At Five Things, we’re culture snobs who are hopelessly out of touch, but even we noticed that Taylor Swift managed to clean up at the Grammys this week, somehow becoming – simultaneously – the biggest story in American music, sport and politics. So this week, we surrendered to the strange times we live in, and learned five things from Premier Cricket and Taylor Swift lyrics. It’s an exercise that would have been a whole lot easier if Grade cricketers broke up with each other a bit more often, but here goes.
Puttin’ someone first only works when you’re in their top five
With three rounds remaining before the finals, there is now a fairly clear top five: St George marching onwards on 74, Northern District on 59, Manly on 51, Parramatta on 49 and Gordon on 40. The first four of those seem all but certain to play finals cricket: Gordon now plays three teams in the bottom eight, and so it will fancy its chances too. But as many as nine clubs will feel that they have a shot at the last place. If Western Suburbs beat Eastern Suburbs next round, they probably end the Dolphins chances; but if Easts win, they jump above Wests on the table. Mosman can hang on to sixth place by beating a rebuilding Bankstown side, and Randwick-Petersham can keep its hopes alive when it faces up to Blacktown. Campbelltown Camden is still in the mix, but probably won’t be after this round, when they’re next in line to be beaten up by St George.
When you’re young, you just run, but you come back to what you need
Austin Waugh hit his first century in First Grade last weekend, which feels like a strange thing to write, because he’s been around for so long and was such a bright teenage prospect. Then he became weary of the game, and needed a break, but now he’s back, apparently playing for fun and without much of the pressure he experienced on his way through the game’s pathways. He certainly enjoyed himself against UTS North Sydney, picking up a couple of cheap wickets as the Bears were bowled out for 141, then holding the Sutherland innings together after the loss of three early wickets. Waugh almost ran himself out on 98, racing off for an impossible single before being sent back, but he raised his hundred (from 161 balls) by cutting leg-spinner Nihal Desai for a sharp single, then getting up from his dive to take the overthrow. Waugh defended watchfully, drove cleanly and cut hard – and then, for good measure, picked up the important wicket of Justin Avendano in the Bears’ second innings. Another Shark who enjoyed a big match was former Sri Lankan Test off-spinner, Tharindu Kaushal, who scored 58 and picked up eight wickets over two innings.
Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him
It was a pretty good round for debutants. Manly had slumped to five for 115 when Jordan Daly began his first innings in the top grade. He survived a first ball appal for lbw, then tapped his next delivery into the off side to scramble a single. He was a touch lucky early on – a careless waft at Will Salzmann might have gone anywhere, but flew through the slips to the fence. After that he played more cautiously, until he cashed in during the final session. The fact that Manly batted into the second day gave him a chance to post a century, but he was given out on 90 when Hunar Verma moved a ball away from him. He didn’t seem altogether happy with the decision, though that might have been disappointment at getting so close to a rare milestone. Even so, it was an exceptional start. Meanwhile, the latest player to join the St George juggernaut is burly off-spinner, Dayle Carew, who returned an impressive 3-26 from 14 overs against Blacktown – not bad for a player who started the season in Fourths.
The world is spinning round
Usually, this is the part of the season when the pitches get greener and the seamers enjoy themselves. But it was the leg spinners who prospered last weekend. Western Suburbs’ Tom Brooks solved the season’s biggest puzzle – how to dismiss Tym Crawford at Chatswood before he scores 150 – not just once, but twice. In the first innings, Brooks drew Crawford forward to defend a leg break that did just enough to clip the outside edge on its way to Josh Clarke at first slip. In the second innings, Crawford aimed an airy drive at a fuller, higher-flighted ball, and edged to Clarke again. Brooks ended up with 4-50 and 5-70, although the Magpies’ push for outright points was thwarted by Trystan Kennedy, who remained not out on 91 when time ran out. At University Oval, Devlin Malone became the fifth-highest First Grade wicket-taker in Sydney University’s long history, taking five of the first six Manly wickets to fall. He needed only four balls to take his first wicket, trapping Matt Brewster with one that skidded on, and two overs later he turned one past Joel Foster’s defensive prod. He bowled an excellent, probing over to Jay Lenton, finally beating the left hander with extra bounce, and drawing a leading edge to short cover. His five-wicket haul was the twelfth of his First Grade career.
I told you I’m not bulletproof. Now you know.
Daniel Solway has been a colossal figure in Premier Cricket for several years, which is why it’s worth observing that when Parramatta’s Isaac Earl bowled him in Round 13, he recorded his second duck in succession. This is not a usual occurrence. Mind you, just as good players can lose form from time to time, they can also rediscover it – as Nick Bertus proved in the same game. By his own standards, Bertus hasn’t had a particularly good season, but he came through in the clutch against Bankstown, helping his side regroup after the middle order collapsed to Bankstown’s spinners. Bertus found an unlikely ally in Kyle Thornley, and their ninth-wicket stand of 35 edged Parramatta home for a vital win. Bertus finished on 87 not out, a reminder that while players like he and Solway may not be bulletproof, nor can they ever be taken lightly.
Also, apparently, the players gonna play, play, play, play, play. For three more rounds at least.