SUCC Feature: Five things we learned... Round Ten

The top six is taking shape

Ten rounds gone, five to go, and in First Grade the top six is starting to take shape.  Sydney still leads, on 48 points, with Bankstown and Penrith on 42, Easts on 35, Campbelltown-Camden on 34 and premiers Manly (who were docked 1.1 points for a slow over rate against University of NSW) recovering from a slow start with 33.9.  The six teams on 30, Fairfield on 26, and two teams on 24 will all think their chances are still alive.

Upsets happen at this time of year, rain can cause havoc, and predictions would be silly.  In theory, 30 points are available in the three two day games and say another 14 (if bonus points are taken into account) in the two limited-over games.  So Sydney University, on 24 points, could mathematically end up on 68.  More realistically, if we assume that most of the results from here on will be six-pointers, it looks as though teams will need at least 52 points to have a chance of reaching the qualifying finals.  That means that Sydney will be there – barring some extraordinary results, they need to win only two of their next five games to secure a place and only one of their remaining games (against Manly this week) is against a side that’s currently in the top six.  Two wins should make Bankstown secure, and they get to play the bottom two teams (Wests and North Sydney, with one win between them).  Penrith also needs two wins to claim a place in the finals, and has a tougher draw than Bankstown, but should manage it.  Which leaves something like nine teams pushing for three spots.  Each week from here on, one or two clubs will drop off the pace.  In the big match-ups this week, Easts (35) can make things hard for Blacktown (30), while Randwick-Petersham (30) will try to leap-frog over Manly (33.9) and Northern District and St George (both on 30) will battle to stay in touch with the pack.  

Jake Wholohan has broken through

If you’ve played cricket against Penrith in the last forty-odd years, the chances are that you’ve played against someone called Wholohan.  Trevor Wholohan was club President for years, and his son Michael was a keeper-batsman in Firsts and Seconds for what seemed like decades (and has since been involved in coaching at the club).  Now 18 year old Jake Wholohan has worked his way into First Grade (via the NSW Under 19 team and some solid efforts in Seconds).  The slightly-built off spinner took time toacclimatise to the higher grade, but broke through against Fairfield-Liverpool, exploiting a soft pitch to produce a match-winning spell of 5-28 from 16 overs.  He looks set for a lengthy career in the game, before he settles down to the more serious business of breeding another generation of Wholohans for the club.

James Psarakis makes it look easy

Another outstanding performer from this year’s Under-19 National Championships was Tamworth all-rounder James Psarakis, who now turns out for Randwick-Petersham.  Already this season, Psarakis has scored a 91 in Seconds and 98 in his first game in First Grade (excluding a couple of T20 matches).  In Round Ten, Psarakis walked out to bat at 6-91 after Mosman’s Ellery Clugston has taken three wickets for next to nothing in the space of two overs.  Over the next three hours, Psarakis helped to add 94 runs for the eighth wicket and another 60 to the ninth, lifting Randwick-Petersham to a presentable total.  His maiden First Grade hundred included five sixes.  An uncomplicated player, he’s making batting look a very simple task at the moment – altogether, for Randwick-Petersham and the Under-19s this season, he’s scored 1051 runs at an average close to fifty.

Ben Patterson is fun to watch

In Dubbo, Ben Patterson used to play for the Dubbo Rugby Cricket Club, a name which suggests a strange hybrid game in which batsmen are tackled as they run between the wickets and fieldsmen occasionally drop-kick the ball towards the stumps.  Anyway, he made his way to Sydney this season (after a stint in Derbyshire club cricket) to try his luck with Hawkesbury as an opening bowler.  It’s fair to say that the jury is still out on that one (so far this season, his wickets cost 57 runs each, although bowling on Owen Earle Oval can do that to you).  But what has been an unqualified success is his batting in the lower order.  Going in at nine against Eastern Suburbs in Round Seven, he belted 11 fours in an innings of 72.  That came at a relatively sedate pace, from 118 deliveries.  Promoted to number eight the next week, against Northern District, he blasted 64 not out from only 51 balls, with fifty runs coming in boundaries.  And in Round Ten, against Wests, he played a decisive innings in a low-scoring match, smashing 42 from 30 balls (with five 6s and two fours, meaning that he ran for only four of them).  Patterson is capable of bowling at decent pace, and if his bowling continues to improve, he should develop into a very capable all-rounder; in the meantime, he will always be fun to watch.

It’s time for the revenge of the pie-chuckers

Regular readers of Five Things will have noticed our interest in – some would say obsession with – the balance between bat and ball in Grade cricket.  What it boils down to is that life is pretty tough for bowlers, especially before Christmas when the pitches are flat and dry and the batsmen do as they please.  Fortunately, if you’re a lower grade pie-chucker, things even up after Christmas and every now and then the intervention of rain produces an underprepared pitch or skimpy covers create a wet one.  This allows bowlers who had, for the first few months of the season, been crashed all over the place, to reap extravagant rewards simply for possessing enough skill to land the ball somewhere near the stumps.  With that in mind, let’s celebrate the efforts of Eastern Suburbs’ Jack Remond who, despite the wisdom and insight he must have gleaned from his pre-season stint as a member of Sydney University’s Australian Universities Games team, battled through his first nine games of the season in Third Grade to take only two wickets for 161 runs.  Not to worry – in Round Ten, in Fourths against Sutherland at Trumper Park, he returned the absurd figures of four wickets for three runs from 5.2 overs, as Sutherland subsided for only 32.  As we said two weeks ago, about now is a good time to be a lower-grade medium pacer – further proof of which was provided by Wests’ veteran, Col Barry, who snared five for nine from ten overs against Hawkesbury.

SUCC Feature: Milestone Monday

In NSW’s crushing defeat of Queensland in the last round of Futures League matches, Nick Larkin’s outstanding innings of 148 was his career-best performances at this level. 

Will Somerville’s 6-81 against Gordon was his best bowling analysis for the Club.  It was the sixth time he has taken five wickets in a First Grade innings (two of which were for Eastern Suburbs).

Tom Kierath’s 83 against Gordon was his 15th innings of fifty or more in Second Grade (including two centuries).

Jack Holloway’s 43 against Gordon was his highest score in Second Grade.

Xavier Frawley made his Second Grade debut for the Club against Gordon.

Nick Arnold’s 101 not out against Gordon (including 8 sixes) was his maiden Third Grade century and his second century for the Club in Grade matches.  He also passed 1000 runs for the Club.

Lawrence Neil-Smith made his Third Grade debut for the Club against Gordon (in which he took five wickets over the two innings for only 41 runs).

Jarrod Waterlow has passed 2000 runs for the Club.

Josh Toyer (297 wickets) and Nigel Cowell (296 wickets) have both moved past Alan Jakes (295) and now stand 21st and 22nd on the Club’s all-time list of wicket-takers.

SUCC Feature: In the sheds... With the big dogs

It’s the season of 2008/09, my first for the club. After a handful of games in second grade I am selected to make my debut (courtesy of the bracket, pun intended) in first grade, week 2 of the round against Gordon. I walk out to open the batting with Ed Cowan. Matt Nicholson will be bowling for Gordon. I look up as I walk onto University number 1 oval to see the unmistakable figure of Greg Matthews strolling toward me. He grabs my arm and says “You’re playing with the big boys now”.

Now Mo definitely said ‘big boys’, but a more commonly used phrase is ‘big dogs’. Urban dictionary defines ‘Big Dog’ as “one at the top of his game. Be it business man, doctor, sportsman, etc”. It’s safe to say that SUCC has had our share of Big Dogs grace the sheds.

MacGill, Clark, Casson, Cowan, Matthews, Mail, Henry, Cameron, Abbott, Carters, Moran…. You wouldn’t lose too many fixtures with that side… and that’s just since I joined the club.

In that list, they come no bigger than Stuart MacGill. One of Australia’s greatest spinners, he returned to the SUCC ranks in 2011/12 in an attempt to spark a T20 comeback. It has become an infamous event within the first grade side, but let me share a story of a time when I bit off far more than I could chew.

After an emphatic victory, the quorum of the first grade side slipped into the ritual ‘team tub’. Those who have been lucky enough to play at number 1 oval, will know the perils of arriving late to such an event. As the majority of us settled into our usual showers and soaping routines, we could hear Stuart rustling about with his towel on the periphery. Some knowing looks toward me indicated that the play was on. I reached for the one shower head that shoots in a powerful singular jet, and as he strolled through the opening he was meet with an intense stream of ice cold water to the midsection. Instantly seeing red at this show of disrespect, he headed back out to the sheds and swiftly scooped up my playing kit and dragged it toward the showers. The only thing that saved me from an expensive trip to Kingsgrove was the large naked frame of Ian Moran, as he blocked an increasingly agitated MacGill from throwing my kit under the shower.

In the ensuing minutes, amongst nervous laughter from the group and a hapless explanation by myself as to why I thought it was appropriate to take such action, I was firmly reminded by Stuart of exactly where I fit into the ‘SUCC hierarchy’.

Any new shed can be an intimidating place. A shed filled with Big Dogs even more so. But there is one thing you learn when you spend some time with these characters. They are just regular blokes, who happen to be very good cricketers. Once you find your place within the side, and settle into the team dynamic, you have an amazing opportunity to learn from guys who have been to the top levels of the game. The thing with Big Dogs is, their bark is worse than their bite.

The Uni Number 1 sheds are one of my favourite places. Some of the most valuable learning you can do at cricket is after stumps is called and you have a more relaxed opportunity to assess the day with your peers. Long may the traditions continue, and I hope to see you all in the sheds as we push for more success this season.

SUCC Feature: Five things we learned... Round 9

Monty Noble looks safe

One of the few long-standing batting records in Grade cricket belongs to Monty Noble, the Test captain whose career for Paddington spanned over thirty years.  In 1898-99 Noble achieved a batting average of 273, a mark which has never been bettered. For a few weeks before Christmas it looked as though St George batsman Damian Bourke might get close: after Round 7, his average was a monumental 528.  But of course statistics like this are anomalies- they depend on the batsman remaining not out more often than not (Noble was dismissed only twice in his record-breaking season).  Bourke's dismissal for 70 against Gordon reduced his average to a mere 202 - and, while he is in the form of his life, Noble's record seems safe for a while yet.

Jade Dernbach is back

It seems to be compulsory for English cricket fans to ridicule Jade Dernbach.  It's not quite clear why - it could be the ear-rings, the tattoos, the South African origins,  the theatrical wicket celebrations or the fact that more than a few times he's gone for plenty while bowling at the death.  But he's a nippy and resourceful bowler, good enough to play 58 times for England in short-form cricket.  Ten years ago, Dernbach turned out for Randwick-Petersham, but this season he has joined Sydney, and after a sluggish start against Northern District, he made an impression against Campbelltown-Camden, with two early wickets and an economical spell of 2-23 from his ten overs.  With the pitches starting to green up, his arrival gives the competition front-runners a useful boost.  Speaking of which...

The wickets are greening up

Sydney cricket seasons are usually divided in two - before Christmas the pitches are dry and flat and batsmen fill their boots; afterwards there's more grass on the decks and more moisture beneath the surface and bowlers get their revenge.  This is probably even more true in the lower grades, when bowlers can hope for some pitches to be poorly prepared and others to be badly covered.  And so it came to pass in Round Nine, when soaking rain was followed by team totals of 47 in Thirds (Wests routed Penrith), 46 in Fourths (Campbelltown crashed against Sydney) and 46 in Fifths (Sydney against Campbelltown).  About now is a good time to be a lower-grade seamer.

Todd O'Keefe is still with us

In that Fifth Grade match, Campbelltown's keeper-batsman Todd O'Keefe not only top-scored for the game but also (with 47) out scored the whole of his opposition.  The interesting thing about this is that O'Keefe has been playing with Campbelltown since 1985-86 - the club's first season in Grade cricket.  He has played well over 300 matches, appearing in every grade, and continues to set the benchmark for club loyalty.

And Daniel Jackson is no spring chicken either

Parramatta seamer Daniel Jackson hasn't been around quite as long as O'Keefe - he made his First Grade debut in 1990.  But although he passed his 44th birthday in November, he remains hard to get away, hits the bat harder than expected, and earns respect from First Grade batsmen.  His 2-37 from 10 overs was crucial in Parramatta's nail-biting eight run victory over University of NSW- and edged Jackson's career tally a touch closer to 650 wickets.

SUCC Feature: Milestone Monday

Tom Decent's 61 against Easts in Thirds was his highest score for the club.

Lawrence Neil-Smith (4-16) and Hugh Kermond (49) produced career-best Fourth Grade performances against Easts.

Ryan Holcroft's match winning effort in Fifth Grade against Easts included his highest score (42) and best bowling (3-14) for the club.

SUCC Feature: Five things we learned... Round 8

There are no clean sheets left

Two unbeaten teams went in to the final Grade round of 2015, and both suffered their first setback of the season.  Sydney University’s Third Grade side conceded 9-250 to Bankstown at St Paul’s Oval, which was more or less a par score, and looked to be moving towards another victory at 4 for 152 after Jack Holloway and captain Ash Cowan repaired an early collapse.  But Bankstown has Darren Etteridge, a player with plenty of First Grade experience, in its side, and he followed up a hard-hit 65 with the wickets of both Holloway and Cowan.  Bankstown ended up the clear winner by 41 runs.

In First Grade, Sydney needed some late swiping from Nick Govers to reach 209 from its 50 overs at the Village Green, which seemed inadequate until Tom Ortiz removed the in-form Charlie Wakim, and Nathan Sowter accounted for David Dawson.  Spinners Sowter and Ben Manenti choked the run-rate and the home side slumped to 4 for 46.  Ben Wakim – consistent and under-rated – compiled a tidy 52 to steady the innings.  The decisive knock, however, was played by Nicholas Walker, who has hovered between Firsts and Seconds for about five seasons without ever quite establishing himself in the top grade.  This season, he’s playing better than ever, and his unbeaten 79 gave University of NSW the points in the final over of the day.  So, a memorable day for Walker, and an excellent win for the Bees, but the way in which Sydney fought throughout the day was proof that its success this season has been no fluke.

And North Sydney has broken its duck

Someone was always going to come away happy from Pratten Park on Saturday, as both Western Suburbs and North Sydney went into the game in search of their first points of the season.  Kent batsman Fabian Cowdrey did all he could to get Wests across the line, stroking 72 from 91 balls and bowling his ten overs of left-arm darts for only 22 runs.  But the decisive blows were struck by Dave Guthrie, who followed his 3 for 34 by coming in at number ten with 13 runs needed and settling the issue by launching opening bowler Geoff Ashmore over the fence.

Mark Stoneman is in good touch

Over the last few seasons, Bankstown and Sydney University have been the two most successful 50-over teams in Sydney, andSaturday’s contest was as tight as expected.  The match-winner was Durham opener Mark Stoneman, who actually played two distinct innings on the day.  In the Powerplay, he essentially played baseball, squaring up and trying to cross-bat the ball into right field.  There were a couple of home runs, a fair few strikes, and from his first 35 deliveries, Stoneman carved 35 runs.  But then the unlucky Ben Joy and the excellent Will Somerville dragged University back into the game with some suffocating bowling, and Nigel Cowell and Tim Ley worked through the middle order.  Stoneman changed gear, occupying the crease and taking the responsibility of guiding his team home.  He ended up carrying his bat through the innings, facing 133 balls for his unbeaten 84, and clinching victory by two wickets.  With the First Grade table still congested, his innings was the difference between third place for Bankstown and a spot outside the top six. In his two innings for Bankstown this season, Stoneman has amassed 226 runs, and no-one has got him out yet.

This one’s unusual

On Saturday, Bankstown’s opener Ethan Leten hit a return catch to Tom Kierath. becoming the Sydney University spinner’s 200th victim in Second Grade.  What’s unusual about this is that Kierath also has 200 wickets to his name in First Grade.  He’s the first player to do this for Sydney University, and one of very few from any club to achieve it.  The reason why it’s rare is logical enough – anyone good enough to take 200 First Grade wickets doesn’t play all that much in Seconds unless something unusual happens.  It happened at Bankstown in the 1980s and 1990s when the club had three of the best left-arm spinners in Sydney.  Ken Hall had a mortgage on a First Grade place, so David Freedman and Paul (“Straws”) Talbot took turns to play Seconds, even though they both excelled in First Grade when they appeared there.  Freedman and Talbot both passed 200 wickets in each of the top two grades.  In Kierath’s case, he spent much of his time at University behind slow bowlers like Jamie Stewart, Greg Matthews, Stuart MacGill and Will Somerville.  It’s a feat that requires an unusual mixture of talent, endurance and – an increasingly unusual commodity - club loyalty.

Alan Hansen would hate Sutherland

Alan Hansen played football 26 times for Scotland, but he’s best known as the television pundit who announced, in 1995, that Manchester United could not expect to have a successful season because “you win nothing with kids”.  Those kids – who had names like Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and Neville – proceeded to win everything in sight over that year and the next few.  No-one seems to have told Sutherland that you win nothing with kids.  On Saturday, Green Shield batsman Luke Hawksworth made his First Grade debut against Campbelltown and compiled an invaluable 22 not out to lift Sutherland to 9 for 155.  That gave teenage spinners Devlin Malone (5-30) and Riley Ayre (2-38) enough runs to conjure up a 27-run victory. Sutherland has an unusually gifted crop of young players at the moment – it will be interesting to see what happens if they can hold them together.

SUCC Feature: Milestone Monday

Nick Larkin, during his 53 against Bankstown, became the tenth batsman to reach 6000 runs for the club in all grades.

Bankstown opener Ethan Leten became Tom Kierath's 200th wicket in Second Grade.  Tom becomes the first player in the club's history to pass this mark in both Firsts and Seconds.

Dugald Holloway's 5-39 against Bankstown in Seconds was his career-best return for the Club and his first five-wicket haul in any grade.

Ed Arnott's 89 not out against Bankstown was his highest Fourth Grade score.