St Patrick's overseas player Luke Evans playing leading role in charge

Opening bowler Luke Evans certainly hasn't attracted the attention of New City's former Indian Premier League batsman Shoaib Shaikh or Albury's former Sri Lankan first-class spinner Mahesh Kodamullage, but the Englishman has racked up 23 wickets at 17 and chipped in with 188 runs at 21, batting anywhere between four and nine.

Evans is in his second year with the Patties and picked up his first five-wicket haul in Saturday's win over Belvoir.

"He's tall and he's quick enough to hurry a batsman on," St Pat's captain Dean Nicholson explained.

"He's got some nice variations, most bowlers have a few cutters and Luke works on a fair few of them, in the late overs especially when the pitch starts playing a few games, the ball goes softer and he's not afraid to use those variations."

And the Patties other overseas born player in former Scotland under 19 international Neil Smith, who's now in his seventh season with the club, is also in form, racking up 598 runs at 43, including a ton and six half-centuries.

"He's one of those blokes who hits a mountain of balls during the week, he's just found himself in a rhythm, he knows what shots he wants to play to certain balls," Nicholson revealed.

Meanwhile, a former CAW paceman has completed his first State Second XI game for ACT-NSW Country.

Former Lavington quick Ross Pawson finished with match figures of 3-104 from 28 overs and a batting average of 43 against South Australia.

Pawson was on a hat-trick in SA's first innings and struck the classy Ryan Gibson on the helmet in snaring 2-44 from 15 overs as the home team made 252.

Pawson was seven not out at No.11 in the visitors' 407, but then dashing Adelaide Strikers' opener Jake Weatherald peeled off 229, including 29 fours and three sixes, while Gibson was unbeaten on 137 in the monster total of 6-499 as the right-armer claimed 1-60 from 13 overs.

ACT-NSW was dismissed for 193, although Pawson was second top score when elevated to No. 10 with 36, including six boundaries.

SA claimed a 151-run win.

"They (team-mates) told me the first four-day game is always the hardest because it's so different to club games, which are two-dayers, and obviously the quality of opposition is at the next level as well," Pawson explained.

"(Ex-Australian ODI bowler) Chris Tremain kept saying you're never as far advanced as you think and you're never as far behind as you think and that's the biggest thing I got out of it.

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"Another thing I learnt is how to set up your over, how to get out of your over to minimise damage."

Pawson has retained his spot against NSW Metro.