1968-69: A Grade Minor Premiers; A Reserve Grade Premiers and Minor Premiers

NOTABLE GAINS: Brian Joice, K Sheffield, J Walsh, Norm Buckley (one match), Tony Failes, J McCann, P McCann
NOTABLE LOSSES: J McDonald, B McRae

After three amazingly strong years in which the A Grade had been beaten semi-finalists and then twice runners-up and during which the Reserves had twice been runners-up and with a vast array of talent in both grades, players and officials could be excused for thinking it was about time this was turned into Premierships. For the A Grade in particular, this was a sore point. They had consistently played great cricket for the past three seasons, only to be destroyed by a fast bowler in vital matches.

Brian Joice joined the club in December, from Churches. His impact in the short term was dramatic, as he was the leading wicket taker up to that point of the season (31 wickets) and he would take 40 more in the seven games to complete the season, including 25 in the last three. The bowling attack of Tom Cooke, Brian Joice, Terry Mackenzie and Peter Rigg is among the most deadly Waratahs have ever fielded and with Graham Johnson and John Roberts for variation, its little wonder the ball was rarely in anyone elses hands. Joice remains one of the superstar players to have played for the club. Originally a very quick left armer, he matured into a slow left arm orthodox but in either phase of his bowling career he took plenty of wickets - more in fact than any other Waratahs bowler.

Former stars J Walsh and Norm Buckley made brief appearances, mainly in the Reserves, a side which bristled with runs all season. Six players made hundreds as the Reserves rebounded from a disappointing previous season to be the force in their competition and the addition of Tony Failes to open the bowling took some of the pressure of Col Marshall. They were strong from the first game until the last and despite a rain-drawn final, they were deserved Minor and Major Premiers ... the first Waratahs team to perform this double honour.

A Grade

The season started with vengance, with a comfortable 4 wicket win over the Premiers, University I who were dismissed for only 160, with Mackenzie and Rigg taking most of the wickets and Terry Betts (3 cat & 1 st) having a good day behind the sticks. A future star with Easts, Lex Morrison was the Uni's mainstay. Waratahs was only four down when the win was secured, as Bill Thompson and Graham Johnson tamed Dick Stayner. Meanwhile, in other matches, Bill Hutchinson was taking 13 wickets as St Peters led the comp after their initial game in first grade and Rene Mullen was scoring 107 in an hour as Ex Services made 479 in an afternoon.

In the second game, Uni Vets were probably lucky not to lose outright. On the first day, Waratahs were in strife at 5-60 until Johnson (77) led the tail in a recovery, adding 61 with Allan Smith and 54 more in partnerships with Roberts and Rigg. Rigg and Mackenzie then added 59 unbeaten before the declaration. Vets batsmen had no answer to Mackenzie and crumbled. Waratahs were out batted by St Peters in the third game after Gray, Betts, Cooke and Rigg got them out for a reasonable total. The Hutchinson brothers proved too much - Bill with ball and Peter with the bat. Uralla set a target restricted by Johnson's career best figures and were beaten nervously on the second Saturday after Waratahs had slumped to 7-128, most of those coming from Thompson's bat. Betts and Cooke (batting low for him at 10) saved the day. The next game against Easts was drawn with Easts in the advantaged position, when the second day was washed. Tom Cooke took seven in an innings for the fourth time.

In the two games before Christmas, Waratahs lost ground on the rest of the competition. Uni Vets pulled of the upset of the season on the malthoid wicket at Consett Davis. Vets recovered to a decent total, despite being 7-78 after Cooke had torn their batting to shreds only to have the last three of Johns, McGarity, Roy Smith and a swag of sundries get them back in the game. Waratahs reply had reached a comfortable 5-198, with Rigg on 46 and Thompson just having bought up his hundred. Smith bowled Rigg and a few runs later, Neilsen, back into the attack, bowled Roberts. Cooke lost his castle next ball and P McCann was trapped in front to give Neilsen his hatrick. A few minutes later, Thompson smashed Neilsen behind square leg where K Lodge took a great catch and completed a surprising victory for Uni Vets.

Keen for points, Waratahs took on an Easts side that were three short in the last game before the Christmas break and McKenzie and Cooke bowled so well that Joice missed a bowl. Declaring 34 in front in order to take advantage of the missing players, Easts showed some fight to take the match into the second day only two down and with a lead of nearly fifty. On the second day, mainly thanks to Fletcher and Lawrie, Easts were able to set Waratahs a victory target of 136. At 1-48, with Gray and Johnson set, only a Waratahs victory looked possible but the introduction of Dixon removed both of them and the last nine wickets fell for 59. It was a staggering loss in a game Waratahs had controlled for 90% of the time. Waratahs, the previous season's minor premiers, had slumped to 7th.

Resuming after Christmas and with matches against the top four teams in the following eight weeks, Waratahs had it all to do to even qualify for the semi-finals. What happened may well be the best half-season any Waratahs team has played.

St Peters were rolled by Tom Cooke in the first and Brian Joice in the second. This time Waratahs declared with a lead of 80 after runs from Johnson, Gray and the resurrected Walsh. In the second innings Gray led the way to ten wicket thumping. The competition leaders Churches were victims of the same game plan, the pace attack of Cooke, Mackenzie and Joice overpowered them and then cruised to a lead of 120 by stumps on the first day - Joice enjoying some lusty hitting against his former team. On the second day, Waratahs caught brilliantly, including three in slips by Gray before Sheffield and Baldwin performed the last rights and Waratahs had another ten wicket outright victory. Batting first against Ex Services, for once luck went with Waratahs as they recovered from 8-117 thanks to a 91 run partnership between Roberts and Baldwin. Cooke and Joice had Ex Services 3-21 at stumps (including Miller and Blair) and their was no comeback on day two as Cooke tore through them. The tail had to wag against Bundarra too. When Thompson was out it had been 6-84 but led by Betts, with Baldwin, Rigg and Roberts in support, Waratahs at least had a total. Bundarra began well, but wickets fell steadily on the second day to Cooke and Joice. Sheffield and Johnson got some handy centre wicket practice batting a second time.

Four games against the top four, for four convincing wins, two of them outright. Waratahs now headed the competition table and went further ahead with a thumping of The Armidale in which Brian Joice took 12 wickets, Bill Thompson top scored in both innings including his sixth A Grade century and all of the batsmen and bowlers had a chance to brush up their form before the semi-finals.

The semi-final was against the fourth placed Easts - a side they had drawn with when behind and whom they had allowed to escape in the debacle in December when they bowled Easts out for 44 and still lost outright. There was no doubting the Waratahs pace attack but if a question mark could be raised about the Minor Premiers, it would be the batting line-up. Several times Waratahs had been rescued by tail-end batting heroics. Easts batted first and it was a story that could have been written at any time in the previous two months as they collapsed before the four quicks, Cooke and Joice taking the spoils on this occasion. Whether the Waratahs batsmen were mindful of batting failures in finals over the past four years as Gray and Thompson walked out to open is not known but the collapse is. Lawrie got Gray early and soon after Rigg, promoted to 3 and then Johnson in quick succession and both for ducks. Sheffield helped Thompson and 29 before the opener left to the leggie, McCann. Betts became the final victim, also to Lawrie, as stumps were drawn. At 5-47, only the tail stood between victory or another wasted minor premiership. On the second day, Joice and Sheffield with a 42 run 7th partnership looked like holding Lawrie out and getting Waratahs to victory. Easts second innings reminded Waratahs again of what might have been.

There were many good performers with the bat. despite the recurring theme of collapse that came back to haunt the term. Bill Thompson (575 runs at 41.07) was again the leading batsman. Graham Johnson (338) and Alan Gray (329) finished close together, whilst Terry Betts (219) was one of the big improvers as was Peter Rigg (183). Tom Cooke (54) was the leading wicket taker but Brian Joice (40 at 9.58) was the more miserly. Given the strength of the support pace bowling, it is not surprising that Terry Mackenzie (34) was the next highest wicket taker. Graham Johnson (22) again bowled his offies well. Terry Betts (24 cat & 3 st) establish a new A Grade record of 27 wicket keeping dismissals, whilst Tom Cooke (11), Graham Johnson (11) and Alan Gray (10) were a reliable slip cordon.

A Reserve Grade

If the A Grade had played the best half season in club history in the period after Christmas, then the Reserves probably played the best full season, a season in which they remained undefeated. A bye in round two and a draw in the Final the only wins they missed out on. They were good in every aspect of the game but their batting was superb, constantly get big totals whether setting or chasing. Keith McIntyre had the best of many outstanding seasons with the bat but there were five others who scored hundreds.

The first game against Hillgrove was one of only three occasions when the side failed to make a completed innings over 200 but what they made chasing was more than enough for the first innings points thanks to new player Tony Failes double (7-37 & 79). Hillgrove's second innings counted for little. They had a bye in the second game and then comfortably beat University IV. Greg Russell and D Garner had nice outings with second day fifties. Then the carnage started. Russell and McIntyre breezed to fifties against the Teachers College and John Russell took five in each innings of the outright. Garner posted another fifty, this time against the Armidale School and Baldwin regained some formed after dropping down from A Grade. Col Marshall was too good for the students and Norm Buckley, in his only appearance, had the students hopping about off just a few steps. Dumaresq chased well, after Bob Brennan posted his second hundred for the club, but Tony Failes bowled the side home. In the second innings, Ian Campbell found some form. Way out in front of the competition, they went even further ahead of second with an outrigh win over Ex Services. Walsh returned for his first game in seven seasons and after wickets in the Ex Services meager first innings, he joined with Little to post an opening stand of 211, both of them making hundreds. Ex Services gave their second innings a big effort byt still lost by an innings.

After Christmas, Waratahs cruised through three consecutive outright victories. Brennan and John Failes led the scoring against Easts, with ex clubman Peter Barrett taking six but the Daffodils made only 65 in each innings, Brennan and John Russell being the destroyers. Col Marshall knocked Churches over and then J McCann scored a breezy century with Garner, McIntyre and Greg Russell in supporting roles. Churches improvement in the second innings was contained by Greg Russell and Mc Cann as another innings outright was chalked up. The third outright really was a flogging of Ex Services after McGee made an unbeaten hundred and Greg Russell and McIntyre rapid half centuries on the first day. Ex Services lost twenty wickets on the second day with John Russell, Tony Failes and Marshall leading the way with the ball.

At this stage, any complacency building in the a side with enough points to win two competitions soon left with two close first innings wins before the semi-finals. McIntyre scored his lone Waratahs ton against the Teachers College and followed it with a fifty in the second innings. McCann and Allan Smith also made fifties in the big first innings score. In replay, ATC got to within 21 runs, solely due to a brilliant unbeaten hundred from opener Brian Preen. Against DLSC, 276 looked enough after McIntyre feasted again and for a third time in his career was out in the nineties. Garner and Campbell played well. This time it was the DLSC opener Mick Hawkins who was still at the crease with only five runs needed. Gary Holloway bowled a smart spell at the death and his last vicim was Hawkins, to give Waratahs the win.

These last two wins sharpened up the side as they headed into the finals series, runaway favourites who hadn't put a foot wrong all season.

Knowing the quality of the Teachers College batting line up from their experience against Brian Preen only two matches earlier, Waratahs won the toss and batted and set their sights on a big score. McIntyre (90) and McGee (79) started with 166 and the next four partnerships were all 40 or more. By the start of the last hour, Waratahs were 4-352 and despite the innings falling away (the last wickets fell for 33) the top six in the batting had done the damage. Preen made another hundred and despite scoring over two hundred, ATC weren't even close.

The final against Hillgrove was set to be intruiging as the two sides had, unusually, only met the once during the regular season and that, the first game. Hillgrove had surprise by beating DLSC in the semi-final, when there last three added 60 and they bowled the students cheaply on the second day. There were the usual sprinklings of Frosts and Sewells among them but they were largely an unknown opponent and certainly, they had not had the chance to be intimidated by Waratahs.

It had been a long season and the Final started in mid April with Waratahs batting first and just as Hillgrove had done in the first game, they contained the splendid batting line up. McGee was bowled by Sewell in the second over but McIntyre and Greg Russell had things well in hand at 1-86 before Stathers struck, removing Russell and McCann. Frosts of different persuasions removed Brennan cheaply and then combined to take the prize wicket of McIntyre. The two Failes boys looked to right the badly listing ship and did to a certain extent but when Morgan removed them in consecutive overs, the tail followed and suddenly the batting juggernaut which had been Waratahs looked decidely vulnerable. Nearing stumps, Hillgrove's reply had worked its way to 1-44 when Greg Russell slipped one through Sewell and the game was in the balance.

On the second day, in damp, overcast conditions, Waratahs had the Hillgrove batsmen under pressure and no sooner had Tony Failes picked up the Hillgrove dangerman Dick Chisholm than the heavens opened. Hillgrove may have got there but bowling not batting had been their strength all season and with the attack Waratahs had at their disposal, it very likely they would have prevailed. The match was declared a draw and in the days before placement on the competition table was used to decide such circumstances, both sides were awarded the Premiership.

Keith McIntyre (602 runs) had a remarkable season, especially since there are five matches for which we don't have scores. In his last five games alone he scored 67, 101x, 52x, 92, 82, 62. Greg Russell (363), Bob Brennan (264), D Garner (256), B McGee (240) and J McCann (239) all scored heavily, with Russell the only one to miss a century. J Walsh made 125x in his only appearance. John Russell (27) and Col Marshall (26) led the bowling and newcomer Tony Failes (21) wickets including a seven bag.