Tasmania University Cricket Club
Scores and Reports
Season 2004/05
First Grade
Round 11 v. North Hobart
Played at the University Oval, 28th. and 29th. January 2005.
(Toss won by : University)
Matt Green 4-16 Josh Bean 3-13 Brad Thomas 3-29 and 8/197 dec. Darren McNees 4-63 Tim Paine 2-28 |
Graeme Cunningham 43 Shannon Bakes 33 and 6/48 |
(Day 1). In the middle of the wet in Tasmania the Uni. 1st. grade team came up against top-of-the-table North Hobart. What would have been a hard game in normal circumstances was made, prospectively, more difficult with the absence of a majority of the pace bowling attack. Hilfy had damaged his back playing in Tassie's twenty20 game, Gordy was driving a car from Lismore to Sydney, Darren McNees (aka Billy Birmingam) was meant to be playing for Tassie but, yet again didn't make the final 11. Into the team came Matt Green, with Roachy retaining his spot. Due to a small area of the square being damp the game got underway 40 minutes late. Tim Paine (now replacing skipper Brad at the toss of the coin) won it again and Brad (or Tim) elected to bowl. Nick Paine took over the gloves as Tim had a badly infected finger. 'Billy' opened, with Brad on at the other end. The overcast skies and high humidity should provide the attack with a fair bit of help. Brad made the first breakthrough in the sixh over - North 1/20and repeated the dose (twice) within a short period - both caught by Richie at second slip, who obviously prefers to field first! North ground to 3/69 before a double bowling change saw debutant Matt Green enter the attack. Second ball - his first wicket. Beany on at the other end - his first over saw the end of the Uni. coach's dangerous son-in-law (in a cricketing sense) off. Greeny's second over - his second wicket - a rather dramatic catch (brilliant one handed diving according to the player involved) in the covers by Beany and North were now struggling at 6/87. Uni.'s amazingly thoughtful plan of always playing second grade debutant bowlers against North Hobart (Paul Hudson had taken 5 for earlier in the season) continued to pay off with Greeny taking his third in his third over (3 overs, 3 maidens 3-0). On a roll. A caught and bowled to Beany, Greeny disturbs the woodwork. The final wicket to an lbw to Beany and the ladder leaders were all out for 119. The stand-in 'keeper has requested it be pointed out that he took three catches (and even kept his eyes open to Beany deliveries this time!). The curator was very happy with the wicket at the start of the day so it must be put down to good bowling to restrict North to such a total. The Uni. boys padded up with 41 overs to face in the day. Lurch and Painey steadily took the score to 30 before Lurch edged one to the slips. Painey mis-timed a pull shot with the score on 34. Lockdog only lasted a couple of overs - out lbw. Paine (NJR) got a shocking decision, adjudged caught behind, and Uni. were struugling at 4/40. But Richie Cunningham was still at the crease, with two centuries last weekend under his belt and in as good a form streak as could be. He was joined by Bakesy and the runs started to flow. The pair quickly took the score past 100 before Richie skied one into the covers 5/101. Brad got an unplayable delivery and was caught behind on 102 - surely we'd get there? Nessie joined Bakesy and the pair Uni. steered Uni. to first innings points with two overs to play in the day. The Uni. faithful were looking forward to some sort of unassailable lead tomorrow but Bakesy was out in the second last over, Matt Green lbw two balls later, Roachy was yorked next over. Given some interesting scores from around other grounds Uni. would be brilliantly placed if they could get an outright; well placed if they retain the 6 points for first innings; still rising up the ladder if the worst was to happen. The wicket wasn't as good as the curator had thought (in fact all the wickets around town were very 'bowler friendly") - tomorrows play will be very interesting. (Day 2). A glorious day for cricket. Uni. chose to leave Matty Lister on 12th. man duties at Bellerive as Beany promised us his 1st. grade maiden 50 batting at no.11. He was last man out, agonisingly short of that mark by 42 and Uni. all out for 140, a lead of 21. The wicket was another day older and harder and would surely be easier to bat on than yesterday. Or maybe not? Surely North would look for quick runs and a challenging declaration in the hope of gaining a win? Brad demolished the castle to have North at 1/4. After bowling 5 overs the skipper coninued his penchant for surprising the gathered - his replacement was Paine (TD) whose last overs were at the U19 World Cup in Bangladesh! After his first delivery North were 2/30 - a cut shot was knocked up in the air by Bakesy and grasped millimetres above the ground by Richie - yet another brilliant reflex catch. And Tim got the third, caught by Matt Green running in from point. The son-in-law and out-of-form Tassie 'rested player' Dighton were now together and it obvious to all that this partnership would be the make or break for both sides. The two steered North safely to lunch without further loss and scored quickly. Plans were hatched in the Uni. camp - there was still a chance of the extra 4 points on offer. Matt Green and Beany had had a go earlier - a similar double change just before lunch did not have the same results as in the first innings and Tom Roach came on. He bowled much better than on day 1 and beat the bat, troubled the batsmen without reward. North had reached 3/123 40 minutes after lunch and then, within what turned out to be a tempting spell for Uni. were 6/136!. 'Billy' had bowled 18 overs without troubling the scorers in the 'how out - bowlers name' column but was soon on a hat-trick! One of these was (and I hate to report this) a brilliant catch to the sub-'keeper Paine (NJR) diving full length to his right in front of third slip and taking it in both hands!! It was at this point that North's game plan began to become somewhat curious. Dighton had reached 49 off 55 balls and then ensued a spell of 14 overs without a single boundary! Had they decided to bat out time and ensure Uni. couldn't get the extra 4 points? The runs dribbled along in singles to tea; the available overs to bowl Uni. out decreasing at the same time. Declare at tea (saving the three over loss) and still have enough overs? Well - no. Tea arrived (Dighton in the low seventies having built the ubiqitous 'picket fence' of late) and they all went out again! 'Billy' continued - a short run-up to Dighton (he'd been bowling for ages and probably wished that Matty Lister was here and he was at Bellerive by now). 40 overs to be bowled to stumps. All of a sudden - sixes started to be hit! Most off Beany - who was kept on. Uni. presumably hoped that North would reach whatever target they had in mind quickly - bad luck Josh (cannon fodder) Bean. Paine (TD) came back on - this time bowling leggies! The lead stretched to 150 with 35 overs - still no declaration. Eventually Dighton reached his ton with a single, another over was bowled and the declaration came leaving 27 more overs to be bowled in the day. It had been a most bizarre session of cricket - did North ever have an idea of trying to win, did they want to bat as long as it took for Dighton to score a century, were North ensuring Uni. didn't get an outright, did Dighton stop dead for 14 overs so he wasn't out? Not a question (or four) I'll take to my grave - I'll have forgotten all about it by next Saturday! So Uni. had the equation of 177 for victory (and 4 extra points) off 27 overs (roughly 7 an over) and North 27 overs to take 10 wickets to salvage something. Not being privy to Uni.'s plans I would assume that the run chase was not even an option, just batting boringly for 27 overs would ensure the 6 points retained. The worst odds available would have to be a draw, 20-1 a Uni. win, 100-1 a North win? But those odds have, in the past, induced players themselves to spend a penny or two, as would, before stumps, the Uni. faithful! So - Uni. head out to bat. And I'll keep this short: 1/0, 2/11, 3/14, 4/14, 5/25, 6/25. At this point there were still 14 overs to be bowled! Skipper BJ and 'Billy' were now at the crease. Normal service had to be resumed as soon as possible! The pair batted in such a manner that the gathered Uni. faithful did not succumb to Penny Patterson's curse. They both played and missed (as had every batsman all game long); they nearly ran themselves out twice; 'Billy' showed an application that may have been applied earlier (off the mark on his 27th. ball) and Uni. were home. A very strange game this (cricket) is. Had North declared earlier they could have won (or lost maybe?), Uni. could have won outright (or lost maybe?). As it is ( historically speaking) Uni. should now be equal top of the table! I'll take that - but, please, no more last sessions like that one. |
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