STAFF WRITERS
CRICKET
TDCA
IT was moving day for the TDCA on the weekend with five clubs changing their ladder positions, throwing the 2021/22 season wide open.
Round 9 had some fantastic matches played and if this round is anything to go by it should be expected that every round from here on in will be at a finals type intensity.
Ex Students v Glengarry
IN what many are predicting as a grand final preview, the match-up between Ex Students and Glengarry did not disappoint.
Ex Students at home are a formidable beast and no club plays to their home conditions better so it certainly was no surprise that when Lee Stockdale won the toss he batted.
The Rec Reserve wicket has traditionally been better to bat on when the ball is still hard and Stockdale, along with fellow opener Matt Dyke, showed just how good it is to bat on, putting on 96 for the first wicket against Glengarry’s star pace attack.
Stockdale was the first wicket to fall after making 48 from 80 balls with Dyke falling soon after, but not before raising his bat for 54.
Some good bowling then kept Glengarry in the hunt as the next top score any Sharks batsman could muster after the openers was 16 not out from Mitch Membrey, but the positive thing for Ex Students was every other batsman bar one made double figures which eventually lifted the score to 6/189.
Frank Marks (2/22) and Al Jenkin (2/30) were Glengarry’s best with the ball while up and coming quick Gareth Waack-Hawkins was the other wicket taker with 1/17.
Glengarry would have been happy containing Ex Students to under 200 and with regular quicks Harris and Matthews not available the Magpies went to work and set out to emulate Ex Students innings.
It was almost an exact copy of how the Sharks went about it as Al Jenkin (56) and Frank Marks (45) put on 101 for the first wicket until Marks was dismissed.
Nat Freitag then came and went for nine and Al Jenkin was dismissed by Jimmy Pryde with the score on 120 which gave Ex Students a sniff, but still had Glengarry in a commanding position, only requiring 69 with seven wickets in hand.
Another decent partnership was put on by Sam Marks and Hamish Busk but then the mounting pressure finally got to Glengarry which followed a tsunami of wickets and the Magpies went from being 4/146 to all out 175 in the blink of an eye.
Stockdale rounded out a good game claiming 2/21 as Ex Students best bowler, but Jimmy Pryde, Jack Robertson and Michael Warne each claimed two themselves in a great display of pressure bowling.
This match now sets up a tantalising finals series where these two teams are certain to meet with the ledger at 1-1 for the regular season. The win lifts Ex Students to second, trailing only the league leading Pies.
Rovers v Imperials
ROVERS played off in another thriller, this time coming out with the win after a plucky Imperials pushed them all the way.
Winning the toss and batting first Rovers put on 29 for the first wicket which is their best opening stand for the season.
The wheels started to wobble though as they quickly found themselves at 5/54 with their main stars back in the sheds, mainly due to some brilliant bowling from Brad Sizeland and Ross Williams.
As Imperials two older statesmen got a spell it was then time for Rovers spiritual leaders to stand up as Dean Gillard and Simon Duff set about rebuilding the innings in a good 85-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
When Gillard was dismissed for 25 the tail then needed to wag but with only Tyron Bramwell being able to stand up and make 13 himself it all fell back on Duff, who in his 200th A Grade match for the club stood tall making a fine 54 not out, taking his beloved Rovers up to 171 from 48.2 overs.
Williams finished the day with another three-wicket haul, while Sizeland claimed two to now find themselves first and second for the bowling aggregate for the league.
Rovers would have been confident they could defend 171 as the wicket was tricky to get in on.
It didn’t help that Imps captain Rob Morley was dismissed for 14 with the score on 20 either, but again Imperials showed fight and took it up to Rovers.
When the score got to 60, Rovers were able to take two quick wickets and from then on it was a steady procession of wickets to fall, apart from Scotty Aitken who batting at five was able to hold up an end while wickets fell around him.
At 9/130 it looked all but lost for Imps, but Aitken then freed himself up and started to score quickly which brought up his 50 in the process.
With just one over to go and the score on 9/162 Jack Lynch was charged with bowling the final over and luckily for Rovers he was able to strike with his first ball, bowling Aitken for 59 and winning the match as well.
Darion Duncan (2/23), Ewan Williams (2/24) and Jack Lynch (2/30) all bowled well for Rovers with Duff and Dougal Williams claiming a wicket each.
Rovers move up to a spot to sixth and Imperials have fallen from fifth to seventh.
Gormandale v Toongabbie
IN the final match of the round Gormandale were seeking redemption against a Toongabbie team who are shaping well for a finals berth this season.
Toongabbie won the toss and were hoping that the scars of their first encounter for this season would still be fresh in Gormandale’s mind after rolling the Tigers for 95 in Round 2.
When Nat Campbell was dismissed for three it looked to be a great decision, but Gormandale got to work and were able to build a solid platform and have wickets in hand coming into the last 10 overs of their innings.
This was due largely to Matt Hibbs who was able to play himself in and make a good 61, which more than doubled his total runs for the season.
James Jacobsen and Chris Lehner were both good as well making important 30s while Campbell Peavey was able to get a good not out 24 to take Gormandale’s score up to 7/205.
The evergreen Tom Shippen was the Rams best bowler claiming 3/27 on what was a good wicket for batting and hard work for bowling.
Toongabbie got off to a great start in reply as the Dunn brothers put on 56 for the first wicket.
Gormandale were struggling to get any traction with the ball until up and coming medium pacer Ethan Jarvis took responsibility and ended up with a Dunn double having Michael out caught for 24 and then bowling Tim soon after on 33.
Adam Brady then knocked over Jason Veneman for 13 and the match swung back in the Tigers favour as Nat Campbell was then able to rip the guts out of Toongabbie’s batting order with the big scalps of James Chalmers, Kev Stoddart and Keenan Hughes.
As it always does resistance came in the form of Shippen and Rob Wheildon who both
batted well but the task was too great and Toongabbie were knocked over eventually in the 46th over for 157 with Wheildon the top scorer with 36.
As mentioned, Campbell finished with threewickets while Ethan Jarvis, Adam Brady and Luke Henderson each claimed two wickets apiece.
Gormandale jump two spots to fifth and Toongabbie drop to third.
