Round 8 First XI Match Report v The King’s School

Saturday 4 February played at the Junior School White Oval, The King’s School

Shore 8/273 (Alex Segaert 79, Lachlan Hunt 47, Will Sutton 46, Oliver Carney 33) defeated The King’s School 10/269 (Sam Walton 4/61, Alex Segaert 2/36, Will Nutt 2/51)

After a highly successful tour to New Zealand in January, the First XI was keen for the resumption of the AAGPS Competition. The tour to Auckland provided most of the team with plenty of confidence following some excellent performances with both bat and ball. There would be no greater test than travelling to North Parramatta to play the undefeated competition leaders at the JS White Oval.

On a magnificent day under clear skies Lachlan Hunt won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that resembled the Hume Highway – flat and hard. Openers Will Sutton and Alex Segaert took full advantage of the conditions putting on 120 together before Segaert was dismissed for 79 with a direct hit attempting a quick single. His innings was characterised by some beautiful stroke play and clean hitting. Sutton, who was well set, was joined in the middle by Axel Bailey. Bailey began positively with two crisp boundaries but was out soon after, being caught for 13 with the score on 145. Captain, Lachlan Hunt, joined Sutton but their union quickly ended with Sutton’s dismissal for 46 and the score on 153. Oliver Carney joined Hunt and the pair set about rebuilding the Shore innings after an excellent start.  Some judicious shot-making saw the pair put together a 75-run partnership before Hunt was bowled 3 runs short of what would have been a well-deserved half century. Carney continued on with wicket keeper Hugo Orpin taking the score to 243 before Carney was dismissed for 33 attempting to accelerate the run rate in the final overs. Orpin, Josh Constantian and Toby Robinson were all dismissed in the final overs unselfishly attempting to get Shore over 270 which they achieved. 

Chasing 274 for victory would take a big effort but Shore knew King’s had some quality batsmen, so would need to bowl in the right areas and maintain discipline and patience.  King’s chase began disastrously with their opener being dismissed by Will Nutt, caught behind off the second ball of the innings. A direct hit by Toby Robinson dismissed their other opener, seeing King’s slump to 2/13. They were in even deeper trouble when Sam Walton dismissed their Number 4, trapping him leg before wicket with the score on 17. Walton struck again dismissing their dangerous Number 3 caught at square leg with the score on 57.  Shore was on top, but the King’s batsmen continued to take risks and play freely keeping the required run rate very achievable. A partnership of 100 ensued before Alex Segaert took the vital fifth wicket of the King’s Captain. Despite disciplined bowling and good fielding, King’s kept playing positively in their pursuit of the victory target. A second wicket to Segaert had King’s 6/186, still 88 runs shy of Shore’s total. Will Nutt was reintroduced into the attack, and he made the crucial breakthrough dismissing King’s top scorer for 76 with the score on 218. Walton also returned for his second spell taking two quick wickets, seeing King’s 9/231 and still needing 33 runs. This seemed a big ask but the two King’s batsmen were determined to get their team home. Needing nearly 10 runs an over they pushed on ensuring an epic finish. The game came down to the final over with King’s requiring 6 runs to win.  The experienced Will Nutt took responsibility with the game on the line. His first delivery was pushed into the off-side for a single. King’s now only needed 5 runs from 5 deliveries. The second ball was defended by Will Sutton fielding at cover. Indecision saw the non-striker commit to a run but he was sent back by the striker. Sutton coolly fielded the ball cleanly making a direct hit with an underarm throw ending the game. 

The win will long be remembered by the team and their supporters.  It will also give the First XI even more confidence and self-belief. The team look forward to hosting Sydney Grammar School at Northbridge in Round 9 of the competition this Saturday.

Mr T M Wallace
First XI Coach

Round 8 Second XI Match Report v The King’s School

Saturday 4 February, played at the War Memorial Playing Fields, A Ground, Northbridge

Shore 10/112 (Oscar Everett 25, Billy Kwan 24) defeated by King’s 3/116

After a long summer break, it was great to get back into full swing and prepare for the second half of the season. With many of our boys enjoying their summer holiday’s away from Sydney, not many had played cricket. We commenced training on Tuesday and had a great week preparing for our toughest opponents in the competition, The King’s School. They were seven wins from seven matches, and we were three wins with four losses. It was always going to be tough.

With the King’s bus being held up in traffic, we started the match 15 minutes late. We won the toss and chose to bat on a flat deck, with the sun shining bright. We lost an early wicket but fought hard to see off the openers and be 1-25 off 10. Their openers were solid with consistent line and length. Change of attack usually provides a bit of relief but they upped their game and broke through. Oscar Everett (25) and Billy Kwan (24) fought back to rebuild the innings putting on a 30 run partnership. Billy played his usual aggressive style, taking it to the bowlers until he chopped one on. Credit to our boys, they were looking to rotate the strike but lost regular wickets, preventing us from gaining back the momentum. The tail-enders, especially Toby Ogg (14), all got starts but were unable to convert. King’s bowled well and we were all out for 112 in the 40th over.

When defending a low total, there is only one way to go about it and that is we must take wickets. Normally, bowling at the start of the innings is our strength, but not today. They bat with purpose and put the pressure back onto us, putting away the bad balls to be going at a run ball after 6 overs. They were on track to secure the bonus point (chasing the total down by the end of the 25th over). Toby Ogg was required to come on early and took a wicket to give some hope. However, their batters continued their momentum and the game got away from us. Tom Fuzes (1/26) cleaned bowled one of their top batters and Matt Melville (1/22) took a well-deserved wicket. In the end, they were too good on the day and passed the total in the 22nd over, securing the bonus points.

Our boys learnt today that cricket is a tough game, and it can really hurt. However, it’s just a game and we will continue to prepare ourselves to win our next match against Grammar.

Mr G S Tesoriero
Second XI Coach

Cricket Report

Third XI: The Shore Third XI suffered a big loss to a far superior team. We won the toss and batted first but the King’s bowling was fast, accurate and consistent with nothing loose to put away. Their fielding was also top-notch. The boys did their best but regular wickets fell to good balls or outstanding fielding. Tom Davison scored only seven runs but showed true grit to last almost 20 overs against a potent attack. With wayward deliveries almost non-existent, runs were very hard to come by and 31 was woefully short of a competitive score. Nevertheless, the Shore bowlers managed a couple of consolation wickets before the inevitable denouement.

Mr R J Ward
Third XI Coach

Fourth XI: Perfect conditions at King’s Old Boys meant both teams were up for a big game to kick off the year well. King’s won the toss and sent Shore in to bat on a lively wicket and slow outfield. As such, runs were always going to be hard to come by. This proved to be the case with Shore eventually being bowled out for 78, the backbone of which was Sam Andrew’s patient 34. So, while we felt it was probably slightly below par, at least Shore had the runs on the board, and King’s would have to bat on the same wicket. In fact, with King’s at 2/33 after ten overs after some beautiful line and length bowling, the highlight of which was Tom Lyons’ 2/7 off four overs, Shore felt they were a genuine chance. At this stage, though the wheels fell off somewhat, a few chances just missed going to hand and King’s were able to accelerate the innings to eventually pass Shore’s total five wickets down after 16 overs.

Considering the depth King’s have in the Opens, going to the Eighths, it was a great effort from our boys to push them as far as they did. Plenty of positives build from and we are back on home soil this week to take on Sydney Grammar. Up the Toadies!

Mr N A Trumbull
Fourth XI Coach

16A: Shore 16A played away against the King’s School in the first match back of the new year. Shore lost the toss and fielded on a batting-friendly wicket, which the home side took full advantage of by scoring 189 with the loss of only two wickets including a run out from 32 overs. In response, Shore lost quick and frequent wickets failing to maintain the required run rate. Finishing the innings at 5/86 with the top scorer being Neo Presley with a quick-fire 27*

Mr A Robinson and Mr A Nugan
16A Coaches

15A: Shore 15As turned up to TKS Old Boys in the hope of starting 2023 on the right foot. Shore won the toss and chose to bat as the deck looked in reasonable condition. Stewart Hurt and Daniel Harvey remained composed as King’s bowled in good areas from ball one making it difficult to release the pressure. As a result, Shore lost both openers to be 2/35 at halfway through the innings. Julian Harrison (42) played exceptional cricket by putting the bad ball away and running hard between the wickets to put pressure on the opposition fielders. Handy contributions were made by Daniel Harvey (16) and Stian Constable (18)  giving King’s fielders something to chase. At the end of the innings, Shore set King’s 100 runs to win. King’s started very well in their chase with both openers hitting multiple boundaries. Shore required something special when King’s needed 13 runs to win off 16 overs with nine wickets in hand. Then, Stian Constable put his hand up and made it very difficult for King’s by claiming four wickets for only 16 runs off his six over spell. Unfortunately, King’s were able to get over the line in 24th over, however, the fight that the boys displayed in the second half of the bowling innings was something that they can use as motivation into the next game against SGS. While it was a disappointing result, there were some good performances and attitudes during the match.

Ms S Horley
15A Coach

15B: The Shore 15Bs put in a very strong performance in the field after losing the toss, restricting King’s to 84 runs. Harry Kowalski bowled exceptionally, ending with figures of 5/6. Harry got close to taking a hat-trick in his first spell and then almost led a team hat-trick in his second. Fielding was strong, with two run outs from the outfield, first Charlie Ryan with a strong arm from square leg and then Harry Lyons from third man. Unfortunately, the batting performance was not as strong as the fielding, with a number of the top order losing their wicket as a result of trying to score too quickly. Lachie Richards did well to bat half of the innings, but he was run out after drinks on 20. The game went down to the wire, with Shore needing just one run to win, but our last batsman was out, caught behind. A man down, we did not have another batsman to come in and score the winning run, so the game ended a tie.

Mr A N Mason-Jones
15B Coach

15C: On Saturday, the newly formed Shore 15Cs arrived for their first game against King’s in the T20 competition. With captain Dylan Germain winning the toss and electing to bat. Shore was off to a slow start on only 22 after the first ten overs. However, some strong batting with smart quick singles later in the innings saw Bryce Skarott and Sam H pull the team’s score to a respectable 74. 

Attempting to defend 74 on a small Doyle field was always going to be a challenge. However, a very strong team performance from Shore, catching four out of four opportunities and never letting go in the field put the pressure back on King’s. This paired with a strong individual performance from Henry Clifton collecting a remarkable 5/3 in his spell allowed Shore to bowl King’s out for 73 securing a nail-biting victory. 

A Gill and A Fisher
15C Coaches

14A: After a long time between drinks, the boys headed out to Parramatta to face King’s for the second round of the season. James Mathur and Thomas Hamilton picked up where they left off and started out the bowling attack with great pace and accuracy. It only took five overs for James Mathur to strike first and take the first wicket of the day. Some excellent fielding throughout the innings resulted in each of the seven wickets to be taken through catches. Aidan Kurtis took two screamers which wouldn’t look out of place in a classic catches’ competition. Hugo Dunn and Jude Terry bowled a terrific spell to keep the TKS run rate down to around two runs an over. Jack Campbell and Oscar Brown continued the heavy lifting, bowling six overs each to mount the pressure on the batters. After the 32 overs, TKS ended up with a total of 73 runs.

With a target set of 74, the boys knew that runs would not come easy. A great start from Aidan Kurtis and James Mathur had the run rate well over the required 2/3. Some solid bowling from TKS saw an early collapse and the pressure mounting back on Shore. Thomas Hamilton and Lachlan Boys had a very gutsy batting partnership, to help keep the runs ticking over and not lose any more wickets. At drinks, Shore found themselves 5/49 with the win in sight. Unfortunately, the first ball after drinks resulted in a wicket and the 14As continued to fight until they fell 13 runs shy of the winning target. Shore will look to bounce back for next week’s game against Grammar.

Mr J Murphy
14A Coach

14B: After a delayed start due to the King’s bus being stuck in traffic, Shore went to work with Ben Sullivan setting the tone by taking out the middle stump with the first ball of the innings. Apart from some holiday rust making itself apparent in the field Shore bowled and batted very well. Deserving victors who were very pleased after losing to King’s earlier this season.

Mr M D Webster
14B Coach

14C: It was a tough day at Northbridge on Saturday for the 14Cs. King’s won the toss and batted and soon found themselves in trouble at 4/10, Alistair Neiland taking three wickets in his first two overs. But that was the only threat of the day. Shore seemed to struggle with putting pressure on the King’s batsmen and decided to put it on themselves instead and allow King’s back in the game. A casual effort in the field and some lacklustre bowling gave King’s every opportunity to reach a competitive score of 89. Shore was the same with the bat as they were with the ball, they struggled to find runs and were compliant to just play a defensive game. Unfortunately getting to the end of their innings 42 runs short.

Mr C D Burke
14C Coach

Team	Result
First XI	Win	Shore 8/273 (A Segaert 79, L Hunt 47, W Sutton 46, O Carney 33) defeated TKS 10/269 (S Walton 4/61, A Segaert 2/36, W Nutt 2/51)
Second XI	Loss	Shore 10/112 (O Everett 25 B Kwan 24) defeated by TKS 3/116
Third XI	Loss	Shore 31 defeated by TKS 2/33
Fourth XI	Loss	Shore 10/79 (S Andrew 34) defeated by TKS 5/80 (Z Warden 2/4, T Lyons 2/7)
16A	Loss	Shore 5/86 (N Presley 27*) defeated by TKS 2/189 (Manchee 1/35)
15A	Loss	Shore 5/99 (J Harrison 42) defeated by TKS 6/101 (S Constable 4/16)
15B	Draw	Shore 9/84 (L Richards 20) drew with TKS 10/84 (H Kowalski 5/6)
15C	Win	Shore 4/74 (S Henry 20) defeated TKS 10/73 (H Clifton 5/3)
14A	Loss	Shore 10/61 defeated by TKS 7/73 (J Terry 2/5, H Dunn 2/9)
14B	Win	Shore 4/79 (T Gocher 27, W Howman-Giles 20) defeated TKS 8/77 (B Sullivan 2/0, T Penney 3/2)
14C	Loss	Shore 6/48 (D Fairclough 10) defeated by TKS 6/89 (A Neiland 3/12)

Player of the Week Nominations:

1. First XI – Alex Segaert 79 from 71 balls

2. Second XI – Billy Kwan 24 (26)

3. 3rd XI – Tom Davison

4. 4th XI – Sam Andrew

5. 16A – Neo Presley 27*

6. 15A – Stian Constable 18 runs and 4/16

7. 15B – Harry Kowalski 5/6

8. 15C – Henry Clifton 5/3

8. 14A – Lachlan Boys

9. 14B – Tom Gocher 27

10. 14C – Alistair Neiland 3/12

Player of the week: Henry Clifton 5/3 and Harry Kowalski 5/6