Sydney University’s semi-final win over Manly on the weekend took the club into the First Grade grand final for the eleventh time since finals were introduced to the competition in 1952-53. This means that the club will contest the grand final of all three First Grade competitions (Belvidere Cup, 50 overs and T20), matching the feat of the 2018-19 team.
Sydney University dismissed the first four Manly batsmen without scoring in the First Grade semi-final on Saturday. This was the first time this has occurred in a Belvidere Cup finals match involving the club (the most recent similar event was in 2013-14, when Bankstown’s first two batsmen were dismissed for 0 in the second innings of the grand final). Manly’s total of 78 was the lowest score against University in a Belvidere Cup finals match since that 2013-14 season, when Randwick-Petersham managed only 77 in the semi-final. Curiously, however, this was not the first time in any grade that Manly has lost 4-1 in a semi-final against Sydney University, with the only run being a leg bye. Exactly the same scoreline appeared in the Fourth Grade semi-final in 1980-81. On that occasion, Manly was chasing a target of 152, and began by losing 4-1. Shortly afterwards, four wickets fell with the score on 6, so that Manly was 8 for 6 (they recovered to reach 21). But that was in the days of uncovered pitches.
Hayden Kerr’s phenomenal spell of 5-30 (including 3-0 from his first five overs) was his first five-wicket haul for the club in any grade. He followed up by scoring 51, his 27th score of fifty or more in First Grade (including four hundreds).
When Tim Cummins caught Manly’s Matt Brewster on Saturday, he completed his 250th dismissal for the club in First Grade (215 caught and 35 stumped). He becomes the third player to reach that landmark for the club, after the late Alan Crompton (331) and Shane Stanton (283).
Devlin Malone extended his career-best season tally of First Grade wickets to 68 by dismissing Steve O’Keefe.
Caelan Maladay, with 3-31 against Manly, passed 40 wickets for the season for the first time in his First Grade career. He also reached 50 wickets for the season for the club (42 in Firsts, 8 in Poidevin-Gray).
When Kieran Tate dismissed Manly’s Jay Lenton on Saturday, he reached 40 First Grade wickets for the season for the first time in his career.
Damien Mortimer, with 76 not out against Manly, hit his 42nd score above fifty in First Grade (including eight centuries). It was his 150th innings for the club, and during it he passed 700 runs for the season (for the fifth time in his First Grade career).
During Ryan McElduff’s 34 not out against Manly, he passed 500 First Grade runs for the season for the third time in his career.
And, finally, a milestone marking an event that didn’t happen. When the semi-finals commenced on Saturday, it was the first time that a Premier Cricket semi-final round had been played without Ash Cowan taking part since 2011-12 - a gap of 4382 days.