First day points are gold
In a cricket competition, rain distorts everything, because there are no points for moral victories or commanding positions. Half of the First Grade matches in Round Six ended in draws, and not all that many of them were evenly balanced. A side that’s good enough to earn points on day one, when day two is impacted by rain, earns itself a massive advantage. The lively Michael Sullivan gave Parramatta exactly that advantage after Nick Bertus invited UTS North Sydney to bat first at Old Kings Oval. Sullivan grabbed an early breakthrough when he removed Tim Reynolds, who somehow managed to edge a shoulder-high delivery he was trying to leave. Evan Pitt lured the dangerous Justin Avendano into a loose waft outside off stump, and then Sullivan cut through the middle order, sparking a collapse in which four wickets fell for four runs. Sullivan finished with 6-33, the Bears made only 75, and Parramatta cruised past that total with only three wickets down. Actually, first innings scoresheets look remarkably lopsided, because in Parramatta’s innings, only Andrew Calvert passed nine – but he made up for the rest with an unbeaten 103. Parramatta might have been able to chase outright points – but you already know what happened on day two.
Charlie Anderson looks useful
Northern District’s opening bowler, Charlie Anderson, has been on the radar for a while now, having been in the representative pathways for some years (and holding a Basil Sellers scholarship). But he has never made quite the impact on First Grade that he did in Round 6, slicing through Western Suburbs to give Northern District full points at Pratten Park. Watching NDs bowl at Pratten was like a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s, when the pitch favoured seam bowlers to an almost ridiculous extent. In between rain delays, Anderson, who’s nippy rather than fast, exploited the conditions perfectly, bowling an excellent line on or outside off, and moving the ball off the seam. He jagged a ball back in to Josh Clarke to win an lbw decision, and deceived Finn Gray with a slower ball which was patted to David Lowery at cover. James Psarakis nicked one through to the keeper, Farhan Zakhail fended a lifting ball to short leg and, with Wests reeling at 5 for 19, Anderson had all five wickets for ten runs. Lachlan Fisher spoiled the sequence by taking the next two wickets, but Anderson finished a memorable day with 7-33. He’s the latest fast-bowler to emerge from Knox Grammar, which has also produced Richard Stobo, Matt Nicholson and Harry Conway.
The Students got all wet for nothing
Sydney University can probably count itself the unluckiest side in Round 6, having thoroughly outplayed Eastern Suburbs, only to leave Waverley Oval empty-handed. The Students ran up 8 for 345 on the first day, then reduced the powerful Easts batting lineup to 3 for 19, and then watched the rain fall. A win would have vaulted the Students into the top six; the draw leaves them outside looking in. Highlights were Jack Attenborough’s return to his best form, after a rocky start to the season, another fine innings from the very consistent Tim Cummins, and a polished effort from Ryan McElduff. McElduff remains the batsman in Sydney most likely to score an impressive fifty without reaching a hundred: he has a well-organised defence and strokes all round the wicket, and has often contributed attractive runs at important times, but is still waiting for his first hundred in the top grade. Partly this is because he’s now batting in the middle order, which gives him limited time, and partly it’s because he plays unselfishly – he played beautifully for 76 against Easts, before falling when trying to force the pace against Marcus Atallah’s off spin.
Blake Smith bowls straight
All-rounder Blake Smith has hit a rich vein of form for Campbelltown-Camden. In Round 5, he hit 80 against Mosman and followed that with 5-42; in Round 6, he cut through Sydney with 5-30 and then hit 60. Smith bowls off-breaks from an extremely short approach (too short to be called a run), and they don’t turn or dip all that sharply, but they are certainly accurate. He earned his rewards for attacking the stumps against Sydney, winning four lbw decisions. His runs are usually scored in a hurry – his 60 against Sydney came from only 59 balls. His progress this season will be interesting to watch.
Stephen Wark got slogged
So Stephen Wark opened the bowling for St George Fourths against Manly, and his bowling was flogged. Jack Melchiore hit him for two fours in an over; his four overs cost 22 runs. Fourth Grade batsmen don’t often treat him with that level of disrespect.
Unfortunately for Manly, that was the second innings. In the first innings, Wark bowled 17.2 overs, unchanged, and took 8-17. Manly were 24 without loss when Wark took the ball: they managed a total of just 87, to which Melchiore contributed exactly 50. Wark is not your average 53-year old cricketer: his inswinging mediums still befuddle most lower grade batsmen and, while his pace may have dropped over the years, his control hasn’t. So far this season, he has collected his 850th wicket for St George (behind only Ross Longbottom) and his 300th wicket in Fourth Grade. On this form, there are plenty more to come.