MUCC Match Reports – Round 3
First XI: MUCC 8/233(cc) (McNeil 83no Agar 39, Rogers 31) defeated Essendon 188 all out (Agar 3/33, Ahmed 2/32, Reid 2/39)
Armed with star recruit Wes Agar, who became the 961st player to represent the MUCC First XI, and Fawad Ahmed who was the second highest wicket-taker in the JLT Cup, MUCC were well equipped to take on an undefeated Essendon side at the Uni Main on Saturday.
Sent into bat, the loss of two early wickets saw Tom Rogers and James McNeil come together, needing to steady the ship. Thankfully, some well controlled aggression and classy stroke-making saw the scoreboard tick along nicely. After Rogers (31) was dismissed, the skipper combined for crucial partnerships with Liam Scammell (20) and Wes Agar (39), pushing the score to 8/233 from the allotted 50 overs. McNeil finished with a fine score of 83no, continuing a fine run of good form, having passed 50 twice so far this season.
As Wes Agar took the new ball, the Uni Main was abuzz as he sent down thunderbolts from one end and Mark Stafford bowled beautifully from the other. A build-up of pressure saw the first wicket come in the form of a direct hit run out courtesy of Ben Rolfs. It wasn’t long before Fawad showed his class, removing Aaron Ayre bowled behind his legs, before Steven Reid put the game in our favour with a spectacular outfield catch to dismiss the Essendon captain. Rolfs also bowled nicely picking up a wicket of his own, as well as another run out, before Reid and Agar made light work of the tail, ultimately bowling out the Bombers for 188.
Overall, it was a dominant performance which sees the First XI nicely placed after the first three rounds.
Full match scorecard here.
Batting highlights here.
Bowling highlights here.
Second XI: MUCC 9/288 (Yaksender 100 Simpson 59no Karageorgiou 39) d Essendon 5-285(cc) (Richards 3/44)
Bowling first at Windy Hill, big quick Umair Butt took a wicket with the first ball of the day, with Jarrod Martignago gratefully accepting the catch for a dream return to his time behind the stumps. After a steadying partnership, Lachie Richards then claimed two quick wickets, with Essendon precariously placed at 3/66. At this point, though, some classy batting and big hitting saw Essendon reach an imposing score of 5/285 on a flat wicket. Richards was the stand out bowler, claiming 3/44 from his 10 overs.
After a steady opening partnership of 39, Andrej Yaksender came in at three and quickly set about his work. The perfect combination of classy and composed, Andrej’s innings was vital in giving Uni a chance, and he was duly rewarded with a century, bringing it up in style by launching a 6 over mid on. He was ably supported by Elias Karageorgiou (39) and captain Mark Simpson, whose innings of 69no from 42 balls demonstrated his class and experience, as he picked gaps and found the boundary nine times, icing the game for his team. A fantastic batting effort saw the Second XI chase down the total with two balls to spare and with one wicket in hand.
A truly remarkable effort from all involved, the Seconds have made it 3 wins from 3 games, setting up a top of the table clash against St Kilda next week.
Full match scorecard here.
Third XI: MUCC 8/163(cc) (Emms 56, Morrison 49, McKenna 33no) tied Essendon 5/163(cc) (Durrant 2/33)
Bowling first MUCC got off to a steady, applying consistent pressure with sustained fielding and bowling pressure. Ben Roughsedge caused serious issues for the Essendon batsmen with his 1/22 off 9 overs, while Elliot Durrant took two sharp chances off his own bowling to claim figures of 2/33. Aaron Boyle and Jacob Stevenson bowled well at the death to claim one wicket each.
Chasing a modest total of 163, Harrison Emms (56) and Will Morrison (49) looked to make light work of the total, with Fergus McKenna backing up his economical efforts with the ball with a vital 33no. As the match situation became tight, however, University suffered a batting collapse, leaving Uni requiring six off the last ball of the innings to tie. McKenna managed to clear the fence and tie the game for University.
Full match scorecard here.
Fourth XI: MUCC 142 all out (Hesham 47) defeated by Essendon 7/216(cc) (Stockley 2/27, Swan 2/36)
On a gloomy Saturday in Cross Keys, the young bold Melbourne Uni boys were ready to play off for their first win against a young Essendon team. The skipper, unfortunately, lost his first toss of the year and we were asked to bowl first.
Jeremy Swan got us off to a great start getting the first wicket and soon after they were two wickets down very quickly. At drinks, Essendon had lost four wickets, but throughout the middle overs Essendon started to take the swing of momentum across to their side of the park. But we finally started to take the momentum towards the back of the Essendon innings, with the Bombers finishing with a total score of 7/216.
We went out to bat with a positive mindset knowing that it was a very competitive total and that we needed to be on top of our game. Unfortunately, we lost two wickets in the first five overs of the match making the run the chase a tough battle. Fortunately, Syed Hesham in his first game of the year made a brilliant 47, hitting many boundaries. We finally finished our innings short of the total 10/142.
Full match scorecard here.
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