Tasmania struggled on day one of the Commonwealth Bank Under-19 Championship Series as they were dismissed for 130 against the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory players have come together from all over Australia, reflecting the fact that it is the off-season in the Top End. Wicketkeeper Martin Brown is playing for Lindisfarne in Hobart, with Tasmanian opening batsman Jamie Cox, but was pitted against his club cricket counterparts from the Apple Isle in the first round. Captain Sam McNally is playing with Woodville and batsmen Leigh Mauger and Shane Chatto are with East Torrens in Adelaide. Leg spinner Ryan LeLoux is showing the benefit of his stint with Easts-Redlands in the Brisbane grade cricket competition, taking 4/27 on the first day of the Championship series. Batsman Zac Pacey is playing with Norths alongside Bulls batsmen Jimmy Maher and Clinton Perren and will be looking to contribute to a large Northern Territory total today.

Tasmania's preparation for this year's Commonwealth Bank Under-19 Championship has been somewhat disrupted. Talented batsman Nathan King was involved in a car accident on his way home from training in Hobart last month and is recovering in hospital - where he was visited by Steve Waugh and Shane Warne during the Test match in Hobart recently. Just last Thursday, Burnie-Yeoman all-rounder Kade Munday snapped his achilles tendon at training and was replaced in the side for Newcastle by top order batsman Nicko Aird. Coupled with the wintry conditions across Tasmania recently, yesterday's top temperature of 37 degrees in Newcastle made for a tough and rapid day of acclimatisation for the Tasmanian team. Spirits should be boosted today by the arrival of left arm spinner Xavier Doherty following the completion yesterday of Tasmania's Pura Cup match against Victoria at Bellerive, during which Doherty made his first-class debut.

Victoria is faced with the challenge of recovering from its overnight score of 4/38 in pursuit of New South Wales' total of 310. The storms that swept through the Hunter region yesterday afternoon happily caused no disruptions to the match – which is being played at Cahill Oval in Belmont - and it will be the only game today in which there is no need to make up for time lost yesterday.

Victorian captain and state squad leg spinner Cameron White will not be joining his team following the Pura Cup match between the Tasmanian Tigers and Victorian Bushrangers. White will instead head to Canberra to represent the Prime Minister's XI against New Zealand on Thursday. He also remains in contention to play in the Bushrangers' ING Cup game against the Tigers in Hobart next Sunday and in their next Pura Cup fixture against the Southern Redbacks in Melbourne, beginning on Thursday 13 December.

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