Round 13 (Day 1) Match Reports

1ST GRADE

Sydney Uni -
UNSW 7-286: T Ley 3-38, B Joy 2-50

 

2ND GRADE

Sydney Uni 10-173: T Kierath 37, E Arnott 30
UNSW 5-31: J Craig-Dobson 2-12

The units arrived at No 1 after a thumping with against Norths, albeit not our finest batting performance. Nash was predictable. Young with the extra man. Young score early. Young celebrate too hard. Old win. JCD had the ref looking for more cards that a black jack dealer and his 3 penalties ended up the difference.

Another lost toss and another bat first on a Uni 1 wicket that was underprepared with a generous green tinge. Brothers Hill and Powys punished the short ball and Uni was flying at 0-32. A lack of application and some misplaced ‘intent’ then had Uni reeling at 5-64. Stoic defense combined with some lower ordering hitting led to a par score of 173.

Still seeing the ball seaming around in the 70th over gave us hope so using the new ball would be critical. Tatey gave us a ‘fighting’ chance with the dismissal of Bandari in the first over. JCD made amends for Nash thriving on the wicket he cleared had helped prepare with 2 in an over. Danne and D Holloway threatened so much the prospect of a Friday night out proved too tempting for the batsman who left balls going into offstump. At 5-31 SU ended with the upper hand.

3RD GRADE

Sydney Uni 4-40: AJ Grant 18
UNSW 178: J Toyer 7-45, A Cowan 2-22

After a harrowing bye week (which no-one enjoys) it was back to business for the Units who travelled to Dave Philips South to take on the Bees. After an administration snafu, the newly promoted Bustler found himself taking the scenic route via Cahill Park to the tune of one case, and young Hayden Storey (on debut) also found himself short 24 lagers.

Nash commenced short-handed but not without a notable inclusion with scorer-elect Mr Pope finding himself fit enough (just) in his convalescence to play Nash, but unfortunately not fit enough to don the whites. An obscenely good game ensued, with the level at unprecedented heights throughout a hard-fought and at times spiteful encounter. The young however had the class and the fitness (Pope, AJ and your scribe not suited to 2-way running) and a delightful soccer goal from the debutant Storey meant that Old were in the end comfortably beaten. Leggie once again outmuscled Big Toy in the 50/50s, and this no doubt served to enrage him further (more on that later).

The toss was run and lost (shock me), and UNSW elected to bat on a bare surface that promised to be a good track. A sombre mood was evident as we applied black armbands in respect after the sad news overnight of the passing of Nicky’s father Ross, and then it was on to business.

An early wicket to Toyerbald with Robbo taking a screamer was the only highlight as the Bees belied their hitherto modest season to get off to a great start. Your scribe also lurked a wicket, but it was pretty grim reading for the scorer Pope as at 2/115 off 30 odd overs the Bees were looking strong to post a big total. Pope therefore was working more on sharpening his chat than his pencils in order to attract the attention of a certain Katie Mack, who was patiently waiting to bat and no doubt wondering why she had subjected herself to spending an otherwise glorious Saturday off listening to the mundane, punishing chat that grade cricketers effuse when congregated on the sideline.

Enter Anger Management’s Josh Toyer, who after earlier getting hit out of the attack had spent the previous 25 overs seething in rage in and around the fine leg/cover regions. He stormed in for a “look before tea” with instant results, nicking off Patel for a well compiled 62. The outrageousness of the celebration and the guttural roar of triumph upon this dismissal by the bowler is something that cannot be conveyed adequately through this medium. Suffice to say that small animals around the Dave Philips complex now live in constant fear because a new terror has arrived to hunt them.

A wicket to Wood followed and suddenly the game changed either side of tea, and when Toyer removed the dangerous skipper Charlwood and Katie Mack in quick succession we were back on top. A couple of partnerships through the tail kept the scoreboard ticking along, but the final introduction of Toyer into the attack yielded the last 2 wickets in 2 balls and the Bees had lost 7/63 to be all out 178.

The Units had 17 overs to negotiate before stumps and your scribe’s decision to meet these with outright aggression was not as successful as it could have been (read very unsuccessful, albeit comical). With some good bowling and a couple of tired dismissals we find ourselves evenly poised at 4/40 after stumps. Young Brayden Dilley (not on debut, thanks Milestone Monday for $1) showing experience beyond his years to dig in and ensure that he was there at the end. Ultimately a disappointing end to the day after such a strong fightback, and there is work to be done next week to secure the 6 points, however we are confident of getting the right result.

Finally, the contribution of Josh Toyer cannot be understated, both with and without the ball. Always he puts in 100% effort, and his 1/28 off 4 became 7/45 off 15.4 purely because of his effort and skill. Wickets were achieved where others failed through either sheer pace or guile, a well disguised slower ball just as effective as a fast yorker. All day he put in and saved runs in the field, and it gives me no small amount of pleasure to be writing this report to celebrate his success that his effort brings. No doubt he will hit a thousand balls this week just in case, and his 7 wickets will mean nothing if they don’t result in 6 points, and a match-winning 30* to win the game would be the icing on the cake.

4TH GRADE

Sydney Uni 3-86: A Bell 37*
UNSW 133: J Rinka 3-22, A Peek 3-29

A different fourth-grade side was set to face the rival Uni with 7 changes being made from the previous round, with Tom Draca and Ethan Jamieson making their debuts and Vince Umbers, Rob Browne, Hugh Farrow, Liam McElduff and Brodie Frost all returning to the side. With AJ stepping up to play in 3s and previous fill in captains Tom Fullerton and Olly Thompson away it gave Aidan Peek an opportunity to lead the side. The side arrived at Cahill Park intrigued how the pitch would play considering the struggles teams have had batting there in the past.

Nash was an interesting affair, as a different squad led to unknown playing combinations but in the end the Nuffies continued their solid form in 2018 winning 2-0. The luxury of deciding what to do was out of our hands as UNSW won the toss and decided to bat. One of the few things not to change, the opening bowling pair of Peek and Rinka continued their solid form having UNSW 3/18 in the first 10 overs. Continuous tight bowling from Draca and Browne and high intensity in the field lead to a mix up between senior batters and Umbers combined with Farrow, who is in charge of the keeping duties this round, pounced on an opportunity to snag a run out.

The next wicket - the most important wicket - came from the young leg spinner Jamieson who despite being whacked over his head for 6 maintained a cool head and had the last laugh as he, in combination with a brilliant outfield catch from Motimer, claimed the wicket of the UNSW skipper two overs before tea. The wicket proved beneficial as Umbers was able to grab another wicket in the last over before tea.

UNSW resumed after the tea break at 6/89 and it would be the more experienced bowlers in the bowling line up Rinka and Peek to get the next 3 wickets before a frustrating last wicket partnership could only be broken by some sharp fielding by Draca who claimed a direct hit run out.

With 25 overs left to play it was a good opportunity to make some progress into the 134 runs required to win. UNSW started well with the ball collecting the wickets of openers McElduff and Umbers and the team was faced with an ugly and unfortunately familiar situation being 2/6 in the first 3 overs. However, Mortimer and Bell steadied the ship before Mortimer was unable to keep one out for a well-made 19. This brought the calm head of Frost to the crease where in combination with Bell was able to bat out the remaining overs leaving us 3/86 with 48 runs required next week. Bell will resume on 37 and Frost on 11. 

 

5TH GRADE

Sydney Uni 117: A Wilkinson 53
UNSW 6-69: M Miles 3-19, A Kirubanandan 2-18

 

METRO CUP

Sydney Uni 2-9
Penrith 9-279: P Adikarige 4-18, S De Silva 3-20, T Synnott 2-63

SYDNEY UNI LIONS

Sydney Uni 3-126
St George 125

Milestone Monday

Late on Saturday afternoon, Tim Ley pinned University of NSW batsman Marcus Atallah in front of his stumps to collect his 41st wicket of the season: which was also his 300th wicket for Sydney University in First Grade and his 500th wicket for the club in all grades.  These are two very rare accomplishments by one of the club's outstanding performers.  Only four other bowlers have taken 300 First Grade wickets for Sydney University: Mick O'Sullivan (652), John Grimble (379), Ian Moran (336) and Peter James (316).  And only five other bowlers have taken 500 wickets in all grades: James Rodgers (869), O'Sullivan (807), Chris McCrae (549), Michael Farrow (528) and Terry Murphy (501).  Three other bowlers claimed over 500 wickets for the club but played all or most of their cricket before the establishment of the Grade competition in 1893: Tom Garrett (622), Monty Faithfull (619) and Joseph Coates (501).  

Jono Craig-Dobson took his 150th wicket for the club when he had University of NSW's Daniel Ferrara caught by Alex Shaw in Second Grade.

Josh Toyer's 7-45 in Third Grade against University of NSW was the best return of his career with the club.  After some early punishment, Josh had 1-28 from his first four overs before grabbing 6-17 in his second spell - he'll be on a hat-trick if University of NSW bats again.  This was the first time he has taken seven wickets in an innings in Premier Cricket, the second time he has taken five or more in an innings in Third Grade, and his 13th five-wicket haul for the club.  Josh now has 362 wickets for the club, which places him 14th on the club's all-time list of wicket-takers.

Brayden Dilley and Hayden Storey made their debuts in Third Grade against University of NSW.

Tom Draca and Ethan Jamieson made their debuts in Fourth Grade against University of NSW.

Andrew Wilkinson's lone hand of 53 (out of 117) in Fifth Grade against University of NSW was his first half-century in Fifths.

Round 12 Match Reports

1ST GRADE

Sydney Uni 4-257: N Larkin 164, D Mortimer 65
North Sydney 193: E Cowan 3-28, L Robertson 2-10, L Neil-Smith 2-17, T Ley 2-47

A wet outfield delayed the start of play until 2pm. The coin fell as a head, and the home side chose to bowl on a benign surface for the standards that we have come to expect at number 1 oval this season.

Tim Ley got us off to a great start again, taking two wickets with the new ball, including the dangerous Avendano. Neil-Smith was excellent on his return to the top grade, taking an early wicket as well. 3/22 made for good reading, but the wicket was flat and as the ball lost some hardness the batsmen began to prosper. Robertson and Cowan were introduced in tandem after spending the first 30 overs speaking about their putting swings in the slip cordon. Both had immediate impact, Robertson finding an edge and Cowan drawing a loose shot with a cagey long-hop. At 5/90 the Student’s felt like batting was just around the corner.

Some stubborn lower order batting slowed the charge, but at no time did the scoreboard move quickly, and Cowan and Robertson continued their fine bowling partnership to keep chipping away at the North Sydney lower order. At stumps on day 1 the scoreboard read 9/185, Cowan collecting a career best 3/28 off 12 and Robertson proving his ability as a seam option with 2/10 off 9 overs.

Day 2 started in similar fashion, with Neil-Smith and Joy bowling with incredible discipline to make life hard for the final two batsmen. Joy eventually bounced out his opposite number and North Sydney were all out for 193 in the 73rd over. North Sydney started well with the ball, showing good control and skill. Trevor-Jones nicked off early for a duck and Cowan followed after being adjudged LBW for 13, leaving things in the balance at 2/25.

Larkin found a keen ally in Mortimer. The two steadily built a partnership and negotiated some inconsistent bounce to go into the lunch break at 2/53. The shackles were broken after lunch though, as the opening bowlers tired and spin was introduced. Larkin opened the shoulders to advance past 50 and Mortimer was finding rhythm at the other end. As the partnership moved past the century mark, North Sydney began to lose belief that they could force a result. Scoring accelerated from there and before long Larkin was celebrating his fourth century of the season, and Mortimer yet another half century. The visitor’s total was passed and the partnership stretched on to 219 before Mortimer fell for a crucial 65.

When Larkin eventually hauled out for 164, and the lead had stretched beyond 60, the team consensus was that it was worth a push for an unlikely 10 points. Despite an early breakthrough to the impressive Neil-Smith and a wicket to Malone, North Sydney made it past the deficit just two wickets down and the captains decided to call it quits.

A hugely valuable 6 points and the student’s now sit on top of a congested first grade table.

2ND GRADE

Sydney Uni 167: N Craze 50, A Shaw 27
North Sydney 66: J Craig-Dobson 3-11, J Holloway 2-16

A delayed start saw the 2s boys head off for a coffee. Most of the team forked out $5 for a flat white at the Greens (a stone throw from Bon Andrews), while the more erudite among us walked a further 100 metres to pay $3.50 at the Library. Young lost nash under questionable circumstances and we were sent in to bat on a wicket that promised movement for the fast bowler. In the form his life, Craze was imperious, charging the opening bowlers and carving the ball in whichever direction he chose. His partner Powys was disrespectful towards anything short of a good length. It took a good catch at second slip to remove Powys for 23. Craze continued on his merry way to a fine 50 but without help from the other end – Hobson and Larkin fell in quick succession. J Holloway and AG Shaw offered some stability at the cost of moving the scoreboard along, which meant when they departed the students were in danger of being embarrassed. The tail was quickly dealt with and suddenly the Bears needed only 168 for an upset.

D Holloway provided the best possible start with a brilliant run out from mid-on. Dobson and Tate bowled with control and made it difficult to score. The students were energised by a lack of intent from the Bears and swarmed them. Wickets fell at a steady rate from both ends, including a succession of bizarre run-outs. In the end, the Bears took a knee and were rolled for 66. Dobson finished with 3 wickets, J Holloway with 2 and Tate and D Holloway with 1 each. 

3RD GRADE

Sydney Uni
North Sydney

(Match Abandoned)

 

4TH GRADE

Sydney Uni 219: AJ Grant 66, M Robinson 63, H Storey 32, O Thompson 27
North Sydney 89: A Peek 3-28, AJ Grant 2-5, J Rinka 2-16

4’s made there way to Tunks Park to take on North Sydney, with the side looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss the week and continue their push towards finals. With a delayed start and the team waiting to hear further news from the umpires, debutant Mortimer was more than happy to recount his Friday night to anyone that was willing to listen.

With play now scheduled to start and the full 50 overs to remain for both sides, a 0-0 nash affair occurred with the Julio’s taking the win due to having the lesser man. The highlight of the match was a 50/50 ball between Fullers and Robbo, with Fullers perfectly dropping the shoulder into Robbo, resulting in him being left in embarrassment on the floor. 

The return of skipper AJ brought no luck to the toss unfortunately, with North Sydney sending us in to have a stick. From a combination of good bowling and poor assessment of conditions from the top order, Uni were left struggling at 4/16 and North Sydney right on top. 

This brought Robbo and AJ together with huge pressure on both their shoulders to dig the team out of a massive hole. The pair combined beautifully, as they combated the early onslaught, then went on to reap the rewards later on as the wicket became easier to bat on.

Robbo batted with great maturity, picking up the 1’s and 2’s through good strike rotation early on, then some beautiful shots to hit some well earned boundaries. His final score of 63 was his highest scores in 4’s for the club and thoroughly deserved with the circumstances he came up against.

AJ like Robbo also rotated the strike well early on in between the loose balls. AJ demonstrated to the top order the importance of game plan and looking where to score your runs. On the tall opening quick, he pounced on anything short and wide, cutting through and over point, and against the medium pacer waited for anything to full so he could go over the top down the ground. 

AJ ended up on a well compiled 66, being dismissed in somewhat funny circumstances looking back on. Recognising it was a leggie coming on to bowl who played for Sydney Uni last season, AJ went along the lines of to Robbo, “wait for his half-tracker.” First ball from the leggie, half-tracker like AJ was alert for, however caught at short midwicket. 

The two poms Hayden (32) and Olly (27) then both combined nicely with some wonderful stroke play all around the ground. Once they were dismissed and the last few wickets fell cheaply, Uni finished up on 219, a good score especially after the poor start. 

With Brett Lee watching over our game as he was at his sons game right next to us, Peeky was motivated to get things started with the ball. He bowled with great discipline and good skills, resulting in him taking 3 well deserved poles and a run out of his own off the back of the pressure he created. 

The rest of the bowling attack then continued on from Peeky’s efforts early on, with Jazz and AJ taking 2 wickets each, Olly grabbing one himself and Brayden and Shezza combining for a late run out to both avoid the TFC, dismissing North Sydney for 89.

Strong batting from the middle order, disciplined bowling and a great intensity set in the field resulted in a bonus point win for 4’s. The side is now back in the top 6 and will be looking to try cement their position as they take on UNSW in a two-dayer next week.

5TH GRADE

Sydney Uni 6-126
North Sydney 9-129: V Umbers 3-12, T Draca 3-28

 

METRO CUP

Sydney Uni 144: A Kirubanandan 47
Gordon 8-186: Z Islam 4-43, P Adikarige 2-18

Metro head down the Pacific Highway to face Gordon at the unfamiliar Metro ground Killara Oval.
We arrive in time for the unveiling of the pitch... and surprise surprise water from the previous
nights storms has seeped in under the covers to the point that the pitch now feels like it's made
of play doh. Umpires may have called the game right there and then but seeing as we make up our own gentleman's agreements in Metro, the captains agreed to reassess every half hour or so.
Eventually a start time of 12:30pm is negotiated and the match is reduced to 40 overs a side.

The toss is won and the sensible decision to bowl first is made by the Uni captain.
The ball is popping and seaming all over the place but the Gordon captain Williams and their number 3 Behlevanas handle the conditions with maturity.

Two things that can be said about our team this season is that we haven't bowled a lot of wides
or dropped many catches. Unfortunately this was the day that we let our standards slip.
27 wides and 6 dropped catches. At the end of the day this was one of the main differences between the two sides. As mentioned last week we are dealing with a disappointing number of unavailabilites and we were unable to put a full side on the park which is a let down when facing the compettition leaders.

Some fielding highlights included:

Izzy - Great turn with his offies 4/44
Cade - Inside edge catch and stumping off Izzy's bowling.
Jono Phoebus - Sharp one hand catch at gully.
Prasan Adikarige - A return to enconomical form 2-18
Bryan Handunneththi - Settling into the team took an amazing high outfield catch!

Final washup Gordon 8-186 off 40 overs.

Time to bat late in the day and we are looking for two volunteers to open the batting which at this point in the season is dishearting in itself. Tom Derrick and Ashwin Kirubanandan, our opening bowler step up. Facing the new ball and with the bounce and movement being unpredictable batting was tough. Ashwin handled the occasion and the pressure as expected. With purpose and determination. A class above Ashwin played some fantastic shots on his way to 47 until he was given out very questionably caught behind after the ball grazed his thigh pad down leg side. In 2018 why we are having young inexperienced team mates umpiring is beyond me when much lesser park competitions in Sydney have umpires every week. Another case for the "too hard basket" and continued frustration for everyone involved in Metro.

Some small cameo's from Veltro 14, Phoebus 15 and Cade 10 but each batsman was unable to get going with deliveries stopping on each of them leading to dismissal.

Max Shanahan played his best innings for the club batting at 8 scoring 22 well earned runs.
He played some of the types of shots we've seen from him in the nets and to see this purposeful batting in a match was very pleasing. Bryan Handunneththi joined Max at the crease and looked much more comfortable in his second match for the club, playing some nice shots and running with purpose turning ones into twos, finally to his own detriment, runout for 9 trying to help the scoring rate. Bryan is definately one to watch in the future at Sydney University.

Uni finish 9/144...

With two losses in a row for the first time this season we have lost our place in the top 4
and it dosen't get any easier facing leaders Penrith this week in a two dayer at home. We must embrace the challenge though!

Sometimes the things in our minds that have seemingly conspired against the team recently like dodgy pitches, bad umpiring and unavailabilities are just unfortunate random events that in the grand scale of things are out of our control.

The things we can control to a man like playing with intent and purpose, keeping our team standards and owning our jobs within the team are all things we can strive to be more consistant with over the final 3 regular season matches. #wecontrolourowndestinyinmakingthefinals. 

Five things we learned from Round 12

Joel Foster is promising

Bankstown's Round 12 meeting with Manly was critically important for both clubs, with the winner taking a place in the top six and the loser dropping out.   Bankstown's planning for the game probably included thoughts on how to handle Manly's better-known representative players (Jay Lenton, Chris Green and the rest) and it's unlikely that too much thought was given to Joel Foster.  Foster's few outings in Firsts this season hadn't been particularly threatening, and in his previous two games he'd been treated roughly, allowing 130 runs from 22 overs.  Lenton (113) and Green (60) propelled Manly to a decent, but by no means intimidating, total of 334, and then Mickey Edwards knocked the top off the Bankstown innings, removing Etahn Leten and Chris Ridley when the total was only 17.   What no-one expected was that Foster then dominated the rest of the innings, taking all of the remaining eight wickets.  Joel Brockley and (inevitably) Daniel Solway began to repair the innings, but Foster wrecked Bankstown's recovery in the space of two overs, in which Bankstown crumbled from 2 for 43 to six for 44.  The critical wicket was Solway, who was pinned in front having scored 19.  Jake Cormack (68 not out) showed some resistance, but Bankstown was routed for 145 and Foster grabbed the remarkable figures of 8-23.  Those aren't only the best bowling figures in First Grade this season, but they also make the 18 year old Foster the youngest bowler ever to take eight wickets in a Sydney First Grade innings.  Foster has a strong action, lively pace and good control - and the former Australian Under-16 representative has suddenly become a crucial part of Manly's drive towards finals cricket this season.

The premiers are back on top

A workmanlike win over North Sydney, featuring yet another big innings from Nick Larkin and some probing leg-spin from Ed Cowan, has combined with  some unexpected results elsewhere to put Sydney University on top of the First Grade ladder.  University is equal on points (49) with Sutherland, but has an impressive, and extremely valuable quotient of almost 1.6.  But neither University, nor any other club in the top six, will be relaxed about its position, as the field remains tightly bunched.  Ten wins should guarantee a team a place in the First Grade finals this year, but very few teams seem capable of achieving that as several of the top six teams will play each other over the next few rounds.  Nine wins will give a side a chance at the finals, and there are no fewer than eleven sides that could potentially achieve that.  The most interesting match-ups in Round 13 will pit Manly (6th) against Parramatta (3rd), Campbelltown (4th) against Bankstown (7th) and Sydney (5th) against Easts (8th).  If either Bankstown or Easts lose, it will become extremely difficult for them to reach the top six.

Wests enjoy disruption

Western Suburbs has had a strange season, losing games they ought to win, and then upsetting sides ranked high above them on the table.  They did it again in Round 12, costing Sutherland its lead in First Grade with a narrow, 12-run victory at Glenn McGrath Oval.  What made the victory even more satisfying for the Magpies was that they did it without a major contribution from Jonathan Cook, who has carried the attack almost single-handedly at times this season.  Instead, the unlikely wrecker was Michael Tudehope, whose 4-48, in his first top-grade match of the season, helped Wests to defend the modest total of 209.  Tudehope's career has had some parallels with that of his father, Mark, who was a Wests stalwart for many seasons in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.  The differences are obvious enough: Michael is a tall seamer, while Mark was a tall left-arm spinner with highly unorthodox approach to the crease.  But both men spent their careers at Wests moving between Thirds and Firsts, often playing in Seconds for an extended time, but always with the ability to produce a single match-winning spell in the top grade.  On Saturday, Michael made early inroads by bowling both Jarryd Biviano and Dan Rixon, and then returned late in the innings to claim two vital wickets just as Sutherland seemed likely to rally.

Matt Critchley has a new record, maybe

Derbyshire all-rounder Matt Critchley has provided great value to Fairfield-Liverpool this season, scoring runs attractively and consistently and chipping in occasionally with useful wickets.  He's also a novelty of sorts, since the last time a leg-spinner from Derbyshire tried his luck in Australia, it was Tommy Mitchell, who was a member of the Bodyline tour party in 1932-33.  Critchley has had an exceptional January, hitting 57 against Sydney, 149 against Penrith and 126 (from only 129 balls) to lead Fairfield to an upset victory over Parramatta.  That (in what may very well be some kind of record) gave Critchley three centuries in his last two matches.  How is that possible?  Well, against Penrith, his bowling analysis was 22 overs, 0 for 113.  He's at batting-friendly North Sydney Oval this week, so the chances of him adding another century, one way or another, are on the high side.

And the winner is...

Finally, congratulations to University of NSW quick, Blaize Irving-Holliday, who not only took his 200th wicket in NSW Premier Cricket (including his stints with North Sydney and Gordon), but also claimed for the third year in succession, the Five Things Award for the most entertaining name in Premier Cricket.  There's no-one else in Premier Cricket who sounds more like a minor villain in a James Bond movie.

Team Announcements: Round 12

Follow all of the action live as Sydney Uni's First Grade face North Sydney on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th February from 10:30am. 

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2ND GRADE
Syd Uni vs North Syd
Bon Andrews 10am

Steve Hobson
Matt Powys
Nicky Craze
James Larkin (c)
Jack Holloway
Alex Shaw
James Crowley +
Tom Kierath
Jono Craig-Dobson
Dugald Holloway
Kieran Tate

3RD GRADE
Syd Uni vs North Syd
Camperdown 10am

Jack Hill
Charles Litchfield
Lewis Bedford
Ryan Danne
Tom Galvin
Ash Cowan (c)
Ed Arnott +
Josh Toyer
Sam Wood
Liam Whitaker
Jack Lawson

4TH GRADE
Syd Uni vs North Syd
Tunks 10am

Alex Bell
Brayden Dilley
Tom Fullerton
Nick Mortimer
AJ Grant (c)
Michael Robinson
Ollie Thompson
Hayden Storey +
Aidan Peek
Shehan Canagasingham
Jazz Rinka

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5TH GRADE
Syd Uni vs North Syd
St Paul's 10am

Liam McElduff
Hugh Farrow
Julian Dimas
Vince Umbers
Christian Lorenzato +
Ethan Jamieson
Brodie Frost
Andrew Wilkinson (c)
Tom Draca
Murray Miles
Shivansh Pathak

METRO CUP
Syd Uni vs Gordon
Killara Oval 10am

Rakin Rahman
Muhammad Ghumman
Zohirul Islam
Max Veltro
Tom Derrick
Tim Synnott
Greg Cade (c) +
Ashwin Kirubanandan
Jono Phoebus
Max Shanahan
Prasan Adikarige

SYD UNI LIONS
Syd Uni vs Rangers
Jubilee 1:30pm

T Croft
M Ghumman
A Yap
A Kirubanandan
J Autridge
D Waterson
M Goodchild
G Hossain
A Wilkinson
N Bowman
11 TBC

Round 11 (Day 2) Match Reports

1ST GRADE

Sydney Uni 238: H Kerr 82, D Mortimer 46, L Robertson 41
Parramatta 313: L Robertson 3-12, T Ley 3-73, B Joy 2-49, J Kershaw 2-68

The SUCC boys arrived week 1 to a nicely grassed surface at Old Kings Oval. Parramatta won the toss and elected to bat. Good early bowling saw Ley pick up 2 early wickets. When Joy was introduced he bowled his fastest spell of the season and Parra quickly slumped to 4/69.

A partnership began as the batting side adjusted to the wicket and at 4/167 the home side had the box seat. Liam Robertson was introduced and found the conditions to his liking, producing an incredible spell that yielded 3/12 and reduced Parra to 8/200. Dropped chances then hurt the students as the Parra tail hunted quick runs and chances their arm. They were eventually dismissed for 313, leaving the good guys with 6 overs before stumps. Trevor-Jones feathered one late in the day and SUCC went into day 2 at 1/12.

Larkin fell early as play got back underway. Parra bowled well with the new ball and a fantastic contest developed between bat and ball. Cowan fell for 17, caught in the deep hooking. At 3/63 victory seemed a long way off. Mortimer and Robertson combined nicely, before Mortimer fell for a well compiled 46. Kerr joined Robertson and began a full scale assault on the tiring Parra bowlers. The two swung the momentum of the game and put SUCC in the box seat before a poor LBW decision cost Robertson his wicket on 41. Kerr continued the assault and at 5/223 with 2 overs until tea, the game was tilted nicely to a victory for the away team.

Sean Abbott then took the ball, found some reverse swing and opened up the University tail. Four wickets fell for zero runs and suddenly the game was all but over. Kerr’s stunning 82 off 65 was as good as any innings played this season.

Loss by 75 runs didn’t reflect the closeness of the fixture. No doubt we will see the Parramatta side again come finals time.

1ST GRADE LIMITED OVERS QF

Sydney Uni 282: D Mortimer 64, L Robertson 56, N Larkin 47, H Kerr 32, S Hobson 30
Sydney 170: D Malone 4-46, T Ley 3-32, B Joey 2-31

Larkin won the toss and elected to bat on a gorgeous looking cricket wicket at Drummoyne Oval. Kerr and Hobson got the visitors off to the best start in living memory, lofting and crunching anything and everything to the fence and over it. 0/61 after six overs made for good reading, but Hobson nicked the first ball of the 7th and Kerr followed soon after leaving Larkin and Mortimer to rebuild.

The spinners slowed the run rate and Larkin fell looking to pick up the pace, bowled for 47. Robertson and Mortimer took the good guys forward, both making crucial half centuries. 

282 was the eventual total, potentially 40 runs short of what was on the cards.

The bowling effort got off to a dream start, Ley taking wickets with the first two balls of the innings. The dangerous Dan Smith was removed by the ball of the season, his off stump demolished. Sydney kept coming hard in pursuit of the large total, and chances were always going to present. By continued his strong form and bowled fast on a surface that gave him plenty on return for his effort.

Malone found his rhythm and got amongst the wickets, finding a breakthrough whenever the visitors needed it most. Robertson’s useful medium pace grabbed a wicket and suddenly the game looked beyond Sydney at 6/128.

Sensing a chance to finish the game, Ley was reintroduced and found the edge through to Cummins. His 7 overs yielded 3/32, and along with Joy’s 2/31 off 10, proved the real difference between the two sides. Malone demolished the tail to take 4/46, bowling skilfully to his field and varying his flight to disrupt the batsmen.

112 was the final margin, a comfortable win against a good side. Bankstown await in the semi final.

2ND GRADE

Sydney Uni 9-361: N Craze 110, J Crowley 75*, S Hobson 70, T Kierath 32
Parramatta 205

 

3RD GRADE

Sydney Uni 261: C Litchfield 70, M Powys 66, A Cowan 46, E Arnott 38
Parramatta 161: R Danne 2-5, S wood 2-37, J Craig-Dobson 2-43

Day 2 and it was same bat time etc and so on, with the Units well poised to take the 6 points after a solid display the week before. Your scribe, after lording it over the tardy members previously was found wanting, and the razor thin margins meant that Clubman’s Merv Danne took delight in informing all and sundry that my arrival time was 11.18 which was equal to a case. As the Army had already planned an event the following day, this timing couldn’t have been better really, however it did sting at the time.

With humidity levels at 99% in blazing sunshine, another high-quality game of Nash was entered into and no quarter was asked or given. Similar to Round 5 v Penrith in the pouring rain, no doubt our opponents were extremely puzzled at the level of intensity being doled out given the atmospheric conditions. Notably this included a controversial piece of play from Galvin, who executed a diving ankle-tap on an unsuspecting Dibbly-Dobson, who then executed an hilarious blow-up on an unsuspecting Galvin. Nude-all a fair if exceptionally underwhelming result, however muscle-meltdown would have started to set in had we continued playing much longer in the hope of someone scoring a point. Old claimed the chocolates once again on the under-manned tie-break system, and your scribe happy with an improved performance after being allowed to play despite being late, mainly on the basis that I brought the ball and pump.

And now on to the actual cricket. After not really thinking things through for the 3 overs late day 1, I had inadvertently shanghai-d the fast bowlers and therefore needed an end-changer in the form of Ryan Danne. Danno, not being deterred by pushing that sizeable chest into the stiff breeze, started in excellent form and was therefore obliged to continue, producing swing and seam to take an early wicket. Dibbly-Dobson also started strongly, and the Parramatta top-order found itself in substantial trouble, with a couple of quick wickets leaving the hosts 3/15 and well behind the 8-ball on a pitch that was hard but offering the quicks a bit of assistance.

A partnership began, aided by some profligacy from the students in the field and at the popping-crease. However, this was soon broken by Leggie and Wood respectively, and at 5/42 we were well on top and looking to push home our advantage. The dangerous Verma and Brown got together, and it took some spectacular fielding from Powys, Danne and Arnott to affect a brilliant run-out which got us into the tail and dreaming of a second innings. Parramatta to their credit refused to give up their wickets easily, and the after-tea session was more of a grind as the last few wickets were hard to come by.

Eventually the good guys took the 10 wickets and the 6 points, and this was a really pleasing if imperfect 2 days of cricket against the previously unbeaten eels. No doubt something to draw on for the remainder of the season, we are hitting our straps at the business end and we will be there when the whips are cracking and (insert laboured cliché here).

A lovely postscript was the delightful Sunday spent watching the 1s boys take care of business at Drummoyne, and testing out the updated Army songsheet. As always I will leave others to judge on the success of the Uni Army vocals and suffice to say that the particulars of the day/night are not suitable for publication. In any forum.

Back to fortress Camperdown next week to take on the bears, and after 4 wins on the bounce we will be looking to continue our climb up the table and take the points.

4TH GRADE

Sydney Uni 79 & 2-52
Parramatta 213: T Fullerton 4-30, J Rinka 2-31, O Thompson 2-51

 

5TH GRADE

Sydney Uni 265: N Mortimer 127, A Wilkinson 37, C Lorenzato 28
Parramatta 213: N Barnet 5-47, A Wilkinson 3-34

 

METRO CUP

Sydney Uni 235: M Veltro 74, Z Islam 64, A Kirubanandan 28
Blacktown 145 & 6-107: M Ghumman 4-30, A Kirubanandan 3-46, P Adikarige 3-62

It's rare that you can leave a ground having claimed 1st Innings points feeling so empty but that was the case today as Metro lost outright to Blacktown at St Pauls.

We are starting to pay the piper with some of the circumstances we are finding ourselves in within the team and around the club. We have used 32 players so far in Metro this year making finding consistancy difficult particularly with our batting lineup / order and each player locking down a role in the team. We are paying for previous games where we have relied on a couple of batsmen to get runs to get us the wins. If those players fail or are out of form on a particular day we are in trouble. The writing has been on the wall for sometime and hopefully this humilliating result will be a wake up call to the team. Our attitude to staying in and valuing our wicket(s) needs to improve. We are not playing T20 matches and need to respect that.

We have the two top teams coming up in successive rounds and the 3 teams below us all won outright today so we are in a very precarious position with only 4 rounds to go. Semi final cricket is not guaranteed at this point and as far as the leadership is concerned, each week is a semi final type match for us, as the 3 previously mentioned teams below us have relatively easy runs home. That's the reality and time will tell how much we really want to be playing in the post season.

The positives for us at the moment are our bowling and fielding. We have had some low scores to defend at home which combined with the 45 metre boundary on one side of St Paul's, has seen our bowlers really have to dig in and work hard to keep the scoring tight and still pick up wickets. The attitude and energy in the field has been pleasing.

Congrats to Greenie's player Bryan Handunneththi who picked up a wicket on debut for the senior club!

We know Metro is a development team and with each match we are learning about the game and ourselves. Long term we will be better players for the experience whether we win, lose or draw...

'Greenie' recognised amongst competition's best

Sydney Uni A.W. Green Shield captain, Jazz Rinka, has today been announced in the NSW Premier Cricket A.W. Green Shield Merit XII for 2017-18.

Jazz was recognised for his consistent performances with the ball for Sydney Uni, claiming a total of 16 wickets at 15.25 runs from his 7 matches during the tournament. He was the 2nd leading wicket-taker in the competition.

Starting the tournament strongly against Campbelltown-Camden with figures of 4-38, Jazz claimed at least one wicket in each of his matches.

Captaining this season, Jazz lead from the front with the new ball with consistent line and length, often angling across the right-handers, making it difficult to score from.

Sydney Uni's Green Shield team finished in 12th spot with three wins and four losses, however with narrow defeats against Hawkesbury, Mosman and eventual champions, Parramatta, could easily have finished in the top four.

With four rounds remaining in the McDonald's NSW Premier Cricket competition, Jazz is also well in the hunt for the Sydney Uni Player of the Year award, as he currently leads the tally on 17 votes. 

Having started his career with Sydney Uni this season in Metro Cup, he claimed 8 wickets at 15.00 in his four appearances before earning a call-up to Fifth Grade, lasting only one appearance (2-38) before receiving a further promotion into Fourth Grade, where he has played seven matches and taken 11 wickets at 12.18 with an economy rate of 1.97 runs per over.

In total, he has taken 37 wickets for the club in 2017-18 at 14.68, with best figures of 5-37.

Congratulations to Jazz on his achievement, and we hope to see plenty more successes for him over the coming seasons.

Read more about the Green Shield Merit XII here.