THE FINALS - 1st Grade v Easts, 28th/29th March 1987

Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | April 08, 2026

THE FINALS - 1st Grade v Easts, 28th/29th March 1987

The rivalry between these two gteat clubs, which stemmed back to the start of the decade and turned into some of the greatest games of cricket played in Armidale during the 1980’s, probably reached its zenith in this Final.

Waratahs had dominated 1st grade in 1986/87 until they played Easts in December, when David Nosworthy and Easts new recruit from Waratahs, Roger Sattler, kept nine of them to single figures, with the exception being Brian Rhodes (#525) and his spectacular 128 making up more than three quarters of Waratahs score. Easts won 7 down, mainly thanks the affore mentioned Sattler and a typically splendid unbeaten half-century from Rick Porter batting at 8. The ship was righted quickly and apart from hiccups against Centrals and Hillgrove, with Waratahs at full strength for the FInal, including a Michael Connolly (#293) demolition of Easts in their second match, where he hit 55 from his final 15 balls on the way to his century. Another Rhodes hundred crushed Hillgrove in the semi.

There probably has never been a more one-sided Final in Armidale cricket. East 48 over innings crawled to 67, Andrew McNeill (#419) delivering on a well rehearsed plan to invite Rick Porter to hook straight to Graham Frost (#333), who took the first of his three catches for the innings at deep backward square leg. As always, Porter was the biggest of many big wickets. 

Connolly delivered the finest fast bowling display ever in a Waratahs 1st Grade Final appearance and Waratahs fieldsmen did the rest, taking every one of the eight chances Easts batsmen coughed up. Apart from Porter, Ray Eddie was the only other batsman to make double figures. After McNeill did the early damage, Joe Harrison (#405) replaced him and screwed down the lid on the Easts innings. Between them, Connolly and Harrison took 8-36 off 36 overs. The batsmen were robbed of air.

Waratahs chased the small total well, the season’s leading run scorer James Campbell (#382) and Frost making 53 for the first wicket after Easts had gambled with leg-spinner McClenaghan taking the new ball with Nosworthy. Campbell breezed Waratahs to the win by 6 wickets, despite some late joy for the Daffodils, with Sattler cross-claiming Connolly and Rick Porter’s late spell keeping Waratahs honest. By the time Craig Lawlor removed a yawning Rhodes, enough was enough.

Waratahs v Easts - 1st Grade, 28th/29th March 1987