sam Neale (39) put them in a good position at 3/167, before limping to 9/219 from their 45 overs.

Confident bowling from Neale, Cameron Brimblecombe and Kane Bradford saw them take two wickets each and have Gold Coast on the ropes at 7/108.

Their tail wagged hard, but a further two to Brimblecombe saw the Downs secure a 29-run win and the Scahefer Shield.

DDSWQ put themselves in the frame for a competition victory after downing South East Queensland by 62 runs on Saturday.

After being sent in to bat, the Downs made their opponents pay, despite a slow start that saw Willson dismissed for five runs.

Gilliam (71) and Sam Neale (133) combined for a second-wicket partnership of 196 runs to put DDSWQ well on the front foot.

A captain’s knock of 53 from Kris Glass helped them to 6/348, with SEQ reaching 9/286 in response.

A full recap, including players selected for Queensland Country, will appear online tomorrow.

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