Cricket Report

Saturday 22 February 2025

First XI Report

Shore 10/187 (Noah Quayle 51, Toby Robinson 37, Stian Constable 29) defeated The King’s School (King’s) 10/134 (Ollie Higgins 4/29 Toby Robinson 2/7, Sam Walton 2/32)

Last Saturday, the Shore First XI travelled to North Parramatta to challenge the undefeated The King’s School (King’s) on a lovely day under clear skies. Toby Robinson won the toss and decided to bat on what looked like a belter of a pitch and a quick outfield. Fraser Pandit and Dan Harvey started well, surviving seven overs of very tight and economical bowling. Unfortunately, Dan fell in the 7th over, bringing the skipper Toby Robinson out into the middle. The next over, Toby middled a ball back to the bowler, who got a lucky hand on it, deflecting it onto the stumps and running Pandit out. Noah Quayle walked out into the middle to join his captain, and the two put on a crucial partnership of 87 runs, with Noah scoring a vital 51 and Toby a well-compiled 37, leaving Shore 2/113 before the skipper departed caught at slip. Following the second drinks break, wickets fell at regular intervals, but Stian Constable steadied the ship with a valuable 29 to go down in history. Shore finished with a slightly below par, but still defendable, 187.

Tom Fuzes and Ollie Higgins opened the bowling and King’s came out aggressively, walking down the pitch and smoking balls through the covers. The two managed to pull the scoring rate back and apply some pressure of their own, leading to a three-wicket maiden from Higgins, reducing King’s to 3/17 after six overs. The next over, Tom Fuzes, unfortunately, started cramping up, forcing him from the field, bringing the captain of the 13A’s, Edward Holmes, onto the field as a substitute fielder. Pressure continued to build, and another wicket fell in the next over from Higgins, seeing King’s 4/22 after 8 overs. Wickets continued to fall regularly, with Sam Walton and Toby Robinson each bagging two, with Constable also taking a wicket. King’s were now 9/101, and victory was within Shore’s grasp. Yet a 9th-wicket partnership of 33 runs had the Shore boys slightly worried. However, all it took was one ball from Matt Melville after the second drinks break and a good catch by Pandit to secure the victory for the Shore First XI by 53 runs. Quality bowling was supported by some superb catching both in the ring and in the deep.

The team look forward to returning to Northbridge this Saturday to play Sydney Grammar School in Round 12.

Second XI Match Report

Shore 10/130 (Julian Harrison 44*) defeated King’s 10/120 (Henry Benecke 3/28, Max Brownie 2/19, James Mathur 2/22)

In a thrilling low-scoring encounter, Shore pulled off a hard-fought 10-run victory over King’s on Saturday, defending a modest total of 130 to secure a memorable win.

Batting first, Shore struggled to build momentum as King’s bowlers applied early pressure. Wickets tumbled regularly, with Shore slipping to 5/50 and facing the prospect being bowled out well before the 50-over mark. However, Julian Harrison stood tall amidst the chaos, crafting an invaluable unbeaten 44 runs. He was well supported by Gus Manchee and Stirling Strachan. Displaying composure and smart running between the wickets, Harrison guided the tail through crucial partnerships to lift Shore to 130 all out.

With a total of 131 for King’s, Shore was off to a great start, with James Mathur taking two early wickets to put them in a commanding position. A steady partnership formed between the visitors pushing their total up closer to the overall target. But Shore’s bowlers, led by Henry Benecke, wrestled back control. Benecke’s spell of 3/28 proved decisive, dismantling King’s middle order and sparking a dramatic collapse. Despite a late push from King’s lower order, disciplined bowling and sharp fielding saw Shore close out the game through Tom Robson, dismissing King’s for 120.

14B Match Report

Shore 4/66 (Charlie Mullen 30 retired) defeated King’s 6/65 (Sam Cook 3/9, Patrick Old 2/8) (20/20 match)

King’s won the toss and decided to bat. Our opening bowlers did a splendid job at keeping them quiet. Few wickets fell but the run rate was very subdued. The King’s batters seemed intent on keeping their wickets rather than trying to accelerate the scoring, even with plenty in the shed and only a few overs to go! They meandered to 6/65 after 20 overs, a total that was never going to be enough. Shore had the luxury of being able to play sensibly against some good but largely un-penetrative bowling. Wickets were kept intact, and the odd bad ball was suitably dealt with. It was effectively all done after 10 overs, though a couple of late wickets slowed the scoring, and we eventually won it in the 15th over.

14C Match Report

Shore 4/85 (15 overs Ollie Lyle 26) defeated King’s 4/83 (Edward Russell 1/6, Lucas Bowyer 1/9)

Shore won the toss and, for a change, decided to bowl first. Lucas Bowyer verified the decision with the best over of the season and already King’s were one down. The next two batsmen each had a sound defence and were difficult to remove. Once again, the introduction of Edward Russell to the attack resulted in immediate success and combined with an outstanding direct hit run-out, King’s had lost their best batsmen. The next batsmen were solid but unspectacular. Some erratic attempts at catching meant that we did not get to see the remaining batsmen.