University v Wynnum Manly

First Grade Round 6

30 September and 7 October 2023 at WEP Harris Oval

Day 1:

The first two-dayer of the season was a hard fought affair at University of Queensland’s WEP Harris ground. University won the toss and elected to bat. Bryce Street and Angus Lovell were patient early against Harmon Sandhu and Josh Fraser, taking Uni to drinks at 0/44 from 16 overs. The next nine overs were relatively quiet apart from the 50 partnership coming up in the 20th over. Then with about 30 minutes to go to Lunch, there was a flurry of activity! An edge by Street found the grass in the 25th over. Lovell edged Tom Eyley to Corey Hunter at slip ten balls later; 1/71. Eyley struck again in the 30th; taking the edge of Jack Clayton’s bat to Burger. Sandhu returned to grab the third wicket of the morning, a second catch to Burger on the stroke of Lunch; 3/88.

Street brought up his 50 just after lunch from 100 deliveries. He and Harry Walker combined for 28 in half an hour before Sandhu snuck one through Walker’s defenses; 4/116. The rest of the session belonged to Uni as Street and Alecz Day added 91 in 22 overs to take Uni to Tea at 4/207. After Tea, the pair continued to dominate with the 100 partnership coming up in the 64th over and Street bringing up his century in 259 minutes from 186 balls in the 66th over. The pair added 89 before Street was caught by Ali Nasar on 140 to give Eyley his 3rd wicket of the day. Three overs later, Day brought up his ton in 158 minutes from 135 balls, but became Eyley’s 4th victim five balls later. Uni declared a few overs later at 8/330 leaving Wynnum a tricky eight overs to face in the day. Corey Hunter and Dakota Rodgers were able to get through five of these, but on the first ball of the 6th, Callum Henderson enticed the hook shot from Hunter and it found the hands of James Grady on the boundary. Wynnum finishing the day at 1/20.

Day 2:

Dakota Rodgers and Sukhveer Singh resumed the Wynnum innings and fought hard through some tight bowling from the University bowlers. Rodgers and Singh guided Wynnum to 1/90 at Lunch and for 26 minutes after, building a partnership of 78 from 251 balls, before calamity struck! 1/100 became 6/108 in 27 balls with Henderson and Willans doing the damage. Brad Radford and Ali Nasar guided Wynnum to Tea at 6/142 and had added 35 from 120 balls when Radford was trapped in front by Lovell just after the Tea break. Harmon Sandhu joined Nasar and mixed some prodigious striking with solid defence to add a valuable 37 from an even more valuable 84 balls before falling just before drinks with the score 8/180. In a big-hearted effort, Uni bowlers (especially Willans 3/49 from 29 and Henderson 4/75 from 22) threw everything at Nasar and Josh Fraser in the remaining 18 overs of the day, but the pair held out to salvage a draw; Wynnum finishing at 8/218 from 104 overs.