Local junior Russo, back home in Dubbo after a spell with the Queanbeyan and Tuggeranong clubs in the Canberra competition, made 110 in his side’s total of 6/200 from 40 overs.

But the Tigers, playing a Rugby side lacking Jordan Moran, got there with 11 balls to spare, largely in part to captain Mat Skinner’s unbeaten 65.

“Russo batted very well,” Newtown’s Steve Skinner said, after confessing his side dropped the Macquarie Valley representative before he was 20.

“But at times we probably didn’t bowl to the plan against him and he took full advantage and there weren’t many bad balls which weren’t put away on a pitch that was pretty hard to bat on.”

Skinner described the No. 1 Oval as “ordinary” and the Tigers batsmen struggled early in the run chase, with openers Dan Holland (10) and Charlie Kempston (26) unable to get comfortable.

Steve Skinner (24) and Greg Kerr (17) also got a start but failed to kick on with Mat, returning to a place lower in the batting order, the only batsmen who settled in.

When he came into bat with the score at 4/86 his side needed to go at better than a run in ball in the final 18 overs but once he got his eye in the result was hardly in doubt. The hard-hitting left-hander pummelled five sixes in his knock to get his side home in the 39^th over.

“We’ve picked up a few blokes so its allowed some others to slide down the order and that’s probably where Mat is most effective,” Steve said of his side’s lineup.

“He (Mat) hit them well. A couple went up to the clubhouse and a couple of big ones in the car park. He hits them clean.”