Taking on Manly-Warringah is always an exciting challenge for the Students and Round 3 against the old foe reads no different. Always a close rival in the Club Championship and containing the second best supporter base in the competition, Manly will provide a stern test for the Blue & Golds.
Last Year’s Recap:
The Students faced Manly in Round 1 in 2018/19 resulting in the first of multiple clean sweeps over the course of the year for SUCC. Highlights included:
1st Grade - WIN with Ed Cowan, Liam Robertson and Ryan McElduff all posting half centuries and Devlin Malone claiming four scalps;
2nd Grade - WIN with a dominant bowling performance dismantling Manly for 97, before Ben Trevor-Jones’ 40* guided the Twos home;
3rd Grade - WIN with Steve Hobson’s 122 laying the platform for a dominant victory;
4th Grade - WIN with the wickets shared and Brayden Dilley’s 27* getting the Students across the line;
5th Grade - WIN with bludgeoning half centuries from Vince Umbers and Lewis Ansell successfully chasing down 269 in the last over.
First Grade
Both teams in the top grade will be looking to register their first red ball victories of the season after Manly lost in a tight one to Mosman last weekend, whilst the Students fought out a draw against Randwick Petersham.
There’s no shortage of quality talent on show at Manly Oval over the next two weeks with Stephen O’Keefe, Jack & Mickey Edwards and Chris Green carrying First-Class experience for Manly, whilst Nick Larkin is joined by Futures League player Hayden Kerr for the Students.
Both Joe Kershaw and Devlin Malone will miss the clash with injury, giving highly rated Will Masojada his First Grade debut for Sydney University.
1st XI:
Larkin
McElduff
Mortimer
Kerr
Trevor-Jones
Robertson*
Cummins+
Holloway
Masojada
Cassell
Joy
Second Grade
Manly were dealt a difficult hand by the weather gods last week, requiring just 17 more with nine wickets in hand to reach Mosman’s 191. On the contrary, Sydney University were fortunate to escape an outright defeat against Randwick Petersham. Some defiant lower order resistance from Alex Shaw (56) and Kieren Tate (20*) put the game to bed with a few overs left in the day.
Taylor Beatty returns from his stint in the sticks to spearhead the Manly line up and arrives at the fixture in hot form following his 4/65 last week, whilst regular first grader Ryan Farrell will be looking to hit his straps following a below par start to the season.
Nick Walker, Dave Miller, Matt Moran and Henry Clark all make their return to the Scooby Doos, whilst Murray Watts will make his 2nd Grade debut following 27 wickets at 17.56 in 2018/19, plus a scintillating spell of 6/22 last week that saw Randy Petes bowled out for 97 in 3rd grade.
2nd XI:
Walker
George
Miller
Moran
Hope*
Walsh
Shaw+
Tate
Clark
McMahon
Watts
Third Grade
The Sydney University side will be oozing with confidence following a strong start to 2019/20, but their early season form will be put right to the test against Manly who sit alongside them at the top. Henry Clark moves up into the Twos and 2018/19 skipper Jack Hill will take the reigns.
Nicky Craze, Ryan Danne and Charlie Dummer all return to the side, giving the Student’s one of, if not the most damaging top 6’s in the 3rd Grade competition. Angry, bald and sweaty man Josh Toyer will be joined in the fast bowling cartel by the returning Brodie Frost, whilst wicket-keeper Ed Arnott will do well to top his six catches from last week’s fixture.
Griffin Lea is fresh off an unbeaten century for the Manly boys, whilst former 1st Grade opening bowler Nick McLachlan will prove a handful alongside former Student Michael Counsel.
3rd XI:
Dummer
Fullerton
Craze
Danne
Litchfield
Hill*
Hazard
Arnott+
Frost
Lawson
Toyer
Fourth Grade
With 2/2 to commence the season the Uni boys will be out for three on the trot in Round 3, whilst Manly will be hoping to chalk the first W of their year up when they clash at St Paul’s Oval.
Captain Ash Cowan will lead the youthful Students into battle, ably supported by Liam Coelho, Josh Joseph and Brayden Dilley, who will all be eager to continue their solid starts to 2019/20. Sam Wood’s unavailability hurts the Blue & Golds, but the return of club stalwart AJ Grant will bolster the bowling stocks for Cowan.
Skipper Adam Gummer will need to lead from the front for the visitors and will be hoping his batsmen can kick-start their respective season’s with a flourish at the traditionally batsman friendly St Paul’s ground.
4th XI:
Veitch
Dilley
Joseph
Robinson
Coelho
Cowan*
Grant
Wilson+
Ansell
Greaves
Peak
Fifth Grade
Any play will be a good result for both 5th Grade sides, who frustratingly weren’t able to take the field on either day in Round 2 against their opponents. Shehan Canagasingham and Murray Miles will likely take the new ball for the Students, whilst Wilkinson will look to Rohan Joshi to set the platform with the bat.
Manly suffered a tough loss to St George in Round 1 with not enough runs on the board to get themselves in the fight. You can trust that they’ll be ready for a contest over the next two weeks, the Waratahs only just missed out on the Top 6 last year and will want to get their year up and running sooner rather than later.
5th XI
Wilkinson*
Osman Kayani+
Islam
Joshi
Kirubanadan
Saeed
Thompson
Crawford
Johns
Miles
Canagasingham