St George District Cricket Club are set to face Manly Warringah District Cricket Club in the men’s McDonald’s NSW Premier Cricket first grade grand final, with the decisive fixture to take place across three days at Cricket Central Oval.
The top two ranked teams in the leading grade of Sydney’s premier cricket competition will commence their battle for the Belvidere Cup on Saturday, March 30, with the first ball scheduled for 10am.
St George DCC
Season:
A dominant season saw the Saints clinch the first grade minor premiership in comfortable fashion, boasting a record of 14 wins and only one defeat.
Finals Form:
A five-wicket victory over Randwick Petersham in the qualifying final, followed by a powerful semi-final batting display to hold out defending premiers, Parramatta, would see St George through to the decider.
Bat:
With his 12th and highest first grade century (192*) in last weekend’s semi-final, Kurtis Patterson leapt to the top of St George’s two-day runs tally. Patterson has 581 runs at an average of 96.83.
Ball:
Joshua Moors is the leading two-day wicket taker for the team from Hurstville, having collected 15 wickets (ave. 30.07), while Under 19 ICC World Cup winner, Rafael MacMillan, snared six (6-35) the last time these two clubs met.
Representative inclusions:
Blake Macdonald (NSW Blues), Kurtis Patterson (NSW Blues, Sydney Sixers), Blake Nikitaras (NSW Blues, Sydney Thunder), Ed Pollock (Worcestershire) and Rafael MacMillan (Australia U19) are all likely to feature in the St George line-up.
History:
St George got the better of the Waratahs by a margin of five wickets in their round 6 clash.
Trophy:
The Saints last achieved Belvidere Cup glory in season 2012/13. Kurtis Patterson is the only remaining player from that title winning outfit set to line up for St George this weekend.
Stats:
|
|
Runs |
Average |
High Score |
|
Blake Macdonald |
868 |
72.33 |
182 |
|
Kurtis Patterson |
756 |
84 |
192* |
|
Nicholas Stapleton |
535 |
41.15 |
98 |
|
|
Wickets |
Average |
Best Bowling |
|
Jonathon Craig-Dobson |
27 |
19.67 |
4-18 |
|
Peter Francis |
24 |
23.83 |
5-55 |
|
Rafael MacMillan |
22 |
19.32 |
6-35 |
Statistics include all One-Day & Two-Day Belvidere Cup fixtures
Manly Warringah DCC
Season:
Manly Warringah entered the first grade finals series in second-place, having finished the preliminary season with a record of 11 wins and three losses.
Finals Form:
The side from Sydney’s Northern Beaches held off Gordon’s (7/496) and Northern District’s (6/435) bowling attacks in successive finals fixtures to advance to the trophy clash.
Bat:
Squad captain, Jay Lenton, struck an unbeaten 211* in the qualifying final to propel himself into top spot for first grade two-day runs scored by a Waratah this season (544 @ 54.4), while Ollie Davies’ second century in successive weeks, gives him three at first-grade level this season, to match the three he scored in the Sheffield Shield.
This feat, three centuries in both first-class and first grade matches in the one season, has been performed nine times, the last time by Usman Khawaja in 2009-10.
Ball:
Bertie Foreman has captured more than twice as many two-day competition wickets as his nearest teammate. The O’Reilly co-medallist for 2023/24 sits on 36 dismissals with a best bowling performance of 7-38 and 6-61, captured against Penrith in the final round of the preliminary season.
Representative inclusions:
Oliver Davies (NSW Blues, Sydney Thunder), Jack Edwards (NSW Blues, Sydney Sixers), Joel Davies (NSW Blues, Sydney Sixers), Ryan Hadley (NSW Blues, Sydney Sixers) and Bertie Foreman (Sussex) are all likely to feature in the Manly Warringah line-up.
Trophy:
The Waratahs last claimed the Belvidere Cup in season 2014/15, downing Bankstown at North Sydney Oval. Jay Lenton and Ahillen Beadle are the two remaining squad members from that premiership winning season.
Stats:
|
|
Runs |
Average |
High Score |
|
Joel Foster |
679 |
52.23 |
125 |
|
Jay Lenton |
641 |
45.79 |
211* |
|
Oliver Davies |
447 |
89.4 |
122 |
|
|
Wickets |
Average |
Best Bowling |
|
Bertie Foreman |
50 |
17.16 |
7-38 & 6-61 |
|
Josh Seward |
24 |
22.08 |
5-33 |
|
Ryan Hadley |
20 |
16.7 |
4-25 |
|
Thomas Kaye |
20 |
28.95 |
3-32 & 2-36 |
Statistics include all One-Day & Two-Day Belvidere Cup fixtures
Gerard Abood and Ben Treloar have been appointed as on-field umpires for the fixture. Mitchell Claydon is the reserve umpire.
What: Men’s McDonald’s NSW Premier Cricket First Grade Final
Who: St George v Manly Warringah
When: Saturday, March 30 to Monday, April 1. First ball 10am.
Where: Cricket Central, Sydney Olympic Park
Live scores | HERE
Live stream | HERE