Southern Districts pair Jackson Isakka and Dean Fry play big parts in first round wins for the Desert Blaze and Southern Storm

Honours shared with the bat and ball in the opening round of the NT Strike League as the Blaze and Storm win

Cricket 365 launched on Sunday with two matches across Darwin and Palmerston. Desert Blaze’s Hayden Kerr works a ball square of the wicket. Picture: Che Chorley

JACKSON Isakka’s stellar form with the bat has carried over to the NT Strike League after a quickfire 81 steered the Desert Blaze to a first round win.

Isakka’s 81 from 70 balls in the Blaze’s 7-260 from their 50 overs played a big part in the red shirts’ 94-run win over the City Cyclones.

The Sydney grade cricketer hit three boundaries and cleared the ropes four times after coming to the wicket with his side a healthy 4-122.

“It was really good (out there), I had one of those days when everything came off well and I had a bit of luck,’’ he said.

“It was such a good experience being around those blokes (shield cricketers and Blaze teammates Chris Tremain and Tom Andrews) where you learn so much from them.’’

Dylan Brasher’s 61 at the top of the order was another plus for the Blaze, who travel to Palmerston next Sunday to meet the other first round winners Southern Storm.

The Cyclones showed flashes of form with the bat, Zac Sleeman and Dylan Hunter making half centuries.

But the side continually lost wickets to spin duo Andrews and Hamish Martin and Isaaka, who grabbed two wickets with his medium pacers.

Southern Storm opened their account with a three-wicket win over Northern Tide at Palmerston’s Cazaly’s Arena.

Tide skipper Isaac Conway batted through the innings for a fine unbeaten 77 from 114 balls, but the team’s total of 6-180 looked gettable from a Storm side with several capable batsmen in their line-up.

They did lose 3-37 in the middle of the innings, but all-rounder Dean Fry’s patient 53 from 85 balls and Michael Kura’s 21 from 22 balls at the end got them home.

‘That felt really good, the boys batted really well with a good start up the top and all I had to do was come in, knock them around and do my job,’’ he said.

Fry has been a constant since the Strike League’s inception with his accurate spin bowling, smart fielding and clever batting carrying a lot of weight.