GPS First XI Cricket round 6 Nudgee-TSS race in two hots up
Harry Sheppard scored a century as the sprint to the GPS First XI cricket premiership hots up.
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The sprint to the GPS First XI cricket premiership is hotting up, with both St Joseph’s Nudgee College and The Southport School victors today.
Nudgee (5-108) overcame an uncertain start to defeat a gutsy BGS (107) while TSS (2-88) reeled in Brisbane Boys College’s total of 87.
The title could come down to the March 20 round eight clash when TSS host Nudgee on the imposing Village Green.
In other matches, year 11 student Harry Sheppard scored an unbeaten century as Ipswich Grammar School (3-183) beat a fighting BSHS (9-182) while Steven Timms (78) took his side by the hand and guided them beyond Toowoomba Grammar School in an absorbing battle.
At a picturesque Churchie Main Oval, TGS (150) set the home side a tricky run chase, leading to Timms outstanding innings.
Having earlier claimed 1-24 with the ball as Churchie dismissed TGS for 150, Timms revived his side from 3-41 batting alongside Joshua Welsh.
Not too many people can claim to being an opening bowler and a batsman, but Timms has done both extremely well. And it is just as well.
When TGS pace bowlers Jem Ryan and Will Kruger bent their backs, they had Churchie in trouble.
And when Timms was dismissed with the score on 118, Churchie still had a long way to go.
But Jack Ryan (18), Welsh (17) and Hamish McDonald (15) did enough as a batting group to secure a four wicket win for Churchie.
Earlier in the day the white picket fences seemed brighter than usual against the green grass and blue sky as the much improved home side, Churchie, went about their business against the dangerous Toowoomba Grammar School.
TGS won the first hour when openers Harry Meiklejohn (20) and Rex Tooley (36) added 52 for the first wicket.
But a double break through by Henry Zietsch jolted the TGS innings, with both Meiklejohn and Tom Sippell losing their wicket to the Zietdsch-Butterworth-Love bowler-catcher combination.
Zietsch, who has been mighty for Churchie all season, built pressure with three early maidens as TGS steadied at 3-70, 24 overs into their innings.
Callum Galvin (23, 46 balls) pushed the TGS innings along before being bowled by Hamish McDonald, then McDonald again, James Holy and Timms all claimed wickets to erode the TGS batting.
Churchie captain Will Harris again kept things tight in the middle part of the TGS innings, and it was left to Paul Draheim (24, 40 balls) and Harrison Tzannes to raise Toowoomba from 8-117 to near 150.
Churchie started nervously but after losing two wickets before Timms settled his side.
At Northgate, there were nervous moments for Nudgee in a small run chase before the competition front runners got past the post by five wickets.
When persistent BGS spinner Hugh Weibgen bowled the classy Jack Mills to have Nudgee 4-61 chasing 107, BGS were still in the hunt.
Then the dismissal of allrounder Tom Balkin at 5-90 set up a thriller, to which Nudgee No.5 Nicholas Glass (40 not out) was the key.
Earlier in the day Nudgee’s whirlwind left armer Kallum Russell found the bullseye four times during his opening six over burst, rendering an improving Brisbane Grammar School 5-31.
With Tom Balkin (3-17) fast and furious from the other end, Russell claimed 4-19 in a six over assault that had the BGS middle and lower order batsmen scrambling to don pads earlier than expected.
Not even Ethan Bartley, so close to being a match winner a week earlier against Toowoomba Grammar School, could repel Russell who bowled him.
Matthew Lockhart continued his fine season by making 25, and along with Hugo Malone and Robbie Sanders they got BGS past 100.
It would have again pleased coach Terry Oliver to see Nudgee maintain pressure beyond the opening onslaught of Russell and Balkin, with batting all-rounder Jack Mills (1-19, 10 overs) miserly.
When Nudgee batted the BGS bowlers and fielders came hard at their rivals. Marcus Bean took a wicket in the first over then Robbie Sanders claimed another two scalps as Nudgee wobbled to 3-37 before Gladd eventually got them home.
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Ipswich Grammar School batsman Harry Sheppard starred with a century against BSHS at Brassall.
Sheppard made 104 not out in what IGS Director of Sport Nigel Greive described as “an outstanding, very controlled innings’’.
Sheppard faced just 125 balls, and on six occasions lofted the ball beyond the boundary rope for six.
He shared in a 133 run partnership with James Ross-Lavender (34) which enabled wickets to be in hand if required.
“It was very good competition throughout the day, and to their (BSHS) credit their tail batted superbly and set a very competitive total,’’ Grieve said.
But the day belonged to Sheppard. “It was a controlled knock from a boy in Year 11.
IGS were on top early with Dupinder Singh, Riley Denny, Hayden Bloomfield and Noah Emmerson (1-19, 10 overs) reducing Brisbane State High School to 6-46, only for BSHS to launch a stunning revival.
Dylan Crees held up an end for BSHS during the madcap opening hour, but then he succumbed to the Bloomfield-Emmerson combination for 14.
But for the second time in three weeks, William Storrs (34, 53 balls) counterattacked from a near impossible position.
Storrs and Tiran Mahaarachchi (31, 79 balls) added 76 to ensure the BSHS had a total to defend as Matthew Holmes (28 not out, 37 balls), Connor McMillan (14) and Daemun Singh (18) then scrambled BSHS well beyond 150 to 182.
IGS all-rounder Emmerson will be a strong contender to be named in the GPS team of the season, so good has his bowling been this summer, and again he delivered today.
Jack Geldard continued his tidy season at the bowling crease for IGS with a couple of wickets, and all up IGS would have been delighted with the first half of their performance.
BSHS’s recovery gathered momentum at the bowling crease as well.
Around the wicket claimed by Luke Hatherell, Storrs, Holmes, Singh and McMillan kept things so tight, that IGS were only scoring at two runs an over through the first 20 overs.
But Sheppard and Ross-Lavender never worried, calmly working the ones and twos before some fours started flowing.
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On the Village Green at TSS, The Southport School bowlers were typically miserly during a devastating first 90 minute effort that had BBC (87) grasping for breath.
BBC collapsed to 5-45 and never recovered as the TSS bowling effort, built around Tom Gossett bowling out his overs (2-22, 10 overs), got the job done.
Lachlan Crump (2-7, 6.4 overs) could not be hit off the square, with his opening five overs yielding just five runs, while Tom Kelly conceded just 12 runs in his five overs, including two wickets.
BBC co-captain Ali Zaidi (46, 107 balls) set himself for the long haul, withstanding the pressure for two hours while willing on his partners at the other end.
Gossett’s dismissal of Taj Annan, the BBC’s most consistent batsman this season, was a big blow at a time when hopes were high Zaidi and Annan could refloat the innings.
Jack Sinfield (2-6, five overs) then kept things tight and there was no great escape this time for BBC.
Despite facing defeat, BBC’s Javen D’souza claimed two early wickets to give his team a shout, but Crump (32 not out) and Gossett (38 not out) finished the game in a hurry.
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