Ipswich v Wynnum Manly
R12 First Grade Men
14 and 21 December 2024 at Baxter Oval
The conditions couldn’t have been more different from one Saturday to the next. Rain intervened just after lunch on Day One with Ipswich 1/101 after 31.1 overs. Day Two’s sunny and humid conditions were tempered by a light breeze across the ground for most of the day.
Ipswich picked up where they left off with Bryn Llewellyn and Ethan Ramsbotham advancing to a 100 partnership just 9 minutes into the day and Ramsbotham bringing up his 50 just 15 minutes later. A lost ball and the Drinks break provided just enough of a break in concentration for Ramsbotham to miss a straight one and be trapped in front by Amitoj Sidhu and end the 145-run, 2nd wicket partnership. Bryn Llewellyn officially became a thorn in Wynnum Manly’s side when he notched up yet another ton in two-dayers, to go with scores of 144 and 94 not out over the past three years. A Dakota Rodgers catch to give Sidhu a second wicket ended Llewellyn’s innings on 102 shortly after. Harry Wood and Paul Nasser added 56 for the 4th wicket in just over 13 overs before Nasser attempted to loft Sukhveer Singh over the mid-wicket boundary but found the safe hands of skipper Jed Wilson. Singh was on a hat trick when he picked up the wicket of Harry Sheppard - caught by Burger - off the first ball of his next over. Jem Ryan survived and went on to add 40 from 25 with Harry Wood; Wood bringing up 50 along the way. Ryan fell on the stroke of lunch with the score on 275; Singh capturing a 3rd wicket.
After lunch, Ipswich batted on for a couple of overs to set a target of 297 off 73 remaining overs. Harry Wood and Jem Ryan teased Anjana Nanayakkara and Jed Wilson with 5th stump lines over the first 9 overs, until Nanayakkara finally lost patience and edged Ryan to Wood at slip. Jared Adamski did for Reuben Burger in practically the same fashion a few overs later to make it 2/23 after an hour. Dakota Rodgers joined his skipper and the pair dug in taking Wynnum to 58 at Tea.
The 50 partnership came up four overs after Tea and Wilson’s 50 from 82 balls four overs later. The second 50 of the 100 partnership took just 70 balls, but came to a close not long after, when Rodgers played around a rare Adamski straight one and was bowled just two runs short of a 50. The task was 164 from the remaining 31 overs - 5.3 per over. Wilson and Henry Taylor brought up their 50 partnership in 77 balls and Wilson a fine ton from 150 balls, just after 5:00. Adamski’s catch off Harry Wood brought about the end of Wilson’s almost four hour innings of 105 from 154 balls.
The task was now 103 from 93 balls. Grayson Jones joined Taylor. A second 50 in successive matches to Henry Taylor and a 5th wicket partnership of 71 from 78 balls advanced the score to 265 in the 71st over. It was 6:05, 15 balls left; 32 to get, but it was a bridge too far. Taylor out to a C&B by Llewellyn, then Jones run out in a misunderstanding with Jehan Daniel…27 needed with just 9 balls remaining. A couple of lusty blows could have been four on another day, but were 2s today; 22 needed from the final over. Despite 10 from the last, The score finished 11 runs adrift… Match Drawn.
A mighty effort and an entertaining match.