THE SEMIS - 2nd Grade v Uralla 1985
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | March 27, 2026
Waratahs lost eight games during the regular season but somehow managed to qualify 4th and a semi-final meeting with Minor Premiers Uralla. The Tigers had a strong pace attack, led by the experienced campaigner and skipper Brian Barnden, allrounder Byron Whackett and Mark Faulkner. Their batting was aggressive and boundary hungry and had run up some big totals throughout the season.
Two days before the Semi, disaster struck with Jack Trestrail (#303) ruled out. Tressie’s absence, a mainstay in the batting at three and still a useful medium pacer, was a huge blow to Waratahs chances, placing heavy pressure of Graham Johnson (#207) and Alec Finlayson (#340) to continue to score runs towards a competitive total. Trestrail’s replacement, bought into the team on the Thursday night, was 3rd grade skipper Peter Langston (#357) who had finished a 500 run season.
Uralla started well, the top three all making starts and getting the innings underway and to 2-61 when Whackett arrived in the middle of Lambert Park proceeded to tear Waratahs apart. The next four partnerships added 199, with only meagre offerings from Whackett’s partners but they did their job. Merv Philp (#.368) eventually made inroads with four wickets but Worthing swung with luck - dropped three times - in adding another 36 with Whackett before running him out. It was as well, because the bowlers had no ideas left.
286 was daunting against Uralla’s bowling attack but the wicket was behaving, the bounce was true and as always at Lambert, the boundaries downhill. The task got harder quickly. Whackett got David Norman (#407) caught at slip by Jones in the first over, Barnden had James Campbell (382) - who had been promoted to Trestrail’s spot - in the fifth. Whackett removed the crucial wicket of Johnson, again via Jones and it was 3-19 after eight. Syd Philp (#269) at the other end was dropping even the steepest bouncers at his feet, usually from those gnarled and ungloved fingers and refusing the leave. Faulkner, replacing Barnden (injured back) snared him in his first over and it was 4-20 and grim became grimmer.
Finlayson started fighting fire with his own blow torch, smashing short balls to the boundary on both sides of the wicket. Old baseballers never die, they just hit square of the wicket. He added 51 with Philp before a slower ball from Whackett, as yet unrelieved from the Beardy St end, had him in two minds and he simply spooned back a catch to the bowler.
Langston arrived and was treated to fire and brimstone and a lively commentary from behind the wicket from Uralla’s skipper. Ignoring invitations to hook or comment, he made the bowlers come to him whilst Philp set out after the Ualla attack. They added 78 before Philp mistimed a drive to Worthing at mid on and Uralla were certain the end was close. Graham Patterson (#346), who had spent time opening during the season, joined Langston, with Uralla unaware the pair had spent a lot of time batting together over the years.
At this point, Langston began venting in the best possible way, cutting the short stuff anywhere between cover point and third man while the field was close and even when Barnden started to sense the danger, peppering the off side boundaries with drives. 102 was added and now Waratahs threatened, so Barnden returned, bowling in great pain, snaring Patterson and Peter Tyndall (#423) in successive balls. With 36 needed, Langston hit the first three balls of Worthing’s next over for four before launching the fourth on a path to six over long off, where Steve Grills stood under a huge silky oak. It tagged a branch and dropped into his hands and Langston was illegally given out instead of being awarded a fourth consecutive boundary. Johnson protested but the umpire was unmoved.
Barnden ended Waratahs gallant fight back just 7 runs short of the target, with both him and his opponents being in smiling agony. Langston’s 93 gave him 635 runs for the season, the most by any Waratahs player in a season without scoring a century.
Waratahs v Uralla - 2nd Grade, 23rd & 24th March 1985
