Round Analysis: Every grades’ top performers in Gold Coast Cricket this week
One of the finest allround performances of the year eventuated, while a leading new man on the Coast achieved a milestone first. EVERY GRADES’ KEY MEN FOR THE WEEK HERE >>
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Arms aloft in triumph before kissing the Mudgeeraba Nerang emblem on his shirt, Talha Abbasi celebrate his maiden century for the club in style.
The classy right-hander was in a realm of his own on Saturday, powering his way to 110 off just 103 deliveries in his side’s 52-run victory over Helensvale Pacific Pines.
Abbasi was forced to fight out of trouble as he found his feet after opening partner Howard Biddle was dismissed for a duck; composing himself alongside Josh Nelson (35) to steady the ship.
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In scoring his first hundred in the navy and red, Abbasi struck 10 boundaries and a six to guide the Cricket Gold Coast Taper Premier League ladder leaders to 6/226.
The Hornets’ pursuit of the daunting target got off to a horror start as they slumped to 3/15 early in their chase.
Opening quick Abdul Muqeet was quick to dismiss Ben Daley (0) and Sam Lickiss (4), before Dayne Siede claimed the dangerous Harish Kumar for five to have their rivals reeling.
Despite defiant stands from Max Trotman (46) and Kaleb Day (40), as well as a quickfire 29 from Harry Lickiss in an effort to take the attack to the Mudgeeraba juggernaut, ultimately Helensvale’s run was left too late to finish 9/174.
Meanwhile the Bushmen’s closest rivals, Broadbeach Robina, continued to put pressure on their place atop of the table as skipper Trent Keep became the first player of the season to pass the 400 run mark.
The former Dolphin cruised to 59 — his sixth time registering a half century or more in eight innings — as he set about chasing down a brave Alberton Ormeau stand.
The Hurricanes set a commanding 6/213 on the back of a collective batting effort — spearheaded by Matthew Yiend’s 62 from just 61 balls.
However with even Keep somehow overshadowed at the crease by a rampant Adam Ball (70* from 62 deliveries) the Cats were able to claim five wicket win in the final over.
At Arthur Angove Park, Travis Harker turned in the most economical performance of the campaign with the ball to guide Runaway Bay to an 83-run demolition of Queens.
After his side clawed their way to 163, only fighting stands from Jayden Hoare (45) and Rhys Howart (41) giving them a target to bowl to, Harker went on to take 4/3 from 5.4 overs at the incredible rate of 0.52 runs per over.
A formidable opening partnership from Southport Labrador’s Will Hale and Hiran Wickramasekera was then at the heart of the Tigers’ six wicket triumph over Burleigh.
Hale (58) and Wickramasekera (62*) put on 109 for the first stand to make light work of their opponent’s 7/163.
Surfers Paradise star Max Eckersley then celebrated his recent signing with English cricket club Masham by shocking top four outfit Palm Beach Currumbin.
Eckersley will link up with the North Yorkshire squad in April, and his fighting 36 for the Demons along with captain Aaron Densley’s 58 took them to 7/199.
A damaging spell of 3/30 from Jonathan Baldock then tore the life out of the Lions’ top order; as dangermen Zane Beattie (4), Cody Durante (0) and Jainam Patel (7) all fell in the carnage to slump to 8/133 before play was called off with 11 overs remaining.
DIVISION 2 (Round 10)
An unbeaten century stand between Chris Swann and Harrison Ryan has guided Surfers Paradise to a thumping nine wicket triumph over Mudgeerba Nerang Red.
Forced to overcome an early loss, Swann (67*) and Ryan (53*) combined to put on 138 for the second wicket and ensure Cameron Sinfield’s fighting 57 for the Bushmen was ultimately in vain.
Meanwhile a sensational all around performance from Michael Manns stole the show across the competition as Queens tore down Broadbeach Robina.
After opening the batting and posting a gritty 85, Manns picked up the ball and tore the life out of the Cats’ line up; finishing with figures of 6/32 in one of the most clinical allround displays from any player on the Glitter Strip.
Elsewhere while the Red Bushmen were unable to claim victory, their clubmates in the Blue line up fought passed a shocking batting collapse to defeat Alberton Ormeau by 38 runs.
Only two batsmen in the Mudgeeraba Nerang batting order passed double figures, with Lachlan King’s 66 and Armaan Sidhu’s 30 rescuing their side from a precarious 7/49 to be all out for 136.
From there, three wickets apiece to Hayden Taylor and Gareth Morgan cut the Hurricanes down.
Southport Labrador were then unable to back up the work with the ball of Jason Choromanski (4/30), who spearheaded the charge to restrict Runaway Bay to 138.
However the Tigers were unable to string a partnership together, losing wickets regularly to eventual succumb for 111.
Palm Beach Currumbin’s captain Riley Coulson then proved the difference for his outfit, as they were forced to wait until the final ball before celebrating victory over Helensvale Pacific Pines.
Coulson’s 85 set the tone for the home side, and while Hornets duo Brett Burke (58) — who also claimed 2/27 with the ball — and Michael Taylor (55) put them on track, they inevitably fell three runs short of the 7/188 run chase.
DIVISION 3 (Round 10)
A brilliant spell from Seb Lockie has prevailed in the battle of Broadbeach Robina, with he and his Cats Blue teammates closing out a tight three run win over their BR White counterparts.
Lockie 5/32 featured the wickets of each top five batsman in the line up, backing up his valiant 28 with the bat.
His innings was a fine supporting act at the crease for teammate Nicholas Arthur, whose 89 from just 67 deliveries proceeded his 2/24 in a telling allround display.
While Mark Middleton (64) and Phillip Nedanovski (49 from just 27 balls) kept White in the contest, they fell agonisingly short in a thrilling battle.
The fight between Mudgeeraba Nerang Red and Queens was one of collective efforts across the board, Peter Norman’s 3/20 the highlight in his side’s 56 run triumph.
Meanwhile Dylan Groenewald’ sensation 115 from just 63 balls was more than enough to earn Alberton Ormeau a thumping 71 run win over Burleigh.
Groenewald smashed 16 boundaries and five sixes in a breathtaking performance.
Ben Macdonald from Southport Labrador then compiled a quickfire and unbeaten 91 to lead the Tigers to an 11 run triumph over Runaway Bay.
McDonald then backed up his efforts with the bat with the ball, finishing as the pick of the bowlers with 3/25.
Decklin Ross’ unbeaten 103 for Bonogin Valley led the charge for his team in posting 7/201, before they rolled Coomera Hope Island for just 79.
A trio of three wicket hauls to David Johnston, Dominic Bambry and Jack Hocart inspired Mudgeeraba Nerang Blue’s 42 run win over Helensvale Pacific Pines, while Taylor Ericsen-Miller’s gutsy 88 was enough to give Mount Tamborine victory over Surfers Paradise.
Round 9 Analysis: Leading man extends margin in charge to top
— December 4
He has been the Gold Coast’s most dominant batsman, and Trent Keep has seemingly been on a mission to ensure that reputation never wavers.
The Broadbeach Robina skipper plundered an unbeaten 68 in his side’s eight-wicket Taper Premier League triumph over Southport Labrador on Saturday, extending his lead atop of the run scorers tally for the summer.
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A former star of the Gold Coast Dolphins set up, Keep has now scored 394 runs at an average of 98.50 for the campaign to guide his team to equal second on the table heading towards the Christmas period.
And he has shown no signs of slowing down; only once failing to pass 50 thus far.
Keep backed up the work of he and fellow heavy hitter Reece McDonald, who both traded sixes for key scalps to restrict the Tigers to 158.
McDonald claimed the first three wickets of the innings, destroying Southport Labrador’s top order on his way to figures of 3/25.
Keep was quick to support his partner in crime, taking 2/25 — including the breakthrough of Tigers danger man Hiran Wickramasekera for 54.
The captain rarely looked fazed at the crease after his work with the ball, combining in half century stands with Connar Robson (44) and McDonald (31) in the rain effected clash.
Keep’s closest rival for the leading run scorer gong, Palm Beach counterpart Zane Beattie, never got the chance to chase down the Broadbeach leader after the destructive work of his bowling line up.
Lions allrounder Brent Anderson produced one of the finest spells of the summer, tearing through Alberton Ormeau to take 5/9 off eight overs.
The Hurricanes had no answer to Anderson’s brilliant spell — supported by Finn Lonnberg’s 3/17 — as they slumped to be all out for 37; the lowest total of the season.
It took just 6.3 overs for Palm Beach to chance down the target, with Anderson (27 not out) combining with Beattie (12 not out) to close out the 10-wicket triumph.
Beattie trails only Keep for runscorers in 2022/23 with 318 at an average of 63.60.
However despite the pair’s explosive exploits with the willow, their respective outfits are still chasing the Mudgeeraba Nerang juggernaut who have refused to relent.
Led by Dayne Seide’s unbeaten 71 and a suffocating spell of 3/19 off seven overs from Will Mahoney, the ladder-leaders marched on to a 57-run over Queens.
A gutsy partnership in the middle order from Ned Hanrahan (48) and Steven Baker (51) kept Queens in the contest, however their dismissals ended any hopes of orchestrating a comeback as they fell well short of Mudgeeraba Nerang’s 5/226.
Meanwhile opener Ben Daley’s 81 at the top of the order masterminded a comfortable 83-run victory for Helensvale Pacific Pines, guiding his team to 6/183 before the bowling attack took over.
Daley struck 11 boundaries and two sixes in his brilliant knock, before Ryan Maloney (3/13) and Alexander Hayes (2/12) decimated the Surfers Paradise top order to have them reeling at 5/20.
In the end, the Demons could only fight their way to be all out for 90.
At Oxenford Oval, Runaway Bay were forced to overcome a rapid half century from Coomera Hope Island’s Benji Lee in their 14-run win.
Chasing the Seagulls 8/184, Lee went on a rampage early on; smashing 57 off just 26 balls with seven sixes among the carnage.
But once the skipper was stumped his teammates were unable to back up the onslaught as they remained planted at the bottom of the competition ladder.
Round 8 Analysis: Centuries amok up top, finest spell steals show
— November 27
In the aftermath of celebrations recognising Cricket Gold Coast’s inaugural Indigenous Round, Zane Beattie turned in a trademark captain’s knock to mark the milestone occasion in emphatic fashion.
The Palm Beach skipper masterminded a 39-run Taper Premier League triumph over Queens, blasting a rampant 105 off 106 deliveries to keep his side’s hunt for top of the table honours alive.
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Beattie combined with fellow opener Brent Anderson (96 off 73 balls) for a 195-run partnership that took the life out of the Queens bowling attack; the pair each belting six maximums on their way to 7/272.
Despite a quickfire 56 to Jackson Winton, and strong support from Ned Hanrahan (46) and Jack Kann (38), Queens were unable to match the intensity throughout their innings — finishing 9/232 — still the second highest innings total across the round.
While Beattie’s innings was tough to beat, Broadbeach Robina’s Reece McDonald took the carnage one step further in his side’s eight wicket romping of Coomera Hope Island.
After Kushaal Ram’s 90 at the top of the order for Coomera set Broadbeach an imposing 227 for victory, McDonald unleashed an unrivalled barrage to finish unbeaten on 112 from just 71 balls.
The chase could have been more daunting still, had it not been for Adam Ball’s spell of 5/35 to tear the heart out of Coomera’s middle order.
Yet McDonald’s onslaught, along with the all round efforts of Trent Keep (3/38 and 55) made the challenging look easy, hitting the winning runs with more than nine overs up their sleeve.
Meanwhile an unbeaten 100 to the in-form Howard Biddle kept Mudgeeraba Nerang’s place as the ladder leaders safe as they blew Southport Labrador away by 136 runs.
Biddle and his opening partner Talha Anis (61) laid the platform for the competition heavyweights, before Nathan Lyons’ 4/29 spearheaded the Tigers slump to be all out for 94.
Runaway Bay then overcome the loss of skipper Jayden Hoare from the first ball of their innings to emerge nine-wicket victors over Burleigh, with an unbroken stand between Matthew Hague (58) and Nico Reifer (50) supporting vice-captain Steven Graham’s masterful 4/8 from eight overs with the ball.
Surfers Paradise then fought out a final ball thriller with Alberton Ormeau, with the Demons claiming a two run win.
A stoic 79 from Surfers leader Aaron Densley gave his side something to bowl at, helping overcome an early collapse of 3/29 to steady the ship.
The Hurricanes chase appeared on track with Mitchell Watterson (37) and Corey Galloway (34) at the crease, but a double strike from Michael Waldren got the game back on an even ledger.
Alberton Ormeau captain Reece Neyland smashed a rapid and unbeaten 31 from just 21 deliveries, his three sixes sending the clash into the final over.
However it was not to be, as Surfers closed out the narrowest of contests in their second victory of the season.
ROUND 7
— Hannah Davies
Mudgeeraba Nerang have notched their fifth win of the season to keep their top ladder position with a comfortable 20-run win against Coomera Hope Island in Round 7 of the Taper Premier League.
Captain Howard Biddle got the Bushmen off to a solid start with a score of 25 from 29 balls alongside Talha Anis (44 from 51), but it was Dayne Siede’s half century smashing 68 from 80 deliveries that helped pushed them to score of 217.
The pressure was immediate from Mudgeeraba in the second innings, with a cracking performance from Nathan Lyons (4/35) sending the side’s opening batsman Kushaal Ram and Caleb Millman packing, while Mackenzie Barclay ran out Benji Lee.
Another wicket for Lyons in Coomera captain Josh Henderson meant dangerous signs for the team on the chase. Enter number seven Lucas Poeppmann. Poeppmann was a hero for his wounded side scoring 90 from 85 balls, including seven boundaries and four sixes, but it still wasn’t enough to get the win as Talha Anis eventually put a stop to his blistering run.
Building on the pressure created by Lyons, Anis shone against Coomera’s lower order to take four wickets including getting final batsman Bradley Salmon out for a duck.
Down the highway, Palm Beach became ‘Kings of the Jungle’ again, defeating Southport Labrador in a massive eight-wicket win that was enough to forget their shock loss to Coomera the week prior.
Southport put out a modest score of 137 with captain Phil Tunnicliffe scoring the team’s highest with 34 from 39, but some deadly bowling from the Lions made it hard for them to gain any momentum.
Southport began steadily, but momentum quickly shifted when Brent Anderson dismissed Hiran Wickramasekera for an lbw, and Jared Neuhaus dismissed Dhanushka Mitipolaarachchi. It was only shortly after that Neuhaus and Zane Anderson bowled out Southport’s middle batters in Tom Simpson (15), Manoj Frank Boteju (0), and Cameron Stiles (11). On the chase, Palm Beach captain and opening batsman Zane Beattie continued his strong season with 47 from 43 deliveries, but it was Isaiah Borgas (56*) and Cody Durante (26*) who sealed the game.
Elsewhere, Broadbeach continued their climb up the ladder with a win against Burleigh.
Co-captain Trent Keep continued his fine form with a score of 59 from 60 balls, including seven boundaries and a six. Keep’s score was met with a brilliant partnership with Connar Robson (75 from 71) to achieve a century between the pair. Building off his team’s pressure, Reece McDonald entered at number three to achieve his own half century of 68 from 55 deliveries, including nine boundaries and a six, lifting them to score of 180 that Burleigh couldn’t match.
Over in Surfers Paradise, Queens are continuing to be the competition’s most improved after notching a four-wicket win they probably wouldn’t have dreamt of twelve months ago. Queens’ Mitchell Freeman (48 from 89) and skipper Max Houlahan (33 from 54) began the innings nicely before Steven Baker went unbeaten with 42 from 38 deliveries to reach a total of 188.
Proving just how even this year’s competition is, Alberton Ormeau were able to overcome Helensvale to serve them their second loss of the season and keep Alberton at just one loss.
The Hurricanes were excellent on the defence removing Helensvale’s biggest threats in the Lickiss brothers quickly.
But it could have been a different story had the Hurricane’s not recovered quickly when opening batsman Jakeb Hansenkam got out for a duck. Crucially, the Hurricanes were able to put out modest runs across the group before captain Reece Neyland (20* from 33) and Dashampreet Grewal (14* from 37) completed the three-wicket win.
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Round 6 Wrap
By Nick Wright
Sport’s finest captains pride themselves on leading with their actions, and Trent Keep epitomised that with an innings that thrust Broadbeach Robina’s campaign back on track.
In the face of Runaway Bay’s imposing 5/211, set up by an unbeaten century stand between Wade Kilborn and Nico Reifer, Keep stood tall to orchestrate the Taper Premier League triumph in the final over.
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Finishing unbeaten on 120 off 121 deliveries, the opener smashed 13 boundaries and found strong support from Ryan Thorpe (43) after the loss of two quick wickets threatened their cause.
The Cats appeared in control with the ball in hand, reducing Runaway Bay to 4/68 — with co-captain Keep also in the wickets when he dismissed his rival skipper Jayden Hoare.
However Reifer (57*) and Kilborn (77*) combined in a 142-run partnership that breathed life back into the contest, only for Keep’s innings to send them back to the drawing board.
The win lifted Broadbeach Robina to sixth, with their next two clashes to come against sides beneath them on the ladder and the chance to enter finals reckoning begging.
Elsewhere, a rampant Kushaal Ram saved Coomera Hope Island’s blushes and deliver their first victory of the campaign.
Ram’s emphatic and unbeaten 80 from just 70 balls came at a team when his team were limping, restricted to just 5/81 as Palm Beach Currumbin’s Zane Anderson (3/40) found himself on a hat-trick.
Displaying a masterclass in clinical batting, Ram hit five boundaries and four sixes in his innings to lift Coomera Hope Island to 194, before Josh Henderson’s 4/14 with the ball spearheaded the Lions 22 run defeat.
For Helensvale, a remarkable six-wicket haul from Jack Baird kept the Hornets atop of the table following a five-wicket win over Queens.
Baird was rampant with ball in hand, finishing with 6/22 off his eight overs before teammate Harish Kumar’s unbeaten 71 made light work in their chase of 148.
Baird was joined by one other on the Gold Coast to snare a five-wicket haul across the wicket, with Southport Labrador’s TJ Miller proving the chief destroyer in a Surfers Paradise capitulation.
After the Tigers were dismissed for 158 — Hiran Wickramasekera’s 62 playing a lone hand in setting up a defendable total — Miller’s Scott Boland-esque figures of 5/7 set shockwaves through the Demons line up to be all-out for a paltry 58.
Only former Australian international Nathan Reardon offered any resistance for the bottom-placed Surfers, dismissed for 38 — the first time in the 2022/23 Taper Premier League he had not registered a half century — after being promoted to open the innings.
To round out the competition’s sixth round, Mudgeeraba Nerang’s Howard Biddle capitalised on his bowling attacks work; blasting a 88* to help defeat Burleigh by six wickets.
Four wickets apiece to Rhys Finn and Griffith Williams limited Burleigh to 9/151, before Biddle’s heroics chased down the target with three overs to spare.
UNDER 18S DIVISION 1
A stunning five-wicket haul from Curtis Jackson has spearheaded a Surfers Paradise triumph over Queens in the Glitter Strip’s top open juniors competition.
The Demons quick tore through his rivals with 5/31 from 10 overs as his side stormed to a tense 19-run win in the two-day encounter.
Despite some strong resistance from Queens No.3 Ned Hanrahan, whose 78 nearly orchestrated a remarkable fightback, Jackson’s work tearing the heart out of the opposing middle order proved too great to overcome.
His efforts followed a collective batting approach from Surfers Paradise, with Etienne Chabert’s gutsy 51 well supported by Cooper Collins (38), Riley Eckersley (38) and Jake Selvey (34).
Meanwhile on the back of a defiant 70-run stand between Patrick Eveleigh and skipper Leo Davies, Burleigh were able to muster a tense three wicket victory over Helensvale.
After a pair of early dismissals, Davies (40) and Eveleigh (42) took their side within striking distance in their pursuit of the Hornets 157, before an unbeaten 29 to Jake Riley finished the job.
Eveleigh’s innings in particular wrapped up a remarkable performance from the youngster.
Not only did he top score for the side, but his economically-masterful figures of 3/8 off 6.1 overs were the best across the two outfits.
However it was Palm Beach’s Riley Kerr who led the way for bowlers in the division, even in what transpired to be a losing cause.
Kerr finished with 4/39 from his 10 overs, yet it failed to stop Mudgeeraba’s charge to 8/244 — led by opener Joshua Wilson’s 51.
Palm Beach were then unable to match the intensity with the bat, trudging to 8/80 courtesy of Mudgeeraba captain Hayden Taylor’s 3/12.
Broadbeach were then able to keep the Cats brilliant round continuing with an emphatic performance against Runaway Bay.
After Jackson Robson and Michael Iffland took three wickets apiece to keep the Seagulls to 119, Angus James (59) and Owen Dunn (48) set about posting a commanding total, finishing 6/238.
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