NOTABLE GAINS: A Chisholm, D Lang, Ray Reeves
NOTABLE LOSSES: Don Paul, Arty See
As the 1960's began, Waratahs had placed itself in a strong position in it's first ten years of operation. Two premierships - one in A Grade and the other in the cricket nursery of B Grade - and a number of appearances in semi finals, was one indicator of good recruiting and excellent growth. Another was the reasonably rapid transition from twelve available players to take the field in A-Reserves on that first Saturday and now, ten years later, three competitive teams in the three grades being played in the New England Cricket Association competitions. The decade ahead was largely about the fruitless search for another A Grade premiership, with all its aspirations, fine cricket, close calls and continuing falls at the last hurdle. For no matter how well Waratahs recruited - and the sixties saw some of its finest players don the blue cap - and how many premierships were obtained in the lower grades, there would be none in A Grade.
Regardless of such unfortunate cricket husbandry, the spirit grew and grew and the players keep coming from other clubs and from out of town to join Waratahs. Mixed up among this club building, legends were established and heroes made.
In a season when the minor grades did well enough to make semi-finals, life was much tougher for the top side.
A Grade
Even though ten players played in the bulk of the twelve games for the season, there were still twenty eight used in A Grade. In mid January, seven were from Reserves. Losing six of those twelve games and one of those outright, this was never going to be a semi-final season. Again Alan Gray had most of the run scoring responsibility with Eric Smith as his backup, although the newcomer D Lang some very fine knocks in limited appearances. Too many of the others made long, unrequited promises between innings that teased an a side impatient for consistency. In fact, of the rest, Terry Mackenzie with his robust smiting in the tail, was probably our most reliable. Too much fell on Mackenzie and Smith with the ball, despite their sterling work, they couldn't bowl from one end all the time. John Roberts made some ground toward being an automatic choice each week but proved too expensive. Until Brian Roberts late season arrival, there were few choices. It was a season that signalled signs that a strong side could be built, especially with the young reserves being grown in Reserves.
University supplied a deadly first up track, the sort which left Smith's spin is irresistible on. Mackenzie got a bag in the second innings and Waratahs were off to good start. Churches rolled them cheaply and then smashed their way to plenty and outright points were saved with a batting display so different from the first innings. Waratahs had the whip hand against Easts at the Sportsground thanks to fine half centuries by John Roberts and P Morse, only to loose the second day to nature. Roberts and Morse repeated the dose against TAS and Mackenzie 5-45 finished the job. Doug Johnstone (50), Smith and Gray all made good runs in a total that should have been enough but DLSC's Bro. Brendan exposed the thinness of the bowling lineup after Mackenzie had taken another bag of early wickets. December held no presents with a heavy outright loss to Public Service and a near one to Ex Services, when Errol Browning took 9-14.
In the New Year, three consecutive losses became five. Churches, with a future Waratahs player Syd Philp making 85 in the first innings and a past player, Ross Ridley breezing quickly to 70 not out, despite a good match from Smith (80 and 5-54) and J Boundy, an all rounder promoted to A Grade for just one game who scored well in both innings (28 and 40x). By mid January, seven Reserve graders were playing and two drop ins. so it was hardly a surprise that Easts won in a canter. Waratahs last win of the year was against Uralla at the Sportsground, when they posted a big total for which Alan Gray's near century was the corner post. G Whitton, Lang and Morse all added good support and Brian Roberts marked his return with four first innings wickets. Against DLSC, rain on the second day probably saved them, five down and a hundred behind after Bro Brendan again got runs and Mackenzie bagged another five wicket haul. The last game was a run blitz against Ex Services but after Keith Smith (160) and Ron Madden (57) were finished, Waratahs did well to get within eighty as Lang made a very stylist 85, Terry Mackenzie a belligerent 35 and a host of others made decent starts. Errol Browning bagged six wickets.
Alan Gray (358 runs) was again the leading run scorer but new man D Lang had a significantly better batting average (260 runs at 32.50). Eric Smith (266) was the only other player above the two hundred mark, although P Morse, Doug Johnstone and John Roberts were all close. Eric Smith (34 wickets at 17.15) took the bowling honours, just shading Terry Mackenzie (33 at 17.27) and apart from John Roberts (12) no one else made double figures.
A-Reserve Grade
This side had a remarkable season, losing twice in the first four games and then only once more in the remaining nine, including the semi-final. Indeed, considering they won six of their games outright, it hard to imagine how they didn't win the competition. The secret behind their success was a tight knit group of cricketers, most of them powerful all rounders, who had graduated from winning a B Grade Premiership the year before. The missing element in not going the next step was the only patchy availability of J Walsh.
The season started against University in a game in which the batsmen only got going in the second innings, by which time first innings points had been lost. Easts were dispatched by seven wickets, J Boundy smashing 92 in a middle order partnership with Ray Rose who made 79. A Boundy took four wickets in each innings and then virtually didn't bowl again all season. St Peters were thrashed by an innings, with Bob Brennan and G Howard scoring half the runs and Brennan's ten wickets for the match including 6-34 in the first innings. Ex Services then sat the boys on their ear with an innings defeat, despite improve second innings batting and from there, it was all wins to Christmas, as if the batting didn't fire the bowling did. Teachers College made a fair fist of their first innings only to have Waratahs go past 300, with six batsmen led by L Blake and Brennan's fifties and good runs from everyone. Tony Morriss and J Boundy then routed the teachers. Hillgrove lost outright by 3 runs in a spine tingler, where their second inning 101 was the highest score of the game. Tony Morriss (8-52) and Graeme Hooper's three fine catches in slip were the difference. Right on Christmas, Waratahs had to be content with first innings points when they were only 30 runs short with five wickets in hand.
The first game in January was a re match with Ex services who again beat them, Ray Reeves looking comfortable in both innings. Far East were beaten outright with Ray Rose scoring an unbeaten fifty and Blake and Reeves and the occasional Walsh batting well. Boundy's first inning bowling was topped as Walsh took eleven for the match, including 7-13 in the Far Easts second innings. Waratahs had the best of a washout against Hillgrove and then absolutely flogged St Peters outright for a second time, with everyone brushing up for the semi-final.
The semi-final against Hillgrove was one sided. Having beaten them outright and being in the superior position in a drawn washout, Waratahs batted first and made a big total where even though Blake and Brennan dominated, as usual, everyone chipped in. Hillgrove began their reply behind the clock and Brennan and Boundy soon had them in trouble. Slowly, with lesser players digging in around Dye, Hillgrove batted for stumps in the knowledge that a draw would see them progress. Waratahs used eight bowlers, all of them quality but they couldn't break through and although Hillgrove were ninety runs behind the target, more importantly Waratahs were two wickets short of theirs.
L Blake (410 runs at 29.29) was the leading batsman but he was followed by a bevy of others: Ray Rose (349), J Boundy (336), Bob Brennan (295), Ray Reeves (264) and A Chisholm (243). Tony Morriss (35) maintained his mantle as the leading wicket taker, just edging ahead of Boundy (34). Ray Reeves (27 wickets at 10.52) had the best average and Bob Brennan (27) lead the attack manfully. Had Walsh played only a few more games and improved his 15 wickets at 4.53, he would have been hard to beat.
B Grade
In a season of one day matches, everybody had their chances but only a few dominated like Keith McIntyre did with the bat and J McIntyre and Col Marshall did with the ball. This was a very settled side with the basic XI of Keith McIntyre, Stanley, J McIntyre, Bill Nixon, R McIntyre, McClenaghan, Russell, Dawson Col Marshall, Chapman and Barrett playing the vast majority of the games. It also led to a settled bowling attack which although dominated by J McIntyre and Col Marshall had many other useful contributions from McClenaghan, the two Russells and not the least from wicket keeper Keith McIntyre!
This giant 24 match regular season impressively with four wins, including a forfeit. Keith McIntyre good start included a half century in Waratahs only decent total in those games. Low totals didn't matter if your bowlers were on top and they were, none more so than J McIntyre (7-17) who routed arch rivals Public Service. The Teachers College inflicted the first loss, when for once the opening bowlers didn't carve a path. New England Rovers were dispatched when for the second game in a row, keeper Keith McIntyre took handy wickets and Bruce McClenaghan opened the batting effectively. There followed a month of yo-yo cricket: down to DLSC (Bill Nixon shone with the bat); up (Keith Mc and Chapman seventies, Marshall fivefa; down to TAS; up against Churches (Keith Mc taking a career best 6-20). Waratahs then ran up to Christmas with five wins straight that featured another comfortable beating of Public Service in which J Mcintyre took a hattrick, six more wickets for J McIntyre and a rare fifty for Stanley against Dumaresq and six wickets for Col Marshall against Rovers. By Christmas, they led the competition and were on target for back to back premierships.
Until the middle of February, that opinion didn't change with another five wins from six games. There were no big scores but the bowling was deadly. Three times Col Marshall and J McIntyre opened and bowled sides out unchanged. Hillgrove (twice), Public Service (for a third time in the season), Dumaresq and Rovers all succumbed to Waratahs bowling attack. Churches did too but not before the secured a narrow victory on a day in which Col Marshall was absent. Then it all came to a stuttering halt when Public Service finally gained a win. P Dixson (7-24) did the hot knife through butter trick and 59 was finally not enough to defend. In the void which followed this loss, TAS (56) and Dumaresq (84) repeated the dose and the reigning premiers had lost three on the trot. The ship was righted by an R McIntyre half century in the last game, with support from K Dawson and Marshall and wickets shared between Marshall and the two Russell boys.
Waratahs lined up in the major semi against Public Service, having one four of the last five encounters but perhaps crucially, not the last. Waratahs bating first, batted like it had all year with too much dependence on too few. Apart from J McIntyre, who opened, no one made double figures as Dixson again did the damage and they never had enough to win. Public Service passed them with only two down, after Marshall made an early breakthough. Collins (48x) batting at three and Cameron (28) who opened, had a long partnership which blunted the Waratahs bowlers to within ten of victory. The clutter that eventually came was all too late. This was definitely one that got away.
Keith McIntyre (514 runs at 21.42) was the leading batsman and he also took 16 catches. R McIntyre (339) and J McIntyre (313) made it a McIntyre trifecta. Bruce McClenaghan (258) shows signs of things to come. There was great improvements in Bill Nixon's batting (195 runs) and he also held 11 catches. Col Marshall (199) and K Dawson (185) also had their moments. J McIntyre (72 wickets at 7.26) was the star with the ball but not that far behind was Col Marshall (52 wickets). McClenaghan, John Russell, R Russell and Keith McIntyre all bowled well in supportive roles.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
1961-62: B Grade Runners Up, A Grade Semi-Finalists
NOTABLE GAINS: Allan Cash, Don Foster, Geoff Marshall
NOTABLE LOSSES: Col Marshall, Brian Roberts, Allan Smith
This was a strong season for Waratahs but undoubtedly, the key features were the greater depth in the A Grade batting, where D Lang turned the promise he had shown in the previous season into glorious run getting with three wonderful centuries before Christmas. The reserves flourished as young bloods from B Grade moved into their ranks and they must rank as won of the strongest Waratahs teams to miss semi-finals. Meanwhile, a new crop in B Grade, led by the freakish bowling performances of 16 years old Don Foster, rode their cricket all the way to beach, only to topple into the white water at the last gasp. Many records were set and some, in particular those owned by Foster, stayed that way.
A Grade
The side was a strong one and although 25 players appeared, the basic XI on most weeks was Alan Gray, Tony Croft, D Lang, P Morse, John Failes, D Bucknell, Eric Smith, John Roberts and Terry Mackenzie with some combination of G Whitton, Doug Johnstone, Allan Cash and towards the end of the season, Brian Richardson, making up the last two places. Youngsters from below like Keith McIntyre and the two Rays, Reeves and Rose, also had opportunities. Whilst it was as good a batting line up as any team, only Morse and Lang shone and when they did, far too brightly for any opposition bowlers. Of the others, Failes - surely not a name for a cricketer - consistently made starts but no big scores, as did Bucknell. Smith was just starting to show that his batting star was waning and he was often more comfortable at seven or eight. Roberts had a disappointing season on his former showing and poor Alan Gray couldn't take a trick. Despite leading the catchers, he inexplicably averaged only ten in his worst season in ten years. McKenzie, Smith and Roberts all took thirty wickets but a much high cost than previously and sides were never routed.
Despite all of this there were only four losses, none of them outright and two from the first three games. John Roberts had his best return of the season (6-46) against Public Service at the Sportsground but the batting never got underway chasing 220. The powerful Churches line up were knocked over in the next game, with McKenzie and Smith taking fifteen of the eighteen wickets to fall. The batting was led by a steady hand from John Failes and two good knocks from Reserve graders, Blake and Whitton. Against the Teachers College, Waratahs set a good total thanks to a fabulous century by D Lang in his first knock of the summer and Failes who made starts in both innings. Waratahs bowlers were unable to contain the chalkies and they lost by 6 wickets. From here 'till Christmas the batting form was excellent, as Waratahs set or chased big totals. University's 200 hundred was chased and passed on the way to 300. Lang (102) and Morse (92) adding 167. Waratahs defended 137 against TAS, as the former student Mackenzie took the stick to the young batting order. Walter Taylor and Bede Ryan were responsible for Uralla's massive 341 but by the end of the second day, Waratahs was only 24 short and still three wickets up their sleeve. Morse made up for the miss against University with a fine, controlled hundred and Lang (for once) and Tony Croft, played supporting roles. Just before Christmas, a third Lang century and a six wicket haul by Roberts were the centre pieces to a convincing win over the always threatening University side. Suddenly Waratahs had a player with three hundreds in five A Grade games, where only four hundreds had been scored in the previous ten years!
The New Year didn't go well. First Easts cast them aside with only Croft playing up to the standard and then Waratahs struggled to a draw against Ex Services after the first day had been washed out. Ray Reeves, filling in, batted well but no one else did. Then Uralla happened. It was mid January and apart from missing Eric Smith, Waratahs faced up to Uralla with pretty much full a strength side. It was never the less, a slaughter. Uralla's 2-387 was a two man show. Openers Walter Taylor (202x) and Bede Ryan (137) added more than 300 themselves as Alan Gray took the only bowler's wicket. The much vaunted batting line up buckled at thought of the chase and only John Roberts stubborn return to form with the tail of W Dangar and Mackenzie got the losing margin inside two hundred. The bounce back was immediate back at the Sportsground against Churches. Bucknell, Morse and Lang made runs and Smith (7-33) and the veteran Brian Richardson (3-24 & 3-23) chased Churches to within 4 wickets of an outright. University were beaten for a third time because of superior target chasing and again Ex Services and Waratahs played a pointless, second day draw after rain.
Waratahs were semi-finalists again, for the second time in three years and apart from the slaughter at Uralla and some early season mishaps, they were batting like winners. Their opponent was to be University, who Lang and Morse and a supporting cast had put the sword to three times. University won the toss and batted and set another target. Waratahs just had to go out, on a good deck, in perfect weather and do what they had done all season. Against them was J Duloy, just behind Errol Browning as the leading wicket taker of the season and a former Waratahs player but crucially Lang was missing. Unable to play, he was replaced by young Reeves. It started well. Gray (26) made his best score of the season but the other six in the top seven could make only 16 between them. Duloy got three of them and even though there was no way back from 7-45, Mackenzie, Smith, Roberts and Richardson batted with rare distinction to add more than 100 and get their side within fifty of the University total.
Lang (499 runs at 62.38) was clearly the leading batsman but Morse (381 runs) wasn't that far behind. Apart from Bucknell (209), Mackenzie was the next highest run getter. Smith (31 wickets at 17.71) again lead the bowlers but shared the most wickets with Mackenzie (also 31). Roberts (30) was only just behind them. Brian Richardson (11 at 18.18) at the tail end of the season showed he still had things to contribute. Alan Gray held 11 catches .
A Reserve Grade
In a season when eight players scored more than 200 runs and half of them went beyond the 400 mark, there were no end of runs available to the side. L Blake, Ray Rose, Ray Reeves and Keith McIntyre put some sort of a score on the board most weeks and it had the effect of bring others forward. As usual, the ever reliable Tony Morriss was the heart of the attack and although his returns were not of the mega level of previous seasons they were consistent enough for the the young blokes to build their own performances on. In the end, the side was unlucky not to feature in semis or finals in either the Saturday or the fledgling Sunday comp.
J Boundy, J Walsh and Bob Brennan started the season where they had left the last one, bowling Waratahs to a resounding outright win first up against Ex Services but when the next game was completely washed out the one that followed was a disappointing outright loss to YCW after McIntyre and Rose batted well establishing a first innings lead. With the game to be won, Laurie McCann took it away with his blade. This was followed by a crushing outright win over Public Service where everyone got runs and Boundy, Brennan and Morriss whipped through a feeble opposition. A two run narrow draw against DeLaSalle was the stage for a rare Walsh appearance and as usual, he was good with bat and ball. In December, St Peters were too good in a batsman dominated game and then Hillgrove were crushed on the first innings and Waratahs had a long second innings of batting practice.
After Christmas, Walsh, Reeves and Rose all scored half centuries in a big win over Uralla but the bowlers were having trouble taking sides out quickly and for low enough scores to set up outrights. The next match was again washed out without a ball bowled. Good batting was not enough to hold Public Service off and St Peters repeated their earlier form and won comfortably when the Waratahs batting failed for the first time in the season. With two games completely lost to the weather and points tight, the penultimate game was an encouraging win against YCW and featured a superb Ray Reeves century and great bowling by Boundy. With an outright required to qualify for the semi finals despite batsmen who consistently scored good runs in groups, it was all stops out against Hillgrove. With the 'grove rolled for less than 100 thanks to an astonishing bowling spell from the often underused Blake (6-2), Waratahs declared behind in order to set up an outright result. As far as we know, none of the Waratahs fast bowlers packed up their deck chairs in reaction to this decision. Unfortunately, Hillgrove got away and when their chance came, there was too little time left and wickets tumbled too fast for the tall target of 200 to be reached.
The bulk of this side also played in a fledgling Sunday Competition, with several of the best of the B Grade. The nature of the draw and available results from the Armidale Express meant that Easts were played and beaten four times but the two losses to Public Service and Dumaresq were enough to keep Waratahs out of the final. Ray Rose scored his only Waratahs hundred in one of the games against Easts and the usual suspects (Blake, Reeves & McIntyre) kept providing runs but it was a young all rounder from B Grade who stole the limelight. Out shone by Don Foster in B Grade, young Garry Marshall came to notice against Easts (9-64) and Dumaresq (7-35), the latter narrowly missing on taking Waratahs into a final. His was a star in the ascendancy that would take him from B Grade to New England 2nd XI the following season..
Ray Reeves (494) topped the run scorers, but Ray Rose (479), Keith McIntyre (466) and L Blake (437) were all outstanding. On the second tier Bob Brennan (321), A Chisholm (274) and J Boundy (234) all played hands that decided matches but it was the part timer, J Walsh (206 at 41.20) who had the best average. Tony Morriss (36) took the most wickets but it was the youngster Garry Marshall (25 at 8.88) who's average was easily the best. Ray Reeves (22 wickets) deserved his all rounder status and his game in the A Grade semi final when Lang was unavailable. Blake, Boundy and Rose all held 10 catches.
B Grade
The B Grade side, still stuck with one day cricket, played a lot. In all, twenty eight games made up the schedule, including semi and final and with only 15 wins and 2 ties its clear that it wasn't a side without blemish. What it did have was consistency, with a reasonably settled batting line up built on Bruce McClenaghan and S Stanley at the top of the order and R McIntyre as the rock in the middle order. Eleven of their players played in eighteen or more games. This was even more evident among the bowlers where, although Don Foster took such an enormous load of wickets, Garry Marshall, Bruce McClenaghan and R Russell all their own reasonable share of anything Foster missed. Hardly anyone else bowled.
With so many games, its only the highlights we can cover. It was a slow start with a tie (ATC) in which McClenaghan starred with the ball and a loss (Hillgrove), but then a flogging of TAS (Foster 9-6 for the match) and then a flogging of Easts (Foster ten for the match and Marshall eight) and good batting against Tadcoop had their season racing. Dumaresq won a low scoring game in which McClenaghan was the hero with bat and ball but Public Service were beaten by good batting led by Bill Nixon and by mid November, Churches were winning when Waratahs couldn't chase 120. Five consecutive wins where any batting total could be defended by Foster and Marshall were climaxed by Foster's 7-37 against his old club, Easts. One more low total against Tadcoop, and the bowlers, even though Foster took six, could not manufacture a win.
After Christmas, Waratahs got to February with six straight wins, giving them 11 victories from the last 12 games. The bowlers were still magnificent but the batsmen started to do their work more effectively too and despite a narrow escape against Churches in a game where both sides were out in their 70's, this side was looking like premiers. During this period of six games, Don Foster took 38 wickets and to say he was the difference is to have an excellent grasp of understatement. In the first game of the New Year, on 6th January, he took 10-22 ... the best figures achieved in the fifty year history of Waratahs. He even scored a couple of fifties just to prove he was no one-trick pony. The run to the semis was problematic. Three were lost (Tadcoop, Public Service, Hillgrove) and one tied (Churches) and only New England Rovers beaten. Sides who had troubled them so slightly, suddenly were too much for them.
The semi final against Dumaresq was a stern test, not for the least reason that having played one day games all season, the finals series was now to be two day games. Dumaresq batted first and piled on the runs in perfect conditions, putting up the highest total (193) that had been posted against Waratahs all season and setting question marks about their ability to chase. They never seriously started. Finishing higher on the table than Dumaresq, they just occupied the crease with Graeme Hooper batting his side into a final with the surprising support of B Barrett, after four wickets had fallen for less than 80 .
The final would be against a Churches side which they couldn't be more even with, after one tie and a win each. R Russell and Foster took four wickets each in rolling Churches for a very moderate and very gettable 102 but the batting couldn't follow suit. R McIntyre (14), batting at three, dropped anchor and was still not out at the end but only Foster (11) and Graeme Hooper (29) looked capable of seeing it through and within sight of victory, the last five collapsed.
In a remarkable season Bruce McClenaghan (615 runs, 37 wickets and 16 catches) was an outstanding contributor but he was far from the only one. R McIntyre (437 runs), Graham Hooper (378 at 37.80) and wicket keeper/batsman S Stanley (332 runs and 12 cat & 2 stumpings) were all major contributors. K Dawson (285 runs) had his moments. Garry Marshall (48) and R Russell (26) gave outstanding support with the ball for Don Foster (121 wickets at 7.33). Foster's figures include twelve five wicket or more hauls, including the history making 10-22 against Public Service, 7-20 against Hillgrove and 7-37 against Easts. As if this was not enough, Foster also scored 358 runs for the season. A truly amazing season.
NOTABLE LOSSES: Col Marshall, Brian Roberts, Allan Smith
This was a strong season for Waratahs but undoubtedly, the key features were the greater depth in the A Grade batting, where D Lang turned the promise he had shown in the previous season into glorious run getting with three wonderful centuries before Christmas. The reserves flourished as young bloods from B Grade moved into their ranks and they must rank as won of the strongest Waratahs teams to miss semi-finals. Meanwhile, a new crop in B Grade, led by the freakish bowling performances of 16 years old Don Foster, rode their cricket all the way to beach, only to topple into the white water at the last gasp. Many records were set and some, in particular those owned by Foster, stayed that way.
The side was a strong one and although 25 players appeared, the basic XI on most weeks was Alan Gray, Tony Croft, D Lang, P Morse, John Failes, D Bucknell, Eric Smith, John Roberts and Terry Mackenzie with some combination of G Whitton, Doug Johnstone, Allan Cash and towards the end of the season, Brian Richardson, making up the last two places. Youngsters from below like Keith McIntyre and the two Rays, Reeves and Rose, also had opportunities. Whilst it was as good a batting line up as any team, only Morse and Lang shone and when they did, far too brightly for any opposition bowlers. Of the others, Failes - surely not a name for a cricketer - consistently made starts but no big scores, as did Bucknell. Smith was just starting to show that his batting star was waning and he was often more comfortable at seven or eight. Roberts had a disappointing season on his former showing and poor Alan Gray couldn't take a trick. Despite leading the catchers, he inexplicably averaged only ten in his worst season in ten years. McKenzie, Smith and Roberts all took thirty wickets but a much high cost than previously and sides were never routed.
Despite all of this there were only four losses, none of them outright and two from the first three games. John Roberts had his best return of the season (6-46) against Public Service at the Sportsground but the batting never got underway chasing 220. The powerful Churches line up were knocked over in the next game, with McKenzie and Smith taking fifteen of the eighteen wickets to fall. The batting was led by a steady hand from John Failes and two good knocks from Reserve graders, Blake and Whitton. Against the Teachers College, Waratahs set a good total thanks to a fabulous century by D Lang in his first knock of the summer and Failes who made starts in both innings. Waratahs bowlers were unable to contain the chalkies and they lost by 6 wickets. From here 'till Christmas the batting form was excellent, as Waratahs set or chased big totals. University's 200 hundred was chased and passed on the way to 300. Lang (102) and Morse (92) adding 167. Waratahs defended 137 against TAS, as the former student Mackenzie took the stick to the young batting order. Walter Taylor and Bede Ryan were responsible for Uralla's massive 341 but by the end of the second day, Waratahs was only 24 short and still three wickets up their sleeve. Morse made up for the miss against University with a fine, controlled hundred and Lang (for once) and Tony Croft, played supporting roles. Just before Christmas, a third Lang century and a six wicket haul by Roberts were the centre pieces to a convincing win over the always threatening University side. Suddenly Waratahs had a player with three hundreds in five A Grade games, where only four hundreds had been scored in the previous ten years!
The New Year didn't go well. First Easts cast them aside with only Croft playing up to the standard and then Waratahs struggled to a draw against Ex Services after the first day had been washed out. Ray Reeves, filling in, batted well but no one else did. Then Uralla happened. It was mid January and apart from missing Eric Smith, Waratahs faced up to Uralla with pretty much full a strength side. It was never the less, a slaughter. Uralla's 2-387 was a two man show. Openers Walter Taylor (202x) and Bede Ryan (137) added more than 300 themselves as Alan Gray took the only bowler's wicket. The much vaunted batting line up buckled at thought of the chase and only John Roberts stubborn return to form with the tail of W Dangar and Mackenzie got the losing margin inside two hundred. The bounce back was immediate back at the Sportsground against Churches. Bucknell, Morse and Lang made runs and Smith (7-33) and the veteran Brian Richardson (3-24 & 3-23) chased Churches to within 4 wickets of an outright. University were beaten for a third time because of superior target chasing and again Ex Services and Waratahs played a pointless, second day draw after rain.
Waratahs were semi-finalists again, for the second time in three years and apart from the slaughter at Uralla and some early season mishaps, they were batting like winners. Their opponent was to be University, who Lang and Morse and a supporting cast had put the sword to three times. University won the toss and batted and set another target. Waratahs just had to go out, on a good deck, in perfect weather and do what they had done all season. Against them was J Duloy, just behind Errol Browning as the leading wicket taker of the season and a former Waratahs player but crucially Lang was missing. Unable to play, he was replaced by young Reeves. It started well. Gray (26) made his best score of the season but the other six in the top seven could make only 16 between them. Duloy got three of them and even though there was no way back from 7-45, Mackenzie, Smith, Roberts and Richardson batted with rare distinction to add more than 100 and get their side within fifty of the University total.
Lang (499 runs at 62.38) was clearly the leading batsman but Morse (381 runs) wasn't that far behind. Apart from Bucknell (209), Mackenzie was the next highest run getter. Smith (31 wickets at 17.71) again lead the bowlers but shared the most wickets with Mackenzie (also 31). Roberts (30) was only just behind them. Brian Richardson (11 at 18.18) at the tail end of the season showed he still had things to contribute. Alan Gray held 11 catches .
A Reserve Grade
In a season when eight players scored more than 200 runs and half of them went beyond the 400 mark, there were no end of runs available to the side. L Blake, Ray Rose, Ray Reeves and Keith McIntyre put some sort of a score on the board most weeks and it had the effect of bring others forward. As usual, the ever reliable Tony Morriss was the heart of the attack and although his returns were not of the mega level of previous seasons they were consistent enough for the the young blokes to build their own performances on. In the end, the side was unlucky not to feature in semis or finals in either the Saturday or the fledgling Sunday comp.
J Boundy, J Walsh and Bob Brennan started the season where they had left the last one, bowling Waratahs to a resounding outright win first up against Ex Services but when the next game was completely washed out the one that followed was a disappointing outright loss to YCW after McIntyre and Rose batted well establishing a first innings lead. With the game to be won, Laurie McCann took it away with his blade. This was followed by a crushing outright win over Public Service where everyone got runs and Boundy, Brennan and Morriss whipped through a feeble opposition. A two run narrow draw against DeLaSalle was the stage for a rare Walsh appearance and as usual, he was good with bat and ball. In December, St Peters were too good in a batsman dominated game and then Hillgrove were crushed on the first innings and Waratahs had a long second innings of batting practice.
After Christmas, Walsh, Reeves and Rose all scored half centuries in a big win over Uralla but the bowlers were having trouble taking sides out quickly and for low enough scores to set up outrights. The next match was again washed out without a ball bowled. Good batting was not enough to hold Public Service off and St Peters repeated their earlier form and won comfortably when the Waratahs batting failed for the first time in the season. With two games completely lost to the weather and points tight, the penultimate game was an encouraging win against YCW and featured a superb Ray Reeves century and great bowling by Boundy. With an outright required to qualify for the semi finals despite batsmen who consistently scored good runs in groups, it was all stops out against Hillgrove. With the 'grove rolled for less than 100 thanks to an astonishing bowling spell from the often underused Blake (6-2), Waratahs declared behind in order to set up an outright result. As far as we know, none of the Waratahs fast bowlers packed up their deck chairs in reaction to this decision. Unfortunately, Hillgrove got away and when their chance came, there was too little time left and wickets tumbled too fast for the tall target of 200 to be reached.
The bulk of this side also played in a fledgling Sunday Competition, with several of the best of the B Grade. The nature of the draw and available results from the Armidale Express meant that Easts were played and beaten four times but the two losses to Public Service and Dumaresq were enough to keep Waratahs out of the final. Ray Rose scored his only Waratahs hundred in one of the games against Easts and the usual suspects (Blake, Reeves & McIntyre) kept providing runs but it was a young all rounder from B Grade who stole the limelight. Out shone by Don Foster in B Grade, young Garry Marshall came to notice against Easts (9-64) and Dumaresq (7-35), the latter narrowly missing on taking Waratahs into a final. His was a star in the ascendancy that would take him from B Grade to New England 2nd XI the following season..
Ray Reeves (494) topped the run scorers, but Ray Rose (479), Keith McIntyre (466) and L Blake (437) were all outstanding. On the second tier Bob Brennan (321), A Chisholm (274) and J Boundy (234) all played hands that decided matches but it was the part timer, J Walsh (206 at 41.20) who had the best average. Tony Morriss (36) took the most wickets but it was the youngster Garry Marshall (25 at 8.88) who's average was easily the best. Ray Reeves (22 wickets) deserved his all rounder status and his game in the A Grade semi final when Lang was unavailable. Blake, Boundy and Rose all held 10 catches.
B Grade
The B Grade side, still stuck with one day cricket, played a lot. In all, twenty eight games made up the schedule, including semi and final and with only 15 wins and 2 ties its clear that it wasn't a side without blemish. What it did have was consistency, with a reasonably settled batting line up built on Bruce McClenaghan and S Stanley at the top of the order and R McIntyre as the rock in the middle order. Eleven of their players played in eighteen or more games. This was even more evident among the bowlers where, although Don Foster took such an enormous load of wickets, Garry Marshall, Bruce McClenaghan and R Russell all their own reasonable share of anything Foster missed. Hardly anyone else bowled.
With so many games, its only the highlights we can cover. It was a slow start with a tie (ATC) in which McClenaghan starred with the ball and a loss (Hillgrove), but then a flogging of TAS (Foster 9-6 for the match) and then a flogging of Easts (Foster ten for the match and Marshall eight) and good batting against Tadcoop had their season racing. Dumaresq won a low scoring game in which McClenaghan was the hero with bat and ball but Public Service were beaten by good batting led by Bill Nixon and by mid November, Churches were winning when Waratahs couldn't chase 120. Five consecutive wins where any batting total could be defended by Foster and Marshall were climaxed by Foster's 7-37 against his old club, Easts. One more low total against Tadcoop, and the bowlers, even though Foster took six, could not manufacture a win.
After Christmas, Waratahs got to February with six straight wins, giving them 11 victories from the last 12 games. The bowlers were still magnificent but the batsmen started to do their work more effectively too and despite a narrow escape against Churches in a game where both sides were out in their 70's, this side was looking like premiers. During this period of six games, Don Foster took 38 wickets and to say he was the difference is to have an excellent grasp of understatement. In the first game of the New Year, on 6th January, he took 10-22 ... the best figures achieved in the fifty year history of Waratahs. He even scored a couple of fifties just to prove he was no one-trick pony. The run to the semis was problematic. Three were lost (Tadcoop, Public Service, Hillgrove) and one tied (Churches) and only New England Rovers beaten. Sides who had troubled them so slightly, suddenly were too much for them.
The semi final against Dumaresq was a stern test, not for the least reason that having played one day games all season, the finals series was now to be two day games. Dumaresq batted first and piled on the runs in perfect conditions, putting up the highest total (193) that had been posted against Waratahs all season and setting question marks about their ability to chase. They never seriously started. Finishing higher on the table than Dumaresq, they just occupied the crease with Graeme Hooper batting his side into a final with the surprising support of B Barrett, after four wickets had fallen for less than 80 .
The final would be against a Churches side which they couldn't be more even with, after one tie and a win each. R Russell and Foster took four wickets each in rolling Churches for a very moderate and very gettable 102 but the batting couldn't follow suit. R McIntyre (14), batting at three, dropped anchor and was still not out at the end but only Foster (11) and Graeme Hooper (29) looked capable of seeing it through and within sight of victory, the last five collapsed.
In a remarkable season Bruce McClenaghan (615 runs, 37 wickets and 16 catches) was an outstanding contributor but he was far from the only one. R McIntyre (437 runs), Graham Hooper (378 at 37.80) and wicket keeper/batsman S Stanley (332 runs and 12 cat & 2 stumpings) were all major contributors. K Dawson (285 runs) had his moments. Garry Marshall (48) and R Russell (26) gave outstanding support with the ball for Don Foster (121 wickets at 7.33). Foster's figures include twelve five wicket or more hauls, including the history making 10-22 against Public Service, 7-20 against Hillgrove and 7-37 against Easts. As if this was not enough, Foster also scored 358 runs for the season. A truly amazing season.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, February 22, 2010
1963-64
NOTABLE GAINS: Roger Roan
NOTABLE LOSSES: Laurie Blake, Don Foster, D Lang, Geoff McDonald, Tony Morriss, P Morse, John Roberts
A puzzling year and certainly a disappointing one, in how it started as well as how it finished. The past seven seasons had Waratahs teams playing in semi-finals somewhere across the grades but not this year. When March arrived, Waratahs players packed their kit bags and found a place for them until September.
Certainly player numbers were reduced, with B Grade twice having to forfeit games and as defending premiers that was not a good look but it was two key issues, even seen from this distance, that stand out. At the end of the previous season, Waratahs had on its books three of the best and most promising junior players in Armidale. Don Foster had just finished his second season, experiencing A Grade in the second half of the season and performing steadily with the ball. Geoff McDonald and Geoff Marshall had taken everything before them in B Grade, had experienced A Grade and had both played 2nd XI district cricket. With these three drafted into the A Grade side along experienced heads such as Eric Smith, Terry Mackenzie and Alan Gray, Waratahs would have a formidable side.
What happened? Don Foster went back to Easts, led their A Grade attack and had great success, going on to become one of the best cricketers Armidale has produced. How did we loose him? Geoff McDonald played for UNE, the Arimdale First XI and Northern NSW Colts, opening the bowling for all three. Why did they leave and what did we do to try and retain them? We don't know the story but their loss to A Grade, at a time when good new blood was desperately needed and after time had been spent on their development, was a heavy blow. On top of that, D Lang who had shone so brightly with the blade with five A Grade hundreds in three seasons, left Armidale.
The second matter one needs to question is selection. You have seen how Geoff Marshall finished the previous season. Would you also wonder why he started the season in the Reserves and stayed there for four matches - until late November? The A Grade side he couldn't get selected in won only one those four games ... and that by forfeit! University, Ex Services and Churches all ran up big scores against them, with the bowlers only totalling 20 wickets in the three games played and twice, Waratahs just struggled past three figures. Painted against this, during those same four games, Marshall was in Reserves taking 21 wickets at 9 after scoring 89 on the opening day and then smashing 176 against High School. That innings on the same day Merv Philp was taking sixfa and cuting our top order down with only members of tail making double figures. Marshall was finally picked and then, after batting at seven and eight and bowling when the ball was old and sides well underway, he was dropped. He came back late in season after another hundred and 6-47.
His wasn't the only strange decision. Ray Reeves started in the A's, got a pair and was dropped. Bob Brennan, was promoted at the same time as Marshall and batted as well as anyone in A Grade - only Alan Cox had a better average - and his bowling was consistent, especially when he was given the new ball. Against Uralla, his unbeaten 105 and Nigel Richardson's hatrick, were the only reasons Waratahs won ... their only win after Christmas. Brennan was dropped one game later.
The sum total was no teams in the semis. It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially among an A Grade team which was wanting more success than it was delivering.
A Grade
In the first game against University, only Alan Gray looked comfortable in either innings. On the second day, after Allan Dudley had carved a century, Waratahs played two short, batted badly and lost by an innings. After picking up maximum points for a TAS forfeit, Ex Services fed on the mangled pieces University had left, with Allen See and Rene Mullen both making hundreds. Watson at least got some wickets. Waratahs reply was spirited and Nigel Richardson played probably his best A grade knock. Keith McIntyre, bought into the side to keep, was also effective but they were chasing too many. At the start of November, Churches made it three maulings in a row when they took they pound of flesh. Brian Roberts bowled a long productive spell but when future Waratahian Merv Philp took six and only the tail got to double figures, it was an embarrasing start to the season. Brennan and Marshall came in against the weaker University II for a one day game and didn't have much to do as the old firm of Smith and Mackenzie took the wickets and Alan Cox made an unbeaten fifty chasing the small total for first innings points. Easts were then beaten comfortably as Waratahs ran up 330 plus, with good scores from six of the order, led by Cox (85) and Gray (54). Allan Cash batted well in one of his rare appearances and Marshall finally had a decent bowl and picked up four. The last game before Christmas was lost to Public Service after Smith and Mackenzie both bowled very long spells to set up a catchable score but only Richardson, Brennan and Ian Stewart looked likely with the bat.
The record in the New Year just got worse, with four losses in five games and that surprisingly against Uralla. University won a close first innings contest after Roberts and Watson bowled well but only Porter, batting at eleven made runs over 20. Batting a second time after a quick University declaration, Waratahs were 7-19 and only one wicket from losing outright. The University chaps could be excused for thinking Waratahs only ever batted nine second time round! The win against Uralla had several bright points, not the least of them being Bob Brennan's century and Nigel Richardson's hatrick. For two hard working cricketers, these were suitable rewards. Against Ex Services, Waratahs made a reasonable total thanks to to Cox and Stewart who seeemd to be finding his way after a slow start in A grade. It wasn't near enough as Wally Miller piled on quick runs. Another big score from Churches led by Preen's century and even though five batsmen made starts, it wasn't near enough either. In the last match, our bowlers couldn't defend 200 against TAS.
It was a lean season. Only three batsmen topped two hundred runs: Alan Gray (280), Nigel Richardson (276) and Alan Cox (246 at 41.00), who had the best average. Bob Brennan (164 at 32.80) was the best of the rest but he finished the season in Reserves. Brian Roberts (18 wickets) took the most wickets but it had been a long time since no A Grade bowler passed 20 wickets in a season. The bowling was underdone all season and a look at the averages shows it - only Roberts (18.78) was below twenty, Terry Mackenzie (24.50) well above his best and Eric Smith (30.60), Brian Richardson (51.50) and Alan Cox (87.50). I fact it was the younger blokes like Watson, Brennan, Marshall and Nigel Richardson who bowled reasonably and should have seen more of the ball. Keith McIntyre (8 catches) was the leading catcher.
A-Reserve Grade
Not a hard season to sum up: after two games, Waratahs led the competition and Keith McIntyre was taken up to A Grade; after four games Waratahs was second in the competition Geoff Marshall was taken up to A Grade; after five games, Brennan went to A Grade and they didn't win another game.
Waratah hit the boards running in the first game against YCW posting a good score on the back of big half centuries by Marshall and McIntyre and then rolling YCW cheaply for 180 run lead. YCW had the best of the second day. Against University, R McIntyre was the only reason Waratahs staggered to three figures and then Marshall and Watson were the reason university didn't. Doug Johnstone made a return to playing and his second innings runs earned him an A Grade sport for the rest of the season. In the third game against TAS, Waratahs squandered a 40 run lead thanks to runs from Brennan, Ray Reeves (back from A Grade) and John Russell and wickets from Marshall and Reeves. Falling short of their ability a second time and with the veteran Hugh Ferris scoring half the total, TAS scored freely in the fourth innings and took outright points despite Reeves and Marshall being on the job again. The match against High School provided something special, after High School had been dismissed for just over three figures. Marshall, not content with four wickets then spent the remainder of the afternoon getting to 93 not out. On the second day he made hay and went on to the record A-Res/2nd Grade score of 176. No one noticed the High School's second innings and Marshall went to A Grade.
Apart from drawing the next game, a one dayer against Public Service, when D Bucknell resumed playing with a hundred, Brennan and Ian Stewart made fifties and then the game ran out of time. From then on it was a constant battle to be competitive as players like Marshall, Brennan, Bucknell, Stewart and Watson bounced between the top two grades and those filling in from B Grade did their best but often left the junior team short-handed. Regardless, it was all losses.
Hillgrove scored too many, with Greg Russell from B Grade the best of the bowlers and the batting load was shared between A Chisholm, John Russell, Gordon Lee and Ferris. Uralla was the same story with an outright narrowly avoided mostly thanks to Watson who top scored in both innings and was promoted after Christmas. Dawson was the other impressive batsman.
After Christmas, St Peters scored a packet thanks to a club mate from the early days, John Ridley. Ray Reeves took an expensive five wickets and then batted well to avoid the outright as Barnden took eleven wickets. Marshall was back against YCW and took four wickets as a Laurie McCann hundred set up their win. Chisholm again batted well in a losing side. Marshall was back to his best against Public Service and after a first innings batting failure his 6-47 restricted the damage and then a blazing unbeaten 108 set up the chance for an outright win. The last game of the season we have details for was a narrow four run first innings loss to Hillgrove, in which Brennan returned just one game after an A Grade century to top score and lead the bowling attack.
Details are incomplete owing to the reporting style in the Express but we do know that Geoff Marshall scored at least 373 runs and Bob Brennan 206. Marshall took 31 wickets and Ray Reeves 14.
B Grade
Despite so many of their outstanding personnel gravitating upward - as you would hope they would - this side was still evry competitive this year. Players like R Russell, B Barrett and Allan Smith who had been youngseters and bit players previously, made the step up this season when given greater responsibility. The addition of J Woodward from Public Service in the last game before Christmas, added greatly to their cause. The real surprise is that they didn't make the semi-finals, losing only three games but then two of those were forfeit where no points were score. Still, they did have eight wins, three of those outright. Worse records than that have won premierships.
The season opened with a nine wicket outright win against Churches, who were undone when routed on the first day by R Russell (8-29) and then S Stanley's fine batting at the top of the order. Russell added more scalps in the second innings to have twelve for the match. The second match was forfeited to Uralla. Russell, Barrett and a familiar face, J McIntyre, rolled Public Service twice and Stanley and Bill Nixon got Waratahs within 9 runs of another outright win. Despite trailing on the first innings, Hillgrove were beaten outright as Barrett (10) and Russell (7) took the bulk of the wickets. In a one day because of rain, Waratahs narrowly beat TAS, with John Russell making a rare appearance down in B Grade making a half century and then taking six wickets. A name worth noting in the TAS line up was one David Tilbury. In a game that see sawed in early December, Waratahs just got the better of Dumaresq II with a one wicket outright win in a game where the losing sides 115 was the best score of the match. Stanley top scored in both innings and B Charlton took a bag of Dumaresq wickets in each innings to finish with eleven. The last game before Christmas was lost to Vampires on the first with a batting collapse but then the side owned most of what happened after that. New man Woodward took 7-18 in his first game and then scored good runs with Smith and Stanley to set target on the second day, to no avail.
After the break, the campaign started and ended badly. The first game was forfeited to YCW but then Easts were beaten easily. Stanley scored his first century and Greg Russell was out unluckily on 82. Woodward was in the wickets again. The match against City Council ended in a drawn when the pitch was "unavailable" on the second day with the Council in a strong position. Allan Smith blasted 87 and Chapman 73 in a big score against Uralla, with Greg Russell in the wickets with Woodward. The last game was Waratahs only "on field" loss, when Dumaresq I bested them by only 8 runs and Allan Smith was against top scorer but in both innings. Woodward and Nixon were his helpers and Barrett returned to earlier form with five wickets.
S Stanley (339) was the leading run getter, which included 121 against Easts. Allan Smith (215 runs) ran into form the longer the season went. R Russell (23 wickets) took his wickets early or but wasn't seen after November. B Barrett (21) and J Woodward (20) were the main bowlers in the second half of the season.
NOTABLE LOSSES: Laurie Blake, Don Foster, D Lang, Geoff McDonald, Tony Morriss, P Morse, John Roberts
A puzzling year and certainly a disappointing one, in how it started as well as how it finished. The past seven seasons had Waratahs teams playing in semi-finals somewhere across the grades but not this year. When March arrived, Waratahs players packed their kit bags and found a place for them until September.
Certainly player numbers were reduced, with B Grade twice having to forfeit games and as defending premiers that was not a good look but it was two key issues, even seen from this distance, that stand out. At the end of the previous season, Waratahs had on its books three of the best and most promising junior players in Armidale. Don Foster had just finished his second season, experiencing A Grade in the second half of the season and performing steadily with the ball. Geoff McDonald and Geoff Marshall had taken everything before them in B Grade, had experienced A Grade and had both played 2nd XI district cricket. With these three drafted into the A Grade side along experienced heads such as Eric Smith, Terry Mackenzie and Alan Gray, Waratahs would have a formidable side.
What happened? Don Foster went back to Easts, led their A Grade attack and had great success, going on to become one of the best cricketers Armidale has produced. How did we loose him? Geoff McDonald played for UNE, the Arimdale First XI and Northern NSW Colts, opening the bowling for all three. Why did they leave and what did we do to try and retain them? We don't know the story but their loss to A Grade, at a time when good new blood was desperately needed and after time had been spent on their development, was a heavy blow. On top of that, D Lang who had shone so brightly with the blade with five A Grade hundreds in three seasons, left Armidale.
The second matter one needs to question is selection. You have seen how Geoff Marshall finished the previous season. Would you also wonder why he started the season in the Reserves and stayed there for four matches - until late November? The A Grade side he couldn't get selected in won only one those four games ... and that by forfeit! University, Ex Services and Churches all ran up big scores against them, with the bowlers only totalling 20 wickets in the three games played and twice, Waratahs just struggled past three figures. Painted against this, during those same four games, Marshall was in Reserves taking 21 wickets at 9 after scoring 89 on the opening day and then smashing 176 against High School. That innings on the same day Merv Philp was taking sixfa and cuting our top order down with only members of tail making double figures. Marshall was finally picked and then, after batting at seven and eight and bowling when the ball was old and sides well underway, he was dropped. He came back late in season after another hundred and 6-47.
His wasn't the only strange decision. Ray Reeves started in the A's, got a pair and was dropped. Bob Brennan, was promoted at the same time as Marshall and batted as well as anyone in A Grade - only Alan Cox had a better average - and his bowling was consistent, especially when he was given the new ball. Against Uralla, his unbeaten 105 and Nigel Richardson's hatrick, were the only reasons Waratahs won ... their only win after Christmas. Brennan was dropped one game later.
The sum total was no teams in the semis. It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially among an A Grade team which was wanting more success than it was delivering.
A Grade
In the first game against University, only Alan Gray looked comfortable in either innings. On the second day, after Allan Dudley had carved a century, Waratahs played two short, batted badly and lost by an innings. After picking up maximum points for a TAS forfeit, Ex Services fed on the mangled pieces University had left, with Allen See and Rene Mullen both making hundreds. Watson at least got some wickets. Waratahs reply was spirited and Nigel Richardson played probably his best A grade knock. Keith McIntyre, bought into the side to keep, was also effective but they were chasing too many. At the start of November, Churches made it three maulings in a row when they took they pound of flesh. Brian Roberts bowled a long productive spell but when future Waratahian Merv Philp took six and only the tail got to double figures, it was an embarrasing start to the season. Brennan and Marshall came in against the weaker University II for a one day game and didn't have much to do as the old firm of Smith and Mackenzie took the wickets and Alan Cox made an unbeaten fifty chasing the small total for first innings points. Easts were then beaten comfortably as Waratahs ran up 330 plus, with good scores from six of the order, led by Cox (85) and Gray (54). Allan Cash batted well in one of his rare appearances and Marshall finally had a decent bowl and picked up four. The last game before Christmas was lost to Public Service after Smith and Mackenzie both bowled very long spells to set up a catchable score but only Richardson, Brennan and Ian Stewart looked likely with the bat.
The record in the New Year just got worse, with four losses in five games and that surprisingly against Uralla. University won a close first innings contest after Roberts and Watson bowled well but only Porter, batting at eleven made runs over 20. Batting a second time after a quick University declaration, Waratahs were 7-19 and only one wicket from losing outright. The University chaps could be excused for thinking Waratahs only ever batted nine second time round! The win against Uralla had several bright points, not the least of them being Bob Brennan's century and Nigel Richardson's hatrick. For two hard working cricketers, these were suitable rewards. Against Ex Services, Waratahs made a reasonable total thanks to to Cox and Stewart who seeemd to be finding his way after a slow start in A grade. It wasn't near enough as Wally Miller piled on quick runs. Another big score from Churches led by Preen's century and even though five batsmen made starts, it wasn't near enough either. In the last match, our bowlers couldn't defend 200 against TAS.
It was a lean season. Only three batsmen topped two hundred runs: Alan Gray (280), Nigel Richardson (276) and Alan Cox (246 at 41.00), who had the best average. Bob Brennan (164 at 32.80) was the best of the rest but he finished the season in Reserves. Brian Roberts (18 wickets) took the most wickets but it had been a long time since no A Grade bowler passed 20 wickets in a season. The bowling was underdone all season and a look at the averages shows it - only Roberts (18.78) was below twenty, Terry Mackenzie (24.50) well above his best and Eric Smith (30.60), Brian Richardson (51.50) and Alan Cox (87.50). I fact it was the younger blokes like Watson, Brennan, Marshall and Nigel Richardson who bowled reasonably and should have seen more of the ball. Keith McIntyre (8 catches) was the leading catcher.
A-Reserve Grade
Not a hard season to sum up: after two games, Waratahs led the competition and Keith McIntyre was taken up to A Grade; after four games Waratahs was second in the competition Geoff Marshall was taken up to A Grade; after five games, Brennan went to A Grade and they didn't win another game.
Waratah hit the boards running in the first game against YCW posting a good score on the back of big half centuries by Marshall and McIntyre and then rolling YCW cheaply for 180 run lead. YCW had the best of the second day. Against University, R McIntyre was the only reason Waratahs staggered to three figures and then Marshall and Watson were the reason university didn't. Doug Johnstone made a return to playing and his second innings runs earned him an A Grade sport for the rest of the season. In the third game against TAS, Waratahs squandered a 40 run lead thanks to runs from Brennan, Ray Reeves (back from A Grade) and John Russell and wickets from Marshall and Reeves. Falling short of their ability a second time and with the veteran Hugh Ferris scoring half the total, TAS scored freely in the fourth innings and took outright points despite Reeves and Marshall being on the job again. The match against High School provided something special, after High School had been dismissed for just over three figures. Marshall, not content with four wickets then spent the remainder of the afternoon getting to 93 not out. On the second day he made hay and went on to the record A-Res/2nd Grade score of 176. No one noticed the High School's second innings and Marshall went to A Grade.
Apart from drawing the next game, a one dayer against Public Service, when D Bucknell resumed playing with a hundred, Brennan and Ian Stewart made fifties and then the game ran out of time. From then on it was a constant battle to be competitive as players like Marshall, Brennan, Bucknell, Stewart and Watson bounced between the top two grades and those filling in from B Grade did their best but often left the junior team short-handed. Regardless, it was all losses.
Hillgrove scored too many, with Greg Russell from B Grade the best of the bowlers and the batting load was shared between A Chisholm, John Russell, Gordon Lee and Ferris. Uralla was the same story with an outright narrowly avoided mostly thanks to Watson who top scored in both innings and was promoted after Christmas. Dawson was the other impressive batsman.
After Christmas, St Peters scored a packet thanks to a club mate from the early days, John Ridley. Ray Reeves took an expensive five wickets and then batted well to avoid the outright as Barnden took eleven wickets. Marshall was back against YCW and took four wickets as a Laurie McCann hundred set up their win. Chisholm again batted well in a losing side. Marshall was back to his best against Public Service and after a first innings batting failure his 6-47 restricted the damage and then a blazing unbeaten 108 set up the chance for an outright win. The last game of the season we have details for was a narrow four run first innings loss to Hillgrove, in which Brennan returned just one game after an A Grade century to top score and lead the bowling attack.
Details are incomplete owing to the reporting style in the Express but we do know that Geoff Marshall scored at least 373 runs and Bob Brennan 206. Marshall took 31 wickets and Ray Reeves 14.
B Grade
Despite so many of their outstanding personnel gravitating upward - as you would hope they would - this side was still evry competitive this year. Players like R Russell, B Barrett and Allan Smith who had been youngseters and bit players previously, made the step up this season when given greater responsibility. The addition of J Woodward from Public Service in the last game before Christmas, added greatly to their cause. The real surprise is that they didn't make the semi-finals, losing only three games but then two of those were forfeit where no points were score. Still, they did have eight wins, three of those outright. Worse records than that have won premierships.
The season opened with a nine wicket outright win against Churches, who were undone when routed on the first day by R Russell (8-29) and then S Stanley's fine batting at the top of the order. Russell added more scalps in the second innings to have twelve for the match. The second match was forfeited to Uralla. Russell, Barrett and a familiar face, J McIntyre, rolled Public Service twice and Stanley and Bill Nixon got Waratahs within 9 runs of another outright win. Despite trailing on the first innings, Hillgrove were beaten outright as Barrett (10) and Russell (7) took the bulk of the wickets. In a one day because of rain, Waratahs narrowly beat TAS, with John Russell making a rare appearance down in B Grade making a half century and then taking six wickets. A name worth noting in the TAS line up was one David Tilbury. In a game that see sawed in early December, Waratahs just got the better of Dumaresq II with a one wicket outright win in a game where the losing sides 115 was the best score of the match. Stanley top scored in both innings and B Charlton took a bag of Dumaresq wickets in each innings to finish with eleven. The last game before Christmas was lost to Vampires on the first with a batting collapse but then the side owned most of what happened after that. New man Woodward took 7-18 in his first game and then scored good runs with Smith and Stanley to set target on the second day, to no avail.
After the break, the campaign started and ended badly. The first game was forfeited to YCW but then Easts were beaten easily. Stanley scored his first century and Greg Russell was out unluckily on 82. Woodward was in the wickets again. The match against City Council ended in a drawn when the pitch was "unavailable" on the second day with the Council in a strong position. Allan Smith blasted 87 and Chapman 73 in a big score against Uralla, with Greg Russell in the wickets with Woodward. The last game was Waratahs only "on field" loss, when Dumaresq I bested them by only 8 runs and Allan Smith was against top scorer but in both innings. Woodward and Nixon were his helpers and Barrett returned to earlier form with five wickets.
S Stanley (339) was the leading run getter, which included 121 against Easts. Allan Smith (215 runs) ran into form the longer the season went. R Russell (23 wickets) took his wickets early or but wasn't seen after November. B Barrett (21) and J Woodward (20) were the main bowlers in the second half of the season.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
1964-65
NOTABLE GAINS: Peter Barrett, Col Marshall, Michael Muldoon, Bill Thompson
NOTABLE LOSSES: Doug Johnstone, Nigel Richardson
The grand success in growing the club from the mid fifties had provided a junior program which was beginning to reap rewards as players like Geoff Marshall, Bob Brennan & Keith McIntyre and to a lesser extent Ray Reeves, Bruce McClenaghan and Greg Russell moved up into the higher grades and proved their worth ... but it wasn't winning A Grade premierships. January was always a struggle to put teams on the paddock and even though the B Grade had forfeited a few times in the previous season, it had made a bright start in 1964-65. When January hit this season and six were needed in A Grade and a further five in Reserves, B Grade was again sacrificed and this time, it never resurfaced. Some of the pick such as R McIntyre and particularly Peter Barrett came up to the Reserves and easily kept their place but for youngsters like Michael Muldoon, it meant he had nowhere to go on a Saturday afternoon. Barrett was, along with Brian Roberts in A Grade, the bowler of the year, with 51 wickets in Reserve and B Grades.
It would be a long while until the club was able to stretch to having a third team again.
A Grade
The most successful season for three years with a settled batting line-up based on the first four of Alan Gray, Eric Smith, Geoff Marshall and Alan Cox and the pace penetration of Brian Roberts and Terry Mackenzie in the first half of the season and the spin of Eric Smith, supported by Marshall in the second half. Smith had actually taken up the wicket keeping duties and didn't bowl until the last game before Christmas. Keith McIntyre, who had kept for most of the previous season was again in the side for January but was again replaced when Bill Thompson, an outstanding batsman/keeper, joined the club in February.
Waratahs had a powerful start to the season, getting to Christmas unbeaten. Easts set them a stiff total just short of 200 in the first match, after Roberts took four wickets, but the batting was strong with everyone making a solid start in a five wicket win and Gray was unlucky to miss a century. Marshall shone against University II with a powerful half century and a few wickets in the low scoring draw. Waratahs came within a wicket of outrighting the power Public Service in a match controlled from start to finish. Mackenzie took six in the first innings before Marshall hit another strong half century, with Alan Cox batting well on his return. Brian Roberts took eight of the nine second innings wickets and eleven for the match. Going one better in the next game, a low scoring game that twisted and turned until Gray and Smith batted so confidently on the last afternoon to secure a nine wicket victory. Cox and Brennan batted well under pressure in the first innings but it was the bowling of Roberts, who took twelve wickets and Mackenzie who got all the good scalps in the first innings, which delivered this emphatic win against a dangerous enemy. Common sense and solid batting kept them unbeaten with a draw against University I and then a wonderful batting display against Churches gave them first innings points. Bowling for the first time in the season, Smith joined forces with Mackenzie to finally end the Churches innings. On the second day, Waratahs breezed past Churches score, still only three wickets down. Smith made a glorious hundred and was enjoy his best form in three or four seasons. R Porter made an unbeaten 71 and everyone got a few, including Reserves leading batsman, Allan Smith. Come Christmas, Waratahs were suddenly the side to beat, although, the perennially strong Ex Services were yet to be played.
January was a disaster. Ex Services were first up and Waratahs without Gray, Smith, Marshall and Mackenzie were suddenly very exposed with both bat and ball and Ex Services Ian McLean tore them apart and they lost outright. John Henderson and the Easts batting line-up had a day out against an improved bowling line-up but this time, no Roberts and rain on the second day robbed Waratahs the chance of chasing 300. R McNaught, a student from Duntroon visiting relatives in Armidale, took five wickets in his one appearance. Public Service's Phil McCann treated a now full strength bowling line-up with disdain and despite Beck and Watson, Waratahs didn't get within 200 of them. Gray and Smith steadied the ship to avoid the outright. This win put Public Service just ahead of Waratahs for second place and in a season where there would be no semi-finals, just a final between the top two finishers, this wasn't good enough. Both sides won the next match, Waratahs against Uralla with Marshall just missing his maiden A Grade ton with Allan Cash and Gray in solid support and then Roberts and Marshall sharing the wickets. It was Marshall catching Walter Taylor of his own bowling which turned the game.
Knowing they needed an outright win to displace Public Service and with two games left, they chased hard. Against TAS on a wet track at Backfield, W Hutchinson cut through all but Cox who made more than half the score. Smith bamboozled the TAS batsmen to wrap up the first points and Cox and Gray got quick runs to set a target. In the end, Waratahs had to defend the total. Churches effectively dashed Waratahs hopes with steady batting to 202, including a Ross Ridley seventy, in the last game. Not to be outdone, the batsmen led by new man Bill Thompson, Cash & Gray thrashed the Churches attack and were 2-87 by stumps on the first day. They declared when they passed Churches on the second, 117 runs coming in the first hour of the day. Unfortunately, Churches then batted out the rest of the afternoon as Waratahs threw everything a Churches.
January had cost them the chance of a premiership.
Finally trusted to do a job and maintained in the first four in the order, Geoff Marshall (347 runs at 34.70) was the leading batsman. Alan Gray (335) as dependable as ever, Alan Cox (271) and Eric Smith (253) made a solid first four. Cash and Porter might have featured if they played more games and Bill Thompson gave an exciting taste of what lay ahead. Brian Roberts (41 wickets & 12.29) was far and away the best bowler and he was missed from mid November until late January. Terry Mackenzie (21) showed some of his best form for years and Eric Smith (20) certainly added to the side when he gave the big gloves away. Geoff Marshall (16 wickets at 30.94) was very expensive but had the habit of taking the "big" wickets and he was the leading catcher.
A Reserve Grade
Like A Grade, the games after Christmas bought the Reserves but they didn't didn't come out of the tail spin. After losing two of the first three games, their run to Christmas was impressive, having them placed within reach of a final spot but those results in the second half were killers, especially two outright lossess to Uralla, one of which they led until the last hour of the game. Allan Smith was consistent all season and a new player, Paul Muldoon was reliable with the bat. Keith McIntyre, unlucky not have played more A Grade this season, was one of the side's best. John Russell had become auseful wicket taking bowler and J Woodward broke through in the early part of the season but it was the games Peter Barrett played both before and after the collapse of B Grade, which impressed the most with the ball.
The first game was lost to University II, with reasonable comfort after Woodward, Smith and Gordon Lee all made thirties. Smith led the batting to a good total against Vampires who capitulated against R Russell and Woodward in the first innings and Barrett and Paul Muldoon in the second. St Peters won comfortably but the batting of Greg Russell and Woodward was much improved second time round and Muldoon scored runs in both innings. Then three wins: Hillgrove very easily, when Woodward top scored and took cheap wickets in his last game and Muldoon batted well again; Uralla were done over on the basis of a good first innings score which featured half centuries to McIntyre and Smith; and YCW fell foul of a one game wonder, K Colley who took six of their wickets and a Keith McIntyre powerhouse innings which really did deserve a hundred.
There is no record of either the last game before or the first game after Christmas. In late January, Public Service smashed up three hundred with only half the side out. On the second day, thanks to Greg Russell (91), Keith McIntyre (55) and contributions from the reliable Muldoon, A Chisholm and Porter, Waratahs got within 36 of Public Service in probably their best batting display of the year. In the next game, John Russell, Greg Russell and Smith got the total over a hundred but it was enough when Peter Barrett took five wickets. Batting a second time, everyone got a few but no one took off. Barrett took wichets again but Uralla batted themselves to an outright. TAS were outbatted by R Farrell, Greg Russell and Chisholm and then Farrell and Ray Reeves wrapped up the win. In a trick of programming, Uralla were up again and the result was the same without Waratahs leading on the first innings. In the last hour of the game, Waratahs were dismissed for their second lowest team score on record in Reserve Grade. In the last game, they never had enough runs to play with and again it was Muldoon and Smith who held the batting together.
As not all innings are recorded in the Armidale Express for this season, averages have to be disregarded and players certainly scored more runs and took more wickets than we can record. Allan Smith (401) was the leading run scorer, with Keith McIntyre (279), Greg Russell (277) and Paul Muldoon (215) all doing their share in the batting order. John Russell (24 wickets) was the leading bowler and Peter Barrett (18) certainly in just than half a season of appearances.
B Grade
It's hard to fathom how so much can go wrong so quickly but this side which only two years earlier had been emphatically winning the premiership, would last only to Christmas and then, with pressure on numbers across the club, begin a strong of cascading forfeits which see it disappear. There was no sign of doom in September, despite a bad start ...
Charlton and R McIntyre batted Waratahs into a handy position on the first day and McClenaghan and Barrett made early inroads into Baptists top order but they went in front and were eventually out at tea on the second day. From there it went wrong and Waratahs only just made Baptists bat again and the match was lost outright. The second game, a one dayer because of first day rain, saw Teachers College out cheaply but Waratahs out cheaper. Charlton had taken a bag of five and Mitchell made more than half the runs. Dumaresq II then just made a mess of the 'tahs, scoring a hundred odd against Barrett's fivefa and then washing through Waratahs (16 & 48) like salts to an upset stomach. Mitchell got half the total again in the second dig. Waratahs had a much improved next match against TAS. Batting first, P Newsome finished close to a hundred and R McIntyre provided steady support. TAS passed Waratahs nine down and with Peter Barrett (9-85) taking a career best. Waratahs got some batting practice on the second day. This was a result to bring spirit back.
The batting failed again on the first day against Churches and at stumps, both sides had batted and Waratahs was 96 behind. On the second day, Nott, McIntyre and Barrett got their heads down and batted Waratahs to a slender lead of 47 before the final wicket fell. Churches, batting two short, were rolled with the two Barrett boys sharing the spoils and Waratahs won outright by 1 run! To prove it wasn't a fluke, Barrett took another five wicket haul against City Council and Waratahs batted into a 67 run lead, Nott the star and Hooper playing one of those support roles he played so well. City Council fell apart under the bowling of a part-timer, Dawson who collected his first bag and Waratahs had won another game outright.
In the last game before Christmas, Waratahs had struggled from behind against a strong Public Service side but had managed to set a target again, with Peter Barrett (6-36) again leading the way. They lost the game on the first innings as Public Service pushed for the outright.
This was Christmas, with spirits on the upswing and much improved results. Unfortunately, that's where it ended. It would be nearly ten years until Waratahs would field another B Grade team.
There is not a lot to report on in regard end of season stats. In fact Peter Barrett (33 wickets) is the only outstanding achiever. Ian Nott (169 runs) had the most recorded runs.
NOTABLE LOSSES: Doug Johnstone, Nigel Richardson
The grand success in growing the club from the mid fifties had provided a junior program which was beginning to reap rewards as players like Geoff Marshall, Bob Brennan & Keith McIntyre and to a lesser extent Ray Reeves, Bruce McClenaghan and Greg Russell moved up into the higher grades and proved their worth ... but it wasn't winning A Grade premierships. January was always a struggle to put teams on the paddock and even though the B Grade had forfeited a few times in the previous season, it had made a bright start in 1964-65. When January hit this season and six were needed in A Grade and a further five in Reserves, B Grade was again sacrificed and this time, it never resurfaced. Some of the pick such as R McIntyre and particularly Peter Barrett came up to the Reserves and easily kept their place but for youngsters like Michael Muldoon, it meant he had nowhere to go on a Saturday afternoon. Barrett was, along with Brian Roberts in A Grade, the bowler of the year, with 51 wickets in Reserve and B Grades.
It would be a long while until the club was able to stretch to having a third team again.
A Grade
The most successful season for three years with a settled batting line-up based on the first four of Alan Gray, Eric Smith, Geoff Marshall and Alan Cox and the pace penetration of Brian Roberts and Terry Mackenzie in the first half of the season and the spin of Eric Smith, supported by Marshall in the second half. Smith had actually taken up the wicket keeping duties and didn't bowl until the last game before Christmas. Keith McIntyre, who had kept for most of the previous season was again in the side for January but was again replaced when Bill Thompson, an outstanding batsman/keeper, joined the club in February.
Waratahs had a powerful start to the season, getting to Christmas unbeaten. Easts set them a stiff total just short of 200 in the first match, after Roberts took four wickets, but the batting was strong with everyone making a solid start in a five wicket win and Gray was unlucky to miss a century. Marshall shone against University II with a powerful half century and a few wickets in the low scoring draw. Waratahs came within a wicket of outrighting the power Public Service in a match controlled from start to finish. Mackenzie took six in the first innings before Marshall hit another strong half century, with Alan Cox batting well on his return. Brian Roberts took eight of the nine second innings wickets and eleven for the match. Going one better in the next game, a low scoring game that twisted and turned until Gray and Smith batted so confidently on the last afternoon to secure a nine wicket victory. Cox and Brennan batted well under pressure in the first innings but it was the bowling of Roberts, who took twelve wickets and Mackenzie who got all the good scalps in the first innings, which delivered this emphatic win against a dangerous enemy. Common sense and solid batting kept them unbeaten with a draw against University I and then a wonderful batting display against Churches gave them first innings points. Bowling for the first time in the season, Smith joined forces with Mackenzie to finally end the Churches innings. On the second day, Waratahs breezed past Churches score, still only three wickets down. Smith made a glorious hundred and was enjoy his best form in three or four seasons. R Porter made an unbeaten 71 and everyone got a few, including Reserves leading batsman, Allan Smith. Come Christmas, Waratahs were suddenly the side to beat, although, the perennially strong Ex Services were yet to be played.
January was a disaster. Ex Services were first up and Waratahs without Gray, Smith, Marshall and Mackenzie were suddenly very exposed with both bat and ball and Ex Services Ian McLean tore them apart and they lost outright. John Henderson and the Easts batting line-up had a day out against an improved bowling line-up but this time, no Roberts and rain on the second day robbed Waratahs the chance of chasing 300. R McNaught, a student from Duntroon visiting relatives in Armidale, took five wickets in his one appearance. Public Service's Phil McCann treated a now full strength bowling line-up with disdain and despite Beck and Watson, Waratahs didn't get within 200 of them. Gray and Smith steadied the ship to avoid the outright. This win put Public Service just ahead of Waratahs for second place and in a season where there would be no semi-finals, just a final between the top two finishers, this wasn't good enough. Both sides won the next match, Waratahs against Uralla with Marshall just missing his maiden A Grade ton with Allan Cash and Gray in solid support and then Roberts and Marshall sharing the wickets. It was Marshall catching Walter Taylor of his own bowling which turned the game.
Knowing they needed an outright win to displace Public Service and with two games left, they chased hard. Against TAS on a wet track at Backfield, W Hutchinson cut through all but Cox who made more than half the score. Smith bamboozled the TAS batsmen to wrap up the first points and Cox and Gray got quick runs to set a target. In the end, Waratahs had to defend the total. Churches effectively dashed Waratahs hopes with steady batting to 202, including a Ross Ridley seventy, in the last game. Not to be outdone, the batsmen led by new man Bill Thompson, Cash & Gray thrashed the Churches attack and were 2-87 by stumps on the first day. They declared when they passed Churches on the second, 117 runs coming in the first hour of the day. Unfortunately, Churches then batted out the rest of the afternoon as Waratahs threw everything a Churches.
January had cost them the chance of a premiership.
Finally trusted to do a job and maintained in the first four in the order, Geoff Marshall (347 runs at 34.70) was the leading batsman. Alan Gray (335) as dependable as ever, Alan Cox (271) and Eric Smith (253) made a solid first four. Cash and Porter might have featured if they played more games and Bill Thompson gave an exciting taste of what lay ahead. Brian Roberts (41 wickets & 12.29) was far and away the best bowler and he was missed from mid November until late January. Terry Mackenzie (21) showed some of his best form for years and Eric Smith (20) certainly added to the side when he gave the big gloves away. Geoff Marshall (16 wickets at 30.94) was very expensive but had the habit of taking the "big" wickets and he was the leading catcher.
A Reserve Grade
Like A Grade, the games after Christmas bought the Reserves but they didn't didn't come out of the tail spin. After losing two of the first three games, their run to Christmas was impressive, having them placed within reach of a final spot but those results in the second half were killers, especially two outright lossess to Uralla, one of which they led until the last hour of the game. Allan Smith was consistent all season and a new player, Paul Muldoon was reliable with the bat. Keith McIntyre, unlucky not have played more A Grade this season, was one of the side's best. John Russell had become auseful wicket taking bowler and J Woodward broke through in the early part of the season but it was the games Peter Barrett played both before and after the collapse of B Grade, which impressed the most with the ball.
The first game was lost to University II, with reasonable comfort after Woodward, Smith and Gordon Lee all made thirties. Smith led the batting to a good total against Vampires who capitulated against R Russell and Woodward in the first innings and Barrett and Paul Muldoon in the second. St Peters won comfortably but the batting of Greg Russell and Woodward was much improved second time round and Muldoon scored runs in both innings. Then three wins: Hillgrove very easily, when Woodward top scored and took cheap wickets in his last game and Muldoon batted well again; Uralla were done over on the basis of a good first innings score which featured half centuries to McIntyre and Smith; and YCW fell foul of a one game wonder, K Colley who took six of their wickets and a Keith McIntyre powerhouse innings which really did deserve a hundred.
There is no record of either the last game before or the first game after Christmas. In late January, Public Service smashed up three hundred with only half the side out. On the second day, thanks to Greg Russell (91), Keith McIntyre (55) and contributions from the reliable Muldoon, A Chisholm and Porter, Waratahs got within 36 of Public Service in probably their best batting display of the year. In the next game, John Russell, Greg Russell and Smith got the total over a hundred but it was enough when Peter Barrett took five wickets. Batting a second time, everyone got a few but no one took off. Barrett took wichets again but Uralla batted themselves to an outright. TAS were outbatted by R Farrell, Greg Russell and Chisholm and then Farrell and Ray Reeves wrapped up the win. In a trick of programming, Uralla were up again and the result was the same without Waratahs leading on the first innings. In the last hour of the game, Waratahs were dismissed for their second lowest team score on record in Reserve Grade. In the last game, they never had enough runs to play with and again it was Muldoon and Smith who held the batting together.
As not all innings are recorded in the Armidale Express for this season, averages have to be disregarded and players certainly scored more runs and took more wickets than we can record. Allan Smith (401) was the leading run scorer, with Keith McIntyre (279), Greg Russell (277) and Paul Muldoon (215) all doing their share in the batting order. John Russell (24 wickets) was the leading bowler and Peter Barrett (18) certainly in just than half a season of appearances.
B Grade
It's hard to fathom how so much can go wrong so quickly but this side which only two years earlier had been emphatically winning the premiership, would last only to Christmas and then, with pressure on numbers across the club, begin a strong of cascading forfeits which see it disappear. There was no sign of doom in September, despite a bad start ...
Charlton and R McIntyre batted Waratahs into a handy position on the first day and McClenaghan and Barrett made early inroads into Baptists top order but they went in front and were eventually out at tea on the second day. From there it went wrong and Waratahs only just made Baptists bat again and the match was lost outright. The second game, a one dayer because of first day rain, saw Teachers College out cheaply but Waratahs out cheaper. Charlton had taken a bag of five and Mitchell made more than half the runs. Dumaresq II then just made a mess of the 'tahs, scoring a hundred odd against Barrett's fivefa and then washing through Waratahs (16 & 48) like salts to an upset stomach. Mitchell got half the total again in the second dig. Waratahs had a much improved next match against TAS. Batting first, P Newsome finished close to a hundred and R McIntyre provided steady support. TAS passed Waratahs nine down and with Peter Barrett (9-85) taking a career best. Waratahs got some batting practice on the second day. This was a result to bring spirit back.
The batting failed again on the first day against Churches and at stumps, both sides had batted and Waratahs was 96 behind. On the second day, Nott, McIntyre and Barrett got their heads down and batted Waratahs to a slender lead of 47 before the final wicket fell. Churches, batting two short, were rolled with the two Barrett boys sharing the spoils and Waratahs won outright by 1 run! To prove it wasn't a fluke, Barrett took another five wicket haul against City Council and Waratahs batted into a 67 run lead, Nott the star and Hooper playing one of those support roles he played so well. City Council fell apart under the bowling of a part-timer, Dawson who collected his first bag and Waratahs had won another game outright.
In the last game before Christmas, Waratahs had struggled from behind against a strong Public Service side but had managed to set a target again, with Peter Barrett (6-36) again leading the way. They lost the game on the first innings as Public Service pushed for the outright.
This was Christmas, with spirits on the upswing and much improved results. Unfortunately, that's where it ended. It would be nearly ten years until Waratahs would field another B Grade team.
There is not a lot to report on in regard end of season stats. In fact Peter Barrett (33 wickets) is the only outstanding achiever. Ian Nott (169 runs) had the most recorded runs.
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