GPS First XI Team of the Week following shock round
GPS First XI Players of the Week: Son of a Test champ fires TSS to the top of the table, a Toowoomba Grammar rugby whiz takes five wickets and Jack Sonter scores 113.
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What a difference a week makes. This time last week Nudgee College and Brisbane Boys College were unbeaten, but just seven days later The Southport School stormed to the top of the table – with Toowoomba Grammar School just a whisker behind them.
Zac McDermott’s dramatic unravelling of BBC courtesy of a five wicket haul, TGS’s away win over Churchie and Callum Vidler’s inspiring return for Brisbane Grammar School against Nudgee has opened up the competition.
The table: TSS 30, TGS 28, Nudgee 25, BBC 23, Churchie 19, Terrace 10, Ipswich Grammar School 10, BGS 6 and BSHS 6.
This weekend Terrace host BSHS, Churchie confront TSS at Churchie, the two Grammars – Brisbane Grammar and Ipswich Grammar clash while Nudgee and Brisbane Boys College face a crucial shootout at Nudgee. TGS has the bye.
RELATED LINKS
ROUND 4 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HERE
GRADE CRICKET’S BEST IN FOUR GRAND FINALS
In a dramatic round:
+ Zac McDermott (TSS) has been in top notch bowling form all season and yesterday he got his rewards by taking 5-23 (7.2 overs)
+ BGS supporters have been sweating on the appearance of Cameron Vidler (3-11) who has been away with Australian under 19 duties, and on Saturday the fast bowler made up for lost time in his team’s shock win over Nudgee.
+ for the second time this season terrific sporting all-rounder Ewald Kruger routed an opposition with his slow bowling, this time taking 5-27 after earlier in the season claiming six wickets against Terrace.
+ We knew he was capable of it and on Saturday Jack Sonter delivered in spades with a treasured GPS First XI century (113) for BSHS in its drought breaking win over Ipswich Grammar School.
+ TGS opener Joe Sippel (92) produced one of the innings of the summer to anchor his side to 201.
+ Ollie Spence again showed he is one of the Players of the Season with a masterful 67 (124 minutes) to help BGS claim the upset of the season against Nudgee. This was after taking 3-37.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL v BRISBANE BOYS COLLEGE
Zac McDermott (TSS)
The kid hit the bullseye with a match winning return of 5-27 on “grand final day’’ for his side. TSS simply had to win at the Village Green and with help from Ryan Summers and Ted Waterman, McDermott challenged BBC from the opening over when he dismissed the talented James Martens. His new ball spell then claimed BBC’s best two batsmen, Blake Armstrong and Jamie Alexander, and at 4-28 BBC never recovered. McDermott returned for a second spell to mop up the tail as BBC were dismissed for 129. McDermott also scored a considered 21.
Dushyant Thaman (TSS)
The year 10 right arm off-spin bowler continued to impress after coach Steve Baker showed faith in him from round 1. His spell of 9-1-17-2 ensured BBC would not wriggle out of the predicament they found themselves in.
Jack Heelan (BBC)
Brisbane Boys College were never going to win the match after making just 129, but they were never going to cave in either, with Heelan’s three wickets sparking a collapse of 4-28. Blake Armstrong was also on song with the ball and made TSS work hard. Well done also to BBC keeper Ryan Atley whose 41 in an hour batting in a challenging environment was worth a half century - plus some.
BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL v NUDGEE COLLEGE
Callum Vidler (BGS): “Wait until Vidler gets back. He will make a difference.’’ Those are the words which have been echoing around Northgate as a battling BGS struggled to repeat its premiership winning season of 2022. Well the Australian under 19 fast bowler did return and what a difference he made, blasting a hole through the Nudgee middle order with 3-11, including the key wicket of Matt Fielding (37) and Jack Balkin (27) who he ran out.
The two Olivers – Spence and Skerl (BGS)
Around Vidler’s whirlwind return to the bowling crease was the guile and skills of BGS’s spin twins, Oliver Spence and Oliver Skerl. Spence took 3-37 while Skerl pinned his opponents to the ground with a 10 over spell yielding 0-23. His spell built pressure and in tandem with Vidler, eroded the Nudgee innings. Spence then batted for more than two hours in scoring 67, adding a match defining 113 opening stand with Sam Wallwork.
Sam Wallwork (BGS)
Nudgee College has been one of the best bowling units in the competition, with Angus McLean and Ed Kasprowicz huge new ball threats, while Carter Corless and Jack Balkin have been great support bowlers. But on Saturday Ollie Spence and Wallwork (47) blunted their attack for 100 minutes, adding 113 for the first wicket which set up a successful run chase. It is never easy to keep wickets and open the batting, but gloveman Wallwork thrives on it. IT would not surprise us if he wore his pads to bed that night.
Jack Balkin (Nudgee)
We shouldn’t take the skills of Jack Balkin for granted. With terror reigning down on the Nudgee batsmen courtesy of Callum Vidler, he found 27 runs in an hour of batting before ironically being run out by Vidler. With the ball he also maintained his high standards with a controlled 10 overs (0-28) ensuring the pressure remained on even though the wickets were not falling.
TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL v CHURCHIE
Joe Sippel (TGS)
He is from a famous cricketing family which seems to have an endless supply of talent – no matter what decade we are in. On Saturday the gloveman spent most of the match padded up and in the middle after his epic 92 helped carry TGS to a winning total of 201.
Richard Dean (TGS)
He has done it again. The best tail gunner in the competition again produced the goods batting at No.7, adding 90 with Sippel. Dean has produced in all circumstances this season – under pressure chasing, digging his team out of trouble or when TGS have been front runners. Don’t underestimate the importance of his his slick 40 from 56 balls.
Ewald Kruger (TGS)
He is an Australian under 16 squad member in rugby where he plays hooker, but maybe Kruger should think about a career in cricket. On Saturday his left arm spin bowled Churchie over as he claimed 5-27, after dismantling Terrace earlier in the season with 6-34. Both his match winning deeds have come on foreign soil, away from Toowoomba, making his returns even more meritorious.
Daniel Boreham (Churchie)
Boreham had a good day at the office on Saturday despite Churchie’s loss, snaring 2-27 with his pace, and helping with two run outs and scoring 20.
Charles Lachmund and Thisaja Samarawickrama (TGS)
They were not headline grabbing performances, but both boys produced unsung efforts in their team’s win. Samarawickrama’s pace with the new ball netted 1-15 from eight overs, while Lachmund proved impossible to get away with his six over return snaring 1-7.
BRISBANE SHS v IPSWICH GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Jack Sonter (BSHS)
He did it. Take a bow Jack Sonter because scoring a GPS First XI is a milestone moment, a notch on your belt. We knew the kid was up to the task and challenged him to turn 30, 40 or 50 into an 80 plus score. The Queensland under 17 championship winning batsman did more than that – and his 113 not out came in a winning effort.
Daniel Skipwith and co.
BSHS have been the competition strugglers despite big hearted bowling efforts, and what joy it must have given the BSHS attack to see Jack Sonter propel the side from an uncertain 3-62 to the winning total (5-200). Sonter’s Queensland under 17 teammate Daniel Skipwith (2-23) had done the job with the ball, and with support from Tom Moloney (0-17) and Jem Du (3-39) they prevented the IGS innings from bubbling over 200.
Dinek Kinigama
Kinigama’s season high 71 and Luke Harper’s blazing 47 (44 balls) almost took the match out of reach for BSHS. IGS were 7-112 and sliding away when Harper challenged the attack during a 44 ball blitz. All the while Kinigama flowed nicely, rescuing the IGS innings to give their teammates hope.
Originally published as GPS First XI Team of the Week following shock round
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