DLS Thriller: Sydney vs UTS North Sydney - Round 8 - 30 November 2024

UTS North Sydney District Cricket Club | December 09, 2024

Arriving at Drummoyne Oval on a humid, overcast morning with rain hanging in the air, there were some (the writer included) who were unsure that any cricket would be played at all – but in the end it was a humdinger that finished with the First Grade Bears singing the song for the first time since Round 3.

The umpires ambitiously targeted an on-time start (much to my surprise – the scorebook and team list were still in the car at 9.27 when I was told we were tossing at 9.30), which was kiboshed by rain at 9.29. When the coin eventually came down an hour later, Sydney won it and made the fastest call of “we’ll bowl” ever recorded. We got underway at 10.45, losing just a single over per side.

While Sydney’s bowlers got their heads around the fact they were on the park not watching rain, Harrison Ward and Mac Jenkins tucked in, and the score raced to 0/21 off the first two overs, including a big first-ball six from Ward. Jenkins perished in the third, caught at mid-wicket, bringing the in-form Tim Reynolds to the crease. His partnership with Ward was short-lived as a mis-timed pull offered a skier to the wicketkeeper with the Englishman dismissed for 20 off 16 balls having given our innings early momentum. The overheads made it tough for the batters and the run rate dropped, and the NSW Metro U19 pair of Sherriff and Moore fell relatively cheaply.

This brought together Reynolds and Tom Jagot for the defining partnership of the Bears’ innings, 58 off 83 balls to take us to 4/136 off 33 overs, ready to accelerate for the final 16 overs. Unfortunately, what followed was a clatter of wickets after Reynolds was caught behind for 52, his sixth 50+ score of the season. Jagot (30) put on 16 with Jordan Netto before being bowled by the impressive Joel Wright, and the Bears crashed from 5/152 to 161 all out with Netto the last out for 19 and nearly 5 overs unused. It didn’t feel like enough, but conditions remained favourable for bowling, and we all know cricket can be a strange game!

The in-form Tim Reynolds was the pick of the batters for Norths. PHOTO: Tony Johnson.

The Tigers’ innings began in much the same fashion as the Bears’, with some crunching boundaries from a tall Englishman, albeit this time Louis Kimber not Ward, and with him having negotiated a tight maiden from James Campbell first up. Campbell took the first wicket in his third over, clean bowling Tyler Robertson, and followed up by giving Sydney skipper, Nathan Doyle, the same treatment two overs later. Tigers 2/24 and game on. Things got better when Kimber was cleaned up by Sherriff, and Joel Wright was caught behind for Campbell - it was 4/42 and the Bears were in the ascendancy.

The Tigers staged a recovery with their next three partnerships adding 32, 12 and 22 respectively, with Stuart Meaker the constant amongst them, playing positively and keeping Sydney well above the required run rate. It looked like we’d need to bowl them out to win the game. James Campbell was brought back after his 7-over opening spell with the aim of breaking through, but was unable to add to his three earlier wickets, and the interruption of rain at 6/108 off 27 was quite welcome. The scorers had been closely tracking the scores against the DLS tables, with Sydney’s deficit reducing close to zero with each partnership and then widening with each wicket. At the point of rain, it had narrowed to just four runs – if we didn’t get back on, the Bears would win by a hair.

After a 46-minute delay, we returned to the field with the target revised to 154 off 39 overs – so the Tigers needed 46 off 12, six wickets down. The consensus via WhatsApp was we were happy with that, and we were happier still when Mac Jenkins took a wicket with the fifth ball after the return. 7/108 and the DLS gap jumped up to 16 runs as more rain appeared to be looming. Surely it was our game now…?

North Sydney's 200-game veteran James Campbell was at his best with the new ball. PHOTO: Adam Cavenor.

However, Meaker had other ideas, as did new bat Ben Roughan, who found the gaps and closed the DLS gap, to 11 runs after 29 overs and 8 after 30, which remained at 8 after 31 thanks to a tight over from Nic Bills. Bears still on top – just – and the ball in the hand of Mac Jenkins, who had 3/24 off his 7 straight overs so far.

Sensing his moment was now, Meaker launched the third ball over forward square leg and the fourth over long on to bring up his 50 and take the score to 7/133, putting the Tigers ahead on DLS for the first time since very early in the innings. Perhaps looking to keep the strike for the next over, he ran a tight single on the fifth ball, leaving Roughan one ball to face. Having gone for 15 off the over, the inspired Jenkins got one in just the right place, squeezed through the defences and took the eighth wicket just as the rain got heavier and the umpires ushered the players off the field. Since there wasn’t time to even consider a resumption before the 6.15 cut-off, the wicket was the final twist in a see-sawing match and saw the Bears home by just three runs against the par score of 137 at the end of 32 overs.

It was a credit to our bowling unit for defending a small target as well as a huge relief, and provides an opportunity to build some momentum through the run of one-day fixtures up to Christmas. And it was very, very good to hear that song again!

UTS North Sydney 161 (44.1) (TL Reynolds 52, TA Jagot 30) beat Sydney 8/134 (32) (MJS Jenkins 4/39, JA Campbell 3/28) by 3 runs (DLS method)

– Sarah Berman (with assistance from Duckworth, Lewis and Stern)

Scorecard, ball-by-ball details and graphs are available at https://live.nvplay.com/play/#me976f43d-eb1a-4f16-9b96-bc77d02c9dff.