NSW Premier Cricket - The record partnerships from 1893 to 2023 - the seventh wicket record
Lyall Gardner | August 21, 2023
RECORD: 310*runs in 1936-37 by Richard Taylor (173*) / Hugh Chilvers (154*) for Northern District 6-402 declared against Marrickville 250 & 3-82 at Waitara Oval (now Mark Taylor Oval) in round 5, 31 Oct.-7 Nov. 1936.
On a sunny October afternoon at Waitara in 1936, Marrickville’s fast bowlers, NSW Sheffield Shield player Les O’Brien and Goulburn representative Harold McQuirk, made early inroads into the Northern District batting line-up to have them struggling at 6-92. That brought NSW leg-spinner Hughie Chilvers to the crease to join no 4 bat, Richard “Dick” Taylor. Over the following 140 minutes, the pair flayed the powerful attack to all parts of the oval as they rattled up an unconquered 310. The innings was declared at the stumps score of 6-402 with Taylor 173* and Chilvers 154*. They hit 45 fours between them–Taylor 23 and Chilvers 22. It was by far the highest 7th wicket partnership in Sydney 1st Grade, smashing the previous mark of 218* established 16 years earlier. On the second day’s play, Marrickville could only manage 250 and 3-82 with Chilvers taking 4-101 and NSW off-spinner Tim Caldwell, who later became Chairman of the Australian Cricket Board, finishing with 5-80.
The Taylor-Chilvers record has stood the test of time and has never been bettered. In the 89 years to 2023 since it was created, it is the only 7th wicket partnership to have passed the 300 runs milestone. It is also the highest partnership by a Northern District team in any grade.
Hugh Chilvers
Hughie Chilvers has another record to his name–the highest wicket-taker in Sydney 1st Grade cricket with 1,153 wickets. Ken Gulliver is next best with 1,029 while Bill O’Reilly took 962. Chilvers also scored 4,533 runs with his 154* in his record partnership with Dick Taylor, his highest score. He played between 1925 and 1952.
Record hardly challenged but score was best for 65 years
The closest to the record occurred in 2001-02 when Penrith pair, Keiran McDonald (114*) and Brett Newman (158*) put on 242* in 238 minutes in a score of 6-294 playing Eastern Suburbs at Waverley. Easts had batted first making a well below-par score of 190. But that looked to be enough with State fast bowler Anthony Stuart taking early wickets to have the Panthers on the ropes at 6-52.
That was the last of the celebrations for the home team however, with nos. 6 and 8, McDonald and Newman, playing the innings of their lives. Not only did they pass the target score with ease but went on with the job, playing out the full day to be still there when stumps were drawn after 97 overs on the second day. McDonald hit 15 boundaries and Newman 12. And while the final partnership figure was 68 runs short of the Association record, it was the highest 7th wicket partnership for 65 years.
Large partnerships were not unusual for McDonald and Newman as they had combined in a Penrith 3rd Grade record of 172 against Fairfield-Liverpool for the 6th wicket three years earlier in 1998-99. And to add to the club partnership record lists, Keiran McDonald remains the joint holder of the club 4th wicket record of 178 for 4th Grade made against Campbelltown-Camden in 1994-95.
First 7th wicket partnership to pass 200 runs
One of the earliest 7th wicket partnership records was set in 1911-12 in a match between Burwood and Sydney at St Luke’s Park, Burwood. Sydney batted first and continued into the second day declaring at 7-394, leaving only 190 minutes for Burwood to chase down the target. The future Australian Test captain, Herbie Collins, made 171 for Sydney.
Herbie Collins
Despite the task, Burwood gave it their best shot, but at 6-171 it looked a hopeless prospect. However, when Frank McMullen joined Joe Taylor, they piled on the runs to such an extent, the final tally finished just eight runs short at 7-386 with Taylor out for 182 off the last ball of the match. He had batted for just under 150 minutes hitting 24 fours and two sixes in his superb knock. McMullen, who batted with an injured ankle, gave outstanding support to Taylor finishing 73*. Their partnership totalled 215, a new record for the 7th wicket in the Sydney 1st Grade competition.
Narrow margin sets a new mark
That record lasted just eight years until NSW and future Australian cricketer, Edmund “Chappie” Dwyer and NSW skipper, Austin Diamond, combined in a match-winning partnership for Gordon against Western Suburbs at the SCG in 1919-20. At 6-181, Diamond joined Dwyer and the pair blazed 218 runs for the 7th wicket. Closing at 6-399, Gordon went on to comfortably defeat Western Suburbs, dismissing them for a paltry 106 with Charlie Macartney taking 7-30. It was Wests’ first and only defeat of the season, although it didn’t prevent them taking out the premiership. The performance of the two Gordon bats was a new Association record for the 7th wicket by a narrow three runs. Dwyer made 103* while Diamond, who was the more aggressive of the two, ended with 120*.
Chappie Dwyer
While the Dwyer-Diamond partnership was clearly broken by Taylor and Chilvers’ massive 310, it was 67 years before any other combination could get near their mark of 218. And then that figure was only equalled, not passed. The duo was Marty Van Rhoon with 149* and former Australian Test off-spinner, Gavin Robertson, who made 71* for Mosman playing Penrith at Mosman (now Allan Border Oval) in 1986-87. Coming together at 6-87, the pair were unconquered when the innings was declared at 6-305. Penrith made 183.
Gavin Robertson
Big names in low-order partnerships
A number of Australian cricket captains also feature in the SCA partnership performances of 100 runs or more for the 7th wicket. One of the earliest records occurred in 1904-05 when Frank Iredale made 150* in partnering Sid Redgrave (84) for a tally of 183 in 72 minutes as part of North Sydney’s 8-432 declared against Waverley. Monty Noble came close to that record in 1917-18 when he and “Chappie” Dwyer (161) got to 179. Monty made 87 in Paddington’s 370 playing Middle Harbour. Noble had partnered Robert Stafford in a stand of 111 against Gordon five years earlier. And Herbie Collins scored 100* and Les Cody 70*, while putting on an unconquered 133 for Sydney (6-318) against Glebe in 1909-10.
In 1921-22, Warren Bardsley, who captained Australia in 1926 when 43 years of age, smashed 210* for Western Suburbs in a score of 368 against Petersham. He and David Brolly (57) combined to make 196 which was well short of the new record of 218*. Bardsley also put on 111 with Jimmy Wild (48) while making 171* for Glebe (367) against his later club, Western Suburbs, in 1917-18. Bardsley’s 210* was the highest score by any batsman in a 7th wicket partnership in the 1st Grade competition.
The legendary Donald Bradman and Harold Waghorn combined in a partnership of 129 for St George against Glebe at Jubilee Oval in the first match of the 1929-30 season. The pair came together at 6-208 and when Waghorn was dismissed for 21, the score had ballooned to 7-337 at which total the innings was declared. The Don was 180* which passed the St George highest score record of 175 established by Robert Louden in 1927-28. Glebe made 8-242 to draw.
Richie Benaud (90) was another Australian captain to make the 7th wicket partnership century list when he and Stan Teale (44) combined for a neat 100 in Central Cumberland’s 251 against University in 1958.
And more recently, Michael Clarke (108) joined with Jamie Sullivan (45) in a partnership of 123 for Western Suburbs against Mosman in 2000-01. And 25 years earlier in 1975, the great Allan Border made 111 in 157 minutes hitting 22 fours along the way when combining with Billy King (45) at 6-99 in a partnership of 106 for Mosman against Gordon. The Whales made 288 but Gordon got the points, reaching 9-290 in lengthening shadows.
Charlie Kellaway, who captained the Australian Imperial Force XI which toured Great Britain in 1919, features in two sizeable partnerships. Playing for Gordon, he scored 125* while involved in a partnership of 130 with Ernie Frendin (53) against Mosman in 1925-26. Two years earlier, he made 119 and joined with J S Norton (39) in a partnership of 101, again while playing Mosman.
