Waratah player-coach Udara Weerasinghe: ‘There was never any panic after loss to Southern Districts’ following classy victory over Darwin Eagles at Kahlin Oval

WARATAH player-coach Udara Weerasinghe is adamant there was never any panic after his reigning-premiership winning team lost to Southern Districts last Saturday.And that calmness among his star-studded team was on show in its impressive win over Darwin.

Waratah’s player-coach Udara Weerasinghe took a crucial 4-41 with his consistent offspinners during his team’s impressive win over Darwin. Picture: Che Chorley

WARATAH player-coach Udara Weerasinghe is adamant there was never any panic after his reigning-premiership winning team lost to Southern Districts last Saturday.

And that calmness among his star-studded team was on show yesterday, with the Warriors recording a classy six-wicket win over Darwin at Kahlin Oval.

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The Red Caps were never fazed in pursuit of their 237-run target, with top-order batsmen Austin Umpherston (107 not out off 132 balls) and Yash Pednekar (50 off 52) playing brilliantly against an Eagles attack featuring star quicks Luke Zanchetta and Aaron Summers.

“It was a good win. Austin and Yash batted brilliantly,” Weerasinghe told the Sunday Territorian.

“Chasing 237, I knew we’d get it. We were 0-70 off our first 17 overs which laid a really good foundation.

“Yash played with great maturity and tempo, and Austin displayed great temperament.

“We knew we only lost by a small margin against Southern Districts but we know we’ve still got a lot to work on.”

Yash Pednekar scored a classy 50 off 52 balls in the Warriors’ comfortable six-wicket win over Darwin. Picture: Josh Spasaro

Consistent offspinner Weerasinghe picked up 4-41 off his 10 overs, including the prized scalp of Tasmania allrounder Beau Webster (38).

In other Round 5 results, Tracy Village (Antum Naqvi 96 and 3-27) beat Palmerston by 99 runs and Nightcliff (Janu Varatharajan 58 off 56 balls) chased down its target of 188 against Southern Districts with four wickets and eight balls remaining.