NSW Premier Cricket - The record partnerships from 1893 to 2023 - the ninth wicket record
Lyall Gardner | September 04, 2023
RECORD: 204 runs in 2009-10 by David Ball (105*) / Andrew McLean (90) for Northern District 354 against Blacktown 278 at Mark Taylor Oval on 9 January 2010.
Batting first on their home ground shortly after the 2010 New Year, Northern District were in trouble at 6-59 against the pace of giant fast bowler Gurinder Sandhu. And while there was a bit of a rally by the lower order, at 8-143 the innings looked like wrapping up quickly. The fall of the 8th wicket however, brought together nos. 9 and 10 in the batting order, skipper David Ball and opening bowler, Andrew McLean. Ball had that season scored two half-centuries in the no. 4 and 5 position while McLean had shown some prowess with the bat, recording undefeated scores of 43 and 40 batting at no. 9 and 10 respectively, in his previous three innings. But what was about to unfold, defied the hopes and aspirations of their most ardent supporters.
After 161 minutes, the pair had re-written the club and Association record books with an amazing partnership of 204 to take the score to 9-347. It came to an end when McLean was bowled for 90 after facing 124 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. Ball remained 105* when the final wicket fell at 354. He had faced 145 balls and hit 12 boundaries and two sixes. Blacktown was bowled out for 278 giving NDs a 76 runs win. Sandhu finished with 4-62 off 15 overs for Blacktown and two years later, played for NSW. David Ball went on to a career total of over 6,800 runs for the club.
Long-standing club records broken
The Ball-McLean partnership broke the Northern District club record of 146 established 72 years earlier in 1937-38 by Les Fallowfield and Francis Gilmore against St George. It also passed the 1st Grade competition record of 196 put together by St George pair, Peter Wooden (119*) and Kevin Pillay (126) against UTS Balmain five years previously in 2004-05. That performance also broke an 83-year-old 9th wicket St George club record of 150 by Ted Adams and Sid Francis established in 1921-22, the first season in which Saints participated in 1st Grade.
The Wooden-Pillay partnership began with St George doing it tough against UTS Balmain in round 5 at Hurstville Oval. The early batters crashed to be 7-118 although a fightback clawed the tally to 8-165 before wicket-keeper Pillay joined off-spinner Wooden at the crease. When Pillay was eventually caught for a brilliant century in just 119 minutes, the score had climbed to 9-361 with the final total 371. But despite the heroics of both low-order bats, it wasn’t enough to take the points with the Tigers overtaking that score, hitting a total of 6-372 made in 353 minutes. A partnership of 188 for the 3rd wicket between K Wong and Karl Whatham led the successful run-chase.
The previous 9th wicket partnership record-makers for St George, Edward “Ted” Adams and Sid Francis, endured a similar results outcome. In that match at Mosman Oval (now Allan Border Oval), Mosman had scored a whopping 8-409 on the first day’s play. In reply, Saints had no real answer at 8-107 and while the 150 put on by Adams (104) and Francis (57) was a meritorious club record, the final score of 263 was 146 short of the target.
Record holder and pillar of the community
The century by Ted Adams, the 1st Grade captain, was the first century for St George in 1st Grade. Adams also had a distinguished career in cricket administration and in public life. A fast bowler who had played for NSW the previous season, he spent 53 successive years on the St George management committee, serving as club Treasurer for 28 annual terms and President for four. He was elected a Life Member of both the St George club and the NSW Cricket Association while in 1962, he was awarded a CBE for his service to the community, most notably as the Town Clerk of Sydney.
Ted Adams
94 years record goes by the wayside
One of the early 9th wicket partnership records was the 152 in 1908-09 by the Petersham combination of Les Blundell and Ernest Newton. It remained in place for an amazing 94 years. But just six years short of bringing up the century, it was surpassed in 2002-03 when the Campbelltown-Camden pairing of Benham Dodd and Cameron Nupier, snuck past by three runs to create a new mark of 155.
Playing Northern District at Raby 1, The Ghosts were under the pump chasing 3-363 declared. With eight down and over 200 to get, it looked a forlorn task. And while the final score of 331 was a well-beaten one, the new 1st Grade partnership record by Dodd, who made 86 and Nupier 85, gave reason for celebration. It was also the first time a partnership of 100 for the 9th wicket had been achieved by Campbelltown-Camden.
Although that match didn’t produce a positive outcome for the record-breaking team, it was a different story in the game which had set the previous record those many years earlier. It was January 1909 when Petersham, in its first season in 1st Grade, met the Gordon club at Chatswood Oval.
Late order rally by new club takes the points
Gordon scored 206 which was a rather disappointing total after a 117 runs partnership for the second wicket by Frank Iredale (64) and Charlie Macartney (83). However, a win for the North Shore club looked a formality with The Petes struggling at 7-92 in reply. Thirty runs later with the tally 8-122, Ernest Newton, batting at no. 10, joined the young and inexperienced no. 7 bat, Les Blundell. Newton went for the bowling and in 85 minutes hit 15 fours and a six before being caught for a swashbuckling 73. The pair had put on a record 152 runs for the 9th wicket. Blundell continued and remained unconquered on 105, hitting 10 fours and a six by the time the final wicket fell at 294. It was an exciting win for the new 1st Grade entrants who threw their caps in the air from the pavilion when the winning runs were scored.
Close, but not close enough
The Blundell-Newton 9th wicket partnership record was quite the target during its 94 years “reign”. There were several close attempts with each missing out by just a handful of runs to overhaul the 152 runs mark.
The closest was the 150 put on by University’s Ralph Blackett (125) and Jack Jeffrey (63*) in just 72 minutes to defeat Gordon in 1939-40. Ten years later, Norm Lockhart (79) and Jim Blain (63) were just three runs short with 149 in 95 minutes for Central Cumberland. That was a match where champion leg-spinner, Richie Benaud, took 6-38 in a decisive victory over Northern District at Waitara in the first round of the 1950-51 season. And in 1921-22, Les Gwynne and D Brolly (49*), batting for Glebe against Manly, got to 147 before Gwynne lost his wicket for a fine 130.
Three top 9th wicket partnerships in the same day
In that 1921-22 match at Wentworth Park, Manly made 225 and had Glebe 8-89 in the run chase. Gwynne, who batted no. 3 was then joined by change bowler Brolly. The pair took the score to 236 with their near-record partnership to win the game. And while that was a superb partnership, although not a record, surprisingly on that 18 March 1922 day, there were two other 9th wicket partnerships which figure prominently in the 1st Grade competition history. The first was the 150 by Ted Adams and Sid Francis for St George mentioned earlier, while for Petersham, Sid Emery (83) and Brian Long (88*) put on 134 in 56 minutes in the second innings of a losing match against University. Both the Glebe and St George partnerships were club records.
Big name players in 9th wicket partnerships
In recent years, a couple of sizeable partnerships for the 9th wicket involved current Australian stars David Warner and Test captain Patrick Cummins. Remarkably, they occurred on the same day–20 November 2010, the first day of round 6 in the 2010-11 season.
