THE SEMIS - 1st Grade v Easts 1989
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | March 22, 2026
Waratahs were a side in transition in 1988-89, with youngsters being blooded under first time captain Andrew McNeill (#419- pictured right), they used 23 players across the season. The young players showned promise but only delivered moderate returns, with the exception of Phil Melville (#542-pictured left), in his second season since leaving St Peters. Joe Harrison's (#405) departure back to his native New Zealand created a big experience hole only partially filled by the return of Garry Clark (#285). Past heroes Graham Frost and James Campbell had lost form and Tim Muldoon wasn't available enough.
They had eight wins, including an outright drubbing of St Peters and had beaten their opponents in the Final, Easts, both times they had played, the second time only three weeks earlier.
Easts batted first against McNeill and Melville who bowled and bowled and bowled, before the bright-eyed, Jeremy Roach (#521) and Peter Murphy (#535) - both with good records in the lower grades and solid performances in 1sts that season - were given their chance. It was too late. Rick Porter, the serial killer of Waratahs in finals series during the previous ten seasons, made up for his 10 and 8 in earlier games and pounded Waratahs into oblivion. McNeill and Melville had the dubious honour of being the only two bowlers in Waratahs history, in any grade, to both get bowler's hundreds.
Waratahs lost wickets continually on the second day just as they were building momentum. Tony Sheen (#543), Michael Jones (#571), Daniel Ryan (#514 ), Peter Evans (#532 ) and Mark Dymock (#523 ) all made useful contributions on what was a good wicket and it was a credit to the team that got within 60 of Easts. David Nosworthy and Neil Baillie bowled with annoying tightness, constipating the batsmen into frustration and error and then Nick Piggott picked up easy wickets at the end. It was a case of Easts experienced heads overpowering Waratahs setand one extraordinary innings being the difference.
