THE FINALS - A Grade v Unicorns, 25th/26th March 1972
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | April 06, 2026
Playing in their fifth Final in six seasons (and losing the semi-final in the year they didn’t make it), Waratahs were on familiar territory but it was unpopular familiarity because each of those previous campaigns had ended in disappointment. Constantly the bridesmaid of Armidale cricket, in twenty years of existence, they had only one A grade Premiership in the cupboard and that, 19 years earlier.
Skipper Alan Gray (#26-pictured) had played in that previous win and in each of the subsequent losses, often when in the superior position in a Final, only to fade despite strong bowling attacks, as the batting collapsed. He was the leading run scorer in 1971-72, with more than 400 runs but with five others behind him with more than 200. Their bowling attack was one of the finest to ever be assembled under the Royal Blue cap, led by Tom Cooke (#197) with 51 wickets and Brian Joice (#218) 33. Terry Mackenzie (#54) and John Donnelly (#231) had also qualified for bowling trophies, both at low averages.
Unicorns had a strong side to oppose them, Powell, Beer and Longmire high quality cricketers and Roy Smith a slow bowler who had thwarted Waratahs before in big matches. Lex Morrison would go on to be an Easts superstar in the following ten years.
Waratahs had a disappointing One Day series but started the Two Day competition with three successive wins, two of them outright, including a terrible mauling of the TAS students back in early December but their form since Christmas had been sketchy, scraping through two rain affected draws and a big loss against St Peters. Unicorns were in top form.
The key would be getting big runs as there was usually plenty in the UNE men. Waratahs got their first wish when Gray won the toss and walked out onto the Sportsground to open with Terry Betts (#205). The opening bowlers presented no threat and it was no surprise that Roy Smith was wheeling away early in the innings. Waratahs top six, all got runs and by the time the last five failed, they already had plenty on the board. Joice top scored with 62 but it was the consistency of partnerships which was the feature of the innings: 35 between Betts & Gray for the 1st wicket, 50 by Betts and Brian Connolly (#226) for the 2nd, 58 by Allan Thompson (#238) and Johnson for the 4th, 63 by Johnson and Joice for the 5th and 36 by Joice and Greg Russell (#131) for the 6th. Smith bowled unchanged, his 38 overs netting one of best Finals returns in Armidale cricket history with 8-95.
Unicorns never got going, under constant pressure from the four quicks, with their best partnership only 37 for the 5th wicket, broken when off spinner Connolly bowled Longmire and from there, the end came quickly, with all six bowlers used sharing the highly educated spoils. Johnson took the final wicket, fittingly caught by Gray and the long and painful wait for a second A Grade Premiership was finally over.
Waratahs v Unicorns - A Grade Final, 25th/26th March 1972
