The AIC First XI cricket premiership race has been thrown wide open after an exciting round 5 of action today.
The AIC First XI cricket competition remains a race in three after Marist College Ashgrove snared a gritty four wicket win over pacesetters St Patrick’s College today.
Paddies, Ashgrove and Iona College were in the battle for the premiership, with Iona locked in an exciting battle against an improving St Peters and Ashgrove finding its way to the winners post against St Patrick’s.
At Curlew Park, Ashgrove escaped by the skin of their teeth with a gripping four wicket win.
In an exciting match up between heavyweight contenders, the AIC First XI cricket premiership was on the line. Paddies came into it unbeaten, and Ashgrove with a 3-1 win-loss record following its defeat to Iona.
In order to stay in the fight, Ashgrove needed to be leaving Shorncliffe in the winners column and so they did – thanks to the steady hands of Year 11 captain Will Nickelson.
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With 109 required in the chase, Ashgrove went hunting against stoic St Patrick’s bowlers Steve Hogan (off-spin) Tom Smith’s (swing).
After James Brandon’s crucial cameo of 27, it was Will Nickelson’s 42 which got the visitors home.
Wickets fell one by one and Nickelson was the man standing at the other end. He was patient and poised, selecting his shots carefully as he knew he had to get Ashgrove as close to the total as possible.
With Year 12 batting ace Ben Ferguson out of the lineup, there was even more pressure on Nickelson to perform.
And perform he did, adding to his fine stream of form which now reads 62,114 not out, 96 not out and 42.
After Noah James picked up the crucial wicket of Nickelson, Ashgrove were 6-90 with 19 required.
Ashgrove pair Joey Laner and Louis Morris then came in and scored 11 apiece, seeing their side to victory in the 30th over.
Earlier, Paddies batted first and Ashgrove took no time at all to put the new ball to good use. Right arm paceman Tom Davies and right arm off spinner Louis Morris inflicted the damage early, before champion all-rounder Hogan found himself in the middle with endless responsibility.
The wickets kept tumbling around the Year 10 St Patrick’s student but he never wavered. Hogan’s 127 ball innings included five boundaries, along with quick one’s and two’s.
Morris picked up three for Ashgrove, with two of his wickets a result of Will Nickelson’s sharp glove work behind the stumps.
Davies was consistently on the money and picked up three scalps, while Sam Lewis (2-25), Joey Laner (1-18) and Finn Cleary (1-15) worked well to remove the tail for Ashgrove.
Paddies batting ace Hogan top scored for his team with an unbeaten 57, making it to the 44th over before his team were bowled out for 108. As per usual, he was almost impossible to dismiss.
At St Peters, the home side mustered 187 thanks to a steady team batting effort around Luke Dyer (36), Seb McCormack (28), a quickfire 28 not out from Bastien Walter, and openers James Nelson (23) and Sree Rayirth Prabhas Bachu who took the game on with 22 fro nine balls.
Nelson played a lovely anchor role, denying the Iona attack which was led by Archer Anderson and Harrison Smith.
At the Banyo playing fields, Villanova managed to bowl the home side out in the 39th over courtesy Zak Joyce’s 4-19 and Tom Reick’s 3-16.
But, Villa pair Connor Moloney and Jack Moloney were also monumental at the bowling crease, claiming the prized scalps of Will Tozer and Braithyn Pecic respectively.
Jack’s left arm pace was too hot to handle for opener Pecic, while Connor’s tricky off spin proved too tempting for the big hitting Tozer.
Larry Clark also claimed the early wicket of opener J Barker which set the wheels in motion for Villa.
Padua posted a defendable 145 before the Villa boys were sent into bat.
At St Edmund’s College Ipswich, St Laurence’s posted their first 200 plus score of the season with a feel good 252 in the first innings.
After falling agonisingly short last week at the hands of Paddies, it was just the way to bounce back.
Indeed the visitors lost three wickets early in the piece, but after the initial turbulence wicket keeper Daniel Gray quickly found his groove.
Ben Naish, R McDonald and H Read collected one each to begin, before C Costello (2-30) crashed Grey’s party, clean bowling him one shy of his half century.
Tom Stenhouse (80 not out) and S Parker followed suit and got the innings moving.
Both batsmen struck it at over a run-a-ball and after a 79 run stand with Gray, Stenhouse continued to shine during a 107 run partnership with Parker.
Grey tallied two fours and two sixes, Stenhouse seven fours and two sixes and Parker four fours and three sixes to move Laurie’s past 250.
Originally published as AIC First XI cricket premiership race thrown open after Ash win