MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 2 VS GORDON CRICKET CLUB
How good is a clean sweep!
Setting a score of 358 is good. However, defending a score of 358 with the opposition 2 down within minutes is better than lego. The 2s produced the goods from the get-go with Lewis McMahon looking to make sure Sydney Uni got more wickets than Gordon did runs. If that didn’t please the students enough, Clarky went and took 5 wickets which was more than enough to see the 2nds race to victory!
Down at Augusta National GC/University Oval 1, Sydney Uni were in a tussle. Colin, with the live stream, 1sts with Gordon and just about everyone with the sight screen. Two early wickets fell but for a good period the Gordon batsmen found themselves on somewhat of a roll. That is until O’Reilly medalist Niv Radhakrishnan threw a peach of a delivery to break the game open. It was then hunting season for Uni with Dugald Holloway doing his best Mitch Starc impersonation and going bang bang bang, followed closely by Big Ben Joy and again Niv who cleared out the tail.
It was great to see a competitive game played in good spirits with both teams coming together for a beer on the oval.
MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS GORDON CRICKET CLUB AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 2)
SUCC 286 all out
Nick Larkin 83
Ryan McElduff 57
Dylan Hunter 4/85
Def
Gordon 200 all out
Tym Crawford 61
Nivethan Radhakrishnan 3/36
Ben Joy 3/41
Dugald Holloway 3/62
Round 2 was the first home game for the students and the first time the fortress of Sydney Uni Oval No. 1 oval was used for the season after not being ready for 2nd grade the previous week.
Both days started as usual with a comprehensive Bowlers victory in Nash, with goals from Dugald Holloway, Kieran Tate and Ben Joy, with the rig, Charlie Cassell finding his home between the sticks. However, Nash was soured on the second day with an injury to captain Liam Robertson, which meant that James (Vicci) Veitch and Michael Robinson were required to help the boys sub field for the day (thanks again to these boys, especially Vicci who very nearly had his own Gary Pratt moment, in running out the opposition skipper).
The toss was won on Day 1 by captain Robertson, who had no hesitation in batting first on what seemed to be an old-school University deck. Some good bowling and catching from the visitors meant that SUCC found themselves 1-down early with the Gordon veteran, Tym Crawford catching the edge of Niv Radhakrishnan in the first over to put them on top. The good bowling continued from the stags but resolute batting from Larkin and McElduff saw the Gordon bowlers becoming frustrated and handing the pair some loose balls to cash in on. The great partnership between the master and his protégé laid the platform for the innings in taking on the bad ball and the students run rate quickly increased. SUCC were heading for heading for a score well in excess of 300 at 3-212, with Mortimer and Robertson looking the goods. Unfortunately, the intent of taking the game forward at a quick rate lead to some poor decisions in shot selection and wickets started to fall quite quickly, and the Students were kicking themselves in being bowled out for 286. However, the students knew that very rarely does a team chase down this sort of total against them and especially at the fortress of USYD Oval No. 1.
The Students approached Day 2 knowing they would have to be disciplined to secure the points and that’s exactly what they did. Very good and straight bowling saw Joy and Cassell rattle the cage of both the opener and no. 3 in quick succession. This is when Gordon skipper Crawford was brought to the crease, where he and opener Brar kept the uni boys at bay until on the stroke of lunch where Tim (Paine) Cummins had the masterstroke of getting Miller in under the helmet at Bat Pad for Niv, whereby Brar couldn’t handle the pressure and flicked one straight into the grasp of Miller to see Gordon 3-down at lunch. After the lunch break a mix of undisciplined bowling, flatness in the field and good batting saw Gordon increasing the total at a decent rate, this is when an inspired spell from Dugald brought 3 wickets in close proximity to blunt any sort of upset on the cards, especially with the key wicket of Crawford. He was followed by Joy who took wickets on consecutive deliveries to then have Gordon 8-down at Tea. Niv quickly cleaned up the remaining wickets after Tea to give SUCC 1st grade their first points of the year by 86runs and setting a good tone for what is to come this season.
Stand outs for the game were clearly Andrew Hazard in the field for his somewhat 1st grade debut, as well as Nick Larkin with the bat, who heads off to Adelaide for the shield season and Dugald Holloway yet again with the ball.
The Students Look forward to taking on the Easts Dolphins next round, again at the USYD No. 1 fortress for another gritty 2-day match. There is a lot of history between the clubs with many clubmen playing for either side, growing up alongside one another and both clubs being very successful in years gone by. It should make for an intriguing contest for both players and spectators, so make sure you either get down to the ground or tune in on the live stream.
Kieran Tate
MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS GORDON CRICKET CLUB AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (DAY 2)
SUCC 358 all out
Ryan Danne 118
Oli Zannino 64
Charles Litchfield 52
Jaskaran Cheema 6/137
Def
Gordon 180 all out
Ryan Tullia 67
Henry Clark 5/28
Lewis McMahon 3/20
A new day began with an all too familiar story on the Nash field. Winless thus far in the new season, City were buoyed by an early goal but quickly faltered in the unfamiliar waters of the lead. New recruit Jackson Gwynne led a confident if altogether unpolished Country fight back, punctuated by a mazy ball on ground run and finish which proved enough to see off what is already looking like a relegation bound City outfit.
After missing Round 1 through injury, Lewis McMahon was keen to make up for lost time as he picked up his first, second and third wickets of the season before conceding a run to set the Students on their way. A further breakthrough from Henry Clark meant the morning session belong firmly to the bowling group. An extremely disciplined post lunch effort with the ball was met by a gritty Stags rearguard who managed to make the second session more difficult on what was becoming an increasingly lifeless Paul's surface. Scoring shots and wicket taking chances became harder to come by? That is at least for those bowling off the correct foot. Standing in for the injured Max Hope, Wrongsy's canny combination of reverse swing and a reverse action brought consistent breakthroughs meaning by the Tea interval, the finish line was in sight. A rare abstinence from the Tea table meant Henry returned to collect his best figures and maiden 5 wicket haul in the grade to cap what was the quintessential Captains knock.
The dominant performance means the Blue and Golds go 2 from 2 and can be extremely encouraged by their early season endeavours. Despite only one frontline bowler remaining from last season, this young Students bowling unit has shown an intelligence and maturity well beyond their relative inexperience in largely unfriendly bowling conditions. More of the same will be needed next week as the 2s travel to the picturesque Waverly Oval to face a so far winless Dolphins outfit who will have a point to prove after this week surrendering to Penrith despite posting a total in excess of 400.
Lewis McMahon