Claude Tozer - The Centenary of his Tragic Death

Claude Tozer - The Centenary of his Tragic Death

CLAUDE TOZER. THE CENTENARY OF HIS TRAGIC DEATH

 On Friday 17 December 1920, the 1st Test between Australia and England commenced at the SCG.

 On Monday 20 December, Claude Tozer sat in the Members’ Stand with some cricketing friends watching as Australia built up an unassailable lead of 658.

Tozer was a staid 30 year old suburban doctor. But he was also a decorated war hero and a promising NSW cricketer who was perhaps also on the verge of selection in the Australian Test team. He had scored 51 and 53 for an Australian XI against the English touring side in Brisbane earlier in December and he had been named as captain of NSW for the game against Queensland in the new year. The demands of his fledgling medical practice had limited his availability this season but in 1st Grade for Gordon his form had been irresistible. 211 (against University) was followed by 131, 110 and 37. Before the War, after a glittering career at the Shore School, he had been one of Sydney University’s most respected 1st Grade cricketers. 2083 runs at 52, including 842 runs in the Premiership side of 1913-14. He had, however, played his last game of cricket.

On Tuesday 21 December, Tozer parked his car in Tryon Road Lindfield and walked to the house known as ‘Inglebrae’, the home of Harold and Dorothy Mort and their family. Harold, a civil engineer, was at work. Dorothy was at home with the maid and two children. She was agitated, irrational, distracted but she had asked Dr Tozer to visit her. He had been reluctant to continue their professional relationship of doctor/patient and their physical relationship. Mrs Mort asked Tozer to wait in the drawing room where she had hidden a recently purchased pistol. She entered the room, sat next to Tozer on the couch, passed him a photo of herself inscribed with “…from the woman you swore you loved…” and fired a single bullet into his head.

On Wednesday 22 December, the Australian team took to the field at the SCG wearing black armbands.

It was not the first time that cricketers had worn black armbands for Dr Tozer. In October 1915, a rumour swept around Sydney that Captain Tozer had been killed by a Turkish bullet at Gallipoli. He survived Gallipoli and survived awful wounds on the Western Front in 1917. But he could not escape a bullet fired by a distraught housewife on the morning of 21 December 1921, 100 years ago today.

When the Club held a dinner in 1977 to honour those who had played for Sydney University in the early seasons of the 20th century, various names flew in and out of conversations as distant memories were brought to life again. When Tozer’s name was mentioned, however, the octogenarians fell unusually quiet, subdued, reserved, not willing to say too much. Some had played with him; some against him; some had served with him in the Great War. They respected him, but…in their minds, his name was forever associated with a scandal.  He was an unmarried doctor carrying on an affair with a married woman who was his patient! A doctor murdered by his patient!

The full story has now been told. In particular, in Bonnell and Rodgers, ‘Golden Blues’ pp 109-116, a biography predominantly written by Max Bonnell. Then there is Greg Growden’s book ‘Bowled By A Bullet: The Tragic Life of Claude Tozer.’

What happened to Mrs Mort?

Read the books!

 CJ Tozer:

Shore 1st XI 1905-09. 47-6-261-1909-46.50

 1st Grade (University, Sydney, Gordon) 1909-20. 78-13-211-3164-48.67

 1st class 1910-20. 12-1-103-514-46.72

 James Rodgers

 

Match Reports - Round 7 vs Hawkesbury CC 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, George's River CC (MB) & Gordon CC (MG)

Match Reports - Round 7 vs Hawkesbury CC 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, George's River CC (MB) & Gordon CC (MG)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 7

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT OWEN EARLE OVAL (DAY 2)

SUCC 7/248 dec
55.0 overs

N Larkin 143 (134)
B Joy 2/32/13.0 overs & 4/30/16.0

&

3/43
7.0 overs

DEF O/R & FIRST INNINGS

Hawkesbury 99
38.4 overs

&

188
70.3 overs

JA Brett 64 (93)
MN Shinwari 2/28/10.0 & 2/26/4.0

The much-anticipated trip to Benson’s Lane couldn’t have come at a better time, fresh off a clutch victory against the ND’s. With temperatures rumoured threatening the mid-40’s, the flies aplenty and Benson’s gorgeous ‘manure-scented-dam-cooled’ breeze, the boys were pumped for retribution for our T20 defeat to the Hawks just a few weeks prior. Cass did his best for the batters by forgetting the NASH, and a winning toss saw us heading into the field.

On a wicket that looked to offer a bit, Cass made the early breakthrough. On his much-awaited return, Devlin wasted no time in making an impact with a direct hit runout leaving the Hawks two down early. And didn’t he love it! With the two dangermen at the crease, Robbo brought on Dugs to extract some spice from the wicket. Some fast-short pitched bowling soon saw Dugs in on the action; Qureshi edging the carrot behind to TC for a comfortable catch. Robbo then gave TC his second catch of the morning, with Mckay strangled down the leg side for 10. The Hawks scrambling at 4-30. After another wicket to Cass, the students sniffed an opportunity to wrap up our time in the field before the hottest part of the day arrived. An inventive counter attack from keeper Ryan Mizzi saw the ball fly to all parts of Owen Earle, and provided some much-needed hope for the Hawks in setting a competitive total. BJ’s impressive season continued, as he and Dev sustained the pressure and quickly dismantled the Hawks tail with two wickets each. Dugs returned, taking Mizzi for the last wicket. The Hawks 99 all out. 

Nick and Niv made early inroads to the Hawks score, Niv solid in defence as Nick consistently rattled the pickets behind point as we see so often. The opening partnership untested until the scored reached 71. With one hand on six points, we began to accelerate. Nick looked towards the BBL as he sent four big sixes out of Owen Earle, accompanied by his 17 fours which saw him end up on 143. Robbo the other batsman to get going, finishing not out on 36. The students ending the day 7/278.

After some poorly adjudicated NASH, some standard Mortimer carry-on and some warm-up mind games with the Hawks, Robbo declared the innings closed giving us the full 96 for a crack at 10 points. The morning session started slowly, with the wicket looking far more batter friendly than the previous week. With 15 minutes to lunch and the score at 89, BJ made the opening breakthrough as he has done so often this year. Then another. And another. The students on top again as we took the Hawks to lunch at 3-96. With the wicket offering little for the quicks, Dev and Niv took the reins and spun their way through the middle session and the Hawks batting order. Dev and BJ finishing with four apiece, and Niv with two.

With rain threatening and 40 to get, the batters went on the attack. Dummer, Morts and TC all hit boundaries to chase down the modest target in seven overs, taking the Students to the top of the table. 

C Dummer


MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 2)

SUCC 3/171
38.0 overs

D Miller 74* (122)
K Tate 2/25/13.0 & 3/33/20.2

&

6/122
27.0 overs

DEF

Hawkesbury 166
51.3 overs

GP Venica-Singh 40 (25)
C De Kretser 2/53/9.0

&

Hawkesbury 181
70.2 overs

I Walker 46 (106)
B Roughan 3/33/9.0


MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT BENSONS LANE OVAL 2 (50 OVER)

SUCC 5/231
50.0 overs

AG Shaw 100 (119)
R Greaves 3/33/9.3

DEF

Hawkesbury 210
48.3 overs

B Bradshaw 37 (35)
S Khan 2/41/9.0

Round 6 saw the Books make the long journey out to Bensons Lane to take on the mighty Hawks. This match will be remembered for two things: Alex Shaw’s delectable century and the last gasp Nash Ball victory by ‘The Olds’.

The Olds were looking to maintain their undefeated streak and it appeared to be another clinical performance as they bossed their way to a 2-0 lead. The match took an incredible turn as Hayden Storey (who had been driven to the ground by his father after attending his work Christmas party the night before) complacently abandoned his position as goalkeeper to roam forward and join the attack. The Young were able to capitalise and scored two soccer goals to go ahead 4-2. 

Things were looking dire for the Olds who were clearly rattled by their late collapse, however there was still time for one last drive forward. Alex Shaw won the ball at left fullback and was able to beat a man, he marauded forward and got his head up, Shaw played an appetising long diagonal ball to Hill who was unmarked on the right wing. With the ball landing in Hill’s burrowsome lap he assessed his options and saw Michael Robinson ghost towards the back post with Brayden Dilley isolated at centre back. A delicious left to right spiral pass was thrown on top of the head of Dilley who was left rooted to the spot as Robinson launched himself at the ball and met it with a downward header that beat an outstretched Matt Johns (who had been brilliant in goals thus far). Pandemonium ensued as the final score read 6-4… much to the bemusement of the Hawkesbury players and supporters who were wondering why these five idiots were running around hooting and hollering like they had just won a grand final.

Due to a biblical storm on Thursday evening the covers at Bensons had been blown off and the pitch left somewhat wet. This coaxed the Hawkesbury captain into bowling first as he won the toss.

Dilley (33) and Storey (27) were measured in the opening overs and were able to lay a sound platform as they absorbed the early pressure and counter punched with great efficiency. The dismissal of Storey brought Shaw (100) to the crease and he began to accumulate in typical fashion. A couple of quick wickets fell towards the end of the middle season and Nivek Tanner (53*) joined Shaw. They increased the pace expertly and were able to dismember the Hawks attack who had no answers to the exquisite stroke play on offer. 5/231 was the final score and the Students were quietly confident with their position at halftime.

Hawkesbury were measured in the early exchanges of their innings and their middle order all made starts, threatening to take the game away from us at different stages. Our bowlers to their credit stuck to their task and were able to find timely breakthroughs, with each wicket came an increase in pressure that ultimately was the undoing of the Hawkesbury chase. Pick of the bowlers were Rex Greaves (3-39) and Niv Tanner (2-32).

Back to back wins for the 3s boys who are aiming to sit in the top six at the Christmas break. Another tough encounter awaits in the form of Eastern Suburbs Dolphins.

J Hill


MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 192
42.1 overs

C Hathurusinghe 29
S Canagasingham 3/16/10.0

DEF

Hawkesbury 135
41.1 overs

LA Devaney 38
M Abdullah 3/45/10.0

Due to some scheduling snafus (snafi?) the 4s boys went unreported the last two weeks or so (we lost then won FYI). At any rate, your scribe is back with a summary of another comfortable victory to the Students which leaves us 2nd on the table via the remarkable situation of the bees also being 5 from 6 after being bowled out for 40 batting 2nd last week…

An intriguing pitch met the Books as we returned to Fortress Paul’s and as arrogance dictated we won the toss and elected to bat first. There were some new faces on show earning a cap in 2020/21, or so it seemed (actual caps tbc via our man circumventing an embargo via the SA shipping facility, the details of which are not suitable for publication in this forum or indeed knowledge of whatsoever).

At any rate, Adam Sidhu made his 4th grade debut (after playing a few PGs games etc), and the key attraction was Kevin Jacob coming back to the fold. The great man has played at all levels, 3s finals, 1st class Canberra, whatever he’s been doing the past 2 years, etc and so on. So it was nice to have him back on board.  

And wouldn’t you know it, they were paired together. 

Kevvy and Sids strode to the crease and made things look remarkably easy. Such was their dominance that their 6 over 43 run partnership (with a fair amount of sundries) took them to a grand position. Which they promptly got out and the next bunch of us tried to assume it was easy. 1/55 became 7/116 and all of a sudden the Books were looking for a cheeky latter order bombardment, for the 2nd time this year.

Enter Prakhar Sharma and Shehan “Cantgetoutasingham” (sic). A couple of interesting moments (the bloke at cover missing a catch whilst trying to grab it one-handed for some reason, however the result was a game defining 40 run partnership that set the Hawks 193 to win.

Bowling wise it was a great start from the big quick Cullen, with two early wickets to unplayable deliveries. Shehan carried on his great form with a typically miserly 3/16 from his 10, and strong work from Lew Ansell, Prakhar and Peter Brazzers meant that the Hawks were never really in the hunt, and when the final catch was taken it was a pretty comfortable 60 run victory to the good guys.

Next week another stern test awaits against the roosters at Trumper Park, and a chance to cement our spot in the top two and continue to roll on to xmas and beyond.

A Cowan


MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT BENSONS LANE OVAL 3 (50 OVER)

SUCC 30
17.5 overs

M Shanahan 1/12/4.0
M Miles 1/12/4.0

DEF BY

Hawkesbury 2/35
8.3 overs

C Lucas 16*
J Chapman 4/8/8.5

After making the journey to Bensons Lane we hope to turn our seasons luck around and put out a good performance on the field.

The lads were out there early looking at the deck and trying to make some early plans on what might be a good scenario!

Warm up was started with a healthy game of Nash and some competitive drills lead by our director of cricket Cam Borgas trying to get a positive start to the days proceedings.

Hawkesbury won the toss and elected to bowl!

It was all down hill from there! We batted poorly to say the least! It was a stream of wickets and our top scorer being sundries on 10 our highest team score was 4 and we had 5 players not troubling the scorers. Our day was over before it began posting a total of 30.

Hawkesbury chases the runs with 8 wickets in hand and It’s back to the drawing board again.

T Lamont


MATCH REPORT - METRO GOLD VS GORDON CC AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 225
49.5 overs

R Varatharajah 52 (47)
Y Dalvi 3/20/5.0

DEF

Gordon 212
47.5 overs

N Russo 66 (56)
J Woods 5/31/7.5


MATCH REPORT - METRO BLUE VS GEORGES RIVER CC AT BLAND OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 6/157
29.2 overs

DEF

Georges River 156
41.3 overs

T Sherwin 42
M Magoulias 2/27/5.0

Match Reports - Round 7 vs Hawkesbury CC (Day 1 - 1s, 2s), Gordon CC (3s, 4s, 5s), George's River CC (MG)

Match Reports - Round 7 vs Hawkesbury CC (Day 1 - 1s, 2s), Gordon CC (3s, 4s, 5s), George's River CC (MG)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 7

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT OWEN EARLE OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 7/248
55.0 overs

N Larkin 143 (134)
C Cassell 2/12/7.0

VS

Hawkesbury 99
38.4 overs

R Mizzi 44 (55)
MN Shinwari 2/28/10.0


MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 3/171
38.0 overs

D Miller 74* (122)
B Mitchell 4/32/11.0

VS

Hawkesbury 166
51.3 overs

GP Venica-Singh 40 (25)
C De Kretser 2/53/9.0

&

Hawkesbury 1/8
4.0 overs


The boys were back playing cricket at number one oval! Fresh off the back of a first innings win against Northern Districts. With temperatures set to pass forty degrees the plan was to have a bat on a pretty good wicket. But Popey didn’t hold up his end of the bargain by losing the toss.

Never the less the Students were keen to rip in. Nash was a tough and gritty 1-1 draw. In the warm conditions 2-way running was limited. Even with the return of arguably the country’s best player in Jack Lawson, the scores were unable to be separated. It was now time for the Dippy Schmoo’s to send a few down.

The returning Kieran Tate opened the bowling and always looked likely but couldn’t quite break through in his opening spell. Henry “Wrongsy” Clark did manage a break through when he bowled the Hawkesbury opener for just 3, with the perfect line and length hitting the top of off stump. The introduction of first change bowler Ben Mitchell proved a masterstroke from Skipper Max Hope. With “Booza” going on to take 4fa in his opening spell. Drawing comparisons to Stuart Broad with the angle in and nipping them away.

The visitors were reeling at 7/65 at lunch. With additional wickets to Tatey and “the poor mans Pavel Florin”. Hawkesbury managed to get to a total of 166 with some lower-order hitting frustrating the Students. Tea was then taken and then “the books” set about chasing the total. Litchy got a short, wide and slow one with his name on it that he melted to point. Leaving the students 1/0. Milfy and Fullers then steadied the chase in putting on 83 for the 2nd wicket partnership. Fullers then fell to an absolute screamer of a caught and bowled with 83 still required.

Booza then came to the crease to make a run a ball 29 and was dismissed in trying to take the game forward. This brought Mooey into the game, making 34 off 13 pills, mincing them to all parts managing to clear the rope 3 times in 3 consecutive balls. This got the students to 3-171d with the hero of the innings of the being Milfy in making a well-paced 74 which anchored the boys to the total.

We had 4 overs to bowl after the declaration and it was that man again, Clarkey, who got the single breakthrough. Leaving the Hawkesbury side at 1/8 at stumps.

Overall a dominant day for the Sydney Uni fellas setting up a promising day 2 next week.

Gwynnie


MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS GORDON CC AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 Over)

SUCC 4/187
43.4 overs

ND Tanner 70*
S Anandarajah 2/29/10.0

DEF

Gordon CC 184
47.4 overs

M Fletcher 58
S Read 2/38/7.4


MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS GORDON CC AT KILLARA PARK (50 Over)

SUCC 301
50.0 overs

M Powys 133 (130)
C Hathurusinghe 3/46/10.0

DEF

Gordon CC 209
48.1 overs

NM Astridge 43
M Brown 4/51/10.0


MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS GORDON CC AT BEAUCHAMP OVAL (50 Over)

SUCC 256
49.2 overs

H Cain 58
T Lamont 5/33/8.0

DEF BY

Gordon CC 6/258
47.1 overs

A Gobinath 63
M Keane 5/37/10.0


MATCH REPORT - METRO GOLD VS GEORGE’S RIVER CC AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 Over)

SUCC 166
41.3 overs

J Mahony 61
J Manson-Lill 4/11/3.5

DEF BY

George’s River CC 173
48.0 overs

N Blanda 77
R Singh 5/20/6.3

Match Reports - Round 6 vs Northern Districts CC (Day 2 - 1s, 2s)

Match Reports - Round 6 vs Northern Districts CC (Day 2 - 1s, 2s)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 6

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS NORTHERN DISTRICTS AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 2)

SUCC 9/313
92.0 overs

TP Cummins 101 (161)
N Radhakrishnan 3/65/27.2

DEF

Northern Districts 307
97.2 overs

CD Miller 79 (231)
RR Pawson 4/55/19.0


A methodical victory to the bowlers in Nash provided the cartel with confidence ahead of the bowling day ahead. We welcomed back Nicko this week to add to our dual-arm bowling depths. The pitch was being used for a 3rd day and was slower than the week prior but the outfield had quickened up slightly. Dos and Cass opened the bowling without making any inroads but had kept it tight all the same. The sustained pressure helped lead to a tight run and our lead dual-arm bowler Niv threw down the stumps from side on and three quarters to the boundary to run out the Rangers opening batsman. Very naughty stuff! BJ dump-trucked his way through his first spell before dangling an enticing carrot to the NDs number 3 who willingly obliged to throw his hands at it and consequently nicked it behind. Wicket 2 to the Books. Both teams toiled to lunch with honours even at the lunch break.

The middle session was a war of attrition with the Units creating plenty of half chances but not being able to capitalise. Niv bowled particularly well with the surface starting to help his off-spin. They grabbed the NDs 3rd wicket shortly before tea but had kept the required run rate climbing to 4 or so an over. You could sense that the game was going to go deep with every passing over however 7 wickets in the final session becoming a larger task by every passing over.

After tea, something was going to break either way and it was a firmly hit cut shot that was intercepted by the flinging right arm of Dos that broke the game open. The tempo of the game lifted with another wicket falling but ND’s keeping the run rate under 5 an over. Uni took the new ball with 18 overs to go and the Rangers requiring approx. 90 runs with 5 wickets in hand.

BJ was Herculean in charging in from the southern end for a good 90 minutes in the last session. The bold decision to bowl bumpers by Dugald with 3 out on the legside was matched equally with Dugald’s willingness and ability to execute the short pitch theory for 5-6 overs straight on a wearing wicket. At one stage, NDs needed 12 to win with 4 wickets remaining and 3 overs to go. Niv entered the attack to turn the game. The number 8 was well caught at mid off by BJ and then taking the big scalp of Rodgie in the same over. Holloway then bumped out the number 10 to leave NDs requiring 7 to win off the last over with 1 wicket remaining. Niv was bowling. The first ball was a dot. The second ball was a well hit drive along the ground straight back to Niv who intentionally accidentally fumbled the ball for it to tunnel ball and hit the stumps. The non-striker was left stranded out of his crease after backing up for the quick run. The realisation hit that he was run out and we had won an unlikely victory. Pandemonium ensued with Niv impersonating an Imran Tahir celebration and the rest of the team carrying on like it was an aeroplane jelly commercial. What a win!

The Rangers were graceful in defeat and we shared a few beers after the game to dissect what was an incredible game.

Tim Cummins 

MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS NORTHERN DISTRICTS AT MARK TAYLOR OVAL (DAY 2)

SUCC 181
62.3 overs

C Litchfield 85 (150)
R Greaves 3/27/14.0


DEF

Northern Districts 166 & 2/84
72.3 overs

JH Anderson 90 (162)
CA Soper 6/48/28.3

SUCC win on first innings

Due to a delayed start the previous week thanks to some drama involving covers, rain, wind and a groundsman who had changed into civvies, a new and improved start time of 10:22am meant that warm up and Nash began at the exact same time of 9:30am. Country with an extra man finally showed some sort of structure and put the only points on the board for the game. Small victories these days.

Sydney University began the day at 2/72 chasing 166 on a deck that was doing bits at one end and bounced true at the other. Northern Districts Skipper JH Anderson took one look at the first ball delivered by Chad Soper from the PCYC end which almost took out JJ’s ankle and decided that he would bowl unchanged for 22 overs. An impressive effort which yielded figures of 6/48 from 28. After losing JJ at 3/99, then the returning Dave Miller at 4/130 and then Charles Litchfield who’s 85 had anchored the SUCC innings from the start, a quick flurry of wickets from Soper left the 2s reeling at 6/147.

Joining Andrew Hazard in the middle was Two Strapped Keeping Pads Henry Clark, who at the Lunch Break had discussed that the remaining 19 runs did not have to come from boundaries. After stroking 4 brilliant boundaries, and then a dubious run out of Hazard whilst following the only singles plan, Henry guided Sydney University home for a tense victory which left Popey eager to tuck into a few after another less than stellar run chase.

After batting on and setting a small lead, the SUCC lads decided to send the Rangers in for a second dig, and again Clarkey struck first with an LBW which everyone (including the opening batsmen) could agree was out. The Rangers decided to bat on as the middle order were lacking batting practice, and the game was called 3 overs after compulsory (not provided) tea.

6 points to the students.

Oli Zannino

Match Reports - Round 6 vs Northern Districts CC (Day 1 - 1s, 2s), Sydney CC (3s, 4s, 5s), Warringah CC (MB), Mosman CC (MG) & Bankstown CC (PGs)

Match Reports - Round 6 vs Northern Districts CC (Day 1 - 1s, 2s), Sydney CC (3s, 4s, 5s), Warringah CC (MB), Mosman CC (MG) & Bankstown CC (PGs)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 6

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS NORTHERN DISTRICTS AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 9/313
92.0 overs

TP Cummins 101 (161)
H Kerr 57 (103)

VS

Northern Districts 0/2
2.0 overs

RR Pawson 4/55/19.0
TW Gray 4/84/22.0

A moving NAIDOC ceremony and a new, state of the art scoreboard with questionable tunes were the highlights of the pre-match festivities at Uni. 1. The Nash game was a farce with the top ‘5’ winning. This was exemplified by Morts scoring a goal which had him being referred to as Hansie Cronje for various reasons.

The returning skipper in Robbo won the toss and had no hesitation to bat. There was a bit of live grass early with Niv (31) getting through the new ball with a video montage expected to be released on Instagram by the end of the week. Hansie (28) took his Nash form into the start of his innings before being undone. At 4/86, Dos and TC were joined together with Dos shrugging off all footwear critics and looked set to go large before the bowlers targeted the said footwear on 57. Robbo came in and ‘ya ya’d’ his way to 28 before a couple of wickets fell.

At 7/245 the innings could have gone either way before a well compiled 38 from the resident Scotsman in Shane Cassell. TC ended making 101 to win a case from Robbo for the first century with the new scoreboard. This bet came with a little known ‘no-shoey clause’ too funnily enough. A maximum from Tatey that he didn’t even ‘get’ and a declaration gave us a few overs at the Rangers without impact.

All in all, a good day for the students who will be looking to grab 10 wickets on Saturday.

Tim Cummins

MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS NORTHERN DISTRICTS AT MARK TAYLOR OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 2/72
19.0 overs

C Litchfield 52* (63)
R Greaves 3/27/14.0


VS

Northern Districts 166
72.3 overs

JH Anderson 90 (162)
LP Fisher 1/18/3.0

Death, taxes and water under the covers at Waitara. A delayed start after a $16 toll ride up the Pacific Highway (Cheers Fullers) on a glorious day had the Scooby Doos optimistic following last week’s drubbing at the hands of Wests. City won Nash. Questions – asked. Answers – blank.

Skipper Hope called correctly at the toss for the third time on the bounce and elected The Books would have a bowl first on a green but hard wicket.

Right-Arm Wrong Leg Clarky struck LBW with his first ball yet again to absolutely nobody (excepting the opening sticks’) surprise and when Jackson Gwynne got in on the act with a Stuart Broad celebrappeal for one hitting middle halfway up, the Power Rangers were 2-30. The introduction of Popey’s straight breaks had the umpire’s Rexona (won’t let you down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_SoA59Ko8Q ) in the action again, 3-68 the score at lunch with energy and morale high.

A partnership was built by the Ben Trevor-Jones lookalike from ND’s, who it must be said looked a class above in his innings of 90, and Maskell in the middle order to leave the game delicately poised at 3-146. The Students continue to apply pressure from spin twins Hope and Haz, knowing sustained pressure would lead to chances.

The Uni boys needed a lift and the Regional Express duly obliged for take-off – one way ticket to destination Polesville thanks Captain. Rexxy captured our fourth consecutive LBW wicket (Get the record-book out on that Bonnell), before a rising length ball off a ridge was taken by a diving one-handed Walsh in the gully. Walshy refusing to add any mayonnaise to his plain wholemeal chicken rolls and just saving all spreads for in the field.

The Students then completely slammed the brakes on ND’s flow and claimed the final seven wickets for just 20 runs, bowling the Ranger’s out for a well below par 166. It truly was a mammoth spell from Rexxy, ably supported by cartel members Clark, Gwynne and Mitchell.

However, work was still to be done with an hour and 15 minutes left of play with the Toohey’s New sponsored crew warming the vocal chords and stacking the bin next to the canteen. Despite the loss of Fullerton and Hope, Charles Litchfield decided attack was the best form of defence.

Litch batted with extreme disdain and bludgeoned anything not on a good length to the fence, special mention for the back-away swat over extra cover for a one bounce four to bring up his half-century and the Students 2-72 at Stumps.

A very similar game after Day 1 went right to the wire last season, the Books know that the six points are far from secured against a quality ND’s attack and will be looking to get the job done this Saturday.

Max Hope

MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS SYDNEY CC AT RYDE OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 206
45.1 overs

H Storey 66
MJ Watts 3/20/10.0


DEF BY

Sydney CC 5/209
46.0 overs

AL Le Lievre 69*
T Mullen 3/34/10.0

The mighty 3’s took on the Sydney Tigers at Ryde Oval, on a day that was primed for some quality Nash. Old’s, so far undefeated and looking to go 3-0, welcomed back the Angry Bald Man, Josh Toyer for the first time this year. However, against all odds Young managed to score a goal. Shock. Young’s promptly put the bus into reverse, backed it up, pulled the handbrake up and parked it. This went on for the duration of the game, as Young’s were tasked with defending, long balls from deep hitting the wombat Jack Hill in the chest and feeding a pacey Hayden storey out wide. With 2 minutes to go, a miracle ball was thrown into the box from out wide, only for what can be described as a lebroneqsue slam dunk into the goal from Josh Toyer, to sale past a forlorn Leggie in goals. Questions were asked about the height of the goal. The referee panel solely seated by old’s, had none of it. 1-1 on the day, the Old’s retain the win from last week and go 3-0 up for the season. The young’s have a long road ahead. I can’t wait to become an old.

With the sun out and the deck looking like a beauty, Hilly won the toss and chose to bat. Hayden Storey got off to a flier as always, with some big hits and elegant striking of the ball, getting us to a 60-run opening partnership. After losing Hilly, Alex Shaw and Storey got us to a very commanding position at 1-90. From here though, we lost Storey (66) and then 5 wickets for 60 runs, with Alex Shaw (41) the only notable mention from the middle order. Full tosses our kryptonite. A 40-run partnership from tail enders Leggie and Maxy Shanahan, got us to a competitive score of 206.

Knowing that we had left a fair few runs out in the middle and that the deck was flat, we planned to come out hard and take a few early wickets. However, wickets were very hard to come by with Sydney starting off 0-50. Some tight bowling from Murray Watts, and Robbo kept us in the game, with them taking 3-20 and 1-27 off their 10 overs respectively. Playing with 10 fielders for most of the innings did not help us at all either, with Hilly dislocating his finger trying to take a catch of Murray’s bowling. With low margins of error, the bowlers put in a good shift trying to build pressure, however bowling both sides of the wicket proved to be punishing with one less fielder. Despite Hilly making a valiant return back onto the field towards the end of the innings, we could not do enough to get the last couple of crucial wickets, with the Tigers no.5 stick bringing it home for them with 4 overs to go.

A day where we were left to rue wasting our early commanding position with the bat and missing a few key chances in the field. As usual though, we go again next week against top of the table and undefeated Northern Districts, at fortress Pauls.  Young bucks to go 3-1.

Dash Ratnam


MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS SYDNEY CC AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 216
49.5 overs

S Anandarajah 61 (111)
N Barnet 3/23/10.0


DEF

Sydney CC 9/153
50.0 overs

S Meaker 42 (85)
NA Breen 3/37/9.0

After a scheduling snafu (read laziness) meant that the 4s boys were unreported last week (we won FYI, Wilko, Sanjay, Lew Ansell, Muz Miles all did well, cheers) your scribe is back with a summary of another comfortable victory to the Students which leaves us top of the table via the increasing puzzling better quotient rule.

A reasonably dry week (apart from Friday evening for a few members) presented us with a good pitch and a batting day, and the toss of the coin favoured Uni for the first time this year (audible celebration M Johns). Brayden and Clancy strode to the crease, however an early wicket led to Sanjay and Dill combining in what turned out to be a match-winning partnership. Faced with the unusual bowling attack of 7 seamers and 0 spinners, the pair were circumspect for the first 30 overs of their partnership, and as the 2nd drinks break approached we were meandering along at 2.5 runs an over (much to your scribe’s chagrin). This turned out to be temporary, and both Sanjay and Brayden put the foot down soon after to reach their half centuries. Their partnership ended up being a round 100, and some late order domination from Andrew Wilkinson (42 off 20) contributed to a strong total of 216 (Shez run out last ball, first time he been dismissed in 6 years apparently).

Bowling wise everyone did their work well, but it was the spin twins who were the standouts. Ned Barnet in particular was a class above, his 10 straight at a crucial time in the innings resulted in the Tigers never really being in the hunt. A classy fielding display and strong pressure from the bowlers proved to be too much and at the end of 50 overs the Students were 63 runs to the good.

A pleasing effort and 3 from 3 to start the year. Next week proves to be a sterner test, as we journey up to the rain belt to face the Rangers.

Smash

MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS SYDNEY CC AT CAMPERDOWN PARK (50 OVER)

SUCC 151
40.4 overs

J Chan 41
P Brazel 2/29/9.0


DEF BY

Sydney CC 7/218
50.0 overs

S Zafiropoulos 74* (74)
P Thakur 3/15/10.0

The 5s boys took on Sydney at Camperdown for round 3 in a one dayer, with newly appointed Jazz Rinka taking the reigns. Started off the day with half the boys and Cam competing in a game of nash, with a plethora of cases to be claimed. Jazz rocks up as you do when youve been given the captaincy, 15 minutes late and with plenty of excuses. 

The students bowled first on a slow Camperdown wicket, as we started off keeping it tight and snagging a few. Chris Kyle gets a direct hit on the non strikers end from point, to further the damage. We were well on top heading into the middle overs, having sydney 6/96. A 7th wicket 99 partnership, as well as a solid batting effort from Sydney’s number 6, had them dominate the last session, taking them to a total of 218. Pete and Cullen both went away with 2, having a solid day with the ball. 

The boys struggled with the bat with many of the top order falling for single digits. A solid stint of 41 by the young James chan, and a few handy bombs by Murray Miles (34) took us to a total of 151, but not enough to take the points over Sydney. 

MATCH REPORT - METRO BLUE VS WARRINGAH CC AT MIKE PAWLEY OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 7/189

A Rodrigues 52


DEF BY

Warringah CC 5/190

Kasmar 43
Norton 2/24

Metro Blue arrived to a green deck at Warringah’s Mike Pawley oval. The top four produced a positive start, dominated by aggressive running between the wickets on a big and slow outfield.  Aryan Rodrigues scored a calm and collected 52 at the top of the order, stabilising one end while a flurry of middle order wickets fell at the other. After his dismissal, it was up to the tailenders to pick up the scoring rate. An unbeaten 28-ball blitz by Ashton Taylor provided 48 crucial runs to the total, leaving the students with a defendable 186 to finish the innings.

With all the momentum Uni’s way, Ashton followed his antics with a fiery spell of opening bowling. Opening partner Tom Foreman made the early breakthrough, ripping through the Warringah’s opener in the second over of the innings. What followed was a tense battle between bat and ball, with scoring extremely difficult, but wickets equally hard to find. Sanjiv Khalko provided a couple of quick wickets following the first drinks break, leaving the game fairly evenly poised at the second interval. 

In the end, Warringah were able to get across the line with 5 wickets in hand, with the Metro Blue boys still hungry to collect their first victim of the season.

Mitch Cotton

MATCH REPORT - METRO GOLD VS MOSMAN CC AT BALMORAL OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 6/113
42.0 overs

H Cain 41*
Y Dalvi 2/16/6.0


DEF

Mosman CC 112
31.1 overs

C Calvert 22
J Lonergan 3/23/10.0

MATCH REPORT - POIDEVIN-GRAY VS BANKSTOWN CC AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (50 OVER)

SUCC 8/265
49.3 overs

B Mitchell 130* (118)
N Radhakrishnan 2/34/10.0

DEF

Bankstown CC 4/264
50.0 overs

M Momandi 83 (99)
B Pearson 2/43/9.0

Match Reports - Round 5 vs Western Suburbs District Cricket Club (50 Over)

Match Reports - Round 5 vs Western Suburbs District Cricket Club (50 Over)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 5 VS WESTERN SUBURBS

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 9/306
50.0 overs

D Mortimer 94 (105)
B Joy 3/17/9.0

DEF

Western Suburbs 141
40.3 overs

JA Clarke 53 (93)
JD Cook 4/41/10.0

A beautiful day at the home of cricket awaited the students, with strong optimism that the covers would only have to be taken off once for the days play, as opposed to recent graft over the last few weeks. Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it! Day for it!  

The glorious conditions, meant absolutely no excuses during Nash (well apart from Morts and Duff of course). The bowlers put on an absolute clinic that was likened to the prime years of Barcelona’s tika taka game style. The Twin towers of Joy and Holloway were the standouts, denying any Top 6 attack and then sparking the Counter for the bowlers. Your scribe could actually get used to batting at 7 each week, finally enjoying a successful system. The juggernaut rolls on once more, with belief of an undefeated season.

Captain TC, didn’t hesitate at all batting on a very reasonable Uni 1 deck. This meant that the Bash brothers (Kerr and Dummer) strode to the crease for the first time this season, putting on 88 runs in very quick succession. Dummer 56 off just the 42 balls walloped anything over pitched to much appreciation of his now weekly ‘fan club’. Kerr (67) showed absolutely no sign of ring rust, as he returned for his first game of the season with some glorious sweetly timed drives. The momentum wasn’t halted at all, with in form Mortimer doing what he does so well: finding the gaps, and putting the bad ball away with distain. Mortimer falling just short of yet another 1st grade hundred (94), whilst a very handy knock from the Duff man, got the students to a very defendable 306.

The students were always on top with the ball. Early wickets from the ageless Benny Joy meant that the required run rate shot up to 7s and 8s early, with Wests simply not good enough to score against the disciplined lines and lengths of the Uni attack. The squeeze applied from Niv and Tatey, with wickets falling at regular intervals meant that Uni was well on their way for a dominant victory. The innings cleaned up from Burglar Holloway, meaning that the students cruise home by 165 runs. In essence, wickets shared. A little bit more convincing that last week’s Bonus Point Win.

How did we do it? Eaaaasssyyyy. 

Ryan Danne


MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT PRATTEN PARK (50 OVERS)

SUCC 85
29.2 overs

O Zannino 17 (30)
H Clark 1/21/6.0

DEF BY

Western Suburbs 1/86
18.5 overs

C Blaxall-Hill 66 (71)
JR Shepherd 3/31/9.0

The Uni lads headed out west for the weekends fixture out at Pratten park. Whilst upon arrival we were politely greeted with the public toilets of the facility as our dressing shed. This meant the valuables bag would be thoroughly useful for the days play!

Nash was ordinary as the country boys struggled to fire on which looked to be a pristine and Nash friendly ground. In saying that it was good to finally see the city lads pull their finger out and find some sort of a game plan. Whilst Hazz and Borgy added a lot of flare to the city lads, the OGs of Watto, Dumpling, Nino and JJ did put in a stellar performance to be too strong for the bumpkins. In saying that the country boys did lack a bit of grit and energy as Booza awarded Hazz with best on ground!

The game itself was short and sharp much like this spiel from myself! However Popey went out and won the toss electing to bat, this meant the Dippy Schmoo’s would be asked to set a total. The deck itself proved to play difficult and “did a bit early” in saying that the boys were skittled for 85 and an early lunch would be treated to a bunch of blokes who don’t mind an early Mung. Nevertheless Nino and Hazz showed great grit with the stick towards the back end to give us something to bowl at.

The opening pair of the dumpling and greaves hit the line and length we were after, however with limited runs in the bank meant quick spells of bowling would be required. The almighty veteran of Henry Dumpling Clarke claimed the first and only pole for the students. The big horse of J Gwynne was terrific running up hill and into the wind threatening the edge of the magpies sticks! Popey bowled well and was very unlucky not grab an LBW, in saying that he was sure to let the umpire understand his frustrations, as the statement ended in off.

Nonetheless, the lads were home by 2:30 and were able to seize a whole day of racing and crack a few tinnies! Anyway that’s enough from myself, hopefully the country lads turn up this weekend for Nash and the Dippy Schmoo’s can hit back like I know we can

Booza


MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 3/159
37.0 overs

H Storey 57
J Lawson 3/39/10.0

DEF

Western Suburbs 158
48.5 overs

A Haider 35
M Oberoi 3/28/10.0

The Thirsty Thirds returned to the more familiar surrounds of Fortress Paul’s for this Round 2 clash with the Magpies. An early case to newcomer Dash ‘More Questions Than a Sixth Grader’ Ratnam lifted spirits as the Wests skipper called correctly and chose to bat on what was a hard and even surface.

With the Students fielding one of their most inexperienced pace attacks for some time (2 caps between the three of them) the pressure was on to get off to a good start and not let Wests build early momentum. To say that the trio of Shehan ‘The Unlikely Punter’ Canagasingham (1-24 off 10), Maxim ‘Socks and Stocks’ Shanahan (1-33 off 9) and Matt ‘Sorry I Didn’t Check Facebook Messenger Last Night’ Johns (2-26 off 8) stepped up to the mark would be a gross disservice to them. Each bowled like he belonged in the grade, combining skill with precision. The highlight being the ripsnorting delivery ‘Joey’ Johns produced to dismiss Wests’ first drop batsman, pitching on a full of a good length it kissed the surface and deviated away ever so slightly to leave him helplessly caught on the crease with the knowledge that the top of his off-stump was about to be ruthlessly sent cartwheeling. These early inroads left Wests sitting perilously at 3/49 off 17 come the first drinks break.

Leg ‘Jack Lawson’ Spinner (3-39 off 10) was introduced upon the resumption and immediately procured a lazy shot from the remaining Wests opener who let his guard down after surviving the initial strangulation. Spinner bowled well throughout the middle overs and combined with Michael ‘Glass In Hand’ Robinson (2/35 off 9.5) to keep a lid on the two highest scoring Wests players who threatened to take their total towards 200. Once this partnership was broken by Shanahan the rest came with relative ease and Uni was set a target of 159 to win.

The early platform was laid by Hayden ‘I Might Be Able To Catch A Twilight Nine Here’ Storey (57) and Tom 'Privilege’ Fullerton (12). Two contrasting playing styles were on full show with Fullers attempting to build an innings while Storey was taking no prisoners. The harder the bowling attack ran in, the further the ball was sent by Storey down the Paul’s driveway. The key lesson to take from the day is to not goad him into repeating the exploits of the previous ball as history is more than likely to repeat itself. The Students first wicket fell with the score on 80 and the second followed soon after. A rebuild was required and with the required rate being severely diminished by Storey’s earlier exploits: Hill (43*), Alex ‘Socks and Slides’ Shaw (13) and Nivek ‘Kevin’ Tanner (20*) were able to stroke the ball around without any great risk and successfully guided the Students home to their second win on the bounce.

Onto the Sydney Tigers at Ryde Oval next week where we look to consolidate a top six position.

Jack Hill


MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT PUNCHBOWL OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 149
42.5 overs

AM Wilkinson 57
S Anandarajah 4/21/10.0

DEF

Western Suburbs 97
40.3 overs

AM Cheung 21
L Sethi 5/24/8.0


MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 169

T Crawford 29 (56)
C Kyle 3/23/9.0

DEF BY

Western Suburbs 8/177

PA Burkhart 49 (50)
I Singh 3/40/10.0

With Tom Lamont making his captaining debut, Uni were on top, right from ball one. For what seemed like an inexperienced and shaky batting line-up from the Wests, early wickets from debutant Chris Kyle cleaned up the openers. Runs dried up as the spinners then took charge through the middle, steadily dismissing bat after bat, ultimately tightening the screws. The Wests were under pressure. Loose and unforgivable runs were punished by the Uni boys as an exceptional day in the field had the Wests worried. Little resistance from the tail amidst Tom Crawford’s late 3 wickets, pushed the Wests to 8/177.

Despite the strong performance in the field, our day with the bat was unfortunately not the same story. A strong 2nd wicket stand between Peter Brazil and Zohirul Islam steadied the ship after losing an early wicket. Whilst thought to have the upper edge over the Wests, quick successions of wickets had us soon losing hope. But the game was not over. Exceptional resistance from Will Watson, Tom Crawford and Lachy Anderson had the game going down to the wire. With 8 required of 2 balls, a commendable audience and eager Uni boys gathered to hopefully witness our last stand get us over the line. However, today was not the day. A disappointing loss to say the least, we’ll definitely be back stronger and better ready for whatever next Saturday has in store for us.


MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN BLUE VS UNSW AT DP NORTH

SUCC 198
40.0 overs

J Rinka 76 (68)
N Gibbons 2/28/7.0

DEF BY

UNSW 5/202
38.3 overs

DS Bowcock 79 (100)
DE Sissian-Turnbull 3/12/6.0


MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN GOLD VS NORTH WEST AT CHARLES MCLAUGHLIN RESERVE

SUCC GOLD
0.0 overs

DREW (MATCH ABANDONED)

NORTH WEST
0.0 overs


MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (20 OVERS)

SUCC 8/159
20.0 overs

B Mitchell 39 (26)
M Hope 3/41/4.0

DEF BY

HAWKESBURY 4/163
18.0 overs

R Mizzi 54 (26)
P Moore 3/16/2.0


MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS BANKSTOWN AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (20 OVERS)

SUCC 90
17.3 overs

C Dummer 38 (29)
K Tate 4/23/4.0

DEF BY

BANKSTOWN 8/115
20.0 overs

J Cormack 40 (33)
B Le Bas 3/19/4.0

Match Reports - Round 4 vs Mosman Cricket Club (50 Over)

Match Reports - Round 4 vs Mosman Cricket Club (50 Over)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 4 VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB

A huge Saturday of cricket saw the Students take on Mosman CC in 6 different 50 over fixtures! As mentioned in pre-game previews, our line-ups were stacked with talent and my oh my did our talent perform! Check out the results and reports below!

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT ALLAN BORDER OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 9/135
24.3 overs

D Mortimer 61 (58)
B Joy 3/18/6.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 130
36.2 overs

HJ Dalton 34 (35)
H Brown 3/22/4.0

Cassell as frugal as Seamen. Ben Joy with leap of Kanu. David Miller, the strength of Viera. Holloway, the guile of Bergkamp. And Tate, the finishing touch of Henry. The bottom six (five) Nash team are invincible. Like the Arsenal team of ’03 & ’04, I dare say they will not lose a game this season. Meanwhile, the top six resemble a weary Scunthorpe United reserve side. Embarrassing. Thankfully for them, they were on the winning side on the cricket field as the Students collected their second scalp of the season courtesy of a break-out performance by Tate with the ball (2-24 from 8) and another imperious knock from comeback-kid DeMarcus Mortimer (61 off 58). 

In brief, the Students won the toss and elected to bowl in a masterstroke move from new chief in command Cummins. His talismen Holloway and Cassell were frothing at the bit to rip in, however the opening 10 saw early momentum with the Whales. It took a long and wiley spell from Tate to draw first blood for the SUCCers. Tate then delivered a double blow knocking over the other opener. Then like clockwork two brought three, brought four brought five, Cassell had a run-out, McElduff and Joy were handed two and three each respectively, and Radhakrishnan took another two to take his tally to 9 for the season. All out 130 by 12pm. 

Bonus point in sight and thunderstorms predicted by wonder-app Rain Parrot, the Students eagerly began the run chase with Charlie ‘Tyson’ Dummer finding the middle of the bat and Military Rd. He passed the baton to Mortimer who toyed with the Whales, sending the ball to all parts and prancing between the wickets. Unfortunately, Derrick had no partners to help his cause as SUCCers fell around him like tired flies; first McElduff then Cummins, Danne (who showed glimpses of sweet timing) then Miller. Holloway looked promising for a single digit score (1) but troubled the scorers no further and Tate couldn’t replicate his bowling efforts. That left Cassell and humble accountant Joy to score 3 runs from 25 overs. In a rush of blood, Joy hit one up high to mid-on and a young Whale stood underneath. Ball swirling. Wind blowing. Dropped. Cassell hits a six. Win with a bonus point. Easy.

Dugald Holloway


MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 0/0
0.0 overs

A Hazard 3/26/10.0
B Mitchell 1/7/5.0

DREW

Mosman Whales 5/113
38.1 overs

M Malhotra 46 (75)
GW Condon 21 (36)

The Units arrived at the Home of Cricket for their first hitout of the season on the hallowed turf of University Oval. Riding high after last week’s win against the Dolphins and sitting atop the ladder, the boys sharpened their harpoons for Limited-Overs cricket against a few familiar faces at the Whales.

Ben Mitchell would chalk up the first case of the season, forgetting his creams upon arriving at no.1, only a delayed start via a wet outfield saving him from missing the start of the game as he returned down ANZAC Parade to get them.

An uninspiring Nash performance in difficult conditions was quickly forgotten as skipper Hope won the toss and had no issues sending the visitors in on what looked like a soft wicket. 

The opening pair of Greaves and Gwynne threatened both the inside and outside edges of the bat in their opening spells, Rexxy looking a little shaken up from the Chopper’s formal some 12*-hours earlier. *Very generous timing granted.

The Students were slightly off the mark with our execution, both with ball and in the field, however after Boozer Mitchell claimed the first wicket, spirits were high and conversation consistent that another quick one would have the momentum firmly in our favour. Benny continues to impress, going for just 7 runs off his five overs in a quality display of left-arm swing bowling.

The introduction of spin twins Pope and debutant Andrew/Alex/Alan/Aaron/Eden Hazard would truly put the brakes on the Whales tempo, bowling in tandem for the majority of the second hour of play and suffocating the run rate.  Haz bowled with superb control and subtle changes of pace to finish with the outstanding figures of 10 overs, 2 maidens, 3/26, whilst Hope’s usual bag of fruit and pies somehow went unharmed.

Henry Clark’s wicket on the last ball before drinks (LBW to absolutely no-one’s surprise) was where the joy would end for the Students, rain and lightning setting upon Camperdown with Mosman situated at 5/113 after 39 overs. 

When the rain did ease, players returned to a wet patch in the bowler’s load up at the Grandstand end of the pitch from the end of the covers. Hours of drying efforts from the Students, both sopping and blowing, were finally wasted when with four minutes until the intended re-start time of 4:35pm, we were forced from the field without being able to put the covers on due to lightning. 

The first drop of rain some 20-minutes later, as well as cloud’s formed from the impending apocalypse, was enough for the skippers to shake hands and put an end to a very frustrating day. 

A few ales were had as a group before strolling up to watch the 4’s take seven points in light that would have Josh Toyer coming off the long run on a Tuesday night with a brand new pellet.  Good on ya mate.

Cricket, the sport that takes absolutely everything and gives nothing back.

Max Hope


MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT RAWSON OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 9/163 (cc)
45.0 overs

J Hill 67
MJ Watts 1/22/7.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 5/63
18.4 overs

BZ Syed 21
T Elliott 3/17/9.0

The new 3rd Grade season finally arrived after the longest off season of all time. There were plenty of new faces in a side that bore little resemblance to the premiership side of last season. However due to a week full of rain in the lead up it appeared that we would have to wait another week to get started. 

Upon arrival at Rawson Oval there was enough clear sky to suggest that we would in fact get some play in, after the initial delay we were able to get the ground up to scratch and have a toss. I won the toss on a green but hard wicket and elected to bat, credit to the Rawson ground staff on being able to produce a hard wicket throughout a week of rain.

Mosman bowled accurately in the opening spell and were difficult to score off on a thick outfield. Hayden Storey (17) threatened to get going but unfortunately chipped a return catch to the bowler off the leading edge to a ball that held in the wicket. I was joined by Alex Shaw (27) and we were able to negotiate a tricky period to drinks and see off the new ball. After Shawry played on, Coehlo (18) and I were able to take on the spinners and began to find the boundary slowly but surely lifting us to a competitive total.

We were met by another rain delay and our innings was reduced to 45 overs. Upon resumption we lost wickets regularly but managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over. We finished our allotment of overs on 9/163. The introduction of Duckworth Lewis to the lower grades meant that Mosman’s target was adjusted to 181 off 45 overs.

Murray Watts (7-2-1-22) and Shehan Canagasingham (6-0-0-20) opened well with the new ball and looked threatening on a green wicket. More rain came and we were on and off a couple of times before the final phase of the game. As we came on for the last time Mosman’s target was 91 off 22 overs, they were on 2/43 off 13.5. The task was left to Michael Robinson and debutant Max Shanahan to close the game out. They proved up to the challenge and offered nothing to the Mosman batsmen who were swinging hard with little success, this forced them to resort to risky run taking that resulted in the Uni boys executing three run outs. The highlight of which was Sanjay Anandarajah’s direct hit from point where he had one stump to aim at from a distance of at least twenty metres. Immediately after the umpires called the game off for bad light with the result beyond doubt.

This was a top drawer win in a round where there were minimal results elsewhere. It was fantastic to see batsmen persevere through tough periods and our bowlers execute under pressure so early in the season, not to mention such precise fielding. We now welcome Wests to Fortress Pauls where we look to build on the momentum generated through this win.

Jack Hill


MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 8/215 (cc)
44.0 overs

B Dilley 85
M Johns 3/19/5.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 4/66 (cc)
18.0 overs

W Elliott 26*
J Park 3/42/9.0

Well well well… 2020 has thrown up some unbelievable scenes but a trifecta of a young Nash victory, B Dilley run-a-ball 85 (2 massive bombs) plus M Johns 2/1 in 3 balls (read bumpers) to start the innings is typical of this year and probably paying as much as a Wallabies Bledisloe in the foreseeable future.

The day began in auspicious circumstances and despite the BOM having heart failure, when your scribe inspected the pitch the SUCC groundsmen were as bullish as circa 2007 Reginald Ignatius. Needless to say, that early optimism was short lived, as arrogance and lack of ability from yours truly meant that the youth had 6 on 4 throughout Nash whilst “game management” was occurring on the square. 

We promptly lost the toss but a strong opening partnership from Clancy Barrett and Brayden meant that the Units started their title defence in strong form. James Veitch entered the fray and continued the quality work. Ned Barnet also displayed excellent ability with a very well made 45 and at the first rain delay the Students were set up with 3/154. The rain delay meant that there were only 8 overs left, and some late order slogging (M Johns 6 first rock if you don’t mind) meant that we amassed 215 from the reduced 44 overs. The absolute standout was Brayden, and his knock was one of pure class. Having missed much of last year with a shoulder injury, the great man is back to full fitness (shoulder affixed with slightly less tape than my County blade). He should be very proud of the way he controlled the innings and won us the game, without a doubt the 3 points belong to Dill.

Rain delay after rain delay and the Units finally got back in business with Matty “Joey” Johns to take the new rock. 2 wickets in 3 balls and Mosman were on the back foot, and in the failing light and massive storms across Sydney it was simply a matter of trying to get overs in and not fall foul of the lightning policy. An excellent partnership from the Whales’ 4 and 5 (Greenslade and Elliot) meant that the game was on a knife’s edge, but luck, good fortune and covers management resulted in the Students getting back on the field to bowl the required overs (circa 7pm). In the end we won with a bonus point, but it was such a crazy day and we know that the Whales always have quality so we most likely will see them again later this year to settle the score.

Well done to our boys, perfect way to start the year.

Ash Cowan


MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT BALMORAL OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 3/83 (cc)
20.2 overs

Z Islam 23
T Crawford 4/28/9.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 174
48.1 overs

E Evans 35
J Lonergan 1/17/4.2

After winning the toss, captain Wilkinson sent Mosman in to bat, putting them under the pump from ball one. After some shaky early overs, Tom Crawford broke the opening partnership on his way to 4/28.
The change to spin throughout the middle overs helped tighten the screws, leaving all the pressure on the tail to post a competitive score. The Mosman lower-order were not up to the task, the innings ending in the 49th over, following a 7/52 collapse.

Despite some rain and lightning during the lunch interval, no time was lost and the openers set out to begin the chase. The Students lost their first wicket in the first over before Prakhar Sharma and Zohirul Islam posted a 52 run partnership to steady the ship. Sundries (25) and Islam (23) led the scoring as Uni posted 3/83 in the 21st over, securing 6 points on DLS Method.


MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN BLUE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT CAMPERDOWN PARK

SUCC BLUE 79
20.0 overs

S Tirimzey 29
S Khalkho 1/13/5.0

DEF BY

Mosman Whales 2/82
14.0 overs

S Vasamsetti 5 Wickets

Metro Blue had a tough tough start to the season. Rocking up to a very wet ground, the boys put in a good enough effort to dry up the grounds and get the game going. Skipper Sanjiv unfortunately lost an important toss and we were sent in to bat on a challenging soft wicket.

After losing several early wickets Syed Tirimzey and Jack Hennessy showed some resistance with a 41 run partnership, with Syed scoring 29 which included three huge 6’s. Unfortunately the wickets continued to flow, and Uni was bowled out for 79 shortly after drinks. Although it was a challenging pitch the majority of wickets were quite soft and involved people throwing the wickets away: something to focus on next week.

After lunch we got off to a good start, getting a run out in the second over. Rain then began falling and we had to pause the game for almost 2 hours. After the rain faded we returned to an incredible soft pitch and outfield. These conditions affected us significantly, with the bowlers not feeling safe, however the boys showed good tikka to continue anyway.

Mosman chased down the run with 8 wickets to spare in the 14th over. Despite the fact we probably should not have returned to play due to the dangerous conditions, it was disappointing to see Mosman run away with the win so easily. Hopefully the boys can bounce back and get the W this weekend.


MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN GOLD VS UNSW CRICKET CLUB AT DP NORTH

SUCC GOLD
0.0 overs

DREW (MATCH ABANDONED)

UNSW
0.0 overs