North Sydney Third Grade Bowled out for 8!
UTS North Sydney District Cricket Club | July 10, 2025
North Sydney Third Grade travelled to Merrylands Oval for a regulation two-day match in Round 8 of the 2009/10 Sydney Grade Cricket season. The Bears were mid-table with three wins, three losses and a draw. But they were in good form having won their last two, including an outright the prior round vs Penrith.
The selected Bears team was choc full of doyens, featuring a future President, Vice President, Treasurer and Committee member. The selected side was to also include current Bears First Grade spearhead James Campbell, who was to come into the side as skipper Jason Keane was unavailable with a niggle. Keeper Graeme De Carvalho was to skipper the side. However, this was to change on Friday night with Campbell under the weather and Keane agreeing to soldier on and play. Needless to say, he wishes he didn’t!!
It was a beautiful sunny day on Saturday 12 December 2009, and Keane had no hesitation after winning the toss and electing to bat.
The team sheet read;
Joe Jenkins
Luca Smith (debut)
Joe Clarke
Ryan Rosenberg
Michael Lloyd (debut)
Malaka Jawawickreme
Phil Skerman
Graeme De Carvalho (wk)
Patrick Lindsay
Fudge Atshan
Jason Keane (c)
Jenkins and Smith strode out to the wicket and within the first over Jenkins was back in the hut, barbecued by Smith. Smith followed shortly thereafter for a duck to cap off an ignominious start to his Bears career (he escaped a pair by one run in the second dig - we can assure you it got far better for this great Bear!!).
Joey Clarke knuckled down, but #4 Rosenberg also fell for a duck. At this point the Bears were 3/3. Debutant Michael Lloyd strode to the crease, promptly played a shot off his pads and was declared the second coming of Greg Chappell by an enamoured Keane. Lloyd and Clarke battled for overs, the ball hooping around corners and a thickish infield difficult to penetrate.
With the score still 3 for 3, Clarke was trapped LBW by Anthony Karam. From here the innings, lurched towards infamy, with Karam then dismissing Jawawickreme and Skerman in consecutive deliveries to snare a hat-trick.
The Bears were 6/3. All hell was breaking loose in the away sheds. Another fell, this time to the other opening bowler, Rizwan, and we were 7/5, and there were six 6 ducks on the card. Lindsay joined Lloyd and desperately tried to survive. Karam was particularly difficult to face, bowling off the wrong foot and swinging the ball prodigiously back into the bat.
Lloyd and Lindsay scrapped away for at least another eight overs adding a princely three runs! Karam was into his 10th over and surely was about to end his spell, however he conjured some more magic, removing Lindsay LBW.
Fudge Atshan strode to the crease and was advised by Lloydie that; ‘he’s hooping it in!’. This message was clearly scrambled as Fudge shouldered arms and was fired, LBW - not offering. Score: 9/8.
Skipper Keane strode to the crease. The lads in the away sheds were rattled - surely we will reach double figures!? How have we batted for 19 overs to be on 8!? He can’t get another hat-trick can he!?
Keaney faced up… and attempted to launch Karam back over his head… pegs everywhere!!
A second hat-trick to Karam, who had bowled 9.4 overs and taken 7 for 3!!
A performance for the ages and rightly memorialised in the tea room at Merrylands.
The Bears were bowled out for 8.
8 ducks.
M Lloyd not out 3 the top-scorer.
Supposedly our score was in the top 10 worst Grade scores of all time - but not the worst! Unbelievable!
The day ended with more misery: someone had backed into skipper Keane’s car in the car park. A big dent in his door and no note left. Tragedy for Keaney. But maybe he deserved it for trying to hit the hat-trick ball to the moon?
You won’t be surprised to hear that Parra chased the total down, in the first over mind you, and batted on, to post a lead of 109. The Bears' second innings was better, 13 times better, but not enough to make the Two Blues bat again. 10 points to Parra.
All these years on, one can only congratulate Anthony Karam for his spell, surely one of the best seen in Grade Cricket history.
- Patrick Lindsay
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