Welcome to another edition of the Weekend Wrap, proudly brought to you by our friends at New Balance | Belgravia Apparel. Visit them at www.belgraviaapparel.com for all your community club and business apparel needs.
Terrific weekend of cricket for the Tahs with some standout performances, as the Men went 4 from 5 against Sydney University, while the Women also had 4 of a possible 5 victories.
Saturday fixtures:
Men’s 1st Grade:
After a slight delay on Day 1, skipper Foster won the toss & batted. Brewster & Beadle off to a positive start as the former took the attack to the Penrith bowlers. However, a flurry of wickets prior to lunch left the Tahs in strife at 5/86. No need to worry, as the ageless Beadle continued his marvellous form constructing an innings of great patience on his way to another unbeaten hundred. Finding a formidable partner in young gun Boulton, who counter-attacked his way to 50 before knuckling down for his next 50 as he brought up his maiden hundred for the club, in a pressure cooker situation. A record breaking 6th wicket partnership between the pair. Late cameos from Dhillon & Evans propelling the Tahs to 8/359 at stumps.
Declaring overnight, Evans struck relatively early with an LBW, but the wicket flattened out quickly and made it a tough grind for the Tahs bowlers. Wickets to Foster & Dhillon having Penrith 3 down at lunch, but the visitors then built a couple of patient partnerships to make breakthroughs hard to come by. Boulton picked up a big wicket, as did Kaye after another defiant partnership. But there was work to do with Penrith 5 down & the day drawing towards its conclusion. Dhillon toiled away superbly & was rewarded with two massive wickets, while the part-timers of N.Hole chimed in with a breakthrough too. Penrith counter-attacking at 8 down, before Osbourne picked up the 9th, and Kaye the 10th, as the Tahs were victorious with under half an hour remaining in a memorable win.
Men’s 2nd Grade:
Rain greeted M2s at Howell Oval, as skipper Trewartha won the toss & bowled after a decent delay. Match reduced to 33 overs per side, Toohey with the perfect start breaking through with the first ball of the match, before Penrith fought back with a 65 run stand. But when Dunnachie picked up the all important breakthrough, the Tahs seized control of the fixture, as great discipline brought about regular wickets. Two wickets each to M.Kapoor & Searle, 1 apiece to Pryke, Dunnachie & Toohey, to go with 3 run outs, as the Tahs restricted Penrith to all out 137. The run chase was relatively smooth sailing, as the skipper continued his red hot form with another half century to anchor the innings, R.Kapoor with a handy contribution, but it was brother Myles who compiled an excellent fifty to provide the perfect support for Trewartha. Manly winning by 7 wickets in the 31st over.
Men’s 3rd Grade:
Needing to bounce back after a couple of lean weeks, M3s were bowling first at Grahams after skipper Webber won the toss. Wigney & Skinner struck once each in their first spells before the visitors clawed back control with a strong partnership. But as rain continued to trickle down in miserable conditions, the Tahs fought hard to regain the momentum. Wickets to Skinner, Cumming & Walker leading into a rain delay giving the Tahs the upper hand, with Skinner continuing the Tahs’ roll after the delay to finish with 4fa. Two more wickets to Wigney & one to Cumming closing out Penrith’s innings on 148. Coyte was off to a flyer in the chase, before Melchiore & Karlsson-Lacy knuckled down to build a strong platform. A few wickets through the middle halted the Tahs’ momentum, but McDowell calmly saw the team over the line in the 44th over for an important win.
Men’s 4th Grade:
It was a lengthy delay out west for M4s before skipper Kennedy won the toss & bowled. Penrith were off to a positive start to be 50 without loss & have the Tahs under some pressure, until Bishop-Perrett struck twice quickly. From there, wickets fell at fairly regular intervals as the Tahs’ bowlers tightened the screws, Seward with the next two, before another each to Mendel, Jenkins & RBP helped restrict Penrith to 7/167 off their adjusted 41 overs. Donnan looked like a man in great form racing to 35 in the run chase, but the Tahs were in some strife at 4/56. Dinan & Melville steadying the ship with a 62 run stand as they put pressure back on the Penrith attack. A middle order wobble leaving work still to be done, but Kerr calmly saw the Tahs to a 2 wicket win in the 35th over.
Men’s 5th Grade:
M5s skipper Waddington won another toss & the Tahs were bowling first at Mike Pawley. The opening partnership of Buchanan & Graham again asking plenty of questions of Penrith’s top order, as the former picked up two & the latter one to have the visitors 3 down early. Some fight from Penrith’s middle order as the rain set in & reduced the match to 41 overs each. A wicket to Brewster just prior to the delay, & then two to Matheson afterwards, as Penrith scrapped their way to 6/142. The run chase started with positive starts from Gatehouse & Nasser, but the Tahs’ top & middle order ultimately had an afternoon to forget as they struggled to muster any real momentum with regular wickets falling. Graham providing the only real resistance with a lower order cameo, the Tahs eventually bowled out for 113 in a disappointing chase.
Women’s 3rd Grade:
A strong W3s side were away to Gordon on Saturday, skipper James winning the toss & electing to bat. A couple of early wickets had the Tahs under pressure, but Burke counter attacked in an excellent innings to compile an unbeaten half century. With superb support from the returning Wilson, who was patient in anchoring the Tahs innings. Handy middle order contributions from Allen, Pike & Beukers propelling the Tahs to a formidable total of 8/222 off 40. With the ball, the Tahs were pretty clinical, three early wickets for the perfect start, but it was an all round effort from all the bowlers that proved decisive. 2 wickets each to Searles, Wright & Ellis, one apiece to Gillett & Bursill, and two run outs, rounding out an impressive Tahs victory by 126 runs.
Sunday fixtures:
Women’s 1st Grade:
T20 double header on Sunday for W1s, starting at Howell Oval against Penrith, who won the toss & chose to bat. The home side off to a strong start but not scoring particularly quickly as the Tahs’ bowlers remained patient. Punter with the important breakthrough in an economical spell, backed up by wickets to Henry, Carter & McLerie to restrict Penrith to 4/109. The run chase began positively as Learoyd & Mehta built a steady partnership, but the Tahs lost their way through the middle overs as wickets tumbled fairly regularly. Carter holding the innings together & eventually seeing the team over the line in a nervy chase, an important contribution late from Horsfall also central to the 2 wicket win with 3 balls to spare.
The afternoon game saw the Tahs shift venue 15 mins down the road to Bill Ball Oval, skipper McLerie winning the toss & electing to bat against Campbelltown. Unfortunately the Tahs innings from the outset struggled to gain any real momentum, despite starts from Mehta & Carter. Regular wickets through the middle slowing the run rate, until late cameos from Adams & Horsfall pushed the Tahs’ total to 7/86. Bates struck early while Carter picked up 3fa not too long after to give the Tahs a chance, but it was never quite enough runs on the board. A late wicket to Kua only a consolation as Campbelltown won by 5 wickets.
Women’s 2nd Grade:
Back home at Grahams, W2s skipper Cambridge won the toss & elected to bowl. The Tahs off to a superb start as Allen & Sharma each picked up wickets in their first overs, the latter with 2fa in her opening spell to have Gordon in early strife. The visitors consolidated but the scoreboard remained in check as spinners L.Hughes & Cambridge worked well in tandem, the former with 2fa & the latter one. A lower order revival from Gordon pushing them beyond 100 until Sharma returned to the attack to close out the innings & finishing with an excellent 5/13. Cambridge & Guyot began positively in the run chase seeing the Tahs to 40 without loss, before a little wobble saw a few quick wickets fall. But not to worry, as S.Hughes patiently steadied the ship alongside Burke who continued her outstanding form, counter-attacking the Tahs to a 7 wicket win in the 32nd over.
Brewer Shield:
Brewers hit the road south to Port Kembla for a grand-final rematch with the Southern Swans, who won the toss & elected to bat. After a steady start from the home side, T.Ford broke through for her first of two wickets, while Brown also struck shortly after, to have the game in the balance at 3/42. That’s where an unbelievable turn of events began. A run out the catalyst for a collapse of 7/10, as skipper Addison picked up 3fa & Terrey 2fa in superb spells to completely shift the game. Jayakody with the 10th wicket to leave 53 to win for the Tahs. A wicket in the first over of the chase wouldn’t falter the Tahs, as Terrey calmly led the way with a well-compiled unbeaten innings to see the Tahs to an 8 wicket victory.
Upcoming fixtures:
Two day cricket for all Men’s grades this coming round, taking on Sydney, with M2s & M4s at home. PGs are back in action Sunday with a crunch clash against a strong Parramatta side away.
Meanwhile, W3s are at Fortress Balgowlah to take on Sydney Uni, W1s host a T20 double header on Sunday, while W2s & Brewers are away to Bankstown & UTS respectively in one-day fixtures.
Until then, up the Tahs!
