Milestone runs, masterclasses, big wickets and a young star on debut in this edition of The Opening Spell.
First Over
First ball – Kumar Stars on Debut
12-year-old Kaya Kumar made her Premier Cricket debut with an appearance for Parramatta in the Brewer Shield. Coming in at eight, Kumar scored an unbeaten 14 before taking a wicket and conceding just 18 runs off her six overs. Kumar’s debut comes off the back of captaining NSW to the title at the PSSA 12s and under National Championships in Adelaide where she scored a century in the opening round against Queensland and went on to finish as the tournament's leading run-scorer. No doubt the future is bright for this young star!
Second ball – Callaghan Stamps Authority in First Grade
Fresh off her Player of the Final performance (and subsequent National Title) at the U19 Female National Championships in Perth, Gordon’s Olivia Callaghan has delivered a brilliant all-round performance in women’s first grade. Her innings of 62 from 75 was punctuated by five boundaries and two sixes as Gordon posted 256. The bowling attack proved equally formidable, with Elizabeth Yates and Grace Poole claiming two wickets as Callaghan picked up three wickets for 29 runs off her 10 overs. Northern District fell for just 137 runs, handing Gordon a comprehensive 119-run victory.
Third ball – Hield’s All-Round Mastery Guides Easts to Victory
Matt Hield has delivered an outstanding all-round performance for Easts in men’s fourth grade. With the ball, he claimed five wickets for 17 runs off 3.3 overs in a display that put his team in a commanding position. Not content with his efforts with the ball, Hield backed it up with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 46 to steer Easts to a well-deserved victory.
Fourth ball – Josh Clarke Lights Up the Western Plains
Western Suburbs thoroughly enjoyed their road trip west and men’s first grade opener Josh Clarke left it all on the pitch. In a day-night fixture against Manly Warringah on Friday, Clarke hit a cool 40 from 25 including six fours. However, it was a Saturday morning clash against UTS North Sydney where Clarke put on an absolute clinic, smacking a mammoth unbeaten century of 160 runs from 152 deliveries. The display featured an astonishing 22 fours, catapulting his side to 305. With 200 runs added to his tally in Dubbo and an unbeaten 175 in round 2, Clarke sits in sixth for the season’s overall run scorers with 612 and counting.
Fifth ball – Beadle Breaks the Barrier
The wait is finally over for Manly’s Ahillen Beadle who has now cruised past 10,000 first grade runs in a career that stretches back to 2003/2004. Manly hit the road to Dubbo as part of Premier Cricket’s country initiative and on Friday in a day-night clash with Western Suburbs, Beadle scored 27, taking him to 10,017 runs.
Sixth ball – Sutherland Veteran Bradley Notches 12,000 Runs
Sutherland life member Matthew Bradley lined up in men’s third grade on the weekend and despite the side's four-run loss to Northern District, Bradley’s score of 21 saw him tick over 12,000 runs in all grades.
Second Over
First ball – Pitt Tears Through Easts
After winning the toss and electing to bat in men’s second grade, Eastern Suburbs struggled to find any rhythm against a disciplined Parramatta bowling attack, spearheaded by Evan Pitt. His fourth ball hit the seam, and Josh Matthews chopped it into his stumps – golden duck numero uno. Ben Bryant dragged his first ball straight into midwicket's hands and there was a second duck of the golden kind on the scorecard – Pitt on a hattrick ball and Easts were 2-1. In the third over, Finley Hill was bowled by Pitt before Nicholas Taylor chopped on the first ball, from you guessed it, Pitt. Another coloured duck was noted down and on the next ball, Matt Coles was given out lbw to complete the hat-trick. Sixteen balls into the innings, Easts were five for eight and Pitt had 5-1 from his first ten balls before finishing with figures of 5-7 from four overs.
Second ball – Manly Bowlers Dominate
Things looked promising for St George Sutherland in their chase in women’s third grade as Samantha Dillon scored an impressive 36 runs from 33 balls. However, the momentum quickly shifted as Manly’s bowlers worked their way into the match. Sienna James claimed four wickets for seven runs in her seven overs, while skipper Charlie Woods chimed in with three wickets for seven runs in just under three overs. St George found themselves reeling, all out for 67 in the 16th over – 29 runs short of where they needed to be.
Third ball – Pass Go and Collect 500 Runs
Sydney University followed the road out of Sydney to Dubbo and didn’t Jack Attenborough love it! He hit 96 against Manly in men’s first grade and followed it up with a 100 against UTS North Sydney, returning home with his 7th first grade century, 19th half century and surpassing 500 runs for the season.
Fourth ball – Dismissal Machine
Women’s second grade wicketkeeper Annabel Batty was here, there and everywhere in Penrith’s clash with Greater Hunter Coast. Penrith posted 9/162 before bowling their opposition out for 153 and Batty was involved in all but four dismissals. The impressive display behind the stumps included; three stumpings, two catches and a run-out to see her side to a 9-run victory.
Fifth Ball – Weerakoon Sinks Western Suburbs
Liam Weerakoon played a vital knock for UTS North Sydney in men’s third grade, smacking an unbeaten 70 off just 48 balls, including five sixes and two fours. Ollie Pascall matched Weerakoon’s energy and finished 44 not out to see UTS post a tidy 149-run total. Western Suburbs struggled in their response, with Josh Low-McMahon falling to Nuwan Whyte on the third ball, before Liam Whitaker picked up two wickets and Vrushab Kumar, Jaden Sequeira and Ravi Adabala finished with one apiece.
Sixth Ball – Squad Booster
In a women’s first grade squad that already features players like Maitlan Brown, Sammy-Jo Johnson and Kira Churchland, as well as up-and-coming players including Emily Powell and Eva Ragg, Sydney Cricket Club has welcomed Bangladesh International Jahanara Alam. Having played 52 international ODIs, 83 international T20s and two ICC T20 World Cups, Alam brings a wealth of international experience to both the club and McDonald’s Women’s Premier Cricket. Joining teammates for their round 10 clash against Bankstown, debutant Alam quickly claimed her first wicket for the Tigers before picking up her second and finishing with 2-13 off seven overs.