GPS First XI cricket round 4 reports
The Southport School avoided an upset while an Ipswich Grammar School rookie powered his side to victory with a rapid-fire century. Read how a stunning round of GPS First XI cricket unfolded here.
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Ipswich Grammar School opener Soham Sharma blasted 103 from 88 to spearhead his side to a stunning 150 run victory which kept his side front and centre in the premiership race.
And in a gripping clash, the Southport School avoided an upset at Oakman Park today against BBC after a half century by No.7 batter Gabriel Leitch helped his side track down BBC’s score of 234.
Both unbeaten IGS and TSS were one and two at the top of the premiership table.
In the other games Nudgee College had a dominant seven-wicket-win over Brisbane Grammar and Churchie managed to hold off Toowoomba Grammar School up on the Darling Downs range to remain in premiership contention. It came down to the last over where TGS needed seven runs but had just one wicket in hand.
Angus Storen was the man, running out TGS’ Alistair McKay.
While the batting magic happened at Ipswich courtesy of Sharma’s hundred, the best game of the day took place at Oakman Park, where Leitch (51, 83 balls) and No. 10 batter Luke Franks (22, 29 balls) dragged their team out of the mud with a stunning partnership which won TSS the game.
BBC’s 234 run score looked out of reach when Leitch entered the crease, but sure enough he got into his work and chipped away at it.
With help of Ted Waterman (27, 30 balls) and Franks, game-saver Leitch produced the timely knock.
It was a knock of class, poise, patience. A knock where he showed nerves of steel to trust in his game, and his teammates.
Cameron Sinfield (12) and Jacob Bath (23) chipped in to begin the chase, before Jaxson Davies had an ultra important knock of his own.
Davies scored 64 from 52 and smacked eight fours, enjoying a lovely partnership with Leitch to give TSS hope.
Davies was eventually removed by Cooper Beachy-Head but after getting TSS into a position where victory was realistic. From there, Leitch carried the baton and with Waterman and Franks, he took his side to safety.
For BBC, Lachlan Sellars, Ashton Clark, Cooper Beachy-Head and D’Arcy Satharasinghe took wickets, with Beachy-Head the best on the day with four wickets, all of which were key scalps in the context of the game.
Earlier, BBC won the toss and elected to bat and opener Angus Harris relished his opportunity to bat with a run-a-ball knock of 48.
Harris had a partnership with Ryan Atley (17) and then his buddy Zac Robinson who hit his strap with 45.
Robinson was determined, and once Harris was dismissed he stayed locked in, forming a partnership with Blake Armstrong to put the TSS bowlers onto the back foot.
Robinson and Armstrong were excellent at the crease together, Armstrong scoring quickly for his 51 (57 balls), and Robinson taking his time for 45 (89 balls).
BBC were on a roll, and D’Arcy Satharasinghe added a crucial 24* to help BBC finish 8-234.
At Ipswich, the home side Ipswich Grammar challenged the Brisbane State High bowlers as they posted a brilliant first innings score of 5-283. In the end, Ipswich won by 150 after erasing BSHS for 133.
Sohaan Sharma exploded for 103 runs off just 88 balls, the Ipswich Grammar opener smashing 11 fours and belting five sixes in a mammoth first wicket stand with Jack Hillier (63).
Sharma and Hillier scored 166 between them, the IGS openers torching the BSHS bowlers with a game-breaking stand.
It was a moment to cherish. GPS hundreds don’t just fall from the sky, and this young fellow would close his eyes tonight proud as punch about his milestone hundred.
Noah Plater (39) and Jacob Cibulka (32*) followed suit for the home side after Dinek Kinigama (16) and Rushi Kakkad (16) chipped in valuable runs.
At the innings break, Ipswich Grammar were in the box seat. It was a tough day in the office for the BSHS bowlers and it didn’t get much easier for the batters.
David Holmes (10) Andy Corrie (24), Pranshu Dave (24), Harvey Palmer (28) and Kethmin Meeagasdeniya (12) showed fight with bat in hand, but successfully chasing 283 is no easy feat.
Especially when you have to face the likes of Jacob Cibulka, Noah plater, Luke Harper, Jettison Emmerson, and Joshua Lossberg.
Cibulka claimed four wickets, Plater and Lossberg one each and Harper and Emmerson two apiece to spearhead IGS to yet another victory.
Up on the range, Churchie defended their total of 8-191, bowling TGS out for 186 in the last over.
Toowoomba’s Gurnoor Randhawa almost produced another match winning knock like Leitch and Sharma did in the other games but Churchie’s Daniel Boreham had different ideas, dismissing Randhawa for a hard-earned 59.
Churchie were sent into bat and would have been reasonably pleased with their 8-191 total.
Again Connor Rudman (24, 48 balls) showed poise against the new ball and on the other end Angus Storen (54, 105 balls) cherished his wicket.
Charlie Lachmund, Cooper Webster, Charlie Bignell and Alistair McKay picked up the wickets for TGS, while Tighe Morris (30), Alex Walduck (28*) and Zac Griggs (10) wound up to see the Churchie innings to the fifty over mark.
Joshua Cranston began TGS’s push to the total with 38 from 73 and while No. 3 batter Bignell showed a different approach with 20 from 25 balls.
Churchie’s wicket-takers Boreham, Angus Storen, Henry Hillier (four wickets), Sam Drinnen and Rupert Bignell (two wickets) were brilliant defending the total but none were more brilliant than Randhawa.
Randhawa was at the crease for hours, and made a living off running between the wickets.
He very nearly took TGS past the winners post but the fielding of Angus Storen in the final over denied Randhawa and a determined Charlie Lachmund a result.
In the end, TGS missed out by just five runs, the home side losing their final wicket in the final over where they needed seven for victory.
And at Nudgee, the home side steamrolled through the Brisbane Grammar batting order to have them all out for 10-90, Nudgee College laying an early deposit on victory early in the days play. Later on in the second innings, Nudgee took no chances and had the total acquired with 27 overs to spare.
Earlier on, Brisbane Grammar openers Sam Wallwork (18) and Benjamin Rothwell (17) denied the Nudgee opening bowlers early wickets but once Billy Connellan broke through, the collapse began.
Nudgee’s Findlay Jones intervened with some fielding brilliance to run out Rothwell and then from there it was a fantastic team effort from Nudgee to suffocate the Brisbane Grammar batters and have them all out in the 41st over.
Connellan and Karmichael Dee finished with two wickets, and Amitoj Sidhu and Jacob Turner one each, but the best on ground with the ball was Spencer Green.
Green produced a season best performance at the bowlers crease taking three wickets and leaking just four runs in 10 overs.
He bowled a whopping seven maidens and was rewarded for his spell with three late wickets.
After the Green-led Nudgee bowlers removed Brisbane Grammar for 90, it was time for their batters to shine.
Despite a courageous spell from Rishi Mehta where he collected two wickets to go along with a run-out, Nudgee cruised to victory.
Captain Matthew Fielding chipped in 21 against the new ball, helping Findlay Jones (26) and Hayden Hamilton (29) get the job done ahead of time.
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