Waratahs Best Performances in Finals
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | October 03, 2023
From the archives comes a new list of remarkable performances, all refined by the pressure of a Final, with a Premiership on the line.
It reveals that in the 44 Finals that the club contested, across five grades, from the first in A grade v Easts-II in April 1953, through to the last in 4th grade against Hillgrove in 1998, only two players every recorded centuries. BEDE RYAN (#503) was the first in March of 1992, with his 131 against Ex Services. It capped off a momentous season for the Skipper, with this being his fifth hundred among 937 runs - both of them being records for the club in one season. After cruising through the season, Waratahs were odds-on for the Final, having beaten Ex Services comfortably in the semi, two weeks earlier. After an early wicket fell, Ryan took full charge of a second wicket partnership with Ben Fisher, which added 146. He was out at 3-183, so much did he dominate and Waratahs went on to declare at 7-354 and win the game by 213 runs.
Waratahs v Ex Services - 3rd grade Final, 28th & 29th March 1992
The second hundred was equally demonstrative in the way bowlers were shown distain. Just three years later, wicketkeeper batsman SCOTT MURPHY (#725) batting in a collapsing 4th grade middle order and chasing Norths moderate total of 169, let loose an awesome display of stroke making. His 111 was almost a single -handed effort as Waratahs staggered to victory 8 wickets down.
Special mention must go to Keith McIntyre (#129), who match winning 98 against Hillgrove in 1970, was the third time he top-scored with half-centuries in Finals.
The bowlers won their share of Premierships, as four times Waratahs men took 7 wickets in an innings - TOM COOKE (#197) two of them but, both in losing Finals (7-49 in 1967 v Ex Services and 7-58 in 1968 v University). Far and away the most outstanding performance with the ball came in that first Premiership, the A grade victory over Easts-II in 1953. Don Paul rolled Easts twice in the one afternoon, taking 6-24 in the first innings and 7-20 in the second. Paul was a medium pacer who bowled a wicked off cutter and on a wet but drying wicket under full sun, he was deadly. His 13-44 on the second day is the best bowling performance in a final by some distance.
Waratahs v Easts-II, A grade Final, 28th March & 11th April 1953
JOHN RUSSELL (#89) is the only other bowler to take ten wickets in a Final, with his man of the match winning double of 6-33 and 4-36 for A-Res grade v Hillgrove in 1973. A "mystery" spinner. he would lob the ball well into the air, probably at least twice the height of the bowlers eye line, causing all manner of distress for lower grade batsmen.
Waratahs v Hillgrove, A-Res grade Final, 24th & 25th March 1973
Honourable mention to JOE CAIRNS (#726) whose 7-48 was the other half of the Premiership win over Norths with Scott Murphy. Joe Harrison, Geoff Marshall, John Williamson and Brian Joice all got six wicket bags in Finals but anyone who saw it will never forget MICHAEL CONNOLLY (#226)'s 6-28 off 22 overs v Easts in the 1987 1st grade decider. Voluntarily stepping down from the captaincy at Christmas after a run of low scores, despite Waratahs good form, he had celebrated with a hundred against Easts in the New Year and then demolished them for just 67 in the Final.
Waratahs v Easts - 1st grade Final, 28th & 28th March 1987
Off the wicketkeepers, TERRY BETTS (#205) twice, JASON KELLEHER (#415) and CARL BRIDGE (#452) all made three dismissals in a Final and five fieldsmen have taken three catches. CHRIS DRAKE (#471) stands alone though in best efforts by fieldsmen in a Final, with his 4 catches in the disastrous loss to Centrals in 1986.
Strangely, in all of those 44 Finals, no player ever scored fifty or more AND took five or more wickets in the same game.
Read the full list here ... BEST PERFORMANCE IN FINALS
