Bradman Cup: Greater Illawarra claims U16 country championships
With four teams vying for the title on finals day, a clinical performance from one side has sealed the Bradman Cup title for 2024-25.
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Greater Illawarra has continued its golden representative summer after taking out the Bradman Cup.
Going into the final round of the under-16 country championships one point ahead of the Central Coast at the top of the ladder and with a total of four teams in with a chance of claiming the tournament, the team swept aside last year’s champions North Coastal with an emphatic six-wicket victory to seal the title.
The team won five and lost just one of its seven games, with one fixture abandoned due to rain.
It capped off an excellent summer for Greater Illawarra’s junior men’s rep sides, with the Bradman Cup crown coming after the zone also took out the Country Colts (under-19s) title earlier in the season.
Handed the ball in the final-round clash, Greater Illawarra’s bowlers set the platform for victory with an excellent bowling performance.
The breakthrough came in the fifth over when fast bowler Tom McKinley drew a top edge out of North Coastal opener Tom Craig to be caught at mid-off for six.
Things got a lot better four balls later when danger man and the competition’s leading runscorer Cooper Williams was caught behind to McKinley’s bowling for a duck.
McKinley was almost unplayable and he put his side in a hugely dominant position two over later by once again finding the outside edge to dismiss Darby Rouse and reduce North Coastal to 3-24.
While wickets fell around him, North Coastal opener Harrison O’Brien showed plenty of resistance as he went about rescuing the innings.
Although he regularly found the boundary, wickets continued to be taken at the other end, and when O’Brien was eventually dismissed for a well-made 55, North Coastal was in huge trouble at 6-88.
North Coastal’s Charlie Rouse tried to keep the scoreboard ticking over with an unbeaten 20, however Greater Illawarra was too good for the tail, bowling its opponents out for just 131 in the 42nd over. McKinley and Hudson Shaw were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets each.
Although only chasing a small target, Greater Illawarra got off to a disastrous start when opener Archie O’Hara was remarkably trapped in front LBW by Harrison Hunt with the very first ball of the innings.
Then when star man Blake Cattle was caught for five shortly after, the south coast team had fallen to 2-15.
However any thought of a surprise defeat was snuffed out by Kody Lawler (39) and Lucas Brown (19), who helped steady the ship before Thomas Wells came in to let of some celebratory fireworks.
The powerful left-hander hit five fours and two sixes in a remarkable knock of 53 not out from just 28 balls to bring his team to the cusp of victory.
Then perhaps fittingly, Greater Illawarra’s Liam Gammone – who starred with the ball throughout the tournament – hit the winning runs with a boundary to give the side an emphatic six-wicket win with more than 21 overs remaining to seal the title.
TON HELPS WESTERN FINISH IN STYLE
An unbeaten century to Lochlan Shoemark and a stunning four-wicket haul by Jayden Brasier have helped Western finish its Bradman Cup campaign in style with an exciting five-wicket win over Newcastle.
Chasing 191 for victory, Shoemark remarkably carried the bat through the whole innings, scoring 100 not out from 133 balls as Western hit the winning runs with 10 deliveries remaining.
It came after Newcastle never really got going in its innings, with six players getting starts but none managing to go on with the job.
Will Parkinson continued his impressive finish to the tournament by top scoring with 33 in the middle order while Hayden Checker ensured he remained Newcastle’s leading runscorer with 28.
Brasier was the standout with the ball with four wickets for Western, while Austin Hunt – arguably the team’s best performer of the tournament – picked up two and Shoemark started his golden day with two wickets of his own.
In reply, Western got off to a shaky start as four of the top five fell cheaply to see the team slump to 4-67.
Shoemark remained the rock up the other end as he continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
With his team struggling, he teamed up with Harry McDonald for the match-defining partnership. The pair put on 105 for the fifth wicket before the latter was dismissed for a patient 37 from 77 balls.
While Western remained in a comfortable position, the only fear was that Shoemark would be stranded just short of his ton.
With two runs to win, the opener was on 98 and managed to get it through the field for two to not only wrap up the game but also bring up his century.
The result ensured that both sides finished equal on 19 points, in fourth and fifth position respectively.
CENTRAL COAST FINISHES IN STYLE
They might not have taken home the title, but the Central Coast players left the Bradman Cup with their reputations enhanced after a strong five-wicket win over Riverina that ensured the team finished in second place in the tournament.
With a record of five wins, one loss and one washout, the Central Coast finished on 29 points, just one behind champions Greater Illawarra.
Chasing 208 for victory, the team’s batters really came to the fore as five of the top seven made meaningful contributions. The side was in control for much of the chase and hit the winning runs with 3.1 overs remaining.
Star all-rounder Simon Alderson was man of the match, taking 2-32 from 10 overs with his off-spinners before top scoring with 73 to finish the tournament as the eight-highest runscorer with 170.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Riverina got off to a positive start as openers Joe Lavis and Nicholas Oliver put on 87 for the first wicket.
And while the pair were dismissed in quick succession for 50 and 39 respectively, Noah Platt and Sam Williams continued the momentum with another strong partnership.
The pair put on 58 before Williams was knocked over for 24.
The wicket triggered a collapse for Western, who lost Platt for 38 shortly after as the team lost 7-34 to be bowled out for 207.
In response, the Central Coast top order looked assured in its chase, with Kallan Aiken (29), Vincent Thornley (39) and Alderson (73) laying the foundation before Fletcher Gersbach (21 not out) and Finn Giddings (11 not out) finished off the job in the 47th over.
EPIC PARTNERSHIP RESCUES CENTRAL NORTH
Central North has batting pair Archie McMaster and Samuel Davis to thank after the pair put on a monster partnership to rescue the team from a top-order collapse and lead it to a 31-run victory over Southern Districts.
On the back of some disastrous running between the wickets that resulted in three runouts and saw the team fall to 5-46 in the 14th over, the pair got together to completely change the nature of the contest.
They hit the ball to all parts of the ground as they put on a stunning 158-run partnership that not only got the side out of trouble but also helped it post a competition total of 220.
McMaster was the star of the show, hitting six fours and clearing the fence four times as he scored a brilliant 95 from 124 balls.
At the other end, Davis played the perfect partner, rotating the strike nicely and finding the gaps in his knock of 56 not out from 93 deliveries.
On the back of some lower-order wickets, Southern Districts’ Matthew Higham finished with 4-18 from 6.4 overs.
While the team went into the game with only one win in the tournament, Southern Districts certainly didn’t roll over in its chase as a string of players made starts.
Opener Jesse Walters scored 30, Issac Roxburgh put on 31, Higham peeled off 20 and Bryce Kellar top scored with 40 as the team made a real fist of the chase.
However Central North off-spinner Charlie Lovegrove proved to be the difference, regularly taking key wickets as he finished with 4-51 as Southern Districts was bowled out for 189.
The victory capped off an impressive tournament for Central North, who finished third with a record of four wins, two losses and one washout.
ROUND 6 WRAP
It will all come down to the final day as four teams remain in the hunt to take out the Bradman Cup.
All eight sides will take to the field on Tuesday, when the title will be decided.
Wet weather ruined play during round six on Monday, with all four games abandoned after rain settled in over Albury in the afternoon.
This left the ladder positions unchanged heading into the final round, with Greater Illawarra holding onto a one-point lead over the Central at the top, while Newcastle and Central North also remain a chance of taking out the title.
And while the rain disrupted play, there were still some standout performances across the board. Catch up with a wrap below.
RIVERINA BATTERS PUT ON A SHOW
Perhaps no team would have been cursing the rain more than Riverina as the side looked set for a big total before bad weather stopped play.
Batting first against Newcastle, Riverina’s top order fired as the side moved to 4-204 from 42 overs.
It started with openers Joe Lavis and Nicholas Oliver, who put on a remarkable 124-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Lavis in particular looked in seriously good touch, hitting six fours and one six in his knock of 76 from 85 balls. It moved the opener into second on the overall runscoring charts with 182 at an average of 30.
Oliver was the perfect partner at the other end, turning over the strike as he scored 40 from 66 deliveries.
Newcastle’s bowlers struggled to make inroads, with the team relying on two runouts to get it back into the game.
And while Newcastle’s work in the field pulled things back a little, Noah Platt looked in good touch with an unbeaten 38 from 45 balls when rain stopped play.
BIG GUNS KEEP FIRING
Some of the star performers of the tournament continued their strong form in round six.
Chief among them was North Coastal bowler Jack O’Shea, who took another two wickets as his side reduced Western to 7-164 from 47 overs.
O’Shea’s 2-23 from five overs moved him onto 11 wickets for the tournament and outright second behind Greater Illawarra’s Liam Gammone.
Elsewhere, Central Coast all-rounder Simon Alderson had a great day out as he took 3-26 from 10 overs against Southern Districts.
The off-spinner was the pick of the bowlers as the Central Coast restricted its rivals to 7-153 in the 48th over before rain stopped play.
While nominally a batter, Alderson now has seven wickets at an average of 17 to be the 11th-highest wicket-taker. He has also scored 97 runs at an average of 24 with the willow.
RAIN ROBS COMP OF BIG-GUN CLASH
Arguably the most disappointing aspect of the round six weather interruptions was the fact that a potentially tournament-deciding clash between leaders Greater Illawarra and Central North was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
While the south coast side was five clear of its opponents, Central North has been in strong form over the course of the tournament an could have overtaken Greater Illawarra and shaken up the race to the finals with a win.
ROUND 4-5 WRAP
After a break of more than a month, the Bradman Cup roared back into action with a blistering return over the weekend.
Featuring country NSW’s best under-16 cricketers, the teams representing eight zones came together in Albury for the final four rounds of the tournament.
After what was a huge weekend of cricket, a string of teams remain in the mix to take out the title.
Catch up with a wrap below.
TOURNAMENT BLOWN WIDE OPEN
Up to four teams remain in the running to take out the Bradman Cup after a couple of eye-catching results across rounds four and five of the competition.
After five games Greater Illawarra sits at the top of the ladder on 21 points, just one ahead of the Central Coast. Meanwhile Newcastle and Central North remain in with a shot with two rounds remaining as they sit on 16 points.
Resuming after the opening three rounds of the tournament in late November, the top two teams Greater Illawarra and Newcastle faced off in a round four blockbuster on Saturday.
Batting first, Greater Illawarra found itself in trouble early, slumping to 4-30 as the Newcastle quicks ripped through the top order.
However a fightback from star player Blake Cattle (68) and some lower-order hitting from Joe Burgess (32 not out) and Lachlan Barry (25) dragged the team to 189 before it was bowled out in the final over.
In response, Newcastle got off to a strong start as openers Hayden Checker and Drew Saxby went past 50 for the first wicket. However their dismissals triggered a collapse that saw Newcastle slump to 5-85.
And despite a defiant 38 from Will Parkinson, Newcastle ultimately fell 28 runs short as it was bowled out for 161 in the 45th over.
The win left the undefeated Greater Illawarra side seven points clear at the top ahead of its round five clash with second-placed Central Coast.
While the south coast side had the chance to more or less seal the title, the Central Coast caused a boilover by running out 60-run winners.
Batting first, the Central Coast worked its way to a competitive total of 9-216 from its 50 overs, led by 54 from opener Kallan Aiken, 30 not out from Hayden Fearnley and solid contributions from Vincent Thornley (29), George Verth (27) and Finn Giddings (24).
While Greater Illawarra come into the game undefeated and would have fancied its chances of chasing down the total, the team was blown away by the Central Coast attack.
Just two players inside the top eight reached double figures, with captain Cattle one of two to be dismissed for golden ducks.
At one stage Greater Illawarra was reduced to 9-66, with only some dogged resistance from Joe Burgess (59 not out) and Tom McKinley (17) dragged the side to 156 before it was bowled out.
The result brought the tournament to life, with four sides a chance of winning the title with two rounds remaining.
DRAMA IN FINAL-OVER THRILLER
One of the teams still in with a chance was involved in arguably the game of the tournament so far as Central North and Riverina battled it out in a final-over thriller in round five.
Chasing 215 for victory, Central North was seven wickets down and needed three runs in the final over to seal the victory.
Facing up to Western’s Brendan Richards, Central North’s Sam Davis put the first ball of the over away for two before finishing the job in the next delivery with a boundary to seal the dramatic win.
It capped off a seesawing contest between the two teams that could have gone either way.
Batting first, Western relied on a team effort as six players made starts to get the side to 9-214 from its 50 overs.
Austin Hunt was the standout with an unbeaten 38 from 44 balls, while Kobe Muir (31) and Lochlan Shoemark (26) also made strong contributions.
In response, Central North got off to a tough start as Hunt helped to skittle the top order. He took two early wickets as Central North fell to 3-46 early in the chase.
However opener Charlie Lovegrove saw off the new ball and worked with the middle order to resurrect the innings.
He blasted 10 fours in an outstanding knock of 87 as he built partnerships with Riley Jones (30) and Davis (30 not out) to get the team within striking distance.
Despite Lovegrove’s brilliant knock, the team still had a required run rate of more than seven with six overs remaining and it hit 49 from the final 32 balls to secure a nailbiting victory.
YOUNG GUNS FIRE
With country NSW’s best young cricketers gathering for the tournament, there have been some outstanding individual performances from the brightest young prospects in the state.
Perhaps none have been more impressive than North Coastal batter Cooper Williams, who continued his outstanding tournament with a brilliant ton against Southern Districts in round four.
Coming in at first drop, Williams – who is still eligible to play in the tournament next year – hit 12 boundaries in his stunning knock of 104 from 120 balls.
After the first five rounds he is well out in front as the leading runscorer with 223, some 46 ahead of Greater Illawarra’s Blake Cattle in second, with an average of 74.
Speaking of Cattle, he has once again been a leader for Greater Illawarra, highlighted by an ultimately crucial 68 in the round four victory over Newcastle.
Another of his Greater Illawarra teammates to have stolen the limelight is left-arm quick Liam Gammone.
Coming into the weekend as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with nine, Gammone added another six over the past two games, including 5-51 against the Central Coast. He now has 15 wickets, a whopping six clear of the next best.
Another Greater Illawarra player to shine has been Joe Burgess, who has been outstanding with both the bat and ball.
Picked predominantly as a bowler, the leg spinner has taken seven wickets so far at an average of just 10 to be the sixth-leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
However in recent rounds he has also starred with the bat. With his team in trouble at 8-134 against Newcastle, Burgess put together a crucial 32 not out from 72 balls to help push the side to 189 and ultimately help secure victory.
He was even better in the round give clash against Central Coast, top scoring with an unbeaten 59 as he denied the opposition any chance of a bonus point in the 60-run loss.
Burgess now has 92 runs in three digs, with the right-hander yet to be dismissed.
Elsewhere, Central North’s Charlie Lovegrove was undoubtedly very popular among his teammates after scoring a crucial 87 to get his side home against Western in a final-over thriller.
Chasing 215 for victory, the team slumped to 3-46 before Lovegrove stuck it out with the middle and lower order.
And while he was dismissed with three overs to go, Lovegrove’s contribution helped Central North claim victory with four balls to spare.
Another player to shine in that game was Western all-rounder Austin Hunt.
Coming in at number seven, he helped dig his team out of trouble with an excellent unbeaten 38 to his Western a competitive total before taking 3-40 from 10 overs with the ball. His haul moved him into equal second on the wicket-takers’ list with nine.
The Central Coast has been one of the big movers over the last couple of rounds, with a couple of key players responsible for this.
All-rounder George Verth has been one of the team’s big players, scoring 45 and 27 respectively over the weekend to move into sixth on the runscorers’ chart. Just one spot behind him is Kallan Aiken, who was crucial in the team’s big win over Greater Illawarra with a knock of 54 from 102 balls that held the innings together for his side.
Meanwhile for Newcastle, openers Hayden Checker and Drew Saxby have continued their strong tournaments with more runs. Checker scored 19 and 34 over the weekend to be the third-highest runscorer while Saxby peeled off totals of 22 and 66 to move up into fifth overall.
They were also well supported by Will Parkinson, who was consistent with scores of 38 and 37 in the middle order for his team.
ROUND 1-3 WRAP
History was made and some of country NSW’s most promising young cricketers shone as the Bradman Cup kicked off over the weekend.
With the Southern Pool battling it out in Harden and Cootamundra and the Northern Pool meeting in Port Macquarie, representative teams from all eight zones took part in the first three rounds of what is the under-16 NSW country championships.
All teams played two T20 fixtures and one one-day game, with the sides to all meet in Albury in early January for the final four rounds of the tournament.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
GREATER ILLAWARRA MAKES EARLY RUNNING
Greater Illawarra has emerged as an early frontrunner for the title after a flawless weekend of cricket saw it finish as the only side with a perfect record following the opening three rounds.
The team did it easy with three fairly comfortable wins against Riverina, Western and Southern Districts to surge to the top of the table.
Left-arm quick Liam Gammone was the star with the ball as Greater Illawarra’s bowlers laid the platform for victory in two of the three games, with the young gun picking up nine wickets over the course of three games to be the leading wicket-taker so far in the competition.
Meanwhile skipper Blake Cattle was the main man with the bat, piling on 109 runs in three knocks to be the third-highest runscorer at this stage in the tournament. He also pulled off three run outs in the field in an excellent weekend of action.
It didn’t take long for Gammone to make an impact, taking a stunning 5-14 in the first game against Riverina as Greater Illawarra bowled its opponents out for just 96. The team then comfortably went past the total with 17 deliveries remaining to seal a four-wicket win.
In the second T20 against Western it was the South Coast side’s turn to send off some fireworks with the bat.
Cattle was outstanding with 60 from just 44 balls, while Thomas Wells (31) and Archie O’Hara (26) were also impressive as the side posted the imposing total of 9-151 from its 20 overs.
Western was never really in the hunt as Gammone, Tom McKinley and Joe Burgess all took two wickets each to bowl the side out for 104 and hand Greater Illawarra a comprehensive 47-run win.
Meanwhile the team put in a complete performance in its final game of the weekend, a one-day clash against Southern Districts.
Bowling first, the Greater Illawarra’s attack was relentless as it bowled its opponents out for just 146.
They then made it look easy with the bat, cruising past the total in just the 30th over to seal a dominant seven-wicket victory.
Kody Lawler top scored with 44 while Gammone (29*), O’Hara (28) and Cattle (23) all made strong contributions.
The performances have put Greater Illawarra in a very strong position ahead of the final four rounds of the tournament in January, with the round four clash against Newcastle looming as a potentially crucial contest for the title.
NEWCASTLE BOUNCES BACK INTO FORM
Speaking of Newcastle, the team bounced back from a disappointing first-up loss to top the Northern Pool during its opening three rounds in Port Macquarie.
One of the perennial heavyweights of country cricket, Newcastle struggled in round one as it fell to a comprehensive six-wicket loss to Central North before putting in two strong performances to down North Coastal and the Central Coast.
Top-order batter Harrison Najor was among the best with the bat, top scoring for the side in the first two T20 games, while opener Drew Saxby was also impressive with some strong contributions with both the bat and ball.
Meanwhile Hayden Checker pulled off Newcastle’s most impressive individual performance of the weekend with a stunning 73 in the hugely impressive round three victory over local rivals the Central Coast to be the fourth-highest runscorer of the opening rounds.
As for the bowlers, it was a real team effort from the Newcastle attack, with quicks Tasman Davidson, Jack Hughes and Tom White complementing each other nicely and leg-spinner Saxby impressing with some good spells.
After a difficult opening-game loss to Central North, Newcastle hit its straps in its second T20 against defending premiers North Coastal.
Batting first, Najor (25), Saxby (22) and Will Parkinson (21) all made good contributions to push the side to a competitive total of 7-123 from its 20 overs.
From here the bowlers took over as they restricted their opponents to 7-101, with Davidson leading the line with an excellent 2-8 from four overs as Saxby (1-13) and White (1-14) also kept things tidy.
However Newcastle undoubtedly saved its best for last with a dominant four-wicket win over the Central Coast in Sunday’s one-day clash.
Coming up against the previously undefeated side, Newcastle’s bowlers were impressive in restricting the Central Coast to 8-199 from 50 overs.
Spinner Saxby (1-26 from 10 overs) and fast bowler Hughes (1-30 from 10) were the pick of the bunch as they made it hard for the Central Coast batters to score fluently. They were very well supported by the likes of White, Garvish Gulati and Koby Blight.
Checker (73) and Saxby (37) then took over with the bat, putting on a 74-run stand for the opening wicket in good time to get the chase off to a great start. And while Newcastle lost a couple of cheap wickets in the middle over, Archie Wicks (26) joined Checker at the crease to help put the result beyond doubt.
The victory has set Newcastle up nicely in the competition, with the team sitting second ahead of a huge round four clash with leaders Greater Illawarra in January.
CENTRAL NORTH MAKES A CLAIM
Another team to impress in the Northern Pool was Central North, who went toe to toe with some of the traditional big zones with a strong weekend of cricket.
After kicking off with an excellent first-up win against Newcastle, Central North couldn’t contain the Central Coast’s explosive batters in a narrow loss in its second T20 before bouncing back with a resounding 54-run win over North Coastal in Sunday’s one-day fixture.
Samuel Davis was the standout with the bat, posting scores of 27 not out, 35 not out and 17 to finish the weekend as the sixth-highest runscorer with the best average of 79.
Archie McMaster and Keaton Walters were also impressive with the bat, while Riley Jones pulled off the team’s top individual performance of the weekend with an excellent 56 from 68 balls in the team’s victory over North Coastal.
As for the bowlers, Lachlan Mason topped the count for the team with five wickets, highlighted by a brilliant 3-13 from seven overs in the win over North Coastal, while spinner Charlie Lovegrove and left-arm quick Oliver Stubbs were also impressive.
The record of two wins and one loss leaves the team in third place on the ladder, equal with Northern Pool rivals Newcastle and Western, with Central North’s performances set to give the team plenty of confidence heading into the final four rounds of the competition.
The side dominated Newcastle – a regular contender for the title – in round one, bowling the Hunter team out for just 89 before cruising to a six-wicket victory with 10 balls to spare, before hammering defending champions North Coastal on the one-day fixture.
After making 170 with the bat, highlighted by Jones’ 56 and an impressive 39 from McMaster, Central North was ruthless with the ball as it bowled the north coast team out for just 116, with none of the side’s bowlers going for more than 3.5 runs an over.
And although Central North did go down in Saturday’s second T20, the team pushed the impressive Central Coast side a fair chunk of the way, with the victors sealing the seven-wicket win with just six balls remaining.
FINAL-OVER THRILLER BOOSTS WESTERN
A thrilling final-over victory and some impressive bowling performances have ensured that Western remains in the hunt for the title.
Kicking off with a nailbiting victory over Southern Districts, the team was given a reality check in Saturday’s second T20 as it was handed a 47-run loss by Greater Illawarra. However it hit back with a 42-run win over Riverina in the one-day match.
Fast bowler Luke Muir was the standout with the ball as he took eight wickets at the incredible average of just 5.75, highlighted by a brilliant 4-22 against Greater Illawarra.
And while the team struggled at times with the bat, key contributions from Lochlan Shoemark, Jayden Brasier, Fletcher Byrne and Harvey Marchant helped the side to a positive opening weekend of the competition.
The most dramatic moment came early on as the team took on Southern Districts in a round one T20 clash.
On the back of a blistering 49 from 40 balls from Brasier, as well as strong contributions from Shoemark (36*) and Byrne (24), the team posted the impressive total of 5-157 from its 20 overs.
And while Muir (3-9) and Flynn Waddell (2-35) reduced their opponents to 5-34 early in the chase, Southern Districts batter Issac Roxburgh (83*) put on a stunning display of hitting to send the game down to the wire.
Needing 21 from the final over to win, Roxburgh personally blasted 15 as the team hit 16 to fall just four runs short and hand Western a narrow four-run victory.
And while the team was no match or Greater Illawarra in the second T20, going down by 47 runs, Western hit back in the on-day clash against Riverina.
The team found it difficult with the bat as it was bowled out for 144, with Marchant top scoring with 30.
However Western more than made up for it with the ball, skittling Riverina for just 94, with Shoemark finishing with the best figures of 3-19.
The weekend leaves Western equal with Newcastle and Central North on 10 points, giving it a chance of challenging for the title with a strong second half of the tournament in Albury.
LATE SLIP-UP HURTS CENTRAL COAST
One of the form teams on Saturday’s T20s, the Central Coast suffered a costly loss in Sunday’s one-day game to finish the opening weekend on a disappointing note.
After pulling off impressive victories over North Coastal and Central North, the team went down to Newcastle in the 50-over shootout to fall to fifth place on the ladder.
As expected, the Central Coast’s batters showed their class as the team scored the most runs over the opening three rounds with 445. Indeed, Simon Alderson, Kallan Aiken, George Verth and Fletcher Gersbach all found themselves in the top-10 runscorers at the end of the weekend.
But while the team was impressive with the willow, it did struggle at times to test opposition batting line-ups, taking just 14 wickets in three games – the fewest of all eight zones.
With his team chasing just 114 in its first game against North Coastal, Central Coast opener Alderson took the game into his own hands with an excellent 62 from 55 balls to guide his side to a five-wicket victory.
And while the clash did go down to the final over, a crucial unbeaten 21 from 17 by Aiken saw the side home with four balls to spare.
The second T20 game against Central North followed a similar pattern.
Chasing 129 for victory, opener Verth got the innings off to a great start with 36 from 30 balls before Aiken once again guided the side home with an excellent 45 not out as the team went past the total with one over to spare.
And despite sitting on top of the Northern Pool heading into Sunday’s clash with Newcastle, the Central Coast came crashing back to earth with a resounding four-wicket loss against a strong Newcastle outfit.
Batting first, Central Coast struggled to score runs fluently against some accurate Newcastle bowling, scoring at less than three runs an over for much of the innings before a late burst from Gersbach (53), Finn Giddings (30) and Verth (21) pushed the team to 8-199 from its 50 overs.
And while the total was defendable, Newcastle took the game away from their local rivals early and went past the total with more than 10 overs remaining.
HISTORY MADE FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICTS
Southern Districts has created history by winning the zone’s first ever game in the Bradman Cup during a weekend full of nailbiting clashes.
After losing all seven matches in last year’s inaugural campaign, the team created a slice of history by defeating Riverina by six runs in a thrilling round two clash.
It was one of two games that went down to the wire, with Southern Districts losing by just four runs in its opening clash with Western.
After a very competitive opening day, the team was then given a reality check in the form of a heavy seven-wicket loss to competition leaders Greater Illawarra.
Issac Roxburgh was the picking of the batters, piling on 111 across the weekend to sit second in the runscoring charts.
This was highlighted by a brilliant 83 not out against Western in the opening T20 match of the tournament.
Chasing 148 and with his team in deep trouble at 5-34, Roxburgh pulled off the knock of the competition so far, belting nine fours and two sixes to remarkably push the game down to the wire.
Needing 21 runs from the final over, Roxburgh personally hit 15 (and the team 16), however it wasn’t enough as Southern Districts fell four runs short.
The team wasn’t to be denied in round two, however, holding on for a nailbiting six-run win against Riverina.
Some late hitting from Patrick Bruckshaw (27*) and Matthew Higham (25) pushed Southern Districts to 9-108 from its 20 overs, before an excellent spell of bowling from Lawrie Mudaliar (3-16) got the side home for its breakthrough win.
TOUGH START FOR RIVERINA
Difficulty with the bat has cost Riverina as the team slumped to three losses to kick off its campaign in the Southern Pool.
With team totals of 96, 102 and 94, Riverina has scored the fewest amount of the runs in the tournament, which proved costly in the opening weekend in Harden and Cootamundra.
While struggling with the bat, the team did quite well with the ball, taking 25 wickets in three games as Liam Sutton (six wickets at 8.2), Reif Leach (four wickets at six) and Cooper Henderson (four wickets at 15.3) all finished the weekend in the top-10 leading wicket-takers.
After a comprehensive four-wicket loss to Greater Illawarra in round one, the team came closest in its round two clash with Riverina.
Chasing 109 after a strong team bowling effort, Riverina slumped to 6-44 before Vaughan Jenkins (26*) and Henderson (33) hit back to push the game down to the wire.
Needing 13 to win from the final over, Riverina managed six from the first four balls to need just seven to win from the last two deliveries.
However Jenkins was unable to get the final two balls away and Riverina ultimately lost by six runs.
Batting was the issue once again in the final game against Western. After doing extremely well to bowl its rivals out for just 136, Riverina struggled to build partnerships and was bowled out for 94.
Although the opening weekend was difficult for Riverina, the team will look to build on its strong bowling attack for an improved second half of the tournament on home soil in Albury.
SILVER LININGS FOR NORTH COASTAL
It was a tough start to the competition for last year’s champions, who suffered three losses from as many starts in what was a strong Northern Pool.
Kicking off against Central Coast, the team went down by five wickets in a final-over thriller that saw their rivals hit the winning runs with four balls remaining.
In round two the team was outgunned by 22 runs by an impressive Newcastle team before falling to a comprehensive 54-run loss to Central North in the one-dayer on Sunday.
And while the results weren’t what the team had hoped for, there were plenty of positive signs for North Coastal as a couple of young stars lit up the competition.
This included 15-year-old batter Cooper Williams, who finished the weekend as the competition’s leading runscorer with 111 at an average of 59.5. This included a brilliant 69 not out against the Central Coast and an impressive 42 against Newcastle.
Another underage player to impress was bowler Blake Collings.
A probing bowler who attacks the stumps, Collings took six wickets at an average of 13.5 to be fourth on the bowlers’ rankings.
And while the side is yet to open its account in the tournament, North Coastal will take plenty of confidence from the performances of the likes of Williams and Collings as it looks to turn things around in Albury.
Originally published as Bradman Cup: Greater Illawarra claims U16 country championships
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