1st Grade Round 14: UTS North Sydney v Fairfield- Liverpool at Rosedale Oval
UTS North Sydney 5/189 (cc) (J Avendano 86*, M Jenkins 62) def by Fairfield-Liverpool 7/191 (48.4 overs) (J Campbell 2/23, M Alexander 2/41)
The Bears’ First Grade squad took the Hume Highway out to Warwick Farm to take on the Lions of Fairfield-Liverpool at a lush Rosedale Oval. Making his First Grade debut was Lachlan Stewart, who would take over the keeping duties with Aiden Bariol resting a hand injury but playing as a bat, and Robbie Aitken missing after splitting his webbing in the previous game.
With the season on the line and a win required to stay in touch with the top six, captain Tom Jagot won the toss and decided to have a bat. It was a brave call with overcast skies overhead and rain having fallen in the previous 24 hours. The opposition seemed pleased with the decision.
The batting innings did not start well with opener Brent Atherton back in the pavilion after just one ball. In form batsman Justin Avendano then joined Tom Jagot and the pair struggled on a pitch that was offering a bit to the bowlers. Despite getting off the mark, Jagot (1) was not able to add to his score and was dismissed at the end of the sixthover with the Bears in some trouble at 2/8. Aiden Bariol (15) clipped a nice 3 to start his innings and showed some good intent but with the score on 33 he was the third wicket to fall – 3/33 after 14.2 overs. Jack James (15) also struck some nice shots including a lovely sweep for four, the second of the innings, but he was undone with the return of Josh Baraba for his second spell (after four straight maidens in his first) and the Bears were 4/57 at the end of the 22nd over.
The next partnership between Avendano and Mac Jenkins was crucial to the team’s chances. Mac ran well between wickets and mixed up his shot selection, but Justin was not his usual fluent self and so the Fairfield spinners, who did the lion’s share of the bowling, kept the brakes on the scoring. The team hundred came up in the 37th over and the drinks break shortly after that.
Avendano continued to hit singles, playing conventional shots and bringing up his fifty in the 42nd over, while Jenkins hit sweeps, ramps and reverse sweeps to pick up a few rare boundaries. The pair lifted the run rate to close to four an over taking 14 off the 44th over with Jenkins bringing up his fifty. Avendano hit the only six of the innings in the 46th over, but the partnership that netted 127 runs came to an end with eight balls remaining and the team score 5/184. 75 runs had been scored in the preceding eight and a half overs. Olly Knight (1*) joined Avendano with a further five runs being added and Avendano finished not out 86 from 141 balls.
5/189 appeared a modest total that most First Grade teams should be able to chase down, but the Lions were sitting in the bottom half of the table and have a tendency for late batting collapses so there was some hope.
It took 4.4 overs for the Bears to grab their first pole and reduce the Lions to 1/6. It was a searing delivery from James Campbell that pitched and left the batsman, giving Lachlan Stewart his maiden First Grade scalp behind the stumps. With his tail up, Campbell charged in and bowled a beautiful follow up delivery that struck the new batsman Arjun Nair on the pads and had every player and Bears supporter in the ground with their hands up. Despite, the enthusiastic appeal the umpire did not raise his finger leaving the bowler and his teammates puzzled by the decision. It was a pivotal moment as Nair went on to make 43 valuable runs.
After 12 overs, Fairfield had moved to 1/46, well ahead of our 2/24 at the same stage, and appeared well in control with the pitch flattening out and the new ball offering less danger to the batsmen. In was time for spin, and after conceding a couple of singles, Mac Jenkins removed the other opener to have the Lions 2/49 at the end of the 13th and bring the Bears back into the game.
Another partnership developed before Matt Alexander removed Nair who was this time given out lbw by the umpire. 3/94 at the start of the 27th became 4/102 in the 29th as Alexander jagged another wicket with an outstanding grab in the slips by Justin Avendano. Some tight bowling from Jack James and Alexander kept the Bears in the hunt with Fairfield moving to 4/125 after 34 overs. The Lions were still well ahead of the Bears having been 4/90 at the same point in the game.
However, with only 65 runs needed, Campbell was brought back into the attack. Campbell bowled particularly well all day and was a constant threat, and was rewarded with the Bears’ fifth wicket with the catch taken by Tom Jagot. Campbell then bowled out with figures of 10 overs 2/23. Mac Jenkins bowled his remaining overs from the other end to finish with 1/34. This left the Lions 5/143 in the 41st over and 47 runs required from 54 balls.
Despite being hit for a boundary, Olly Knight came back to remove Raveesh Srivastava lbw and with Jack James taking out Jarod Burke lbw in the following over the Bears’ hopes were up for a famous victory (after two epic wins against the same opposition in the two previous seasons). At 7/153, the Lions required 37 runs from the remaining 42 balls with three wickets in hand.
James and Alexander built pressure on the Lions and, with 24 balls remaining, the run rate lifted above 6 for the first time, with 25 runs needed. After looking all at sea, Harmon Sandhu skied a ball from James in the 47th over that was unfortunately put down in the field. Sandhu made the Bears pay taking his chance and hitting a six off Alexander in the following over and a six off James in the 49th to finish the game and present the Bears with an agonising loss. The defeat all but ends the Bears’ season with the team slipping to 11th and 12 points adrift of sixth place.
The team is a mathematical chance, but with wet weather predicted all week we will need to get on and then beat Parramatta in our next round.