(Pictured: Sammy-Jo Johnson for Sydney Cricket hitting 30* after taking 2-7 off four overs)
Rain, milestones, big selections, the return of WBBL stars and a look at Premier Cricket's leading performers in this edition of The Opening Spell.
First ball – Super Spell for Sydney University
Despite a tough loss against Penrith in Brewer Shield, there was plenty for Sydney University to celebrate, including individual performances. Diksha Chowdhary’s spell of 2-5 off four was the most economical spell of four overs recorded for the club in a T20 Brewer Shield Game.
Second ball – Milestone for McElduff
The weather may have rained on almost all parades over the weekend, but one game went ahead in men’s second grade, and it marked an exciting milestone for a Sydney University star. During his innings against Hawkesbury, Sydney University’s Ryan McElduff (40 off 25) passed 5000 runs in Premier Cricket (4883 for Sydney University and 130 for Gordon). McElduff currently sits on 758 runs for the season with a high score of 206 not out.
Third ball – Stars Shine for Sydney
Sydney Cricket Club welcomed WBBL players Sammy-Jo Johnson and Maitlan Brown home over the weekend. The women’s first grade side reaped the rewards, with Johnson picking up 2 for 7 from her four overs and Brown taking 1 for 5 from hers to see Campbelltown reach just 52 in their 20 overs. Johnson didn’t stop there though, smacking 30 not out from 21 to boost Sydney to the target in just 8.4 overs. Sitting 1.5 points clear at the top of the ladder, is anyone ready to challenge Sydney for the title?
Fourth ball – Lauren Leads the Way
Leading from the front, Manly women’s first grade captain Lauren Kua has surpassed 1000 career runs in recent weeks, highlighted by a standout performance in round 9. With a double bonus point possible if the target was reached within 10 overs of their clash against Bankstown, Kua (16*) came to the crease with nine needed from the 10th over and seven from the final two balls for a double bonus point, and Kua was up for the task – seeing Manly secure a 9-wicket victory inside 10 overs and the valuable double bonus point to inch closer to the top of the table.
Fifth ball – Premier Cricket’s Pathway to Success
In a sign of how strong the women’s premier cricket competition is, Ella Briscoe (St George-Sutherland), Caoimhe Bray (Greater Hunter Coast), Juliette Morton (St George-Sutherland) and Kate Pelle (Parramatta) have all been named in the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Squad. Briscoe and Morton were part of the St George-Sutherland side that finished runner up in both the first grade T20 and 50 over competitions earlier this year, while Bray led the Greater Hunter Coast team to their very first Brewer Shield premiership.
Sixth ball – Hughes’ Haul
Manly’s Lara Hughes stole the show in women’s second grade, taking four wickets in the space of her first two overs, including two caught and bowled, and two courtesy of fast stumpings by sister Steph. Lara picked up her fifth with the final ball of her spell, finishing with incredible figures of five for eight from four overs. Hughes currently sits atop of the table as the overall wicket taker in McDonald’s Women’s Premier Cricket with 25 wickets at an average of 5.84.
Second Over
First ball – Northern District Demolish Penrith
Northern District made a mess of Penrith in men’s fourth grade, sending the side round the twist before they crawled their way to 63. Batting first, Northern District posted 125, led by captain Brody Camp who scored a brisk 32 off 32. William Byrom took a wicket in his first over, Penrith 1-1. Matthew Brown took two in his first over: three for two. Another to Byrom in the third over and Penrith were four for three before a run out made it five for four. Byrom struck again in his next over, the innings was 27 balls old and Penrith were six for six, then Brown took his third and the score was seven for 10. Enter Brendon Vella, hitting a tidy 25 of 34 to lift his team out of the single digits and into the 40s.
Second ball – Belvidere Cup Hits the Road
The Belvidere Cup is bringing Premier Cricket to the heart of regional NSW this week, with four teams set to play their round 10 and 11 one-day fixtures in Dubbo from December 13–15. The matches promise to be fiercely contested, with Western Suburbs, Sydney University and Manly sitting neck and neck on the ladder in 9th, 11th and 13th positions, respectively, after nine rounds. UTS North Sydney, currently placed 17th, will also be looking to capitalise on this opportunity to gain crucial points. All eyes will be on Manly’s Ahillen Beadle as he looks to cross 10,000 career runs. Beadle currently sits on 9990 runs, after scoring the highest of his 15 centuries (190*) earlier this season.
Third ball – Men’s Overall Run Scorers
With more matches rained out this round than played, it gives us a chance to look at the top five run scorers across all men’s grades for the season so far:
Blake Nikitaras | St George | 841 | first grade
Ryan McElduff | Sydney University | 758 | second grade
Dan Solway | Bankstown | 614 | first grade
Taj Brar | Hawkesbury | 591 | first grade
Luke Ohrynowsky | Fairfield-Liverpool | 569 | first grade
Fourth ball – Men's Overall Wicket Takers
The top five men’s wicket takers are:
Mac Jenkins | UTS North Sydney | 32 wickets | first grade
Ryan Felsch | Bankstown | 31 wickets | first grade
Nicholas Stapleton | St George | 31 wickets | first grade
Jaiveer Dhanoa | Fairfield Liverpool | 31 wickets | first grade
Jeremy Nunan | Campbelltown Camden | 30 wickets | first grade
Fifth Ball – Women's Overall Run Scorers
The top five run scorers in the women’s competitions are:
Kira Churchland | Sydney | 341 | first grade
Sterre Kalis | Gordon | 317 | first grade
Claire Koski | Campbelltown Camden | 301 | first grade
Saskia Horley | Manly Warringah | 277 | first grade
Emily Powell | Sydney | 255 | first grade
Sixth Ball – Women's Overall Wicket Takers
The top five wicket takers in the women’s competitions are:
Lara Hughes | Manly Warringah | 25 wickets | second grade
Caitlin Schofield | St George-Sutherland | 21 wickets | second grade
Lacey Metcalfe | Bankstown | 17 wickets | Brewer Shield
Tara McCall | Sydney | 17 wickets | Brewer Shield
Natalie Williams | Parramatta | 16 wickets | second grade