NOTABLE GAINS: Peter Bendeich, Harry Deiderick, R Hood, Brian Mair, Cliff "Hunter" Schaefer, Allan Thompson
NOTABLE LOSSES: Tony Failes, Gary Holloway, Col Marhsall, Keith McIntyre, Ray Reeves
After nineteen years and a plethora of star players being thrown at the task of winning a second A Grade Premiership, Waratahs finally returned to the winners circle in the top grade in 1971-72. There are two remarkable things about this journey: the fact that Alan Gray went the entire distance from 1952-53 to 1971-72 and the star players who never won an A Grade premiership with Waratahs during those nineteen years. Players like Norm Buckley, Eric Smith, P Morse, Brian Roberts, and the most recent departure of all, Bill Thompson, performed heroic deeds only to fall short.
For the A Grade players there had been joy as they watched first the B Grade and then the Reserves win multiple Premierships. As clubmen, they exalted their mates in the lower grade as pressure built on them. In recent seasons, against some of the strongest teams ever fielded in Armidale from notably Ex Services but also University and St Peters, Waratahs had consistently been close to the prize. The Final in 1971-72 was their fifth in six seasons - the previous four lost by batting which wilted under the extreme pressure of an individuals fine bowling. More on the Final later.
Reserves were in a rebuilding phase after a glorious run that was already looking jaded when they were beaten in the semis the previous season and when semi finals were abandoned, they failed to qualify for the Final despite some courageous performances. The reason for the failure to keep such a high standard is less about the players they had, including new bowlers like Peter Bendeich and R Hood and the addition of Cliff Schaefer to the fine batting of Ian Campbell and Wayne Holloway but rather about the players who left before the season started. Col Marshall played nine seasons with Waratahs and was a prolific wicket taker in the lower grades and a key player in B Grade and Reserve Grade Premierships. In ten seasons Keith McIntyre made of 3500 runs in A, Reserve and B Grades at a healthy average, kept wickets and even had a best bowling performance of 6-20. He was a highly competitive cricketer whose last season was in A Grade. Tony Failes, Gary Holloway and Ray Reeves were all handy cricketers who were strong contributors to the Reserves in the late sixties. As good as the cricketers were who played in 1971-72, the absentees were mighty big shoes to fill.
Whilst A Grade's major gain was the batsman Allan Thompson, two other debuts are perhaps more significant. Brian Mair played one game for Reserves at Uralla during the school holidays when TAS were not playing and of even greater significance, a future life member, Harry Deiderick would run on for the Reserves.
The season of 1971-72 was broken into two distinct parts. The first from start until late November, was a one day competition played under the format so new to world cricket after England and Australia played the first one day international in Melbourne the previous summer. The new format took a long time to get used to and scores reflected it. Each side batted for 35 eight ball overs and batsmen used to setting themselves for the afternoon had to create a sudden hurry on and team totals in the 120-150 range were the norm. For this one competition, each of the university colleges provided teams. The second half of the season was a two day comp with mostly town sides and de la Salle College, Armidale Teachers College and The Armidale School.
This was also the first season in which a year book was produced thanks to research by Allan Gray, Bill Thompson and Brian Joice.
A Grade
Waratahs started the new one day format with a terrible batting display against an Ex Services side which could still punch hard. Brian Joice (17) top scored in a disaster and then Tom Cooke returned his best figures for Waratahs in trying to real in Ex Services. The Master pace bowler struck four times, reducing Ex Services to 4-7 but with limited overs, he had to spell and this allowed Ex Services recovery time to pass Waratahs meagre total. It was a run feast against Churches, with Alan Gray and Terry Betts opening with 68 and then Joice making quick runs before Bill Thompson made a neat fifty in an unaccustomed role in the middle order. John Roberts and Joice contained the Churches batsmen. University, now playing under the name Unicorns, made a good total thanks to a breezy fifty from Roy Powell. Alan Gray (61) made more than half the reply but Berry's five wickets kept Waratahs well short of the win. Brian Joice, whose batting had adjusted quicker than his bowling to the one day format, took three wickets as all of the bowlers bowled tightly to keep Robb to a hundred and then Thompson and Graham Johnson secured the victory off their bat. St Peters won after setting a stiff total to chase mainly thanks Bede Ryan, but chase they did and well, finishing only 13 runs short of victory. Bill Thompson, back in the openers role, Greg Russell and Allan Thompson got the score to 2-134 but then the tail collapsed to John Henderson.
Against Easts, a star from the early sixties Allan Cox, played the first of just a few games for the season, making runs in a 64 run partnership with his old batting buddy, Alan Gray. John Donnelly routed Easts for an easy win. Waratahs lost to Page on the run rate rule, despite being in what appeared the whip hand position after Cox made runs again. Joice was too much of a handful for a young TAS team and then Betts showed adventurous stroke play in an unbeaten 64 run stand with Johnson which took them to the win. Waratahs had lost 4 wickets in two overs to be 4-31 when Betts came in. Gray and Bill Thompson had no trouble adding 71 for the first wicket against Teachers College but then G Murphy cut down the the rest of the order. Rain ruined the rest of the afternoon.
At the end of November, two day cricket resumed and didn't Waratahs revel in the change. After making a competitive score on the first day, TAS were annihilated on the second making only 39 and 29. Tom Cooke had an eleven wicket match and his best match figures for Waratahs, in what was, remarkably given his wicket taking exploits, only his second ten wicket match haul. Mackenzie was equally unplayable. Waratahs made it back to back outright victories but not until after Churches had taken the first innings points. Churches made the highest total of the match, led by opener Cregan, with Cooke again the feature of the bowling. Waratahs reply was soon in trouble against a fine opening spell by Merv Philp on the first afternoon, reducing them to 5-72, Betts being among them. Batting lower in the order after being held back, Johnson, Joice, Allan Thompson and Roberts did their best to stage a recovery but fell thirty runs short of the win. Cooke, Joice, Donnelly and Johnson steamed through Churches second innings, after Churches made a disastrous start of 2-1. Waratahs second innings run chase required 104 runs in 65 minutes, effectively 16 eight ball overs. The game really ended after only three overs from the Churches bowlers when, after fifteen minutes, Bill Thompson raised Waratahs first fifty with a "a towering six over square leg" (Armidale Express). From here it was an easy win, with victory gained with another huge six from Thompson over mid wicket. His innings included 8 sixes and 7 fours and lasted just 50 minutes and even thought he would play one more time in January before leaving Armidale, this grand display of his batting skill was a fitting farewell. His batting mate Alan Gray was happy to push the singles hundred run opening stand.
Ex Services were crunched in a one dayer straight after Christmas, Terry Mackenzie and John Donnelly make short work of them and then Donnelly made a wonderful half century during a tail-led recovery from 5-54. Any victory over Ex Services was to be celebrated. After the first day was washed out against Unicorns, Tom Cooke was almost unplayable. Waratahs replied with the wobbly boot on both feet and Greg Russell got into double figures for only the second time of the season, Yates and Mackenzie playing dead bats after Roy Smith knocked over the second half of the order. Batting was again the problem as Bede Ryan took six wickets and St Peters went to a commanding lead. Allan Thompson made a good double with the bat, with Betts and Gray doing their share but outright defeat was only just avoided. Mackenzie and Joice restricted Ex Services to a catchable score but at 2-11, Waratahs weren't too disappointed the second day was lost to rain. Cooke, Mackenzie, Donnelly and even Russell took wickets against Churches who looked headed for another outright loss but recovered on the second day. Gray, Betts and Johnson had batted well in setting a total on the first day.
In the last game before the Final - there being no semi finals in 1971-72 - Waratahs scored their largest total of the season when they played TAS. The highlight of the batting was a stand of 173 between Johnson and Brian Connolly. Connolly had only recently returned to the team after missing most of the season. Amazingly, TAS only used three bowlers in Waratahs innings, including a young Brian Mair who took 2-140. On the second day, TAS made a game of it but were too many and Waratahs, led by Joice and some neat work including two stumpings by Betts, wore them down. Joice smashed his way to a second inning fifty.
The Final was to be against Unicorns, a side full of talent and experience. Roy Smith, himself a former Waratahs player from years before, possed a great danger, as did their strong batting line up. For Waratahs, they knew that the game would be won or lost by their batting. For Alan Gray, the only remaining member of the victorious 1952-53 side, this was also personal. In recent Finals, he had developed the unfortunate distinction of regularly scoring ducks.
It was a good batting track at the Sportsground and Waratahs, winning the toss, opened with Gray and Betts, whilst Unicorns had Longmire and Johns to bowl. It was a relieved Gray when he scored that first run and it wasn't until the bowling changed and Smith came into the attack that Unicorns got the breakthrough, Gray. Betts and Connolly added fifty before they both went, one after the other to Smith. Then Allan Thompson and Johnson added 58 before Thompson was stumped by Hobbs off Smith. Joice, batting at six, put on 63 with Johnson before the latter was out unfortunately hit wicket again to Smith. Johns and Smith persevered, in all, bowling 44 overs between them on the Saturday but the Waratahs batsmen had all the answers. Joice added 36 with Russell to close out the day.
On the Sunday, the last four Waratahs wicket feel cheaply but the damage had been done. Roy Smith's outstanding figures from 28.3 eight ball overs must be among the best recorded in an Armidale Final. Unicorns faced a mountain against the fearsome four pronged pace attack and the spin of Johnson, Connolly and Roberts and it was one they never climbed. From the moment, early on, when Johnson snared Roy Powell of Tom Cooke, there was no let up. McKenzie, Donnelly and Joice all took important wickets in the top order and the spinners cleaned up the tail. That Sunday afternoon, a six season epic journey reached fulfilment for all the players, but for blokes like Tom Cooke, John Roberts, Graham Johnson, Terry Betts, Terry Mackenzie and especially Father A Gray the air must have just been that much sweeter as no victory was ever more deserved.
Six batsmen passed the 200 run mark, led by Alan Gray (422), the fifth time he scored more than four hundred runs in a season. Bill Thompson (336) only played just over half a season in his last outings with the club and Graham Johnson (328 runs at 32.80) had the best batting average. Terry Betts (276), Brian Joice (238) and Allan Thompson (228) were the other batsmen who played impoartnat hands. Tom Cooke (51 wickets at 8.69) was again the leading bowler. Brian Joice (33), Terry Mackenzie (27) and John Donnelly (25) made up the prongs of the pace attack. Johnson, Greg Russell and John Roberts bowled well with limited opportunities. Betts held 12 catches and made 2 stumpings and Gray (12 catches) matched him in the field.
A Reserve Grade
It was, in the end, a rather odd season for the Reserves. With the A Grade relatively settled, it meant their resources were not often called upon but player losses from previous seasons paid their toll.
They won four of their seven one day games, including an astounding outright victory which shows how new the format was to local cricket. It was an up and down start with as many wins as losses in the first four games. Bob Barwick and John Russell got the better of Uni Vets only to have the batting fail. The batting, led by Hood, Barwick and Wayne Holloway was good against Page and Peter Bendeich's bowling even better. The batting failed against DLSC but led by Owen and Holloway it was sensational against St Peters, who found Barwick's leggies irresistible. He had the same affect on St Alberts, assisting G O'Halloran roll them cheaply. Owen and Holloway made quick runs for a declaration and Albies got into the act setting a target which Hood very nearly reached. We hadn't quite got the hang of these one day games!
If that was strange the next game against Drummond was stranger. Barwick top scored with half Waratahs runs in a low first innings which Drummond got nowhere near. With daylight left and the loose rules of the new format allowing it, Waratahs batted a second time and were all out for 26, its lowest team score in Reserve Grade. Hood and John Russell bowled unchanged in Drummond's 2nd innings and rolled them eight runs short, giving Waratahs the outright. A draw against Easts finished their one day program, with Ian Campbell making a fine half century and Holloway again batting well.
The change to the two day format breathed life back into the batsmen and Campbell, Barwick and D Ridley all looked polished on the first day against TAS and Bendeich's pace and Russell's spin were too much for the students on the second. In the last match before Christmas, Bundarra gave the Waratahs boys some leather chasing on day one with all of the bowlers punished. On day two, Waratahs chased well and got within fifty of a victory chasing over three hundred. Campbell made a classy 97 and its almost certain he was robbed of a hundred, probably out lbw. Again it was Holloway and Barwick who looked the goods in support.
After Christmas it was pretty dismal with two losses in which the batting failed, despite the efforts of Campbell and new man Cliff Schaeffer. Against Uni Vets, Bendeich and O'Halloran blasted their batsmen out but then Waratahs batsmen fell in the same horrible heap they had against Drummond College and couldn't muster 50. Uralla made a reasonable total, with Brian Mair taking five wickets in his first appearance, made during school holidays when he wasn't needed for TAS. Waratahs reply looked on track with Campbell and Schaefer at the crease but collapsed after their dismissals. Uralla batting quickly to set a total for the outright and might have achieved it if not for Bendeich's responsible innings in the tail. In February, the batting clicked against Hillgrove and Easts, Schaefer being the best of the batsmen but others kicking in. Schaeffer made his only Waratahs century against Easts. The season ended with at least a first innings victory after The Armidale School were rolled for just 15 - the second lowest score ever against a Waratahs Reserves side. It was Bendeich and O'Halloran who again caused the carnage. Yates just missed a half century in reply and Waratahs had batted themselves into an outrigh winning position.
Too many batting collapses costs Waratahs a spot in the final and their season ended. Ian Campbell (443) led the run scorers but Cliff Schaefer (270 at 38.57) had the better batting average. Wayne Holloway (405) and Bob Barwick (217) were the other batsmen of note. Peter Bendeich (50 wickets at 10.36) was the leading bowler, with John Russell (37), Bob Barwick (32), G O'Halloran (27) and R Hood (18) all making their presence felt at various times of the season. Wayne Holloway (14) took the most catches.
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