Hawkesbury opener Joshua Clarke’s rich vein of form continued at Owen Earle Oval on Saturday when he cracked 162 against Sydney University in the Round 4 two-day match.
Clarke is now averaging 161.3 for the season having scored 95 not out in the season opener against North Sydney, 109 against Parramatta and 118 against Blacktown before Saturday’s effort.
Hawkesbury were 8-404 at stumps thanks to the efforts of Clarke, who shared an 87-run first wicket stand with Dale McKay (56) and a 99-run second wicket stand with Aamir Jamal (73).
He batted for 361 minutes and faced 257 deliveries, 22 of which were hit to the pickets and another over the fence.
It was a long day at the office for the University bowlers, with leg-spinner Devlin Malone sending down 28 overs to collect 4-130. Ashton May chipped in with 2-42 and Ben Joy collected 2-45.
The general consensus is Hawkesbury will declare before the start of play on Saturday.
Sydney University teams are well-placed for first innings points in Second, Third and Fourth grades, while Fifths have an outright result in their sights. The Metropolitan Cup side is also in good stead for first innings points when play resumes on Saturday.
Scoreboard
Sydney Men’s Premier competition: Two-Day matches – Round 4
First Grade: Hawkesbury 8-404 off 99.3 overs (Joshua Clarke 162, Aamir Jamal 73, Dale McKay 56, Jordan Gauci 44; Devlin Malone 4-130, Ashton May 2-42, Ben Joy 2-45) versus Sydney University, stumps, day one at Owen Earle Oval. Toss: Sydney University.
Second Grade: Sydney University273 off 78.2 overs (David Miller 153, James Crowley 56; Harrison Ridegwell 4-51, Daniel Brown 3-40) versus Hawkesbury 2-39 off 14 overs (Jonathon Craig Dobson 1-7, Jack Holloway 1-00) stumps, day one, at Sydney University Oval. Toss: Sydney University.
Third Grade: Sydney University 200 off 48.3 overs (Hayden Kerr 64, Ed Arnott 52, Jack Gibson 27; Shane Mott 7-51) versus Hawkesbury 2-47 off 29 overs (Joel Gurney 29 not out) stumps, day one at Bensons Lane. Toss: Hawkesbury.
Fourth Grade: Hawkesbury 204 off 74.2 overs (Long Fogg 64, Rowen Myers 39; Alasdair Grant 4-27, Ryan Danne 2-28, Aidan Peek 2-29) Sydney University, stumps, day one at St Paul’s College Oval. Toss: Hawkesbury.
Fifth Grade: Hawkesbury 38 off 23.2 overs (Ryan Holcroft 4-14, Andrew Wilkinson 2-6) versus 7-203 off 54 overs (Jarrod Morley 53, Alexander Bell 30) stumps, day one at Bensons Lane 3. Toss: Sydney University.
Sydney Metropolitan Cup competition: Two-Day matches ‑ Round 4
Sydney University 334 off 77.5 overs (James Gillespie 79, Brodie Frost 67, Liam Hughes 61, Patrick Carfax 31; Jackson Coutts 4-42, Nicholas Lawrie 2-18) versus Eastern Suburbs, stumps, day one at Trumper Park. Toss: Sydney University.
Sydney Women’s Premier competition: Limited Overs – Round 3
Second Grade: Universities 1-130 off 29 overs (Amy McKay 66 not out, Rachel Li 46 not out) defeated Bankstown 127 off 42 overs (Dharshia Srivinas 2-9, Samantha Robinson 2-21) by nine wickets at Sydney University Oval on Sunday. Toss: Universities. Batted first: Bankstown. Points: Universities 6, Bankstown 0.
Third Grade: Gordon 3-170 off 27 overs (Kristen Dorsch 53 ret/not out, Jessica Henry 36, Jessie Maclaine 36; Laura Edwards 1-9, Cleo Arathoon 1-32) defeated Universities Gold 64 off 12.2 overs (Shebani Bhaskar 53 ret/not out; Nikita Pawar 2-9, Liswa Chan 2-14, Kristen Dorsch 2-33) at Forsyth Park on Saturday. Toss: Gordon. Batted first: Universities Gold. Points: Gordon 6, Universities Gold.
Universities Blue 4-199 off 21.4 overs (Sarah Healy 50 ret/not out, Jemma Douglas 40; Sre Janani Gnanamusthy 3-13) defeated North West Sydney 40 off 40 overs (Malina Rumble 3-3, Kathryn Murphy 2-5, Alison Chisholm 2-16) by 159 runs at Tonbridge St Reserve on Saturday. Toss: North West Sydney. Batted first: Universities Blue. Points: Universities Blue 6, North West Sydney 0.
