Manly Warringah First Grade Premiers 1957-58
Manly Warringah District Cricket Club | September 12, 2024
After a successful 1957-58 season, Bruce Cook led a powerful side into the first-grade final at the Sydney Cricket Ground against an experienced Western Suburbs side captained by Stan Simsey.
UMPIRES: Daly and Bowden
TEAM: T Lee, R Bright, T Brooks, R Taylor, Verity, W Davey, P Philpott, E Robinson, B Rothwell, A Demontfort (B. Cook Absent).
Wests won the toss and batted, but their side collapsed in the face of persistent Manly attack. Tom Brooks got us off to a great start with 3 wickets in his opening spell, aided by 2 fine slip catches by seventeen year old Terry Lee, and the good work was carried on by the naggingly accurate Ross Taylor and by Peter Philpott who kept a good length and turned his wrong 'ún sharply to end up with 4 wickets. Eddie Robinson chipped in with an important wicket, and Wests were all out for 145.
Manly was in early trouble when State Fast bowler Alan Wyatt had Norm Verity caught, but a partnership of 56 between a watchful Ray Bright and a forceful Barry Rothwell, who scored 54 in 80 minutes, put us back in the game and, despite the sudden loss of these two, and then Robinson and Lee, sound efforts from Peter Philpott (28*) and Alan de Montfort (12*) saw us well on top at 5 for 125 at the end of the first day.
On the resumption of play the following Saturday, careful batting by Philpott who ended up with 77 in 193 minutes, and by Montfort (32) saw the side well past Wests total before a tail-end collapse caused the innings to close abruptly at 207.
Wests still had an outside chance of outright victory and commenced a hectic run-chase. However, the sustained pace and accuracy of Ross Taylor (5-60 off 15 straight overs), the experienced Tom Brooks, and the shrewd field placings of Bruce Cook, contained them to the extent that Sismey was forced to declare his team's second innings only 90 minutes before stumps, leaving us 98 runs to win outright.
Two quick wickets were lost, but Barry Rothwell and Eddie Robinson batted out time easily to ensure the Premiership for the Manly boys.
Our 1st Grade side walking off the SCG as Premiers in 1957/58 against Western Suburbs. March 1958.
