NSW Premier Cricket - The record partnerships from 1893 to 2023 - the second wicket record
Lyall Gardner | July 18, 2023
RECORD: 390*runs in 2005-06 by Greg Mail (200*) / Matthew Phelps (200*) for Sydney University 1-447 declared against Mosman 263 at Rawson Park in round 13 on 11-18 February 2006.
Winning the toss and batting, Sydney University lost its first wicket at 57. That brought together skipper Greg Mail and Matthew Phelps. At the end of 88 overs, the innings was declared at an extraordinary 1-447 with each player 200* in a massive unconquered partnership of 390. It broke the previous Sydney 1st Grade record of 333 which had stood for 110 years to the credit of Australian Test cricketer, Frank Iredale (140) and NSW representative, Wally Farquhar (223), playing for Central Cumberland (3-485) against Burwood (352) on 1 February 1896 at Parramatta. The Mail-Phelps record is the second highest partnership for any wicket in the history of NSW Premier Cricket behind Victor Trumper and Dan Gee’s first wicket record of 423. And in becoming a new record for any wicket with Sydney University, it also smashed the previous 2nd wicket partnership record of 236 standing to the credit of Ed Cowan and Ian Moran against Campbelltown-Camden in 2002-03.
The performance of both Sydney University players reflected their form during the 2005-06 season with Mail scoring 963 runs in the competition, while each played for NSW in Sheffield Shield cricket and in the one-day ING Cup competition. And while Phelps was also named the NSW Blues Player of the Year, he played only two more seasons, hanging up his bat with a career total of 9,923 runs in 1st Grade. Mail continued until the end of 2017 when he retired as the highest run-getter in the history of the competition, with a tally of 15,242 runs including a record 44 centuries.
New record under threat
While it took more than a century to post a new record for the 2nd wicket in the 1st Grade competition, there was a chance that it could have fallen within less than 50 days. The occasion was the Grand Final between Fairfield-Liverpool and Manly-Warringah at Manly Oval on 31 March–2 April 2006 when the Lions’ Grant Lambert and Ben Rohrer, put on 371 – just 20 short of posting a new mark.
Minor Premiers Manly-Warringah batted first but were dismissed in less than 52 overs for 203 with Grant Lambert taking 5-89 off 19 overs. At one stage, the Sea Eagles were 5-39. In response, Fairfield-Liverpool were 1-160 at stumps on the first day with Lambert 73* and Rohrer 76*. Opener Mark Liddell was the only wicket to fall, going for 10 with the total 11. That set the scene for some of the most remarkable performances in modern 1st Grade cricket.
Lambert posted the highest score of the season and a career-best, hitting 232 in 391 minutes which included 38 fours and four sixes. He faced 263 balls with 10 of his boundaries coming from successive scoring shots. At the other end, Rohrer hit 24 fours and a six in making 152. The final score of 553 is the ninth highest in the competition and was the greatest team total since Gordon hit 7-571 against University in 1941-42–64 years earlier. Manly made 257 in the second innings to go down outright and give Fairfield-Liverpool its second 1st Grade premiership.
Both Lambert and Rohrer were regular members of the NSW team and their 371 partnership remains the second highest for the 2nd wicket in 1st Grade. Lambert’s innings equalled Petersham champion Tommy Andrews’ 232* in 1916 as the highest individual score in any 2nd wicket partnership.
Lambert played until the end of 2013 finishing his career with 11,413 runs and 626 wickets, laying claim to being the greatest all-rounder in the history of the Sydney 1st Grade competition. In 2006-07, he scored a record 1,527 runs for the season which included six of his 24 career centuries.
Grant Lambert
Match run feast of 705 but no record
Another partnership which broke the Iredale-Farquhar 1896 2nd wicket record of 333, but not the two described above, occurred in 2014-15 when Bankstown pair, Daniel Solway and Phillip Wells, put on 336 playing St George at Bankstown Memorial Oval. The loss of an early wicket brought the two together at 1-10. They were separated at 346 when Wells was stumped for 150 off 209 balls with 23 fours. Solway continued until the declaration at 3-380 ending 184* off 290 balls including 24 fours and two sixes. Saints responded well with 325, going down by 55 runs. Wells finished the season as the top bat in the competition, equalling the record number of 1,527 runs in a season set seven years previously by Grant Lambert. He followed up the next summer with 1,388–again the best in the competition.
Triple century partnerships hard to come by prior to year 2000 but nine since
The 2nd wicket partnership records contain 11 scores of 300 or more. Of those, only two occurred prior to the year 2000. The Iredale–Farquhar record of 333 was the only one in the 19th century while in the whole of the 20th century, just one triple century partnership was recorded. That was in 1997-98, when Australian Test and ODI bat Michael Bevan and Richard Fry, combined in a tally of 319 for Manly-Warringah against Balmain at Drummoyne Oval.
Michael Bevan
Class is never beaten
Batting first, Manly-Warringah had lost Matt Phelps for 12 when Fry was joined by Michael Bevan. The classy left-hander showed why he was considered the greatest one-day batsman in the world at that time, when he flayed the Tiger’s attack to the tune of 227 in a partnership of 319 in 259 minutes. Bevan batted for 274 minutes, easily passing Graham Beard’s highest score record of 187 for the Manly club, while the partnership broke a 20-year-old club record. Fry made 114–his sixth 1st Grade century. Manly’s 6-391 declared was 93 too many for Balmain’s 298.
Early wicket not a problem
Of the remaining 300 plus 2nd wicket partnerships, the 330 by Parramatta pair, Will Affleck and Nick Bertus, playing Western Suburbs in 2016-17, was the highest. Having sent Wests in to bat, skipper Bertus was faced with a chase of a challenging 283 in less than 70 overs. And despite losing a wicket third ball to be 1-0, the target was achieved without further loss. Opening bat Affleck was the rock, batting for 290 minutes in scoring 121 from 229 balls with 13 fours. Bertus dominated the play, ending with 215 from 233 balls in 275 minutes with 26 fours and two sixes. The innings continued after passing the Parramatta total with the final score of 5-422 coming in just 86.1 overs.
Huge chases for victory
One of the greatest run-chases for victory involved a 2nd wicket partnership of 303. In the UTS North Sydney–Manly-Warringah clash at North Sydney Oval in round 6 of 2016-17, Manly batted first. They put on 205 for the first wicket and 99 for the second before declaring at the mammoth score of 4-443 off 96 overs. James Crosthwaite was the star, run out for 195.
It was a poor start by the Bears in the run-chase, being 1-0 after four balls. Skipper Justin Avendano joined opening bat Anjan Oberai in what turned out to be a record-breaking innings. After 213 minutes, the pair had put on 303 runs. Some 59 minutes later, Tom Jagot departed after a score of 73 in a partnership of 99 with Oberai for a scoreline of 3-402. And one wicket and 42 runs later, it was all over. UTS had annexed the target with a score of 4-444 in just 84.1 overs. Avendano made 176 off 169 balls with 21 fours and eight sixes while Oberai was still there at the finish, scoring 166* off 241 balls in 316 minutes with 24 fours and a six. The 303 runs partnership was the highest for any wicket in the history of the North Sydney club and remains as such. A total of 887 runs were scored in the match off 180.1 overs. Extras were just 18 across both teams with only one bye conceded by Norths.
The most recent partnership of 300 or more for the 2nd wicket also involved a victorious run-chase. It occurred in 2019-20 when Penrith’s “two Ryan’s”, Ryan Hackney and Ryan Gibson, chased down a massive Hawkesbury score to win the match by nine wickets and set a new club partnership record. Batting first at Owen Earle Oval, the Hawks plastered the eight Panthers bowlers to produce a score of 8-342 declared in 98 overs. On the second day, Brent Atherton was caught for 12 after 38 minutes with the score 1-23. Over the following 275 minutes, Hackney and Gibson ran down the 320 runs target, with a partnership of 323*. Hackney made 131* off 265 balls with 12 fours while the aggressive Gibson, finished with 186* off only 185 balls with 23 boundaries and four sixes. Hawkesbury used nine bowlers but could not dislodge either player.
Ryan Gibson
Limited overs match no bar to triple century partnership
In a 50 overs-per-side match in 2018-19, St George was sent in to bat at Hurstville Oval by Western Suburbs skipper James Psarakis. It turned out to be a run-feast for the local team, finishing with the impressive total of 5-349. After being 1-10, Luke Bartier and NSW batsman Kurtis Patterson put on 309 for the 2nd wicket before Bartier was out for 133 off 133 balls hitting eight fours and five sixes. Patterson was even more aggressive, knocking up 167 with 17 fours and four sixes from only 147 balls. Wests made just 194, giving Saints a 155 runs win with a bonus point.
Two triples for Penrith and could have been three
The Penrith club has the distinction of having scored two 300 run 1st Grade 2nd wicket partnerships—the only club to do so. While the 323* performance by Ryan Hackney and Ryan Gibson in 2019-20 is the highest in the club and the sixth highest in the competition, the previous top for Penrith was the 303* set in 2006-07 by Nathan Saville and Jarrad Burke.
In that round 11 match against North Sydney at Howell Oval, the Bears were dismissed for 251. In reply, Nathan Saville, who played most of his cricket for the club in 2nd Grade, opened the batting with Stewart Rhodes who was dismissed for a duck. Burke joined Saville at 1-2 and the pair passed the target without further loss. They continued batting and after 91.1 overs when stumps were drawn, they had combined in a partnership of 303* with Saville making 132* and Burke 152*. It was a career-best score for Burke who was one of the greatest all-rounders to play in the Sydney 1st Grade competition. When he retired at the end of 2020-21, he had scored 10,787 runs with 18 centuries while taking 667 wickets.
Penrith could well have had a third 300 runs partnership for the 2nd Wicket had Trevor Bayliss (116*) and Brian Wood (202*) not run out of overs in their clash with Balmain in 1985-86. Playing at Drummoyne Oval, the Tigers were dismissed in the last over of the first day’s play for 246. In Penrith’s reply on day two, Bayliss joined Wood at 1-84 and at the close of play, the pair were still batting with the total 1-371. They had put on an unconquered 287*–a club record and at that time, the second highest 2nd wicket partnership behind the Iredale-Farquhar record of 333 set 90 years earlier in 1895-96.
Test star in 300 runs partnership
Brilliant Australian Test all-rounder, Shane Watson, also features in the “300 Club” 2nd wicket partnership records. He and Jarryd Biviano put on a neat 300 for Sutherland after being 1-1 in the local derby clash with St George at Glenn McGrath Oval in round 2 of the 2017-18 season. Renowned for his big-hitting, Watson smashed 11 sixes and 16 fours in his tally of 184 off 151 balls against an attack which included Trent Copeland, who played Test cricket for Australia in 2011. Biviano scored 122 off 161 balls with 13 fours and four sixes. The final total of 9-427 declared off 86.5 overs was far too many for Saints who were all out for 274 off 76.5 overs.
Shane Watson
As well as breaking the Sutherland 2nd wicket club record of 285 by Nic Maddinson (137) and Matthew Hughston (166) against Eastern Suburbs in 2009-10, the new partnership record was also the highest partnership for any wicket for the club in 1st Grade and second highest across all grades.
Test cricketers feature in 2nd wicket partnership records.
The list of 2nd wicket partnerships over 100 runs maintained by the Sydney Cricket Association, features a number of Australian Test cricketers. Most of those occurred some years ago and well before the introduction of ODI and Twenty20 cricket, which has restricted the availability of international players turning out regularly in the Sydney 1st Grade competition.
Some of the early partnerships included Victor Trumper, Monty Noble, Archie Jackson, Charlie Macartney, Johnny Taylor, Tommy Andrews, Bert Hopkins, Alan Kippax. Jack Fingleton, Warren Bardsley, the Gregory brothers Charles and Syd and Stan McCabe. In more recent times, the 200-300 partnership range included names such as Norm O’Neill, Brian Booth, Billy Watson, Doug Walters, John Benaud, Jim Burke, Bobby Simpson, Mark Waugh, Ian Davis, Michael Slater, Phil Jaques, Ian Davis, Ed Cowan and Usman Khawaja. Michael Slater was a member of four partnerships of 253, 251, 246 and 226 for University of NSW while Doug Walters was involved in three for Central Cumberland–260*, 209* and 208.
Tommy Andrews
The fifth highest innings total of 3-585 in the history of the Sydney 1st Grade competition included a 2nd wicket partnership of 240 between Australian Test players Johnny Taylor (174) and Tommy Andrews (232*). Playing University at University Oval in 1915-16, the tally was achieved in 228 minutes off just 56 overs. And while there was just one wide and one no-ball, 43 byes were conceded because of a reserve ‘keeper. Andrews scored his 200 in 124 minutes and his 232* in 149. He hit 35 fours and two sixes while Taylor hit 25 boundaries. University made 83 and 111 with Andrews the bowling star with 5-33 and 2-17.
The highest scorer participating in a 2nd wicket partnership was Monty Noble who made 267* when he and Victor Trumper (113) put on 194 for Paddington (7-472) against East Sydney in 1898
