Randall Woodley
On the last day of fixtures for 2022, the Tewantin-Noosa Thunder Cricket teams registered three wins and two draws to set them all up for a strong push to the finals in March.
There were some great performances with bat and ball, but the highlight was the 154-run innings by Shane Gesell in Sixth Grade.
FIRST GRADE: On Day One of the match, the Coolum Sharks had been dismissed for 72, Thunder declared at 6 for 168 and at stumps the opposition was 1-39 still 57 runs in arrears. Day two saw Thunder opening bowlers, Scott Aufderheide and Tom Stewart bowling aggressively and taking four Coolum wickets in the first hour despite the perfect batting pitch. Then Talon Reichert and Ben Claypole joined in with wickets and a brilliant runout from Scott saw them go to lunch 8 down and only 20 runs ahead.
Another quick wicket after lunch to Scott Aufderheide and it looked like an early day for the team. But as has been the case in the last few games, Thunder ran into another last wicket partnership, this time 70 runs to see Coolum post 196 and set a target of 100 off 50 overs for the win. All the bowlers were excellent again and many of their runs coming from Thunder’s aggressive field placements.
Then, as expected Thunder openers Lewis Waugh (62*) and Jacob Dennien (36*) feasted on the Shark’s bowling to compile a chanceless, unbroken 101 run stand to see their team home by 10 wickets with 25 overs to spare. The team is pressing the teams at the top of the leader board and should be in a good position when the finals come in March.
SECOND GRADE: Week one had finished with Coolum scoring 181 and Thunder no wickets down in reply. Last Saturday, the Thunder night watchmen stayed with Daniel Christensen to get the score to 39. Then Thunder lost a couple of wickets to be 4-71 before Adam Curry came to the crease. The run rate increased with Curry hitting five boundaries until he was out for 33. Daniel Christensen continued batting with new partner, Max Cooper until he departed for an impressive 54 with the team score on 129. At this stage Thunder were 6 wickets down. Captain Jason Toohey joined Cooper and the two batted patiently to pass Coolum’s score with 7 wickets down. Max finished on 43, Toohey 22* and the team registered a winning score of 212.
Coolum batted again and finished the day on 3 for 60, Tyrone De Kauwe picking up 2 for 28. It was a good win for the team and sets the boys up for the games leading up to the finals.
THIRD GRADE: After Thunder declared at 4 for 304, Caboolture was set the task of scoring 305 runs to win the match. A task they had no intention of attempting and Thunder was forced to bowl against a team determined to force a draw. The quality of the batting was questionable, but it was still quite difficult to take wickets with the batsmen taking zero risks.
The opening bowlers were luckless, and it took Tadgh Crowley to break through with two wickets in succession to be on a hat trick. The hat trick did not eventuate, but he took a third wicket soon after. From there it took another 25 overs before another wicket fell. At the 70 over mark the Snakes had crawled to 111 runs and a draw was inevitable.
Special mentions go to Richard Boyd and Ben Wilkson who took their first wickets for the club. Captain’s message after the game- “Well done lads, a good first half of the season and we’ll see you back in the field in January in a push for top 4 in what will be a hotly contested ladder.”
FIFTH GRADE: The team returned to Maroochydore for day 2 with the Swans resuming at 3-233. Farren Cooke took the only wicket before they declared at 4-305. With Maroochydore continuing to bat for 17 overs on day 2 and a huge score to chase, the Thunder had little choice but to play out the day for a draw. The start was not ideal losing a wicket early, but youngster Finn Mayo and the experienced Naveen Chand held things together for some time.
Kent Officer and Finn then put on a very disciplined batting display of protecting their wicket much to the frustration of the Maroochydore players. Finn batted for nearly three hours before being dismissed for 27 (120 balls). Kent also batted for the same amount of time before falling for 51 (121). Farren Cooke 15* and Dave Baker 0 off 19 balls continued the disciplined batting display to see the team finish at 4-124 for a well-played draw.
The draw cements the team’s spot in the top 4 and they are looking forward to the new year and making a serious run for the finals.
SIXTH GRADE: On Day one Palmwoods had been dismissed for 146 and on Day 2 Thunder resumed and passed their score with ease. Shane Gesell scored a magnificent century and a half – 158 (23 X fours and 6 sixes), hitting the ball to every part of the boundary. He was well supported by Wayne Moore (49) Ron Lewis (38) and Brendan Chaplin (38*). The team declared at 6 down for 337 and put Palmwoods in again, hoping for an outright win. All the bowlers toiled well but Palmwoods defence held, and the game fizzled out. This First Innings win puts the team into third place on the ladder after the first half of the season.
