Match Reports - Round 1 vs Sydney Cricket Club

Cricket is an unpredictable game.

For instance:

Refreshing the website providing 1st grade live scores on Saturday proved to be largely surprising when compared to this time last year.
Spectators at St Paul’s thought for an unexpected moment they had teleported to LA Dodger Stadium, after seeing Joshua Joseph collect an in-swinging fastball to the helmet.

However, despite the games’ many uncertainties, some things will remain the same.

These being:

If it’s short and going down leg, Bennett Walsh has put it into the car park.
If it’s slow and moving down off-side, it’s Max Hope holding his hamstring.

This past weekend has well and truly served as a motivator! 1st grade will be itching to bounce back with a strong performance and the 2nds will be eager to back-up their classy outing.

Sydney University cricket is back again this Saturday against Gordon with both games at home!

Match Report - 1st Grade vs Sydney CC at Drummoyne Oval

First-grade returned to action on a blustery but sunny Saturday morning at the picturesque Drummoyne Oval and the season started the same as every year with a win to the bowlers in Nash, led by Dave Miller – playing with a point to prove to the skipper and will likely see a return to the top 6 next week.

The students won the toss and decided to bat first on a good wicket. Charlie Dummer got his season off to a great start, taking the attack to the Sydney bowlers and batting with great intent, pouncing on anything in his wheelhouse, before being dismissed for 57. He was partnered at the top with Niv Radhakrishnan on debut, who made a composed 37 before being out stumped looking to push the run rate up. The Sydney attack squeezed effectively in the middle overs, taking wickets at regular intervals reducing the Students to 5/126 before Dave Miller joined Tim Cummins and the pair began to rebuild the innings.

Miller was marginally run out, leaving Tim to guide home the rest of the innings with the tail, ending up with a crucial 55* as the Students ended on 227 all out.

Knowing it was going to be tough to keep Sydney to under 227 the bowling unit got off to a strong start taking 4 early wickets, including a maiden first-grade wicket for Kieran Tate, leaving the game delicately poised at 4/64. Sydney then managed to do what the Students didn’t in building a large partnership between Dan Smith and Ben Manenti before Tate again struck to leave the door open for a Student comeback. However, the bowlers couldn’t quite contain enough as Sydney cantered over the line with 5 overs to spare with Smith ending on 91*.

Onwards and upwards for the Students as red ball cricket returns against Gordon this weekend.

Ben Joy

Match Report - 2nd Grade vs Sydney CC at St Paul’s Oval

With University Oval still licking its wounds from a long winter season, Second Grade commenced their 2020/21 campaign at St Paul’s Oval against Sydney. City v Country Nash was a tight midfield tussle. Both sides had undergone significant changes from Round 15 last year in which City snatched victory in the dying moments of the season. The work rate of Ed Arnott proved to be the difference, Country claiming Round 1 honours 1-0. City deeply missed their cultural talisman Kieran Tate and the relentless two-way running of Alex Shaw and will need to work on their combinations down the spine to hit back in Round 2.

Skipper Hope lost the toss but gleefully accepted the visitor’s invitation to bat first on a fair wicket that was sure to get slower throughout the day. Tom Fullerton (23) and Charles Litchfield (33) opened proceedings and set about establishing a foundation that has proved all too important on a small St Paul’s ground. The 56-run opening stand was broken when Litchfield was caught at mid-off and Sydney went bang bang to also remove Fullerton with the score on 62. This brought Bennett Walsh (60) and Ryan Danne (92*) together for what would be a defining partnership. Walshy was imperious, striking the ball to all parts whilst Danno showed his class, manipulating the field and rotating the strike. The pair fell 2 runs short of notching the first 100 partnership of the season but the Students remained in a strong position at 3/160. Sydney would again strike back, taking quick wickets to halt momentum as Uni looked to accelerate. As partners fell around him, a surly Danno pressed on and started to assert himself over the Sydney attack. Josh Joseph (41) played an exceptional dig and the pair put on 83 for the 6th wicket at better than a run a ball lifting the Students to 7/276. Danno’s knock was undoubtedly a class above. He calmly accumulated through the middle overs before launching in the last 10, during which the Students put on nearly 100, in an effort that ultimately put the game out of Sydney’s reach.

With the ball, debutant Jackson Gwynne (3/43) and Henry Clark (2/19) set the tone. To a man, the Students were switched on and up for the contest in the field, an effort that Head Coach Cam Borgas described ‘as a very professional display’. Clarky in particular bowled a suffocating line, attacking the stumps relentlessly to claim his first 2nd Grade wicket since he removed our own Ben Trevor-Jones against Hawksbury in 2013/14. Ben Mitchell (3/31) and Ryan Danne (1/29) offered support through the middle, squeezing the Tigers out of the game. Despite getting sniped in the hamstring after athletically turning and chasing at mid-off, Max Hope (1/42) gritted his teeth to deliver 10 crucial overs on the trot from the City Road end to back up the work of his quicks and bowl Sydney out for 192, securing an 84 run win.

What was potentially most pleasing was the attitude and togetherness of the young 2s side. Right from the warm-up it was clear that team success was the focus for all 11 blokes and the boys thoroughly enjoyed our first sing of the season. Thanks must also go to the cats on the hill, some of whom put in a huge shift and provided energy and support for all 97.1 overs.

In Round 2, Second Grade will remain at fortress St Pauls to face Gordon in the first two-day contest of the year.

Tom Fullerton

First Grade - scorecard

Toss

Sydney University won the toss and elected to bat first

Result

Undecided

Game scores

Sydney University first innings, 3/383 off 96 overs

Notables

Scott Henry, 200*, Greg Mail, 105, Ryan Carters, 36

Report

The combination of the start of the grade season, 20 new tracks on the world-famous “Da Scoota Anthems” playlist, stories of battles won and lost by Tim Ley and Nick Larkin (on and off the field) in Ireland during the European summer and the salivating prospect of going toe-to-toe with Sydney Uni legend, Ian Moran, put a buzz in the musty air of the visitors’ change room at Waverly Oval on Saturday morning.

Back in the driver’s seat, captain Mail informed his charges that “Plan A” would be implemented on day 1. This, of course, meant that if the toss were to be won, Sydney University would bat first, the top order would be expected to bat judiciously in the first few sessions and the middle order would be free to play some shots after tea.

Scott ‘Scooter’ Henry and Ryan Carters opened the batting together for the first time and scored 72 quick runs for the first wicket. Carters was disappointed to flick a loose ball to square leg on 36, but the high quality of his stroke-play made it clear that that he has been an outstanding off-season acquisition for Sydney University.

What followed was an imposing partnership of 246 runs by Scooter and Greg Mail, during which both players showed why they have won first-class honours. Mail eventually departed for 105, with grade century number 39 (yes, 39, that is a record!), notched on his belt.

Scooter batted out the day, bringing up an eye-catching 200*, in the last over. A special mention must go to Nick Larkin f

or finding two quick singles in the last over to feed the strike back to Scooter and enable him to finish off his double ton.

Quotes of the day both fell from the lips of the quintessential student and ever-humble Henry. The first came during the lunch break, when he mused: “books are for losers”; the second came as he relaxed with a tinny of VB at the end of play and reflected on his chances of winning the club’s player of the round award: “some lower grader will probably get 3 for 50 and 30 runs and beat me to it”. Gotta love the Big Dog.

Second Grade

Toss

Sydney University won the toss and elected to bat first

Result

Undecided

Game scores

Sydney University first innings, 308/10

Notables

Adam Theobald, 94, Alexander Logan 54, Darius Visser 53

Report

Second grade arrived at Uni no. 2 with the weight of expectation from their heroic efforts in the finals last season. Fresh new faces were coupled with reliable veterans around the team circle.

Skipper, Tom Kierath won the toss and decided it was time to bat. The no.2 wicket had a even spread of grass and seemed to be rock hard underneath.

The odd couple of Will Hay and Alexander "log-on" Logan, strolled out to the middle for the first session of the season. Both of the lads started solidly and managed to see off the new rock through to drinks.

After Hay was dismissed Theobald made his way to the crease and immediately stamped his presence on the Eastern Suburbs attack. Balls were thundering from his bat and racing away to the boundary. It was a dominant performance that left the opposition searching for answers to plug the holes in the field. Logan effectively "stone-walled" them down the other end whilst Adam hit top speed. The pair produced the partnership second grade needed and had the boys only one down at lunch. Adam was dismissed six short of his century and this ended a partnership of 128.

After lunch Alex managed to notch up a half century in his first second grade innings.

Wickets fell consistently before and after tea, and credit must be given to the Easts attack for hanging in there during tough windy conditions.

Darius Visser was the shining light in the afternoon session. Powering his way to 53, he was relentless on the front and back foot.

It was great to have a several team members open up their 'horns' account in their first innings for the season. The sweetest of them all was Josh Toyer's straight six towards Uni no. 1.

Off the field there was a lot of banter, headlined by Will Hay. The outlet of Adam Theobald's iPhone sparked much debate about what's hot right now, and what use to be pumping in the early 2000s or Hay's 'prime.' A divided team suggested an array of music, from Jason Derulo's latest to Jack Hill's favourite"bubble butt."

A successful day for the dents who will be fired up to take on the Eastern Suburbs batting line up this weekend.

Third Grade

Toss

Easts won the toss and elected to bat first

Result

Undecided

Game scores

Easts first innings, all out 196, Sydney University first innings, 2/15 off 8 overs

Notables

Ronit Lotliker 5/40, Jim Ryan 3/50 , Lewis McMahon 2/39

Report

The start of the season saw a few new faces join the 3rds, who are looking to go one better than last year’s efforts where we lost the grand final. After we lost the toss, Easts elected to bat on what appeared to be a good batting strip.

Jimmy Ryan and Lewis McMahon, two of the new faces in the team who are in desperate need of nicknames (uni games this week should help), opened the bowling for the Students and they applied early pressure. Jimmy showed his class and seemed to be at least two yards too quick and Lewis bowled great areas to pick up a couple of early poles, including one delivery that, according to the man himself, was ‘an absolute peach’. Upon closer inspection and conversation with Cheaty the Duck (aka Ed Arnott) it appeared as though it did do a bit, but not that much…

Both Jimmy and Lewis bowled well all day and both picked up wickets and looked threatening. Special mention as well to Cheaty behind the stumps, who kept beautifully as always but had a mixed day with his fishing wire, collecting two bowled decisions but pulling the bails off another 25 times, which unfortunately only resulted in time delays, not wickets.

The star of the day was Instagram’s Ronit Lotliker who operated a masterclass in legspin bowling, taking 5 wickets and he was unlucky not to have more. Highlight of Ronnie’s work was a tie between a quality wrong un which the batsman left only to have it thump into the pad (apparently not hitting the stumps, but did look very out, and should have been given on that basis alone) and the beautiful pre meditated lap sweep from their no 10 off a full toss which lobbed to 1st slip…

All in all it was a good day in the field, and the ‘dents did well to restrict Easts to 196 on a good batting deck.

An edgy 8 over stint at the end of the day unfortunately lost us two early wickets from some good bowling; however we should be quite confident that we can knock of the remaining 180 odd and register 6 points next week.

Fourth Grade

To be submitted

Fifth Grade

Toss

Easts won the toss and elected to bat first

Result

Undecided

Game scores

East’s First Innings – all out 144; Sydney University First Innings – 6/58 off 21 overs

Notables

Tom Hill 3/19, Kieran Tate 3/34 and Ed Lewis 32

Report

Another season has rolled around and a team in fifth grade oozing talent. A few cases owing due to some dubious navigation and it was time for the first game of Nash in a seriously competitive setting, with the batsmen emerging 1-0 winners in a typically scrappy early season come.

After losing the toss we were sent into the field with Tom ‘Sore Toes’ Hill and Kieran ‘Wayne Rooney’ Tate getting us off to a great start with some tight bowling and a couple of poles. Hilly showed great thought and accuracy in setting the East’s opening batsman up with a first ball half tracker followed by second ball half tracker which was hit straight to Irish import Peter Eakin who took a blinder of a catch for his first involvement for the club at backward point.

On a dry and largely unforgiving deck for the bowlers we were patient in our approach and this paid dividends with indecisive running and the need to score some runs allowing us to keep the runs down and the wickets falling with East’s grinding their way to 144 all out off 57 overs. A good result considering we lost our leading spinner Anthony ‘Injured Again’ Lown to an injury to his spinning finger, even though he himself doesn’t know how he acquired the deep gash.

We were looking good with the bat with Ed ‘Chris Rogers’ Lewis leading our charge with some well played shots through the off side, however the dismissal of Harry ‘The Grub’ Watt sparked what could be described as nothing less than a batting collapse. A combination of good tight bowling and some very poor batting led to the Students slumping to 6/58 with the game delicately poised with a long batting line up and Andrew ‘Mumbai Mauler’ Devaraj and Anthony Lown at the crease with the ability to guide us home next week.

However all was made to feel a little better after the poor finish to the day by taking advantage of the new players inexperience to boost the fines kitty early and set the tone for what will be a light hearted and fun season to come in fives. Special mention to Tom Hill for anything that came out of his mouth for the day, will be supplying much of the money to pay for our season’s various gatherings.

Bring on next week, and hopefully six points to start us off.

Comment