PORT ADELAIDE has enjoyed an early season win over Adelaide, this time on the cricket pitch as both sides did their bit to raise money for South Australians affected by the recent bushfires.

The Power won by 14 runs, but the SA Bushfire appeal was the real winner with $1,015,239 raised for people directly affected by bushfires in the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island.

In front of 34,219 at Adelaide Oval Port Adelaide set an imposing total, finishing on 7/231 off its 20 overs after captain Tom Jonas won the toss and elected to bat.

Travis Head and Connor Rozee laid the foundation with a 58-run opening partnership, only broken when Rozee was beaten by a Rashid Khan fizzer that went straight through him when the young star was on 29.

Boak continued to find the boundary while also turning over the strike but saw his innings end two overs later when new partner Hamish Hartlett dropped the ball short and set off for a quick single and Khan effected the run-out.

The former Power skipper took it in his stride, finishing as the highest scorer of the game with 44.

Dour defender Tom Clurey was anything but on the cricket field during a middle-order cameo of 29. The big man smacked 22 off four balls including three sixes off one Kane Richardson over before the Australian quick got his revenge with a fast ball that tore through Clurey’s middle stump.

Hartlett’s wicket after being caught in the deep by Crows footy skipper Rory Sloane for 19 brought Englishman Phil Salt to the crease as the first of the cricketers and he smacked a six off his first ball from Paul Seedsman.

Salt eventually became Rory Sloane’s first victim when he miscued a chip down the ground and it was caught comfortably by Australian wicket keeper Alex Carey, displaced behind the stumps by Scorpion Bridget Patterson initially and then Crows midfielder Matt Crouch.

He departed for a quick fire 20 and it brought in Travis Head. The Adelaide Strikers captain was in good touch immediately. He took to Sloane hitting him for four sixes in a row in a single over, which saw the unique situation where three captains were out in the middle at the same time - Crows captain Sloane bowling and Power captain Tom Jonas batting with Head.

Jonas departed for four soon after and female cricketer Sarah Lowe went soon after when Khan returned to the attack. He finished with figures of 2/11 off his three overs as well as his run out of Boak.

Head teamed with Strikers wicket keeper Harry Nielsen for a rapid fire 43 run stand and the pair finished not out on 43 and 31 respectively as Head brought the innings to a close with a lusty six off the bowling of late inclusion Lachlan Murphy, who replaced the injured Darcy Fogarty.

Kane Farrell opened the bowling for the Power and he and Redback Chadd Sayers pitched in good areas to keep the Crouch brothers quiet as they opened the bat for the Crows, knowing they needed 232 to win at nearly 12 runs per over.

Farrell claimed the wicket of Brad Crouch for five and when he ran out next in Paul Seedsman for one with a cheeky underarm throw off his own bowling Adelaide was in trouble at 2/20.

Skipper Tom Lynch settled the ship with Matt Crouch but Lowe’s introduction to the bowling attack soon paid dividends when the younger Crouch brother was calmly caught by Farrell in the deep.

With Alex Carey in the middle with Lynch the Crows needed a hurry on with the required run rate passing 13 per over.

The partnership delivered 58 runs before Carey was out off the bowling of Hartlett, caught by Boak who held no hard feelings despite the earlier runout.

At 4/116, Taylor Walker joined Lynch at the crease, struggling to pick up Hartlett’s spin as the Power tightened the screws.

The pressure continued to build as Hartlett claimed Lynch for 38, again caught by Boak, bringing Jake Weatherald to the crease at 5/126.

After his heroics with the bat, Clurey was thrown the ball and Walker took a liking to the big defender, with 23 runs off the 15^th over.

Rozee added to his highlight reel with a diving catch down low at full pace in the deep to see Weatherald dismissed for five off Dan Houston’s bowling. Houston was a late inclusion himself after Todd Marshall withdrew on Saturday.

That brought Rashid Khan to the crease and the Afghan spinner smashed a six over Rozee with his first delivery.

Travis Head stepped into the bowling attach and Khan smacked him for six before getting out next ball for 14.

Seven down and needing 18.9 runs per over the task was beginning to appear too great for the Crows as Patterson came out to the middle.

Jonas brought himself on to bowl to Walker and it paid immediate dividends as the skipper took out the big forward’s off stump, sending him packing for 40.

The game was effectively over with Adelaide needing 52 off the final two overs but Patterson and new partner Brodie Smith still did their bit to raise money for the cause.

$500 from every boundary and wicket was donated to the SA Bushfire Appeal, contributing to the grand total, and Patterson smashed five fours and six off Farrrell’s last over to do her bit.

Rozee took the ball for the final over with Adelaide needing 27 off it for victory but in the end, the Power proved too strong to record a famous win.

Donations to the SA Bushfire Appeal are still open. Click here to donate.