More runs for Larkin

Sydney University captain Nick Larkin continued his strong early-season form by hitting an assured 56 for New South Wales against Tasmania in yesterday's Futures League match at Blacktown International Sports Park.

After Tasmania declared its first innings closed at 7 for 364, Larkin made a confident start to his side's response, facing 110 deliveries and striking five boundaries and showing the form that made him last season's player of the tournament in the Futures League.

New South Wales had reached 4 for 155 by stumps.  Play continues today.

SU Chairman elected SCA Life Member

The Sydney Cricket Association tonight elected Sydney University's Chairman, Max Bonnell, as its 27th Life Member.

SCA Chairman, Andrew Falk, acknowledged Bonnell's contribution to Sydney Grade cricket, which began in 1979 with the Western Suburbs club, and includes twenty years as a player, and important administrative roles with both of his clubs.  His service to the SCA has included writing (with Richard Cashman and James Rodgers) the centenary history of the Grade competition and acting for 14 years as one of the Code of Conduct Commissioners.

Bonnell becomes the third Sydney University Chairman to be recognised with SCA Life Membership, after James Rodgers and Mick O'Sullivan.

Round 5, day 1 recap V Easts

1st Grade:

Sydney University 7/340 (N Larkin 120, D Mortimer 61, L Robertson 50, Thornton 3/64) Easts 0/15

We arrived at Uni no 1 to another beautiful looking surface prepared by Daryl and the boys, flat, hard and with an even covering of grass.

The Easts skipper called correctly and surprisingly, decided to field first. A tight first session would follow, with captain Nick Larkin and the in form Mortimer taking us to lunch at 1-100. Larkin, not at his most fluent, showed great application while Mortimer continued to stroke them past point and cover. The old man Ian Moran bowled solidly for the boys from the East, in his first spell into the wind at Uni no 1. Easts new man Thornton bowled with good lift and pace in short spells.

Not to miss an opportunity for some mathematical symmetry, the students battled hard through the middle session, and finished at 2-200. Mortimer dragged one on from Thornton to end a bright 61, and was replaced by May, who accompanied skipper Larkin through to the tea break. Nick had periods of easy scoring and at times struggled to break the ring field, but showed great concentration and application to bring up his second ton in three hits, and two in a row at home. Good signs for the skipper.

Post the tea break the students attempted to push the scoring along, with good contributions from May (38), Robertson (50)  and BTJ (21) . Easts quicks Magin and Thornton both toiled hard and gave nothing away with the old ball. An attacking declaration from Larkin allowed us a short stint with the ball. Alas no wickets, but we look forward to working our way through the strong Easts batting line up next week.

2nd Grade: 

Sydney Uni 8/366 (J Holloway 131, W Hay 85, D Holloway 35, U Mehta 3/55) Easts 1/29 (K Elley 1/10)

Much like first grade, the boys arrived to a quality wicket at Waverley Oval, flat, hard and with a good even coverage of grass.  Again similar to first grade, the East skipper won the toss and sent the students into bat.

With the promotion of James Larkin to first grade and the unavailability of James Crowley, Will Hay had yet another opening partner in Jack Holloway. It became clear after the first hour just how good the wicket was, sitting at 0/60 at the drinks break.  The two combined fantastically well, with Hay sweating on anything short and Holloway punishing anything over pitched.  Holloway easily passed his previous highest second grade score before joining Hay with a half century. 

At the lunch break the students sat in a dominant position of 0/134 this continued immediately after the break before Hay was dismissed for 85.  Losing his opening partner did not deter Jack, as he proceeded to bring up his maiden second grade hundred with a quality lofted drive for four, followed by an over-exuberant celebration.  Unfortunately the dismissal of Hay brought about another quick wicket with skipper Miller departing, before Craze joined Holloway and pushed the score pasted 200. When Craze was dismissed for a well-made 30, Arnold and Kerr quickly followed losing these three wickets for 30 with the score now 5/266.  Holloway attempting to resurrect the side from another collapse was eventually dismissed for a nearly chanceless 131, with uni now 6/277.  Enter Jacks brother Dugald and wicket-keeper Ed Arnott (31*) these two put on 50 runs before Holloway junior was dismissed for a rapid 35.  A few lusty blows from Kieran Elley saw skipper Miller happy to declare with 366 on the board and 8 overs left in the days play.

The boys bowled beautiful, with great pace and control.  J Holloway, determined to prove his all-rounder status steamed in bowling aggressively at the body of the batsman making life very uncomfortable. He was well supported by Dugald and Jonathon Craig-Dobson but it was Elley who got the break through, crashing through the defence of the Easts opening batsman in the first over. 

At the close of play Easts are 1/29 still requiring 338 of victory next week.

3rd Grade:

Easts 58 (K Tate 4/20 T Kierath 4/12) Sydney Uni 6/192 (R Danne 52, M Powys 51, A Shaw 48, S Lewis 3/34)

The grand final replay saw a lot of new faces in both sides with only two of the Sydney Uni XI playing.  Easts, much like first and second grade, won the toss however unlike the top two grades, elected to bat.  The green tinge on the wicket had Kieran Tate licking his lips as he struck with the first ball of the game.  Ryan Danne was exceptional in the field with a direct hit throw unlucky not  to grab the 2nd wicket for the students.  Tate continued to terrorise the Easts batsman taking 4/20, he was well supported by the control and consistency of X Frawley and L McMahon, however it was the left arm spin of Tom Keirath that did the late damage, taking 4/12 off his 8 overs.  Easts were reeling, eventually dismissed for a sup-par 58. 

The students passed the total with the loss of just two wickets and proceeded to pile on the pain with the recently recalled trio of Danne (52), Shaw (48) and Powys (51) dominating the Easts attack.  Danne and Shaw played with fantastic control and composure, allowing Powys to play his naturally flamboyant  style, which he attempted to continue at the Crows Nest hotel later that evening. 

At the close of play the students are in a commanding position with a 134 run first innings lead. 

4th Grade:

Sydney Uni 231 (H Kermond 80) Easts 1/39.

A mature and confident knock from Hugh Kermond was the standout for fourth grade on day one against easts.  Hugh was ably supported at times by Suda Sivapalan, before a slight collapse saw the students dismissed for a reasonable 231. 

With a handful over overs to bowl late in the day, fourth grade picked up one wicket and set about an exciting finish on day 2 next Saturday. 

5th Grade:

Easts 272 (M Phoebus 3/43, Islam 4/48) Sydney Uni 1/11.

Fresh off a comprehensive outright victory over Hawkesbury last week, the students arrived at Camperdown full of confidence against the reigning premiers, Easts. 

Losing the toss and being asked to field, the boys needed a strong start, despite the best efforts from Natesh Yoganand and Ethan Clout the students were unable to make early breakthroughs. 

It was only through the introduction of Michael Phoebus (3/43) and Islam (4/48) that brought about some wickets.  The students eventually dismissed Easts for 283, with 5 overs to go in the day. 

Unfortunately Islam was unable to replicate his bowling efforts with the bat, falling just short of stumps as we finished the day 1/11 still needing 272 for victory.   

Metro Cup: Sydney University 135 (P Carfax 44, M Miles 22, B Speechly 6/22) Penrith 6/165) 

A relatively disappointing day 1 against Penrith for Metro Cup.  Playing with 10 men was always going to be difficulty, however PatCarfax Jnr stood above the rest with a quality 44.  Pat was supported by some lusty hitting from Murray Miles. 

Despite valiant efforts with the ball and in the field we were unable to restrict Penrith from passing out total 6 down, and ended the day 30 behind with a massive day two next week needed. 

PGs: Sydney University 204 (K Jacobs 59, H Kerr 35, C Lorenzato 32, D Fallins 4/38) Def By Sutherland 9/205 (S Khan 59, D Fallins 45, T Doyle 37, K Elley 4/26)

The University’s strong PG’s side came up against an equally strong Sutherland side this past Sunday which resulted in an unfortunate last wicket loss for the side out at McGrath oval. The students started the days play off with a powerful 67 run opening partnership between Hayden Kerr and Kevin Jacobs which was then well backed up by Charles Litchfield getting the team to 1 for 97. A middle order collapse after the dismissal of Jacobs (59) saw the side 6 for 132 before young gun Christian Lorenzato (32) and Kieran Tate(17) steadied the ship helping the students post a defendable score of 204.

The home side came out swinging hard with a fast but chancy 96 run opening partnership before deadly Devlin Malone used his ex-home knowledge to make the first break through. Sutherland then continued on to 1 for 152 with only 53 runs to make with ample overs remaining. However the students then made a huge comeback bowling tight lines and lengths taking an astonishing 8 wickets for 34 runs with economical pacemen Kieran Elly and Kieran Tate taking 4 and 2 wickets respectively. The tables had turned and Uni had 19 runs to take the last remaining Sutherland wicket. With multiple LBW decisions turned down to Tate and Dugald Holloway, followed by an edge between the keeper and slip, the opposition scraped to reach the Students total in the 43rd over. An impressive display of fight and ticker from the PG’s squad to nearly bring back a match that was thought surely lost.

Milestones Monday

Nick Larkin hit his eighth First Grade century when he made 120 against Eastern Suburbs on Saturday.  That took him past Johnny Taylor (7) and he is now sixth on the list of the Club’s First Grade century-makers, behind Greg Mail (30), Ed Cowan (12), Eric Barbour (11), HO Rock (9) and Ian Fisher (9).  Larkin has also passed Mark Faraday (4262 runs) to move into seventh place on the Club’s list of First Grade run-scorers.

Ashton May passed 3000 runs in First Grade during his innings of 39 against Eastern Suburbs (the bulk of them – 2875 – being scored for St George).

Liam Robertson’s 50 against Eastern Suburbs was his sixth half-century in First Grade (two of which have been converted into centuries).

Jack Holloway’s 131 in Second Grade against his former club, Eastern Suburbs, was his first century in Second Grade and his highest score in all grades.  Jack has recorded career-best performances in the last three grade rounds - twice with the ball, and now with the bat.

Will Hay, who hit 85 in Second Grade against Eastern Suburbs, finished his innings with 6242 runs for the Club, which was just enough to move him past Mark Faraday (6241) into ninth place in the Club's list of all-time run-scorers.

Ryan Danne, with 52 against Eastern Suburbs, scored his first half-century in Third Grade.

During his accomplished innings of 80 in Fourth Grade against Eastern Suburbs, Hugh Kermond passed 1000 runs for the Club.

Zohirul Islam, with 4-48 against Eastern Suburbs, recorded his best bowling figures for the Club.

Kevin Jacob's polished 59 in Poidevin-Gray against Sutherland was his first half-century for the Club.

Kieran Elley, with an outstanding spell of 4-26 against Sutherland in Poidevin-Gray, recorded his best bowling figures for the Club.

In the sheds... off speed bowlers

The medium pacer, too slow to be considered a fast bowler, too fast and lacking the dexterity to be a spinner. Today’s topic will look at the criteria of what makes a medium pacer. There are three distinct areas that need to be met.

Number One – Pace

As mentioned earlier a medium pacers is too slow to be a fast bowler and lacks the skills to be a spinner. A fast bowler’s slower ball and a spinner’s arm ball are often the range that medium pacer will work in. Some members of the club are exceptions to this rule, namely Xavier Frawley’s off cutter is too slow and a Nick Powys’ arm ball is too fast to fit in this range. These are abnormalities. To place a figure on this range, it is somewhere between 95-110 km/h. 110km/h is rarely achieved amongst the core group of bowlers. Instances where this may be achieved is when the lucky individual is given the opportunity to bowl downhill with the wind. The thought of this gets any medium pacer excited.

Number Two – Having a Thick Skin

Any medium pace bowler needs thick skin. Due to the pace possessed by the individual they’ll never be a member of the fast bowlers union. If you question this, then think if a wicketkeeper is up to the stumps to your bowling then: one, you should be embarrassed and two, you have no right to be considered ‘fast’ or even have the word associated with you. On the rare occasion medium pacers can out number fast bowlers; third grade won a premiership last year having a ratio of 3:1. Yes, I am considering Henry Clark above the status of medium pace, mainly because he bowls off the wrong foot and this takes time for the batsman to adjust to.

Back onto the topic of needing thick skin. Due to this out casting from the fast bowlers union, a medium pacer can become isolated, leaving them vulnerable to sledging tirades from their fellow teammates. “Release the hand-brake”, “bowling backwards” and “Wow, that one might of hit three figures” are a few examples of the treatment received. Of course, medium pacers don’t help themselves. Being rare and a nuffy are frequently found characteristics in these individuals, which just adds fuel to the fire.

Number Three – Specific Role and Burgling Wickets

Focusing on full time medium pacers here, although some batsman do describe their bowling as being of ‘first-class’ status (looking at James Larkin here); these same batsman (again James Larkin) repeatedly complain of a torn rotator cuff after two overs of part-time bowling. The role of a medium pacer is to bowl their set amount of overs, tying down an end so that the ‘strike’ bowlers can snare the break through. Therefore, a medium pacer is found pushing uphill and into a tail wind for 10-15 overs straight, seemingly validating the sledge of “bowling backwards”. This is done week in week out, the reward is burgling a wicket or two with the batsman playing an inpatient shot, often caught on the ring or the boundary rope. Some bowlers have made burgling a speciality, take third grade captain Ash Cowan for example. Ash has frequently been seen either sliding the ball through a number 9 batsman’s bat and smacking them flush on the pad, or firing a delivery down leg for a cheeky leg side stumping. It is this burglar characteristic that leaves teammates bemused to see four or five dusty medium pacers finish in the top 10 for bowling aggregate year in year out. This is further exemplified by medium pacer Jack Gibson winning player of the year last season, with a haul of 36 wickets and best figures of 5/19.

If you meet the three part criteria then you are definitely a dusty, dibbly doppling medium pacer who will be most likely a rare unit and presumably take 20-30 wickets in a seasons. Welcome to the underwhelming union of medium pacers.

#upthestudent

Five things we learned from Round 4

1   Gordon’s challenge is serious

A couple of weeks ago, it was possible, if you wanted, to dismiss Gordon’s early-season surge as the by-product of a favourable draw and a few good individual efforts.  No longer.  Gordon outplayed Bankstown so thoroughly in Round Four that its bid to play finals cricket this season demands to be taken seriously.  And, like many good teams, this Gordon side looks a bit stronger than the sum of its parts.  Last year’s O’Reilly Medallist, Charlie Stobo, bowled well at Bankstown’s top order, but the critical blow was struck by the less obviously threatening seamer, Tym Crawford, who bowled the always-dangerous Philip Wells when he looked in particularly ominous form.  Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane removed Bankstown captain Jarrad Burke, but it was his fellow-spinner Matt Junk – a Mosman Second Grader only last season - who ruined the lower end of the innings with 3-17.  And when Bankstown seemed to have clawed its way back into the game, taking the eighth wicket with Gordon still needing 25 runs, it was James Kennedy (not best known for his batting) who steadied the innings with Axel Cahlin.  Cahlin’s maiden First Grade century was memorable – he batted for five hours and ten minutes and carried his bat through the entire innings, becoming (at 18 years 237 days) the youngest player to do this in Sydney First Grade since Warren Bardsley in 1901.  Gordon faces a struggling St George side this week, and it would be a brave punter who backed the visitors to break the winning streak.

2   Sydney is pretty good at Twenty20

This season’s Twenty20 Kingsgrove Sports Cup kicked off on Sunday, with the usual damage being done to the morale of bowlers everywhere.  Nowhere was the damage quite as bad as at Drummoyne Oval, where Sydney restricted Eastern Suburbs to five for 107 before running down its target in only six overs and one ball.  Most of the carnage was inflicted by Dan Smith, whose 67 not out came from only 22 balls, 14 of which he hit to or over the fence.  At the other end, Joe Denly (who has played five T20 international for England) was comparatively sedate, lingering over 17 deliveries for his 35 not out.  After the first five overs of the innings had gone for 81 runs, Easts captain Will Somerville brought himself on to stop the tide, only to concede 24 from his one over of the game.  Sydney pulled off a tougher run chase later in the day, running down Newcastle’s 5 for 179 in the final over, Denly making 62 not out.  With matches to come against Mosman and University of NSW, Sydney looks well placed to finish at or near the top of the Sydney Sixers Conference.

3   Ian Moran refuses to get old

Ian Moran’s exact age is a closely guarded secret, and a slower-than-usual start to the season (49 runs from his first three innings) made a few people wonder whether time might finally be catching up with him.  Which may have encouraged Sutherland’s bowlers when they saw him coming in on Saturday, with the score at three for 49, and Easts in pursuit of an imposing target of 344.  But people who underestimate Moran have often ended up looking foolish.  Three and a half hours later, he had scored 173 not out from only 172 deliveries, blasting 23 fours and a six, and steered his side to a comfortable, five-wicket victory with plenty of time to spare.  It’s an open question whether he would have batted on for a few more balls if he had known that he had ended the day with 11.998 First Grade runs – not that it mattered, since he passed the 12,000 run milestone the following morning in the Twenty20 match with Sydney.  He has become only the fourth batsman to reach 12,000 runs in Sydney First Grade –after his former University team-mate, Greg Mail, Greg Hayne and Warren Bardsley.  Moran did play for New South Wales – in the early days of the Twenty20 competition, before it was Big Bashed – but no-one has scored more First Grade runs without appearing in first-class cricket.  If last weekend is any guide, there are plenty more runs to come.

4   Patience is a virtue

Every cricket coach ever has at some time lectured young players about the importance of patience to a batsman.  But usually they mean patience during an innings – not waiting to get a bat at all.  Damien Mortimer had to wait for the second day of his fourth match for Sydney University to get to the crease for the first time for his new club – a genuine trial his of focus and motivation.  It turned out to be worth the wait: the former Campbelltown right-hander dominated the Hawkesbury attack, cracking 122 from 189 balls, with twelve fours and two sixes, and timing his square drive especially sweetly.  Mortimer is only the second batsman to score a century in his initial First Grade innings for Sydney University – the first was Johnny Taylor, who made 141 not out against Randwick in 1922-23 (having already played for Petersham, NSW and Australia by that stage of his career).  Mortimer followed up with 28 not out and 64 in Sunday’s Twenty20 games, so that over the course of one weekend, his season has advanced from “did not bat” to 214 runs at an average of 107.

5   Anthony Sams is seeing them well

Randwick-Petersham’s keeper-batsman Anthony Sams continued his excellent start to the season, making Blacktown’s total of 373 look distinctly under-par as he hit his second century of the season, and compiled an opening stand of 254 with his captain, Alexander Kemp.  In four First Grade matches this season, Sams has hit152, 95, 79 and 121 – the main reason why his side sits fifth on the First Grade table, with three wins from four games.

Students win 4/5 against the Hawks and a mixed start to the Kingsgrove Twenty20 Cup

1st Grade:

Hawkesbury 8/404 (Clarke 162, Malone 4/130, May 2/42) Def Sydney University 314 (D Mortimer 122, B Trevor-Jones 66, Nair 4/73)

Chasing 400 was never going to be an easy task, but Bensons Lane is as good a spot as any to get it done.

It didn't start well for the students, with a couple of starts in the top order and before we knew it we were 3-60 on a flat, if low bouncing wicket. Enter D Mortimer, who has been forced to sit and watch so far this summer and has been itching for a bat. I've only just met the bloke, but I'm guessing sitting still and patience are not really his things.

What followed was a innings stacked with maturity, composure, and skill. He rotated the strike superbly and placed his attacking shots well. We think he has been around a while, but forget how young he is. This was a serious innings under immense pressure, and bodes well for this summer and beyond. He found a willing ally in BTJ, also short of time in the middle, if comfortable in the rural surroundings. Another century partnership (that's four in four weeks) highlighting the resilience of our batting line up.

Alas an attempt to up the scoring rate led to a few wickets and we were forced to try to defend the last 10 overs or so. The lower order were courageous but the damage was done, we couldn't hold on for the draw.

Many more positives than negatives came from the weekend, and a reinforcement of Ian Chappell's oft quoted mantra: "When you win the toss, nine times out of ten, you bat. The tenth time you think about bowling, and then bat."

1st Grade Kingsgrove T20 Cup

Penrith 82 (T Rogers 3/12 off 4, D Malone 3/9 off 4, B Joy 2/17 off 4) Def by Sydney Uni 4/86 (D Mortimer 28* (26), L Robertson 25 (20), P Cummins 2/22 off 4)

Captain Larkin lost the toss and Penrith had no hesitation in batting. An aggressive start from the Penrith openers saw the score race to 0/26 after 3 overs. Rogers then removed the in form Ryan Gibson, signaling the beginning of the end for Penrith. Rogers bowled with pace and control to snare 3/12 from 4 overs, dominating the typically batsman friendly powerplay.

Malone and Joy were introduced in tandem and proceeded to take regular wickets, with Malone on t20 debut returning the remarkable figures of 3/9. Joy was at his frugal best to return 2/17 and have Penrith all out 82.

Lalor and Cummins formed a formidable new ball combination, and an early breakthrough gave Penrith some hope as Larkin edged to the keeper of Lalor. Liam Robertson was fearless in his approach to some hostile bowling as he hammered Cummins over mid off on his way to 25, shutting the men from the mountains out of the fixture. Damien Mortimer's calm 28* and James Larkin's tidy 13* saw Sydney Uni home with 6 wickets in hand.

Blacktown 145 (Horton 39 (39), Panesar 37 (26), Rogers 2/23 off 3, Robertson 1/22 off 4) Def Sydney Uni 7/132 (Mortimer 64 (53), Keen 3/12 off 3).

An afternoon game following a momentous triumph against Penrith was always going to test the students. Larkin again lost the toss and was asked to field. Some fatigue was evident as the bowling group struggled to control their lines. Blacktown played intelligent and hard t20 cricket, looking to attack the short boundary and generally hit the ball hard down the ground.

Malone was again the pick of the bowlers, conceding only 15 runs from his 4 overs, whilst Robertson was tidy, claiming 1/22 from his full allotment.

Blacktown set an above par 145, and with the sky darkening and pitch getting lower, the SUCC batters had their work cut out.

Robertson started well, finding the boundary a number of times inside the power play. His dismissal saw Blacktown able to slow the run rate and when Larkin edged behind for 18, Uni were fighting an uphill battle.

Mortimer and May combined well for a 65 run stand, but disciplined bowling meant the rate continued to climb and requiring 50 from the final 5 overs proved too much. Blacktown nailed their yorkers and held their catches, which saw uni fall 13 runs short.

Damien Mortimer capped off a fine weekend making a superb 64 from 53 balls, almost getting the side home single handedly. With two games now remaining in the rounds, uni will need to win both to advance to the semi finals of the thunder conference and have an opportunity to defend the title as Thunder Conference champions.

2nd Grade:

Sydney Uni 273 (Miller 143, Crowley 56, Ridgewell 4/51) Def Hawkesbury 126 (J Holloway 4/20, J Craig-Dobson 2/25) & 4/127 (Ridgewell 53*, J Craig-Dobson 2/39)

The SUCC scoobydoos returned to the home of cricket for day 2 against the undefeated Hawks. The admin housemates (Miller and Crowley) narrowly avoided a case thanks to some aggressive driving but no thanks to Henry Clark’s treason attempts along Western Avenue. Nicky ‘nowhere’ Craze not so narrowly owed a case after he was 30 mins late despite living 20m away. I can’t really remember the excuse offered, but something along the lines of his mystery Mrs not waking him up.

Adverse pepsi conditions were experienced on Saturday morning – dense, humid, Josh Toyer sweating conditions. Dave ‘Funky’ Miller coped well despite the controversy of whether 10 beers between 2.30pm and 10pm is considered a pepsi or not – que heated discussion in the post match fines meeting. Will Hay strongly on the negative side, Larkins on the affirmative.

Anyway, the olds dominated the young nuffies again in Nash before we took the field in search of 6 points. The Hawks essentially reversed their batting order last week to no avail, leaving 8 wickets to bag. Dugald ‘Big doobler’ Holloway bowled with good pace and direction first up and was unlucky not to break through. Keiran ‘wingnut’ Tate burgled the first 2 wickets for the day before Jack ‘the lesser’ Holloway with the sloppy rig chimed in with 2 wickets in as many balls. Hayza somehow managed to fall low to his right to take a great catch at 1st slip (behind Miller’s left calf) for Jack’s first wicket. His second was caught behind potentially off the inner thigh but we will tack em! Jack then nicked off their skipper to Funky Miller at 2nd slip thanks to a sharp grab above his head. Dugald ‘screech’ Holloway was rewarded with 2 freebies at the end to dismiss Hawkesbury for 126, still 147 in arrears.

Skipper Miller aggressively sent the Hawks back into bat, with plenty of overs in the bank to take 10 points. Dugald again bowled with good rhythm in his opening spell, snaring an edge behind the wicket in the process. Dibbly Dobson hit the seam (finally) and found 2 edges to Hay and Miller respectively. Unfortunately, 4 Hawkes wickets was all we managed in the 2nd innings thanks to some missed chances and poor ground fielding. Nevertheless, it was a solid all round team performance to get back into the winners circle.

3rd Grade:

Sydney Uni: 200 (Kerr 62, Arnott 52, S Mott 7/61) Def Hawkesbury 95 (X Frawley 6/35, L McMahon 2/27) & 6/206 (S Mott 81*, C Flynn-Duncombe 58, X Frawley 2/29)

Day two was shaping up to be a very tight affair, with Hawkesbury needing 151 to win, with eight wickets in hand.  With two injuries during the week ruling Jack Gibson and Kevin Jacobs out of action day two, we welcomed Henry Clark and a variety of first graders and 5th graders to take the field (huge thank you to Greg Mail, Ashton May, Liam Robertson, Ben Joy and Andrew Wilkinson). 

A triumphant come from behind victory for the old boys in Nash set the day up extremely well.  Urged on by his sub-par Nash form in goals, Xavier Frawley put on an absolute clinic with the ball.  Xavier (6/35 off 16)  and Lewis McMahon (2/27 off 13) bowled a beautiful length, enticing the batsman to drive.  Edward Arnott was flawless behind the stumps taking an absolute ripper of a catch to start the procession of wickets.  Xavier and Lewis were near unplayable at times, with the latter unlucky not to take a few more poles.  Ryan Kurtz joined the party with his first ball caught behind, before inviting a miss hit to cover to wrap up the innings for 95, with a 105 run lead.

Ash Cowan, invited Hawkesbury to bat again as 3s chased an outright victory.  Despite having Hawkesbury 5/77 still 28 runs behind, uni were unable to continue as clinically as they had started the day.  Hawks Shane Mott (81*) and Kain Flynn-Duncombe (58) pushed an outright victory beyond the students grasps and shortly after 5:30 both skippers agreed to call it a day. 

4th Grade:

Hawkesbury 204 (Fogg 64, AJ Grant 4/27) Def by Sydney Uni, 8/205 (Shaw 52*, Powys 32, Day 32)

4s arrived at St Pauls oval on Saturday morning chasing 204 for victory sitting on the precarious overnight score of 2/1.  Bracketed down from third grade, Joe Kershaw (27) joined Jake Day (32) at the crease and calmed the storm early in the day, before both being dismissed in quick succession to make it 4/60 still needing 145 for victory. 

Matthew Powys continued his good start to the year powering his way to 32 off 16 balls before being caught on the fence, as the game sat well and truly in the balance at 5/100.  Captain AJ Grant joined Alex Shaw, and the two of them showed enormous poise and control putting on 60 odd.  When the skipper departed for 29, Alex took over and put the result beyond question with a mature match winning 52*.

5th Grade:

Hawkesbury 38 (R Holcroft 4/14) & 119 (R Holcroft 5/36, C Slater 2/17) Def outright by Sydney Uni 7 dec 203 (A Bell 30, J Morley 53)

Having already claimed first innings points on day one 5th grade went out to Bensons Lane with clear intentions on securing the full ten points available. Skipper Mike Harris wasted no time in declaring straight away with a 165 run lead. 

All four of the bowlers used picked up wickets, with Natesh Yoganand bowling with great control claiming 2/27 off his 9 overs, he was well supported by Andrew Wilkinson 2/27.  Connor Slater continued to show his promise bowling sharp turning leg breaks, at less than 2 runs an over finishing with figures of 2/17 off 10. 

However the standout was once again Ryan Holcroft.  Fresh from his four wicket haul in week one, Ryan tore through the Hawkesbury top order claiming 5/36 off 11 overs. 

With the outright victory, 5th grade have moved into second place on the ladder. 

Metro Cup: Sydney University 334 (Gillespie 79, Frost 67 & Hughes 61, J Coutts 4/42) Def Easts 134 (S Deshpande 59, A Wilkinson 4/53, Rehan Gunawardhana 2/21).

Posting 334 on day one, Uni’s Metro cup team knew a job still needed to be done on day two.  The story off the day was Andrew Wilkinson, fresh from a Saturday out at Bensons Lane, Wilko decided bowling all 23 overs from one end on Sunday was a good idea.  Andrew bowled with exceptional control and suffocated the eastern suburbs batsman out finishing with figures of 4/54 off 23 overs.

Andrew was well supported by Ethan Clout, 1/35 and Rehan Gunawardhana 2/21 securing Metros first win for the 2016/17 season.