3 More Centuries to the Tally!
Another weekend of strong performances – including 3 centuries, a 5-wicket haul and first day victory – have Sydney Uni in a dominant position across the grades in this week’s clash with Hawkesbury.
At Owen Earle, after the hosts won the toss and elected to bat, 1st Grade’s Joe Kershaw (3-63) and Ben Joy (1-69) struck within the first hour, to have Hawkesbury 2/46 early. The middle session saw patience from both sides as Liam Robertson (2-26) and Devlin Malone (1-55) homed in on the front pads of the Hawks’ middle order. A lone hand from former Australian batsman Peter Forrest pushed Hawkesbury’s total past 300, before Dugald Holloway entered to clean up the tail with the final score at 313. With 3 overs to negotiate, the Students lost 1 wicket to have them 1/7 overnight.
Another lost toss seemed an auspicious start for 2nd Grade (given their current record of chasing), along with the grass coverage of the Uni No 1. wicket, which promised much for the seamers. Wickets fell regularly throughout the innings as the nagging length of Charlie Cassell’s pace and the wily drift (and occasional spin) of Max Hope’s orthodox saw the pair claim 2 wickets each. However, the morning belonged to Josh Toyer, who extracted every ounce of pace and bounce offered by the pitch to claim a hard-earned 5/41 as the Students bowled the visitors out for 200 before tea. With 40 overs to bat, Uni found themselves 3-down early before captain James Larkin (30) steadied. After seeing out a difficult early period, the evergreen Steve Hobson eased his way towards a hundred before being caught on 98, as David Miller amassed a watchable 48 not out to see the Students past 200. Not satisfied with a first innings victory, Uni declared, and Hawkesbury batted again for 2 overs – currently 0/4, eyeing a repeat of the day’s play next week.
At Bensons Lane 2, after winning the toss and electing to bat, 3rd Grade were treated to a clinic from their top order – led by Jack Hill and Charles Litchfield. The pair exploited the cover drive and cut shot as they piled on the runs, Jack eventually finishing with 123 and Charles, 106. To further Hawkesbury’s pain, James Crowley finished off the day with a blistering 40 not out to have the final score at 3/312 overnight.
At St Paul’s Oval, 4th Grade played out a see-sawing day of cricket to finish in a strong position at the day’s end. After being 1/3 early, the Students rebuilt with a series of starts, before Alasdair Grant continued his run of form with a well-compiled 47. However, frequent wickets meant Uni was bowled out for 179 in the 48th over, on a wicket that demanded a bigger first-innings total. Under some pressure, the Uni bowlers rallied to put in a rounded performance – led by Aidan Peek (2-26) and Brody Frost (2-34) – to have Hawkesbury precariously placed at 6/84 overnight.
At Benson’s Lane, 5th Grade continued their dominance with bat-in-hand to post 292. Despite some classy knocks to open the innings from Brayden Dilley (37) and Tom Fullerton (35), the Students lost wickets in clumps to be tenuously placed towards the late afternoon. However, Liam Coelho provided a base for the Uni middle order, as he combined grit and patience with moments of flair to amass his first century for the club – a vital innings that ensured a defendable total for 5th Grade. After being bowled out with 8 overs of play remaining, the Students have Hawkesbury 0/6 heading into next Saturday.
