2nd Grade Round 4: UTS North Sydney vs Western Suburbs at Bon Andrews Oval
UTS North Sydney 9/388 (dec) (JD Vilensky 106, M Papworth 74, J Leary 26*) drew with Wests 0/74
From the pen of James Aitken
Round 4 of the Premier Cricket season saw the warriors of second grade return to their happy hunting ground of Bon Andrews. After suffering at the hands of Tunks’ notorious morning session, the top order were keen to make amends by wreaking terrible vengeance on the Western Suburbs bowling attack. The Bears’ opponents were still haunted by the memories of last season’s shellacking, and no amount of therapy had been of any use in healing the psychological wounds that they had sustained. Undoubtedly, their PTSD nightmares over the previous 12 months would have been endless re-runs of Olly Knight hitting towering bombs over the Pratten Park pickets. As they trudged into the ground on a gloomy Saturday morning, their hopes for redemption lay in a tossed coin and a successful call to give them any chance to turn the tide against their foes.
As luck would have it, the coin fell their way and their captain eagerly exclaimed that they would be bowling first. No amount of reverse psychology from Max Papworth could convince him otherwise when he saw the greenish tinge to the pitch and the ominous weather circling the ground. On the Bears side, there was trepidation amongst the batsmen at being sent in. As any veteran knows, the first hour at number 2 can be a batsman’s graveyard, but as Jordan Vilensky and Max Papworth set about the task, the eager spectators soon felt at ease. They cruised through the opening barrage with aplomb. Max was cautious, with contained aggression and plenty of singles to keep the fielders on their toes. At the other end, Jordan soon started adding regular boundaries to the equation, with powerful drives, and delicate touches off the hip, periodically peppering the fences. By the time the first drinks break arrived, the pair had pushed the score into the 70s.
After some much-needed refreshment, the openers picked up where they had left off. The Wests bowlers had no answers as they continued to haemorrhage runs at a healthy rate. Vilensky continued to aggressively plunder 4s and 6s. Papworth got into his rhythm and started to follow suit. The run rate climbed steadily to 5 per over and the enthusiastic Bears supporters gave full voice as both batsmen brought up their half centuries – Vilensky with a 6 and Papworth with a 4.
Max Papworth was the first to fall, on a well-made 74 from 97 deliveries, with the score at 188. At the other end, Vilenksy was in the 90s and looking unfazed. He was joined by Ray Alexander. With an air of composure, Jordan took no chances as he neared his milestone. He nudged a ball into a gap for an easy single to bring up three figures, then raised his bat to acknowledge the resounding cheers of his teammates. At the other end, Alexander sought to continue the mayhem. With clouds closing in, he looked to deposit the part-time bowler to the long-on boundary, but instead fell victim to a spectacular one-handed catch from the mid-on fieldsman. The ball had barely come to rest in the fielder’s hand when thunder and lightning appeared overhead, as if God himself was displeased with the dismissal of the North Sydney No. 3. The umpires declared, “We’re off”, and proceeded to shepherd both teams from the field. By some as yet unexplained miscommunication, Glenn Aitken and the North Sydney boys had not understood this edict, and managed to set an array of well-laid tarpaulins to mitigate the oncoming tempest’s fury.
When the maelstrom had passed, North Sydney’s allotted overs were reduced to 46, and big hitting was called for. Wickets fell rapidly in the pursuit of runs, but a daring cameo from James Leary (26* off 19 balls) managed to push the total to 251 at the close of the innings. Through the black magic of Messrs Duckworth and Lewis, the target was raised to 270 which seemed altogether imposing.
The Western Suburbs team got little chance to pursue their goal. Barely 10 overs could be squeezed in between the assault of rain, storm, lightning and black of night. They attacked valiantly, but it was all for nought as the game ebbed meekly to a tame draw as night-time gathered. Both sides were left disappointed with the dividends of their weekend work, though none could compare to Vilensky, who took the honours of the day for his illustrious 106 from 141 balls.