SUCC Metro v RP's Green
SUCC PG's v Manly
1st grade | 2nd grade | 3rd grade | 4th grade | 5th grade | 6th grade
1st Grade
Round 6: Sydney Uni V Bankstown, day 1.
Bankstown (1st inn) D Waugh 63, A Bird 37, P Darwen 48, J Cassell 133, N Dunford 2/74, T Ley 2/71, M Cook 2/101
Top 6: Larkin, Poodle, Hay, Moran, Faraday, Miller. Bottom 5: Morgan, Cook, Keirath, Dunford, Ley. Batsmen kicked towards the scoreboard.
With things not going the bowlers’ way, and blatant disregard for the rules by the batsmen, the outnumbered bowlers suffered a brutal if unfair Nashball loss. However, later that morning the bowlers, stung from their defeat, formed a pact to resurrect their Nashball season, and were to pull off one of the all time great underdog wins the following week. Meanwhile, a cloud of controversy surrounds Nick Dunford’s miraculous if impossible 7 day turnaround of form. Dunners stated this week, ‘I tried extra hard knowing that I didn’t have to bowl’. However, the batsmen suspect illegal use of steroids and/ or performance enhancing Rexona Dry.
Back to day one. Ian lost the toss and Bankstown decided to bat. If ever our quicks were to extract some movement from the number one strip, it was in the first half hour under brooding cloud cover. And strike they did. Tim struck first with an early LBW. Plugger was backed up by Screech moving one across the lefty, who wafted one to our most intense player, Will Hay, in the gully. Next it was Lazy again, who did just enough to catch the thin edge of another lefty. Eddie obliged at first slip, silkily plucking the ball from the cusp of the sandy number one turf. As the pitch dried out, the stodgy Bankstown opener and his left handed partner became harder to dismiss. Their partnership took Bankstown from 3-16 to 4-174, which turned out to be the difference in the match. Cook put down a tough swirling high ball that apparently Lazy would have swallowed, sorry Tim. There was some agreement that perhaps Cook brooded too long over this one. However, Smokey Eyes swooned his way back into the game, bowling a career longest 32 overs for 101 runs and 2 wickets.
It was a shame TK hurt his back in only his third over, as the extra spin would have been valuable on a day of hard grinding (Tom’s injury further stacked the odds against the bowlers in week two Nash. His comeback added theatre to what was one of the great goal keeping performances in remembered history).
Nick ‘blue cheese’ Dunford created a pungent haze of uncertainty at one end, which was balanced by Tim ‘Air Wick’ Ley from the other. Together the young stallions fought hard on what wasn’t a day for bowlers of raw pace. At last the partnership ended to Morgan’s first club stumping, Waugh stumped Morgan bowled Cook, ‘was a pleasure to be a part of it’.
Opener Cassell reached his hundred and then some, and was the thorn in our side all day. Some late dips from Bankstown’s tail helped them get to 330 odd in one the slowest final sessions ever played. The highlight for many was encouraging the bowling of Ed ‘poodle head’ Cowan as he put on an exhibition in cheeky dibbly-dobblers and alleged reverse swing. Pood eventually bowled a strategic half tracker that drew the batsman into a false slog. As if playing fetch, Eddy trotted out to congratulate Haysa on his outfield catch- one couldn’t help but laugh.
As uni were determined to bowl only 96 overs on the day, the last session crawled to a halt as the visitors ended on 8 for 334 declared. The students left the field exhausted at the day’s grinding, with Lazy, Dunners and Mitch finishing with 2 a piece. Some tidy and effective bowling from Dave ‘hates getting dirty’ Miller and Eddy was also recognised. Milf was a standout in the field, and most of us were solid all day. Special mention goes to Alf and Will for constant and thorough rubbish chat in the covers for the duration of the middle session.
A hard fought effort meant that the students had a very gettable score to chase on day 2.
Run scoring is our biggest focus at the moment and day two was to pose a huge challenge for our batsmen. To be continued…
Mitch.
Waiting on day 2
Waiting on Richard Berrington's report.
Sydney University 262 (Mark Hackett 66, James Walsh 63 Huw McKay 42 Brendan Smith 30*) Bankstown 0/7
Under heavy clouds the routine game of Nash ball began, and again the older generation proved too skilful for the young ones. However, with the actual play (cricket) delayed for 30 minutes, the intensity of Nash ball stepped up, with Thorpy and Greenie leaving the field with mild cases of concussion.
Uni lost the toss and was sent into bat on what the opposition thought would be a seaming and bouncy deck (hence the three slips and short leg)-however the only movement the ball showed was travelling over square leg boundary for another 6 to Walshy. Walshy batted incredibly well (smashed them) for 63 off 30 odd balls. Thorpy hung in there (despite doing his best to give the opposition a catch) for 66, and we were well placed at 2-180. However after a middle order collapse, it was left to McKay, Smith and Greenie to bring us home to a total of 265. Other contributors were Jessup and Stu with solid goldens.
Hopefully our bowlers are well prepared and eager for the challenge of taking 10 wickets this weekend!
Day 2.
As usual, the warm up was initiated with a customary game of Nash Ball (tall vs short) and for the first time in a year and a half at Sydney Uni, I was on the winning side! The remaining warmup was conducted in a very sharp manner, with the Uni boys hitting a single stump, 30 yards away 9/10 times. Bankstown obviously saw this and needless to say there were no quick singles in the first 2 hours of play-however there were not many wickets either! While the seamers were able to bowl one side of the wicket, we struggled for length early on, allowing Bankstown to make a solid start.
However, the spin pair of the sanman and stu slowed the run rate and eventually stu was able to deceive the batsman with a well “flighted” delivery. Unfortunately that was the last break through for the first session. This isn’t to say that the first session was uneventful, captain jessup’s angry blow up at drinks (which was probably deserved) managed to bring a smile to every ones face J
Unfortunately it began to rain just before tea, the 6 of us who stayed behind to put the covers on were informed by the 5 who went to tea that the food was fantastic as usual!
After the tea break the team came to life however, with an inspirational spell of bowling from BJ to bring us back into the game. Following on from his run scoring effort the week before (including a massive 6 that should have been worth 12), BJ put on a swing bowling clinic, claiming 3 vital wickets. The sanman also showed us his magic, shutting down the run rate and also claiming a vital wicket.
From here on Bankstown crumbled like a dry biscuit, with Dave Jessup tearing through the tail (claiming three quick wickets, including 2 in 2 balls). Suddenly we had bankstown 9 wickets down, with 6 overs to go (and we still had a lead of 40 runs). All that was left was for Greenie to throw the stumps down for a fantastic run out (proving that our warm up efforts were no fluke) to hand us the victory.
Cheers
Mark
Sydney University 247
Bankstown 1/24
Highlights
Skinner 65, Robertson 55, PJ 47
Once AJ arrived 15min late again for the third week in a row we kicked off with the usual game of nash ball which saw a large one-sided total to an inexperienced team led by skins. Following an observation of the pitch Skins won the toss and elected to bat.
So the students went into bat and delivered a strong opening stance of 110, taking apart the childish first string bowling attack, before pj’s poorly attempted sweep shot off the leggys first delivery, left him stranded in front of the wickets. Barwick then arrived for a short stay after he spoon one to mid-wicket, again showing no respect for the leggy. Not troubling the scorers either saw Bragg and Burke removed effortlessly once again by the leggy who during that time had removed skins around his legs for a well played 65. After losing 6 wickets for a measly 30 runs we saw a short stint of resistant from the welcoming return of hickey. Once again after a strong start to the innings the students looked to be posting another poor total after a strong opening stance. This was not to be with the arrival of Robertson and Lawrence to the crease. After a slow start the two began to take a liking to the attack, punishing the short stuff and using the pace to pick up the odd single. Whilst the two youngens held out the attack it left the brains of Burke, AG and Braggsy to solve the weekend quiz. AG and Braggsy produced some fine answer whilst Burkey did little, but to try claim his pathetic answer to the title of Paul Newmans award winning role movie. Robertson went on to make his first half century for the students and partner a solid 90 run 8th wicket partnership to bring the students to a substantial total.
AG was handed the new ball with 6 overs till the end of play. Within his first over he delivered a brilliant nut to collect a welcoming wicket, leaving the Students in good stead for the upcoming week.
2nd Day
Sydney Unversity 247 lost to Bankstown 6 for 253 Win on first innings
Again we arrived at Bankstown looking to improve on AJ’s early success from previous week, although with the dark clouds sitting above us all day gave us doubt in whether a day’s cricket would be played. With our mind set on knocking this one over before the rain came, the Bankstown youngster had different ideas holding us off with a lengthy partnership before a mix up lead us to our first break through of the day. It took some time, although our thoughts were still positive with josh Lawrence then claiming his first scalp in fourth grade cricket. Along followed Hasi and our confidence grew with the possibility of turning around our poor start. After tea Chris then came back into the attack claiming two quick wickets in consecutive overs although by this stage Bankstown were well on their way to reaching their target and with some strong hitting towards the end saw them get over the line only 6 down. Inconsistent bowling and poor fielding can be further contributed to the collapsing middle order to the third downfall in a row for fourths cricket. Hopefully a lot can be taken out of these past six weeks and the members of fourths can turn this poor start to the season around and not incur anymore consecutive losses throughout the remainder of the season.
Bankstown 135-Metcalfe 4-23, Green 2-39, Rodgers 850 and Metcalfe 200 grade wickets
The Uni boys rocked up to St. Pauls on an overcast day ready to make some history. With 3 grade debutants and a fairly inexperienced but exciting line-up Bankstown were not ready for what hit them and it showed with their outrageously slow run-rate.
We lost the toss and the Bankstown skipper hesitantly made the decision to bat unleashing the opening attack of Charlie “Skins” Cull and Greg “Angry Mo” Metcalfe. With a great line and pace Charlie was unlucky not to pick up some early wickets. Metro picked up his 197th grade wicket in the 6th over as the pressure being built showed.
The other opening batsmen was still worried about a few choice words he said to the Mo and ran himself out, it was a shame as he had hit 3 runs off 12 overs and I really think he started to get his eye in!
With Bankstown 2-16 off 16 overs the skipper decided to introduce Ben “Gay (not gay)” Joy and Steve “Kermit” Green into the attack. Continuing the pressure Steve picked up his first two grade wickets bowling great line and length and forcing the batsmen into mistakes.
The one Bankstown batsmen who actually tried to play some shots got his 50 but then got bowled as Charlie picked up a well deserved wicket. This was followed by a moment of history when Jimmy Rodgers picked up his 850th grade wicket bowling to a plan which paid off perfectly.
With no batsmen looking to play any shot other than the forward defensive the afternoon session was a hard slog for the uni boys but staying determined and focused thanks to inspirational words from Chris “I AM better than Dougal” Davey and Ed “muddy shoes” Freeman.
Finally the wickets started to fall and despite a 30 run 9th wicket partnership the nerds managed to bowl out Bankstown for just 135 with Metro taking the final wicket and his 200th at grade level.
In terms of fielding, the award for muddiest goes to Will “brown nose” Shirvington who follows the rule ‘the dirtier the better’. Jono “Ronald” Momsen continuously threw himself around gully, Ed Freeman finally got his vest top dirty with a reluctant dive into the mud, he was seen calling his mum in England after the game to see if he could get the vest sent home, washed and returned by next week. Paul “Fabio” Bertelle was awarded TFC contributing a dropped catch and a rubbish arm to the game. James McPherson was also up for the award but he can actually throw more than 10 metres.
With the job half done the uni boys can look forward to sealing the win next week.
Special mention to Jimmy and Metro for their landmark wickets, Steve Green and Ben Joy also picked up their first wickets in grade cricket.
Day 2
Sydney Uni rocked up to St. Pauls knowing that just 135 runs would get the win. There was an air of confidence around the side and everyone was eager to get a win against the team who scored at the rapid pace of 1.7 runs an over last week.
After a quick game of touch and some throw downs the openers were ready for the fight. Chris “poo poo” Davey looked good despite struggling to run more than 5 meters and Ed “Clean vest” Freeman was clearly finding some form. A strong opening partnership was just what the nerds needed and despite Davey getting out for 16 the foundations had been set and the new ball seen off.
As the captain of the opposition put a young leg spinner on to bowl 25 overs from one end James “suddenly loves league” McPherson joined Freeman in the middle to build another formidable partnership. The boys did good, and James was unfortunate to get out for 26 having made another start, looking steady. With Freeman still playing good shots Bertelle entered the game desperate to avoid another TFC award…he won the award for the second week in a row…
Stevey Green also came and went, presenting Jono Momsen an opportunity to get some time at the crease with Ed still at the other end. These two batted nicely together and Ed raced to his 50 looking to push on and score big. Unfortunately just before tea Ed was stumped just 15 short of the required total. This gave Will “brown” Shirvington a chance to join Jono in taking the nerds over the finishing line which they did with ease. The skipper then decided to carry on batting to give the lower order a chance to show what they could do, much to TFCs disgust as he was desperate to drown his sorrows whilst dressing up like a girl.
Will “pillows can actually hurt” Shirvington fell for 22 and Charlie Cull came to the crease ready to make a big score. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be and Cull returned allowing Metro a chance to “just support Jono”. Metro took these instructions to mean have a tonk…but unfortunately that also wasn’t meant to be, allowing Ben “all-rounder” Joy a chance to show off his batting skills. Momsen fell for a strong 39, leaving Joy stranded at 1 n/o as Jimmy felt it would be best for everyone to call it a day.
It was a very good win for the Uni boys and it would have been the perfect day if Greg “ill lead the team song” Metcalfe hadn’t ruined the post game celebrations forgetting the words to the song….how long have you been here Metro?! After winning the last 3 out of 4 games the 5s are in good form heading towards Xmas.
Ben
As the students slowly assembled at the hallowed Snape oval in the infamous suburb of Maroubra, the lines were drawn for an epic battle. Upon arrival it was noted by a number of the varsity players how incredibly keen the Randy Pete side were, rumor had it that they may have actually camped overnight at the ground. Nevertheless the Randwick skipper affectionately know as #%^&, Ferrero Roche or Michael Clarke was determined to complete the toss despite the notable absence of one captain. The toss was won by Uni who decided to bat on a deceiving deck which latter proved to be a regrettable decision. After a relatively docile start to the match N. Fitzgerald dispatched the RP spinner for consecutive boundaries, this brought captain courageous into the attack. With his skins sponsorship and infinite enthusiasm “#%$&” tore through our ranks to finish with figures of 6-23. The Students were in a bit of trouble at 6-79 until Rhodes with his innings of 44 guided the tail through for a slightly more respectable score of 159.
The pitch that had been close to a minefield during our innings was playing a lot more consistently during RP’s innings. Despite the more favorable conditions sustained pressure and intensity resulted in quick wickets. The bowler’s performed well with all the quicks chipping in with wickets; Tom Ryan (3/35), Ben Fessey (4/30) and Luke Truashiem (2/15). Special mention must go to Tim Lehy’s contribution in the field which was invaluable with his banter and chat setting a benchmark for things to come, and Rhodes leading by example with a freakish catch in slips. Special mention must also go to D. Domenici who took a ball to the face whilst keeping to the Rhodes express. After a stellar performance in the field to secure first innings victory by 34 runs, a number of Uni players were keen to call it a day with various events such as “Fully Sick Movember” parties to attend later in the afternoon.
However after much deliberation the second innings commenced with uni resuming at the crease with the ambition of setting an unassailable total to crush the enthusiasm of the opponents. After a solid start by Matt“dirty bird”Ruhnau (26) things went pear shaped. The intensity was palpable with various disputes throughout the day adding to the importance of the game, such as a short rain delay and Michael Clarke’s attempt to bowl players that were not actually on the team sheet. Despite these distractions our batting failed to add the runs necessary, and the outright victory was in jeopardy as Uni were bungled out after adding only 81 runs increasing the overall lead to only 115. This left RP’s with 25 overs to chase our total at a required run rate of 4.6 runs per over for them to claim the outright victory.
Once again a concerted effort was required from the students in the field to escape with the points. Early wickets from Fessey and Truashiem swung the match ever so slightly in Uni’s favor with RP’s 3/18 after 7 overs. With the required run rate climbing steadily and batsmen subject to vigorous banter wickets continued to fall. LBW’s were had to come by as the RP supplied umpires kept their hands in their pockets with a number of close decisions not being considered, contrary to our innings officiated by Nick “trigger finger” Fitzgerald. Wickets continued to fall as the runs dried up due to some excellent fielding by Uni, however we couldn’t quiet finish the tail off and at the conclusion of the allocated overs RP were 7/51. Result; good first innings win by the boys.
With most of the 21’s team halfway through exams, it was always going to be a mentally challenging day for the boys. Nash was again somehow won by the bowlers. The batsmen looked elegant and graceful across the field, yet an overlap on the bowlers side proved to be enough to miraculously get them across the line. Certain Nash commentators were also quick to point out a glaring weak spot in the batters line up, with Nick Larkin proving yet again a ‘soft’ spot in the batters quest for eternal glory. With a poor nash record with the club so far maybe it is time to hustle back in defence kirk!!!
With the most competitive part of the day over, swooner (mitch) won the toss and elected to bat. With some phat beats blaring from the uni sheds, regards stu’s ipod, Nick and Ben Larkin preceded to monster the Manly attack early, with an opening partnership of 70 from the first 10 overs. With Ben gone for 19, Nick continued on showing the brilliant form he has shown all season to bring up a well deserved ton. Deef Miller played well for 47, however burnt swooner in what can only be described as a horrific start to living the living arrangements for the summer. Lazy showed the brilliance of a future Drewsman, smashing 27, leaving the students with a well made 244.
With Manly dishing out some rubbish chat throughout the students innings, the usually friendly banter was canned and morg’s led a hostile attack on certain manly batsmen. Morgs also decided to take the one ball that got above the waste all day with his face, not his gloves. Although he claims that the bruising under his eye was the result of a bar fight the night before, its hard to miss a keeper taking a ball face first. On a flat deck all the bowlers bowled well, with Lazy being the standout, clearly inspired by his batting performance and some ill-directed manly chat whilst he was at the crease. Mention must also go to Nigel, Mitch, Stuey and Josh who all bowled well in tough bowling conditions.
So after round two the Mitch ‘Simon Swooner’ Cook led side is 2-0 and looking forward to what promises to be a good match against top of the table blacktown next Sunday.
Chip
Sydney University City & Suburban (nee Vets)
Round 5 Sydney uni vs Radiophysics Played at Uni no.2
The uni boys win with 'intensity'
on a cold, overcast sunday afternoon, we won the toss and decided to send the opposition in on a soft track that would keep a little low. Skipper John Le Couteur opened his attack with Travis McKenna from the Uni GS squad and new recruit Sam Hastwell who has Radiophysics at 3-6 (with two magnificent cartwheeled middle pegs to show for their efforts). A strong, clubbed century from the Radiophysics first drop swung the game back into their favour. Good spells from Sam "intensity" Al-Maliki and Giles "firestarter' Barton tightened the scoring and at the end of the assigned 30 overs, Radiophysics were 6/135, mainly due to 101 from their 1st drop. Though on a personal note, it was a pleasure to hear the lyrics of the Prodigy quoted for the first time on a cricket field. There should more of it, I say!
"Breathe the pressure, Come play my game I'll test ya. Psychosomatic addict, insane"
The gentleman above opened the innings with Richard Woolley and fell to a mistimed pull shot, leaving the skipper and Richard to amass the majority of the runs, John retiring at 59 and Richard at 57. David Chin (who kept an almost clean slate and was as athletic as pole vaulter) and Travis tidied up the remaining runs arriving at our final total of 1/139.
All around, a great win for Sydney Uni. 2 wins from 5 games. The average is looking better.
I'm the trouble starter, punkin' instigator.
I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated.
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter.
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter.
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter.
