THE FINALS - 1st Grade v Easts, 24th/25th March 1984

Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | April 04, 2026

After toughing it out against Hillgrove in the semi-final, Waratahs entered the Final against arch rivals Easts, without a win over them during the season. They had only lost two games during regular season play and one of those was to their rival in the Final. The other was a rain affected match in which they were not well placed. Waratahs would be led again by Tim Muldoon (#296), after regular skipper Wes Davis (#386) dropped out of the semi-final and was still unfit to play. Steve Reading (#322), who had taken vital wickets against Hillgrove, would again replace Davis with the new ball. Andrew McNeill (#419) with pace and Joe Harrison (#405-pictured) with his suffocating off spin, had been far and away their best with the ball but had bowled 270 overs between them.

Despite having a batting order that could boast Carl Bridge (#452) at 8, they had been brittle and had survived only on the back of Graham Frost (#333) and Roger Sattler (#378), both having their best seasons with the bat and some second half of the season input from Muldoon. No one else averaged over 20.

Easts, the defending Premiers and reigning Minor Premiers, as always, had an intimidating batting line-up and while ever Michael Porter and Neil Baillie had access to the ball, Waratahs would be put under pressure. 

All had seemed to be going so well for Waratahs, untroubled through the first twenty overs, with Frost and Greg Johnson (#352) putting on 52 for the first wicket … that was until Tony Marquardt was given the ball. He removed Johnson and Muldoon quickly but David Lawrence (#455) seemed to have settled in, playing Baillie cautiously. At 94, Bailie trapped him in front and then the main stay Frost, who had compiled an attractive 48 under pressure, Sattler and Christian Quaife (#372) all fell in the one Marquardt over. James Campbell (#382) became Marquardt’s sixth victim and then Porter returned and found the edge twice and Baillie was too good for his off spin opponent Harrison.

All out 137 was nowhere near enough against a batting group that could afford to have Baillie batting at 7.

That man Reading, as he had the week before, immediately removed the main threat, claiming Easts top three with only 25 on the board, including Rick Porter for a duck, bowled around his legs. Harrison replaced Reading and with McNeill giving nothing to the batsmen and then dismissing Easts skipper Brian Warren, Easts were exposed. Reading had taken a battering ram to the door and Joe Harrison just stepped through and happily took their precious possessions off the shelves with his infuriatingly deft touch. His 6-24 gave Waratahs the comfort of a 60 run victory and only their third unshared 1st Grade Premiership since the club started more than 30 years earlier. It was a continuation of a period of dominance in all grades for Waratahs, which started in the lower grades in the early 1980’s and had spread.

Harrison was man of the match and won the Beau Richardson Trophy for Waratahs best individual performance of the year but team mates marvelled at Reading. In his only two games of the season in 1st grade, he had come into the side to replace the skipper Davis for the finals and in two games had bowled 16-3-43-5: Geoff Wood, Peter Schaefer, Ray Eddie, Bruce Taylor and Rick Porter being a handy belt of scalps. Stand-in skipper Muldoon gave him his trust and was repaid in full.

Waratahs v Easts - 1st Grade, 24th/25th March 1984