Week 14 – ‘The Opening Spell’

First ball – No better way to bring in the new year!

St George’s first-grade team concludes the year with an impressive 9-0 record, while Sydney University's third-grade squad are also sitting on a perfect 9-0 season. Parramatta's fifth-grader side wrapped up 2024 with another win to take their season to 10-0. 

Second ball – On a hat-trick!

• Sutherland first-grader, Andrew Ritchie, took career best figures of 6-23 against Blacktown at Glenn McGrath Oval on Saturday. Ritchie found himself on a hat-trick on three separate occasions after dismissing Blacktown’s opener, first-drop batter and third-drop batter on their first delivery.
  
  
• Western Suburbs first-grader, Muhammad Irfan, also snared six wickets on the weekend. Irfan finished with bowling figures of 6-28 against Bankstown, in a wicked spell that included dismissing Bankstown’s opening batter, first-drop batter and middle-order batter with their first ball faced.

Third ball – Well-earned holiday!

The following third-graders are heading into the holiday break on a high, after scoring match-winning centuries:

• Lucas Robertson (Eastern Suburbs) opened the batting and scored 117 (not out) in a successful run chase against Randwick Petersham.
  
  
• Sutherland’s Jared Ball notched 116 runs (138 deliveries) to guide his Sharks to an unsurpassable total against Blacktown.
  
  
• Zain Shamsi (Western Suburbs) reached triple figures (100) to propel his team to a win over Bankstown at Blick Oval on Saturday.

Fourth ball – Leaking runs…

Parramatta fifth-grader, Naveen Patil, claimed the wickets of Penrith’s opening four batters, as well as the concluding wicket in his sides’ 133-run victory on Saturday. Patil’s five wicket haul saw him concede just two runs… 5-2!

Fifth ball – Brar goes big, but Stags and Sydney share the spoils!

Gordon’s opening bat, Taj Brar, produced a mammoth 146 run innings in his sides’ run chase against Sydney at Chatswood Oval.

Needing two runs to win from the final delivery, Brar, on 145, was run out chasing a second, meaning the sides shook hands with the scores tied – both teams on 246.

Sixth ball – O’Donnell goes duck hunting!

Western Suburbs were able to dismiss Bankstown for 90 in their third-grade clash on Saturday, largely thanks to Will O’Donnell’s spectacular spell of 7-12.

O’Donnell claimed four batsmen’s wickets before they could trouble the scorers.

Second Over

First ball – There’s something about a lefty! [Sound up]

Sit back and enjoy the best sixes from two destructive first grade innings over the weekend.

St George’s Ed Pollock | 116 runs from 58 balls

Mosman’s Elijah Eales | 71 from 31 balls

Second ball – You bat, I’ll bowl, we’ll win!

That was the plan for two Manly Warringah fifth grade representatives, who combined to dismantle a Campbelltown Camden outfit at Raby Sports Complex on Saturday.

Reuben Kapoor notched a well-made 115 run innings to propel his Waratah’s to 9/295 from their 50 overs, before Raja Ganeshraj wrapped things up with the pill, taking 6-26 from his 10 overs to restrict the Ghosts to 144 all-out.

Third ball – Freeman fires back!

Over in second-grade, Ryan Freeman snared 5-11 for the Ghosts as they chased down Manly Warringah’s total with two wickets to spare.

Fourth ball – Milestone man Sams!

Anthony Sams graced the field for the 300^th time in NSW Premier Cricket, as his Randy Petes took on Eastern Suburbs at Waverley Oval.

Sams joined Randwick Petersham in the 2010-11 season and has since achieved:

• Club Championship
• Belvidere Cup
• 2 x One-Day Cups
• 5 x T20 Premierships

Fifth ball – That's a 'Xmas as nan's' spell!

St George’s William Taylor took 5-9 as his side finished 121-run winners over Fairfield-Liverpool in their fourth-grade match at Fairfield Oval.

This is how the dismissals look on the scorecard:

Sixth ball – Dolphwash & Sharkwash!  

• Eastern Suburbs have recorded consecutive clean sweep rounds, claiming the win in five out of five fixtures against Randwick Petersham over the weekend!
  
  
• Sutherland also remained undefeated across the five grades, triumphing over Blacktown.