The beautiful Waverley Oval welcomed M1s for their first Sat/Sun two-dayer of the season. Persistent showers forced a lengthy delay & an early lunch to be taken with the first session abandoned. Post lunch, after losing the toss & being sent into bat, the Tahs found it tough going on a wicket that was offering plenty of assistance for the bowlers. Intermittent rain delays were accompanied by a regular flow of wickets in the second session, despite counter-attacking starts from skipper Jay Lenton (27) & Bertie Foreman (29). At 6/112, someone needed to step up, and youngster Andrew Boulton (49*) did just that, with a gutsy, composed innings under pressure. Combining with the experience of Ahillen Beadle for a 67 run partnership that steadied the ship after tea. A couple of late wickets before bad light brought play to an end on Day 1, Manly 8/200 from 59 overs. Due to the overs lost, Day 2 saw an early start, to which the Tahs’ final two wickets fell in quick succession with Boulton 49no. All out 207. The perfect start with the ball ensued, Tom Kaye (4/32) knocking over the opener second ball, before Joel Foster struck not too long after to have Easts 2/17. The home side consolidated either side of lunch, and looked in control of the chase at 2/91, before Foreman (5/79) struck twice in quick succession, dismissing both set batters with an excellent return catch followed by a strong overhead mark from Josh Seward. But Easts again fought back to be well on top at 4/146. This is where the Tahs really turned the screws, Kaye picking up his second & third wickets either side of tea, courtesy of a stunning one-hander from Beadle at slip, and then a safe catch from Lachie Coyte at short cover. Foreman out-smarted the Easts skipper with a lightning fast stumping from Lenton, before LBWs to Foreman & Kaye had Easts 9/178. Nerves building as Easts’ last-wicket partnership got to within 13 runs, but Foreman wouldn’t be denied his 5th, with one of the more phenomenal catches of his own bowling, to cap off a gusty victory for the Tahs.
Only 3 overs were possible at Manly Oval for M2s before the rain settled in forcing a lengthy delay & the match to be shortened to 37 overs per side. The Tahs batting first, with Brynn Mendel (72) at his brutal best after the rain delay bringing up a destructive 50* off 24 balls. An 82 run opening partnership with Sam Hole followed by a brief cameo from Henry Rogers, but the Tahs lost their way through the middle stages with some consistent wickets lost. Isaiah Vumbaca (33*) & Zach Trewartha (31) regathering the ascendancy with a crucial 63 run partnership late to propel the Tahs to 6/207 from 37 overs. In reply, Easts were off to an absolute flyer with boundaries flowing, and looked in cruise control at 0/110. Vumbaca got the much-needed opening breakthrough, before Rogers struck twice in quick succession as the Tahs stemmed the flow of runs. Easts’ dangerous opener was still there, but when Lachie Trewartha dismissed him, the Tahs had the upper hand. Economical bowling & three late wickets to Michael Counsell closing out the innings superbly, as the Tahs ran away victors by 27 runs.
M3s were greeted by a wicket with plenty of grass coverage at Trumper Park, the Tahs in the field first after losing the toss. Blessing in disguise as the Tahs’ bowlers were on fire early, Josh Wigney with two & one to Will Skinner to have Easts 3/9. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals despite the Easts’ captain threatening with a counter-attacking innings. Skinner with his second, a third catch to Jack Melchiore, before Julian Osbourne picked up his first to make the score 5/57. Easts fought back with a steady partnership after the match had been reduced to 44 overs per side. Josh Cooper with the breakthrough, before the Tahs’ death bowling was solid, late wickets shared between Osbourne, Josh Coyte & Jake Hutchings. 170 the target from 44 overs. Easts began strongly with the ball, economical bowling & regular wickets up top having the Tahs under pressure despite starts from Hutchings (20) & Reuben Kapoor (25). The game teetering at 5/69, Ollie Melville (41) & Cooper (21) steadying the ship & giving the Tahs a chance. Another delay meant an adjustment to the equation, followed by moderate partnerships & a regular flow of wickets, ultimately leaving the Tahs 9 down but still with work to do. Wigney (16*) calmly icing the game for the Tahs under enormous pressure, hitting a six to win it for the Tahs & secure a thrilling 1 wicket victory.
Grahams Reserve hosted M4s on an overcast Saturday. After an early delay, the Tahs lost the toss & were bowling first, Easts making a positive start before Ryan Bishop-Perrett struck the first breakthrough, LBW, just as the rain began to fall again. Once the rain ceased, a couple of moderate partnerships from Easts were broken first by George Cumming & then by Kai Croft, both of whom bowled economically. However, with the match reduced to 39 overs per side, Easts counter-attacked towards the end of the innings with some strong hitting, propelling their total to 5/198 from 39 overs despite a second & third wicket to Bishop-Perrett. Big chase incoming, but skipper Jayden Kennedy (20) & Dom Wheeler (17) were off to a quickfire start in reply. A few regular wickets & some tight bowling saw the Tahs lose their way slightly despite a counter-attacking innings from Brodie McDowell (24). Plenty of work left to do, 15 overs to go & a required run rate of 7 per over & climbing. But the calmness & experience of Jack Ritchie (61*) and the youthful exuberance of Kai Croft (33) proved the perfect foil for each other in a match-defining 85 run partnership. Great running between the wickets & low risk batting bringing the Tahs within touching distance of victory, needing 4 from the final over. A couple of dots first up, but Ritchie showed his class with the winning runs, Watts 3* at the other end, Tahs victorious by 4 wickets with one ball to spare.
M5s were fortunate to play host to Easts at Mike Pawley Oval on a scheduled away game, skipper Reiley Dunlop winning the toss & electing to bat after an hour long delay. Match reduced to 45 overs per side, Toby Seward & Jack Donnan began positively before a cluster of wickets fell either side of another lengthy delay to have the Tahs in a spot of bother at 5/60. With only 15 overs left to bat as the second delay had forced a further reduction in overs, to 32 per side. Lukas Overhoff (74*) was holding firm as wickets tumbled, but a partnership of substance was desperately required, and he & Adam Searle (81) were the men for the task. Not just steadying the ship but combining for one of the more entertaining partnerships as both counter-attacked the Tahs’ way out of trouble. Overhoff patient & classy with an unbeaten 74, while Searle hit 6 maximums on his way to a destructive 81 off 43 balls, the partnership between the pair worth 145. Late cameo from Nathan Pryke (10*) propelling the Tahs to 6/215. With the ball, the Tahs were simply clinical, particularly early on, 2 wickets to Zac Buchanan & 3 to Will Matheson, to have Easts 5/37 on the back of some excellent catching too from Dunlop & Pryke. Easts fought back momentarily with a steady partnership, but the damage was done. Searle backing up his batting heroics with 2fa in quick succession to break the partnership, followed by a wicket to Bill Martin & run out to Overhoff. Easts finishing their 32 overs 9/129, to round out a big win for the Tahs.
W1s were back in one-day mode, making the trip out to Bankstown Oval, the Tahs sent into bat first after losing the toss on what looked a beautiful wicket for batting. An early wicket didn’t stop Saskia Horley (84) & skipper Lauren Kua (61) from settling into a brilliant partnership that ultimately yielded 137 runs. Both combining a mixture of patience & powerful boundary hitting to post classy half centuries. Their dismissals unfortunately saw the Tahs stutter through the later overs, small contributions from Megan Sturge & Katie Letcher pushing the total to 234 when the final wicket fell in the 48th over of the Tahs’ innings. The pitch remained flat & the bowling would need to be on song for the Tahs to defend, Chelsea McLerie continuing her good form with an early caught & bowled to kickstart the defence. Bankstown consolidated well with a threatening partnership that had them on track at 1/70, until Kua backed up her batting efforts with the ball. 3 wickets in the blink of an eye to turn the game back in the Tahs’ favour. A few moderate partnerships followed from Bankstown’s middle order, broken first by Mia Waddington, then Kua for her 4th, and then Darcey Whiteley for the Tahs’ 7th. Kua didn’t stop there, picking up her 5th & 6th to round out a phenomenal all-round individual effort. Some excellent catching too amongst Horley, Whiteley, Lizzie Cambridge & Kristie Crawford. Lower order resistance from Bankstown with a 30 run partnership delayed the final wicket, before McLerie took her 2nd, Bankstown all out 194 & securing a 40 run victory for Manly.
On a warm beaches Sunday, W2s played host to Penrith at Manly Oval, the Tahs losing the toss & asked to bat first. It proved to be a good result for the Tahs, Charlotte Croll (27) & skipper Gabby Dunnage (30) beginning the innings positively with a counter-attacking 64 run partnership as both showed great intent to move the score along. However, their dismissals led to a little clump of wickets as the Tahs struggled to maintain their early innings momentum. Steph Hughes (31) steadied the ship with a composed innings as wickets fell around her, until a 66 run partnership between Arabella Handley (42) & Mia Nel (50) regained the ascendancy. Both initially patient in rebuilding the innings before later taking the attack to the opposition & setting the foundation for some late contributions from Brooke Frew (20) & Molly Kidd (22), which propelled the Tahs to a formidable total of 9/252 from 50 overs. The Manly Oval wicket proved to still be ideal for batting, Penrith making an extremely strong start to the run chase despite the one breakthrough to Sallie Molyneux. A second wicket partnership of 113 proving particularly threatening, before the Tahs began the fightback. Crucial breakthroughs of set batters to Handley & Nel shifting the momentum immediately. Nel continued to make an impact with the ball with two more wickets, to go with one to Erica Sharma, but it was Lara Hughes that led the way late in the innings with 4 wickets in an excellent second spell. Penrith going from 1/153 to all out 210 on the back of a spirited fightback from the Tahs’ bowlers to win by 42 runs.
Brewers made their first home appearance at Grahams Reserve for the season, the Tahs asked to bat first after Northern District won the toss on an even batting wicket. Annabel Kyme (36) & Keira Terrey (80) began positively yet with minimal risk, patiently building an excellent 102 run partnership to lay the foundation for the Tahs’ innings. Terrey particularly impressive in compiling 80 from 141 balls, her maiden half century for the Tahs & a match-defining one at that. Contributions through the middle order from Willa Pearson, skipper Saoirse Ford, and Grace Pike, to go with a quickfire 23 off 18 to Eve Burke, all continued the momentum that had been set. Ultimately leading the Tahs to a strong total of 6/210 from 50 overs. The bowling effort that followed was simply brilliant across the board, early breakthroughs to Charlotte Allen & Lily Crabbe setting the tone perfectly. But it was the spell from Matilda Brown that was the story of the day, picking up a phenomenal 4/3 from 6 overs, including a hat-trick which had the crowd on their feet. From there, wickets continued to fall at a consistent rate, shared between Ford, Pike, Kyme & Abigail Bland. Supported by some great efforts & catches in the field. Northern District bowled out for 51, a double bonus point victory for the Tahs.
Unfortunately the weather gods aren’t with W3s at the moment, no play possible in their away fixture against Gordon due to Saturday’s inclement weather.
All Men’s grades return to two-day cricket this weekend with Day 1 of fixtures against Penrith, M1s, M3s & M5s on the road, while M2s & M4s play host. PGs are back in action on Sunday with an away double header at Raby Oval, T20s against Mosman & Campbelltown-Camden.
W1s & W2s are both at home in T20s on Sunday morning, hosting Campbelltown-Camden & Greater Hunter Coast at Manly Oval & Grahams Reserve respectively. Brewers travel away to face Sydney Uni in a T20 at St Andrew’s Oval, while W3s are back at Balgowlah on Saturday against North Sydney.
Hopefully the Tahs can continue the momentum on the back of a strong weekend. Go Manly.
