Test batsmen Ricky Ponting and Ed Cowan both missed out in their first domestic innings of the season, against a New South Wales team inspired by a career-best effort from Moises Henriques.
Henriques blasted an unbeaten 161 against Tasmania, as the Blues recovered from a sickly 3 for 7 to post 442 in the Sheffield Shield match at Bankstown Oval.
Cowan (17) and Ponting (9) perished quickly, as the Tigers reached 3 for 111 when bad light ended play on day two around 40 minutes early.
Mark Cosgrove (73 not out) headed the Tigers' chase, striking several powerful boundaries.
Fellow opener Cowan, who appeared for Australia A and English county Gloucestershire during the off-season, looked set before leaving a ball from Trent Copeland (1 for 28) that crashed into his stumps.
Ponting received a warm welcome from the home spectators after Alex Doolan (5), was caught in the slips by Steve Smith off Doug Bollinger (1 for 26).
The former Test skipper faced 12 balls and struck a couple of sublime boundaries through cover and mid-on before playing around a delivery from Josh Hazlewood (1 for 36).
Ponting, whose last innings was in the third Test against West Indies five months ago, should get another three first-class hit-outs with the Tigers before the opening Test against South Africa in November.
The Blues were dismissed shortly after lunch, but not before Henriques and Copeland (55) each recorded highest first-class scores.
Their 124-run union represented the Blues' highest Sheffield Shield eighth-wicket stand against the Tigers.
They batted through the entire morning session, but the Blues innings closed when they lost 3 for 17 from the time of Copeland's dismissal.
Henriques, who had made nine first-class half-centuries, almost doubled his previous best first-class score of 82, made for Australia A against Pakistan A in Townsville in 2009.
The Australia one-day and Twenty20 representative smashed 15 fours and four sixes in his impressive 229-ball innings.
Copeland notched his second first-class half century, eclipsing his previous best of 53 against Queensland at Blacktown in the 2010/11 season.
Six bowlers claimed wickets for the Tigers, but only former Bankstown and Blues second XI paceman Jackson Bird (3 for 75) took more than one dismissal.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, bankstown-2200, hobart-7000 First posted September 27, 2012 18:03:53
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