Bulldogs run riot against Northern Districts

The Bankstown Sports Bulldogs ran riot last Saturday against Northern Districts at Waitara. Run machine Daniel Solway was at his irrepressible best with 174 as the Bulldogs amassed 5-411. Brendan Smith who is really making a name for himself plundered 125 in his 263-run stand with Solway. Solway is having a magnificent season and surely must be close to representative honours. He plundered 20 boundaries plus four superb sixes and the home side could not contain his savage onslaught. Solway hammered the hapless bowlers to all parts of Mark Taylor Oval. The master stroke maker unleashed sizzling drives, classy square cuts and powerful pull shots as he raced to a century and beyond. Smith was just as dominating and his 125 was an absolute gem. He faced only 166 deliveries which included four spectacular sixes and 12 forcefully struck boundaries. Chris Ridley lived up to his Mr. Consistency tag with a delightful 30 as the Bulldogs barking reached a crescendo. A timely declaration enabled the Bulldogs to claim a crucial wicket just before stumps. When play resumed on Sunday the home side battled hard but were in strife at 6-209. Nathan McAndrew troubled all batsmen with his movement of the ball and deadly accuracy to claim two wickets. However, the ND side rallied with a stubborn 7th wicket partnership which threatened to take the game away from the Bulldogs. The visitors were not daunted by the arduous fightback and were helped by two run outs. Athletic Rhys Williams snared one whilst Nathan McAndrew combined to effect another crucial one. McAndrew was the Achilles heel for NDs and his 4-73 plus the run outs really kept the Bulldogs barking. Obviously, the conditions were superb for batting which made McAndrew’s efforts all the more meritorious. Northern Districts were eventually all out for 342, a sterling effort in the circumstances. ND’s Daniel Anderson scored a valiant 123 and was very well caught by Chris Ridley from the ever-threatening McAndrew. Bankstown takes on the Sutherland Sharks at Memorial Oval in a two-day fixture commencing at 10.30 a.m. next Saturday. Second Grade The seconds played too many reckless shots and folded for 163 at Bankstown 0val. Matt Dedes topscored with 33 and has definitely been the in-form batsman. Cameron Middleton scored a resolute 24 at the top of the order whilst Matt Simpson played some elegant late cuts in his handy 27. Joel Brockley worked the ball around cleverly to keep picking up the singles and did unleash a powerful pull shot which rattled into the pickets. It was disappointing that so many Bulldogs got a start but did not go on to make the big score required. NDs had little trouble reaching this meagre target and raced to 2-164 in just the 32nd over. Third grade The home side scored 8-272 at Asquith which was far too many for the Bulldogs who compiled 185. Luke Docherty excelled with the ball and persevered in his attempts to stop the run flow. He consistently beat the bat and was rewarded with 3-58 in a wholehearted effort. Niran Wijewardene claimed 2 wickets as did Dayne Heward. Connor Wilkinson stood out like a beacon in the night among the batsmen as he powered his way to 61 not out. He batted stoically in a defiant knock as wickets tumbled all around him. The talented stroke maker made it all look very easy as others struggled. Nivethan Radhakrishnan batted with excellent determination for a fighting 34 but he needed more support. Fourth Grade Bankstown’s 9-209 proved far too many for first placed NDs who struggled to 142 in the 32nd over. Skipper Mat Kelly certainly led by example with a delightful 31 at the top of the order. Cameron Cotter carried on the good work with a majestic 45 which tamed the Norths attack. Damien Loy chipped in with a useful 21 which kept the Bulldogs barking. Mansuhk Singh was at his aggressive best with a delightful 37 whilst Jackson Isakka contributed a stylish 26. The Bankstown bowlers got off to a flier with Chris Stefanish making the early breakthrough and going on to claim an economical 2-20. Mohammad Hossain snared the bowling honours with 3-32 from his very accurate 10 overs spell. Fifth Grade Northern Districts scored 8-184 at Storey Park and Bankstown fought hard to take the points with 6-185. Isaac Schipp, Brendan Clark and Alex Kouventaris claimed two wickets apiece. However, it was skipper Kouventaris who had the most impressive figures with 2-24 in a most economical 10 over spell. Clark completed a good double with a solid 21. Isaac Schipp hammered 36 with 6 sparkling boundaries. However it was Johann Perera who top scored with a superb 49. He thumped 5 boundaries and a giant six in his classy match winning knock. Ethan Debono chimed in with a determined 28 to keep the momentum going. Tom Ramage helped get the Bulldogs home with a useful 15 not out as Bankstown closed in for victory in the 45th over. AW Green Shield Round 4 A magnificent 154 by Zeeshaan Ahmed guided Bankstown to a superb total of 4-325 against Blacktown at Jensen. Ahmed plundered 13 boundaries and 4 sensational sixes as he ruthlessly tore apart the Blacktown attack. Versatile Cameron Cotter helped Ahmed in the run spree with a very classy 108 as Blacktown wilted in the heat. In reply Dean Bennett was the epitome of accuracy with the splendid figures of 3-18 from 10 extremely economical overs. Ever reliable Blake Pearson chimed in with 2 wickets in his lively spell whilst Sanjiv Weerasingham claimed 2-12 from his probing 6 overs. Blacktown capitulated for just 177 well short of the target. AW Green Shield Round 5 Against Mosman Bankstown scored 169 whilst the Whales replied with 5-172. Riverina based youngster Dean Bennett top-scored with a most impressive 44. Sanjiv Weerasingham stroked the ball fluently to compile a handy 36. Weerasingham completed a useful double with 2-34 from his accurate 10 overs. AW Green Shield Round 6 Bankstown scored a paltry 147 against North Sydney whilst the Bears replied with 7-150. The Bulldogs total could have been diabolical but for a magnificent 67 from Nivethan Radhakrishnan. The stylish run getter held the brittle Bulldog batting together in a fighting lone hand. He drove superbly and offered a broad defensive blade in his valiant attempt to get the Bulldogs barking. Mitchell Rockwell bowled a superb 10 over spell and claimed 3-18 in an extremely accurate effort. He made short work of the top order which really fired up the ranpaging Bulldogs. Weerasingham took two wickets and as usual it was a wholehearted effort. Green Shield Round 7 In a thriller at Jensen Oval Bankstown just scraped home in the last over. Sydney scored 151 and the Bulldogs battled hard to compile 8-153 in the last over. Mitchell Rockwell was the Dogs destroyer and took 5-34 to rip the heart out of Sydney. He beat the bat repeatedly and was all over the visiting batsmen. He troubled all the top order and is an obvious talent. Jakob Eljed snared 2-29 in a most accurate effort and Nivethan Radhakrishnan claimed 2-21 to complete the rout. The Bankstown innings was strange as three youngsters shared the top scoring honours with 24 apiece. Zeeshaan Ahmed was unluckily run out after hitting 5 boundaries in his 24. Ethan Debono looked solid and his handy 24 kept the Doggies barking. Paceman Blake Pearson showed his all-round worth with a crucial 24 not out whilst Liam Sutton was run out for 22 after some very useful runs.