Surfers Paradise teenager Sam Day belts 174 in Gold Coast first grade’s biggest score in nine years

SURFERS Paradise teenager Sam Day blazed a magnificent 174 in an innings hailed as the club’s best in more than 20 years.

Sam Day hit the biggest score in Cricket Gold Coast first grade since Chris Wicks’ 206 for Helensvale Pacific Pines almost nine years ago. Picture: David Clark

SURFERS Paradise teenager Sam Day blazed a magnificent 174 in an innings that has been hailed as the club’s best since a grand final double hundred more than 20 years ago.

Day was not even meant to be playing for the Demons this season. He spent the pre-season with the Gold Coast Dolphins until finding out a couple of weeks ago that his application to enter the navy had been ­accepted.

“I will be leaving next year (in June) so I just thought I would come back and enjoy my cricket down at Surfers, where I played my juniors and started playing my seniors,” Day said.

The move worked a treat, with the 18-year-old conquering Coomera Hope Island to register his maiden ton in any form of cricket.

He had only batted in first grade three times before Saturday, with a best of 18 not out.

Now he can lay claim to the best first-grade score in nearly nine years.

Day enjoyed big partnerships with Jaylan Koehler, Chris Swan and Chris Adams.

“It was good to have three guys that I have known be out there when I was making runs so they could talk me through it when I was tired,” he said.

Skipper Swan said it was sound reward for Day.

“He was excellent, probably the best innings I have seen for Surfers Paradise since Ian Redpath’s 231 in the grand final in 1995,” he said.

A seven-wicket haul for Coomera veteran Chris Spies could not stop the Demons from making 9-313.

Queens recruit Jimmy Spargo was another to reach triple figures, making 121 in his first outing for the club against Mudgeeraba Nerang.

The Centaurs (7-271) were looking shaky at 3-32, when Jimmy and brother Mick combined to rebuild the innings before Jack Winton blasted 77.

“There was a bit of talk about us declaring at 190 or 200 but we weren’t too keen on that idea, we wanted to put a total on the board and really kind of make a statement to the rest of the competition,” Spargo said.

“I think the boys got to 200 maybe once last season so we thought bugger it, we’re in a pretty good position here, let’s really try and pile some runs on.”

Richard Mills, another club debutant, took 4-54 for the Bushmen.

Southport Labrador’s Richy Faust continued his form of 2015-16 by striking 89 to help the Tigers to a competitive total of 9-253 in their clash against Alberton.

Broadbeach Robina are on top of the match at Sam Loxton Oval.

The Cats, led by Bryce Speechley’s 4-14, rolled hosts Runaway Bay for 84 before grafting their way to 1-52 from 32 overs.

At Hession Oval, Helensvale Pacific Pines fought back superbly from 6-120 to make 258 against Palm Beach Currumbin – despite Ryan Kettle’s leg-spin netting 6-78.

Loganholme (82) had quite a disappointing return to first grade cricket, stumbling to a first-innings defeat to Burleigh (1-124).