Who played the best innings you've seen in a game you played?

Phil (Skid) Marks playing for Nth Sydney got 2nd innings hundred against Bankstown in Grand Final and almost stole the game away from us single handedly

Poidivein Gray PG’s at Bankstown Oval early 86.

I think we were playing Syd Uni and they were chasing. As number 7 was walking in, Mark who took over the Skipper duties as Stephen was in Test Team said to us, “ let’s knock them over and we’ll go to the Races”. Yes the little fella scored a Ton and won the game!
Great innings, Great Lesson, Great Memories !🏏

Without fail, Martin Love.
One of the most patient batsmen I have ever bowled against. His innings of 194 when playing for University in Brisbane against Souths was one of the best and most majestic innings I have ever seen.

The only false shot he played was at 194 and was the one that got him out. He could leave balls over after over and wait for you to miss your line or length and hit you for four through a gap with precision.

The one innings I bowled against that you just had to say, “that was good to watch!”

March 1991 - Mosman v Campbelltown.

Mosman declared 9 for 369 after day one. Midway through the second session, Campbelltown was at about 3 for 120 when Andrew Martyr dismissed Brian Wood, and Michael Bevan came to the crease.

First ball Bevan charged Marts incredibly even before he got into his bowling action, and Marts fired it down leg side, and I remember thinking, “You beauty, here we go, out first ball, stumped.” In an instant, Bevan kicked his right leg out and the ball hit his pad and ventured off to the leg side.

It was the first and last hope of the day I felt from behind the stumps, and I can still see it clearly all these years on.

For the next session and half, Bevan delivered a batting masterclass against a good Mosman attack that included Greg Rowell, Gary Bensley, Dudley Slater, Phil Clune, Andrew Martyr and Scott Jacobson.

It was an unbelievable innings as he smashed us everywhere for 164 not out, and Campbelltown won 6 down.

Charging Rowelly short balls and flat batting them back past him for 4 or 6, incredible batting.

Martin Haywood. 203no at Petersham Oval. Hit 6 sixes off one over with the last one bringing up the double ton. Was awesome being at the non-strikers end watching it first hand.Outrageous.

Against - Michael Bevan at Manly oval around 1996/97 - made 170 odd and never looked like getting out vs Stuey Clark, McGill, etc……I just thought this bloke was a class above!

Played with - Matt Bradley 212 not out in 1999/2000 vs Hawkesbury was special, I don’t think he gave a chance - distinct memory of him batting without a lid and no hat which was a rare site even back then!!!

1.Ricky Ponting's 99 at Devonport Oval Tas v Sri Lanka 1995. Charminda Vaas was impossible to play against his line and length and witnessed class batting against quality spin bowling in Muralitharan.
I remember every run was hard to get as overnight rain lushed up the Kikuyu grass in the outfield and it was a sticky wicket. Think only 3 boundaries were hit.
A magnificent innings to witness 1st hand.
2. Geoff Lovell 130 Syd Uni. v Fairfield absolutely middle everything. Back foot drives through covers was 1st class.

3. Todd Pinnington 180 ish n.o. Nth Hobart v Lindisfarne.Carried his bat right through gutsy and determined.

No doubt it was Adam Gilchrist! He scored over 200 (210 I think) in a 1 day, 50 over game, for the Perth Cricket Club vs Gosnells Cricket Club at Sutherlands Oval, back in the mid to late 90s. The amazing thing about it was the fact that he was out in the 40th over! A display of pure hitting & thankfully the ground was big enough to not lose any balls! Even the mis hits were going long! I had the best seat in the house!

At Mosman I did a fair bit of opening with Jason Gallian in half a year of 3rds and then we both went up to 2nds for the start of the next season - he had bulked up enormously in the off season and had been working very hard. In Round 1 he got 160 at Trumper Park – it was technically perfect and brutal at the same time. I never played with him again and he ended up playing a couple of Tests for England.

Any time Corey Richards scored a hundred it was a pleasure to watch, but his best one that i witnessed was in our one day GF against Randwick 06/07 that stands out, he just tore Randy Petes apart & got us to a target of 270 odd & then we had to withstand Uzzie, Katich etc to win, without his 100, we wouldn’t have won & it set us up to win the 2 day comp also the same year. Saw some great ones from Kev Roberts & plenty of others, but Corey was the best. Special mention to Grant Lanbert who scored 150 against us at Banky one day, very special innings

Les Johns – for Sutherland v Wests at Carringbah.

Gutsiest, Graeme Hughes for Petersham at Pratten Park after he was hit in the ribs on 11 and winced for every ball after that. Turns out he made 111 and had two broken ribs.

Greg Chappell's ton v England, 2nd Test, Lords, 1972. An exquisite innings of grace, guts and technique. Pure class.

Michael Bonner - scoring a 100 for the first ever time in the TRI Grammar Series in 1998. This was the first ever 100 at Northgate, a ground that is now well known in Bris.

Steve Waugh. NSW Combined High Schools vs GPS at the Scots College Sydney. On an underprepared wicket, he smashed the GPS bowlers to all parts, including a number of Bellevue Hill backyards. He and I put on around 60, I got 9, he finished on 170.

Matthew ‘Action’ Lawrence (ex Dandenong Vic Prremier) made 223 for Caulfied vs Balwyn in a Vic Sub-Dristrict match in 2006/7. The innings featured 10 sixes. I was out early opening up & sat & watched in awe from the pavilion at ‘Action’ onslaught!

Mark Curry 157no v Belmont. We were 4-40 chasing 309 and Mark and myself saw us home 4 down. We won the Minor Premiership and Club Championship on that win.

The best innings I witnessed first-hand was by Malcolm Grant. He played for Roseville Cricket club between 1963 and 2001...later to be heralded as a Legend of Sydney Shires cricket.
But on the 28th October 1971 in the then A Shires Competition (now referred to as 1st Grade Shires) v Wentworthville Blacktown at their ground below the Great Western Highway, I recall some anxiety for passing cars .
That day he made 130 in around 89 minutes, and I was his very fortunate batting partner from 2.03 pm to 3.25pm- during which time the score advanced 176 runs and eventually to a total of 349.
Mal will always be remembered as one of the most attractive but dynamic batsman in Shires. That afternoon he was at his best with purely timed cover drives on the up and what seemed from the bowlers end deftly struck lofted straight hit shots over the bowler – two sixes out of the ground over the southern hillside.
Every ball seemed to be an opportunity for runs all around the wicket. An yet he was no basher, he played his cricket the way Roger Federer finessed his tennis...with a silken touch and timing to die for.
If ever there was an example of crickets enduring art, which was so well portrayed and sublimely related by Sir Robert Menzies (featured in the 100th Wisden 1963)- it was Mal's innings that day...
Mal was to play for Roseville until 2002 eventually aggregating over 10,000 runs...the most for the Club. A club with such a proud contribution and for which I am happy to relate is now the subject of a two volume beautifully produced Roseville Cricket Club History. Staring down the years
Volume one 1918/19 to 1978 /79 (282 coloured bound pages) -Limited print is available now
Volume two 1979 to 2023 will be available soon and you can contact me or the Club

David Johnston playing for Newcastle United against Hamilton Wickham when he scored 2130 not out - he didn't mishit a shot all day

Greg Geise calmly makes his way to the middle, Wallsend in all sorts at 2 for none and none of us sure if Greg had even finished his business. At this stage of the season Greg was already in pretty good form, and as the team settled down to no more wickets and Greg had made is way to a dozen or so, our dismissed opener Dave Edwards made the announcement that we should have a sweep to see how many Greg would get for the day. Keep in mind that at this stage, we are still probably 2 for 20 or so. A piece of paper was accessed and players and supporter started to throw their scores at Dave and he recorded them eagerly. All bets placed with choices ranging from mid-twenties through to around 100, when someone said to Dave, "hey what's yours?" to which Dave replies "260 something". Of course there were rye smiles and the like. The day goes on and Greg just keeps picking of milestones. 50 comes, and then 100 comes quickly. 150 comes and goes in a hurry,

The game moves on and when our innings wrapped up, Greg Geise 272 not out. Unbelievable, stunning, dominant, different gravy to the rest of us. What an innings.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/209/brad-bannister/blog/2620/greg-geise-golden-1991-92-part-one

Mat Begbie in an early season One Day fixture - Melbourne v Fitzroy at Schramms, 2017/18.
I'm sure I've seen a longer innings, or a bigger score, but this was the best when you take everything into consideration.
'Beggers' had been dealing with serious health issues for the last few years - most notably a broken neck whilst playing football, which had him sitting still in a hospital bed with a Halo attached to his shoulders for months - and we weren't sure if we would ever see the 2012/13 John Scholes Medallist play for the Dees again.

The Lions batted first, compiling 219 on a typical early season Melbourne wicket - Schramms I believe had hosted it's last game of footy only a couple of weeks earlier - with yours truly helping them to that score with my 7 overs going for a very economic 53. Beggers, opening the batting with MCC stalwart Peter Petricola, got us off to a flyer - with the opening stand finally being broken after they had put on 149. After the dismissal of Pepsi, Beggers kept motoring along - with an array of cuts, big off drives, and his trademark sweeps and slog sweeps, sending 4 balls over the net and into the backyards of the neighboring homes.

when we passed their score 1 down, Beggars had compiled 129 off 149 balls, with 11 4's and 4 6's. The best knock I have seen. Unfortunately, Beggers health problems returned, and he only made 2 more appearances for the club that year - his last for Melbourne - before heading home, where he captains and plays for his beloved Wendouree today. It's a shame it ended how it did, as there's no doubt amongst us who had seen him play that he could have made a proper crack at the next level - but fortunately for us that day in the 2nds, we got to see it one more time.