Iona College crowned AIC First XI cricket premiers – plus Pembroke’s amazing knock
The AIC First XI premiership has a new holder, following a gripping decider, but a piece of individual brilliance, evoking memories of Ian Botham’s great comeback Test hundred, has staked a claim for the moment of the weekend.
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The Iona College community is toasting its AIC First XI premiership success for the first time since 2018.
Captained by Cayman Toole and coached by Wayne Niven, Iona went past Marist College Ashgrove on the table during Saturday after Ashgrove had a gripping loss to St Patrick’s.
“We played well in the last couple of games and St Patrick’s did us a favour,’’ said Iona College director of sport Keith Harron in reference to Paddies’ exciting win over Ashgrove.
Iona defeated St Peters by eight wickets, then sat back and watched a gripping encounter at Marist Ashgrove.
Needing 184 to win, Ashgrove were dismissed for 180 in the 50th over.
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The “grand final’’ at Ashgrove did, however, overshadow an extraordinary performance by Padua’s Ryan Pembroke against Villanova at Andrew Slack Oval.
Pembroke evoked memories of two of the great comeback Test hundreds (by Englishmen Ian Botham and Ben Stokes) to score 165 not out in his team’s remarkable win. Story below.
At Ashgrove, Marist needed 53 runs off the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand, and then 41 runs from seven overs with five wickets in hand, but the occasion made it an uncertain tightrope journey.
Liam Hartshorn’s double breakthrough for Paddies with the score on 134 actually put St Patrick’s in the box seat to win and positioned Iona, who had beaten St Peters earlier in the day, to take the premiership.
But James Brandon fought hard and it was anyone’s match.
On a normal day, 185 is a challenge to run down, but with the premiership at stake every Ashgrove batsman must have felt like there was a piano on their back.
It was tense, tight cricket as St Patrick’s bowlers and fielders built pressure as the sun starting dipping over the Taylor Range.
Harry Clench’s early dismissal of Ashgrove opener Max Hrstich’s built additional tension, before Matt Trotter (30) and Billy Nuss (44) got their team close to 100.
But their loss in quick succession meant the Ashgrove (3-88) innings had to start all over again as James Brandon fought hard.
Clench was a bowling hero for St Patrick’s, with his 1-16 from 10 overs pinning Ash on the backfoot. Kai Hawkins also took two wickets.
Earlier, year 9 St Patrick’s student Steve Hogan continued to impress by scoring 56 in 105 minutes after Harry Clench had dug in for almost two hours in scoring a dogged 32.
Then Ben Dempsey rallied the Paddies’ innings well beyond 150 to give Ashgrove a nervous run chase.
It was a typical team bowling performance by Marist, although Aidan O’Connell (1-19, seven overs) was most economical and Ryan Harten (2-28) most successful in the wicket taking list.
O’Connell also got the prized wicket of Hogan, caught by Nickelson.
At Iona, the Iona College bowlers did their best to give the First XI every chance of winning the premiership by dismissing St Peters Lutheran College for 98.
Iona then claimed an eight wicket win as Zayne Thomas (35 not out) and Liam Carter (42 not out) did the job batting second.
Harron heaped praise on coach Niven. “The secret to his success is his coaching guidance and the intensity they trained with,’’ Harron revealed.
“That (training with intensity) tends to win you the close games on the park.’’
Earlier, Iona’s Lachlan Bragger claimed 3-21 and Archer Andersen took 1-11 from 10 overs in an amazing performance, but it was very much a team bowling effort.
Linning, Andersen, McClure, Richter, Malpass and Thomas also claimed wickets.
Aarav Pant (32) and Seb McCormack (18) did their bit for St Peters with the bat, but it was tough going against an accurate attack.
In the clash between Villanova College and Padua at Andrew Slack Oval, Pembroke did the impossible to guide Padua to victory.
Pembroke scored 165 not out as Padua made 9-268 chasing 265 to win.
It was extraordinary. Padua were 2-16 and 6-127 but like those great Test knocks by Botham and Stokes, Pembroke rallied his team from a seemingly impossible position.
Scoring 165 not out from just 144 balls, he partnered with Braithyn Pecic (17) to carry the score to 7-197.
The most astonishing part of his performance was that Pembroke scored all but one run in the last wicket stand of 46.
Has there been a better innings in AIC cricket? Surely not.
Earlier Ben Fingland again produced with the bat (81, 97 balls) as Villanova College whizzed to 265.
All-rounder Fingland hit 10 fours and three sixes during a 139 minute batting performance that was supported by Liam McConville’s blazing 39 (42 balls) and 33 from Thallon.
Will Tozer (1-29) had kept things nice and tight for Padua during his eight over
A nice, even batting performance delivered St Laurence’s College 8-188 against St Edmunds’s College, giving bowler Callum Reidy the platform to shine in the afternoon session.
Reidy claimed 5-14 and Mackenzie Douglas 2-25 as the pair took Eddies’ first seven wickets to fall.
In the morning session, no one passed 50 for St Laurence’s as a steady Xavier Santos (38) and an aggressive Tom Stenhouse (32) led the way.
Ben Naish was terrific for St Edmund’s in securing 4-37, Costello, Sammut, Mills, Read and Wade all filled in around their chief wickettaker and produced economical performances.
St Edmund’s replied with a spirited 131, with Ethan Windolf (30) trying to take the tail with him toward the victory target.
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