The always popular Sydney University Cricket Club Challenge is back bigger and better than ever in 2020!
Held at the glorious St Michael’s Golf Club in Little Bay, the Golf Challenge will do just that - challenge everyone from once-a-year-hacker to your scratch markers.
With fantastic prizes to be won make sure you lock your team in now to avoid missing out!
Over the long weekend, the Students completed a fantastic round against Blacktown, playing consistent and disciplined cricket to secure the first clean sweep of the 2019/20 season.
In 1st Grade, Blacktown visited Uni No.1 for a Saturday-Sunday contest and elected to bat after winning the toss. As he so often does, Charlie Cassell drew first blood, bowling Taj Brar with the score on 3. From here is would be slow going. Consistent wickets fell throughout the day as the Students toiled diligently, the run rate hovering around 2 an over for much of the contest. Dugald Holloway (4/25) continued his fantastic season to again be the pick of the bowlers, supported by Hayden Kerr (3/25) and Devlin Malone (2/65). Set 175 for victory, the chase began fluently as opening batsmen Varun George (23) and Ryan McElduff (26) put on 60 for the first wicket. However both would fall in quick succession handing momentum back to the visitors. In a tale similar to that of the first innings, partnerships proved elusive. 6 Students found their way to 15 but no one was able to convert a start into a score that would put the game to bed. When Devlin Malone joined Dugald Holloway at the crease, the score was 9/158, the Students requiring a further 17 runs and the match well and truly in the balance. But it would be the hosts who would hold their nerve. Dugald (23*) and Devlin (6*) delivered to ensure a memorable 1-wicket win.
2nd Grade travelled to Joe McAleer eager to continue a strong start to 2020 that had put them back in the hunt for a finals berth. Skipper Max Hope won the toss and showed no hesitation in electing to bat. Nick Walker (35) looked in ominous touch at the top of the order, but a superb grab behind the wicket saw him unlucky to depart. With the score at 4/90, no partnership had eclipsed 30 and the Students needed to consolidate should they hope to accelerate in the latter overs. Ryan Danne (43) played a crucial hand in steadying the ship in a innings that oozed class but it would be Wiz Masojada (81*) who made the decisive contribution. As wickets fell around him, Wiz batted with patience to ensure he was in a position to launch in the final 10 overs. Well supported by the tail, particularly an entertaining cameo from Brodie Frost (17), Wiz controlled the acceleration, showcasing his ability to switch gears as the team required, steering the Students to 8/239. Featuring a bowling attack at the peak of its powers, wickets fell early and often to put the game beyond doubt. First, Ben Joy (2/20) struck twice to remove the opening batsmen before Lewis McMahon (3/20) set about dismantling the middle order. With the score at 9/76 Ben Trevor-Jones, in his last game for the Students, was given the nod by the skipper to pursue his first grade wicket. Reminiscent of Andrew Symonds, Trev had both offies and seamers at his disposal and elected to start seam up to get the most out of the wicket. A tidy first over, earnt him a second but again discussion ensued about which discipline would be more fruitful. He stuck to the seamers, and in a feat of athleticism that again could only be described as Roy-like, he would strike, snaring a sharp and low caught and bowled chance to fittingly bring the match to an end. The reaction from his teammates, mobbing him mid-pitch, shows the impact that Trev has had on the Club. We thank him for his years of excellence both on and off the field, and wish him luck in England. He will be sorely missed.
3rd Grade batted first at St Paul’s after winning the toss. Charles Litchfield (32) got away to a flier and looked set to continue his run of good form before a top edge would spell the end of a 63 run opening stand. His partner Nicky Craze (76) carried on to play a dominant knock in a return to form that should put the competition on notice with finals approaching. The Students somewhat rued a failure to form a decisive partnership which limited the score to 243, dismissed in the final over. However an experienced and relentless bowling attack, led by the new ball pair of Josh Toyer (2/23) and Murray Watts (2/25) ensured that 243 would be plenty. In the end, the Students rolled to a dominant victory, dismissing the visitors for 89.
4th Grade played out a see-sawing affair away from home. Greeted by a wet pitch, the Students were sent in by the hosts. However after little more than an over they were back off after a length ball kicked up sharply to remove James Crowley and the umpires determined the pitch to be dangerous. Industrial leaf blowers were applied and the match resumed but batting remained difficult. Brayden Dilley (22) and skipper Ash Cowan (24) were the only batsmen to get going, each playing innings that upon reflection would prove critical. Dismissed for 111, the Students needed to start well to have a chance. Jazz Rinka (3/16) and Rex Greaves (3/27) bowled excellently to make early inroads, the score at 4/13. Often to be found in a batting collapse, the next wicket to fall would be via a run out and from here the Students cantered to the finish line, dismissing the hosts for 77.
5th Grade also looked to make a finals push, needing to secure a victory at home. Sent in by the visitors, Sanjay Anandarajah (40) played a lone hand in the top order as the hosts slumped to 7/114. Enter Max Shanahan. Known primarily for his left arm seamers, Shanners has worked meticulously on his batting this season and it paid off in a hurry. His 56*, including 4 maximums, carried to Students to a defendable total of 8/194. With the ball, Shehan Canagasingham (6/18) executed to perfection to ensure that the run chase never loomed. It was his 9th five-wicket haul for the Club and his best bowling in 5th Grade delivering a crucial bonus point to remain in the hunt for the top 6.
Metropolitan Cup played out a memorable match on Sunday, ending in a tie.against Georges River. Skipper Greg Cade sent the opposition in to bat at St Paul’s. The innings was a tough contest throughout, with all bowlers toiling hard to restrict the opposition to 213 on a small ground. With the bat, the Students again drew on a number of contributors however a partnership between Cullen Hathurusinghe (44) and Darcy Manners (43) looked to give the hosts the advantage. With scores level and 1 ball to be bowled, it was the visitors who held their nerve, taking the wicket of Tom Crawford (12) LBW to seal a tied match. A great effort from all the boys and a match they can learn plenty from as they too near the business end of the season.
All in all a great effort across the grades went well rewarded with 5 victories. All grades will look to carry the momentum of a Club sweep onto Round 12 in a return to two day cricket for grades 2 to 5 against Campbelltown-Camden.
A significant amount of welcome rain limited play in Round 10 against Club Championship rivals, Penrith. As a consequence, 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade and Metropolitan Cup were all abandoned without a ball bowled. However, patience and persistence prevailed at University No.1 and St Paul’s Oval allowing 2s and 4s to complete tight, entertaining affairs.
In 2nd Grade, rain reduced the match to 32 overs a side after play was delayed from 11:22am to 3:50pm. In the morning, Penrith won the toss and elected to bat. All bowlers played a part but Kieran Tate was the stand out, taking 3/18. Notably, Ryan Danne made a successful return to the bowling crease after a long stint without the ball due to a troublesome back to take 1/13 from his 5 overs. Duckworth-Lewis calculations saw Penrith’s score of 6/98 increased to 110. Partnerships were hard to come by as regular wickets fell until Frost joined Tate at the crease with the score at 7/77. The pair of big quicks put on an unbeaten 35 for the 8th wicket to reel in the total with 3 balls to spare. A crucial 6 point win for the 2s with much of the round washed out as they look to ride late season momentum into a finals berth.
In 4th Grade, the Students were sent in by the visitors and found themselves in early trouble at 4/34. As in 2s, the rain came in the late morning and halted play until 4pm. Skipper Ash Cowan (51) and keeper James Crowley (45*) strode to the crease to resume play. Needing to accelerate the run rate quickly knowing that the Duckworth-Lewis would not be implemented, the experienced pair batted phenomenally to steer the Students to a defendable score of 6/148 from 30 overs. Notably it was Crowls’ first game back for the Units following a stint inter-state, a huge inclusion for the Club as finals loom. The task of defending a score at St Paul’s is always a difficult one with short boundaries in all directions and the Students knew they needed to deliver an exceptional performance with the ball and in the field. Michael Robinson (3/26) continued his run of form with the ball but it wasn’t enough as the Cats reeled in the total in the 29th over.
On Sunday, SUCC’s Poidevin-Gray side met Fairfield-Liverpool in a must-win clash as both sides sought a finals berth. The excellent drainage of No. 1 facilitated the full allotment of 50 overs. Ryan McElduff won the first battle of the morning, inviting Fairfield to bat on a fair wicket that offered plenty to both bat and ball. After a strong start from the visitors, Ben Mitchell broke through to end an opening partnership of 65. Consistent wickets fell through the middle overs, controlled for the most part by leggie Wiz Masojada (3/30) and seamer Jackson Gwynne (3/42). A late rally from the tail allowed Fairfield to reach a score of 9/198 which, on a slow outfield, looked to be very competitive at the innings juncture. In the chase, skipper McElduff (43) and Ben Mitchell (31) put on 58 for the 4th wicket and looked to be building a match-winning partnership. However, both fell consecutively to leave the Students reeling. McElduff was particularly unlucky, run out after the bowler tipped a Charlie Cassell straight drive onto the stumps. The lower order fell away quickly as the required rate climbed, all out for 146.
Next week the Students will face Blacktown Mounties. 1st Grade will play both Saturday and Sunday at home, whilst the rest of the grades will enjoy a one-day fixture.
Following the success of the initial UK tour in 1993, the club executive decided that tours should occur on a regular basis, so that any player who belonged to the club for four or five years would have at least one opportunity to tour. The result of that decision was a visit to England and Scotland in 1997. Unfortunately, not even the best-planned tours to Britain can make allowance for the vagaries of the British weather, and we lost the first week of the tour (including the match against Cambridge University) to rain. But then the sun shone, mostly, and some excellent games were played. Our opposition was usually strong, but we won more than we lost. Tour captain, Brendan Hill, was outstanding, scoring a century against the York and District League team and taking 5-59 against the Midlands Club Cricket Conference. Richard Wiles and Duncan Macintosh batted consistently, and Tom Cowan played one brutal innings at Leeds.
As the manager of the tour, the rain presented me with the unexpected challenge of keeping the squad occupied and out of trouble when no cricket was possible. What make that challenge even greater was the fact that the team included several players who had an alarming and inexplicable fondness for public nudity. It began with a nude re-enactment of the Great Court Run around the quadrangle of Trinity College, Cambridge, as the clock struck midnight. I also still have, somewhere, a letter from one of the universities where we stayed informing me, in very stern terms, that if there was any repetition of the nude football match our team had staged, we would be asked to leave. I was extremely grateful when Dave Butchart (our hosts’ captain) worked wonders to get us onto a soggy Three Bridges ground in Sussex to play our first game.
One of the enjoyable aspects of club tours is that players from lower grades get an opportunity to play against opponents of a higher calibre than they would usually encounter – often with surprising results. At York, we played against a left-arm spinner who had been the highest wicket-taker in Indian first-class cricket the previous season: Liam McGowan, who usually played Fifth Grade, drove him to distraction by repeatedly late-cutting him to the boundary. In Edinburgh, we played against a Scottish Leagues team that was almost a full-strength Scotland side; Third Grade stalwart Michael Farrow helped us recover from an early collapse by striking 64, most of them (against fast and slow bowlers alike) from the sweep. And we dismissed a powerful MCC team, full of county players, for only 131 – the prize scalp was claimed by Third Grader Matt Salisbury, who surprised Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower with a lifting delivery that he nicked to slip, where Chris Williams held a head-high catch.
1997 was an Ashes year, and we were fortunate that the Australian side was managed by our club President, Alan Crompton, who provided a tour of Lords during the second Test there (Ian Healy, however, was not amused when he returned to the Australian dressing room and found it full of Sydney University players). We also caught up with the tourists at the Old Trafford Test, where Steve Waugh scored his legendary hundred on one good leg. Two of our players decided that a handy nightclubbing strategy in Manchester would be to pass themselves off as Brendan Julian and Michael Kasprowicz – two members of the touring party who weren’t playing in the Tests. This might have worked if Kasprowicz and Julian hadn’t turned up at the same club. By the end of the tour, its soggy beginnings were forgotten and it had become a highly enjoyable trip that enhanced the reputation of Sydney University cricket.
Touring Party: Brendan Hill, Richard Wiles, Andrew Pearson, Michael Farrow, Liam McGowan, Matt Salisbury, Max Bonnell, Mark Wilson (deceased), Chris Pelly (deceased), Luke Hartman, Chris Williams, Duncan Macintosh, Nick Ridley, Tom Cowan
The Students have commenced 2020 in fine fashion, recording wins in 4 of the 5 grades in our Round 9 one-day clash against Sutherland.
In 1st Grade, skipper Liam Robertson won the toss and elected to bowl in overcast conditions at University No.1. The desired early breakthrough proved elusive as the Sutherland opening pair fought hard to put on 120 for the first wicket. However, the Students controlled the game well and, with the run rate somewhat subdued, it was clear that should the breakthrough come the balance of the match would swing dramatically. After off-spinner Ryan McElduff broke the opening stand, more wickets quickly followed and the Sharks found themselves on the back foot at 4/163. Disciplined bowling meant that any acceleration was limited and the 50 overs were completed with the score at 6/213. Devlin Malone didn’t skip a beat in his return from injury, delivering his full allotment of overs to return the tidy figures of 1/36. Hayden Kerr returned to the top of the order following his Big Bash duties for the Sydney Sixers to produce a typically brutal 80, which included 5 sixes, to get the Students away to a dominant start. He was well supported by Ryan McElduff (49) and Tim Cummins (34) who were major contributors to reaching the Sutherland total in the 46th over for the loss of 5 wickets.
2nd Grade looked to bounce back from a disappointing loss in Round 8, away at Glen McGrath Oval. A hard, green pitch and bowler-friendly overheads prompted no hesitation from skipper Max Hope, sending the hosts in after winning the toss. As is always the case when a skipper elects to bowl, pressure shifted to the new ball pair of Kieran Tate and Lewis McMahon to capitalise. And capitalise they certainly did, combining to take 6/4 and leave Sutherland reeling at 6/16. After Brodie Frost and Josh Toyer each chipped in with a wicket of their own, McMahon returned to capture 5/21 and bundle the hosts out for 95 in the 29th over. Charlie Dummer ensured that the chase did not become an awkward one striking 7 boundaries and a maximum, including taking the 2nd over of the innings for 17, on his way to 40 from 21 deliveries. A bonus-point, 8 wicket win was a superb way to start the second half of the season for the 2s.
In 3rd Grade, Henry Clark also won the toss and also elected to bowl at St Paul’s. An excellent century from Sutherland number 3 Brendon Piggott withstood a testing opening spell from Murray Watts (3/27) and looked set to launch the visitors towards a 300+ first innings score. Josh Joseph (2/22) bowled a crucial spell to restrict the opposition, eventually bowled out for 247 with 5 balls remaining. Confident that the total was well within reach, the Students were clinical with the bat. Charles Litchfield (118) opened the batting and was fluent throughout the chase, striking 12 boundaries and 4 maximums and very nearly carried his bat, dismissed 2 runs short of the total. Litchy combined with Josh Joseph (54) in a run-a-ball partnership of 120 that put the game beyond doubt, securing an emphatic win.
4th Grade travelled to Sutherland Oval and were sent in by the hosts. James Veitch and Matt Powys built a resilient opening partnership of 45 before 3 wickets fell quickly to leave the match poised at 3/61. Michael Robinson (82) played an essential innings as wickets fell around him to ensure that the Students reached a competitive total. Jackson Gwynne (32) stuck with Robbo well to build a valuable partnership of 51 for the 8th wicket before the visitors were dismissed for 228 in the 49th over. With the ball, 4th Grade were clinical. Once again led by Robinson (3/25), all bowlers executed their plans to dismiss Sutherland for 100 in the 38th over and secure a bonus point win.
5th Grade will rue missed opportunities as they were defeated by Sutherland at Camperdown Park. After winning the toss and electing to bowl, early signs were promising with Sutherland at 7/110. Despite an excellent performance from Max Shanahan (3/27) from his 10 overs, the Units failed to finish off the innings, as the visitors reached 8/186. No one in the top order was able to kick on for more than a start and play a match-winning innings, as the hosts were dismissed for 140, 46 runs short of the target.
Metropolitan Cup also suffered a disappointing defeat, losing to Penrith by 3 wickets. After winning the toss and electing to bat, lower order contributions from Raveen Kathriarachchi (41) and Samir Doshi (23) were critical in reaching the defendable score of 158. All the bowlers contributed to give the Units a chance but a defiant century from the opposition opening batsman saw the opposition home by 3 wickets.
All in all a successful start to 2020! The Students will face Penrith in Round 10, a crucial Club Championship clash.
Taking us back to the club’s first overseas tour in living memory, here is a brief account of the 1993 tour by James Rodgers
We played 15 games (losing only four, I think) in England and Ireland during June and July 1993.
For the first SUCC tour overseas, the team was representative of the whole Club with players from 1st to 5th Grade making up the team. Tom Watkins, who was later to captain 1st Grade, captained the side in the majority of matches. I was the other captain but I was available for only six of the games.
It was a tour sprinkled with fun, enjoyment, conviviality and much success.
Some personal memories of the tour:
I joined the main touring party on 28 June 1993 after they had already played six games for three wins and three losses.
We took the field in bright sunshine at St John’s College, Oxford, where we played the South Oxford side. We chased down 219 after being 6 for 109 but we won by 3 wickets as Paul Grimble (54no) and Andrew Wiles (40no) slammed 50 from the last 7 overs.
I didn’t play again until the tourists reached Swansea where we played the Landore Cricket Club. In our 200 all out, James Dunlop (60) and Dave Butchart (49) were the main contributors but my diary tells me that I was 10 not out. I’ve got no recollection of that! My bowling was treated with unnecessary caution and respect…5-20 from 10.
We took the ferry from Fishguard to Rosscare and then a bus to Dublin. Directions to Malahide’s ground were thoughtfully Irish: ”Go to the post office and then down a lane, through a gate and it’s at the back of the Cobbler’s shop.” How we found it was a miracle. But we had an easy victory (7 for 327 vs 148) and my diary tells me that we enjoyed ”a night of singing, drinking, laughter and merriment that finished at 2am.
On our last day in Ireland we saw the Australian side play at the Clontarf Club Ground. This was a mis-match. Australia 3 for 369 beat Ireland 89. Matthew Hayden was 94 when Alan Border joined him but Border reached his hundred first, hitting 8 sixes and 10 fours in his century from 46 balls. The crowd of 5000 was kept scurrying for cover, especially when during the only over bowled by left arm spinner, Angus Dunlop. Border hit the first five balls for six before top-edging the last one for two. Three of his sixes lost each of those balls which may still be on their way down the streets of Clontarf.
We had to catch the ferry back to England and a bus to Liverpool. We were to play at Chester after three hours sleep but heavy rain made the ground unfit for play, as were most of our team.
We played the final four games in London, losing only the one, against Teddington.
We won the last game (against the University of London) and concluded the playing part of the tour with a final dinner which degenerated remarkably. Most of the players arrived at Heathrow the next morning without sleep but with high concentrations of alcohol in the blood.
The tour ended in farce. We travelled via the US and had a five hour stop-over in Boston. Six of the tourists didn’t quite make the plane to Sydney and we travelled without them! For all I know, they’re still travelling the world.
Would I do it again? Certainly not, at my current age!
Would I recommend a SUCC overseas tour? Without any hesitation!
