9 October 2006
Aaron Scott
An impressive 25-run win over Gordon has Sydney University well-placed in equal eighth position after three rounds of the Sydney grade cricket competition.
The Students compiled 245 from their 50 overs with solid contributions from Ed Cowan (58) and Mark Faraday (51), before restricting the Stags to 9-220, through incisive and miserly performances from Ian Moran (3-30) and Stuart MacGill (3-37).
The Students are sitting in mid-table on twelve points after an outstanding two day victory over Manly last weekend and their one day defeat of Gordon (points accrued from a one day victory count in the overall premiership standings despite there being a separate one day trophy). Fairfield-Liverpool, Bankstown, Western Suburbs and Mosman are all undefeated after three rounds of competition, while Sydney University is clustered in midway up the table with Eastern Suburbs, Randwick Petersham, St George, Blacktown, Northern Districts and Penrith.
Sydney University’s No.1 Oval was in stunning condition for Saturday’s fixture; a credit to the groundstaff given the rigours of winter that see rugby union, AFL and soccer all using the oval.
University won the toss, taking first use of the batsmen-friendly wicket. Openers Greg Mail, who was coming off a mid-week century for Sydney Central, and Moran put on 34 before Mail was bowled by Ed Zelma for 19.
The wicket led to a string of solid middle-order partnerships with Moran, Cowan and Faraday combining to take the score to 189. Throughout this period Gordon’s West Australian recruit, Beau Casson, was a threatening presence with his left-arm finger spin, removing both Cowan and Moran.
A strong surge from Adam Theobald and Paul O’Halloran in the final overs saw the Students post 245.
The total was respectable but clearly attainable for a Gordon line-up boasting three players with First Class experience in Craig Simmons, James Packman and Casson. And for a long while it looked as if the Stags were sauntering to victory. The opening pair of Simmons and Smith posted a 104-run stand, guiding Gordon to a clear view of victory.
When Ryan Bulger dismissed both openers, however, an irreversible rot set into the Stags’ chase, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Impeccable control from Mark Cameron, Moran, MacGill and Pete Sanders, combined with an agile fielding performance, tightened the net as wickets tumbled and the required run rate spiraled.
The eventual 25-run victory was a genuine team performance – as the listing of names in this article suggests - with every player notching worthwhile contributions.
The weekend also bought success for the lower grades. Strong performances with bat and ball from Dave Butchart formed the backbone for Second Grade’s victory while Fourth Grade turned around a recent horror run to easily reel in Gordon’s total of 243. A Fifth Grade victory left Thirds as the only Grade unable to take the points when they fell 29 runs short of a monstrous 282 set by the Stags.