Match Reports - (Photos: By Kirk Powell)

DOLPHINS RECEIVE FINALS WAKE-UP CALL

EASTS Dolphins have other results to thank for maintaining their second placing on the First Grade ladder after being comprehensively defeated by Manly-Warringah.

Resuming on the second day, Easts had left themselves a mountain to climb with Manly resuming at 2-116 in pursuit of the Dolphins below par score of 179.

Angus Palmer picked up the only wicket to fall before the target was passed, at which point Manly went on the attack in search of a possible outright victory.

Their efforts were thwarted by Bernie Ballin, who claimed his first five-wicket haul in First Grade to quickly end Manly's innings in 230.

Ballin finished with the impressive figures of 5-35.

The match petered out, with neither side a chance of an outright and Easts scored 4-133 in their second innings before the match was abandoned.

Fortunately Sydney University, who could have moved past Easts on the table lost to Parramatta and allowed the Dolphins to cling on to second place with one round remaining before the finals.

Easts will play 12th-placed Western Suburbs in the final preliminary round at Waverley Oval.

The result will be crucial to Easts' chances of winning the premiership, with teams ranked second to the finals cut-off of sixth spot all within a victory of each other.

It was by far the club's worst round of the season with all grades receiving a big wake-up call ahead of the finals.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Manly-Warringah 230 (B Ballin 5-35) def Easts 179 & 4-133
2nd Grade: Manly-Warringah 9-234dec (J Turner 4-36) def Easts 166 & 5-133
3rd Grade: Manly-Warringah 264 def Easts 170 (N Loveday 54)
4th Grade: Manly-Warringah 248 def Easts 110 (R McDowell 44)
5th Grade: Manly-Warringah 6-324dec def Easts 71

DOLPHINS DIVE IN MANLY COLLAPSE

The Easts Dolphins hopes of securing a top two spot for the semi-finals have taken a hit after a disastrous opening day against fellow title aspirants Manly- Warringah.

The damage was all done in 15 minutes before and after lunch when the Dolphins slipped from the comfortable position of 2-92 to be 8-111.

Until this point Easts had recovered well from the loss of two early wickets through Peter Forrest and (36) and Greg Glarence (45) and were setting themselves for a big first innings score in good batting conditions.

Australia U/19 representative Tim Armstrong survived the carnage and looked to rescue the situation with Bernie Ballan.

The pair stemmed the flow of wickets before Armstrong went on the attack in a bid to shift the momentum back the Dolphins way.

The move proved effective as the pair put on a crucial 53 for the ninth wicket partnership, which included several lusty blows from Armstrong.

After Ballin departed, Armstrong continued to be positive until he was caught out on the deep midwicket fence for 57, which ended Easts' innings with the score at a below par 179.

In reply Ed Zelma gave Easts a lift with an early incision, but with a small target on the board the Dolphins needed plenty more.

Manly grinded out the remainder of Easts' new ball period and then went on the offensive through NSW player Steve O'Keefe.

He fell eventually for 46 but Manly finished the day at 2-116 and will only require a further 63 runs to move just three points behind the Dolphins on the competition table going into the final round.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Easts 179 (T Armstrong 57)v Manly-Warringah 2-116 (E Zelma 2-18)
2nd Grade: Easts 166 (A Ezekiel 51) v Manly-Warringah 3-94 (J Turner 3-25)
3rd Grade: Manly-Warringah 264 (S McGoldrick 3-41) v Easts 1-25
4th Grade: Manly-Warringah 248 (A MacDonald 6-50) v Easts
5th Grade: Manly-Warringah 6-324dec v Easts 2-6

EASTS OUT OF L/O COMPETITION

The Easts Dolphins have been eliminated from the First Grade Limited-Overs competition in the semi-final by Sydney University, despite a typically cyclonic innings from David Warner.

After Sydney University set Easts 273 runs from 47 overs on the Duckworth-Lewis method, Warner put Easts ahead of the required run-rate, as he smashed 63 off 48 balls including five 4's and four 6's.

One of Warner's sixes went over the roof of the University Oval grandstand and while he remained at the crease Easts were feeling comfortable.

However when his wicket fell it sparked a mini-collapse, with the Dolphins falling from 2-97 to 5-105 in two overs.

Easts' Tim Armstrong (64) survived the carnage and went about restoring the innings with Will Sommerville.

But as had been the story throughout most of the match whenever Easts looked to be clawing their way back, Sydney Uni responded and this time it was Sommerville, who was caught in the outfield.

In a bid to keep Easts in touch, Armstrong took the batting power play and upped the tempo.

The Dolphins remained in touch with the run-rate but lost wickets at regular intervals, which proved the difference as they were bowled out for 231 in 43 overs.

Easts two-day match on Saturday was washed out against Penrith and will be reduced to 120 overs this Saturday as the Dolphins looked to maintain their second-placing on the ladder with only 3 rounds to be completed before the finals series.

Scoreboard

1st Grade L/O semi-final: Sydney Uni 5-255 (Adjusted to 272) def Easts 231 (T Armstrong 64 D Warner 63)

2nd Grade (two-day): Penrith 181 (D Richards 3-33) v Easts 0-40

All other grades washed out.

2nd Grade - RICHO FIRES UP IN THE GLOOM by Adrian Tham

Waverley was one of the few grounds in Sydney to hold up brilliantly in the wet as the Dolphins put on a sparkling bowling and fielding display to dismiss Penrith for 181 on the first day.

Openers Lee Kirk and Angus Robson held strong to have Easts 0/40 at the close.

At one stage, the rain threatened to prevent any play but a break in the weather had the captains in the middle for the toss at 12:30 with Lee Kirk
sending Penrith into bat. Remarkably a total of 81 overs were bowled in the afternoon and there was no further interruption forced by the heavens.

Easts achieved a rare double by having every player involved in at least one Penrith dismissal whilst conceding no byes, wides or no balls in 62.3 overs.

Dave Richards led the way, moving the ball around in the humid conditions to finish with 3/33 at less than 2 runs conceded per over. Tim Cutler was even
more economical in taking 2/23 while Jacob Taucher made a superb 2nds debut with a wicket in his first over to finish with 1/31 off 12 overs.

Amongst a series of excellent catches was a stunning run out by Daniel Rootes who firstly saved a certain boundary by diving sharply to the ground
and then in the next motion knocked off the bails with a direct hit leaving the batsman stranded halfway down the pitch.

Kirk and Robson faced some of Penrith's emerging young quicks in the gathering darkness and rain in reaching stumps and are looking forward
(hopefully) to a brighter day this weekend.

EASTS INTO SEMIS

Sutherland, Sydney University, Eastern Suburbs and St George are through to the Semi Finals of the First Grade Limited Overs competition after rain disrupted yesterday's Qualifying Finals (February 7).

Only one of the three scheduled Qualifying Finals was completed with Sydney University defeating Campbelltown-Camden at the Sydney University Number One Oval.

The third Qualifying Final between third ranked Eastern Suburbs and fourth ranked St George was washed out completely. However both teams will progress to next week's Semi Finals with St George earning a reprieve as the highest ranked of the three 'losing' sides.

The First Grade Limited-Overs competition's Semi Finals take place next Sunday (February 14) with Sutherland playing St George at Glenn McGrath Oval and Sydney University playing Eastern Suburbs at Sydney University 1.

Sydney's weather also prevented any play on day two of Round 12 matches on Saturday (February 6).

EASTS SCORE 278 ON DAY ONE

A 115-run partnership between Ben Schutz and Justin Waller steadied the ship for the Easts Dolphins on day one of a two-day match against Northern Districts Rangers.

On a seaming Waverley Oval wicket, Easts were bowled out for 278 and for the majority of the day found scoring difficult.

Schutz and Waller (51) came together with the score 3-76 after Sam Robson (39) was dismissed on the second ball after the lunch break and the pair was able to bat out the remainder of the middle session.

Schutz was particularly aggressive against the spin bowlers, while Waller saw off a barrage of short-pitched bowling with some counter-punching stroke play.

When the pair walked off the ground for tea with the score reading 3-176, Easts were hopeful of pushing on to a score past 300.

But the crucial moment came just after the second new ball was taken when Schutz, the last recognised batsman was bowled for 80.

This greatly reduced Easts' scoring power in the final hour and in the end it was only a crucial contribution of 25 not out from number nine Bernie Ballin that helped get the Dolphins safely over 250.

The match will resume this Saturday at Waverley Oval before Easts also host St George in the qualifying finals of the Limited-Overs competition on Sunday.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Easts 278 (B Schutz 80 J Waller 51) v Northern District
2nd Grade: Easts 329 (M Forster 89) v Northern District 2-16
3rd Grade: Northern District 217 (M Sutherland 4-82) v Easts 0-11
4th Grade: Northern District 197 (H Brooks 3-41) v Easts
5th Grade: Easts 137 v Northern District

DOLPHINS TO PLAY SAINTS IN LIMITED OVERS QUALIFYING FINAL

A powerful display of latter-over batting from Easts Dolphins ensured victory over North Sydney Bears and a home qualifying final match for the First Grade Limited-Overs competition.

After being sent in to bat, Easts found the going tough and this was reflected in the score after 30 overs, where Easts had grinded their way to 3-99.

But an attacking partnership of 158 between Peter Forrest and Greg Clarence turned Easts fortunes.

The highlight of the partnership came in the batting powerplay of five overs, where the pair plundered 58 runs.

All in all the final 20 overs brought 173 runs that saw Easts' final total sky-rocket to 5-272.

Clarence was dismissed for 73 off 71 balls, while Forrest backed up a midweek score of 158 for New South Wales Futures team, by scoring two runs off the final delivery to bring up his century and finish with 101 not out.

In response North Sydney elected to attack from the outset and got the better of Easts in the first ten overs as they moved to 0-52.

But as has been the case on many occasions in the limited-overs format, off-spinner Will Sommerville (4-32) pulled the game back in Easts' favour with ten straight overs that produced the first four wickets.

Australian bowler Nathan Bracken (2-39) then returned for a menacing second spell that produced two quick wickets and all but end North Sydney's hopes.

Bad weather eventually halted play after 43.4 overs with North Sydney 9-208, giving Easts a 51-run victory on Duckworth-Lewis method.

The victory meant Easts finished third in the Limited-Overs Competition and the Dolphins will now play St George in a qualifying final at Waverley Oval on February 7.

In the meantime Easts' next match is a two-day fixture against Northern Districts, which begins next Saturday.

Scoreboard

1st Grade: Easts 5-272 (P Forrest 101* G Clarence 73) def Norths 9-208 (W Sommerville 4-32)

2nd Grade: Easts 226 (A Robson 61 L Kirk 44) def Norths 202 (D Richards 3-31 D Rootes 3-37)

3rd Grade: Easts 5-300 (L Bower 101* S Warner 73 M Forster 71) def Norths 206

4th Grade: Norths 9-160 (K Rimmer 4-37) def Easts 159 (K Rimmer 55*)

5th Grade: Norths 4-110 def Easts 109

2nd GRADE REPORT

NORTHS CAN'T BEAR THE HEAT

Seconds prevailed in tough conditions at North Sydney 1 on Saturday, winning the one-dayer by 24 runs.

The old saying that "catches win matches" held true as some spectacular catches by the Dolphins helped their defence of 226 while the temperature soared past 40 degrees during the afternoon.

After winning the toss and batting, openers Angus Robson and Lee Kirk (44) posted a solid partnership of 76 with Robson finishing on a match-high of 61. However, a middle-order collapse saw Easts lose 4/9 before Adam Ezekiel (41) and Bernie Ballin (19 off 13) carried the score to 7/183.

It looked like a score of 200 was unlikely at 8/187 but Dave Richards (18 off 11), Daniel Rootes (16 off 18) and Angus Palmer pushed through to the final over, adding 39 for the last 2 wickets.

Norths commenced their innings aggressively with 26 in the first 4 overs before Ballin pulled them back. Richards took 2 wickets during a great spell of tight bowling and then Adam Ezekiel snared a superb one-handed catch above his head off Rootes.

Ezekiel took a wicket himself combining with Dan Mitchell for a stumping and Rootes took another to have the Bears 6/107. Then 2 partnerships threatened to take the game away from the Dolphins as the Norths captain batted with the lower order to reach 7/192 with a run a ball required.

Richards came back on and got the breakthrough when Robson took a catch that went high into the air that had darkened with a storm approaching. Shortly after, Mick Maclennan took a brilliant diving catch in the outfied to dismiss the captain off Ezekiel.

Next ball, Ezekiel clean bowled their last man to complete an excellent win, just seconds before heavy rain, thunder and lightning hit the ground.

The victory leaves 2nds only one point outside the top 6 as they travel to fellow finals contenders Northern District for the next 2-day round.

DOLPHINS TAKE OUT LOCAL DERBY

A near full-strength Easts Dolphins team proved too strong for local rivals Randwick-Petersham in round seven of the Limited-Overs competition at Coogee Oval.

Easts were fortunate enough to be fielding five players with first-class experience, two have which have played at international level in the one-day game.

One of those is David Warner, who blasted 32 off 17 balls at the top of the order after Easts incredibly lost their 13th coin toss in a row and were sent in to bat.

The innings allowed Sam Robson and Peter Forrest to build a solid partnership of 94 that saw Easts move to a solid platform of 3-138 after 28 overs.

Ben Shutz (38) and Greg Clarence (51*) then continued on the good work with, Clarences finishing half-century coming off 43 balls, to ensure Easts finished with a strong total of 8-275 after their 50 overs.

The job in defending the target was made easier by the availability of Nathan Bracken, whose opening spell of six overs went for just 8 runs and produced a wicket, which put the pressure on the Randwick-Petersham batsman.

After the slow start Randy-Petes looked to lift the run-rate and as a result wickets fell at regular intervals, with off-spinner Will Sommerville (2-36) the pick of the bowlers through the middle period.

With the score reading 7-138 a bonus point beckoned for Easts but a defiant Usman Khawaja made an unbeaten century to help save face for the home side as they finished with 9-238.

The victory ensures Easts a place in the Qualifying finals for the Limited-Overs competition with one round still remaining, while also keeping their second placing on the overall standings.

Easts will take on North Sydney in another one-day match at Waverley Oval with both Bracken and Warner expected to be available once again.

It wasn't a good round for Easts in the lower grades with Randwick-Petersham clean sweeping the lower grades.

However there was better new on Sunday when the PG team had a convincing victory over Wests. Adam Ezekiel smashed 104 off 85 balls to set up a massive score of 315 for the Dolphins.

Sam Robson was also instrumental, scoring 95 off 94 balls.

In reply Wests scored 165 with Ezekiel backing up his performance with the bat with two wickets.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Easts 8-275 (P Forrest 54 S Robson 52 G Glarence 51*) def R-Petersham 9-238 (N Bracken 2-30)
2nd Grade: R-Petersham 180 (A Palmer 6-21) def Easts 131 (A Ezekiel 41)
3rd Grade: R-Petersham 5-117 def Easts 113
4th Grade: R-Petersham 9-225 def Easts 85 (A Kemmery 3-17 K Rimmer 3-35)
5th Grade: R-Petersham 8-216 def Easts 118
Under-21: Easts 315 (A Ezekiel 104 S Robson 95) def Wests 165
Under-16: Wests 2-83 def Easts 81

BALL DOMINATES AS DOLPHINS GO DOWN IN SECOND GRADE

It was a frustrating day at Waverley on Saturday as a win in the one-day format for the Seconds continues to be out of reach.

In contrast to the 684 runs scored in the two innings last week, a trickier pitch and tight bowling from both sides made the whole day a struggle for the batsmen. Even winning the toss was a problem for Randwick Pete's captain as he hesitated before choosing to bat first.

East's fielding effort was highlighted by Angus Palmer's return of 6/21 off 9.4 overs of precision line and length which produced the usual procession of nicks and near misses. Tim Cutler was the only other multi-wicket taker with 2/43 but all bowlers had good spells of economy.

RP's modest total of 178 appeared attainable but it wasn't to be, as there was only one partnership of note between Lee Kirk (25) and top-scorer Adam Ezekiel (41). Squid was unfortunate to be out stumped after the ball passed the bat and rebounded off the wicket-keeper onto the stumps before he could get back into his crease.

Rob Wilson made a winning return to his former club with 2/28 from 10 overs and formed part of a most effective RP response in the field as they bowled the Dolphins out for 131 in the 41st over.

The lads will be looking to step up when they face 7th placed North Sydney in another one-dayer at the picturesque North Sydney No. 1 this Saturday.

LIONS FRY DOLPHINS ONLY TO BE DENIED

By Max Abbott

The Easts Dolphins managed to hold on for a draw after Fairfield-Liverpool dominated the majority of their two-day match at Rosedale Oval.

It was a gutsy effort from Easts who were annihilated on day one by a rampant Ben Rohrer who smashed 163 off a 150 balls to lead Fairfield to a mammoth first day total of 5dec-435.

In 40 degree heat in western Sydney, Easts were bludgeoned to all parts of the ground on a wicket that was perfect for batting.

The match marked the return of injured Australian bowler Nathan Bracken, who made a rare appearance for Easts, as he managed to get through his target of eight overs with figures of 0/21.

With Bracken's tight spell early, Easts were upbeat, and after Ed Zelma bowled a peach of a delivery that clipped NSW player Grant Lambert's off-stump, the signs at one stage actually looked good for the Dolphins.

But a 152-run partnership by Rohrer and Anthony Clark put Fairfield in a near unassailable position as Easts wilted in the heat.

And as if the day wasn't bad enough, in-form batsman Peter Nevill was dismissed in a five over session before stumps to leave Easts 1-10 at the close of play.

However on day two Easts made a solid start with night-watchman Will Sommerville (51) frustrating the Fairfield attack for the entire first session along with confident looking Sam Robson (62).

Easts biggest chance of seizing victory rested with David Warner, who looked in ominous touch in the middle session for his quickfire 35 but when he was dismissed, the Dolphins focus began to shift toward denying the opposition victory.

Handy contributions from the middle order, including 65 from Ed Zelma relieved the pressure from the Dolphin tail and despite a late flurry of wickets, Easts held on to be 9-349 at stumps and deny potential title threats Fairfield of the six competition points.

Easts will take on Randwick-Petersham in a local derby at Coogee Oval in next Saturday's one-day round.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Fairfield-Liverpool 5dec-435 drew Easts 9-349 (E Zelma 65 S Robson 62)
2nd Grade: Easts 6-341 (G Clarence 129) def Fairfield-Liverpool 340
3rd Grade: Easts 159 (L Bower 65) def Fairfield-Liverpool 144 (S McGoldrick 5-25)
4th Grade: Easts 123 & 1-99 def Fairfield-Liverpool 73 (H Brooks 4-14) & 148 (T Brown 5-32) outright
5th Grade: Fairfield-Liverpool 152 def Easts 127

2nds CHASE DOWN ANOTHER BIG TARGET

2nd Grade continues to climb the ladder after another 1st Innings win over Fairfield-Liverpool at Waverley on the weekend.

It was the second time this season a big total was comfortably passed and the lads finished on a similar total with 4 wickets in hand to claim the 6 points.

On what was described as a near Test quality pitch, Lee Kirk sent the opposition into bat on Saturday to the surprise of some. The grassy surface suggested that the wicket would be most lively on the first morning and the weather was forecast to be warm on both days. And Lee-roy was spot on.

F-L was bowled out in the last over of Day 1 for a sizeable 340. Spin "twins" Tim Cutler and Daniel Rootes taking 3 wickets each. Earlier Dave Richards clean bowled both openers and Jake Turner took another to have them reeling at 3/42. However, it was tough going after that for the bowlers and some good catches prevented what could have been a bigger run chase.

On Sunday, Greg Clarence made a superb return from injury with an effortless 129 and was only halted by the most unlucky of run outs at the non-striker's end after the bowler dropped a return catch on the follow through and somehow deflected the ball onto the stumps. Welcome back Claro!

Steve Warner finished unbeaten on 58 in another robust display. Partnerships were the order of the day as the lads finished the chase with a barrage of boundaries.

It's back to the one-day format this Saturday with the local derby against Randwick Petes at Waverley. Onward and upward!

3's GO SEVEN IN A ROW

By Nathan Loveday

The 3's continued their winning form of late taking it to 7 in a row just after christmas.

Easts turned up to Fairfield Oval looking forward to first use of a newly layed square and first game at fairfield this season. Grass was long so boundaries were not going to come easy.

It was skipper Sean Paul Mcgoldrick and Prinya Kham who spun the game in the dolphins favour.

On Saturday it was a disappointing display from the dolphins being dismissed for 159 with Luke Bower fresh off a hundred hitting 65 and Kirk Rimmer 37, the pair putting on 104 for the 8th wicket partnership. The less said about the batting the better.

The dolphins being bowled out with 14 overs left in the day and the lions were 0/12 off 14 at the close.

Sunday was a massive day with easts very quiet early bowling tight lines and fielding well first wicket fell with Taucher bowling Bower Catching.

With Fairfield cruising at 4/100 S.P turned the the leg spin of himself and Prinya. It worked a treat with dots building to wickets, and the runs looked further and further away for the lions. S.P bowled really well as did Prinya bowling with great control. Highlight of S.P's bowling was the wicket which had their number 4 bowled on nearly the 2nd bounce.

After giving much lip on day 1 S.P thought only fair to let him know where the sheds were, was a very humerous encounter as he didnt have much to say once he was embarresed by S.P's worst ball of the day only to miss it and have his middle peg knocked back.

Prinya bowled with great variation and their partnership bowling swung the game back in Easts way. The intensity and energy lifted after tea and the 6 wickets required were taken to leave everyone very happy with the hard days work.

Fozzy took his first 2 slips catches for the year, Thliveris, Bower, Taucher, Sp 2 caught and bowled's and a catch at cover were the fieldsmen involved in the dismissals.

A good fight and comeback from easts after looking far from a win.

Next Week is a Local Derby against Randwick at Kensington so hopefully we can make it 8 in a row.

Double delight for Dolphins

By Jodie Newell

Easts Dolphins enjoyed a successful weekend of cricket at Waverley Oval with impressive wins over Campelltown-Camden and Mosman.

Both victories sees the Dolphins consolidating their top two position on the Sydney Cricket Association first grade ladder.

In Saturday's match, Easts had posted 8/346 the previous week against Campbelltown-Camden and sent the Ghosts in at the start of play.

A steady opening pace attack led by Max Abbott and Angus Palmer saw Campbelltown-Camden lose early wickets.

Easts kept up the pressure in the field with the turning point of the match coming via a brilliant slips catch taken by Adam Ezekiel off the bowling of Max Abbott to dismiss top scorer Gascoigne for 68.

Will Sommerville chimed in with 3 wickets and quickly ended the Campbelltown-Camden innings.

Easts dismissed the Ghosts for 192 and took vital first innings points.

Best bowing: Will Somerville 3/24 Angus Palmer 3/29 Max Abbott 2/44

On Sunday, Easts matched up against Mosman in an entertaining one-day fixture.

Mosman won the toss and elected to bat on a flat wicket.

Easts through strong fielding and economical bowling from Will Somervile 2/13, Angus Robson 2/34 and Adam Zampa 4/59 managed to keep the Mosman total to a getable 224.

In the run chase, openers Sam Robson 105 and Peter Nevill 107* were outstanding, building a 203 run partnership.

Peter Nevill's unbeaten 107 was his fourth century of the season and has amassed an incredible 600 runs for the year.

Scoreboard

1st Grade: Easts 8dec-346 def Cambpelltown-Camden 194

2nd Grade: Easts 8dec-327 def Cambpelltown-Camden 300 (T Cutler 3-66)

3rd Grade: Easts 3-221 (B Carey 110) def Cambpelltown-Camden 220 (J Taucher 5-45)

4th Grade: Cambpelltown-Camden 4-227 def Easts 226

5th Grade: Easts 5dec-251 def Cambpelltown-Camden 207

1st Grade L-O: Easts 1-227 (P Nevill 107* S Robson 105) def Mosman 226 (A Zampa 4-59)

Green Shield: Easts 7-212 def Mosman 166

2nd Grade report - Adrian Tham

Taking 10 wickets on a warm day at Raby is never an easy task and the lads sweated for the full day before bowling the Ghosts out for an even 300, to take first innings points by 27 runs.

C-C's top order had a bright start after losing an early wicket from the bowling of Jake Turner, reaching nearly 4 and over in the first 20 overs and looking comfortable just 2 wickets down by the half-way mark.

Enter Tim Cutler and Daniel Rootes who spun a swathe through the batting with Rootes taking 3 wickets before tea including 2 in 2 balls. However, nervous times prevailed as Ghosts opener Brendan Jones, ended the middle session by completing a century after being dropped twice earlier.

Despite the setbacks, the lads worked hard all day with their ground fielding and there were many runs saved by desperate diving. Their effort was rewarded when Jones was run out by Puru Rathore in the first over after tea.

A huge effort was put in right to the end, as subsequent partnerships threatened to build, but Cuts took his third to break the back of the middle order, James Galbraith claimed his first wicket in 2nds and JT destroyed the stumps of their number 11 to finish the match.

To epitomise the effort for the day, captain Lee Kirk left the field in the final overs with split webbing in his hand and unwittingly spilt a drop of blood on the scorebook! Enjoy the well-earned break lads!

3rd Grade report

Jacob Taucher and Ben Carey have given the Easts 3's the perfect Christmas and New Year gift with a dominant 7 wicket win over the 7th Placed Ghosts.

In the warm up the young-uns won 2-1 with Jacob Taucher not only staring the game but also the touch footy setting up both tries for the young-uns, it was sensed that the oldies would tire in the heat and they did with filthy throwing some, at times ugly passes finding the ground on many occasions. That takes the run of the young-uns to 5.

Anyway back to the game, and a picturesque Trumper the best it has looked since Rino played there back in the 1980's, the ghosts were 9/220 overnight with tauch sitting on 4 searching for his first grade 5fa.

The bowling side of things was short lived for the dolphins with Jacob "SS friendship" Taucher taking his Michelle Pfeiffer with their captain edging it straight into the open gloves of wicketkeeper Loveday. Taucher finished with 5/46 which was a great effort and well deserved.

The ghosts dismissed for 221 with only 1 run added to the overnight score.

Ben Carey and Joel James opened the batting and didn't they put on a show bringing up the 100 partnership between the new odd couple in 3's in just over 28 overs.

Joel James dismissed for 54 caught and bowled off yet again another flukey catch first ball of the new bowlers delivery.

In between Carey smashing the ghosts to all parts of Trumper Den. Was a very interesting conversation club coach Zelma and some of the boys about their choice of website on the new iPhone, in the end Prinya gave the club coach some helpful advice on how to get his screen fixed that was Broken whilst " riding a bus".

Ben Carey celebrated his elavation the 3's with a brilliant century smashing 4's everywhere he impressed on the drive and cut and played very well on the off side.

After Joel was dismissed Josh Hill came and went quickly, then Prinya joined and batted well being dropped by their Captain 2nd ball Prin punished them and finished with 33 not out. Ben was finally dismissed for 110 caught at first slip. Jordan Thliveris finished off the game with a couple not out and the dolphins 3's finished with 6 in a row which supported by a massive crowd of 9 who saw the winning runs all friends of a campbelltown player but i heard they enjoyed the mighty dolphins team song.

On behalf of 3's we would like to wish the club a very Merry Xmas and Happy New Year.

LAST SESSION BLITZ PUTS EASTS ON TOP

A final session blitz with the bat from the Easts Dolphins has them in control at the halfway stage of their two-day match against the Campbelltown-Camden Ghosts.

Easts smashed 187 runs in the final session of the day to post an intimidating target of 8-346 by stumps.

The afternoon onslaught was set up by a mammoth partnership of 178 by Pete Forrest (91) and Justin Waller (81), who negotiated difficult morning conditions and tight bowling to a lay a formidable platform.

For the majority the partnership focused on survival and careful accumulation of runs before the pair finally wore down their opponents, although both players were disappointed to narrowly miss out on deserved centuries.

The shift in gears in the Easts batting was exemplified by the fact that the Dolphins had crawled to 2-159 after the first two sessions before more than doubling their tally after tea.

Ben Shutz (40) and Angus Robson (41) finished the afternoon assault after Forrest and Waller had been dismissed, which ensured that Easts were rewarded for their earlier hard work.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Easts 8-346 (P Forrest 91 J Waller 81) v Campbelltown-Camden
2nd Grade: Easts 8-327 (L Bower 105* M Maclennan 72) v Campbelltown-Camden
3rd Grade: Campbelltown-Camden 9-220 (J Taucher 4-45) v Easts
4th Grade: Easts 226 v Campbelltown-Camden
5th Grade: Easts 6-210 (K Irie 82) v Campbelltown-Camden

BOWER BUSTS GHOSTS



Luke Bower marked his return to 2nds with a superb 105 not out at Raby 1 on the first day. The team finished the day at 9/327 on a tricky pitch with some variable bounce.

Bower's 100 was off just 107 balls and was characterised by an array of field-piercing drives alongside well-placed singles and twos. Earlier in the day, runs were hard to come by as the C-C bowlers stuck to a line outside off stump to a stacked off-side field.

Lee Kirk and Puru Rathore compiled a steady opening partnership of 67, after which both were dismissed in the 40s. Mick MacLennan backed up his good innings last week with another 74. The trio patiently held out the Ghosts and allowed for a late surge with wickets in hand.

LB came in with the innings evenly poised at 4/115 but then attacked the tiring Ghosts' bowlers with Mick and the lower order. 115 runs were scored in the last 16 overs of the day and the Dolphins go into Day 2 with the upper hand.

3rd Grade Report

Easts 3's were on the lookout for win number 6 in a row, S.p lost the toss and the Ghosts said they would bat on a hard and green wicket.

The young-uns defeated the oldies in the wamr up 3-2 in a close one but jst dominance and smarts got the young-uns over the line.

Back to the game..... Kirk Rimmer and Jacob Taucher opened the bowling with JT striking first getting their opener with a cracker, little outswinger that caught the edge straight into the waiting hands of Joel James at 2nd slip. Next ball he struck again with the skipper taking a catch at cover after their #3 i think its fair to say misjudged the ball.

The rest of the day was slow, and after the last 4 games we new we had to be patient. Wickets didnt fall at regular intervals and we bowled really tight and created chances having them 5/100, then 8/150 at the end of the day they finished 9/220 on a road off 80 overs.

Prinya Kham 3/35 Jacob Taucher 4/40 great bowling displays Prin bowled with great areas, S.P picked up an LBW much to the disgust of their batsmen. Easts with it all to do next week the biggest questions is will they bat on or will they declare.

Until next time.

Nathan Loveday

DOLPHINS OUTPLAYED BY SHARKS

Not even an unbeaten century from in-form wicket-keeper batsman Peter Nevill could save the Easts Dolphins from defeat in their two-day match against Sutherland at Waverley Oval.

Nevill played a lone hand of 109* as Easts crumbled in the face of a sizeable first innings score of 313 by Sutherland.

The game was lost in the first session of day two, where Easts scored an abismal 5-71 and the mountain left to climb proved to high.

Sutherland maintained the pressure on Easts after the lunch break and with former New Zealand international Andre Adams in their weaponry they were able to end the match before tea with Easts all out for 190.

Nevill, who opened the batting watched every one of his team mates come and go but despite the carnage held his head high in his chanceless innings.

Hopefully for Nevill, who is part of the NSW squad, his third unbeaten century of the season may bring some personal reward in the form of selection as the Blues wicket-keeper in the upcoming Sheffield Shield fixtures.

The loss means Easts have slipped from first to third on the points table but they could take pole position back with victory against Campbelltown-Camden in another two day match at Waverley Oval starting next Saturday.

Scoreboard

1st Grade: Sutherland 9-313 def Easts 190 (P Nevill 105*)

2nd Grade: Sutherland 5dec-114 & 7-244 def Easts 112 & 7dec-247 (L Kirk 79 M Maclennan 72)

3rd Grade: Easts 140 def Sutherland 136 (J Gailbraith 5-33)

4th Grade: Easts 171 v Sutherland 156 (T Brown 4-46)

5th Grade: Sutherland 7-229 def Easts 228

SUTHERLAND SINK DOLPHINS ON THE LAST BALL

2nd Grade was at the wrong end of a remarkable final ball finish at Glenn McGrath Oval. Requiring 3 off the last ball of the match, a flick towards fine leg was enough for Sutherland to scramble to an outright victory with 3 wickets in hand.

After struggling with the bat on Day 1, Easts put together a fiesty second innings of 7/247, opening up the game with a sporting declaration and aiming to pull the game out of the fire. Lee Kirk led the way with 79, Mick MacLennan blasted 72 and Steve Warner, an ever-entertaining 46.

To cap off the innings Bernie Ballin smashed 40 not out off just 14 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes, and Sutherland were left with a target of 244 off 42 overs.

At 0/69 by the half-way mark, Sutherland had a bit of work to do in completing the chase but despite losing regular wickets towards the end, there were enough snicks, edges, near misses and rushed singles to get them across the line. Tim Cutler took 4 wickets and Daniel Rootes 3.

The lads were naturally disappointed but will turn their focus to next round's match versus bottom-of-the-table Campbelltown-Camden at Raby.

3rd Grade Report

Easts 3's continued their good form by scraping in with a win against sutherland.

Easts won a tight one by bowling sutherland out for 136 after scoring 140 last week.

James Galbraith capped off his highest score in grade with career best bowling figures of 5/56 off 24 overs which included 6 maidens. Kirk Rimmer had an excellant spell of bowling 3/21 off 15 overs which included 8 maidens. They were the 2 stars.

The young-uns comprehensively beat the oldies 3-0 in the warm up game with Luke Bower leading the young-uns well whilst being on the oldies he did help out with a couple of intercepts.

Easts started well with Sutho 3/33 overnight easts picked up 5 quick wickets to have Sutho 8/58. The sideshow bob look alike stayed with their captain and built a partnership the easty bowlers kept patient with Fozzy getting the breakthrough with the score on 110. The #11 looked shakey and as the captain kept the strike and kept scoring sneaky runs they got to 136 after numerous amount of LBW appeals were turned down. With Matt Sutherland picking up the final wicket LBW to give easties the 6 points and 5 in a row.

Great momentum for us.

Josh Hill picked up 3 catches behind the stumps, all 3 off Jimmy Galbraith.

Jimmy bowled great line and length and kept patient and really did deserve the wickets.

Lucky enough for the 3's the bowlers kept us in the game and bowled really well.

next week the 3's take on The Ghosts at The Den.

WOUNDED DOLPHINS STILL SWIMMING AGAINST SHARKS

An injury-hit Easts Dolphins toiled hard in hot conditions to keep the match within reach at the halfway stage of their two-day match against the Sutherland Sharks.

With captain Nick Berry already out with a fractured wrist, stand-in skipper Ed Zelma broke down in just the fifth over of his opening spell with a torn hamstring, leaving Easts a bowler short.

The situation was compounded by the absence of seamer Tim Armstrong and leg-spinner Adam Zampa who were away at the Australian under 19 carnival.

Zelma's departure was made more frustrating by the form he showed in his brief opening spell. His aggressive start yielded two early wickets that put Sutherland on the back foot at 2-15.

However, determined not to be overcome by the setbacks, Easts continued to dominate the morning session but could not break through again before lunch as Sutherland went in to the break with score reading 2-61.

In trying conditions and being a bowler down, the onus largely fell on off-spinner Will Sommerville (4-134), who bowled for the entire middle session and did a terrific job for the Dolphins.

Just as the Sharks appeared to be gaining momentum Sommerville picked up three quick wickets and put Easts in a dominating position with Sutherland 6-149.

Despite a sustained effort from Easts, the Sharks batsman gained the upper hand in the afternoon. A combination of good batting and some missed opportunities in the field saw the Sharks starting eyeing off a score of 350.

Fortunately for Easts, Sam Robson (3-72) took a couple of late wickets to slow Sutherland down, as they finished 9-313 at stumps.

Day two will commence at 1030am at Waverley Oval next week.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Sutherland 9-313 (W Sommerville 4-134) v Easts
2nd Grade: Easts 112 & 2-12 v Sutherland 5dec-114
3rd Grade: Easts 140 v Sutherland 3-30 (J Gailbraith 2-10)
4th Grade: Easts 171 (R McDowell 70) v Sutherland 3-21
5th Grade: Easts 228 (T Doyle 66*) v Sutherland 1-20

3rd Grade

The dolphins returned to the Den looking to continue their great start to the year against Sutherland in really good conditions.

S.P won the toss and chose to bat on a green wicket but was rock hard and if batsmen were going to apply themselves would make for a good days batting.

In the warm up game of touch not much more needs to be said than a dominant display by the young-uns with the final score of 4-1 showing the dominance.

The new opening pair of Nathan Loveday and Joel James opened and finished with a partnership of 19 loveday (1) James (15) went quickly to leave the dolphins 2/20.

It was mostly downhill from here with only Josh Hill (25), Prinya Kham (20) and number 11 Jimmy Galbraith pushing for a promotion top scoring with 27. Easts all out 140.

Disappointing to say the least,

Anyway time for Sutho to bat. It didnt start well for the visitors with Jimmy striking early with Rafique caught at point with an athletic catch by joel james moving to his left, dolphins on top early.

Kirk Rimmer got the #3 who came out slashing drives int he air and trying to hit kirk who bowled 4 maidens in a row at one stage over his head. He was out caught at cover by the skipper who took a good catch down low.

Then former dolphin grant Johnson was caught behind after Jimmy galbraith set him up and Josh Hill took a simple catch behind the pegs.
So at the end of the day 173 runs and 13 wickets fallen the game is in the balance with the easties finishing off the day alot better than it started.

Easts 10/140
Jimm Galbraith 27
Josh Hill 25
Sutherland 3/33
Jimmy Galbraith 2/22
kirk Rimmer 1/6

Nathan Loveday

FIRST GRADE SUFFER FIRST LOSS

THE Easts Dolphins unbeaten start to the season came to an end on Sunday with a loss in round three of the Twenty20 cup to Sydney University.

A low slow wicket meant the usual array of stroke making seen in the game's shortest form was replaced with a more defensive strategy.
Easts fielded first and despite conceding 17 runs in the first over pulled the Students back with a tight bowling effort.

Leg-spinner Sam Robson picked up three crucial middle order wickets that helped restrict Sydney Uni to 9-114 from 20 overs.

Whilst the total looked small it always seemed a bridge to far for the Dolphins. After ten overs Easts only managed 37 runs and could not recover, finishing with 9-88. The loss knocks Easts out of the Twenty20 tournament.

However it was still a positive weekend for the Dolphins, who claimed a five grade clean sweep of University of New South Wales on Saturday.

In First Grade, Easts survived a tense run chase to remain in top position on the points table. Resuming at 4-70 in pursuit of 225, Easts lost captain Nick Berry early in the day to slump to 5-79.

But a calm Peter Forrest scored 79 on a pitch where all the other batsman struggled and his innings took Easts within sight of victory.

Adam Zampa and Ed Zelma put the finishing touches on the win with nervous partnership of 20 for ninth wicket.

In other news Second Grade captain Lee Kirk became just the fourth player in Easts' 115 year history to score 10,000 runs for the club.
Needing just 14 runs at the start of the innings, Kirk made 65 not out to guide Easts to a five wicket victory. Well done Lee, outstanding Achievement!

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Easts 8-227 (P Forrest 79) def UNSW 225
2nd Grade: Easts 5-218 (L Kirk 65* D Mitchell 59*) def UNSW 217
3rd Grade: Easts 7-219 (L Bower 82*) def UNSW 217
4th Grade: Easts 351 def UNSW 175 (T Brown 4-35) & 3-110
5th Grade: Easts 9dec-242 def UNSW 116 & 6-194
1st Grade T20: Sydney University 9-114 (S Robson 3-25) def Easts 9-88
Under 21 T20: Sydney University 153 def Easts 105

2nd Grade

10,000 REASONS TO CELEBRATE - Adrian Tham

The good form of 2nds continued on the weekend when they chased down UNSW's total of 217 to claim 1st innings points.

It was a momentous day for captain Lee Kirk who notched up his 10,000th Grade run for Easts in compiling an unbeaten 65. However for Kirk the milestone was not to be a distraction as he focussed on getting the Dolphins home after the innings was in trouble at 4/57.

Puru Rathore joined his captain for a 71-run partnership to steady the ship, then Dan Mitchell combined with Kirk for an unbeaten 100-run partnership to bring home the points. Mitchell finished not out 59, adding to his 4 catches in the UNSW innings.

The bowling performances were consistent and persistent on Day 1 with Daniel Rootes claiming 5 wickets and Bernie Ballin taking 3 as the Uni batsmen were unable to put together a big partnership.

So it's on to Glenn McGrath Oval for Round 7 where the lads will be aiming to get closer to the top 6 when they take on 4th-placed Sutherland.

3rd Grade

Easts took the points against the bumblebee's in a seesawing encounter at David Phillips.

Easts started poorly loosing Mark "O'doyle" Andersson in the first over. Uncle Warner followed soon after for 19 to have the dolphins reeling at 2/30. Then wickets fell in batches and Easts were in all sorts at 6/110 after loosing Hill, Forster, James and Loveday.

Fozzy very unlucky being given out caught behind after hitting pad.

The skipper S.P joined Luke Bower and helped get the dolphins to 7/195 before S.P(25) fell to a slower ball from the left arm medium. Luke Bower man of the match scored 82* in a glorious innings smashing cover drives, cutting and flicking off the hip to the fence all day. It was a chanceless innings and Luke took control and showed the rest of the middle order how to do it and finished the innings not out in what was well deserved. Tim cutler finished off the last 16 runs in one fowl swoop smashing a 4,4,6,4 to take the dolphins past the total.

The chase was made alot harder loosing wickets in clumps and not building partnerships.

We stuck together and got home. Next week we take on Sutherland back at the Den which should be another tough clash.

Nathan Loveday



HONOURS SHARED AFTER DAY ONE

A seesawing first day's play has ended in the balance at the halfway point of the Easts Dolphins' two-day clash against UNSW.

Incredibly Easts skipper Nick Berry's poor run with the toss continued, losing his seventh straight coin flip, which ensured the Dolphins would once again be fielding first in what seemed ideal batting conditions.

UNSW got off to a quick start, scoring 40 off the first eleven overs without losing a wicket. However, Berry brought himself on as first change and had a profound impact, picking up three wickets in his first two overs to put Easts on top at 3-52.

This slowed the momentum of the Uni batsman but they were still able to steady the ship and head to the luncheon interval at 3-112.

The Dolphins came out with renewed vigour after the interval and picked up two wickets to regain their dominance.

However the plucky UNSW batsman were not about to rollover. A sixth wicket partnership worth 70 took them to 5-204 and in position to post a big first innings score.

But in keeping with day's trend the Dolphins hit back in the 15 minutes before tea, with an aggressive spell from Tim Armstrong netting two wickets and Ed Zelma snaring a direct-hit run out.

After tea, Easts were then able to quickly finish the UNSW innings and were satisfied to restrict the Bumblebees to 225 in what was a terrific all-round bowling and fielding performance.

This left the Dolphins 23 overs to bat in the day and although Sam Robson and Peter Nevill looked to be cruising at 0-32, one last change in momentum still remained in the day. Easts lost both openers, Brad Haddin and nightwatchman Will Sommerville in quick time to leave the match interestingly poised with Easts 4-70.

The Dolphins will be hoping not out batsman Peter Forrest (21*) and Nick Berry (2*) will be able to do the bulk of the work to keep Easts' unbeaten start to the year in tact.

Scoreboard

1st Grade: UNSW 225 (N Berry 3-30) v Easts 4-70

2nd Grade: UNSW 217 (D Rootes 5-47) v Easts 1-25

3rd Grade: UNSW 217 (J Gailbraith 4-38)

4th Grade: Easts 351 (B Carey 105) v UNSW

5th Grade UNSW 116 v Easts 5-166 (D Chapman 67)

3rd Grade Report

The 3's turned out at David Phillips North taking on the bumblebee's. 5th vs 15th on the table but as we all know at cricket its not the way it works.

The dolphins lost the toss and after much discussion before the game about the pressure S.P it was surprising that he cracked and we were asked to field in what looked like it was going to be a hot and humid day but turned out to be very nice with a slight breeze dropping the temp.

The oldies won the warm up game of touch with the oldies using their experiance to cheat a 2-1 win.

Jimmy and Jake (rockspider) Turner opened the bowling with the Spida bowling nice heat and Jimmy bowling through to drinks grabbing 2 wickets both caught behind and Easts were on top at 2-24. The up until tea it was all one way traffic with fielding standard let slip a little bit but thw bowlers toiled hard with S.P taking the opener caught at mid wicket by Josh Hill. Cuts once again bowled his line and length that has troubled batsmen all year. Cuts and S.P bowled in a good partnership if it wasn't for a miss stumping, a caught behind given not out and some poor fielding we would have cleaned the bumblebee's up for under 200. Cuts picked up their captain bowled, 1 caught at first slip by Spida Turner, and S.P grabbing his 2nd with an LBW a square up if ever you have seen it.



In what was display of Blacktown only a couple of weeks ago the #10 proceeded to bloke and try and wait for the rain. He will still be there next week scoring not over 10 off about 100 balls, through just consistently dead batting everything and not offering a shot he was the last man dismissed to the delight of the dolphins. So to wrap up the day Jimmy toiled really hard for 4/38 off 17. Tim Cutler continued with 3/63, and S.P grabbed 2/31. Fielding still needs improvement if we switched on for a bit longer the bee;s would have been kept under 200. So the target next week 218 off the whole 80.

Until next week

go the dolphins!

UNSW 10/217

S.P 2/31

Jimmy 4/38

Cuts 3/63
Nathan Loveday

EASTS MOVE INTO TOP POSITION

THE Easts Dolphins continued their unbeaten run to the start of the season with two convincing victories over the weekend to move in to top position on the First Grade table.

On Sunday, a clinical bowling and fielding display allowed the Dolphins to comprehensively defeat Parramatta in round two of the Twenty20 cup.

Spinners Will Sommerville (2-10) and Adam Zampa (3-10) were particularly impressive, as Parramatta were bowled out for 88 in the rain-shortened 17 overs a side game.

In response, Australian Twenty20 opener David Warner blasted 27 off 15 balls at the top of the order to break the back of what was already a modest required run-rate.

After a short rain-delay, the Dolphins target was revised to 65 off 12 overs, which was passed easily with three overs and eight wickets in hand.

On Saturday, a mammoth century to Peter Nevill allowed Easts carry on from their dominant position after day one to thrash the Gordon Stags.

Chasing 166, Easts resumed at 0-91 and despite losing Sam Robson early for 66, passed the total for the loss of just one wicket.

Easts batted on in the hope of perhaps gaining an outright victory but at tea with the score at 4-284, the match ended with first innings points gained for the Dolphins. Nevill, finished with a 149 not out to boost his average after five games to a whopping 117.5.

Easts will next take on UNSW at the Village Green in a two-day match starting on Saturday.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Easts 4-284 (P Nevill 149* S Robson 66 P Forrest 49) def Gordon 166
2nd Grade: Easts 288 def Gordon 222 (B Ballin 4-40)
3rd Grade: Easts 6-280 (P Rathore 62) def Gordon 277
4th Grade: Gordon 7-234 def Easts 230
5th Grade: Easts 256 drew Grodon
1st Grade T20: Easts 2-66 def Parramatta 88 (D/L method)
U/21 T20: Parramatta 120 def Easts 115

2nd Grade Report

DAI CAST FOR UNBEATEN TON

Easts 2nds completed 2 wins on the trot by bowling Gordon out for 222 in reply to the Dolphins' 283 from Day 1. Dai Williams top-scored with 142 not out which included 22 fours and a six onto the roof of the grandstand at Chatswood Oval. Many of the boundaries flowed from superb text book cover drives and cuts, and the innings was all the more special with Williams' parents visiting from overseas to witness the innings which lasted more than three and a half hours.

Easts were in trouble at 5/70 when Williams was joined by Daniel Mitchell for a 72 run partnership for the 6th wicket. Williams and Dave Richards then shared in a 129 run partnership for the 8th wicket with Richards scoring a classy 60 including 2 clean hits over the long-on boundary.

In reply, Gordon lost 4 wickets in the final 13 overs of Day 1 but threatened a comeback on Day 2. The fightback was subdued when their top 2 scorers fell to excellent Easts fielding, both run outs, including a direct hit from Daniel Rootes. Bernie Ballin took 3/9 during a fiery spell at the end of the first day and finished with 4/40 off 17.3 overs.

2nds now have their sights firmly on this week's match against UNSW at Waverley. Well done lads!

3rd Grade Report

Easts 3's capped off a dominating round or the dolphins with a 3 wickets win over the stags at THE DEN.

In the warm up the oldies won 3-2 after a massive amount of cheating threw blatant forward passes being let go the tally moves to Young-ens 3 wins the Oldies 3. Anyway back to the real game.

Chasing 272 for the victory Oompa and Dj Hammy opened batting proving that the "odd couple" tag is working with 113 run partnership before oompa was caught at cover for 42 in which there were 8x4's.

Dj Hammy performed well with the bat scoring 67 and continuing his dominating bating performances of late with a flurry of boundaries.

Easts lost 4 wickets quickly to go from 1/113 to 4/150 in a very quick period of time, But recovered well building little partnerships and getting that total right near the final score. Fozzie was on fire in his return to 3rd grade with 46 before slipping back onto the green Trumper stumps.

Skipper S.P and Lovejoy put on a solid partnership before lovejoy was out run out for 28, S.P continued on and finished with 35 not as Easts moved well and truely into the top 6 and continued the good run of late.

Easts play UNSW at David Phillips next week which should be a bobby dazzler of a clash.

Go you dolphins!

Easts 7/273

Dj Hammy 67

Fozzy 46

Oompa 42

S.P 35*

Lovejoy 28



defeated

Gordon 9(dec)/272

krimmer 3/37


EASTS IN COMMAND ON DAY ONE

A dominant opening session from the Easts Dolphins has put them in a near unassailable position after the opening day of their clash with the Gordon Stags.

Easts, for the fifth consecutive occasion lost the coin toss and their invitation to field on a flat Waverley wicket in sunny conditions didn't seem all that inviting.

After Gordon had cruised to 0-32 after ten overs, a long day in the field looked likely for the Dolphins until Tim Armstrong snared two wickets in his first over to set the wheels in motion for a spectacular batting collapse.

A combination of tight bowling and some loose shots from the visitors saw another five wickets fall in the session, including two more to Armstrong. This left the Stags in a dire position with the score reading 7-64 at lunch.

After the interval, the procession looked set to continue as Armstrong grabbed his fifth wicket but the Gordon tail-enders found some resolve to frustrate Easts in the middle session.

The last pair put on 61 runs - the highest partnership of the innings, to allow Gordon to crawl their way up to a somewhat defendable score of 161.

With an hour-and-a-half remaining in the day Easts openers Sam Robson (54*) and Peter Nevill (38*) negotiated the Gordon bowlers with ease, hardly giving a chance, as the Dolphins finished the day at 0-91 - needing a further 71 to keep their unbeaten start to the season alive.

Scoreboard
1st Grade: Gordon 161 (T Armstrong 5-24) v Easts 0-91 (S Robson 54*)
2nd Grade: Easts 288 (D Williams 140*) v Gordon 4-33 (B Ballin 3-9)
3rd Grade: Gordon 9-270 (K Rimmer 3-37) v Easts
4th Grade: Easts 233 (A Kemmery 72) v Gordon 4-137
5th Grade: Easts 5-210 (K Kurien 81)

3rd Grade Report

The 3's rocked out to find a picturesque Trumper Den for the game between fellow top 6's Gordon.

S.P won the toss and sent the stags in and after a terrific motivational speech from Jacob taucher the dolphins new that the quote "The Best Ship Is Friendship" was going to help later in the day. Jimmy Galbraith started brilliantly bowling their opener with an absolute peach.

Jimmy then picked up the other opener with a sharp catch to DJ Hammy in the cordon.

So 2 for 50 and the pressure was on, a green top and some hard work found us very unlucky with plenty of edges from their Number 4 who consistently penetrated the gap between 2nd slip and gully.

Finally he was dismissed bowled with a corker of a yorker by K.Rimmer who picked up 1 more LBWand another catch to DJ Hammy in the slips to finish with a patient 3/37. The fielding was pretty good and the intensity was good until the Stags were 9/212 and the number 11 strolled out the foot came off the pedal and he smashed 5x6's in a last wicket partnership of 50. He remained 45 Not.

Cuts toiled hard all day with his Ashley Giles/Mark Waugh style and was rewarded with 1. Taucher Picked up 3 rattling the stumps with some good yorkers.

Jimmy finished with 2. A big task next week will be intresting what the mindset of Gordon is to see if they will delcare or will try and take the attack on which will include Oompa and Fozzy next week with Davey Warner back and Mick Maclennan the services will come in handy in chasing down the total of 272 at the present stage.


DOLPHINS DOMINATE BLACKTOWN

A morning run feast from the Easts Dolphins wasn't enough to gain an outright victory but ensured first innings points against the Blacktown Warriors on a day where the Dolphins completed a rare five grade clean sweep.

In First Grade, Easts resumed day two on 3-174 - already twenty runs ahead of Blacktown's score.

Captain Nick Berry ordered some quick runs in the morning before a declaration and he was able to set the tone himself, as he and Sam Robson plundered the Warriors attack. The pair put on 127 in just 16 overs, with Berry smashing 74 from 51 balls.

Robson, who had resumed from 68 the week before finished unbeaten on 131 as Easts declared on 4-316, with Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin only required for a short innings of 11 not out on his return from a broken finger.

However for as attacking and entertaining as Easts were in the opening hour, Blacktown had soon managed to remove that memory as they dug themselves in to save the outright