SOCIAL GAME: CCNSW C&S vs CCNSW MASTERS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN  ON SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY DAVID CRAIG 

The “annual” CCNSW C&S v Masters clash for the President’s Cup was finally on again, after many frustrating years of cancellations due to rain and Covid! The undefeated C&S team looked stacked with talent and were heavily favoured by the punters on the day. For this eagerly awaited clash, Camperdown Oval presented itself in the best early season condition in living memory, while Sydney turned on the hottest Oct 1^st in recorded history (36° C), and the surrounding trees turned the air gold with a pollen count that threatened to overwhelm the nearby RPAH respiratory unit. 

Masters captain Dan Turner called correctly and elected to bat on a typical Camperdown wicket, not a lot of pace or bounce but true enough to bat on, especially if you GET FORWARD. Mike Weaver took strike to Shaw, and was circumspect early, while at the other end Ed Cross immediately went on the attack against Ming Heng, racing to 6 off 3 before top edging a pull shot to Matt Leong at mid-wicket, 1-6. Jason Kenn joined Weaver in a productive partnership, with boundaries flowing freely. One particularly brutal ‘Jaydos’ pull shot bounced over the pickets, across the road and down the drain, allowing Jamie Murtha to substitute a new ball of uncertain providence (Ed Note; A “Kangarucci’ being promoted in the C&SCA). Would there be an Ashes style controversy with the new pill hooping all over the place? Not really… 

Kenn moved to within a boundary of retirement before being deceived by Henry Davis, practicing the dark arts of wrist spin and eliciting the stumping by club newcomer Alex Cumming; the game well poised at 2-70 after 12.2. Scott Wells joined Weaver for a brief but busy stay, while Murtha rotated his leg spinners to good effect from the Australia Street end. First Wells, then Turner fell to Khamis, the latter bowled by that infamous wrong-un (4-113 from 21 overs). Weaver moved steadily to retirement at 41*, leaving the batting duties to Ash Perrott and the Masters all-rounders. Greg Brooks and Jose Poothokaren were typically aggressive, but perished to the accurate Soren Hughes, leaving the game in the balance at 6-143, with 14 overs to be bowled.

At this point, Perrott and Mike Tarrant took over, with a partnership that eventually yielded 98 runs, two retirements, some lovely cover-drives from Ash, four consecutive boundaries from Tarrant off Jon Shaw, a trademark David Craig reverse swivel-pull and a bunch of the usual hitting, missing, scampering and sledging before a couple of wickets in consecutive balls to Leong in the final over left the Masters team with a more than useful 8-245 off 40 overs.

“Par here is 300” barked Tom  Robertson at the break, before heading out to open with Gerry O’Shea in yet another reboot of the Tom and Gerry show. Ben Stanic opened to O’Shea from the Australia street end, while in a surprise move designed to unsettle Tom Robertson, the leg spinner Craig took the new ball from the Mallett St end. Always keen to spoil the opposition’s plans, Robertson left immediately, bowled by Stanic. To be fair, it was an absolute peach, pitching leg and hitting off at pace. 

Harry Bridge strode to the wicket, claiming to have not held a stick in six months. He rustily creamed a cover drive for four from his first ball and looked in a dangerous mood as he smoked Stuart Ridge down the ground for 4 and 6 off consecutive deliveries. However, the double bowling change worked a treat, with Tarrant removing the steady O’Shea and Ridge extracting revenge with a lovely in-swinger bowling Bridge just as he threatened to take the game by the scruff of the neck. A wonderful spell from Tarrant choked off the runs, and yielded two more wickets, with both Toby Forbes and Jamie Murtha bowled with the score on 61.

Now 5 wickets down, and needing more than 8 an over, C&S looked out of the contest, but debutant  Alex Cumming and Soren Hughes had other ideas. Some lusty hitting produced a run-a-ball partnership of 72. With Cumming retiring at 40*, the responsibility fell to Soren and the C&S bowling unit, but the scoreboard pressure proved too much. The introduction of Jason Kenn to the attack saw the timbers regularly rattled, with Matt Leong the first to go at 6-133. Ridge returned at the other end to knock over Hughes’ stumps, while Henry Davis and Adam Khamis lined up to get castled by Kenn. The game was ended by a spectacular Tarrant catch, first walking in and then running and tumbling backwards to dismiss Ming Heng and give Ben Stanic a well-deserved second wicket, all out for 151 in the 35th. 

With the CCNSW Masters succeeding in wresting the trophy from C&S from the first time in HISTORY, celebrations were reminiscent of the Australia II America’s Cup triumph, and once again no self-respecting boss could have sacked anyone for not turning up to work on Monday. (Especially Being a Public Holiday and all.)

The Teams were: – 

Masters XII: – Mike Weaver 44*, Ed Cross 6, Jason Kenn 37, Scott Wells (w) 5, Dan Turner (c) 12, Ashley Perrott 41*, Greg Brooks 6, Jose Poothokaren 10, Mike Tarrant 40* , David Craig 23, Stuart Ridge 2*, Ben Stanic  0

C&S XII: – Tom Robertson 1; Gerry O’Shea 18; Harry Bridge 25, Toby Forbes 7, Alex Cummings (w) 40*, James Murtha 0, Soren Hughes 33, Matt Leong 4, Henry Davis 1, Adam Khamis 5. Ming Heng 10, Jonathan Shaw 0*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W. Masters XII: 8-245 (40 Overs) (M. Weaver 49*; A. Perrott 43*; M. Tarrant 40*)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W. C&S XII:  10-151 (34.1 Overs) (A. Cumming 40*)

By 94 runs

Masters FoWs: – 1-26 (E. Cross), 2-70 (J. Kenn), 3-80 (S. Wells), 4- 113 (D. Turner), 5-129 (G. Brooks), 6-143 (J. Poothokaren), 7-241 (D. Craig) 8-245 (B. Stanic) 

C&S FoWs: – 1-5 (T. Robertson), 2- 45 (G. O’Shea), 3-45 (H. Bridge), 4-61 (T. Forbes), 5- 61(J. Murtha), 6-133(M. Leong), 7-135 (S. Hughes) 8-135 (H. Davis) 9- 151 (A. Khamis), 10-151 (M. Heng )

The Masters Bowling was:  B. Stanic 5.1-0-21-2; D. Craig 4-1-13-0; M. Tarrant 5-1-8-3; S. Ridge 7-1-28-2; E. Cross 5-0-32-0; J. Poothokaren 2-0-8-0; A. Perrott 1-0-11-0; G. Brooks 2-1-11-0; J. Kenn 3-0-14-3

The C&S Bowling was: J. Shaw 6-1-37-0; M. Heng 5-0-35-1; A. Khamis 6-1-23-2; H. Davis 8-1-44-1; M. Leong 5-0-35-2; S. Hughes 3-0-18-2; T. Forbes 4-0-25-0; J. Murtha 3-0-22-0

The Masters Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to M. Tarrant

Run outs: – Nil

The C&S Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to A. Cumming

Catches: – One each to M. Leong and  S. Hughes

Run outs: – Nil