GPS First XI cricket round 2 Players of the Round

The GPS First XI season is hopping along nicely, with Churchie and Toowoomba Grammar unbeaten after two rounds. Check out our picks for Round 2 Players of the Week.

Churchie bowler Ed Storen was elite at the weekend. Picture, John Gass

The GPS First XI season is hopping along nicely, with Churchie and Toowoomba Grammar School unbeaten after two rounds.

Last weekend saw another tremendous round of cricket, with Terrace coming from behind to beat TSS, and Nudgee getting off the mark after a round 1 bye.

So who were the Players of the Week following round 2? All is revealed below.

ROUND 2 REPORT HERE - click here

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TERRACE v THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL

James Eustance (Terrace)

It is not every day you wake up on a Saturday morning playing The Southport School and think to yourself - “I wonder if I will bowl us to victory today’’.

I don’t know if he thought it or not, but that is what left arm orthodox spinner Eustance achieved in taking 4-17, including four wickets in succession as he worked his way through the TSS middle and lower order.

His haul included a stumping, always a joyous moment for a slow bowler, plus two caught and bowls, while Eustance also took a catch for good measure. It was some afternoon.

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Christian Jardine (Terrace)

For the second successive week right handed opener Jardine makes our list for scoring a match high 35 in a low scoring game. Take out his committed 117 minute innings last Saturday against TSS and Terrace do win? Not likely.

The style of Gregory Terrace batsman Christian Jardine Picture, John Gass

Will Illott (Terrace)

Eustance also had a spin twin - left arm orthodox tweaker Illott whose 2-15 with the new ball eroded the TSS innings from the outset. Illott dismissed Queensland under 17 all-rounder Griff Williams and the inform Zac McDermott and showed the benefit of being conditioned by the demanding Lord Taverners under 16 club cricket competition at South Brisbane.

The Southport School in action during round 1.

Tom Stubbins (Terrace)

It was Stubbins who started his team’s defence of 133 with the third ball dismissal of TSS ace Jacob Bath, a new ball spell which would also claim fellow opener Ned Hanrahan. With Hayden Evetts able to complete just one over, Stubbins gave Terrace a fly-start which was crucial. Late in the innings the right arm swing bowler returned for his second spell to claim another wicket, and although he bowled multiple wides and no-balls, his 3-26 was a match winning combination.

Ryan Summers (TSS)

If TSS had won - and they were not light years away from doing so - it would have come down to the pressure their bowling unit put on the Terrace batsmen. An spearheading the campaign was Summers (10 overs, 0-21) who put the breaks on early with Zac McDermott.

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TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL v BSHS

Sewmith Samarawickrama (Toowoomba Grammar School)

Samarawickrama is another back-to-back Player of the Week recipient for his splendid all-rounder effort against Brisbane State High School.

Toowoomba Grammar School bowler Thisaja Samarawickrama. Picture, John Gass

The Queensland under 17 spinner did the job with the ball and then with the bat. His innings came at a time when TGS were getting the wobbles, having slumped to 3-39 chasing 120. But his fluent 43 not out (38 balls) whisked the match from under BSHS’s bowlers who had shown great spirit to rally against the odds.

Jack Sonter (BSHS)

A Queensland under 17 teammate of Samarawickrama, BSHS batsman Sonter is one of the class batsmen of the competition. He missed out in the first match when he was dismissed cheaply against Churchie, but was on song against TGS with 54 in just over two hours. His aim will now be to push on beyond 70 or 80 and maybe even score a hundred. And he is good enough to do it.

Cooper Webster in last year’s Toowoomba grand final. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Cooper Webster (TGS)

Webster arrived on the scene last year as a First XI rookie when he took not only one of the catches of the season, it was one of the catches of this century. Now he is an accomplished all-rounder who scored 37 and took 1-40 in game No.1, and last Saturday snared 2-27 from 10 overs with his spinners and scored a brisk 22 in a low scoring game.

BSHS batsman Jack Sonter. Picture, John Gass

NUDGEE COLLEGE v IPSWICH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Angus McLean (Nudgee College): The right arm outswing bowler set high standards from his first over and never lost momentum on his way to capturing 4-22. He achieved the haul with both the new ball and the old ball, taking the first two wickets to fall and the last two. Not only did he swing the ball away and display great control bowling to his field, he also had a wicked effort ball which would rise sharply and thump into the wicket keeper’s gloves.

Nudgee celebrate a wicket at the weekend. Picture, John Gass

Jack Balkin (Nudgee College): The Nudgee captain bowled beautifully to maintain pressure during the IGS innings, and was a matchwinner with the bat (61 not out). His off spin (0-19, 10 overs) dried up the runs and he was also involved in two run outs including when he caught IGS batting anchor Luke Sanderson (27, 86 minutes) short of his crease. And his throw in the field also ousted Luke Harper who was building an annoying late innings partnership. Nudgee also needed their skipper to fire with the bat as well after slipping to 3-56, and Balkin obliged with a splendid innings.

Noah McFadyen, right, runs into congratulate a wicket. Picture, John Gass

Luke Wegner (Ipswich Grammar School)

It was a nice fighting effort from Wegner who rallied with the ball and with the bat despite being under tremendous pressure from the Nudgee bowlers and fieldsmen. He was last man out for 25, batting an hour and sharing a tidy 44 run partnership with Luke Harper. Defending a small total, Wegner saw Matt Fielding and Dane Neilsen come at him hard at the start of the Nudgee innings, but Wegner prevailed to finish with a splendid return of 7-2-22-1.

Churchie players watch on. Picture, John Gass

CHURCHIE v BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Ed Storen and Daniel Boreham (Churchie): Churchie has one of the best balanced attacks in the competition not reliant on any individual. After their four-pronged spin attack did the job in round one, it was the turn of right arm seam bowlers Ed Storen (three wickets) and Daniel Boreham (4-21) who took 7-30 between them last Saturday. Storen even had a hand in running out Jack Matthews with a throw to Draper who also had a hand in four dismissals behind the stumps.

Churchie bowler Ed Storen Picture, John Gass

Henry Hillier and Charlie Moore (Churchie): Hillier and Moore have been a revelation in the opening two rounds, with Hillier’s new ball bowling proving impossible to get away. Left arm orthodox spinner Hillier, who took 0-14 (10 overs) at the weekend, has started the season with figures of 17-5-30-2 while leg spinner Moore has 4-39 from 20 overs. Moore bowls second or third change, coming on after Hillier has tied the top order in knots.

GPS First XI cricket between Churchie and Brisbane Grammar

Oliver Skerl (Brisbane Grammar School): Skerl is in grand bowling form with his clever leg-spinners both containing and challenging batsmen across the first two rounds of the competition. Last weekend, in a lost cause, he took 1-19 from nine overs after impressing in week No. 1 (2-33, 10 overs).

Footnote: Watch for our continuing coverage of GPS First XI cricket this Saturday, later afternoon.

ROUND 3

BBC v ACGS

NC v GT

TGS v BGS

BSHS v TSS

IGS v Bye

Action from the GPS First XI cricket between Churchie and Brisbane Grammar Picture, John Gass