THE FINALS - A-Res Grade v Hillgrove 1975
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | March 25, 2026
In an era when reporting of matches in the local Armidale paper was restricted in its detail for grades other than A grade, individual performances during the season are resricted to what was reported in the Waratahs Yearbooks in aggregates, averages and records. In the case of A-Res Grade in the season of 1974-75, it was the season when Brian Joice (#218) dropped out of the top grade and ran a scythe through the Reserves competition. His 87 wickets @ 6.6 are an impressive stat, bettered only once in a Waratahs season by Don Foster's 141, but his strike rate that season was astounding. He took a wicket every 21 balls and conceded just 2.5 runs an over. Only the allrounder, E Ross (#251) also took more than twenty wickets .
Waratahs batting wasn't great, with four batsmen making 200 or more runs but taking a lot of innings to get there. John Roberts (#115) owned the best average at just 22 but then, no one scored many against them!
The Final against Hillgrove is scantily reported. Hillgrove batted first and made 188, with names featuring who would become legend later but were new and youthful then. Remarkably Joice bowled unchanged, delivering every over from one end and getting four wickets. Waratahs response was a poor effort, with Ian Campbell (#212), always reliable under pressure, making his best score of a disappointing season. After many seasons of defeats in deciders in this grade by Hillgrove against Waratahs, this was sweet revenge for the Grovers and the start of some long careers.
Waratahs v Hillgrove - A-Res Grade, 22nd & 23rd March 1975
Hillgrove 188 (Gavin Morgan 44, Jeff Teege 28, Alan Sewell 26, Peter Schaefer 22. Brian Joice 4-71) defeated Waratahs 107 (Ian Campbell 47. Terry Butler 3-25, Phil Gibbons 3-42).
