SIMON Katich led from the front as New South Wales Blues handed the Diamond Eagles an embarrassing 53-run defeat in the Champions League Twenty20 in Delhi.

Katich top scored with 53 – off 41 deliveries – as NSW made 144 for six. Katich then engineered two run-outs as his experienced bowling attack restricted the Eagles’ reply to a paltry 91 for nine.

Katich elected to take first strike but NSW were circumspect at the start and lost Phil Hughes cheaply.

However, Katich got things rolling with boundaries on either side of the strip for his first runs and guided a third through point in the same over from Dillon Du Preez, the new-ball bowler yielding 12 in his second over.

Ryan McLaren was clubbed out of the attack and when David Warner (23) savaged fast bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk, Eagles captain Boeta Dippenaar was left scratching around for options.

He found refuge in off-spinner Thandi Tshabalala and medium pacer Victor Mpitsang, the two helping rein in NSW’s batsmen with an accurate line, although they were backed nicely by a strong show in the field.

Katich reached his half-century – off only 37 deliveries – with a six off the spinner but the momentum shifted the Eagles’ way when he was sent back almost immediately after Warner was scalped by Ryan Bailey.

The quick strikes left New South Wales in some trouble but Moses Henriques (26) and Ben Rohrer (22 not out) threw their bat around to give the score respectability. The Eagles’ response was quickly reduced to a feeble whimper by NSW’s superior bowling attack.

Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Nathan Hauritz picked up wickets in their first overs as the Eagles crumbled to 24 for five inside seven overs.

Lee scalped opener Rilee Rossouw, Clark claimed batsman Morne Van Wyk, who had earlier been dropped, while fellow opener Adrian McLaren – the only batsman in the top six to get to double figures – was brilliantly run out by Katich for 11. When Clark added the wicket of Dippenaar to his tally, it was all over bar the shouting.(Cricinfo)
NSW BLUES Innings
P Hughes b Mpitsang 1
D Warner b Bailey 23
*S Katich c Rossouw b van Schalkwyk 53
M Henriques c A McLaren b van Schalkwyk 27
B Rohrer not out 22
S Smith b du Preez 10
B Lee run out 0
+D Smith not out 0
Extras (lb6, w2) 8
TOTAL (6 wickets – 20 overs) 144
Did not bat: N Hauritz, S Clark, D Bollinger 
Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Hughes, 1.4 overs), 2-82 (Warner, 12.3), 3-84 (Katich, 13.4), 4-126 (Henriques, 17.4), 5-138 (S Smith, 19.2), 6-138 (Lee, 19.3)
Bowling: du Preez 4-0-32-1; Mpitsang 3-0-11-1; R McLaren 3-0-30-0 (1w); van Schalkwyk 3-0-22-2; Tshabalala 4-0-33-0; Bailey 3-0-10-1 (1w)

EAGLES Innings
R Rossouw lbw b Lee 1
A McLaren run out (Katich) 11
+M van Wyk c Hughes b Clark 0
D Elgar st D Smith b Hauritz 2
*H Dippenaar c Katich b Clark 7
R Bailey run out (Katich) 8
R McLaren c Hauritz b Henriques 40
S van Schalkwyk b Henriques 3
D du Preez b Clark 7
T Tshabalala not out 8
V Mpitsang not out 0
Extras (lb4) 4
TOTAL (9 wickets; 20 overs) 91
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Rossouw, 0.6 overs), 2-13 (A McLaren, 2.4), 3-14 (van Wyk, 3.1), 4-22 (Dippenaar, 5.6), 5-24 (Elgar, 6.3), 6-36 (Bailey, 9.4), 7-62 (van Schalkwyk, 14.3), 8-71 (du Preez, 15.6), 9-90 (R McLaren, 19.3)
Bowling: Lee 4-1-14-1; Bollinger 4-0-21-0; Clark 4-0-12-3; Henriques 3-0-13-2; Hauritz 4-0-13-1;
Smith 1-0-14-0.
Points: NSW Blues 2, Eagles 0