Gold Coast Dolphins left excited and frustrated after day one domination of Redlands

GOLD Coast batsman Lewin Maladay watched on with a mix of excitement and frustration as the Dolphins put Redlands to the sword in Queensland Premier Cricket on Saturday.

GOLD Coast batsman Lewin Maladay watched on with a mix of excitement and frustration as the Dolphins put Redlands to the sword in Queensland Premier Cricket on Saturday.

Already out of finals contention, the Dolphins also ended the Tigers’ top-four aspirations at Bill Pippen Oval, rolling the visitors for just 70 in 28 overs.

The hosts then raced to 5-199 before declaring in the 35th over, with Redlands to resume at 0-19 on day two next Saturday.

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But the performance, which followed a 26-run win over ladder-leading Norths in the penultimate round, left Maladay feeling bittersweet.

“Obviously it would’ve been nice to be in the finals this year - I think we have played some good enough cricket against good teams to show we belong there - but at the same time we’re still a young side and there’s been a lot of improvement from last year,” Maladay, a member of the Dolphins side that finished second from bottom last season, said.

Gold Coast Dolphins batsman Jack Hargreaves tees off against Redlands on Saturday.

“It is frustrating not to be playing finals but we’re definitely taking steps forward. It was an unreal day for us.”

Fast bowlers Jackson Smith (3-31) and Josh Kann (2-12) did the damage the home side early, before Trent Arnold (2-10) and spinner Matt Kuhnemann (2-1) combined to dispose of the tail.

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First drop Maladay (61) then led the charge with the bat, posting his seventh half-century of the season as Liam Hope-Shackley (34 not out), Jack Hargreaves (33) and opener Kevin Chapman (31) provided support.

Maladay has been left to focus on his batting since breaking his finger in November, with Mitch Daly taking on the wicketkeeping duties in his stead.

The Dolphins’ Lewin Maladay. Picture: Mike Batterham

While the 21-year-old is keen to reclaim the gloves in the long term, he said the time away had been a blessing in disguise.

“It’s given me a chance to focus on areas of my game that I might not have had a chance to work on otherwise,” Maladay said.

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“I’m happy just doing my role within the side. In years to come it’d be nice to get back to keeping but Mitch Daly is doing a wonderful job. I’m pretty happy with how I’ve been going with the bat.”

Barring a reverse outright against Redlands, the Dolphins are now likely to finish the season in sixth spot on the two-day ladder.