First Grade
Toss
Fairfield Liverpool won the toss and batted first
Result
Fairfield Liverpool won on first innings
Game scores
Fairfield Liverpool 173 & 141 Sydney University 172 & 3/126
Notables
Greg Mail 50, Nick Larkin 94, Tim Ley 3/22 & 5/38
Report
Sydney University started the day's play with 4 wickets in hand and needing a further 85 runs to match Fairfield's score. All but a solitary run of these 85 were accumluated before the final first-innings wicket fell, meaning that the team's unconquered start to the season of four wins from four matches, including an outright, came to and end (just).
However, in this rare instance, an agonising loss yielded some highly significant personal successes for members of the Sydney University side and the mood in the dressing room after the match was as bouyant as ever.
Firtsly, Jonte Pattison's all-round performace confirmed his status as one of the State's most promising young players. When the wicket of the legendary Greg Mail (50) fell with the Students requiring 30 runs for victory in a low-scoring affair, even the most optimistic supporter of SUCC knew that a win would be a big ask in the circumstances of the match. Unperturbed, Jonte knocked the ball around to all parts of the ground to take Sydney University to within a handful runs from victory, notching his highest first-grade score of 38 in the process (a big score in the a context of the match). Unjustly, Jonte stumbled at the final hurdle, falling to Fairfield's experienced off-spinner, Anthony Clark, trying to hit a boundary to bring up the winning runs. The manner in which Jonte stayed calm under pressure and took responsibility for the heavy lifting in the final stages of the run chase truly belied his age and diminutive physical stature. Furthermore, in the hunt for second innings wickets and outright points, Jonte claimed 3 for 24 off 10 overs with his fizzing leg breaks that were landing in the the rough outside leg stump five balls out of six.
Secondly, it was lion-hearted Timmy Ley who kept the Students believing in unlikely outright points through the middle session as Fairfield batted a second time with the pitch flattening out. Timmy's modus operandi combined fast reverse swing with smatterings of short-pitched bowling and short-pitched chat, and five of Fairfield's finest succumbed to the onslaught. In large part, it was Timmy's effort that set the tone for one of the more memorable Sydney University batting efforts in recent history, which was soon to follow…
Thirdly, needing a highly, highly unlikely 142 runs from 12 overs to win the match outright, your scribe and Nick Larkin strode out to the middle intent on having some fun and a decent crack at the run chase, probably more so to show defiance in defeat than pull off a victory. It quickly became apparent that a win was a real possibility and the writer's main purpose would be to feed the strike to Nick and start making mental notes for the match report, in order to share what was a simply the most awesome power-hitting display of the 21st century in grade cricket. A typical ball of Nick's innings went like this (from the perspective of the non-striker):
· We need to keep going hard, we need 16 an over
· Fark, that's a yorker
· Close eyes, duck and receive heart in throat as red, spherical missile with six stitches has a near-decapitating effect
· Gulp heart back down to chest from throat and crane neck
· "Whoah, shotttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In the end, Nick unfurled 10 towering sixes in his 94 from 40-odd balls, many of which sailed over long boundaries and into the wind.
Unfortunately Nick needed just one extra over to get the students home and unselfishly, he was dismissed trying to blaze 18 from the last 3 balls to win outright rather than picking off the relatively 'do-able' 6 runs he required for an incredible century. For any Big Bash selectors looking to finalise an incomplete squad, Nick can be contacted by e-mail at nlar1867@uni.sydney.edu.au .
Second Grade
Toss
Fairfield Liverpool won the toss and elected to bat first
Result
In Progress
Game scores
Fairfield 177 & 1/93 def Sydney University 158
Notables
Steve Hobson 63, Ben Larkin 49, James Ryan 4/55, Ben Joy 3/42
Report
The students arrived at Rosedale oval on day 2 expecting a flat track and easy runs in the first session. However much to our surprise, and to the dismay of Steven Hobson, the wicket appeared to be far greener, slower and spongier than the previous week. Nonetheless, we there was a task at hand: knock off the remaining 110 runs on a difficult surface. A very spirited game of Nash remained an essential part of the warm up, and this week the 3 batsmen out joined the two fast bowlers (the bowlers being in spectacular form) and notched up another win for the season, with unlikely hero Alex ‘Blocker’ Logan having his best game to date.
Once play resumed, Hobson and Larkin took to the crease and both men, settled at the end of day 1, immediately picked up where they left off. Hobson took a liking to the young opening bowler combination, smacking them both around in the early overs, whilst Chip continued his vigil, slowly ticking the runs over in the first hour of play. Hobnob graciously passed 50 with a trade mark 6 into the pavilion, however still failed to clear the straight boundary at Rosedale (a feat that few have achieved, except one Green Shielder according to Darius). The introduction of medium-pace and spin however proved to be our downfall. On a slow and tacky wicket, the squeeze tactic the opposition employed proved to get the better of us, and despite negotiating a tough first hour, it was a lack of pace that brought our batsmen undone. Hob and Darius fell in quick succession, despite the professional-amateur making a majestic 63, and Chip just before lunch for a very patient and important 49, unlucky not to reach his half century.
The lunch score was 6-144, only requiring another 34 runs to win with 4 wickets in hand; a solid first session, and Billy Hay’s recounts of several cricketing stories all starting with the anecdote “So we were out until 5am on the morning of the game, and I came out to open the batting and I was still blind” kept us all in good spirits. Unfortunately the last 4 wickets fell cheaply and we were bowled out for 158. Although there were some qualms with the wicket, we got ourselves into a position to win and failed to consolidate when conditions were at its toughest. After a stirling 4 rounds, perhaps this was the loss we need to get the side into top gear ahead of our last 3 rounds before Christmas, and with a full strength side back next week there is no reason why we shouldn’t perform strongly against 2012 grand finalists Parramatta. We return to the fortress at Uni Number 1 next week and look to rebuild on last round’s tough loss.
Third Grade
Toss
Result
Game scores
Notables
Report
Fourth Grade
Toss
Result
Game scores
Notables
Report
Fifth Grade
Toss
Result
Game scores
Notables
Report