Sutherland won the Poidevin-Gray Shield in 2014-15
Sutherland District Cricket Club | November 30, 2024
Back row: Matthew Bradley (coach), Jamie Brown, Riley Ayre, Trent Smith, Tom Pinson, Shayne Smith.
Front row: Daniel Fallins, Tom Doyle, Lachlan Maddinson, Jack Leaning (captain), Adam Whatley, Ben Dwarshuis, Jonathan Rose.
Extract from Matthew Bradley’s team report in Annual Report:
Without sounding arrogant, undefeated Premiers was an appropriate outcome for this very talented team of young cricketers. We went into the prestigious Poidevin-Gray Shield competition as the widely recognised favourites and came out dominant victors. We felt confident that if we turned up with the right attitude for every match we would be the team to beat.
The abbreviated match statistics show how dominant this crop of Under 21 players were. When batting first we posted scores of 248, 297, 276, 263, 291 (Semi-final) and 241 (Final). On the two occasions we had to chase, 145 was overhauled 2 wickets down inside 25 overs and 182 (Quarter-final) reached 4 wickets down in 30 overs. In the limited overs format of the PG competition, these stats are simply outstanding.
Due to a washout in Round 6 vs Parramatta, we played 5 preliminary matches, scoring 1,229 runs for 29 wickets lost (ave 42.38) and conceding 775 runs while taking 50 wickets (ave 15.50). In the three finals matches, we scored 714 runs for 18 wickets lost (ave 39.67) and conceded 548 runs while taking 29 wickets (ave 18.89). In three of the round matches, we won with a bonus point to highlight our dominance. It was very pleasing to see the boys play to their potential, crushing our opposition along the way.
Nearly all of the boys were part of AW Green Shield teams in recent years that had success but couldn’t land a premiership, so a second PG premiership in four seasons was more than satisfying.
Jamie Brown had a tremendous series with bat and ball, finishing with 470 runs (strike rate 82.0) and 13 wickets. He scored his maiden PG century vs North Sydney (109) and took two 5 wicket hauls, the only player in the competition to do so. If the SCA had a player of the series, Jamie would most certainly have won it. His aggregate of 470 broke the previous record for the club of 456, which was set by Andrew Hilditch 40 years ago in 1974-75.
Adam Whatley had a consistent series, scoring 350 runs (strike rate 111.5) and was the only player in the competition to score two centuries. This is the fifth highest PG season aggregate in the club’s history. His attack at all cost approach at the top of the order was great to watch and set the tone for many of our innings. Jamie and Adam scored nearly half of the team’s runs during the series and deserve special mention. It goes to show that if a couple of batsmen are willing to get their heads down and apply themselves, they can go a long way to securing victory for their team.
Ben Dwarshuis also had an excellent ‘team lifting’ series. His professional, keep it simple, no-nonsense approach was a calming influence on the team and as a senior player within the group he led by example. In his 5th over in the final, he took two wickets in two balls and put the Northern District batsmen under extreme pressure chasing our total of 241.
Trent Smith was once again consistent with the new ball, keeping it full and swinging it toward the slips cordon. He took the first wicket in all but one match, which for his age and relative small stature for an opening bowler was a spirited effort.
Tom Pinson did an outstanding job for the team, taking 13 wickets and was very consistent with his pace, line and length. Tom is improving all the time and I’m predicting with further hard work and practice he will be a big a contributor to 1st Grade teams for many seasons.
Our club has been blessed to gain the services of Riley Ayre from the Upper Hunter Region of NSW. He is a talented young cricketer of great worth and his nous and match awareness will help win many games for Sutherland 1st Grade and PG teams in the future. His bowling completely strangled and controlled opposition teams. A very exciting player and a pleasure to have in the team.
Surprisingly not many chances came Jono Rose’s way but when they did he took them with his usual stylish, clean manner. He was again fantastic behind the stumps, driving the team to a high standard in the field. He made good contributions with the bat in the middle order, forming partnerships with top order players that were usually set. He scored 250 runs for the series at the very healthy average of 125!
Jack Leaning captained the team brilliantly and his experience in English County Cricket shone through at times during the series. He showed his class when it mattered, scoring a well compiled, confident 71 in the final, then took 2 wickets and was awarded the Shane Lee Medal for player of the match.
The quality of the team’s batting and bowling was of a very high standard but the fielding and catching was great to watch. The boys clearly enjoyed their fielding, which produced some excellent catches and very exciting run outs. Their athleticism and anticipation will hold them in good stead in higher level cricket.