South Brisbane v University - 3rd Grade
Norm McMahon Shield - Round 12
5 and 12 February 2022 at Bob Young Oval
DAY ONE:
Overcast, windy, sometimes sunny, a sprinkle here and there, a little bit of everything at Bob Young Oval. All in all, conditions were quite pleasant for a February day. As a result, Mitchell Connell decided to bowl when the coin fell in his favour.
University openers, Harry Blunn and Angus White started cautiously in the face of some very good bowling by Jacob Dunne and Lawrence Miles. The score was just 23 in the 13th over when Dunne enticed an edge to Matthew Taviani for the first wicket. University skipper Nick Meadows, seemed to have settled in before a mis-timed pull shot off Dunne found the safe hands of Peter Strain. A cracker of a catch by Connor McMillan off Umhar Samsudeen three overs later, made it 3/52 from 24 overs. Mitchell Connell’s introduction was successful with wickets in his 2nd and 4th overs via good catches to Alex Robynson at slip and Miles at mid-off; the latter dismissing opener Harry Blunn for a well-made 44.
Resuming at 5/86, University were in trouble again five balls in when a dodgy leave off Miles, disturbed the off stump; Souths well on top at 6/88. Then something changed. Number eight, Elliot Beath, came in swinging and dragged his partner Robert Kelly with him in a belligerent 59-run stand for the 7th wicket. Eventually, a stroke of luck was his undoing. Kelly drove straight, Umhar got a fingertip on it in his follow through, the ball found the stumps at the non-striker’s end and Beath was out of his ground. Kelly was then out a few overs later when Strain held a good catch at mid-wicket to give Dunne his 3rd wicket of the day. Hayden D’Addona and Thomas Lord then combined for another defiant lower-order stand of 58, taking University past an unlikely 200. Lachlan Peterson’s outstanding boundary catch off Mitchell Connell finally ended Lord’s innings on 42 in the 72nd over. A second catch to Lawrence Miles a few overs later gave Connell his 4th of the day and brought the University innings to a close on 234 in the 76th over of the day.
DAY TWO:
Before seven overs had been bowled, rain interrupted three times at Bob Young. Tea was taken early at 2.07 and play resumed at 2.40pm with the score 0/21 from 6.5 overs. The final session was to be extended for the full 60 minutes to 6.45pm, if possible. Max Edmondson and Alex Robynson now faced significantly changed conditions compared to the initial overs of the match. The pair handled the changes well in an opening partnership of 58, especially Edmondson who blasted his way to a run-a-ball 50. A bowling change in the 16th over did the trick for University with Edmondson out just three balls into Charlie Bell’s first over. just 18 runs came from the next 12 overs as Robynson and Sam Geyer were tied down by excellent bowling from Bell and Robbie Sanders. Bell eventually found the edged of Geyer’s bat at the end of the 28th over for Banjo Waring to take a great catch behind the stumps. Two balls later, Robynson was trapped in front by Sanders and it was 3/76.
Peter Strain and Lachlan Peterson seemed to have settled before a brilliant bit of fielding by Angus White at mid-on in the 35th over caught Strain short of his ground; 4/90. Bouyed by the run out, University’s intensity increased. Wickets in the 41st and 45th overs to reduced Souths to 6/117, then another brilliant, direct-hit, run out in the 52nd over set up a dramatic final hour of play. Lachlan Peterson and Connor McMillan kept the University bowlers at bay for the next 44 minutes. Then, drama as two wickets in two balls reduced Souths to 9fa. At 6.23 the light was poor! Players and spectators were on tenterhooks as play continued in deteriorating light for an amazing sixteen minutes. Lachlan Peterson and Aiden Lee defied the bowling until stumps at 6.39pm to salvage a draw for the home side. Peterson remaining not out on a stubborn match-saving 37 from a 126 balls.
