Winning Premierships is a major part of why we all play cricket.
Kiama’s first premierships in the new South Coast competition came in the first two years of its inception, and both have a remarkable tale to tell, so it is only fitting that we start our journey by reliving those initial victories.
In the first year of the new competition, Kiama’s 2nd Grade side reached the final against the Jamberoo side. In two clashes during the regular season, the teams had both tasted success, though probably the Jamberoo side had the right to say they went into the final as favourites. Jamberoo dominated the match played in November 1946, rolling Kiama for just 33 and 87 in their two innings. Fleming from Jamberoo took 4/14 and 7/25, with Rutledge taking 6/16 and 1/25 to prove their ascendancy with the ball. In the return match, Kiama prevailed in a first innings victory, replying to Jamberoo’s 61 with 142 runs of their own. Fred Pepper proved the destroyer with 4/12, while skipper Morrie Camage took 4/21 and then scored 60 after coming to the crease at 4/32. Hamilton took 6/23 for Jamberoo.
The final began on Saturday afternoon, March 8th, 1947. It was played at Jamberoo’s home ground, though only as it had been allocated the 2nd Grade final some weeks beforehand. The fact that the game was being played on their turf could be seen to be to their benefit, though it is rare for such a thing to prove to be a huge advantage.
Jamberoo won the toss and elected to bat, no doubt hoping to put on an imposing total to take the game out of their opponent’s reach immediately. However, most finals do tend to take a toll of early run scoring, and the council had been lax in getting the outfield cut before the match, so scoring was difficult though not impossible.
After a solid opening partnership of 20, wickets fell at regular intervals, in fact almost every ten runs throughout the innings. The bowling was tight and not leaking many boundaries, and the constant fall of wickets kept the pressure on the Jamberoo batsmen. Apart from Dawes with 21 at number 3, and Hamilton with 28 at number 6, none of the batsmen could get going, and Jamberoo was dismissed late in the afternoon for 107. The nagging medium pace of Ron Smith had brought him 5 for 18 from his seven overs and Alton Tuohy’s pace had contributed 2 for 26, while Morrie Camage’s off spinners drew 3 for 26.
There was tragedy for the Kiama team though, as John East’s final was over just halfway through the first afternoon. In turning to chase down a pull stroke from a Jamberoo batsman just before the tea break, John slipped and fell heavily, and he put out his arm to brace his impact. Unfortunately he did not go down clean, and his arm snapped as he landed. Taken from the ground in some pain, he was to take no further part in the game, and no rules were in place to allow a substitute. For the remainder of the match, Kiama was down to just ten men.
Kiama’s reply began soon afterwards, and though losing Artie Pepper just before stumps, a score line of 1/14 chasing 107 left the match evenly poised after the first afternoon.
On the following Saturday, Kiama failed to take an advantage of their situation. Having started the day one wicket down, the onslaught of wickets continued, with another three of the top order swept away for just 17 runs. Amazingly, two of them were to suicidal run outs that were completely unnecessary in the context of the match. Added to the fact that John East was now incapacitated, effectively the visitors were now 5 for 17.
It was left to the senior duo of Fred Pepper and skipper Camage to restore some order to proceedings. Their partnership for the fifth wicket looked to be rebuilding Kiama’s cause until Pepper was dismissed with the total on 47. John McDonald then came in and smashed an impressive boundary through extra cover, before being called through by Camage for a second run that probably wasn’t there. A direct hit from the outfield found McDonald about a foot short of his ground, and the third run out of the innings left Kiama at a precarious 6 for 53. Worse was to come, as Camage tried to increase the scoring rate with only the tail to come. He lost his middle and off stumps to a full ball by Fredericks, who bowled from one end for the entire innings. The last two available wickets fell cheaply, and before the middle of the second day had been reached, Kiama found itself dismissed for just 64 runs, and a first innings deficit of 43.
The one saving grace for the Kiama side was that finals were played as ‘timeless’ matches in those days – in other words they were played until an outright result had been achieved. This of course could work against you (as Albion Park was to discover in the following season’s First Grade final) if a side just batted and batted – but it also meant that you would have the chance to chase down a target at some stage. For Kiama to remain in the match, they needed their bowlers to again dismiss their opponents for a low total.
An early wicket, that of Dare, fell to the bowling of Fred Pepper, before a stubborn partnership advanced Jamberoo’s total to 29, before both Fredericks brothers fell in the same over - one to the family pairing (caught Artie Pepper, bowled Fred Pepper), and Eric to yet another run out. Another partnership ensued, and at 3 for 53, and an overall lead of 96, Jamberoo was beginning to draw away from their opponents.
One could argue about the turning point of the match, but the run out of Dawes at this point must be considered crucial. Another senseless run out, this time of a batsman who was set with 27 runs against his name, no doubt changed the course of the innings. It is incredible to think that in a match that had no time limit, no set playing days in which to conclude, that the dismissal of ‘run out’ could be so prevalent.
The innings now followed a similar course to that of Jamberoo’s first innings. Small partnerships ensued, but none were allowed to blow out to become complete match breakers. 22 runs from Hamilton and 23 runs from Gibson were the mainstay of the middle order, but with little else coming from the tail, Jamberoo finally succumbed to be dismissed for 112 in their second innings right on stumps of the second Saturday, an overall lead of 155. To win the match Kiama would have to produce the highest innings total of the game. Not only that, they would have to do it with only nine batsmen, for not only was John East not available to bat, but Alton Tuohy now pronounced that he would be unavailable to play on the following Saturday. Tough days indeed.
Less than an hour into their reply the following Saturday, however, and the game was as good as over. Kiama’s top order folded once again to the sustained pace of Fredericks and Hamilton. The first five wickets fell for just 27 runs, four clean bowled along with the seventh run out of the match – an amazing figure given that the final had no set completion time. More agony was to come with the sixth wicket falling at just 44, that being of skipper Morrie Camage who led the batting statistics for the side that season. With still more than a hundred runs to get and four wickets in hand, the scenario was a dark one.
From this point a rebuilding partnership took place. Ned McAdam had been joined by 18 year old wicket-keeper John McDonald, and they began to build the score at a reasonable pace. Jamberoo’s opening bowlers had bowled unchanged to this point, and with them tiring the relievers came on. There was no relief for the batsmen however, as the new duo consisted of Rutledge and Fleming, the two bowlers who had decimated Kiama in their first encounter of the season. On this occasion though they were unable to elicit a dismissal. The Kiama pair continued to push the ball around, taking only singles and two’s with only one boundary as they reached their fifty partnership.
Less than an hour into their reply the following Saturday, however, and the game was as good as over. Kiama’s top order folded once again to the sustained pace of Fredericks and Hamilton. The first five wickets fell for just 27 runs, four clean bowled along with the seventh run out of the match – an amazing figure given that the final had no set completion time. More agony was to come with the sixth wicket falling at just 44, that being of skipper Morrie Camage who led the batting statistics for the side that season. With still more than a hundred runs to get and four wickets in hand, the scenario was a dark one.
From this point a rebuilding partnership took place. Ned McAdam had been joined by 18 year old wicket-keeper John McDonald, and they began to build the score at a reasonable pace. Jamberoo’s opening bowlers had bowled unchanged to this point, and with them tiring the relievers came on. There was no relief for the batsmen however, as the new duo consisted of Rutledge and Fleming, the two bowlers who had decimated Kiama in their first encounter of the season. On this occasion though they were unable to elicit a dismissal. The Kiama pair continued to push the ball around, taking only singles and two’s with only one boundary as they reached their fifty partnership.
No doubt sensing the changing dynamic of the match, the Jamberoo skipper brought his opening bowlers back into the attack, with immediate success. McAdam had been solid in defence for most of his innings, but with his score on 26 and the total on 101 he left a gap between bat and pad, and Hamilton’s delivery found the inside edge that directed the ball into his stumps. A critical partnership had been broken, and the match swung back toward Jamberoo. Three wickets to fall, 56 runs to get.
Artie Pepper joined his younger companion at the crease to begin the final charge. He was Kiama’s final available batsman. Both sides knew it, and surely the Jamberoo team had already begun to celebrate the victory, if only in their minds at this stage. However, no one could have predicted the course the match was about to take.
Jamberoo, revitalised from the partnership-breaking wicket, swooped in for the kill. Kiama would not have felt out of it. Pepper had opened the batting in the first innings, and McDonald had been one of the leading batsmen for them all season. It was a tall order, but not unachievable – the previous partnership had proven that.
Fredericks and Hamilton bowled on, pushing the limits of their fitness and tenacity. At one end, Pepper stood with solid bat, not scoring any runs, but offering no chances either. At the other end, McDonald had taken on the senior partner role, and was looking to be more enterprising. As the bowlers tired, he lifted his own intensity by turning singles into two’s, and two’s into three’s. Two consecutive boundaries from a Hamilton over brought the inevitable change in the bowling attack as the game began to leak away from the home side. Incredibly the partnership had risen to 45, and with the momentum of the match having turned 180 degrees again, Jamberoo’s final roll of the dice had to be a good one.
Unfortunately for Jamberoo, they were unable to halt the slide. McDonald was nerveless as he took seven runs off a single Harris over, before a boundary in the following over brought up the winning runs.
There was a remarkable aspect to that premiership-winning unbroken partnership for the eighth wicket. Of the 56 runs scored, not one came from Artie Pepper, who remained undefeated on 0. John McDonald had scored 53 runs, and there had been three sundries. McDonald finished on 80 not out in what he must have considered one of his best ever innings. Kiama won by the ‘official’ margin of three wickets, but it was truly a victory by the slimmest margin of one wicket in a final that lived up to its billing, and the team was presented with the first Second Grade Trophy in the S.C.D.C.A competition.
Artie Pepper joined his younger companion at the crease to begin the final charge. He was Kiama’s final available batsman. Both sides knew it, and surely the Jamberoo team had already begun to celebrate the victory, if only in their minds at this stage. However, no one could have predicted the course the match was about to take.
Jamberoo, revitalised from the partnership-breaking wicket, swooped in for the kill. Kiama would not have felt out of it. Pepper had opened the batting in the first innings, and McDonald had been one of the leading batsmen for them all season. It was a tall order, but not unachievable – the previous partnership had proven that.
Fredericks and Hamilton bowled on, pushing the limits of their fitness and tenacity. At one end, Pepper stood with solid bat, not scoring any runs, but offering no chances either. At the other end, McDonald had taken on the senior partner role, and was looking to be more enterprising. As the bowlers tired, he lifted his own intensity by turning singles into two’s, and two’s into three’s. Two consecutive boundaries from a Hamilton over brought the inevitable change in the bowling attack as the game began to leak away from the home side. Incredibly the partnership had risen to 45, and with the momentum of the match having turned 180 degrees again, Jamberoo’s final roll of the dice had to be a good one.
Unfortunately for Jamberoo, they were unable to halt the slide. McDonald was nerveless as he took seven runs off a single Harris over, before a boundary in the following over brought up the winning runs.
There was a remarkable aspect to that premiership-winning unbroken partnership for the eighth wicket. Of the 56 runs scored, not one came from Artie Pepper, who remained undefeated on 0. John McDonald had scored 53 runs, and there had been three sundries. McDonald finished on 80 not out in what he must have considered one of his best ever innings. Kiama won by the ‘official’ margin of three wickets, but it was truly a victory by the slimmest margin of one wicket in a final that lived up to its billing, and the team was presented with the first Second Grade Trophy in the S.C.D.C.A competition.
Jamberoo Vs Kiama
2-Innings Match Played At Jamberoo, 08-Mar-1947, S.C.D.C.A 2nd
Grade
Kiama Win Outright by 3 wkts
| Round | Final |
| Toss won by | Jamberoo |
| Home Side | Jamberoo |
| Comment | Kiama win Second Grade Premiership (1st), the first held in the South Coast
District Cricket Association. End of Day One Kiama 1/14. End of Day Two Jamberoo
all out 112. |
Jamberoo 1st Innings 107/10 All Out (Overs 32.6)
| Batsman | Fieldsman | Bowler | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| S Dare | b Alton Tuohy | 13 | |
| A Fredericks | b Alton Tuohy | 9 | |
| C Dawes | b Ron Smith | 21 | |
| Eric Fredericks | b Ron Smith | 3 | |
| W Gibson | c John McDonald | b Ron Smith | 8 |
| C Hamilton | c Alton Tuohy | b Morrie Camage | 28 |
| R Hogan | lbw | b Morrie Camage | 1 |
| J Byrnes | b Ron Smith | 4 | |
| S Rutledge | lbw | b Ron Smith | 1 |
| V Fleming | b Morrie Camage | 6 | |
| Ray Harris | not out | 0 | |
| extras | (b5 lb4 w4 nb0) | 13 | |
| TOTAL | 10 wickets for | 107 |
| FOW |
|---|
| 1-20(S Dare) 2-26(A Fredericks) 3-30(Eric Fredericks) 4-46(W Gibson) 5-56(C Dawes) |
| 6-60(R Hogan) 7-69(J Byrnes) 8-73(S Rutledge) 9-89(V Fleming) 10-107(C Hamilton) |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Pepper | 6 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Ned McAdam | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Alton Tuohy | 10 | 1 | 26 | 2 |
| Ron Smith | 7.1 | 2 | 18 | 5 |
| Morrie Camage | 5.5 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
Kiama 1st Innings 64/9 All Out (Overs 26)
| Batsman | Fieldsman | Bowler | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haddy Canham | run out | 8 | |
| Arthur Pepper | b Eric Fredericks | 6 | |
| Ned McAdam | b Eric Fredericks | 2 | |
| Ron Smith | run out | 0 | |
| Fred Pepper | c J Byrnes | b C Hamilton | 19 |
| Morrie Camage* | b Eric Fredericks | 12 | |
| John McDonald+ | run out | 4 | |
| Alton Tuohy | b C Hamilton | 1 | |
| Jack Cambrell | c V Fleming | b Eric Fredericks | 6 |
| Mick Snelling | not out | 0 | |
| John East | Absent Hurt | - | |
| extras | (b6 lb0 w0 nb0) | 6 | |
| TOTAL | 9 wickets for | 64 |
| FOW |
|---|
| 1-8(Arthur Pepper) 2-14(Ned McAdam) 3-14(Ron Smith) 4-17(Haddy Canham) |
| 5-47(Fred Pepper) 6-53(John McDonald) 7-58(Morrie Camage) 8-59(Alton Tuohy) |
| 9-64(Jack Cambrell) |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Fredericks | 13 | 0 | 38 | 4 |
| C Hamilton | 9 | 2 | 11 | 2 |
| S Rutledge | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Jamberoo 2nd Innings 112/10 All Out (Overs 33.1)
| Batsman | Fieldsman | Bowler | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| S Dare | b Fred Pepper | 4 | |
| A Fredericks | c Arthur Pepper | b Fred Pepper | 11 |
| C Dawes | run out | 27 | |
| Eric Fredericks | run out | 0 | |
| C Hamilton | c Arthur Pepper | b Alton Tuohy | 22 |
| W Gibson | c Ron Smith | b Alton Tuohy | 23 |
| J Byrnes | c sub | b Arthur Pepper | 5 |
| R Hogan | c Mick Snelling | b Fred Pepper | 1 |
| S Rutledge | run out | 0 | |
| V Fleming | not out | 2 | |
| Ray Harris | b Arthur Pepper | 3 | |
| extras | (b6 lb4 w2 nb2) | 14 | |
| TOTAL | 10 wickets for | 112 |
| FOW |
|---|
| 1-6(S Dare) 2-29(A Fredericks) 3-29(Eric Fredericks) 4-53(C Dawes) 5-75(C Hamilton) |
| 6-85(J Byrnes) 7-87(R Hogan) 8-87(S Rutledge) 9-105(W Gibson) 10-112(Ray Harris) |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Pepper | 12 | 1 | 33 | 3 |
| Arthur Pepper | 3.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Alton Tuohy | 7 | 2 | 22 | 2 |
| Ned McAdam | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Ron Smith | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Morrie Camage | 5 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
Kiama 2nd Innings 157/7 Closed (Overs 39)
| Batsman | Fieldsman | Bowler | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haddy Canham | b Eric Fredericks | 6 | |
| Mick Snelling | b C Hamilton | 6 | |
| Jack Cambrell | run out | 1 | |
| Fred Pepper | b C Hamilton | 2 | |
| Ron Smith | b Eric Fredericks | 5 | |
| Ned McAdam | b C Hamilton | 26 | |
| Morrie Camage* | c R Hogan | b Eric Fredericks | 11 |
| John McDonald+ | not out | 80 | |
| Arthur Pepper | not out | 0 | |
| extras | (b4 lb10 w3 nb3) | 20 | |
| TOTAL | 7 wickets for | 157 |
| FOW |
|---|
| 1-11(Haddy Canham) 2-13(Jack Cambrell) 3-15(Mick Snelling) 4-19(Fred Pepper) |
| 5-27(Ron Smith) 6-44(Morrie Camage) 7-101(Ned McAdam) |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Fredericks | 13 | 1 | 38 | 3 |
| C Hamilton | 17 | 2 | 64 | 3 |
| S Rutledge | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| J Byrnes | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| V Fleming | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Ray Harris | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
