Match Reports - Round 5 vs Western Suburbs District Cricket Club (50 Over)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 5 VS WESTERN SUBURBS

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 9/306
50.0 overs

D Mortimer 94 (105)
B Joy 3/17/9.0

DEF

Western Suburbs 141
40.3 overs

JA Clarke 53 (93)
JD Cook 4/41/10.0

A beautiful day at the home of cricket awaited the students, with strong optimism that the covers would only have to be taken off once for the days play, as opposed to recent graft over the last few weeks. Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it! Day for it!  

The glorious conditions, meant absolutely no excuses during Nash (well apart from Morts and Duff of course). The bowlers put on an absolute clinic that was likened to the prime years of Barcelona’s tika taka game style. The Twin towers of Joy and Holloway were the standouts, denying any Top 6 attack and then sparking the Counter for the bowlers. Your scribe could actually get used to batting at 7 each week, finally enjoying a successful system. The juggernaut rolls on once more, with belief of an undefeated season.

Captain TC, didn’t hesitate at all batting on a very reasonable Uni 1 deck. This meant that the Bash brothers (Kerr and Dummer) strode to the crease for the first time this season, putting on 88 runs in very quick succession. Dummer 56 off just the 42 balls walloped anything over pitched to much appreciation of his now weekly ‘fan club’. Kerr (67) showed absolutely no sign of ring rust, as he returned for his first game of the season with some glorious sweetly timed drives. The momentum wasn’t halted at all, with in form Mortimer doing what he does so well: finding the gaps, and putting the bad ball away with distain. Mortimer falling just short of yet another 1st grade hundred (94), whilst a very handy knock from the Duff man, got the students to a very defendable 306.

The students were always on top with the ball. Early wickets from the ageless Benny Joy meant that the required run rate shot up to 7s and 8s early, with Wests simply not good enough to score against the disciplined lines and lengths of the Uni attack. The squeeze applied from Niv and Tatey, with wickets falling at regular intervals meant that Uni was well on their way for a dominant victory. The innings cleaned up from Burglar Holloway, meaning that the students cruise home by 165 runs. In essence, wickets shared. A little bit more convincing that last week’s Bonus Point Win.

How did we do it? Eaaaasssyyyy. 

Ryan Danne

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MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT PRATTEN PARK (50 OVERS)

SUCC 85
29.2 overs

O Zannino 17 (30)
H Clark 1/21/6.0

DEF BY

Western Suburbs 1/86
18.5 overs

C Blaxall-Hill 66 (71)
JR Shepherd 3/31/9.0

The Uni lads headed out west for the weekends fixture out at Pratten park. Whilst upon arrival we were politely greeted with the public toilets of the facility as our dressing shed. This meant the valuables bag would be thoroughly useful for the days play!

Nash was ordinary as the country boys struggled to fire on which looked to be a pristine and Nash friendly ground. In saying that it was good to finally see the city lads pull their finger out and find some sort of a game plan. Whilst Hazz and Borgy added a lot of flare to the city lads, the OGs of Watto, Dumpling, Nino and JJ did put in a stellar performance to be too strong for the bumpkins. In saying that the country boys did lack a bit of grit and energy as Booza awarded Hazz with best on ground!

The game itself was short and sharp much like this spiel from myself! However Popey went out and won the toss electing to bat, this meant the Dippy Schmoo’s would be asked to set a total. The deck itself proved to play difficult and “did a bit early” in saying that the boys were skittled for 85 and an early lunch would be treated to a bunch of blokes who don’t mind an early Mung. Nevertheless Nino and Hazz showed great grit with the stick towards the back end to give us something to bowl at.

The opening pair of the dumpling and greaves hit the line and length we were after, however with limited runs in the bank meant quick spells of bowling would be required. The almighty veteran of Henry Dumpling Clarke claimed the first and only pole for the students. The big horse of J Gwynne was terrific running up hill and into the wind threatening the edge of the magpies sticks! Popey bowled well and was very unlucky not grab an LBW, in saying that he was sure to let the umpire understand his frustrations, as the statement ended in off.

Nonetheless, the lads were home by 2:30 and were able to seize a whole day of racing and crack a few tinnies! Anyway that’s enough from myself, hopefully the country lads turn up this weekend for Nash and the Dippy Schmoo’s can hit back like I know we can

Booza

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MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 3/159
37.0 overs

H Storey 57
J Lawson 3/39/10.0

DEF

Western Suburbs 158
48.5 overs

A Haider 35
M Oberoi 3/28/10.0

The Thirsty Thirds returned to the more familiar surrounds of Fortress Paul’s for this Round 2 clash with the Magpies. An early case to newcomer Dash ‘More Questions Than a Sixth Grader’ Ratnam lifted spirits as the Wests skipper called correctly and chose to bat on what was a hard and even surface.

With the Students fielding one of their most inexperienced pace attacks for some time (2 caps between the three of them) the pressure was on to get off to a good start and not let Wests build early momentum. To say that the trio of Shehan ‘The Unlikely Punter’ Canagasingham (1-24 off 10), Maxim ‘Socks and Stocks’ Shanahan (1-33 off 9) and Matt ‘Sorry I Didn’t Check Facebook Messenger Last Night’ Johns (2-26 off 8) stepped up to the mark would be a gross disservice to them. Each bowled like he belonged in the grade, combining skill with precision. The highlight being the ripsnorting delivery ‘Joey’ Johns produced to dismiss Wests’ first drop batsman, pitching on a full of a good length it kissed the surface and deviated away ever so slightly to leave him helplessly caught on the crease with the knowledge that the top of his off-stump was about to be ruthlessly sent cartwheeling. These early inroads left Wests sitting perilously at 3/49 off 17 come the first drinks break.

Leg ‘Jack Lawson’ Spinner (3-39 off 10) was introduced upon the resumption and immediately procured a lazy shot from the remaining Wests opener who let his guard down after surviving the initial strangulation. Spinner bowled well throughout the middle overs and combined with Michael ‘Glass In Hand’ Robinson (2/35 off 9.5) to keep a lid on the two highest scoring Wests players who threatened to take their total towards 200. Once this partnership was broken by Shanahan the rest came with relative ease and Uni was set a target of 159 to win.

The early platform was laid by Hayden ‘I Might Be Able To Catch A Twilight Nine Here’ Storey (57) and Tom 'Privilege’ Fullerton (12). Two contrasting playing styles were on full show with Fullers attempting to build an innings while Storey was taking no prisoners. The harder the bowling attack ran in, the further the ball was sent by Storey down the Paul’s driveway. The key lesson to take from the day is to not goad him into repeating the exploits of the previous ball as history is more than likely to repeat itself. The Students first wicket fell with the score on 80 and the second followed soon after. A rebuild was required and with the required rate being severely diminished by Storey’s earlier exploits: Hill (43*), Alex ‘Socks and Slides’ Shaw (13) and Nivek ‘Kevin’ Tanner (20*) were able to stroke the ball around without any great risk and successfully guided the Students home to their second win on the bounce.

Onto the Sydney Tigers at Ryde Oval next week where we look to consolidate a top six position.

Jack Hill

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MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT PUNCHBOWL OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 149
42.5 overs

AM Wilkinson 57
S Anandarajah 4/21/10.0

DEF

Western Suburbs 97
40.3 overs

AM Cheung 21
L Sethi 5/24/8.0

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MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS WESTERN SUBURBS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 169

T Crawford 29 (56)
C Kyle 3/23/9.0

DEF BY

Western Suburbs 8/177

PA Burkhart 49 (50)
I Singh 3/40/10.0

With Tom Lamont making his captaining debut, Uni were on top, right from ball one. For what seemed like an inexperienced and shaky batting line-up from the Wests, early wickets from debutant Chris Kyle cleaned up the openers. Runs dried up as the spinners then took charge through the middle, steadily dismissing bat after bat, ultimately tightening the screws. The Wests were under pressure. Loose and unforgivable runs were punished by the Uni boys as an exceptional day in the field had the Wests worried. Little resistance from the tail amidst Tom Crawford’s late 3 wickets, pushed the Wests to 8/177.

Despite the strong performance in the field, our day with the bat was unfortunately not the same story. A strong 2nd wicket stand between Peter Brazil and Zohirul Islam steadied the ship after losing an early wicket. Whilst thought to have the upper edge over the Wests, quick successions of wickets had us soon losing hope. But the game was not over. Exceptional resistance from Will Watson, Tom Crawford and Lachy Anderson had the game going down to the wire. With 8 required of 2 balls, a commendable audience and eager Uni boys gathered to hopefully witness our last stand get us over the line. However, today was not the day. A disappointing loss to say the least, we’ll definitely be back stronger and better ready for whatever next Saturday has in store for us.

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MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN BLUE VS UNSW AT DP NORTH

SUCC 198
40.0 overs

J Rinka 76 (68)
N Gibbons 2/28/7.0

DEF BY

UNSW 5/202
38.3 overs

DS Bowcock 79 (100)
DE Sissian-Turnbull 3/12/6.0

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MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN GOLD VS NORTH WEST AT CHARLES MCLAUGHLIN RESERVE

SUCC GOLD
0.0 overs

DREW (MATCH ABANDONED)

NORTH WEST
0.0 overs

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MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS HAWKESBURY AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (20 OVERS)

SUCC 8/159
20.0 overs

B Mitchell 39 (26)
M Hope 3/41/4.0

DEF BY

HAWKESBURY 4/163
18.0 overs

R Mizzi 54 (26)
P Moore 3/16/2.0

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MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS BANKSTOWN AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (20 OVERS)

SUCC 90
17.3 overs

C Dummer 38 (29)
K Tate 4/23/4.0

DEF BY

BANKSTOWN 8/115
20.0 overs

J Cormack 40 (33)
B Le Bas 3/19/4.0

Match Reports - Round 4 vs Mosman Cricket Club (50 Over)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 4 VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB

A huge Saturday of cricket saw the Students take on Mosman CC in 6 different 50 over fixtures! As mentioned in pre-game previews, our line-ups were stacked with talent and my oh my did our talent perform! Check out the results and reports below!

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT ALLAN BORDER OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 9/135
24.3 overs

D Mortimer 61 (58)
B Joy 3/18/6.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 130
36.2 overs

HJ Dalton 34 (35)
H Brown 3/22/4.0

Cassell as frugal as Seamen. Ben Joy with leap of Kanu. David Miller, the strength of Viera. Holloway, the guile of Bergkamp. And Tate, the finishing touch of Henry. The bottom six (five) Nash team are invincible. Like the Arsenal team of ’03 & ’04, I dare say they will not lose a game this season. Meanwhile, the top six resemble a weary Scunthorpe United reserve side. Embarrassing. Thankfully for them, they were on the winning side on the cricket field as the Students collected their second scalp of the season courtesy of a break-out performance by Tate with the ball (2-24 from 8) and another imperious knock from comeback-kid DeMarcus Mortimer (61 off 58). 

In brief, the Students won the toss and elected to bowl in a masterstroke move from new chief in command Cummins. His talismen Holloway and Cassell were frothing at the bit to rip in, however the opening 10 saw early momentum with the Whales. It took a long and wiley spell from Tate to draw first blood for the SUCCers. Tate then delivered a double blow knocking over the other opener. Then like clockwork two brought three, brought four brought five, Cassell had a run-out, McElduff and Joy were handed two and three each respectively, and Radhakrishnan took another two to take his tally to 9 for the season. All out 130 by 12pm. 

Bonus point in sight and thunderstorms predicted by wonder-app Rain Parrot, the Students eagerly began the run chase with Charlie ‘Tyson’ Dummer finding the middle of the bat and Military Rd. He passed the baton to Mortimer who toyed with the Whales, sending the ball to all parts and prancing between the wickets. Unfortunately, Derrick had no partners to help his cause as SUCCers fell around him like tired flies; first McElduff then Cummins, Danne (who showed glimpses of sweet timing) then Miller. Holloway looked promising for a single digit score (1) but troubled the scorers no further and Tate couldn’t replicate his bowling efforts. That left Cassell and humble accountant Joy to score 3 runs from 25 overs. In a rush of blood, Joy hit one up high to mid-on and a young Whale stood underneath. Ball swirling. Wind blowing. Dropped. Cassell hits a six. Win with a bonus point. Easy.

Dugald Holloway

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MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 0/0
0.0 overs

A Hazard 3/26/10.0
B Mitchell 1/7/5.0

DREW

Mosman Whales 5/113
38.1 overs

M Malhotra 46 (75)
GW Condon 21 (36)

The Units arrived at the Home of Cricket for their first hitout of the season on the hallowed turf of University Oval. Riding high after last week’s win against the Dolphins and sitting atop the ladder, the boys sharpened their harpoons for Limited-Overs cricket against a few familiar faces at the Whales.

Ben Mitchell would chalk up the first case of the season, forgetting his creams upon arriving at no.1, only a delayed start via a wet outfield saving him from missing the start of the game as he returned down ANZAC Parade to get them.

An uninspiring Nash performance in difficult conditions was quickly forgotten as skipper Hope won the toss and had no issues sending the visitors in on what looked like a soft wicket. 

The opening pair of Greaves and Gwynne threatened both the inside and outside edges of the bat in their opening spells, Rexxy looking a little shaken up from the Chopper’s formal some 12*-hours earlier. *Very generous timing granted.

The Students were slightly off the mark with our execution, both with ball and in the field, however after Boozer Mitchell claimed the first wicket, spirits were high and conversation consistent that another quick one would have the momentum firmly in our favour. Benny continues to impress, going for just 7 runs off his five overs in a quality display of left-arm swing bowling.

The introduction of spin twins Pope and debutant Andrew/Alex/Alan/Aaron/Eden Hazard would truly put the brakes on the Whales tempo, bowling in tandem for the majority of the second hour of play and suffocating the run rate.  Haz bowled with superb control and subtle changes of pace to finish with the outstanding figures of 10 overs, 2 maidens, 3/26, whilst Hope’s usual bag of fruit and pies somehow went unharmed.

Henry Clark’s wicket on the last ball before drinks (LBW to absolutely no-one’s surprise) was where the joy would end for the Students, rain and lightning setting upon Camperdown with Mosman situated at 5/113 after 39 overs. 

When the rain did ease, players returned to a wet patch in the bowler’s load up at the Grandstand end of the pitch from the end of the covers. Hours of drying efforts from the Students, both sopping and blowing, were finally wasted when with four minutes until the intended re-start time of 4:35pm, we were forced from the field without being able to put the covers on due to lightning. 

The first drop of rain some 20-minutes later, as well as cloud’s formed from the impending apocalypse, was enough for the skippers to shake hands and put an end to a very frustrating day. 

A few ales were had as a group before strolling up to watch the 4’s take seven points in light that would have Josh Toyer coming off the long run on a Tuesday night with a brand new pellet.  Good on ya mate.

Cricket, the sport that takes absolutely everything and gives nothing back.

Max Hope

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MATCH REPORT - 3RD GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT RAWSON OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 9/163 (cc)
45.0 overs

J Hill 67
MJ Watts 1/22/7.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 5/63
18.4 overs

BZ Syed 21
T Elliott 3/17/9.0

The new 3rd Grade season finally arrived after the longest off season of all time. There were plenty of new faces in a side that bore little resemblance to the premiership side of last season. However due to a week full of rain in the lead up it appeared that we would have to wait another week to get started. 

Upon arrival at Rawson Oval there was enough clear sky to suggest that we would in fact get some play in, after the initial delay we were able to get the ground up to scratch and have a toss. I won the toss on a green but hard wicket and elected to bat, credit to the Rawson ground staff on being able to produce a hard wicket throughout a week of rain.

Mosman bowled accurately in the opening spell and were difficult to score off on a thick outfield. Hayden Storey (17) threatened to get going but unfortunately chipped a return catch to the bowler off the leading edge to a ball that held in the wicket. I was joined by Alex Shaw (27) and we were able to negotiate a tricky period to drinks and see off the new ball. After Shawry played on, Coehlo (18) and I were able to take on the spinners and began to find the boundary slowly but surely lifting us to a competitive total.

We were met by another rain delay and our innings was reduced to 45 overs. Upon resumption we lost wickets regularly but managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over. We finished our allotment of overs on 9/163. The introduction of Duckworth Lewis to the lower grades meant that Mosman’s target was adjusted to 181 off 45 overs.

Murray Watts (7-2-1-22) and Shehan Canagasingham (6-0-0-20) opened well with the new ball and looked threatening on a green wicket. More rain came and we were on and off a couple of times before the final phase of the game. As we came on for the last time Mosman’s target was 91 off 22 overs, they were on 2/43 off 13.5. The task was left to Michael Robinson and debutant Max Shanahan to close the game out. They proved up to the challenge and offered nothing to the Mosman batsmen who were swinging hard with little success, this forced them to resort to risky run taking that resulted in the Uni boys executing three run outs. The highlight of which was Sanjay Anandarajah’s direct hit from point where he had one stump to aim at from a distance of at least twenty metres. Immediately after the umpires called the game off for bad light with the result beyond doubt.

This was a top drawer win in a round where there were minimal results elsewhere. It was fantastic to see batsmen persevere through tough periods and our bowlers execute under pressure so early in the season, not to mention such precise fielding. We now welcome Wests to Fortress Pauls where we look to build on the momentum generated through this win.

Jack Hill

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MATCH REPORT - 4TH GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 8/215 (cc)
44.0 overs

B Dilley 85
M Johns 3/19/5.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 4/66 (cc)
18.0 overs

W Elliott 26*
J Park 3/42/9.0

Well well well… 2020 has thrown up some unbelievable scenes but a trifecta of a young Nash victory, B Dilley run-a-ball 85 (2 massive bombs) plus M Johns 2/1 in 3 balls (read bumpers) to start the innings is typical of this year and probably paying as much as a Wallabies Bledisloe in the foreseeable future.

The day began in auspicious circumstances and despite the BOM having heart failure, when your scribe inspected the pitch the SUCC groundsmen were as bullish as circa 2007 Reginald Ignatius. Needless to say, that early optimism was short lived, as arrogance and lack of ability from yours truly meant that the youth had 6 on 4 throughout Nash whilst “game management” was occurring on the square. 

We promptly lost the toss but a strong opening partnership from Clancy Barrett and Brayden meant that the Units started their title defence in strong form. James Veitch entered the fray and continued the quality work. Ned Barnet also displayed excellent ability with a very well made 45 and at the first rain delay the Students were set up with 3/154. The rain delay meant that there were only 8 overs left, and some late order slogging (M Johns 6 first rock if you don’t mind) meant that we amassed 215 from the reduced 44 overs. The absolute standout was Brayden, and his knock was one of pure class. Having missed much of last year with a shoulder injury, the great man is back to full fitness (shoulder affixed with slightly less tape than my County blade). He should be very proud of the way he controlled the innings and won us the game, without a doubt the 3 points belong to Dill.

Rain delay after rain delay and the Units finally got back in business with Matty “Joey” Johns to take the new rock. 2 wickets in 3 balls and Mosman were on the back foot, and in the failing light and massive storms across Sydney it was simply a matter of trying to get overs in and not fall foul of the lightning policy. An excellent partnership from the Whales’ 4 and 5 (Greenslade and Elliot) meant that the game was on a knife’s edge, but luck, good fortune and covers management resulted in the Students getting back on the field to bowl the required overs (circa 7pm). In the end we won with a bonus point, but it was such a crazy day and we know that the Whales always have quality so we most likely will see them again later this year to settle the score.

Well done to our boys, perfect way to start the year.

Ash Cowan

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MATCH REPORT - 5TH GRADE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT BALMORAL OVAL (50 OVERS)

SUCC 3/83 (cc)
20.2 overs

Z Islam 23
T Crawford 4/28/9.0

DEF

Mosman Whales 174
48.1 overs

E Evans 35
J Lonergan 1/17/4.2

After winning the toss, captain Wilkinson sent Mosman in to bat, putting them under the pump from ball one. After some shaky early overs, Tom Crawford broke the opening partnership on his way to 4/28.
The change to spin throughout the middle overs helped tighten the screws, leaving all the pressure on the tail to post a competitive score. The Mosman lower-order were not up to the task, the innings ending in the 49th over, following a 7/52 collapse.

Despite some rain and lightning during the lunch interval, no time was lost and the openers set out to begin the chase. The Students lost their first wicket in the first over before Prakhar Sharma and Zohirul Islam posted a 52 run partnership to steady the ship. Sundries (25) and Islam (23) led the scoring as Uni posted 3/83 in the 21st over, securing 6 points on DLS Method.

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MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN BLUE VS MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB AT CAMPERDOWN PARK

SUCC BLUE 79
20.0 overs

S Tirimzey 29
S Khalkho 1/13/5.0

DEF BY

Mosman Whales 2/82
14.0 overs

S Vasamsetti 5 Wickets

Metro Blue had a tough tough start to the season. Rocking up to a very wet ground, the boys put in a good enough effort to dry up the grounds and get the game going. Skipper Sanjiv unfortunately lost an important toss and we were sent in to bat on a challenging soft wicket.

After losing several early wickets Syed Tirimzey and Jack Hennessy showed some resistance with a 41 run partnership, with Syed scoring 29 which included three huge 6’s. Unfortunately the wickets continued to flow, and Uni was bowled out for 79 shortly after drinks. Although it was a challenging pitch the majority of wickets were quite soft and involved people throwing the wickets away: something to focus on next week.

After lunch we got off to a good start, getting a run out in the second over. Rain then began falling and we had to pause the game for almost 2 hours. After the rain faded we returned to an incredible soft pitch and outfield. These conditions affected us significantly, with the bowlers not feeling safe, however the boys showed good tikka to continue anyway.

Mosman chased down the run with 8 wickets to spare in the 14th over. Despite the fact we probably should not have returned to play due to the dangerous conditions, it was disappointing to see Mosman run away with the win so easily. Hopefully the boys can bounce back and get the W this weekend.

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MATCH REPORT - SYDNEY UNIVERSITY METROPOLITAN GOLD VS UNSW CRICKET CLUB AT DP NORTH

SUCC GOLD
0.0 overs

DREW (MATCH ABANDONED)

UNSW
0.0 overs

Match Reports - Round 3 vs Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club (Day 2)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 3 VS EASTERN SUBURBS CRICKET CLUB

A frustrating weekend for 1sts! 1st Grade Uni opening bowlers Charlie Cassell and Ben Joy tried their best to beat the rain dismissing the Easts top 3 in quick succession, with Joy even having a look at a cheeky hat-trick! However, it wasn’t to be with the continual downfall forcing a washout.

Over at Waverley Oval, the Students 2nd Grade side were determined to continue their dominance... and that they did! Returning skipper and man on a mission Max Hope, delivered 12 unreal overs that saw him take 4 for 20 and seal the W!
2’s sit at the top of the table!

(More from Charlie and Charles below)

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS EASTERN SUBURBS CRICKET CLUB AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 2)

SUCC 330

Damien Mortimer 122
Ben Joy 2/23/10.0

DREW

Easts Dolphins 4/99

TJ Armstrong 43 (44)
MA Atallah 5/73/23.0

With a high chance of rain, it was always going to be an interrupted day down at Uni number 1. The rain stayed away for the first hour which enabled Cassell (1/26) and Ben Joy (2/23) to make the most of the overcast conditions and dismiss the top 3 batsmen in quick succession. Rain came and lunch was taken. After lunch, Tim Armstrong hit a quickfire 43 before being caught behind by Tim Cummins off Nivethan Radhakrishnan. Will Simpson and Angus Robson finished the day not out with heavy rain washing out the rest of the day. All in all, a frustrating day of cricket.

Charlie Cassell

MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS EASTERN SUBURBS CRICKET CLUB AT WAVERLEY OVAL (DAY 2)

SUCC 241

Ben Mitchell 83 (77)
M Hope 4/20/12.0

DEF

Easts Dolphins 202

TD Gallop 55 (124)
M Sarkies 3/40/14.0

Nash: Country 2-3 City

After being flogged in the first 4 weeks of the season - City turned to M.Clarke’s win at all costs theory not only threatening with broken f*** arms but attempting to follow through with them. Country then conceded defeat to avoid the risk of losing players to injury for the good of the team. After being a tad short the week before, the bowling unit were disciplined throughout the day which paid dividends on a green top that kept the bowlers interested right to the end. It was vintage stuff from Henry Clark that got Uni of to a ripper start. Easts number 3 bat Nick Taylor fell victim to the wrongsy effect – going back to a fully early on and kicking it, walking back to the sheds without adding to his overnight score of 38. In his debut game in 2s, Rex Greeves looked anything but out of place and was unlucky not to bag more taking 2-23 from 13 overs which included the big wicket of Mark Morley for 11. Jackson Gwynne got kicked in the knee by a horse the day before the game, but you wouldn’t have known as the big quick steamed in and at times was too good for the Easts’ batters taking 1-23 from his 11 overs. This included snicking off Easts number 4 Udit Mehta to a ripper catch from Bennett Walsh at gully. Ben Mitchell also bowled well with no luck taking 1-23. It was the partnership of Jonathon Bank (38) and Tom Gallop (55) that got Easts back in the contest as the two put on 76 for the 6 th wicket. Easts’ ground their way back into the contest and it took a disciplined bowling partnership from Henry Clark and Max Hope to swing momentum back into Uni’s favour. The two built up pressure from both ends until Max landed the killer blow - sliding one straight through the gate of Bank. Clarkey then snicked off Gallop to a sharp chance to Tom Fullerton at first slip and Easts never really recovered from there. Clarky finishing with 2 – 61 and Max 4 – 20 - an outstanding performance from the 2s veterans. The two teams then met for a very enjoyable beverage after the game to mend broken relationships in a heated thriller. The team then headed down to the Bondi RSL to watch the AFL grand final – and we will leave it at that…

Charles Litchfield

Match Reports - Round 3 vs Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club (Day 1)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 3 VS EASTERN SUBURBS CRICKET CLUB

Location: University Oval
Time: 10:30am
Name: Damien Mortimer
Task: Dismantle the Dolphins bowling attack
Status: SUCCESSFUL

Our first 1st Grade Century of the season thanks to Damien Mortimer and his trusty Adidas Stick!

“That innings was pure class from start to finish!” + “Why does Michael Clarke play for Sydney Uni?”
(Quotes taken from the comment section on our Youtube Livestream)

Quote of the day however, was picked up by our Grandstand microphone as Morts went into the 90’s and quite honestly, I don’t think I could have said it better myself…

Ah **** me, he’s pretty good aye!” - Unknown Sydney University AFL Player

Over at Waverley Oval, it looked for a good while as though every batsmen would finish on the same score with the top 5 being dismissed for 26,27,3,27 and you’ll never guess it… 27! That was until Ben Mitchell came to the crease and put on a show, smoking Dolphin deliveries around the ground to reach 83 at a strike rate Chris Gayle would be proud of.

Mitchell backed it up on Sunday in our PG’s clash against Fairfield-Liverpool, grabbing another half century and a 3-fer! It was also no surprise to see Nivv get amongst the wickets, however, I’m certain a few of our Instagram/Livestream followers’ heart skipped a beat when they read the scoresheet…

FOW 1 - B N Radhakrishnan c S Anandarajah
FOW 2 - B N Radhakrishnan c R McElduff
FOW 3 - B N Radhakrishnan
FOW 4 - B N Radhakrishnan c B Mitchell
FOW 5 - LBW B N Radhakrishnan

Great weekend from the Students! Let’s get the sweep this weekend!

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS EASTERN SUBURBS CRICKET CLUB AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 330

Damien Mortimer 122
Tim Cummins 69

VS

Easts Dolphins 15/0

MA Atallah 5/73/23.0
H Thornton 2/49/16.3

Round 3 saw another home game at University number 1. The day started in usual fashion with the bowlers picking up a clinical victory in Nash, absorbing pressure all game and scoring just before the final play. With Liam Robertson still out of action Tim Cummins took over as skipper, winning the toss and opting to bat, It looked like a typical Uni deck, bit of grass cover but hard underfoot and a good batting wicket. Thanks to a bit of sun and some rain, the outfield was looking substantially better than in the previous weeks.

The early wicket of Nivethan Radhakrishnan (1) from Nathan Rowe brought Damien Mortimer to the crease (122), who produced a masterfully controlled hundred and the first from the First Grade team for this season. The wicket of David Miller (15) brought out Tim Cummins (69) who hit his runs almost exclusively through backward point and combined with Mortimer to add a 115 run partnership. It looked like a huge score would be on the cards before Matt Attalah (5/75) ripped through the middle order getting a few quick wickets. Ryan Danne (43), in only his second game for the 1’s made a pivotal knock combining with Charlie Cassell (35*) to add on 51 for the 8th wicket and put on an extremely competitive score of 330.

The students then had 8 overs at the Dolphins in which Easts came out unscathed at 15/0.

Charlie Cassell

MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS EASTERN SUBURBS CRICKET CLUB AT WAVERLEY OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 241

Ben Mitchell 83
Henry Clark 28

VS

Easts Dolphins 71/2

M Sarkies 3/40/14.0
RJ O’Beirne 3/63/19.0

We arrived at Waverley Oval brimming with confidence after a comprehensive second round victory over Gordon.  Nash happened. City were a disgrace. Soul searching must continue. Your scribe was arguably worst on ground, we lacked spark in attack, and were a disorganised rabble in defence. For those interested, Jackson Gwyne’s Nash stock continue to rise as Ben Mitchell’s continue to plummet.

Max Hope, proceeded to lose the toss and we were asked to bat on a slightly soft, green wicket. Typical Waverley, the first session would be tough and it would require patience and discipline to get us through. Tom Fullerton set about accumulating dots, leaving and defending well while Charles Litchfield took the Steve Hobson approach, thinking it would be ‘easier’ to try and hit the ball over cover for six first ball.  Litch was in fine form, combining brutal cut shots with, what is quickly becoming trademark, full length dives for a tight (read suicidal) single. Fullers and Litch approached a half-century opening stand before a few quick wickets brought Max Hope to the crease.  Max, as he often does, quickly found himself in a verbal debate with a few of the eastern suburb’s fielders prompting a huge ‘I cant hear you anymore’ after dispatching a short ball over the midwicket fence.  Unfortunately for Max, and the crowd, a few balls later he was adjudged LBW for a well-made 27 off 38.  Reeling a little at 4/127, Ben Mitchell remembered that he could bat. What followed was a dominant, ruthless display of batting.  Benny plundered the Easts bowling, hitting fluently over the fence, through the ring to all parts of the ground, bringing up his first second grade 50 with a flick off his pads for 6. Arguably, the most impressive part was the number of times Ben would dispatch one over the fence to then drop and run next ball. Unfortunately for Ben the rest of us were unable to support him well enough and he was finally dismissed for 83 off 77.  As our innings closed for a below par, yet very defendable total of 241.

With 26 overs to bowl, the light deteriorating and the quartet of Nick Walker, Lewis McMahon, Joe Kershaw and Joe Cool well lubricated on the hill the students took to the field buzzing with energy. Rex Greaves was in the action early, taking his first second grade wicket with what can only be described as a short wide half tracker, which somehow the batsman managed to edge to first slip.   As the light got worse and worse, Ben Mitchell burgled one caught behind much to the dismay of the Easts batsman. Unfortunately, we dropped a chance in the cordon, almost entirely due to the fact that it was now almost pitch black.  With thirteen overs still to play, the umpires decided it was too dark to continue, so we left the field.  Cue chaos and absurdity.  Within about 8 minutes of coming off, at approximately 5:32pm Max Hope had a few gentle discussions with the officials who deemed the light had improved considerably and we would return to the field of play. Cue blow ups, complaints and whinging from the Eastern Suburbs players and an irate captain muttering something about safety. Unfortunately, we were guilty of some poor bowling and lack of discipline once we came back on, and leaked a few runs in the final five overs to see Easts finish the day at 2/71.

An improved, disciplined bowling effort will be needed early next week to secure the 6 points and continue our solid start to the season. With any luck it will start with a City win in Nash to buoy the spirits.

Henry Clark

Match Reports - Round 2 vs Gordon Cricket Club (Day 2)

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

Match Reports - Round 2 vs Gordon Cricket Club (Day 1)

MATCH REPORTS - ROUND 2 VS GORDON CRICKET CLUB

Sydney Uni vs Gordon Day 1 is in the books and all I can say is wow!

Wow, the Sydney weather absolutely turned it on for the boys as not a single cloud was seen all day! Shout-out to Colin and Vicki for keeping the hydration stations full and available so the players, umpires and spectators could regularly fuel up!

Wow, it was a bad day to be a cricket ball. The ‘students' 1sts and 2nds teams absolutely painted their sticks with cherries.

Wow, it was extraordinary watching Nick Larkin show his class on the way to 83 off 126 deliveries. The man was made to hit the ball out of the centre!

Wow, Ryan Danne well and truly is the man! After a hard-hitting 92 not-out in Round 1, Danne was a certainty to go the distance in Round 2, and that he did notching three figures (118) which included 14 boundaries and 2 maximums!

Wow, how good were those lunchtime chicken burgers! #ElegancyCatering

MATCH REPORT - 1ST GRADE VS GORDON CRICKET CLUB AT UNIVERSITY OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 286

Nick Larkin 83
Ryan McElduff 57

After a tough away trip to Drummoyne in Round 1, the Students were eager to return to University Oval for Day 1 of a Round 2 clash against Gordon. 1s were lifted by the return of Nick Larkin who, from all accounts, has been in blistering form inside the NSW Blues bubble and skipper Liam Robertson showed little hesitation in batting first after the coin fell the way of the home side.

It was opposition skipper Tym Crawford (1/42) who drew first blood however, dismissing Nivethan Radhakrishnan (0) in the first over of the day. This brought Ryan McElduff (57) to the crease to join Larkin (83) as the pair combined to put on 137 for the 2nd wicket. Gordon fought hard and struck twice in quick succession to remove the set batsmen and threatened to attack the Students middle order with the score on 3/159. Damien Mortimer (39) and Liam Robertson (46) steered the Students back into a dominant position with a 53-run partnership and at 3/212 the home side was eyeing off a score well over 300. Credit must go to the Gordon bowlers, in particular Dylan Hunter (4/85), who toiled hard to prevent the Students from pushing home their advantage, dismissed for 286 in the 87th over. With 8 overs left in the day, the Students were unable to make an early breakthrough, Gordon navigating safely to stumps at 0/13.

MATCH REPORT - 2ND GRADE VS GORDON CRICKET CLUB AT ST PAUL’S OVAL (DAY 1)

SUCC 358

Ryan Danne 118
Oli Zannino 64

Light smoke haze and a Round 1 victory lingered in the air upon arrival at St Paul’s Oval for the 2’s side who were keen to continue their campaign with the same vigour and tenacity as they had begun it seven days earlier.

The return of Nick Walker in his newly appointed position as 2nd Grade manager (home games or beaches nearby ONLY) was a key inclusion for the Country Nash side who ran out dominant 3-1 victor’s against an uninspiring City outfit.

 Henry Clark took over the reigns of the 2nd Grade side following Max Hope’s hamstring injury in Round 1 and had great delight winning the toss, announcing the Students would bat on what looked a true Paul’s wicket.

 The return of Charlie Dummer saw the first two overs go for 21 as he and opening partner Tom Fullerton swiftly gathered momentum to reach a near half century stand within the opening 10 overs, before disaster to Charlie’s future spawn took a literal blow. A flush hit to the box saw the stocky left-hander retire hurt and head to RPA for further adjudication.

 New batsman Charles Litchfield and Fullers grinded hard for their keep and were imperious on anything short. Fullers eventually fell for 27, leaving the Students 1-98. Round 1 churnsman Ryan Danne joined Litchy at the crease before lunch to see him reach his 50, his first in 2nd Grade since 2017/18.

 The newly sourced and heavily spruiked chicken burgers (which Oli Zannino returned with for the Gordon boys some five minutes after the resumption of play and subsequently frisbied across the dirt to the man at fine leg $1) obviously had the secret ingredient for the fielding unit, running both Litchfield (52) and Bennett Walsh (0) out with the score on 128.

 Ben Mitchell was undone by a quality leg cutter and suddenly the Students were 4 (effectively 5 with Dummer in the emergency room) for 152 before the day was even halfway done.

 Luckily for the blue and gold’s, that man Zannino and Rowdy formed a crucial partnership with the innings in the balance. The pair of them were positive to the off-spinner, who bowled with excellent control all day, and put anything wide off the seamers to the rope.

 Matador Danne batted with outstanding maturity and showed coolness under pressure of years beyond his age, notching up his fourth tonne for the Students.

The partnership between Danno and Oli was ended at 151, Rowdy running past one for 118, the Students now 5-303 with about 12 overs remaining in the day.

 Dummer returned with the assistance of Litchfield as his runner, a few question marks about the choice of said runner considering Mr. Worldwide had indeed already been run out earlier in the day, however it counted for little as Dummer holed out to a smart catch on the fence for 27 off 26 deliveries. A certain feeling amongst the group of ‘what could have been’ had he not suffered the cruel blow within the first hour of play.

 The Sportsbet fans had Zannino at $9 to reach three figures before the end of the day, “probably unders but worth a dabble”, however Oli was caught for 64, a maiden 2’s 50 for the Students (another few $$) in a very complete display.

 Some lusty lower order hitting from skipper Clark and Jack Lawson boosted the Students score above 350, the side eventually bowled out in the 95th over for 358.

 A jovial fines session followed by some very, very jovial brews at The Tox capped off a great start to the long weekend for the Students, however a patient and disciplined bowling display will be forefront of mind in the coming week to capture the six points against a strong batting line-up.

Max Hope

Match Reports - Round 1 vs Sydney Cricket Club

Match Reports - Round 1 vs Sydney Cricket Club

Cricket is an unpredictable game.

For instance:

• Refreshing the website providing 1st grade live scores on Saturday proved to be largely surprising when compared to this time last year.

• Spectators at St Paul’s thought for an unexpected moment they had teleported to LA Dodger Stadium, after seeing Joshua Joseph collect an in-swinging fastball to the helmet.
  

However, despite the games’ many uncertainties, some things will remain the same.

These being:

• If it’s short and going down leg, Bennett Walsh has put it into the car park.

• If it’s slow and moving down off-side, it’s Max Hope holding his hamstring.

This past weekend has well and truly served as a motivator! 1st grade will be itching to bounce back with a strong performance and the 2nds will be eager to back-up their classy outing.

Sydney University cricket is back again this Saturday against Gordon with both games at home!

Match Report - 1st Grade vs Sydney CC at Drummoyne Oval

First-grade returned to action on a blustery but sunny Saturday morning at the picturesque Drummoyne Oval and the season started the same as every year with a win to the bowlers in Nash, led by Dave Miller – playing with a point to prove to the skipper and will likely see a return to the top 6 next week.

 The students won the toss and decided to bat first on a good wicket. Charlie Dummer got his season off to a great start, taking the attack to the Sydney bowlers and batting with great intent, pouncing on anything in his wheelhouse, before being dismissed for 57. He was partnered at the top with Niv Radhakrishnan on debut, who made a composed 37 before being out stumped looking to push the run rate up. The Sydney attack squeezed effectively in the middle overs, taking wickets at regular intervals reducing the Students to 5/126 before Dave Miller joined Tim Cummins and the pair began to rebuild the innings.

 Miller was marginally run out, leaving Tim to guide home the rest of the innings with the tail, ending up with a crucial 55* as the Students ended on 227 all out.

 Knowing it was going to be tough to keep Sydney to under 227 the bowling unit got off to a strong start taking 4 early wickets, including a maiden first-grade wicket for Kieran Tate, leaving the game delicately poised at 4/64. Sydney then managed to do what the Students didn’t in building a large partnership between Dan Smith and Ben Manenti before Tate again struck to leave the door open for a Student comeback. However, the bowlers couldn’t quite contain enough as Sydney cantered over the line with 5 overs to spare with Smith ending on 91*.

Onwards and upwards for the Students as red ball cricket returns against Gordon this weekend.

Ben Joy

Match Report - 2nd Grade vs Sydney CC at St Paul’s Oval

With University Oval still licking its wounds from a long winter season, Second Grade commenced their 2020/21 campaign at St Paul’s Oval against Sydney. City v Country Nash was a tight midfield tussle. Both sides had undergone significant changes from Round 15 last year in which City snatched victory in the dying moments of the season. The work rate of Ed Arnott proved to be the difference, Country claiming Round 1 honours 1-0. City deeply missed their cultural talisman Kieran Tate and the relentless two-way running of Alex Shaw and will need to work on their combinations down the spine to hit back in Round 2.

 Skipper Hope lost the toss but gleefully accepted the visitor’s invitation to bat first on a fair wicket that was sure to get slower throughout the day. Tom Fullerton (23) and Charles Litchfield (33) opened proceedings and set about establishing a foundation that has proved all too important on a small St Paul’s ground. The 56-run opening stand was broken when Litchfield was caught at mid-off and Sydney went bang bang to also remove Fullerton with the score on 62. This brought Bennett Walsh (60) and Ryan Danne (92*) together for what would be a defining partnership. Walshy was imperious, striking the ball to all parts whilst Danno showed his class, manipulating the field and rotating the strike. The pair fell 2 runs short of notching the first 100 partnership of the season but the Students remained in a strong position at 3/160. Sydney would again strike back, taking quick wickets to halt momentum as Uni looked to accelerate. As partners fell around him, a surly Danno pressed on and started to assert himself over the Sydney attack. Josh Joseph (41) played an exceptional dig and the pair put on 83 for the 6th wicket at better than a run a ball lifting the Students to 7/276. Danno’s knock was undoubtedly a class above. He calmly accumulated through the middle overs before launching in the last 10, during which the Students put on nearly 100, in an effort that ultimately put the game out of Sydney’s reach.

 With the ball, debutant Jackson Gwynne (3/43) and Henry Clark (2/19) set the tone. To a man, the Students were switched on and up for the contest in the field, an effort that Head Coach Cam Borgas described ‘as a very professional display’. Clarky in particular bowled a suffocating line, attacking the stumps relentlessly to claim his first 2nd Grade wicket since he removed our own Ben Trevor-Jones against Hawksbury in 2013/14. Ben Mitchell (3/31) and Ryan Danne (1/29) offered support through the middle, squeezing the Tigers out of the game. Despite getting sniped in the hamstring after athletically turning and chasing at mid-off, Max Hope (1/42) gritted his teeth to deliver 10 crucial overs on the trot from the City Road end to back up the work of his quicks and bowl Sydney out for 192, securing an 84 run win.

 What was potentially most pleasing was the attitude and togetherness of the young 2s side. Right from the warm-up it was clear that team success was the focus for all 11 blokes and the boys thoroughly enjoyed our first sing of the season. Thanks must also go to the cats on the hill, some of whom put in a huge shift and provided energy and support for all 97.1 overs.

In Round 2, Second Grade will remain at fortress St Pauls to face Gordon in the first two-day contest of the year.

Tom Fullerton