First Grade
Toss
Sydney University won the toss and elected to bowl first
Result
Sydney University won on first innings
Game scores
Campbelltown-Camden all out 132; Sydney University 1 for 137; Campbelltown-Camden 7 for 201
Notables
Will Sommerville 2/7; Jonte Pattison 2/10; Greg Mail 2/20; Scott Henry 38, Ryan Carters 46*, Mark Faraday 51*; Nigel Cowell 4/22
Report
Captain Greg Mail showed again on Saturday that as he ages, his character is becoming more layered, complex and unpredictable.
All of Greg’s players know that he has only two hard and fast rules for cricket: first, winning is better than losing; and secondly, batting is better than bowling. Whilst Greg’s decision-making process on Saturday was clearly informed by his first rule and the prospect of 10 outright points, the second rule was cast aside with wanton abandon. Essentially Greg had two options on Saturday morning: (a) allow the team to enjoy the perfect batting conditions for a few hours, make a few runs himself, declare with a lead and look to dismiss the opposition in the afternoon; or (b) declare when the two runs required for victory were accumulated, attempt to bowl the opposition out and chase late in the day. Unspeakably, it was the latter option that was favoured by the captain, who later asked himself rhetorically “who the f*#ck is running this show?”. Upon Mail’s declaration, the stunned opposition captain was overheard comparing the (defied) odds of Mail electing to bat on in the morning with the odds of Makaybe Diva being able to win the Picton Park Races in her pomp.
Nevertheless, the Sydney Uni effort in attempting to bowl Campbelltown-Camden out was a good one and on any view, taking 17 wickets across 142.2 tight overs for the match was the sort of grind that will stand the side in good stead in the more closely-fought encounters that will ensue as the season progresses.
Highlights of the bowling effort included Nigel Cowell’s 4 for 22 from 16 overs, which itself was highlighted by Nigel’s fiery second spell. Casting aside the most benign of batting conditions, Nigel commenced his assault with some hurtful insults at the batsmen, like: “face up, Buddy!” and “come on, Champ!”. However, Nigel’s feather-weight verbal attack disguised the damaging bowling that would follow, and several of his wickets came from searing short balls that were fended to fielders.
A further highlight was the “wobble-off” during the bowling partnership of fellow-red-nuts, Greg Mail and Liam Robertson, which had the fielders dreaming of strawberry summer desserts and humming the tune of “I like aeroplane jelly.”
In summary, this was another solid win and, as our very own left-handed Sheffield Shield opening batsman would say, “go da Stoodents”.
Second Grade
Toss
Campbelltown won the toss and elected to bat first
Result
Sydney University won on first innings
Game scores
Campbelltown 118 & 278 Sydney University 6/219 dec & 0/110
Notables
Josh Toyer 6/52 & 3/92, Ben Joy 4/77, Alex Logan 70 & 46* Will Hay 51 Josh Richards 69*
Report
As a first note of business, we must congratulate Ronny for making his second grade debut, noting that TK was fined for forgetting in week 1.
Nash set up the theme of the day, not overly eventful, and frustratingly ending in a draw. However, JT found his new prescribed position in goals (due to player safety) fruitful, putting in a powerful performance. Bommer and Logon were voted ‘most room for improvement,’ despite the strong objections of Logon.
On the field it was another good day for the students. It was always going to be tough, with an ultra flat uni number 2. But the bowlers worked hard and did a good job. JT had a big game, with 6 wickets in the first dig, and 3 in the second. He was well supported by Ben Joy who took 4
wi
ckets in t
he second dig and bowled 46 overs for the game. Ronny bowled well and took his first wicket in 2s. The units took wickets throughout and were a chance for a final session run chase, but one of the lower order Campbelltown batsmen did a good job at hanging around and whacking a few, leaving an unlikely 180 off 16 over chase.
Some good hitting from Alex "Log-on" Logan and Josh "Cubins" Richards was not enough to get us the ten points. An extra 10 overs could have been the difference. Remarkably the pair finished with red ink. But extra points aside, it was another convincing win from 2s with some good form shown by a numbers of players.
Off the field, there were numerous discoveries. TK does in fact have a Facebook account and Kerrod “Walt Jr.” McPherson openly confessed about his long-term nemesis, “shoes.”
Finally, the biggest news of the season thus far, William “Larger Logon” Hay and his small bald friend “Hob Knob” will be releasing a book together. Keep your eyes peeled for a release date.
Third Grade
Toss
Campbelltown won the toss and elected to bat first
Result
Sydney University won by 2 wickets
Game scores
Campbelltown 237 Sydney University 8/240
Notables
Jim Ryan 4/54, Ash Cowan 81, Charlie Cull 50*, Lewis McMahon 29*
Report
Day two out at Raby proved to be a mixed affair for the students. Upon arrival, the pitch looked to be very different from one end to the other – and that proved to be the case with one slow and low whilst the grassier end inevitably zipped through with some movement. The boys didn’t help themselves with the top four wickets tumbling in quick succession and without adequate resistance.
James Bullick and Ash Cowan went about steadying the ship for a time, before Bully holed out in the deep. Smash however went on to score a hard-earned 81, comprising of some dominant batting, particularly against the spinners.
However, at 7/135, the total still appeared a long way off and the boys in the sheds looked to get behind Cully and Jimmy as they set about digging themselves in, displaying all the hallmarks of patient batting that were edging us closer to the total.
When Lewis joined Charlie at the crease, the student’s still needed about 70 for victory. The result from then on didn’t look in doubt. Cully was doing it easy and Lewy, having made a steady start, accelerated as the pair ticked off the last 30 runs in what seemed like no time at all.
It was a fantastic win for 3s who will look to draw confidence from a defiant victory like that as the season draws on. As skipper Ash said after the game, “It’s those wins that get you into finals cricket.” A big thanks must also go to all of the 1st graders who stuck around to support and sing the song after the match, it capped off a top afternoon.
Fourth Grade
Toss
Result
Report
To be submitted
Fifth Grade
Toss
Sydney University won the toss and elected to bat first.
Result
Sydney University won on first innings by 15 runs
Game scores
Sydney University 239, Campbelltown-Camden 224
Notables
Jarrod Waterlow 85, Joseph Dorph 51. Anthony Lown 4/77, Alex Mihalyka 3/11
Report
For the second week in a row the fifth graders headed out to Raby, with the game now sitting in the balance. The first day finished with Campbelltown-Camden behind by 190 with 8 wickets in hand. Upon arrival, it seemed liked the highway continued onto the field with the deck looking as flat as ever but 5th's were in high spirits. The all-important nash results saw the bowlers paying the fines once again with some very average defence.
Soon after, the team took to the field with 10 men with Kalindu almost missing the first ball of the day with his predictable punctuality, despite taking the first over himself. The pitch played just as it looked and the batsmen began to take advantage. The pair too
k the s
core past 100 and
the students were looking depleted very early on. Even Joe ‘Dorf’ Dorph’s energy was beginning to fade. However, an injection of facial salad into the bowling attack was all that was needed to lift the lads. Alex ‘Hamstrings’ Mihalyka used his chest, back and beard to break the partnership, and his next ball an over later removed the second of the settled batsman.
The showing of shear testosterone inspired the team, especially the younger ones, and the energy began to lift. The captain turned to spin, bringing Anthony ‘Think’ Lown and himself on to tie up the other end. Lown bowled like any leg spinner before him, with serious inconsistency, but the good balls were near unplayable. Lown picked up a few wickets along the way, some off half-trackers and fullies, and two touch hands from Harry ‘Wadey’ Watt with the gloves ensured CC were in serious trouble at 8/188.
The game was not over yet though with the CC captain in particular continuing to apply pressure to the bowlers and slowly edge his team closer to the total. The stayer was hitting his stride, but inspired captaincy came to the rescue. In a tight finish, Watermelon picked up a scalp, and Mihalyka snatched the last to cap off a great win. Another tight win for the fifth graders, continuing a great start to the season.
Poidevin-Gray
Toss
Sydney University won the toss and decided to bat
Result
Sydney won by 6 wickets
Game scores
Sydney University 124 def by Sydney 4/126
Notables
Jonte Pattison 46
Report
It was a tough first round for the young dents, who backed up after strong grade performances against Campbelltown. Much to their relief they were playing at home, a stone throw away for most players.
Throughout the day Will Clayton pressed his claims for the 'most rare clubman of the year,' cutting embarrassing shapes to the teams strong choice of music in the change rooms. In far contrast, Jonte and Darius were inseparable in their effortless ambitions to be 'too cool for school.'
Nash can only be described with one word, fierce. The bold physiques of Harry Watt and Coach Gaz collided more than once, resulting in heated discussions of who came out on top. But the scoreboard did the talking for Gary’s ‘Nerds’ who walked away with a convincing 5-0 win. Henry “70 pornstar’ Clark boasting a self proclaimed best on ground.
The performance of the young pups was tainted with missed opportunities. With the chance to post a positive total, they lost wickets in clumps and battled to build partnerships. Jonte Pattison showed outstanding application to bat from the 3rd over through until the 46th, with wickets falling down the other end.
The bowlers fought hard in a difficult situation, creating numerous opportunities to place pressure on Sydney. However, dropped catches gave way for some big hitting from the opponents. The boys need to learn from this and make sure they take the chances when they come. This will be key in their T20 game this weekend.
On that note, it would be great to see some more support for the lads down at Pratten Park this Sunday. The game starts at 10am, with a first grade T20 following.