Week 13 – The opening spell

Milestone runs, masterclasses, big wickets and a young star on debut in this edition of The Opening Spell.

First to pass

First ball Kumar Stars on debut

12-year-old Kaya Kumar made her Premier Cricket debut with an appearance for Parramatta in the Brewer Shield. Kumar came in at eight and scored an unbeaten 14 before taking a wicket and conceding just 18 runs in her six overs. Kumar's debut comes after she captained NSW to the title at the PSSA 12s and at the national championships in Adelaide, where she scored a century in the opening round against Queensland and ultimately finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer. The future is undoubtedly bright for this young star!

Second year Callaghan Stamps Authority ball

Fresh from her performance as Player of the Final (and subsequent national title) at the U19 Female National Championships in Perth, Gordon's Olivia Callaghan put in a brilliant all-round performance in the women's first division. Her innings of 62 off 75 was punctuated by five boundaries and two sixes as Gordon posted 256. The bowling attack proved equally formidable, with Elizabeth Yates and Grace Poole claiming two wickets while Callaghan took three wickets for 29 runs from her 10 overs. Northern District fell for just 137 runs, giving Gordon a comprehensive victory of 119 runs.

The third ball offers all-round mastery and leads the East to victory

Matt Hield put in an excellent all-round performance for Easts in the men's fourth grade. With the ball he claimed five wickets for 17 runs from 3.3 overs in a display that put his team in an impressive position. Not content with his efforts with the ball, Hield backed him up with the bat and scored an unbeaten 46 to steer Easts to a well-deserved victory.

Fourth ball Josh Clarke lights up the Western Plains

Western Suburbs thoroughly enjoyed their road trip west and first-year opener Josh Clarke left it all on the pitch. In a day-night match against Manly Warringah on Friday, Clarke hit a cool 40 off 25, including six fours. However, it was a Saturday morning match against UTS North Sydney where Clarke put on an absolute clinic, posting a mammoth unbeaten century of 160 runs from 152 deliveries. The display included an astonishing 22 fours, catapulting his side to 305. With 200 runs added to his total in Dubbo and an unbeaten 175 in Round 2, Clarke sits sixth for overall run scorers for the season with 612 and counting.

Fifth ball Beadle breaks the barrier

The wait is finally over for Manlys Ahillen Beadle, who has now racked up more than 10,000 first-class runs in a career dating back to 2003/2004. Manly headed to Dubbo as part of the Premier Crickets country initiative and on Friday in a day-night clash with Western Suburbs, Beadle scored 27 points to take him to 10,017 points.

Sixth ball Sutherland veteran Bradley scores 12,000 runs

Sutherland member Matthew Bradley was in the men's third division this weekend and despite losing by four points to Northern District, Bradley's score of 21 saw him record more than 12,000 runs across all divisions.

Second over

First ball Pitt Tears Through Easts

After winning the toss and choosing to bat in the men's second grade, Eastern Suburbs struggled to find any rhythm against a disciplined Parramatta bowling attack, led by Evan Pitt. His fourth ball hit the seam and Josh Matthews chopped it into his stumps golden duck numero uno. Ben Bryant dragged his first ball straight into the hands of Midwicket and there was a second duck of the golden ilk on the scorecard. Pitt on a hat-trick ball and Easts were 2-1. In the third over, Finley Hill was bowled by Pitt before Nicholas Taylor hooked the first ball to, you guessed it, Pitt. Another colored duck was recorded and on the next ball Matt Coles got an lbw to complete the hat-trick. Sixteen balls into the innings, Easts were five for eight and Pitt were 5-1 from his first ten balls before finishing with figures of 5-7 from four overs.

Second ball Male bowlers dominate

Things looked promising for St. George Sutherland in their Women's Third Grade chase as Samantha Dillon scored an impressive 36 runs from 33 balls. However, the momentum quickly changed as Manly's bowlers pushed their way into the match. Sienna James claimed four wickets for seven runs in her seven overs, while skipper Charlie Woods chipped in with three wickets for seven runs in just under three overs. St George found themselves reeling, all bowled out for 67 in the 16th, more than 29 runs short of where they needed to be.

Third ball Pass Go and collect 500 runs

Sydney University followed the Sydney to Dubbo route and Jack Attenborough wasn't keen on it! He hit 96 against Manly in the men's first class and followed it up with a 100 against UTS North Sydney, returning home with his 7th first class century, 19th half-century and over 500 runs for the season.

Fourth ball sack machine

Women's second grade wicketkeeper Annabel Batty was here, there and everywhere in Penrith's clash with Greater Hunter Coast. Penrith posted 9/162 before bowling out their opposition for 153 and Batty was involved in all but four dismissals. The impressive display behind the stumps included; three stumpings, two catches and a run-out lifted her to a 9-point win.

Fifth Ball Weerakoon sinks western suburbs

Liam Weerakoon played a crucial knock for UTS North Sydney in the men's third division, hitting an unbeaten 70 off just 48 balls, including five sixes and two fours. Ollie Pascall matched Weerakoon's energy to finish on 44, but not to see UTS post a tidy total of 149 runs. Western Suburbs struggled with their response, with Josh Low-McMahon falling to Nuwan Whyte on the third ball, before Liam Whitaker took two wickets and Vrushab Kumar, Jaden Sequeira and Ravi Adabala finished with one apiece.

Sixth Ball Squad Booster

In a first-grade women's squad that already includes the likes of Maitlan Brown, Sammy-Jo Johnson and Kira Churchland, as well as emerging players like Emily Powell and Eva Ragg, Sydney Cricket Club has welcomed Bangladesh International Jahanara Alam. Having played 52 international ODIs, 83 international T20s and two ICC T20 World Cups, Alam brings a wealth of international experience to both the club and McDonalds Women's Premier Cricket. Debutante Alam joined teammates for their Round 10 match against Bankstown and quickly claimed her first wicket for the Tigers before grabbing her second to finish with 2-13 from seven overs.