Men’s 1st Grade:
Back home at Manly Oval, skipper Lenton won the toss & elected to bowl, and the Tahs justified his decision superbly. Boulton with a jaffer hitting the top of off for the first, before Kaye tore through Bankstown’s top order with some brilliant swing bowling. Taking 6 of the next 7 wickets, the other a 2nd to Boulton, as the Tahs’ bowlers challenged both edges of the bat regularly to have Bankstown 8/71. Their lower order batted smartly to prolong the innings, the last two wickets to Foreman & Z.Trewartha seeing the visitors all out for 146. Beadle (36) looked at his best once again with a positive start, before Lenton (61*) & J.Davies (27) ticked over the scoreboard regularly. The skipper passing fifty as he & Foreman (21*) took the Tahs to first innings points, 3 wickets down & leading by 14 at stumps.
Men’s 2nd Grade:
At Bankstown Oval, Tahs skipper Daly won the toss & chose to bat on a flat wicket. M.Brewster (96) & S.Hole seeing off the new ball with a 60 run partnership, before Brewster & L.Coyte (94) batted with great intent to build a huge partnership. Both waiting for the right ball to hit, and keeping the score moving along at a good rate, as the two each brought up classy half centuries, combining for a 122 run stand. Unfortunately both fell agonisingly short of what would’ve been very well deserved hundreds. A middle order wobble left the team in need of another partnership at 5/214, Daly (50) & Vumbaca (61) stepping up to the task, mixing patience & smart batting to combine for 110 runs. The final wickets fell quickly though as the Tahs searched for a late flurry of runs, to be all out for 336.
Men’s 3rd Grade:
A late change saw the great man Andrew Jamieson out of retirement to skipper M3s, winning the toss at Grahams & electing to bat. A couple of wickets lost early, but R.Kapoor & Dunnachie (52) steadied the ship with a patient partnership. After drinks, Dunnachie brought up an excellent half century, before Croft (60) took over, patient to start & then cashing in through the middle of his innings to also pass fifty on his 3rd Grade debut. But it was Cooper’s day ultimately, first combining with Croft for 77 runs, and later with Cumming (40) for a 130 run partnership. Cooper (115*) compiling a classy hundred, building into his innings nicely before accelerating towards the end, finishing unbeaten on 115. Well supported by Cumming who proved the perfect foil in a crucial partnership. The Tahs declaring 7/302, Bankstown safely navigating the final 2 overs to be 0/10 at stumps.
Men’s 4th Grade:
Day 1 of M4s was washed out due to water getting under the covers during Friday’s storm. 120 overs to be played this weekend.
Men’s 5th Grade:
The Tahs were bowling first at Mike Pawley Oval after losing the toss. But as had been the case for much of the season, the bowling group were up for the task. Walker & Halloran striking once each early, before a rare obstructing the field dismissal was the talking point of the morning. Again, the bowling effort was well-rounded with all bowlers chipping in across the board, J.Brewster continuing his good form with 3fa, and one each to Martin & Buchanan. Bankstown 8/41 but their lower order proved stubborn & built a frustrating partnership. Donnan closing out the innings well with 2fa, Bankstown all out 104. With 19 overs remaining in the day, skipper Dunlop (19*) & Donnan (21*) were patient against the new ball, navigating the final session of the day’s play strongly to be 0/42 at stumps.
Women’s 3rd Grade:
With Balgowlah Oval fast becoming a fortress once more, W3s hosted Sydney, Tahs skipper Molyneux won the toss & chose to bat first. The Tahs’ top order were sensational, patiently building a strong platform for the rest of the innings. Openers James (38) & Jonkers (26) combining for 40 runs for the first wicket, before James & Addison (15) put on a further 44 as they all batted with positive intent to progress the score. It was Hough’s (40*) innings though that really pushed the Tahs towards a competitive total, some great batting smarts to compile an unbeaten 40 as middle & lower order wickets fell quickly around her. All out 147. With the task only half done, the Tahs couldn’t have asked for a better start with the ball, Sydney 4/8 early after two wickets to Searles, one to Addison, and a run out to Wilson. A substantial partnership built for the 5th wicket, but the bowlers kept at the task, James with the breakthrough before the remaining wickets were shared. One each to Randall & Wilson, and two to Woods, seeing Sydney all out for 73 & securing a double bonus point win for the Tahs.
Poidevin Gray Shield:
Back in action after a month off, PGs took on a strong Northern Districts side at Mark Taylor Oval. Tahs skipper J.Davies won the toss & elected to bowl on a spicy wicket, but NDs began positively. Boulton with the opening breakthrough, but NDs were tracking okay at 1/40. That’s where the game changed completely as Lawson delivered a phenomenal triple-wicket maiden, followed shortly after by his 4th & 5th in successive balls in his next over. Just a relentless spell of fast bowling, probing lines & lengths every ball. Two wickets in between to Osbourne, before a run out to Davies & wicket to Foreman closed out the NDs innings on 78. With the pitch still offering plenty for the bowlers, Rogers showed his immense talent with some brutal hitting, 41 off 16 balls to take the game away from NDs. Dhillon (14*) & R.Kapoor (10*) navigating the final runs as the Tahs chased the total down for the loss of two wickets inside 14 overs, booking a semi final clash with Mosman at Allan Border Oval in two weeks time.
Women’s 1st Grade:
With their final home game of the regular season, W1s were in the field first after losing the toss, but the bowling group responded superbly, particularly early on. Openers Darlington & McLerie striking once each inside the first 3 overs, before Penrith fought back with a decent partnership. However, the Tahs’ bowlers were persistent & disciplined, as spin took effect in the game, Henry taking two in quick succession, one to Adams & two to skipper Kua to have Penrith 7/73. A lower order fightback pushed their score beyond 100, before two run outs, & a third wicket to Henry closed out Penrith’s innings on 114. As they have done on a few occasions now this season, Learoyd (51) & McCaughan (44) took the run chase on with great intent & smarts, combining for 94 runs & taking the game completely away from the opposition. Skipper Kua with the winning runs as the Tahs were victorious by eight wickets with a double bonus point.
Women’s 2nd Grade:
Another week on the road saw W2s at Bankstown Oval, the Tahs sent into bat first after losing the toss. A couple of early wickets had pressure building, S.Hughes (24) & C.Croll (15) steadying the ship momentarily, before Hughes & Handley (23) built a patient 45 run partnership to have the Tahs innings back on track. K.Punter (25) started positively, along with a few contributions through the middle order, but ultimately the Tahs found it tough to really gain any ascendancy against some tight bowling, posting 7/140 from 50 overs. It was a similar story with the bowling innings, as the Tahs struggled to take early wickets with a few substantial partnerships building. Two wickets to Sharma & Nel, and one each to L.Hughes & Punter, but it wasn’t enough unfortunately as Bankstown passed the total 7 down in the 43rd over.
Brewer Shield:
At Grahams, skipper S.Ford won the toss & elected to bat, but the Tahs were in early strife as the top order wickets tumbled in relatively quick succession. With the score 5/31, the Tahs were in need of a middle & lower order fightback, E.Davies (56*) leading the way with a composed half century under pressure, in just her 2nd game for the Tahs. Combining with Lowry for 37 runs before a particularly match-defining 57 run partnership with Bland (22), as both were patient & rotated the strike well to push the Tahs towards a competitive total. A late contribution from Allen while Davies was unbeaten on 56, as the Tahs posted 7/146 from 50 overs. After a positive start by North Sydney in the run chase, the bowling stepped up a notch as the Tahs really took control of the match with an excellent team effort through the middle overs. Two wickets to Brown & S.Punter, one each to Burke, Lowry & Terrey, along with two run outs, to have North Sydney 9/74. A defiant, frustrating last wicket partnership preventing a bonus point, the Tahs settling for a 29 run win as North Sydney concluded their 50 overs 9/117.
Upcoming fixtures:
Saturday sees the Men continue with Day 2 of their fixtures against Bankstown. M4s with a 120 over day.
Meanwhile on the Women’s side, all grades have one day fixtures. W1s & W3s away to Campbelltown & Sydney Uni respectively. W2s host Sydney in a match crucial to the club champs race, while Brewers take on the Southern Swans at Grahams.
As always, up the Tahs.
