Round 6 saw UTS North Sydney face Sydney in a 2-day fixture. First and fifth grade enjoyed strong victories while fourth grade fought out a tough draw. Second and third grade ended on the wrong side of the ledger while the inaugural UTS NSDCC women's U18 Brewer Shield team fought valiantly against Manly in their second round fixture.
First Grade
Ben Bryant reports
Sydney 4/380 dec (J Campbell 2/69, R Aitken 2/109) def by UTS NSDCC 3/383 *AJ Crosthwaite 143*, T Jagot 125*, J Avendano 69)
First grade took on 2nd placed Sydney this weekend eager to put in another strong performance following their win over Mosman the week before. With the intention of batting first on what looked like a cracking pitch UTS North Sydney lost the toss and were asked to field. Despite James Campbell getting an early wicket, week 1 was a tough day in the office for the boys with Sydney finishing the day 4-380. All the bowlers put in and despite what was going to be a difficult chase the following week it was pleasing to see the effort the boys maintained throughout the day. Special mention must go to Robbie Aitken who bowled 30 overs, taking 2/109. With Sydney declaring our batters knew that with a couple of special knocks this was a very gettable target. James Crosthwaite (33) and Justin Avendano (69) both got off to a great start however where the game was won was through the extraordinary 268 partnership between Thomas Jagot (125*) and Adam Crosthwaite (143*) . Both lads stepped up and was fantastic to see the patience and focus they showcased throughout their innings. Special mention must got to Adam Crosthwaite who has now scored his 4th 1st grade hundred this year and who has consistently demonstrated his talents. Looking forward to taking on Eastern Suburbs next week with a win pushing the boys into the top 6 going into Xmas
Second Grade
Adam Docos reports
Sydney 8/340 dec (J Aitken 4/81, S Alexander 3/127) def UTS NSDCC 244 (J Hardy 118, D Hoare 30, R Shirazi 29)
Week one began with Glenn Aitken winning the toss and choosing to bowl. An early breakthrough from Ali Shaikh had us on the front foot early, but the flat Bon Andrews wicket and some patient batting from Sydney turned the day into a tough slog. 65 overs were shared between James Aitken and Sam Alexander with the aim to bowl stump to stump and restrict the run flow. Some heavy hitting at the end saw Sydney reach a total of 8/340 which we were confident of chasing down. Special mention to James Aitken with 4/81 off his 30 overs.
With Sydney declaring overnight, the Bears were up for a big chase. The day began very scratchy with the Sydney bowlers relentless on a good length, bringing Docos, Lavelle and Aitken undone early. J.Hardy fought hard with some textbook cover drives, playing the ball with easy. At lunch bears were 4-60 but had faith with the experience and youth of Hardy and Aitken.
The score got to 100, before Glenn Aitken was stumped on a questionable decision. At the other end Hardy had reached 50 and looked ever so comfortable, bludgeoning balls to the boundary with ease. Barber and Hardy consolidated strongly, Hardy bringing up his maiden ton for the Bears, showing class and experience well above his years. They both fell shortly before tea bringing us 6 down, with Hardy finishing on a 118.
Shirazi and Hoare looked well assured at the crease, both playing some classy straight drives. A draw looked very well on the cards, before both fell LBW. With 8 wickets down and 30 minutes to bat, it was going down to the wire but unfortunately the Bears couldn’t hold on, and were undone.
Third Grade
Bennett Walsh reports
UTS NSDCC 129 (D Thorat 45, J Leary 35) and 3/117 (B Walsh 59, A Singh 43) def by Sydney 3/183 dec
After losing the toss, UTS North Sydney 3rd grade were sent in to bat at Birchgrove Oval. A combination of loose shots and some accurate opening bowling saw early wickets tumble and the bears struggling at 4/32. Dhruva Thorat (45) and James Leary (35) compiled a strong partnership to offer some resistance, adding 53 valuable runs. However, late wickets fell consistently and the bears were dismissed for 129 after 54 overs. The remainder of the first day was more positive, with all bowlers consistently executing plans. Whilst no wickets fell, minimal runs were conceded, with Sydney finishing the day on 0/40 off 25 overs.
The second day started well for North Sydney. Early wickets to Jack Thomas and Fletcher May gave the bears hope, before a strong partnership by the Sydney batsmen led to the total being passed 2 wickets down. Sydney declared at tea on 3/183 in the hope of securing an outright victory. The North Sydney batsmen showed far more intent in the second innings, finishing on 3/117 off 26 overs before the game concluded.
Overall, round 7 was a disappointing one for third grade. Whilst the bowlers worked hard in difficult conditions, 129 was well short of a competitive total. Hopefully, the batsmen can carry the positive momentum gained in the second innings into the next round against Eastern Suburbs.
Fourth Grade
Tim Robson reports
Sydney 245 (N Whyte 4/71, L Stewart 2/16, T Robson 2/66) drew UTS NSDCC (A Cavenor 41, C Rose 39)
Back at Tunk’s Park, 4s rolled up to an absolute belter of a pitch and an even better day. After losing the toss and being asked to field, the bowlers were on the money from the get-go. Early pressure, and tight lines saw the Bears dominate much of the early exchanges. Nuwan struck twice with the new ball (and 4 wickets for the innings) leading the bowling to have Sydney 50/3 at drinks. Neither side were willing to give an inch and scoring slowed right down. The spinners bowled well in tandem, with Lachie Stewart nabbing a miserly 2 for 16 off his 13. The bowlers chipped away throughout the day, and in the final session got rewards for the earlier patience. Every bowler contributed to what was a great effort, finishing the day at 205/8. Job not done.
Day 2 didn’t start as planned. Sydney were able to eke out 40 more for the last two wickets, taking the total to 245 to chase of 71 overs which proved crucial. The openers came out and saw off the new rock, and both looked well in control. Steady contributions of 41 from Adam Cavernor, and 39 from Charlie Rose highlighted the ability for batsmen to get starts but not the decisive big score required. Wickets at important moments put the chase on the back foot, falling from 81/2 to 133/7. With the chance of defeat looming the tail dug its heels in around the new skipper, and fought hard to make sure Sydney didn’t get anything from the contest; seeing out the final nervous overs 9 down. Plenty to take from the fight shown, but a missed opportunity for the Bears.
Fifth Grade
Sol Balbi reports
Sydney 55 (F Atshan 9/22) and 89 (A Perera 4/12, H May 3/34, S Balbi 2/6) def by UTS NSDCC 7/94 (K Lawrence 41) and 4/53
The morning kicked off with Fudge Atshan winning the toss on a sticky wicket and sending the Tigers into bat first. Sol Balbi took the first over to kick off the game with Harrison May and Fudge producing some class pace bowling to rip through the Tigers’ lineup. Fudge ended up with an outstanding 9/22 and Harrison snagged 1/20. Special mention to Aditya Nigul with 6 great catches to help the Bears roll Sydney for 55.
Now it was our turn to go out and bat on the uneven pitch. We began losing wickets left and right until Keith Lawrence formed a 50-run partnership with Michael Lloyd to get us in front and finish at 7/94 with a lead 39.
On the second day of play at Ryde Oval, skipper Fudge decided to declare and send Sydney back in to bat with the 34-run deficit. A slow start to the innings was amplified by a few boundaries and missed opportunities from us. This quickly turned around as the second angriest man in the club, Harrison May, dislodged the middle stump twice in a devastating period of cricket.
The Bears were forced to field with 10 as one of the all time great nose bleeds sent opening bowler Sol Balbi from the field. This did little to stop the Bears continuing on their wicket taking ways, as Fudge trapped the opposing captain in front and completed his 10-wicket haul for the match.
Balbi returned to the field, taking a few of his own big wickets after changing ends. But the main destroyer was Adrian Perera who took 4 wickets to wrap up the innings. This included an extremely rare 'hit wicket' which consisted of the batsmen stepping on his middle stump half way up, clearly perplexed by Adrian's guile.
With a measly 51-run lead, the Bears made light work of it as we completed the chase early, with 6 wickets in hand. Grant Jansson has asked to be mentioned in the article as he took 13 from the first over of the innings, sadly he made no more impact on the game after that. Veterans Keith Lawrence and Michael Lloyd guided the boys home to a euphoric outright win over Sydney CC, taking home 10 valuable points.
Brewer Shield
Manly-Warringah 8/153 (L Warren 3/23, C Thomas 2/22) def UTS NSDCC 69
UTS North Sydney’s Brewer Shield side took to the field for their historic first home game on Sunday against Manly-Warringah. Tunks International Sports Park looked a picture with captain Genevieve O’Brien winning the toss and choosing to bowl.
Tight opening spells from Amelia Sim and Saskia Jenkins kept Manly’s opener in check before Leela Uthappa provided the first breakthrough. Lucy Warren and Caitlin Thomas, last week’s wicket-takers against Sydney, provided regular breakthroughs throughout the middle overs, finishing with 3/23 and 2/22 respectively. The Bears’ fielding reflected the team’s hard-work and strategic learnings during the week, highlighted by Saskia pocketing a pair of catches, including an absolute classic. Ella Ford chipped in with a wicket before Manly started to score with freedom in the later overs. Robyn Medley provided their innings with a strong backbone as they posted 8/153 from their 40 overs.
UTS North Sydney has a tough start in reply, losing Ella, Genevieve and Amelia early. Grace Keating worked hard to top score with 24 but unfortunately Manly took wickets at regular intervals to arrest any momentum the Bears started to create. Manly’s bowlers finished strongly as Norths were dismissed for 69 in the 32nd over.
Despite the loss, there were strong sign of development in the team’s performance which bodes well for the round 3 clash against Gordon next Sunday.