Brisbane Cricket Trip
By James Ussher | Posted: Thursday October 9, 2025
Day 1
Day 1, the team played St Joseph's Gregory Terrace (a school of over 2000 boys with more than 500 cricketers!) on a flat pitch that lacked pace with a lightning-fast outfield. We lost the toss and were asked to bat first. The boys soon found themselves in early trouble, losing two quick wickets. That brought Vice CaptainAshton Hansen to the wicket, who combined initially with opener Sam Brophy (20 off 32) to steady the ship, before being joined by Matt Parker (44 off 64) in a 126-run fourth-wicket partnership against a barrage of spin, which was ended in the 27th over, leaving the innings well set up at 157/4. Soon after, Ashton brought up his first 100 for the First XI before finally being dismissed for an outstanding 115 off 77 balls (16 fours and 4 sixes). That brought Jack Ussher to the crease, who combined initially with Toby McClean (11 off 22) and then Fletcher Hawken. Jack and Fletcher put on 70 runs before Jack was dismissed for 39, looking for quick runs (278/7 at the start of the 47th). Fletcher was run out for 46 at the end of the 49th over, with the team finishing with an impressive 300 from their 50 overs.
In response, the Terrace started well. A 72-run opening partnership that was finally broken by Sam Drake when he induced a mistimed pull that was caught at mid-on by Ollie Turnbull. Alfie Omelvena-Flame got the next wicket with his left-arm orthodox spin in the 19th (124/2), with Ashton plucking a one-handed catch at backward point. Alfie then got another in his next over, this time bowled (135/3). The next wicket fell at 152 following an outstanding piece of fielding by Jack Ussher at mid-on, who dived and stopped a drive and threw the ball in the same motion to leave the batter short of his ground. Ollie Turnbull took the fifth wicket in the 27th over, with Ashton taking a catch on the square-leg boundary to dismiss the opener, leaving the Terrace 171 for 5 and the game well poised. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for Otago Boys', with Terrace's number 6 and 7 batters starting cautiously but then growing in confidence to win the game in the 47th over.
Bowling figures: Sam Drake 6 overs, 1 for 33; Alfie 10 overs, 2 for 57; Ollie 8 overs, 1 for 45.
Unsurprisingly, given this was the boys' first game and they had only been able to have two outdoor fielding sessions, they were rusty in the field, costing several runs, and inaccurate with the ball, bowling 26 wides and 4 no-balls (in contrast to 9 and 1 by the Terrace). At the end of the day, that proved to be the difference between the teams in a hard-fought game.
Day 2
On Day 2, the boys played St Joseph's Nudgee. It was a Day 3 pitch and there were a few cracks at one end. As a result, when Captain Ollie Turnbull won the toss, he elected to bat. Ollie and Toby opened, putting on 23 before Toby was out caught in the sixth. Alfie then fell for 14 in the 13th over. Ashton joined Ollie and threatened to carry on from the day before, hitting a six and a four before being bowled. Sam Brophy replaced him but was bowled by one that kept low for 13 (83/4 off 19 overs). Ollie finally fell for a well-compiled 36 off 56 balls (92/5). Matt Parker got an unplayable ball first up that hit a crack, kept low, and deviated markedly, bowling him, leaving the team in trouble at 92/6. Fletcher and Matty Richards then batted watchfully but positively and combined for a partnership of 40 before Fletcher was bowled by one that kept low for 25 off 25 balls (133/7). Jack then joined Matty until Matty was dismissed for 26 off 36 balls (158/8 in the 31st). That brought Fawaz Farooqi to the crease. Jack and Fawaz sought to take the innings as deep as they could. Jack was finally dismissed for 37 off 46 balls in the 44th over with the score at 205. Fawaz was the last man dismissed for a gritty 9 off 45 balls in the 47th over, with Otago Boys' finishing on 207.
In response, Harry got the first Nudgee wicket, LBW, in the fifth over (23/1). However, Nudgee then dug in. The occasional ball kept low, just missing the stumps on a couple of occasions, but the Nudgee batters batted positively, putting on 78 runs. Alfie got the breakthrough when the opener, having hit a four, tried to repeat the dose and was bowled. Soon after, Alfie picked up another when the Nudgee number 4 went for a swing to cow corner and hit it straight up in the air, with Sam Drake settling under the catch (108/3). Ashton and Alfie then built some pressure through a few tight overs; however, at 126/3 after 24 overs, Nudgee were well in control. A couple of expensive overs meant that Nudgee, 168/3 after 29 overs, required only 40 runs. Opening bowler Jack Ussher was brought back and immediately made the breakthrough, dismissing the Nudgee number 3 caught and bowled. Four balls later he bowled the new batsman, pegging back his off stump. At 168/5, the team sensed an opportunity. However, despite some aggressive fast bowling, the team were unable to make a further breakthrough, with Nudgee reaching the target in the 38th over.
Bowling figures: Harry Bezett 6 overs, 1 maiden, 1 for 45; Jack Ussher 9.3 overs, 2 maidens, 2 for 42; Sam Drake 5 overs, 0 for 20; Ashton Hansen 5 overs, 0 for 16; Alfie Omelvena-Flame 7 overs, 2 for 32.
Overall, the boys fought back well with the bat on a pitch that was keeping low at times at one end, to post a competitive score. However, extras (34 wides and 4 no-balls) and some rustiness in the field again proved costly.
Day 3
On Day 3, the boys played Brisbane Boys' College. Due to pre-season work being done on the main oval, it was unavailable, so the game was played on a pitch on their main rugby ground. The pitch was orientated at 45 degrees and had some very short boundaries behind square on the leg side for right-handers at both ends, and others that were very long straight. In some ways, it was reminiscent of Littlebourne. It promised to be a high-scoring game. Ollie won the toss and elected to field.
Jack and Sam Drake opened the bowling and kept it tight and controlled the scoring despite the field's dimensions, a lightning-fast outfield, and an extremely flat pitch with nothing in it for the bowlers. Sam picked up the first wicket, LBW, in his first over, beating the batter for pace. After 8 overs, Brisbane Boys' were 41/1, with Jack's opening spell of 4 overs going for a miserly 14. They were replaced by Harry and Fawaz, who continued to control the scoring; Fawaz’s opening 3 overs were all maidens. Alfie replaced Harry and had immediate success. The batter, trying to lift the scoring rate (56 after 13 overs), danced down the wicket and was stumped by Ollie, the keeper for the day. Alfie then picked up another in the same over, pinning their number 4, LBW. He then struck again in his second over, bowling the new batter (64/4). Fawaz continued to generate pressure at the other end, finishing his spell with 0 for only 10 runs off 5 overs. Fawaz was replaced by young Miles Nicol and then by Jack, while Alfie continued to bowl at the other end. Alfie then got his fourth wicket in the 24th over, removing the opening batter who was starting to get antsy: having hit Alfie back over his head in the previous over, he tried to repeat the dose and skied one to mid-on, where Miles took an excellent catch, backpedaling. After 30 overs, Brisbane Boys' were 145/5, with Jack's second 4-over spell going for only 15 runs, and Alfie finishing a 9-over spell with 4 for 40. They were replaced by Fawaz and Toby, who was then replaced by Sam. Fawaz continued where he left off, severely restricting the scoring, and made a well-deserved breakthrough, getting the set batter caught behind and ending a 70-run partnership. Alfie replaced Sam at the other end and bowled his tenth (4 for 41) before being replaced by Ashton. Fawaz completed his 10 overs with the outstanding bowling figures of 5 maidens, 1 for 25. With 7 overs left, Harry and Jack returned, with Harry making the breakthrough, with Ashton taking a sharp catch at mid-off (225/7 in the 46th). Jack completed his third spell in the 47th (10 overs, 2 maidens, 0 for 41). The last three overs were bowled by Sam and Harry; however, through some hard hitting and the unusual dimensions of the ground, their number 9 took 41 runs from the final three overs to get Brisbane Boys' to 271/7. Sam finished with 7 overs, 1 for 59, and Harry 9 overs, 1 for 57.
In reply, Sam Brophy and Ashton opened, with 4 off the first ball and 11 off the first over. What followed was a spectacle of power hitting. Sam took 18 off the second over, including an outrageous six down the ground, well over the longest boundary. The 50 came up in the fourth over and the team was 64 without loss after 6. Ashton was dismissed for 22 in the seventh over, and unfortunately, we were soon 2 down. Fawaz, batting 4, joined Sam at the crease and had the best seat in the house as Sam continued to plunder the bowling, eventually being dismissed in the 14th over for a brutish 84 off 38 balls, including 12 fours and 5 sixes (121/3). Matt Parker then joined Fawaz before Fawaz was dismissed for 16 (140/4). Unfortunately, we again lost a quick wicket, bringing Toby to the wicket at 142/5 after 20.1 overs. With the game in the balance, Matt and Toby applied themselves, steadily building the scoring rate. Matt brought up his 50 first, followed by Toby towards the end of the innings. Matt won the game in only the 39th over with a big six, finishing with 75* from 71 balls (8 fours and 5 sixes), while Toby finished on 55* (3 fours and 6 sixes), in a partnership of 134.
Overall, it was a much better performance with the ball and in the field, which restricted Brisbane Boys' to a subpar score. Sam then completely turned the game in Otago Boys' favour with his brutal innings. After mid-innings jitters, Matt and Toby steadied the ship to ensure the boys collected their first win of the tour.
Day 4 (Final Day)
On the final day, we played St Peter's Lutheran in Indooroopilly. The school boasts two Olympic-sized swimming pools and had 8 gold medals at the last Olympics. Otago Boys' batted first and soon found themselves in trouble, losing a wicket in the first over. That brought Sam Brophy to the crease to join Matty Richards. Sam continued on where he had finished off the day before. Despite the much larger boundaries, there was soon a long break in play as they tried to retrieve the ball from halfway up the hill without disturbing any snakes. That over ended up going for 26 runs, with Sam hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes. Ably supported by Matty, the team was 71/1 after 10, with Sam bringing his 50 up the following over. Matty was finally dismissed at the end of the 13th over for 23 off 30 balls. What followed was carnage, and not in a good way. From 88/2 after 13 overs, the team soon found themselves 92/7 after 16.2, with Sam (58 off 57 balls) the last in a steady stream of batters dismissed. Facing being dismissed for a very low total, Matt Parker and Toby again stopped the rot. However, a repeat of Day 3 was not to be, with Toby dismissed for 9 off 27 in the 26th over (117/8). That brought Jack Ussher to the crease, who combined with Matt to try and build a defendable total. Matt was dismissed in the 34th over for 25 from 48 balls. Harry Bezett joined Jack and they continued trying to take the innings as deep as they could. Harry was finally dismissed in the 45th over with the score on 198. Harry got 15 from 34, while Jack was not out on 36 from 60. The last three wickets combined were worth 106 from 28.2 overs, giving the team a score they could bowl at.
Miles Nicol and Sam Drake opened the bowling. Both bowled with good pace and aggression. Sam struck first at the end of the seventh over, with Ollie taking a sharp chance at first slip (22/1). Miles then struck in his fifth over, a wicket maiden, with Harry taking a good catch at midwicket (33/2 after 8.3 overs). It was a well-deserved first wicket for the First XI, after he had caused the batters some problems, beating the outside edge on several occasions. Harry then replaced Sam (4 overs, 1 for 17) and bowled a couple of overs before the introduction of spin, with Alfie. At the other end, Miles completed a spell of 6 overs, 1 for 29 before being replaced by Jack. Jack started with a maiden before picking up a wicket in his second over (a wicket maiden). Having brought a couple in, he got one to hold its line and induced an edge which was gratefully accepted by keeper Matt Parker (70/3 after 16). Jack then struck again in his fourth over, with the batter trying to go over mid-on, but the ball got too big on him and skewed it to mid-off, where Ollie moved well to get under it (82/4). It was rinse and repeat in Jack's next over where a short ball at the body got big on the batter as he tried to pull. It was too quick for him and he hit it in the air to Ollie at midwicket (92/5). Four balls later, Alfie had the new batter stumped by Matt after he danced down the wicket and got nowhere near it (93/6). Then, the following over, his sixth, Jack struck again, snicking off the left-hander, with Matt taking another catch behind the stumps (94/7). Jack bowled one more to try and get his 5-for but it wasn't to be, and he was replaced after an outstanding 7-over spell (2 maidens, 4 for 26) by Fawaz. Fawaz struck with his first ball, with the batter slapping a cut shot to cover where Alfie took a good catch (114/8 after 26.1 overs). Alfie then got the final wicket. The batter went for an aerial drive and spliced it to point, where Harry took the catch (115/9 off 27.4 overs). The final batter was injured, so did not bat. Alfie finished with 7.4 overs, 2 for 25, and Fawaz with 1 over, 1 for 1.
It was a dominant performance with the ball, led by Jack but with contributions from all the bowlers. There were some sharp catches taken in the field. In the end, the total of 198 proved too much for St Peter's. It was great to finish the tour with our second win.
Short Scorecards
1st XI Cricket - Tour to Brisbane
Harry Bezett, Sam Brophy, Sam Drake, Fawaz Farooqi, Ashton Hansen, Fletcher Hawken, Toby McClean, Miles Nicol, Alfie Omelvena-Flame, Matt Parker, Matty Richards, Ollie Turnbull and Jack Ussher.
Game 1 vs St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace 1st XI OBHS 300 all out (50 ov), Ashton Hansen 115, Fletcher Hawken 46, Matt Parker 44 and Jack Ussher 39 lost vs SJGT 301/5 (46.2 ov), Alfie Omelvena-Flame 2/57, Sam Drake 1/33 and Ollie Turnbull 1/45
Game 2 vs St Joseph's Nudgee College 1st XI OBHS 207 all out (46.3 ov), Jack Ussher 37, Ollie Turnbull 36, Matty Richards 26 lost vs STNC 209/5 (38.3 ov), Alfie Omelvena-Flame 2/32, Jack Ussher 2/42 and Harry Bezett 1/45
Game 3 vs Brisbane Boys' College 1st XI BBC 271 all out (50 ov), Alfie Omelvena-Flame 4/41, Fawaz Farooqi 1/25, Harry Bezett 1/57 and Sam Drake 1/59 won vs OBHS 276/5 (39 ov), Sam Brophy 84, Matt Parker 75 not out, Toby McClean 55 not out and Ashton Hansen 22
Game 4 vs St Peter's Lutheran 1st XI OBHS 198 all out (46 ov), Sam Brophy 58, Jack Ussher 36 not out, Matt Parker 25, Matty Richards 23 won vs SPL 115 all out (27.3 ov), Jack Ussher 4/26, Alfie Omelvena-Flame 2/25
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