Greater Hunter Coast Crushers are a team in form // Andrew McCrae
First ball – Bray’s back-to-back big innings brings Crushers Grand Final debut!
The Greater Hunter Coast Crushers have qualified for the Brewer Shield trophy-deciding fixture in only their second season, after overcoming a powerful UTS North Sydney squad away from home.
Crushers’ superstar Caoimhe Bray continued her unbelievable finals form, notching a second century (123 runs from 134 balls) in two weeks, as her side ran out 127-run victors.
Greater Hunter Coast will face an inform Manly Warringah outfit, after the Waratahs downed a top of the table Northern District 11 at Asquith Oval.
Second ball – Callaghan adds another page to her increasingly impressive cricketing story!
Gordon Women’s District Cricket Club will contest the second-grade grand final after defeating Manly Warringah by 22 runs at Manly Oval on Sunday.
Olivia Callaghan, who has captained a NSW metropolitan pathways side to a national championship and achieved a double-century in a record-breaking 466-run premier cricket partnership, added a premier cricket finals century to her growing list of cricketing achievements, notching 104 runs from 120 balls at the top of the Deer’s order.
Gordon will line up against UTS North Sydney, after the Bears beat defending champions, Sydney at Birchgrove Oval.
Third ball – Add it to the tally!
- Tym Crawford’s 63 runs (74 balls) against Blacktown took the Gordon first-grade captain to 1,303 runs for the season. It places him at number 10 on the all-time most runs in a season list.
- Randwick Petersham’s Angus McTaggart took 5-39, dismissing UNSW for 163. It made him the first bowler to take 50 wickets this season, going to 51.
Fourth ball – Doing a bit!
Gordon met Blacktown at Joe McAleer Park on Saturday, for the first day of their second-grade clash.
Blacktown batted first and were all out for 91 within 43 overs. Nicholas Toohey ripped through the Mounties batting unit to finish with figures of 5-23.
Some 25.5 overs later, Gordon were dismissed for 53. Harjit Singh (5-32) and Mandar Mariguddi (4-21) doing the damage for the hosts.
Fifth ball – This time last year!
Manly Warringah will host St George-Sutherland in the women’s third-grade final at Balgowlah this Saturday.
These two clubs met in the third-grade deciding fixture last year, where the Slayers ran out 7-wicket winners to lift the trophy.
Both sides’ captains are coming off the back of stellar semi-final performances. Manly skipper Sallie Molyneux claimed 3-7, while Slayers captain Stephanie Gillett scored an unbeaten 43* and took 3-11 with the ball.
Sixth ball – Persistent Miller reaps rewards!
Northern District’s Corey Miller (born: 23/11/2002) scored a 99 in fourth grade in 2018/19 (Round 4), followed by 114 in third grade (Round 7).
In 2019/20 in second-grade he scored 100 in Round 4 and 156 in Round 7.
In 2020/21 in Round 2 (03/10/2020) at the age of 17 years 315 days, he scored 262 against Hawkesbury in second-grade. He added 125 against Blacktown seconds three rounds later.
He had commenced his first-grade career the round after his double century, and on Saturday in his 70th first-class match, the now 21-year-old, finally added a first-grade century (119 not out against North Sydney) to his resume.
It was his 67th innings, these figures include 10 T20 matches and innings.
Second Over
First ball – Hat-trick hero!
Bankstown sit in eighth position on the men’s fourth-grade ladder. Their opponents for the final regular round of the season, Eastern Suburbs, sit in fifth.
Needing a win to have any chance of qualifying for finals cricket, Bankstown’s Hassaan Jamil produced a clutch bowling performance, snaring 5-3 to restrict the Dolphins to 109 all-out. The Bulldogs were 2/90 at stumps.
Jamil’s spell included four wickets in five balls, including what appears to be a hat-trick.
Second ball – Sammy-Jo sends Tigers to first-grade final!
Straight out of state representative duties, Sammy-Jo Johnson has produced a terrific performance to help Sydney Cricket Club overcome Manly Warringah and advance to the women’s first-grade grand final.
Those around Drummoyne Oval were treated to an all-round masterclass, with Johnson scoring 53 and taking a three-wicket haul (3-20).
Sammy-Jo Johnson in action for Sydney // PhotographybyJez
Third ball – Grant puts Panthers in the hunt!
A dominant win over an undefeated St George squad in the previous round gave ninth placed Penrith a glimpse of Belvidere Cup finals cricket.
They now sit in a promising position over third placed Manly Warringah in their final regular season round, thanks to an incredible bowling performance from Samuel Grant.
Grant’s 7-35 restricted the Waratah’s to a first-innings total of 105, and Penrith sit on 6/74 with a day’s play to come.
Fourth ball – Leaders lead!
Manly Warringah are well and truly on track to push for a second-grade title defence, after captain Andrew Jamieson tore apart a Penrith batting line-up to seal first-innings points on day one at Howell Oval.
Jamieson’s 6-10 held Penrith to a first-innings total of 50, which Manly were able to surpass six wickets down.
Fifth ball – And new!
UTS North Sydney will contest for the women’s second-grade trophy this weekend after defeating defending champions, Sydney, by 14 runs at Birchgrove Oval on Sunday.
Alex Mavros shone with bat and ball – scoring an unbeaten 39* and claiming figures of 4-22.
This final will be an epic battle of the state’s emerging stars (see ball two above).
Sixth ball – Great timing, bad timing!
Sydney opener Marlon Rodrigo, recorded his highest score of the season in his second-grade sides’ final fixture of 2023/24, tallying 137 from 195 deliveries against Mosman.
It’s never a bad time to reach triple figures, but it is an unfortunate round to find form.