1962-63: B Grade Premiers

NOTABLE GAINS: Alan Cox, Geoff McDonald, Brian Roberts, Ian Stewart
NOTABLE LOSSES: J Boundy, J McIntyre, Ray Rose, J Walsh

It was one of the most remarkable seasons.

B Grade secured their second premiership in three years, having been Runners Up in between despite having to forfeit a game in January when the squeeze was on for players right across the club. Their record is likely to be one of the in any grade, in any season for Waratahs and whilst we all know it's a team game, the stunning performances of Garry Marshall and Geoff McDonald undoubtedly carried them to the premiership. This was a pair of cricketers who, by November, had played 2nd XI for their city before they had played A Grade for their club.

The club's first perpetual trophy, The John Roberts Trophy for the most promising junior, was presented for the first time at season's end and hindsight isn't needed to understand why McDonald and Marshall shared it.

The unique part of the season was the A-Reserve side being promoted to A Grade after leading the first comp, giving Waratahs two A Grade sides. The Reserves played A Grade so creditably that they finished higher in the points table than the original A Grade side and only missed the semi-finals on a countback.

For the original A Grade side, it was clear than this new blood needed to find its way into their team, in the hope that some might bring consistency, for whilst there were stunning victories, there were also unexplainable losses and it was no surprise that both McDonald and Marshall had games in the top grade before the season was out.

It was also a difficult season to research as an editorial decision at the Armidale Express dictated that only A Grade would have full scores and the remaining a shortened scoresheet, usually restricted to highest scores and best bowling, but sometimes nothing at all but team totals. Other resources, such as run scoring and wicket taking tables issued at varying points of the season certainly helped but there is little doubt that players in the lower grades did not get all of their performances recorded. This makes the performance of the outstanding players even more startling but means that the vast majority of lower grade players are seen or heard from at all.

A Grade

It was a season of unusual experiences for this, by now, very experienced side with Alan Gray raising his twelfth year at Waratahs and Eric Smith's and Brian Richardson's powers in serious decline. Gray, at least, still commanded his place, scoring 400 runs for the fourth time in A Grade after his lean previous season. Smith, on the other hand, averaged ten with the bat, failed to capture a five wicket haul and only just passed twenty wickets. Even the younger Terry Mackenzie had lean pickings for the season. Brian Roberts return was a keen addition but namesake John Roberts, who in the previous two seasons had established himself as a leading bowlers, left after two games and didn't return. His loss was underestimated. D Lang scored two scintillating centuries in the first half and set a batting average record which would stand but he was only there for four games and left Waratahs for good. Alan Cox was the big find and he joined Gray at the top of the order in some fine partnerships. His support bowling was also very useful in a side that lost the ability to bowl in pairs and place opposition batsmen under pressure.

It was a slow start with two losses, a draw and an unusual tie against Easts as the season starter. In the second game, TAS scored a thirty run win despite Lang making a fine unbeaten century and with the support of John Failes and Bucknell, getting Waratahs into a winning position until the last four collapsed. Lang was on top against Churches in the game that followed, but with the first day lost, it ended as a typical one afternoon draw. Brian Roberts collected five wickets against Public Service but Waratahs was again thirty runs short. They thrashed the University 2nds by an innings and 200, Lang made his highest score (128) and with Allan Cash (75x) added 197, an all time record for the 4th wicket. Gray & Cox opened with 111 and both made 60's and Mackenzie and Smith returned their best bowling figures for the season.

Then in a bold move, the cricket association promoted Waratahs A-Reserve side to first grade, calling them Waratahs 2. To remove confusion, their progress will be dealt with later in this report.

Waratahs I got their best win of the season in the next game against Ex Services, who had been unbeaten for two seasons. Waratahs innings had a great start with Gray and Cox against putting a hundred stand on in this all day game at West End Park. Ex Services reply featured another great hand by Wally Miller but eventually had to retire hurt and Smith and Cox ran through the batting order to secure a famous win. The bubble was soon burst by Uralla in the two weeks before Christmas. The batting failed twice, with Cox and Gray getting runs in alternate innings and they lost outright. Garry Marshall debuted with three wickets.

After Christmas, Easts won as both sides failed to bat well and University were far too good and an outright was narrowly avoided. At the start of February, the two Waratahs teams, playing on their home ground of West Armidale Park, had a thrilling encounter which was chock full of runs. The 2's batted first and looked to have scored more than enough with all rounders Ray Reeves and Bob Brennan getting half centuries and Ian Stewart scoring 40 on debut. On the second day, the 1's reply was teetering at 4-31, Don Foster having three of them and Blake getting the prize scalp of Gray, lbw for a duck. John Failes, in at 3-18, batted away the rest of the afternoon whilst first Bucknell, Roberts in a long hand and Smith batted to save face. With Smith's wicket at 7-187, the match was as good as gone until Dangar smashed his way to a near century in the last hour, adding a record 107 with Failes to score the first innings points. This turned the corner for the 1's and they had a powerful win against Public Service, in which a third partnership record was set. Gray and Cox chased down nearly three quarters of the Public Service total with 164 opening partnership. In the last game, forcing the pace to get the outright they needed to qualify for the semis, Waratahs lost to Churches instead.

Waratahs 2 started their stint in A Grade with a great win over Churches, with Reeves the star batsmen and Tony Morriss, for many years a destroyer in the lower grades, winning the match for his side with 5-17. In the next game, University's skipper Allan Dudley introduced them to reality and they failed to make a hundred in either innings and lost outright. In the first game after Christmas they had to face the champion Ex Services outfit and although beaten, they were not disgraced. Chasing, Keith McIntyre and Nigel Richardson batted well to get them with in 57 but against Public Service they were hammered despite Foster taking five wickets. Geoff McDonald debuted with 27x in the first inning debacle. Then it was the high scoring loss to the Waratahs 1's, followed by a good win against Easts when Graeme Hooper and McIntyre gave them a reasonable total which was defended by Reeves and Foster. With a semi-final position up for grabs, the task in those days, didn't come any taller than Uralla at Uralla. Walter Taylor and Bede Ryan did their thing, again adding more than two hundred for the first wicket. They were never in the hunt in the chase but batted very strongly the second time round with Stewart making runs again and adding 131 with McIntyre.

Both sides missed the semi-finals, the Waratahs 2 on a countback.

For Waratahs 1, Alan Gray (400) was back in familiar territory as the leading A Grade run scorer and his batting mate, Alan Cox (367) also had a fine year but the batting average went to D Lang (329 runs at 109.67). Brian Roberts (24 & 15.17) was the leading bowler, Eric Smith (23) and Alan Cox (20) and Terry Mackenzie (19) the only others to threaten.

Waratahs 2, with their much shorter A Grade season, found it hard match the above figures but Ray Reeves (221 runs at 24.56 and 17 wickets) was the best of them. Ian Stewart (154 runs at 51.33) certainly looked a find and Don Foster (20) was the gun with the ball. This was a hard step up for this side to make, especially when a Reserve Grade premiership beckoned and the fact they played with such enthusiasm and heart, deserves recognition.

A-Reserve Grade

This side which featured many of the stars of the previous season's B Grade played well in their short time before promotion, winning four of their five games, two of them outright.

Starting the season with an all day game outright against DLSC, the batting of Chisholm, Reeves and Blake was strong and Reeves, Foster and Jewell bowled them to victory. Same old suspects in the batting against Hillgrove but this time Blake took five wickets. Foster starred in the win against TAS, take a five wicket bag and top scoring. Again, their all round batting depth was too strong for Easts in another outright win. Their only loss came, ironically, in the game before the promotion, when Laurie McCann's took 11 wickets and M Collins (57x) carried his bat to inspired YCW to a three run first innings win.

In five games, A Chisholm (194) and Ray Reeves (187) were the leading run scorers and Don Foster (19) the leading wicket taker.

B Grade

There is little doubt that a change back to a two day format worked in favour of a Waratahs side which liked to play its cricket right out and had the resources to do so. Even so, the record of this side is probably the best of any team in Waratahs history. In fourteen matches they recorded an incredible ten outright victories, including the semi-final, two first innings victories, a possible loss by forfeit and a solitary loss. In the process, Garry Marshall and Geoff McDonald both scored more than 400 runs and took more than 50 wickets and whilst M Halpin and K Dawson both batted well and John Russell was effective with the ball, it's obvious that these two were the rock upon which those victories were based. It's doubtful any Waratahs team ever won a premiership so comfortably, from first ball to last.

On the first day of the competition, Waratahs trailed on the first innings against Dumaresq, after failing to score three figures. It was an event that would happen again once. On the second day, comfortably set a target and then tore through for their first outright. Tadcoop were dispatched outright by more than a hundred. Public Service were beaten on the first innings when McDonald and Marshall bowled through the innings unchanged an the batsmen had practice on the second day. TAS, YCW and City Council were given various levels of thrashing on the way to outright victories. McDonald had a ten wickets match against TAS, including 6-26 in the first innings, whilst Marshall 5-40 and Dawson 40 made good contributions. The YCW game was competitive until McDonald's 7-15 second innings bowling after Halpin and Marshall had set a total with half centuries. The City Council game was also in the balance but this time Marshall took ten wickets and helped R Russell set a second innings target. McDonald and Marshall had again bowled unchanged in the first innings. The last game before Christmas lasted only the first day, when Waratahs hit a quick two hundred runs for a declaration, with Greg Russell, John Russell and Allan Smith all playing fine hands. Royals were dismissed twice in the remaining 90 minutes before stumps, for 8 and 32. No bowling figures are available for the first innings but McDonald took five in the second. Royals first innings total is lowest score against any Waratahs side, regardless of grade. Admittedly, Royals were struggling to field teams and forfeited several games in the New Year owing to lack of players. Even so, 8 is a low team score even if you only had one player!

The first game in January against Hillgrove was the only loss of the season and it should be noted that both McDonald and Marshall were playing in higher grades, as were Bill Nixon, G Chapman, Graeme Hooper and Dawson which may well have been forfeited. Waratahs were rolled well under the hundred, with G Vivian the only one to pass into double figures and Hillgrove picked up the first innings points. Not done, Waratahs through quick runs by Hooper and Dawson set a target but Hillgrove closed up shop and by the close John Russell had three of the four wickets to fall. February opened with all players back in place after higher duties against a Dumaresq side who looked to be putting up a good fight on day one, with runs on the board and Waratahs six down and still thirty behind. On the second day, after Marshall was gone, Nixon, Hooper and Chapman batted Waratahs to a handy lead and then Garry Marshall tore the heart out of Dumaresq with six wickets and their batting collapsed. On the 16th February, Geoff McDonald had one of those rare days. He and Marshall bowled DLSC for 77, his share 8-35 and then he shared a long partnership with Halpin and then Marshall and finished the day 89x. A good day at the office. He completed his century on the following Saturday and DLSC made just 101 in losing outright. Public Service were crushed by the halfway mark of the second day, McDonald and Marshall took four wickets each in alternate DLSC innings and Johnny Russell mad a half century with support from Dawson, Halpin and Marshall.

As if he wasn't good enough, Marshall lit up for the final series. In The semi-final, Tadcoop made only 52 against Marshall's season best 7-34 and Waratahs reply of nearly 300 batted them out of the game, with Halpin, McDonald and Marshall all making great fifties and Greg Russell and Nixon rubbing it in with a frustrating last wicket partnership. Tadcoop batted with second innings pride but still lost by an innings and 89. McDonald took five early wickets and John Russell cleaned up the tail.

So to the final against Dumaresq, who had twice been beaten outright in the round games but in the last meeting in February, they had held their own for a long time before succumbing. Waratahs batted first, no doubt wanting a big total to control the game and at 2-63, with Marshall set and McDonald starting to stroke the ball well, that was on the cards. Then Dumaresq's F Marshall cut a swathe through the middle order and Waratah's star players were among a clatter of 5-19. Dawson, batting at six, steadied the ship first with P Reeves and then with No 10 R Russell added 40 and by the time Chapman hit a return catch to F Marshall, Waratahs had 148 - one of those in-between totals. Marshall's 4-34 had done the damage. Dumaresq (0-18) faced a few over stumps and ended day one very much in the game. On the second day - now into April - it was a cricket massacre as Garry Marshall and Geoff McDonald performed as clinical an execution as one could imagine. It was over in an hour, both bowlers employing the "you miss I hit" principal. Seven were bowled, one lbw and Halpin took the sole catch offered, with Mcleod (9) second top score and run out. Marshall took 6-23 and McDonald 3-17 and with a lead of 101, no one on either team thought any further play would change the result. Waratahs had their second B Grade premiership in three years.

Without full reporting some aggregates and averages are meaningless but as far as the following are concerned, an end of year chart printed in the Express attests to their accuracy. Garry Marshall (581 runs & 36.31) was the leading batsman, followed closely but Geoff McDonald (457) and K Dawson (338). M Halpin scored at least 271 runs. Marshall (82) also took the most wickets but McDonald (78 & 6.24) the bowling average.