Ex-Comets batsmen Mark Higgs and Brad Haddin returned to Canberra to givetheir former teammates a lesson as New South Wales won by 118 runs in a rainshortened Mercantile Mutual Cup match at Manuka Oval today

Mick Lange16-Jan-2000Ex-Comets batsmen Mark Higgs and Brad Haddin returned to Canberra to givetheir former teammates a lesson as New South Wales won by 118 runs in a rainshortened Mercantile Mutual Cup match at Manuka Oval today.Haddin, who last year scored 133 off 124 balls for the Comets againstVictoria on the same ground, began in a similar aggressive mood and raced to50 off 38 balls, the fastest half century in domestic one-day competitionthus far this year. The innings was punctuated with a variety of superblytimed drives lofted safely in the area over mid off and mid on, and fromfront foot drives through cover and mid wicket.Although former NSW paceman Anthony Stuart took 3-24 in a seven-over openingspell for the Comets, he lacked an effective partner from the other end,with the Comets minus injured regular bowlers Jason Voros and Lee Hansen.With the base provided by Haddin’s blistering innings, man of the match MarkHiggs was able to take advantage of occasional loose deliveries by the restof the attack and his 77 from 75 balls was risk free until he ran himselfout at the end of the innings.With half an hour lost to rain during the Blues innings of 9/252, the matchwas reduced to 47 overs per side and the Comets’ target increased to 255under the Duckworth/Lewis system. With the target a forbidding 5.42 runs perover, the accurate unchanged ten over spell of NSW opening bowler Don Nashyielded 3 wickets for 31 as the Comets batsman tried and failed to increasethe run-rate. Only captain Rod Tucker was able to briefly lift the rateagainst NSW spinners Jamie Stewart (in his first match since transferringfrom Western Australia) and Gavin Robertson, and the Comets crashed to theworst defeat in their brief existence.The inability to keep talented players such as Haddin, Higgs, and MichaelBevan will make this competition a continued struggle for the Comets. It isdifficult to see how they can be competitive if players must leave to playthe extended game and achieve their dream of playing Test Cricket.