Tasmania University Cricket Club
Scores and Reports
Season 2006/07
First Grade
Round 7 v. Kingborough
Played at the University Oval, 2nd. and 9th. December 2006.
(Toss won by : Kingborough)
Josh Bean 43* Ned Murray 24 and Graeme Cunningham 144 Rhett Lockyear 29 Ned Murray 29 |
Gregg Sharman 4-27 Josh Bean 2-43 and Josh Bean 4-30 |
view full scorecard
(Day 1). Roundly (numerically speaking) the halfway point of the season and the second two day game! Leave the pj's at home at last and get to the real stuff. Having picked up the paper yesterday and seen (not surprisingly) that I hadn't won the Tatts I then perused the TCA teams. What? The Uni. team was somewhat different from normal to say the least. Gregg Sharman as skipper, no Lockyear, Cunningham, Jackett, Bakes? Then checked out the other clubs - same story. The second real game of the season had been stuffed by the TCA rostering a "Chairman's XI v. the TCA" on the same day! With all of the clubs state guys not available due to a Ranger Cup game in Launy it seems that Grade cricket isn't a high priority with the TCA. Further enquires showed that only Lockdog was in the game - Ritchie was at a wedding (not his Allison), Jacko's headed off for a holiday and Bakesy has to work. Kingborough were harder hit with four out Into the team returned Jack Boon and Nick Paine (from the two's and Rokeby), Tom Briscoe and Rob Jubb both making their 1st. grade debut and Scotty Nichols, recovering from his broken finger. After two days of delightfully temperate Tassie temperatures it wasn't surprising to find Saturday arrive with 16 degrees and showers. Regardless of whatever God you follow, none of them like cricket. Kingborough won the toss and invited Uni. to bat, an offer too good to refuse. And, as per. normal, it rained, delaying the start for 20 minutes. Ned and Jubby opened carefully, the latter being the first to depart with the score on 9. China L (we're back with the two Chinas in the team) played a couple of good shots before being bowled with a ball that nipped back. Scooter became the third bowled shortly afterwards and a good partenership was now disparately needed. 
Today's skipper joined Ned in the middle, briefly, before gliding one to the keeper. Jack Boon and Ned saw Uni. to lunch with the score 4-42.
Ned's patient innings came to an end shortly after lunch with a fine edge to the keeper. China the elder played some hefty shots before getting a harsh lbw decision from the Sandy Bay checkout chick and two more of the same saw Fenna and young Boonie back in the clubrooms. Beany continued his sparkling form with the bat and found the boundary at will. A six over long on was one of the best shots ever seen at the Uni. oval but not as good as the one he hit over long off! 
With Tom Briscoe Beany put on an entertaining 45 for the last wicket and was cruelly denied a half century when Tom's bails were dislodged.
Not a total that could be defended one would think and some soft dismissals. Matt Drury opened with Fenna jnr. But Sharmo was going to ring quick changes in an attempt to find wickets. Kingborough lost their first early, caught in the slips by Beany off the 2nd. ball of Tom Briscoe's first over. The next to hit the crease were the painter-in-residence and Jo. Neither had any success (although it should be noted that Josh had Divin caught spectacularly by Sharmo off the back of the bat but the Umpire who doesn't work for Woolies didn't agree) and the Knights cruised to 100. Enter today's skipper and Beany switched to the other end. Kingborough were 1-107 and then fireworks to match (nearly) a previous innings of Uni. began. Beany took a blinder in the slips to dismiss Divin and then bowled Loveluck. Clark guided one to Tom B. at gully and the Knights were 5 down and still behind. But they scraped past the 122 and then lost 3 more wickets - a dramatic diving catch by Paine NJR off Sharmo (well it actually was a really easy catch but he's trying to emulate his brother), Scooter got his first for the season and that man again clean bowled another to grab Uni's 8th. At this point things could (and maybe should) have become interesting as, we understood, the remaining two opposition players had left the ground for various reasons. But - the last wicket fell in the last over of the day so stumps were drawn! And so to next week. The Knights will have two guys returning from that silly game at Lindisfarne and will bat on. A day full of twists and turns and Uni. still in with a chance of aggressively looking for a win? (Day 2). The normal merrygoround of substitute players saw Dawson and Swards to the crease for the Knights. Swards had a stuffed knee (and a runner) and their last batsman, Tim Scott, would take no part in the game due some illness. Well - that's what we understood. The innings lasted just six balls before Swards was out, leaving the good guys behind by nine runs on the first innings. No chance of rain interruptions today; searing temperatures and bushfires all over Tassie. How could Uni. conjure a win from this? The Aussies did it against the Poms (sorry can't use that word nowadays apparently but oh well) Personally I thought that time to bowl out the Knights would be the factor - minimum of 40 overs which roughly translated to scoring quick runs and declaring 40-60 minutes before tea. We had zero points at the moment; did it really matter if the Knights got four more when we could try for the win? Quick runs would be the order of the day. Rhett and Ned opened steadily and then the Dog began to increase the tempo with a shot straight out of Beany's 'how to bat' book over long off for 6. Unfortuantely he holed out at long on soon after, Ned was nearly stumped (both scorers thought he had been with the umpire raising his finger but only to point to something in the sky!) but China the younger was given out to a contentious lbw decision (are'nt they all?). Enter Richie. If the scoring computer's printer had any ink in it I could have provided a ball-by-ball commentary on what was to occur. 80 by lunch would have been a good score, but it was 2-99! Graeme 'bat-speed' Cunningham thought that it was next Tuesday's Twenty20 game and his strike rate was never, ever, below 100%. Richie's 50 came off just 40 balls and included one broken window in the clubrooms courtesy of Jubby getting out of the way of the ball instead of catching it. Nice one. The score was rattling along at such a pace that the prospect of declaring earlier than could have been expected was presented. A lead of whatever and a run-rate about 5? Ned was eventually out lbw after a steady knock, Sharmo may have been a tad unlucky with his lbw but Richie ploughed on and brought up his 100 off just 73 balls He did have two 'lives' of sorts, both very deep outfield chances, one of which actually went for six! He passed Uni.'s first innings total off 93 balls and Kingborough's off 95 balls! Fortunately for those in the scorers box he was eventually caught in the deep, just as his attempts to put the ball through another window was getting closer and closer! But still no declaration and Uni. would bat 'til 19 minutes before tea with a lead of 234 with a minimum of 34 overs to be bowled. Would that be enough time to get the nine wickets needed? The Knights' innings got off to a rattling start at nearly six an over until both their openers were out and wickets began to tumble. Bowling changes were made swiftly if there was no succes and at about 6 for it emerged that Tim Scott had been summoned from his sick bed and would bat if needed. As the ninth wicket fell with nearly 40 minutes still to play the Uni. boys were beginning to celebrate an unlikely win. You guessed it, Swards and Scott hung on doggedly and added 42 until stumps were drawn. Still, the day will be rembered for Richie's dynamic batting displa - a joy to have watched. Apologies for the delay in the report. I made it home just in time to watch a fire front heading at me! |
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