ON THIS DAY - 25th November
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | November 25, 2023
(pictured) Allan Thompson(left) at the toss with Brian Gream before the 1974-75 Two Day Final
In 1961, BRUCE McCLENAGHAN (#74) held 3 catches in an innings for B grade v Armidale Teachers College. The "big fella" had eight seasons at Waratahs - time enough for nearly a hundred innings, 1339 runs and 66 wickets with a best of 6-48.
In 1967, on the opening Saturday for A grade v Uralla, PETER RIGG (#201) took a career best 7-31, bowling unchanged with Tom Cooke with the new cherry. Rigg was an interesting character, a fine new ball bowler but he rarely got above second change in an era that was full of good Waratahs quicks. BRUCE KELLAWAY (#213) and GRAHAM JOHNSON (#207) then added 140 for the 4th wicket to set up the outright win.
Waratahs v Uralla - A grade, 25th November & 2nd December 1967
In 1972, ALLAN THOMPSON (#238) scored his only Waratahs hundred, 131 not out for A-Res grade v Easts in one of only two games in the lower grades. Tom Cooke, on his way back after injury, played in the same game taking and must have liked what he saw. An A-grade premiership winning skipper in the mid 1970's, Thompson despite consistent run getting and leading with the bat in the top grade, managed a best there of 85 not out.
Waratahs v Easts - A-Res grade, 25th November & 2nd December 1972
Waratahs 8(dec) 188 (Allan Thompson 131x); Easts 82 (Tom Cooke 6-35) and 85 (Gary Holloway 5-24). Waratahs won by an innings and 21 runs.
In 1973, A grade were runners up in the One Day Comp, losing the Sunday Final to an Easts side enthused with the youth that would make them a dominant side during the 1980's. Mike Porter got the key wickets of Graham Johnson and Allan Thompson among his 4-31. Waratahs paltry total of 79 looked enough when John Donnelly decimated Easts early batting and had the Daffies on their knees at 5-6. In what would be a recurring theme over the next fifteen years, then teenagers Rick Porter and Neil Baillie saved the day and despite both eventually falling to Merv Philp, Easts limped to the Premiership. In the two day game which started the day before, the portents were not good: A grade were bundled out for 52 v Unicorns and that same pugnacious teen Porter smashed 70 against Waratahs in A-Res grade.
Waratahs v Easts - A grade One Day Final, 25th November
In 1989, STU McFARLAN (#606) did a demolition job on Uralla, making 144 not out out of Waratahs 7-278. It was the first of five impressive hundreds in less than three seasons for McFarlan, whose career batting average of 57.62 has never been bettered at Waratahs.
Waratahs v Uralla - 1st grade, 18th & 25th November 1989
In 2nd grade, MARK DYMOCK (#523) made his third hundred in four games, making 107 not out opening as A-Res grade chased down the TAS total of 153 in just 33 overs. He would return to 1sts and Earth with a duck against Easts in his next game but cranked out a fourth hundred there in time for Christmas.
Waratahs v TAS - 2nd grade, 25th November 1989
