ON THIS DAY - 28th March
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | March 28, 2024
Two up, two down.
In 1982, 4th grade, chock full of future stars but apart from their erstwhile leader Jim Pollard, mostly a bunch of confident kids, won the premiership they had been shaking up all season but not before a wobble and a man of the match performance so characteristic of Tim Bindley. On the Saturday, John Williamson and Gareth Pickering did what they had done all season, running through Hillgrove. Other than a 68 run, 8th wicket partnership between Parberry and Munday, the two had Hillgrove's measure ... but that partnership mounted some scoreboard pressure. Waratahs top three got Waratahs away to a confident start but Quaife's departure at 3-109 was the signal for a collapse which saw Bindley come to the wicket with work still to do. When Pickering went in the next over, Waratahs were 8-156, Coolentianos on fire and the cupboard was bare. Cometh the hour they say but Bindley didn't take that long, with a lusty 33 not out which won the match for Waratahs and a fitting reward for a side which had a lot of fun throughout the season, a credit they all gave readily to their skipper, Pollard. For Bino, a further reward was the Beau Richardson Trophy for Waratahs most oustanding performance of the season.
Waratahs v Hillgrove (Final) - 4th grade, 27th & 28th March 1982
The Waratahs Vets, rebadged as 3rd grade, after having been regraded after winning 2nds the season before (go figure), were unbackable until after tea on the 2nd day of the Final. Their batting was frailer than normal, with most of the batsmen getting runs at some stage of the match but never enough as a group, so their two totals kept them in front but didn't shut TAS out completely. After Trestrail and Joice did what they so often did against TAS and secured a handy first innings lead, they were 0-37 at lunch on the Sunday and headed to the Premiership. TAS skipper, Adrian Skeggs, must have had a good lunch, skittling Waratahs between lunch and tea but an overall lead over 200 should have been enough with TAS having to chase against an experienced attack with only an hour and twenty overs left in the match. So it went for a while, with TAS 2-15 after twelve overs. Skeggs again imposed himself with a free-swinging innings which changed the course of the game, his 128 not out being made off the remaining 23 overs bowled. For once, a concentration on the talents of Joice and Trestrail was exposed.
Waratahs v TAS (Final) - 3rd grade, 27th & 28th March 1982
In 1993, all but the last two made starts and in a team effort made a respectable 209. Bennett, Hadfield and Lawrence reduced St Peters to 3-16 and later 6-110 but a significant tail wag and long spells which tired even their young legs cost Waratahs and when the Fat Lady sang, she was warbling St Peters favourite tunes. Lawrence bowled long and hard for his two wickets but Hadfield's spell was remarkable and the most overs bowled by any Waratahs player in any Final.
Waratahs v St Peters (Final) - 4th grade, 27th & 28th March 1993
In 1999, 4th grade won the Premiership, beating Hillgrove in the decider but only just. It was Carl Hofkcamp's match, taking 5-25 in Hillgrove's innings and then making 46, greatly aided by a long, slow and grinding innings from the uber-veteran Roger Roan, in a low scoring 1 wicket victory.
4th grade v Hillgrove (Final) - 4th grade 27th & 28th March 1999
Hillgrove 143 (Peter Lawlor 73. Carl Hofkamp 5-25); Waratahs 9-152 (Carl Hofkamp 46, Steve Gadd 23, Roger Roan 22)
