Sydney University First Grade skipper Nick Larkin cracked his fifth century of the season in the Students’ qualifying final draw with Sutherland at Sydney University Oval at the weekend.
Having finished ahead of Sutherland at the end of the competition proper, the drawn result allowed Sydney University to progress to the semi-finals of the Belvidere Cup and the chance to defend their 2016-17 title.
Replying to Sutherland’s massive first innings of 5(dec)-428, Sydney University finished day two at 4-320, with Larkin unbeaten on 162 and Liam Robertson on 68 not out.
The pair shared a patient 125-run sixth wicket stand, with Larkin tonking 17 boundaries and a six in his 259-ball stay, and Robertson posting 10 boundaries and a six in his 108-ball occupation.
During the innings, Larkin passed 1000 grade cricket runs for the season which has been interspersed with regular Sheffield Shield appearances for NSW.
Larkin scored 140 in the round 4 match against Hawkesbury, 136 in the round 8 encounter with Fairfield-Liverpool, 246 in the round 10 match against Mosman and 164 in the round 12 match against North Sydney before his heroics at the weekend.
He now has 1043 grade runs for the season, which includes a Limited Overs Cup innings and two Twenty20 Cup innings, at an average of 94.8.
His 979 runs in the Belvidere Cup have come at an average of 122.4.
Sutherland’s massive total came on the back of solid contributions from their top four. Openers Jarryd Biviano (102) and Chris Williams (64) shared a 163-run stand, while No.3 Jamie Brown (106) and No.4 Tom Doyle (92) put on 128 between them.
The Students lost openers Ben Trevor-Jones (21) and Hayden Kerr (15) before Larkin entered the fray.
They then lost Ed Cowan for a duck and Damien Mortimer (26) before Robertson joined Larkin to bat out the day.
Sydney University will meet Sydney in one semi-final at Sydney University Oval on Saturday and Sunday, while Parramatta and Campbelltown-Camden will meet in the other semi-final at Old Kings Oval.
Sydney University Third Grade also moved through to a semi-final berth with a first innings win over Mosman in their two-day qualifying final at Petersham Oval.
The Students posted 269 on the back of solid contributions from Ash Cowan (71), Michael Robinson (55) and Alexander Shaw (44) before dismissing Mosman for 137, with Liam Whitaker (4-12) and Kieran Tate (3-39) posing plenty of problems with the cherry.
Sydney University will meet Parramatta at Petersham Oval in one semi-final on Saturday and Sunday, with the other being contested between Sydney and Eastern Suburbs at Drummoyne Oval.
Sydney University’s Second and Fourth grades missed out on semi-final berths, with the Seconds falling to Hawkesbury and the Fourths to Manly-Warringah in their qualifying finals.
Scoreboard
Sydney Premier Men’s Grade competition – Qualifying finals (Two-day matches)
First Grade: Sydney University 4-320 off 91 overs (Nick Larkin 162 not out, Liam Robertson 68 not out; Tom Pinson 2-101) drew with Sutherland 5(dec)-428 off 96 overs (Jamie Brown 106, Jarryd Biviano 102, Tom Doyle 92, Chris Williams 64; Ben Joy 2-67, Devlin Malone 2-98) at Sydney University Oval on Saturday and Sunday. Toss: Sutherland. Batted first: Sutherland.
Having finished ahead of Sutherland at the end of the competition proper, Sydney University advance to a semi-final against Sydney at Sydney University Oval on Saturday and Sunday.
The other semi-final will be between Parramatta and Campbelltown-Camden at Old Kings Oval.
Second Grade: Hawkesbury 400 off 131.1 overs (Antum Naqvi 123 not out, Lerrod Gordon 60, Eknoor Singh 51, Harrison Ridgewell 41; Dugald Holloway 4-55) defeated Sydney University 304 off 72 overs (James Crowley 76, Jack Lawson 47 not out, Jonathon Craig Dobson 44; Jay Dyball 3-34, Harrison Ridgewell 3-74) on the first innings at Owen Earle Oval on Saturday and Sunday. Toss: Hawkesbury. Batted first: Hawkesbury.
Hawkesbury advance to a semi-final against Manly-Warringah. The other semi-final will be between Northern District and Mosman.
Third Grade: Sydney University 269 off 85.4 overs (Ash Cowan 71, Michael Robinson 55, Alexander Shaw 44; Darshil Patel 2-21, Charles Foster 2-30, Arun Nadesan 2-44) defeated Mosman 137 off 38.4 overs (Manish Malhotra 47, Daniel Apps 31, Dermott Beattie 31; Liam Whitaker 4-12, Kieran Tate 3-39) on the first innings at Petersham Oval on Saturday and Sunday. Toss: Mosman. Batted first: Sydney University.
Sydney University advance to a semi-final against Parramatta at Petersham Oval on Saturday and Sunday.
The other semi-final will be between Sydney and Eastern Suburbs at Drummoyne Oval.
Fourth Grade: Manly-Warringah 7-174 off 86.1 overs (Adam Gummer 44, William Akhurst 39, Jarrod Walter 30; Aidan Peek 2-40) defeated Sydney University 172 off 81.5 overs (Oliver Thompson 46 not out; Michael Counsell 3-33, Brad Wilson 3-27) on the first innings at LM Graham Reserve on Saturday and Sunday. Toss: Sydney University. Batted first: Sydney University.
Manly-Warringah advance to a semi-final against Gordon. The other semi-final will be between Northern District and Western Suburbs.
Sydney Premier Women’s Grade competition – Semi-Finals (Limited Overs)
First Grade: Universities 2-133 off 28 overs (Georgia Redmayne 64, Ashley Day 48 not out; Shannon Heath 1-12) defeated Gordon 9-132 off 50 overs (Hannah Trollip 49; Maisy Gibson 5-16, Stella Campbell 3-21) by eight wickets at Alan Davidson Oval on Sunday.
St George-Sutherland defeated Bankstown Sports in the other semi-final.
Final: Universities versus St George-Sutherland at Blacktown International Sports Park on Sunday.
Second Grade: Universities 6-162 off 48.5 overs (Shebani Bhaskar 61 not out, Darshana Kannan 25, Erica James 22; Taylah Knight 2-22, Mishal Shah 2-28) defeated St George-Sutherland 8-161 off 50 overs (Mariam Bank 51, Amu Wills 32, Michelle Rigney 26; Yvonne Graves 3-27, Taylor Ling 2-19) by four wickets at Harold Fraser Oval on Sunday. Toss: Universities. Batted first: St George-Sutherland.
Parramatta defeated Northern District in the other semi-final.
Final: Universities versus Parramatta at Grahame Thomas Oval from 10am on Sunday.
