Sunshine Coast Scorchers v University of Queensland in the 1996 Coco Cola One Day Final - 30 year match report
Sunshine Coast Scorchers Cricket Club | February 03, 2026
University v Sunshine Coast, a 30-year Match Report
By the 12th man
Boundary Street, 25 February, 1996
Toss: Sunshine Coast
Just making the 50-over Coca-Cola Cup final in their debut season was a miracle for the Sunshine Coast Scorchers. The beach boys were still finding their way in Brisbane, facing Australian and Queensland players instead of farmers, spanners and bogans on the country circuit.
On a clear, nervy day in Wynnum a collection of enthusiastic amateurs – except for our two top-order legends – faced a University outfit dripping with representative bling. Sure, they had soon-to-be Test players Michael Kasprowicz and Martin Love, and current Bulls Paul Jackson, Wade Seccombe and Geoff Foley. But we had Jeff Thomas and Troy Dixon. And a lawn bowls salesman, a Woolies fisho, a pair of builders, and a couple of guys who laid a lot of cables.
No team had ever been this much of a favourite against a group of Coasties still getting lost on the way to grounds, especially after the Nambour Special School bus deal stopped when the behaviour on the way home became a bit too special. Getting Benny Hackney to the ground on time on a Sunday morning was enough of a triumph even before captain-coach Thommo won the toss and batted.
“All we’d been doing at training all season was fielding,” Thommo, who is widely acknowledged as one of Caloundra’s top 150 players of all-time, probably said. “So we wanted to bat first and hope for them to wilt under the pressure. I felt if we could get three run-outs we’d win.”
Forty-six overs into the match and the Scorchers are dismissed for 144. That’s a bad score in a T20 these days, but back then it at least gave something to defend if the players cared enough.
Legendary openers Thommo and Dicko had provided a sense of calm when they stepped out in the morning, but Kasper got Dicko and when Troy Martyn also fell for four it was 2 for 14 in the eighth over. Thommo was off to his customary flyer and attempted to build a platform with Perry Stahmer.
Somehow Perry, a scrawny dude happiest in a clapped-out floppy hat, muscled three sixes off Jackson’s left-arm slow. Yes, checks scorecard, it definitely says Perry!
Thommo finally burst after sprinting breathlessly to 21 off 68 balls and when Perry’s 32 off 64 ended in a CEO-style volley of abuse the Scorchers were 4 for 84 with more than half their overs gone. It was hard, slow going against the stifling spin of Jackson and Foley and the seam of Mark Shackel. The middle-order pair of Dale Nissan and “I promise I’m not hungover” Hackney tried to grind a way forward but Ally was soon celebrating wildly and inappropriately when Benny slipped up against Foley.
Teenager Ashley Noffke was elevated to No.7 by Thommo to give the innings some oomph, but he was out second ball, pulling and edging behind to Seccombe. Little did we know that Noffers would go on to become one of the Scorchers’ greatest lower-order batsmen.
It was finally time for Paul Henricks. A full bus of supporters had travelled down to watch Dalby Street’s most eligible bachelor, including his blond-haired harem of Sharons, Shellys and Staciiis. Like crowds in the old days waiting for Bradman, the part-time Troppo’s models were restless after running out of stories about Pecker and his heavy bowls. An accomplished, busy lefty, like a club-level Mike Hussey, he’d been pushed down to No.9 and was ready to explode.
Performing just enough teasing in his first appearance to titillate his groupies, he raced to 8 off 9 as the innings’ pace finally rose. Nugget Nissan, who was nicknamed well before The Grade Cricketer’s memes, worked the ball for 18 singles in his 20 as he held things together before Matty Blundell arrived in a typical hurry. Matty was doing Gilchrist things well before Gilly. At the time nobody knew how crucial his 18 off 23 would be.
During the innings break Adrian Barr was nervous. He hadn’t been this stressed since the accidental meeting of Karen and Kerryn all those years ago. Already seen as a veteran despite being only 25, he spent lunch warming up his windmill-style gather and whirring of arms in delivery, only stopping twice to tell that story about Joel Garner not being able to wear shorts.
After lunch the Scorchers stepped out in their seriously unfashionable baggy white caps, which looked like a mound of toilet paper with a curry-stained wipe as the crest. Who knew they would become a collector’s item, along with the Coke-sponsored long-sleeved shirts with a red collar that would run more wildly than a drunk boot-race contender.
Attempting to blast out University’s stars with rapid medium pace, Paul Cash picked up the first wicket and when Barry beat the speechless Martin Love second ball for a duck the star-studded line-up was 2 for 24 in the ninth over. “The scorebook doesn’t say he got an inside edge on it,” Barry remembered. “Well, he said he got an inside edge. The umpire said it was out.” Years later, Love’s wife revealed she was still being woken in the night by her mild-mannered husband’s fever dreams and shouts of “I f***ing hit it”. That’s how big a deal this final was.
Foley attempted to bore everyone before Pecker ended the snorefest with help from a Dicko catch. Swing low, sweet chariot! Pecker is coming forth to carry them home. His combination with Thommo, with both seeing who could do the least with their golden nude balls (send pics!), quickly shifted the game’s momentum.
Showing he was so much more than a contender for the Scorchers’ No.1 party planner, Pecker flexed towards the Harem Hill after removing top scorer and future golf partner Garde (45) and finding Seccombe’s edge for a duck. The bar quickly ran out of West Coast Coolers. In taking the catch Matty’s eyes lit up like he’d put another plug into the wrong socket at work. Thommo’s lbw of Walduck (21) meant the students had lost 3 for 2 and were suddenly 6 for 92 in the 26th over.
As each batsman trudged off Mark Henricks, chief of the cheerleading police and Pecker’s mostly-more-sensible older brother, directed them to the dressing room with his very wet whistle. Stopping briefly, Foley looked like he wanted to straighten his bent arm into Mark’s smirk. “I saw Geoff years later – he’s a good guy,” the Scorchers’ fanboy recalled. “I didn’t mention that we’d met before.”
Big Kasper, auditioning for the end of the 2005 Edgbaston Test, was mesmerised by another not-so-special from Thommo and a couple of overs later a Noffers run out – the first of the innings – made it 8 for 108. After cruising to victory the smarty pants students had lost 5 for 18. The Scorchers were now favourites against the best team in the competition!
Over the next 17 overs University crept towards the total with Shackel and not-much-action Jackson. It was more tense than that time one of the senior players returned from overseas to tell the boys about his on- and off-field achievements and a close admirer was eavesdropping outside the dressing room.
Back at Boundary Street there was eventually something that wasn’t a University single. (If anyone can remember who ran out Shackel let us know in the comments or send a link to the livestream). Four runs to win, four overs and one wicket left. No Scorcher had been freaking out this much since manager Ian Moffett lost the box full of Troppo’s free entry cards. Remind us again how that happened, Moff?
With Barry and Cashy having bowled their 10, would Thommo return to Pecker, whose last over had gone for seven to leave him with 3 for 27, or Noffke, the smiley new kid with a bit of potential? Absolutely not.
Showing the tactical mastery that would lead to a long career as a coach and talent specialist at Queensland Cricket, Thommo decided it was time for pretty part-time Perry. After his first over went for three and Thommo kept his final six deliveries to a single (somehow finishing with 2 for 14 off eight!), stuttering Stahmer was ready, knowing it was one run for a tie. “The captain calls me up to bowl the last over, no pressure,” he remembered.
Four dot balls in a row were delivered by someone who even the No.11 Jackson would have chosen to face to save his life. The fifth sparks the same kind of run-out chaos as when South Africa were dumped from the 1999 World Cup, or the tied Test at the Gabba in 1960-61. The big three deciders in cricket’s history!
The scorecard gives the run out to Dicko, fulfilling Thommo’s three-in-an-innings prophecy. Everyone knows Dicko’s shoulder wouldn’t let him lob a ball to a dog. His pain quickly turns to pleasure.
Finally satisfied, Pecker’s posse swarms on to the field, Scorchers-themed top hats are sent flying, Mark loses his whistle while keeping an eye out for Foley. Benny Hackney bounces crazily around the field thinking it’s a tie. Someone sounds out to him that it’s a W-I-N. Absolute scenes.
The student losers blubber like we did when Moff told us the Troppo’s passes were never coming back. University were gone for 143 in the 49th over. Never. In. Doubt.
In the dressing room Skinny Martyn shouts a rendition of the new team song:
We really shook them up
When we won the Coca-Cola Cup
Cos the Scorchers are the greatest cricket team.
Nobody can remember exactly what happened next – and not just because everyone is now really old. But there was karaoke and Pecker belting out the most vigorous Swing Low, Sweet Chariot of his life. Everyone in the harem wonders how he learned to move his wrist so fast?
Years later, when choosing the most memorable moment of his career, Perry picked this one. “History shows we won by one run,” he said. “What a win and an even better bus trip back to the Coast.”
It really was a miraculous match. And most of this stuff actually happened.
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