Jake Scicluna
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | September 25, 2024
The Randwick Petersham 1st Grade 10th wicket record partnership of 93, established in 2013-14 by Jake Scicluna and Jake Wilson, has stood for 14 years. And while both players shared the credit for that outstanding performance, the innings of Scicluna in particular, remains in the memory of many Coogee Oval old-timers as one of the best they had witnessed. The context of the game and the struggles of the 19-year-old leading up to that match added great weight to his performance.
Season 2013-14 had been a bit of a problem for Jake. Four games in 1st Grade had produced a total of only 26 runs and accordingly, it was no surprise to see him spend the majority of the season in 2nd Grade where his highest score in a total of 144 was just 46. There was never any doubt however, about his talent and the NSW selectors had no problem in picking him for the State under 19 year’s team for the second successive year where he performed with distinction. He also did well in Randwick Petersham’s Poidevin-Gray under 21 team, scoring 241 runs while figuring in the best four partnerships of the team throughout the season.
In the last round of the season, 1st Grade batsman John McLoughlin was injured in the warm-up for the match against St George at Hurstville Oval. The result was a hurried transfer of Jake Scicluna from Coogee to Hurstville where the home side was batting. The decisive Randwick Petersham victory in that match meant that Scicluna didn’t get a bat, although he fielded well.
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Going into the finals series with a Qualifying Final against Mosman at Coogee Oval, Scicluna was retained in the side due to McLoughlin failing to recover from his injury. And despite the day bringing sunshine and warm weather, the Mosman skipper saw merit in asking Randwick Petersham to bat first.
It proved to be a well-judged decision with the seaming ball producing scores of 0, 2, 4, 0 and 0 to have Randwick Petersham reeling at five wickets for six runs! Youngsters Daniel Sams (21) and Shaun Eaton (20) settled things down and got the score to 36 when Eaton fell to an lbw appeal for 13. That brought Jake Scicluna to the crease in an unfamiliar role. Number 8 was a far cry from batting no. 1 as he had done for most of his cricket life.
With the score on 75, Sams departed for a well-made 41 off 87 balls and shortly after, Soumil Chhibber was run out for a duck to see the total tottering at 8-79. It looked all over for the Randy Petes.
Nathan Ellis, another young player also just 19 years old, joined Scicluna and the pair did well to get to tea at 8-104. Immediately after the break however, Ellis edged one to the ‘keeper for 12. The scoreline read 9-110 with Scicluna 35 off 96 balls. The next 76 minutes saw Randwick Petersham history in the making.
With it all to do, Jake Scicluna played the innings of his life. He drove, cut, pulled and hooked whatever was thrust upon him. In an innings of class, he cleverly farmed the strike supported by a resolute no.11 Jake Wilson, who was prepared to block anything with the broadest of bats to ensure the youngster got most of the strike. Scicluna strode into the nineties with three successive boundaries off Jason Krejza who took 8-215 for Australia in a Test Match against India in India in 2009. It was top-notch stuff as was a late cut off Wasyluk, the bowler who had done the early damage, which was simply straight out of the textbook.
The Scicluna–Wilson partnership destroyed the Mosman bowlers. Frustration and weariness crept in as the tea break was delayed and the score mounted. Deft placement, concentration and skill was on show as the 180 runs scoreline, which was but a pipedream an hour earlier, came and went. The excited Coogee Oval crowd rose to its feet when Scicluna rocked back and pulled a short ball to the mid-wicket boundary to see his score advance from 99 to a memorable 103 in 157 balls. An amazing performance in a highly demanding situation. For a player to make a hundred, let alone a 1st Grade debut hundred, under such pressure was simply mind-boggling. It defied all physiological boundaries. It was like an immature player commencing an innings and a mature player finishing it. Talent which had been constrained had now been released. Put simply in cricket terms, it was an innings of pure class. And Wilson’s effort could not be overlooked as he blocked 28 of 29 balls he faced as Scicluna brought up his ton.
But the fun was not over as the two Jakes continued the onslaught taking the score past the competitive 200 mark. However, at 119 and after facing 181 deliveries in a bit over three hours, Jake Scicluna’s magnificent innings was over when he was caught on the Coogee Beach-side boundary on the second grab. His last 68 runs had come off just 57 balls. Wilson remained 7 not out off 43 balls.
The 10th wicket partnership had realised 93 runs which was eight more than the previous best in 1st Grade of 85 set by Daniel Sams and Jake Wilson earlier in the season. The former record of 73 by Burt Cockley and Eddie Otto against Eastern Suburbs in 2008-09 had been broken twice in the same season. The final tally was 203 which meant that the last five wickets had put on 197 to the first fives’ six.
And to ensure that young Jake’s man-of-the-match performance was a team rewarding one, on day two, Mosman were bowled out for 157 to give Randwick Petersham the match by 46 runs and a place in the semi-finals the following week. Left-arm swing bowler Jake Wilson completed a fine double with 4-30 off 17 overs to be the main destroyer while Nick Stapleton chipped in with 3-17.
Despite the amazing win, Randwick Petersham could not capitalize in the semi-final going down to Sydney University at Coogee.
RPC Hon Historian
6 September 2024
