Club cricket’s best 3-2-1 players from seven semi-finals played over the weekend highlighted here
Club cricket finals fever: Here’s the best 3-2-1 players from seven senior semi-finals, including Premier women and men’s games over the weekend.
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Premiers Ipswich will play Norths in the Bulls Masters grand final as the club cricket season reaches a flash point.
The Hornets (8-256) crept past Gold Coast’s 255, while Norths had a four wicket win chasing Valley’s 232.
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On a day when one of club cricket’s most exciting new faces, Valley paceman Callum Vidler made his Sheffield Shield debut, we feature our 3-2-1 best players from first grade to fifth grade following the completion of the semi-finals, along with the two women’s grade finals results.
BULLS MASTERS PREMIER GRADE
3. Jake Cross (Ipswich)
Ipswich looked dead and buried at 8-210 until Cross grabbed a lantern and led his side to victory. It was considered, yet positive knock of 34 not out, and the way he batted would have inspired No. 10 Jem Ryan (22 not out, 24 balls) to find his very best batting form.
2. Connor Brown (Gold Coast)
The left arm seam bowler was a revelation in the decider and he could have done no more to hoist his team to victory. A Palm Beach Currumbin SHS alumni, he refused to drop his work rate during 18 overs which yielded 5-27. Impressively his scalps included Noah Emmerson (53), Harrison Wood (34) and Bryn Llewellyn (50) who were set.
1. Noah Emmerson (Ipswich)
After taking 2-47 from 15 overs with his tidy off spin, Emmerson got down to business with the bat after Ipswich were an uncertain 4-90. He took his time, reaching Connor Brown before becoming one of Connor Brown’s five wickets.
Special mentions:
Jem Ryan (Ipswich)
Ryan and his gloveman Jake Cross were the batting heroes as they pulled off an unlikely two wicket win over the Dolphins.
Ryan, up in lights this season for his wicket taking, backed himself to score 22 not out from 24 balls, the aggressor alongside Cross (34 not out, 54 balls).
During the Gold Coast innings paceman Ryan also took the new ball, taking 1-26 when he bowled the dangerous Ashton Gumm.
Bryn Llewellyn (Ipswich)
The left handed Hornets opener dropped anchor for his stoic 50 (152 balls) on a day when runs were gold. He also claimed a wicket.
Lachlan Crump (Gold Coast)
The Southport School old boy delivered on the big stage with a grafting 66 that took his side to the solid foundation of 2-133.
Norths 6-234 defeated Valley 232
3. Nikhil Chaudhary (Norths)
One of the discovery players of the BBL, he was no mystery entering the semi-final as Valley’s worst fears came true.
Norths were in trouble at 6-145 when Chaudhary (79 not out, 91 balls) took on the attack, linking with the veteran Kendel Fleming (23 not out) to see his side to an unlikely four wicket win.
With astute shot selection, he thrashed nine fours and lofted two sixes as it ended quickly for Valley.
2. Kendel Fleming (Norths)
The Norths captain has seen it all before, and knew exactly what to do when his team slid to 6-145. He stayed alongside the stroke making Chaudhary, sticking like glue to etch out 23 from 73 balls.
1. Connor Sully (Norths)
Sully knocked the cream off the top of the Valley batting with two early wickets, and then dismissed Valley’s batting anchor McLachlan. He took 3-42.
Special mentions
Dylan McLachlan (Valley)
McLachlan was the glue of his team’s first innings of 232. Many in the Valley side got starts, with McLachlan slowly but surely pushing on to 51.
Mitch Doolan (Norths)
It was a nice innings in a big match from Doolan who accumulated his half century from 120 balls, including two sixes.
ALAN PETTIGREW SHIELD SECOND GRADE
Northern Suburbs 4-d/173 defeated Gold Coast 170
3. Hayden Brough (Norths)
Brough proved the difference with his match high score of 69. He was in no hurry - he faced 147 balls - and why would he be? It was a lovely balanced knock, just what the doctor ordered in a sudden death game.
2. Charlie Taylor (Norths)
You needed to take wickets to win semi-finals, and Taylor snared three for Norths. He bowled a tidy 13-5-38-3.
1. Samuel Willis (Dolphins)
Willis applied himself through 114 balls, scoring 59 for the Gold Coast.
Valley 5-d/282 defeated Ipswich 143
3. Callum Galvin (Valley)
Left hander Galvin fired both barrels to nailed an unbeaten century and bat his side into the grand final.
The Toowoomba Grammar School old boy opened the batting and made 100 not out, grafted through 241 deliveries on his way to the milestone.
2. Jack O’Neill
The Marist College Ashgrove old boy is a stylish batsman, but it was his spin bowling which did the trick in the finals. He claimed 6-41 from 37 overs, a high effort in a final.
1. Eduard Venter (Valley)
Venter was Valley’s batting enforcer, dominating a defining partnership with Galvin.
He hit 86 at almost a run-a-ball, blasting 10 fours and three sixes to dominate the day. He came to the crease at 3-49, but pushed his side to 3-179 in a hurry.
NORM MCMAHON THIRD GRADE
Valley 10-231 defeated Gold Coast 10-67
3. Josh Gittins (Valley)
Valley’s wrist spinner Gittins snared four wickets to sweep through the Dolphins batting order.
Gittins’ teammate Ben Lanigan opened the bowling with a ripping spell where he bowled good areas, and feeding off the pressure Lanigan created was Gittins.
He finished with figures of 5.1-2-5-4, while Lanigan took 2-16 off eight overs.
2. Miles Coates (Valley)
Valley’s opening batter Miles Coates ensured batters that followed him weren’t under pressure.
Coates hit 46 from 66 balls, and had the Gold Coast’s 67 run total all but acquired by the time Valleys’ middle order batters came to the crease.
1. Sam Geary (Gold Coast)
Geary bowled terrifically and wasn’t discouraged by the fact he was only defending 67 runs.
The pacemen bowled 20 overs and took four wickets, while going at under three runs an over.
Geary was AI, as was Jackson Steinhardt (15-5-29-3).
Special mentions: Nathan Harding (Valley)
When Harding arrived at the middle victory was a guarantee for Valley, courtesy of Coates’ knock, but the No. 4 relished time at the crease to score 55.
Harding hit five boundaries in his 120 ball innings before Nicholas Parrott (16), Lanigan (27) and William Nickelson (35) made contributions.
Norths 10-402 v University 10-173
2. James McPherson (Norths)
No. 3 bat McPherson sucked the life out of the University bowlers with a magnificent innings where he scored 98 from 93, featuring 11 fours and six sixes.
The classy McPherson was must watch TV, alongside No. 4 Miron Nanayakkarawasam.
1. Miron Nanayakkarawasam (Norths)
Nanayakkarawasam (98, 181 balls) respected his wicket after McPherson and opener Jamie Diggles (32) had put on a mammoth 123 run partnership.
Nanayakkarawasam smacked 11 boundaries during his time at the crease, and shared in a 152 run partnership with his skipper Haydn Murray (83, 242 balls).
2. Samuel Deacon (Norths)
Five wicket hero Deacon prevented University from getting within a cooee of Norths’ score.
Deacon had a ripping opening spell, claiming the wickets of James Guy and Banjo Waring.
He then took another three wickets to have University all out for 173.
1. Elliot Beath (University)
How good was this Bloke? Despite bowling 37 overs, Beath maintained the rage every time he ran in to bowl and his efforts were rewarded with four wickets.
Beath snared the wickets of Norths’ top three batters and bowled himself to a standstill.
Special Mention to Norths captain Haydn Murray who scored 83 runs.
BOB SPENCER SHIELD FOURTH GRADE
Norths 10-153 defeated Wests 56
2. William Dooley (Wests)
Dooley’s pressure bowling was a highlight for Wests in a losing effort. He bowled 16 overs and nine of them were maidens. All the while he took three wickets.
2. Andrew Campbell (Norths)
Campbell cashed in at the bowling crease, the Norths opener dismissing three of Wests’ top five batters.
Campbell finished with fantastic figures: 12-6-16-3 and was responsible for setting the wheels in motion for 97 run victors Norths
2. Parth Patel (Norths)
Patel had out of this world figures. He leaked four runs in 16 overs of bowling, bowled 12 maidens, and took four wickets.
He tore through the West’s middle order and like Campbell and Daley Martin (15.3-6-27-3), he was very hard to get away.
Redlands 8-d-260 defeated Valley 10-166
2. Adam Pearson (Redlands)
No. 6 batter Pearson arrived at the crease with the game hanging in the balance. Sure enough he swung momentum into the Tigers favour and after his knock of 83, Redlands were in a much better place.
He hit eight fours and three sixes in a match-defining knock before snaring two critical wickets which turned the tide for Redlands.
2. Ely Robertson (Redlands)
Pearson thoroughly deserved three votes but we opted to give Pearson and Robertson two each simply because Robertson came up huge with the ball.
He dismissed Jayden Draper for 55, a key wicket in the context of the game, before picking up three wickets for the loss of no runs.
One Second Valley was 5-134 and the next they were 8-154.
1. Chris Raisbeck (Valley)
Raisbeck was the pick of the Valley bowlers despite Benjamin Ferguson’s four over wonder where he took four wickets.
Raisbeck bowled 16 overs, opened the bowling and took three wickets - all three of which were top order batters.
1. Jayden Draper (Valley)
Churchie senior Draper did well to score 55 from 90 balls at No. 3 which held Valley in good stead.
A batting collapse, inflicted by Ely Robertson, took the spotlight away from wicketkeeper batsman Draper’s half century but the young Valleys rookie should be proud of his efforts.
Special mention: Benjamin Ferguson
Ferguson’s four over spell was a highlight for Valley.
He forced Redlands into declaring after ruffling the feathers of their lower order.
ROY TANNER SHIELD FIFTH GRADE
University 10-128 defeated Redlands 10-108
4. Brock Balcombe (University)
If we could give him six votes we would.
This bloke threw on his cape and tore the Redlands batting order to shreds.
Creating a pressure cooker atmosphere for Redlands, Balcombe brilliantly took the first wicket of the game and continued to take wickets. In fact he took seven of them.
It does not get any better than that in a must win semi final.
Might we add he went for 1.09 runs an over in 17 overs of bowling.
2. Brandon Shailer (Redlands)
Balcombe was the name on everyone’s lips at Redlands but spare a thought for Tigers quick Brandon Shailer.
Shailer took three consecutive wickets early in the game to thrust University onto the back foot and with Bailey Slater, Brayden Hayes and Luke Stenhouse chipping in, Redlands had their rivals all out for 128.
In swooped Balcombe to fend off daring Tigers batters.
Wests 9-179 defeated Souths 10-178
2 and 2. David Rebetzke and Kye Martin (Wests)
Opening bat and captain Rebetzke (55) and No. 3 Martin (56) had a monumental 81 run partnership which gave Wests the keys for victory.
After losing his opening partner, Rebetzke put his head down and faced 205 balls to move Wests towards the total, slowly but surely.
They won the game for Wests, but Tyler Heness (four not out) and Nathan Kerr (five not out) did a top job keeping their wicket and scoring the winning runs.
1. Luke Sanderson (Souths)
Sanderson was on song at the bowling crease, producing figures of 17-3-37-3 while collecting the wickets of Rebetzke and Martin to make the key breakthroughs which kept his team in the game.
1. Tyler Heness (Wests)
Heness led the way for the Wests bowlers and was rewarded with four wickets.
He bowled just under 20 overs, took important wickets and was economical.
He didn’t bowl a single wide and struck at times where Wests were in need of a breakthrough.
RAYMONT SHIELD, FIRST GRADE
Valley 3-83 defeated Wests 10-82
3. Sianna Ginger (Valley)
Ginger was a fast bowling ace who picked up two wickets in the same over to give Valley the upper hand.
Ginger dismissed Chelsea Sonter and Ruby Strange one after the other and changed the game with her opening spell.
Ginger showed her class with the bat also, the representative all-rounder scoring 20 not out to punch Valley’s grand final ticket.
2. Christina Coulson (Valley)
Seeing Coulson come away with votes would not surprise. She has been on a tear from the start of the season and she is still taking wickets while starving her rivals of runs.
In Sunday’s match Colson took four wickets in 6.3 overs and leaked just nine runs.
She was Sianna Ginger’s partner in crime and together they took down a quality Wests outfit.
1. Filippa SueSee (Wests)
Suisse saw the Wests innings flash between her eyes as she watched Courtney Sippel, Sonter, Strange and Grace Parsons depart the middle and when it was her turn to front Ginger and Coulson she did a great job.
Suisse faced 71 balls for an unbeaten 27, the highest score of the match.
She and Naiya Varidel did a stellar job resurrecting the West’s innings so that their bowlers had something to defend.
University 3-139 defeated Sunshine Coast 10-138
3. Charlie Knott (University)
Knott sprinkled magic dust over the University bowling innings with an AI ten overs where she took two wickets and created pressure for her bowling partners.
Around her, Nicola Hancock, Bree Craven and Josie Butchers (two wickets each) were all fantastic in a team bowling effort which created victory for Uni.
Knott went one better by opening the batting and scoring a run-a-ball 33 for Uni which got the team off to a flyer.
2. Tara Wheeler (University)
University’s trusted No. 3 bat Tara Wheeler was wonderful at the middle, scoring 47 from 61 balls in what proved to be a match-defining knock.
Chasing 139 for victory, Wheeler formed timely partnerships with Anlo van Deventer (24, 34 balls) and Taylor Stumer (10 not out, 17 balls) to ensure the club a grand final berth
1. Lucy Hamilton (Sunshine Coast)
Hamilton scored eight with the bat and then opened the bowling for the Scorchers where she took two wickets and ran out Wheeler with brilliance in the field.
Special mention: Mikayla Wrigley (Sunshine Coast)
The Scorchers wicket keeper batter finished her season the way she started it with a classy knock of 35, under pressure.
Wrigley faced 81 balls and took a catch behind the stumps.
JODIE PURVES SECOND GRADE
Wests 9-153 def Sunshine Coast 10-72
3. Taylor Hamblin (Wests)
Hamblin produced a seriously good spell which claimed the crucial wicket of opener Phoebe Murphy while also creating pressure and delivering three middle order wickets to thwart the Scorchers’ chances.
She finished with wonderful figures of 8-2-17-4.
3. Abbie Trevethan (Wests)
Before Hamblin’s bowling heroics, opening batter Trevethan impressed with a special knock to start the Wests batting innings,
Trevethan could not have come alive at a better time and how thankful her teammates must have been for her 60 run, 108 ball masterpiece, against the new ball, which was the difference.
Trevethan ran rampant between the wickets, the game-breaker working hard for her runs and boosting Wests to 130 before being dismissed.
Ipswich 10-137 def Valley 10-97
2 and 2. Abi McCray and Lucy Williams (Ipswich)
The Hornets pair outdid themselves in the biggest game of the season.
It started with No.4 McCray whose unbeaten 51 (53 balls) formed the bedrock of the Ipswich innings. McCray had partnerships with everyone but the best came with Williams who scored quickly to score 32 (24).
Their 52 run partnership gave the entire Ipswich outfit confidence and belief heading into the field for the second innings.
1. Samantha Bremner (Ipswich)
Bremner’s opening spell set the tone for Ipswich’s fielding innings and once she struck for the first wicket, Valley were chasing their own tail.
Her superb semi final figures were 8-3-12-2.
1. Harini Paranavithana (Valley)
Valley’s No.8 bat Paranavithana scored 23 runs from 23 balls in what was a gallant run Chase by the girls from Yoku road.
Paranavithana’s late game cameo highlighted the fight within the Valleys side.
It’s worth noting she also took a wicket in the first inning.
Originally published as Club cricket’s best 3-2-1 players from seven semi-finals played over the weekend highlighted here
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