GPS First XI cricket: Toowoomba Grammar unbeaten while BBC, Nudgee and TSS find winners post
The GPS First XI cricket premiership race has a surprise unbeaten leader while The Southport School fought back hard and BBC allrounder Blake Armstrong shone in round 3 action.
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Toowoomba Grammar remained unbeaten, BBC’s resurgence continued while big guns Nudgee and The Southport School stormed to the winners post in GPS First XI round 3 cricket on Saturday.
The empire struck back when TSS, beaten last week by Terrace, dismissed Brisbane State High School for just 31 after recovering from early trouble to post 8-170.
And at Nudgee, the home (4-137) side fought off a spirited bowling effort to beat Terrace (133) in a traditional derby, while Toowoomba Grammar School (6-116) remained unbeaten with a four wicket win over Brisbane Grammar School (112).
But the performance of the day came at Oakman Oval where BBC’s allrounder Blake Armstrong scored 97 in his team’s win over Churchie.
It is a shame for Armstrong that he missed his hundred, having fought through the batting demons in 34 degree heat only to finish three runs short of a cherished and rare milestone.
He must have the fitness of a triathlete because while he struck four sixes, many of his runs were run - and then he backed it up with an eight over bowling effort.
More on that match below.
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At Carina, The Southport School pairing of Zac McDermott (4-5) and right arm outswing bowler Ted Waterman (4-4) were unmatched as BSHS surprisingly crumbled for just 31 in 23 overs.
As he has done since breaking into the Firsts last season, new ball bowler McDermott strangled the top order batsmen, blasting through BSHS’s best two batsmen - Jack Sonter and Daniel Skipwith.
Waterman was a perfect foil with his guile and swing, snaring three successive wickets as the innings slid away.
Earlier, Queensland under 17 allrounder Griff Williams found the bullseye with the bat in scoring a match high 74 (100 balls), rescuing TSS from a slow start.
At one stage TSS was 2-42 after 22 overs as Jem Du and Max Isoardi pinned their opponents.
But Williams and Daniel Statham (21) got their side to 3-105 with 15 overs remaining, a platform from which TSS was able to assemble a winning score. Johnson (15) and Summers (12) supported Williams in the late innings effort.
During the innings, BSHS bowlers Du (2-23) and Tom Moloney (2-14) did splendidly with the ball alongside Isoardi, while Oliver Peck showed promise.
Then came the new ball bowling of McDermott and Waterman and the game was over quickly.
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At Nudgee, for the second week in a row Nudgee captain Jack Balkin (44 not out) steered his team to victory after some tense moments in the clash with Terrace.
While Terrace struggled to 9-133 after elite bowling from Ed Kasprowicz (2-9, 9 overs) and Angus McLean (2-21), the Red and Blacks fought hard in the field to have Nudgee 2-44 and 4-88.
In schoolboy cricket there is no such thing as a certainty, but Balkin’s 91 minutes of application ensured the best side won. He finished the match off with a four.
Balkin shared an unbeaten partnership of 49 with Karmichael Dee (21 not out, 43 balls) after Tom Stubbins (1-25) and Tom Hallion (1-16) had shown the way for Terrace at the bowling crease.
Last week’s matchwinner James Eustance was among the wickets again for Terrace and the win was harder than it seemed on the surface.
Eustance claimed Matthew Fielding (53) who had fired his side out of the blocks with a free flowing 66 ball innings that included seven fours and one six.
While Balkin shone with the bat, he also offered great support with his off-spin, helping consolidate the start Kasprowicz and McLean gave Nudgee. Balkin’s bowling effort included three maidens.
The unsung Carter Corless also performed with a three wicket haul (3-44) while Fergus McFadyen was among the wickets (1-17).
In Toowoomba, Brisbane Grammar bowlers Soham Sane (3-17) and Ollie Spence (2-32) fought hard, very hard, but for the second time this season Richard Dean (35 not out, 53 balls) was a late order batting star for TGS.
TGS were 5-57 and no good things when Dean threaded the lower order together alongside leg-spin bowling hero Cooper Webster (10-5-11-3).
On their home ground, Toowoomba treated their rivals to a fielding masterclass to go along with their superb bowling attack.
They dismissed three batsmen with their sharpness in the field, while applying immense pressure bowling almost unplayable areas.
All Brisbane Grammar could do was defend, defend, defend and keep defending and in the end they posted an honorable 112. High praise to them.
With the bat, BGS opener Spence was calm and composed under plenty of pressure as wickets tumbled around him.
He scored a much needed 28, while No.6 JB Horton smashed a quick 15 with two fantastic six hits highlights of his 12-ball innings.
With the ball, Webster worked his magic for the home side for 3-11, while Ewald Kruger and Thisaja Samarawickrama (one each) and Malhotra (two) also tamed their foe.
It’s worth noting that Joseph Sippel was a fielding weapon, no doubt giving his side a major-boost. His glove work dismissed not one but six Brisbane Grammar batsmen.
In the chase, Sane shone with the new ball for BGS, so much so that he bowled both openers for naught and two.
Spence wasn’t far behind with two wickets of his own giving Toowoomba a fright, six down with 22 runs to get.
No.3 Cam Bignell, No.6 Cooper Webster and Dean steadied the ship with crucial cameos of 28, 15 and 35 respectively.
In the end, it took 33 overs for Brisbane Grammar’s 112 to be matched.
At Oakman Park, BBC’s Blake Armstrong shared a match-defining partnership with a fast finishing Oscar Shaw whose run-a-ball 72 not out came in just 90 minutes.
Shaw dominated the innings, taking BBC from 5-120 when Churchie were circling, their tails in the air.
After watching the Shaw-inspired innings help take 169 runs from the last 15 overs, BBC all-rounder and captain Jamie Alexander then struck with his medium-fast new ball bowling.
Alexander claimed two wickets in the blink of an eye and chasing 7-269, Churchie was bailing water early.
Alexander’s younger brother, Christian, then captured the prized wicket of Jack Ryan (38), caught and bowled, after a dangerous partnership with Tighe Morris (39).
But Jack Heelan’s dismissal of Morris and Jayden Draper, and Scitfleet’s run out of Brady ensured there was no come-from-behind victory by BBC.
Earlier in the day after a lone bagpiper had played the BBC openers all the way to the centre wicket, Churchie slow bowler Henry Hillier gave his team a dream start by dismissing round 1 batting ace James Martens.
Left arm orthodox spinner Hillier lured the positive Martens into a drive which Hillier swooped on, moving with both hands to his left.
Ed Storen had also produced a challenging new ball burst of medium fast and the challenge was on.
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But Blake Armstrong answered the call with a lovely lofted drive to long off, just one bounce before crossing the boundary.
Storen’s reward for effort came courtesy of a brilliant can from Clancy Brady at first slip, snared following a ricochet off the gloves of his keeper Draper.
It was a stunning reflex effort.
Jamie Alexander’s first four was pumped through cover off Daniel Boreham, and you could sense a positive energy from both he and Armstrong as they raised BBCs 50 in the 13th over.
They looked for singles but also backed themselves when the ball was in their zone, with one on drive from Alexander deserving the applause he received from teammates.
With an eight step run up Hillier moved quickly through his work, putting pressure on via the speed of his overs before being replaced by leg spinner Charlie Moore at the college end.
With his looping wrist spin Moore proved a point of difference, claiming the promising Alexander who was smartly stumped by glove man Draper in his second over.
How Churchie head coach Peter Drinnen, a former Queensland Sheffield Shield keeper, must have enjoyed the moment.
But Armstrong pushed on for BBC, twice lifting Churchie’s wrist spinner Tighe Morris straight in his first over, the second shot sailing 20 over the white picket fence.
A smoke haze then drifted across Oakman Field, but neither batsman had difficulty seeing the ball.
BBC’s Ryan Atley also used his feet to the spinners, but it was Armstrong who moved impressively to 50 (54 balls) with a straight six, and then a scampered single to mid wicket.
As a result BBC, were 110 at the halfway point of its innings.
In the heat the BBC batsmen seemingly started to fatigue with several skied shots falling safely between fielders.
That was until Atley’s entertaining innings (24)came to a halt, caught at deep mid wicket by Morris off Zac Griggs
BBC were still well placed at 4-120, but the door was ajar for Churchie.
From being ajar the door then swung wide open when off spinner Griggs dismissed Scifleet in the same over, and it was imperative Armstrong push on.
In the Churchie innings, when Tighe and Brady pushed their team’s innings beyond 100 in the 26th over, Churchie were closer enough if good enough even though it was a daunting 270 to win.
ROUND 4
IGS v GT
BBC v TGS
BSHS v NC
TSS v BGS
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