Week 17 Wrap vs Sydney University, Campbelltown-Camden and Northern Districts

1st Grade Round 11: UTS North Sydney vs Sydney University at University Oval 1

UTS North Sydney 57 (27.2 overs) & 70 (41.4 Overs) (T Jagot 28) def by Sydney University 119 (40.1 overs) (O Knight 4/38, F May 3/23, J Campbell 3/42) & 78 (29.4 Overs) (J Campbell 6/24, F May 3/18)

The rollercoaster of University Oval had a few more twists and turns on Day 2, as the Bears’ players and supporters were subjected to the full range of emotions. You’ll know from our media this week and the score that it didn’t end well (in fact, that’s an understatement) but that shouldn’t detract from the immense performance from James Campbell in the first 70 minutes of play.

The Students resumed their second innings on 4/54 after Campbell’s first ball wicket, two from Fletcher May and one from James Aitken. It was hot and humid and the outfield was heavy after rain on Friday – perfect conditions for swing bowling, and Campbell took full advantage. He reduced Uni to 9/74, taking 5/5 in a devastating spell with an lbw, two catches behind the wicket and two men clean bowled. Nobody was betting against the seventh, that would have given him his first ever Bears 10-fa, but Fletcher May cleaned up the final wicket with a sharp catch to Dylan Mares in the slips. Sydney University were blown away for 78 with Campbell leading the boys off after taking 6/24, his best bowling figures and tenth five-wicket haul at the top grade.

55 minutes of play remained before the lunch break with the Bears confident of achieving the necessary 141 runs in 87 overs left in the day to secure six points. Tim Reynolds fell first ball, but Dylan Mares and Tom Jagot survived some tight bowling and notched up 25 of the 141 before the interval was called after 15 overs. The outfield remained slow and shots gave little value, so only one four was scored in the session, but UTS North Sydney were relatively content with the early inroads into the target.

116 to win with 9 wickets in hand became 116 to win with 8 in hand when Mares was caught behind off the first ball back, and then Jimmy Greenslade and Brent Atherton could add only 7 each. Jagot had continued to show his experience, class and temperament, but his dismissal to a slip catch for 28 was the beginning of the end for the Bears. The last 7 wickets fell for 15 as we were bundled out for 70 and left to lick our wounds after being beaten outright at 2.30 in the afternoon.

We drop to tenth on a congested ladder (four teams are within six points ahead of us) and have a critical clash with ninth-placed Parramatta starting on Saturday. On the plus side, after being on the road for much of the season, our last four fixtures are at the home of cricket, North Sydney Oval.

2nd Grade Round 11: UTS North Sydney v Sydney University at Tunks International Sports Park

UTS North Sydney 123 (63.5 Overs) (S Gumbs 59) def by Sydney University 165 (88.3 Overs) (H May 3/28, H Lee Young 2/13, L Roughley 2/46)

The Bears set out on a tricky, but manageable chase against Sydney Uni at Tunks Park. Lachlan Roughley and Sheridon Gumbs started well, before Lachlan departed.

Gumbs batted beautifully on a slow outfield, grinding his way to team high 59. Throughout the chase, he found partners in John Nevell and Lachlan Stewart, who chipped away at the target. But requiring 60 to win, the Bears suffered a batting collapse, losing 6 for 20 to be bowled 40 runs shy of the target.

A tough weekend, but Second Grade move forward into a tough contest against Parramatta.

3rd Grade Round 11: UTS North Sydney v Sydney University at St Pauls Oval

UTS North Sydney 128 (52.5 Overs) (A Thomas 34*) def Sydney University 127 (56 Overs) (N Desai 4/57, T Laybutt 3/28, J Graham 2/19)

The equation was simple for the Bears, double our overnight tally of 64 for 5 and we would win - if only it was that simple!

The conditions were hot and humid and the pitch dry and hard which bode well for a successful chase.

Alas we lost Desai early but Aidan Thomas and Jacob Graham (22) batted carefully to add 44 for the 7th wicket to take us to 6-114 and within touching distance. Although the St Paul’s is a small ground the outfield is lush and not the easiest to score quickly. The students were also very disciplined with their lines and lengths giving nothing away.

With Yak falling caught behind down the leg side, Izaak Merlehan strode confidently to the crease and the Bears advanced tantalisingly close to victory at 8-126 before Merlo was dismissed LBW playing around his front pad.

With 2 runs seemingly required for victory, Lindsay and Thomas scampered off looking for 2 off a well stuck back foot drive from Thomas. However a great diving stop resulted in just one for the Bears and scores were level.

Disaster struck next ball when Lindsay was caught behind and then the ultimate collapse was confirmed when Laybutt was out LBW first ball. The Bears had lost 4-14 and had slumped to a tie. The umpires advised tea was to be taken whilst the score books were tallied with Uni ready to bat again.

However, as the 2nd innings scores were tallied, it was apparent the Bears were actually on 128 and had won by two wickets. The firmly struck back foot drive from Thomas was the winning run! Indeed Thomas was the hero of the day scoring an unbeaten 34. It was an innings of patience and maturity and ultimately secured us the 6 points with Yaks handy 22.

So 3rds got out of Jail. A hollow victory in the end after the comical collapse. A few song thirsty lads headed to 5s to join their song, as no 3s Doyens felt it appropriate to sing the song after such a lucky escape. Credit must also go to Josh Toyer and the SUCC 3rd grade side who acted with exceptional grace and sportsmanship after such a cruel outcome for them.

Women's 3rd Grade Round 14: UTS North Sydney v Campbelltown-Camden at Tunks International Sports Park 2

UTS North Sydney 8/155 cc (B Robson 50*, A dCunha 27*) def Campbelltown-Camden 8/151 cc (E Aitken 2/22, N Bhavan 2/29, A Williams 2/35)

A thrilling win against Campbelltown-Camden this week!

Starting off in the field, we once again saw some very tidy overs from our opening bowlers. Anjali d’Cunha restricted Campbelltown’s openers with three maiden overs, ending on figures of 0/10 off her 8 overs. Abby Williams (2/35) had the first breakthroughs for us, bowling out two key batters. Nanthana Bhavan (2/29) and Emily Aitken (2/22) also took key wickets and helped keep Campbelltown’s total to 8/151 off 40 overs. As a fielding unit, we were much more successful this week, stopping lots of extra runs on a small field. Highlights include a stumping from Karman Jawanda, a run out from Anna Lucas and Emily Aitken, and an excellent catch from Chloe Blackwell.

Evy McKay and Anna Peterson were sent in to open the batting. With some strong bowling from Campbelltown, things did not go according to plan, as both openers were out by the 5th over. Bernie Robson came in to stabilise our innings, once again scoring 50* and hitting mandatory retirement. A few more runs came from our girls here and there, but with about 8 overs left, the required run rate continued to creep up. Anna Lucas (6*) and Anjali d’Cunha (27*) decided to pull out all the stops in a very stress-inducing last-minute chase. Many quick singles were run, and Anjali d’Cunha hit a few quick boundaries to steer the team to a last-second victory. We finished on 8/155 off the 40 overs.

This weekend we take on St-George Sutherland (top of the table) again!

4th Grade Round 11: UTS North Sydney v Sydney University at Blacktown International Sports Park 2

UTS North Sydney 144 (53.3 Overs) (R Alexander 53, A Nigul 27, B Wilson 26) & 0/13 (3 Overs) v Sydney University 176 (60.5 Overs) (V Kumar 4/47, B Wilson 3/31)

The equation very clear for the Bears as they arrived to BISP 2 for the second week, 7 wickets before the Students could amass another 64 runs.

Full of confidence that they could get the job done, the side headed out to the middle, and instantly made the students aware that even though the pitch was as flat as the adjacent Great Western Highway and the outfield crisp, this would be some of the toughest runs they would have to score all season to secure the six points.

Wilson beat the bat first over of the day, and Kumar created a tough chance in the second, the Bears knew they were on. Come the 4th over, Kumar struck, parrying a firmly hit straight drive straight to Singh at mid off, who comfortably took the catch removing the number five batsmen. And from there, the Bears were off.

Wilson then struck in the very next over, removing the danger man for 75, caught at slip by Nigul.

3/80 overnight quickly became 7/96 with Kumar taking the next two quickly, bamboozling the Students middle order, striking with a leg before and bowled in quick succession. At drinks, the game evenly poised.

A near perfect morning session had the Bears believing, but a few counter punchers from the lower order saw Sydney Uni wrestle back the advantage. Olly Jennings stepped up, to remove the hitter and bring the score to 8/122, game back on an even keel…

The moment of the match followed shortly after, with a sharp chance at first slip off Kumar to Nigul, it was one that had to stick, and unfortunately for the bears it did not. From there, the next ball went for 6 and despite the fight, the students past the total and the game pietered out with the captains shaking hands after the remaining overs were played.

The way the side fought back into the game through the entire contest was admirably, however, they will dwell on the significant amount of missed chances throughout the two days, this was one that got away…

Their attention now turns to a second v third clash against Parramatta at Merrylands, with plenty to play for.

5th Grade Round 11: UTS North Sydney v Sydney University at Camperdown Oval

UTS North Sydney 241 (72.3 Overs) (M Lloyd 51, J Mannix 42, K Dhawan 35, R Adabala 34) def 140 (64 Overs) Sydney University (R Lavery 3/14, R Adabala 3/38)

Week 1 - Waiting for Groundot

On the first day we made 241, or did we? Or was that yesterday? And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Groundot to come. ...We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment.

What are we doing now? Waiting for Groundot. He has the keys to the shed, he said he would come tonight and he is an important man. And if he doesn’t come? We’ll come back tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow? Possibly. And so on... until he comes. It’s merciless.

We wait, we are bored. Protest to the umpires, my shoes are too small, will you help me with them? It’s raining now... in an instant the overs will vanish and we’ll be alone once more.

Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's cricket!

Well, shall we go. Yes, let's go.

Week 2 –

A beautiful day for the second Saturday in our fixture at the picturesque Camperdown oval produced some of the better bowling and fielding efforts by a north Sydney 5th grade team in a good time.

Stellar performances by all bowlers Lavery (3/14), Abadala (3/38), Thakur (1/7 with 8 maidens), Vohra (1/28), Cole (1/18 with 6 maidens) and Denslow operating in hot and humid conditions. The result is a credit to them and the reason we were able to sing a song at the end of the day. It’s impressive to see the focussed application and confidence the wider 5th grade group are taking into each weekend.

5s remain atop the ladder at this stage of the season with a tough round against Parramatta upcoming.

Brewer Shield Round 14: UTS North Sydney v Northern District at Tunks International Sports Park

UTS North Sydney 8/193 cc (S Julien 84, S Kuncham 45) def Northern District 106 (42.4 Overs) (S Julien 4/18, S Kuncham 3/19)

This weekend, our Brewer’s team faced Northern District at Tunks Park in what was looking to be a tough match. The girls arrived bright and early on a humid Sunday morning in preparation for fifty overs of batting and bowling. We also had the pleasure of having Eva Jenns back in the team after recovering from injury. Bernie Vince had once again weaved his magic and the oval was looking picturesque as usual.

We lost the toss and were asked to bat on a slow, placid pitch. Shiloh Julien and Kayla Robson opened the inning and looked to be positive from the outset. Kayla batted with her usual aggression, but was caught when she mistimed a lofted drive. This brought Sam Kuncham to the crease. She immediately opened her account and then continued to punish anything that was dropped short by the unfortunate Northern District bowlers. At the other end, Shiloh was also building momentum as she adjusted to the pace of the pitch. The partnership blossomed and runs began to flow despite the slow, lush outfield. Sam crunched seven boundaries before she was well caught just short of her half century. This brought Adelaide Hicks to the crease and she immediately got into her work, crashing numerous powerful drives. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much value for shots along the ground as the ball was quickly pulling up in the lush outfield. Both batters then took the aerial route and the momentum rolled on. Adelaide eventually mistimed a lofted drive and was caught at mid-on. Isabel Selems then played a lively innings that yielded 21 runs and supported Shiloh as she continued to thrash the bowlers to all parts of the ground. Both batters eventually lost their wickets in the mad dash for quick runs at the end of the innings, with Shiloh finishing on an impressive 84 runs. We lost a few selfless wickets at the end of the innings in an attempt to push the score beyond reach and we ended up with a total of 8-193. This total would be hard to run down as the outfield was not giving value for shots.

Northern District had their work cut out for them as they were confronted by the new ball attack of Madeleine Winslow and Georgia MacDonald. Maddy charged in and hit the deck, whilst Georgia had the batters playing and missing her hooping outswing. It wasn’t long before Georgia rattled the pegs and the Bears were under way. Sam Kuncham was then into the attack and showed no signs of fatigue after her punishing innings. She was quickly able to dislodge their number three, with Kayla taking a sharp catch. Shiloh had a brief spell before Emily Aitken and Isabel Selems joined the attack. Issy dispatched the other opener with a plumb LBW. The Bears bowlers were miserly and continued to choke the NDs scoring. Emily continued to bamboozle the hapless batters before claiming the fourth wicket, a solid catch taken by Eva Jenns. Sam K then went bang, bang and skittled the next two batters in successive balls to find herself on a hat-trick. Shiloh then reintroduced herself into the attack. With the NDs tail exposed, the end was near and they were quickly mopped up, with Shiloh also finding herself on a hat-trick. She finished with four wickets, featuring a good catch by Emily and a spectacular diving outfield catch by Issy.

The Bears continue their momentum and are playing excellent cricket, claiming an impressive win and a bonus point.

Media courtesy of Tony Johnson, Malcolm Trees, MTV Photo Sydney, Jeff Williamson, Greg Buckley, Adam Cavenor and UTS North Sydney members.