Larkin doubles up

Sydney University captain Nick Larkin delivered a timely reminder to the NSW Blues selectors yesterday, smashing his second double century of the season in the Futures League match against ACT in Wollongong.

After trailing by 240 on the first innings, NSW was set the implausible target of 480 on the final day, but Larkin's innings made victory a distinct possibility.  He began by sharing an opening stand of 76 with Hawkesbury's Josh Clarke, which ended when University's Tom Rogers broke through Clarke's defences.  By lunch, NSW had reached one for 95, with Larkin 55, and another 180 runs were added in the second session.  At tea, Larkin was 134, and NSW still required 205 to win, with eight wickets in hand.  Larkin and the experienced Ben Rohrer attacked the target aggressively, and Larkin reached his double century with six overs remaining in the day and 47 runs still required.  Tom Rogers returned to bowl Larkin for 210, and when the final over began, NSW needed 14 runs with two wickets remaining.  Arjun Nair and Daniel Sams managed only eight runs from the last six balls, and the match ended in that strangest of conditions, a thrilling draw.

Larkin, last year's player of the tournament in the Futures League, proved again that he's equipped to play at higher levels.   But until his epic performance on the last day, he'd been overshadowed in the match by his club team-mate Tom Rogers, who followed a furious innings of 82 (with ten fours and three sixes) with an incisive opening spell in the NSW first innings, in which he bowled Larkin first ball and also dismissed Ed Cowan.

Paul Anthony Gresham (1953-2016)

Paul Gresham (later known as Tony Maher), died on 14 October 2016 from the effects of liver cancer.

Paul entered Sydney University in 1972 after completing his Higher School Certificate at St Joseph's College.  He enrolled in Arts/Law and joined both the cricket club and the Rugby club. He played only a few seasons in the lower grades for the cricket club as a medium pacer but enjoyed a long and productive career with the Rugby club.  Playing on the wing or as a centre, he reached First Grade in 1977 and played (mostly in Seconds and Thirds) until a broken ankle ended his career in 1985. He was flamboyant and extroverted: he seemed to know everyone involved in University sport, and his insistence on wearing bow ties and his University blazer made him an instantly recognisable figure in the Grandstand.  Although his cricket career with University was brief, he played for many years for the Nondescripts in the City and Suburban competition.

The Club extends its condolences to Paul's family, especially his wife, Susanneh.

Monday Milestones: maiden centuries and a couple of Mailstones

First, the Mailstones.

When he reached 18 against Gordon on Saturday, Greg Mail became the first player ever to record 10,000 First Grade runs for Sydney University.  

Mail carried his tally to 10,013 runs, at an average of 51.35.  To give some idea of the scope of his achievement, the next highest run-scorer for University in Firsts is Ian Moran, with 8695 runs at an average of 35.  Nine other players have scored 10,000 First Grade runs for a single club.  They are:

Tommy Andrews (Petersham), 11,719

Grant Lambert (Fairfield), 11,413

Sid Carroll (Gordon), 11,322

Warren Saunders (St George), 10,952

Brian Booth (St George), 10,674

Jack Chegwyn (Randwick), 10,455

Anthony Clark (Fairfield-Liverpool), 10,423

Greg Hayne (UTS-Balmain), 10,285

Monty Noble (paddington), 10,277

In addition, Richard Chee Quee scored 11,886 First Grade runs without changing clubs, but a few thousand were scored after Randwick amalgamated with Petersham-Marrickville to create a new club, Randwick-Petersham.

When Mail's score against Gordon reached 23, he became the first player in the history of NSW Premier Cricket to reach 15,000 runs in First Grade.   His total (for Parramatta, Hawkesbury, Balmain and Sydney University) is now 15,008 at 46.75.  He is almost 3000 runs clear of the next highest scorer, his one-time opening partner at UTS-Balmain, Greg Hayne (12,354).

Ryan Carters' excellent 113 in First Grade against Gordon was his first century for the Club.

Ed Cowan also notched two significant landmarks in First Grade's match with Gordon.  His polished 58 was his 50th score above fifty in First Grade (including 12 centuries).  And it carried him past 6500 First Grade runs.  

Hayden Kerr's unbeaten 129 against Gordon was his highest score for the Club, and his first century in Third Grade.

Charlie Litchfield also played a role in Third Grade's demolition of Gordon: his 109 not out was his first century for the Club.

Angus Cusack made his debut for the Club in Fifth Grade against Gordon, and captured his first wickets, taking 3-75.

More records for Mail

There are few batting records in Sydney First Grade cricket that Greg Mail doesn't hold, but he created two new ones this afternoon, becoming the first player in the history of Sydney University to reach 10,000 First Grade runs and the first player to reach 15,000 First Grade runs for all clubs.

In the match against Gordon at Chatswood Oval this afternoon, Mail went to the crease with the score on four for 276 after excellent innings by Ed Cowan (58) and Ryan Carters (113), who recorded his first century for the Club.  When he reached 18, Mail recorded his 10,000th run for Sydney University, and on 23 he posted the 15,000th First Grade run of his career.

Mail is the tenth batsman to score 10,000 First Grade runs for a single Sydney club.  The others are Tommy Andrews (Petersham), Grant Lambert (Fairfield), Sid Carroll (Gordon), Warren Saunders (St George), Brian Booth (St George), Jack Chegwyn (Randwick), Greg Hayne (UTS-Balmain), Monty Noble (Paddington) and Anthony Clark (Fairfield-Liverpool).   Richard Chee Quee scored 11,886 First Grade runs without changing clubs, but many of these were scored after Randwick amalgamated with Petersham-Marrickville to create a new club.

IN THE SHEDS... NICKNAMES

It was the season of 2009 and I was playing in my SUCC debut. I was a baby faced, long haired teen, fresh from completing my HSC and making the long trip out to Blacktown. My first thought on arrival was that I hoped that this was the furthest that I would need to travel for a game of Grade cricket. At the completion of the match I was sitting in the sheds taking part in my first ever fines meeting. After being fined for scoring a handful of runs and taking a few catches, the then 4th grade captain Dan Bragg looked at me, considered me for a moment and then fined me for looking like a particular electronic plush toy that went through great popularity in the early 2000’s. This was met with a furore of excitement and approval by the majority of the team, in particular Ben Joy (yes he was playing 4th grade) who had obviously been contemplating the same thought throughout the day. This unfortunate moment spawned my SUCC nickname which has stuck with me ever since. So much so that my real name has become redundant and I am confident that there are a many members of the club that do not actually know what it is.

As all males will know, it is almost impossible to be involved in a large group of guys without being given some sort of nickname. Sydney Uni Cricket Club is no different. A nickname is said to be a substitute for the proper name of a person, usually to show affection or ‘gentle’ ridicule.

Now in the case of SUCC, nicknames are given for a few different reasons. Some can be as simple as the opposition writing your name in the scorecard incorrectly; e.g. Max ”Pope” Hope, Lewis “McMayhem” McMahon.

Some are just obvious; e.g. Marty “Hector” Paskal, Ben “Barnaby Joyce” Joy, Jack “Super Coach” Gibson.

Some are spawned out of aggressive eating habits or the sheer size of the vessel; e.g. Tom “2 plates” Kierath. Adam “Ship” Theobald, Nick “Truck” Arnold.

(It has long been a challenge to “Sink the Ship” at a long lunch or a Surjits dinner, I don’t think that this feat will ever be achieved).

Whilst others have an array of nicknames which can be used in constant rotation to confuse both the victim as well as others that do not know their real name; e.g. Dave “Milf”/”Milfred”/”Funky”/”Deef” Miller.

However, I think that the most common form of nickname within SUCC is those that like mine, make reference to someone or something that they look like or impersonate in some way. So to list just a handful, we have:

Dugald “Screech” Hollway – in reference to his striking resemblance to the popuar “Saved by the Bell” Character

Ryan “Sid” Kurtz – in reference to his resemblance of Sid the sloth from “Ice Age”

Mark “Alf” Faraday – Go and look up the TV show

Henry “Wario”/”Wrongsy” Clark – If you have ever played Mario Kart you will understand the former. The latter is a reference to his bowling style of bowling off the wrong foot. NB: Will Hay once described him to the umpire as bowling “right arm, wrong leg”.

Tim “Plugger” Ley – due to his prowess with the AFL ball

Ash “Crouchy” Cowan – in reference to his physical similarities to the journeyman football striker Peter Crouch. N.B. “Harry Potter”, and “Beer Mat” will also play.

Ed ”Poodle” Cowan & Greg “Junk” Mail – yep even the big dogs get them

Will “Voldemort” Clayton – but we don’t like to talk about this one

And one of my personal favorites Nigel “Ned Flanders” Cowell – this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Some more miscellaneous tags include the three Griffins, i.e. Ben “Stewy” Larkin, Nick “Chris” Larkin, and James “Meg” Larkin (unlucky Jum). Nicko may also be referred to as “Seagull” due to his uncanny ability to snaffle up a stray potato chip.

A few of the rarer characters at the club have been granted with some of the better nicknames going around. We have Jonno “Bird Shit Bill” Craig-Dobson, due to the large patch of white hair on his roof, Jack “Eric” Holloway, in reference to the famous Equatorial Guinean swimmer suggesting that in his early days he played the same sport but wasn’t quite at the same level as everyone else (this one is a bit stiff).

And of course the two Ryans; Firstly, Jim “Carpaccio” Ryan, just because he needs a few more minutes each side on the BBQ to cook out the rareness. And secondly, one of the most famous in SUCC history Josh “Rig”/”Bryan” Ryan. The former was initially a nickname for his aggressively large automobile and then subsequently in reference to his aggressively large abs/chest which were toned during countless hours on the bench press.

These are just a small selection of the many nicknames that get thrown around at SUCC. All in all, they may have been born out of ridicule but we carry these names on with a certain fondness and endearment towards the, for lack of a better word, victims, and it is all part of belonging to this great club.

So if you are a new player at the club without a nickname, give it a couple of games or indeed a couple of club circuits or a tour and you will most likely have a great nickname that will be your tag for years to come. 

Player of the round, 5

Voting has been completed for the Sydney Uni Cricket Player of the Round following Round 5 of the McDonald's NSW Premier Cricket competition.

The Surjits Player of the Round goes to Jack Holloway for his composed and measured debut second grade hundred, posting 131. 

The Nags Head Performance of the Round goes to Hugh Kermond, for his dominant 80 in fourth grade on day one followed by his patient 61 in 5th grade day two.

It was Jacks debut opening the batting in second grade against his junior club, and he combined with Will Hay for a 144 run opening stand before going on and posting his first hundred for the club since scoring 124 for fourth grade in 2014.  Jack came close last year to scoring another hundred, however was caught on the long on boundary for 99 against Randwick Petersham.

Hugh Kermond's 80 on day 1 of round 5 in fourth grade was his highest NSW Premier Cricket score (Hugh has scored a 111 in Metropolitan cup in 2014) and followed this up with his highest 5th grade score of 61 on day two after being bracketed for returning state players. 

Jack receives the Surjits Indian voucher for two people, whilst Hugh claims a $20 voucher at the Nags Head Hotel.

There were a few honourable mentions this round:

Kieran Elley, who took his career best second grade figures of 5/49 in securing the 196 run victory. 

Dugald Holloway, who tore through North Sydney's Poidevin-Gray Shield taking 5/30 with his best figures in the grade.

Tom Kierath, took 4/12 in Easts first innings and 3/8 in the second to finish with match figures of 7/20.

The leaderboard for the Player of the Year Award currently has Nick Larkin leading following his two best on ground performances against St George and Manly-Warringah.

Five things we learned from Round Five

1    Manly has a new spinner

If Matt Alexander had been available for Manly last week, Joe Graham would have been playing Seconds at Graham Reserve, rather than driving south to Glenn McGrath Oval to make his First Grade debut against Sutherland.  The Caringbah ground isn’t an ideal place for an off-spinner, with its flat pitch and fast outfield, and the game was a predictably high-scoring one, with Manly (five for 398) holding off a fast-finishing Sutherland (385) to win by 13 runs.  Graham emerged as the unlikely match-winner, claiming seven for 148 from 34.2 overs.  If he was punished at times (going for nearly four and a half runs an over), he showed an excellent temperament, maintaining his line and length when under pressure, and collecting wickets at crucial times - including the first five of the innings.  Not a bad debut for a player who joined Manly as a Fifth Grade batsman and occasional medium-pacer.

2    St George’s slump is unprecedented

It’s hard to remember the last time St George began a season with five matches and no points – if, indeed, it ever happened.  Even in 2004-05, arguably Saints’ worst season on record (finishing 17th), they actually won their first three games. But the loss to Gordon in Round Five left St George firmly anchored at the foot of the competition ladder, with four losses, a draw, and zero points.  No-one sensible ever rules out St George’s chances – even chasing the home side’s 364, there were glimpses of hope when the in-form Kurtis Patterson and dynamic Moises Henriques were together at the crease.  St George had reached three for 175 when Matt Junk removed Patterson and then, for the second time in as many games, Tym Crawford took the key wicket for Gordon, hanging on to a return catch from Henriques.   St George has suffered this season from the loss of last year’s strong middle order (Ashton May, Damian Bourke and Englishman Rory Burns), but its attack has also found wickets hard to come by, having taken only 35 wickets so far this season.  It’s no coincidence that Gordon, still unbeaten and still leading the table, is the only side yet to have taken 50 opposition wickets.

3   Sydney has some depth

Five rounds in to the competition, Sydney is dominating Second Grade with five straight wins, one of them outright.  Sydney hasn’t run up the massive scores some teams have achieved, but it has kept a fairly stable side (using only thirteen players so far) and its bowlers have performed extremely well.  The experienced spinner Ash Squire, with 17 wickets, is currently the leading bowler in Second Grade but Ryan Corns, Alexander Bloomfield and Justin Rodgie have been just as effective.  Bloomfield’s 5-33 in Round Five was his best return for Sydney, and helped his side defend a modest 232 against Blacktown.

4   At North Sydney, 400 is the new 200

Teams that were knocked over for 200 used to console themselves that “At least it’s something to bowl at”.  Now, with flat pitches and flatter seams, they say that when they make 300 – Mosman, Sydney University and Western Suburbs were all chased down last weekend after posting scores well above 300, and three other sides only narrowly defended bigger totals.  At North Sydney, it looked as though 400 might be the par score – chasing the home side’s seven declared for 414, Parramatta reached four for 357 with plenty of overs in hand.  Nick Bertus destroyed the bowling on his way to his third century in five matches this season, and seemed to have set up a memorable win for his side.  But Jake Lintott and Robbie Aitken triggered an astonishing collapse, in which Parramatta’s last five wickets fell for only eleven runs, and North Sydney sneaked home by 23 runs.  It was a memorable game for the ageless Aitken, who followed an unbeaten century with three vital wickets – all against his old club, and the club for which his father and uncle played for so many years.  For good measure, he passed 10,000 First Grade runs during the game.

5    Matt Hughston is a handy Fifth Grader

Say your side has scored six for 291.  And you’ve dismissed four of the other side’s five top order batsmen for scores of 19, 11, 2 and 1.  In Fifth Grade.  You don’t lose from there, do you?  Unless, of course, the other top order batsman is Matt Hughston, who has just decided to play his first match of the season for Sutherland.  Hughston retired from First Grade at the start of last season, having decided that it was time to focus on his career away from the game.  But the right-handed opener (who represented the NSW Second XI only a few seasons back) is still only 33, and is still a tough player to remove in any grade.  On Saturday, he batted through 68 overs for an unbeaten 197, steering Sutherland to a six-wicket victory over a rather unfortunate Manly.  It was, for people who count these things, the highest score ever recorded for Sutherland in Fifths, surpassing Matt Burg’s 176 not out at Tonkin Oval in October 2011.  Sutherland’s opponents that day?  Manly.  Burg, incidentally, had a bizarre season - apart from his massive hundred, he played fourteen innings in Fifths and was dismissed for six or less in eleven of them.