Week 6 – ‘The Opening Spell’

First ball – Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup | Finals form

Randwick Petersham qualified for the Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup grand final after defeating Fairfield-Liverpool by 54 runs at Coogee Oval yesterday. Randy Pete’s hard hitting Jake Egan despatched the Lions’ bowling attack to all parts of the ground, finishing with a quick-fire 61* (not out) from 28 deliveries, just one day after tallying 94 runs (149 balls) against Western Suburbs in their round 4 Belvidere Cup clash.

Gordon also earned their way into the short-format competition final, after downing Penrith away from home. 19-year-old talent Trystan Kennedy, top-scored for the Stags with an unbeaten 41* (43 deliveries) to push his side to a defendable total of 4-140. The previous day saw Kennedy achieve his maiden first-grade century, notching a marvellous score of 132 (193 balls) in a drawn first-grade match against Manly Warringah.

_{Cover pic | RP's Jack Wood (taken by Peter Bannigan) & Gordon's Joey Gillard (taken by Tony Wilson)}

Second ball – Line and length!

Parramatta’s Naveen Patil claimed 14 wickets in his side’s round 4 fifth-grade win over Blacktown Mounties at Whalan Reserve. Patil recorded unbelievable first-innings figures of 9-16, before snaring a further five wickets (5-24) in his second spell.

Even more impressively, only two of Patil’s 14 scalps were aided by teammates’ catching, with seven dismissals claimed through lbw and the other five clean bowled.

Third ball – All-round success!

Runs, wickets and wins – these two all-rounders collected all three in the latest set of Brewer Shield fixtures:

• Elizabeth Cambridge (Manly Warringah) carried her bat through her side’s innings against UTS, to finish unbeaten on 49* from 64 deliveries. Cambridge then returned outstanding bowling figures of 5-6 to ensure Manly took home the competition points.
• Greater Hunter Coast representative, Caoimhe Bray, collected bowling figures of 3-8 before guiding her side to victory with a stellar innings of 31* (17 balls) against Penrith.

Fourth ball – Ghosts run riot over Halloween weekend!

Campbelltown Camden triumphed over UNSW in all but one fixture during round 4, and in each win, the Ghosts had an individual batter reach triple figures.

• Ryan Clark put together a 147* run (not out) innings to help his side chase the Bees’ 225-run total in second grade.
• Luke Morgan struck 132 runs (120 balls) as his third-grade team passed their target with five wickets in hand.
• Uzair Sarfaraz scored 106 runs (182) after opening the batting, as his fourth-grade Ghosts side claimed victory with one wicket to spare.
• Pat Richards added 122 runs in a 63-run fifth-grade victory at Raby Sports Complex.

Fifth ball – Statistically impressive!

Gordon’s second-grade skipper, Kristen Dorsch, took three wickets whilst allowing just four runs from a four over spell that included two maidens. Dorsch would also hold onto three catches as Gordon claimed an eight-wicket win over Campbelltown Camden.

Sixth ball – Still standing!

There was no dismissing the following centurions in the latest round of men’s McDonald’s NSW premier cricket:

• Wilf La Fontaine Jackson finished unbeaten on 112* (176 balls) in a 7-wicket win over Fairfield-Liverpool in second-grade.
• Harrison Lee-Young reached triple figures (100*) during his UTS North Sydney second-grade side’s successful run chase against Hawkesbury.
• Bankstown’s Matthew Simpson saw his side across the line with a well-made 100* (155 balls) against Penrith in their third-grade encounter.
• Marcus Jewell opened for Sutherland in their fourth-grade fixture against Mosman. Jewell tallied 139* runs to ensure the Sharks swam away with the points.
• Manly Warringah fifth-grader Jack Melchiore (140*), carried his bat in a winning run chase against Gordon.

Second Over

First ball – Shining stars!

• Ellen Dolbel (75* not out) accumulated half of her Penrith second grade side’s innings total in a 60-run win over Sydney University at Bill Ball Oval.
• Daisy Webster contributed 65* runs (not out) in a 114-run chase, to see her second-grade Sydney squad take the win over Parramatta at Merrylands Park.  
• Ava Kyle top-scored for her Parramatta third-grade team, tallying 79 (65 balls) to propel the Two-Blues to a match-winning total of 164 against Manly Warringah.

Second ball – Silver-lining century!

Blacktown Mounties number five, Gaurav Dogra, who turns twenty in December, scored 100* (from 199 balls) in a Belvidere Cup loss to Parramatta on Saturday. Dogra was able to reach his first, first-grade century as a result of number eleven batsman, Asfar Rias, surviving 55 balls. Rias was out for 6 (61 balls) in the over following Dogra raising the bat.

Third ball – Captain’s contribution!

Manly Warringah’s women’s first-grade team brought an end to Campbelltown Camden’s undefeated start to the new season. Chasing 122 runs, captain Lauren Kua pieced together a crucial innings of 65* (not out), to see the Waratahs win with two deliveries to spare.

Fourth ball – Seeing off the new ball, and the old ball!

Parramatta’s Brewer Shield opening pair of Neha Joshua (75*) and Vani Bhadana (78) put on a 157-run partnership before the latter was dismissed with just one over to be bowled. Parramatta would defeat Sydney by 69 runs and move to second place on the competition ladder.

Fifth ball – Stay on from that end!

• Eastern Suburbs’ Nick Palmer claimed figures of 6-26 in a second-grade win over St George. Palmer delivered 16.5 overs in the victory, six more than the next nearest Dolphin bowler.
• Manly Warringah’s Lachlan Trewartha dismissed six Gordon batters to defend his side’s first-innings total and claim the competition points. Trewartha trotted in for 19.5 overs, just about double the amount of the next nearest Waratah bowler.

Sixth ball – Tiger cubs step up!

It has been a quick rise to the top for emerging Sydney Cricket Club talents, Holly Toms and Emily Powell. Only last year the pair claimed the U18 Brewer Shield title, with Powell amassing 767 competition runs (59.00 average) and Toms 617 runs (47.46 average).

This year, the damaging duo have continued to surpass all expectations, leading the Tigers to a seemingly unlikely first-grade victory over a strong Parramatta line-up. Coming together at the start of the 15^th over, with Sydney in trouble at 5/64, Powell (32*) and Toms (17*) stuck to their guns to guide Sydney past their 100-run target at Merrylands Oval with just under two overs remaining.

_{Holly Toms (L) and Emily Powell (supplied by Jeremy Lockhart)}