The Final: TGA Sixes

Two teams with a point to prove, Hutchesons' Grammar School and The Glasgow Academy participated in the final of this year's sixes. Whilst Kallum Dhami's accuracy and Gregor Anderson's late flourish had brought HGS into the final, it was the might of John Oliver, Arman Khan and Ross Heginbottom's ferocious feats which carried The Glasgow Academy into the final. TGA captain John Oliver elected to bat on a flat astro wicket and this proved to be a brilliant decision. Despite Arman Khan (2(2)) departing 5 balls into Gregor Anderson (1-0-8-0)'s opening over due to an unfortunate run out, Ross Heginbottom (9(5)) joined John Oliver to ransack 33 runs off the next HGS over, delivered by Sam Cole (1-0-33-1). However, on the last ball of the over, Ross seeked one big hit too much it seemed, and Kallum Dhami's safe hands made sure that the dangerous batsman had to go. From there on in, although HGS's bowlers bowled some tight lines: G.Cornwall (1-0-10-0), Daniel Cairns (1-0-20-0) and Kallum Dhami (1-0-19-1), John Oliver stole the show. Even though Ross' 26 contained power and strength above all else, and Arman Khan's innings was simply spectacular, Oliver's ranked above both of them, for its class and the situation in which it was produced. Wickets fell constantly: Adam McMurray was the next to go for a well made 11 off 8 before being run out in the last over. But by that point, John Oliver had got his eye in, having nurdled intelligent singles and smacked some brilliant boundaries. When Kallum Dhami's last over contained 2 sixes and a four, all three hit by John, it was hard to see how he could stop clearing the fence. Eventually, he was run out trying to get back on strike, but having struck 54 off just 18, with 5 fours, 4 sixes and no dots(!) at a strike rate of 300, he had left The Academy in an extremely strong position: defending 90. If his talismanic batting efforts had not been enough, his penultimate over ensured an Academy victory. Arman Khan (1-0-15-0), Adam McMurray (1-0-10-1), Tom Bouttell (1-0-19-0) and Ross Heginbottom (1-0-16-0) all bowled brilliantly to suppress any of the last minute heroics that HGS had previously showcased. Notably, Heginbottom took a sensational high catch off the bowling of the zippy McMurray to send oppositon captain Kallum Dhami back for just 17(10). Although Sam Cole constructed a fantastic 23(9)*, Gregor Anderson 4(5) and Sahil Kakar (8(4)*) were simply unable to boost HGS. In the end, they lost by 23 runs meaning that The Glasgow Academy had retained their title! When receiving the bowl, John Oliver's smile said it all: it had been a brilliant day for The Academy. The performances of all the players were commendable, given the tight wide tramlines, the short boundaries, and the limited number of fielders. However, John's captain's innings was the cherry on the cake, the innings which pushed The Academy to the brink of glory, and the sensible bowling which followed made sure that TGA won. Such an amazing day (with amazing weather) is not possible without a number of helping hands: Mr.McCaskey, Mr Smith and Mr Wilson for supporting the team; Greg MacMillan for scoring; the catering staff for providing a tasty and filling lunch, Lomond School, Hutchesons' Grammar School, The High School of Glasgow, George Watsons' College and Wellington School for coming and their respective coaches for helping the event run smoothly, a special thanks to The High School of Glasgow for lending their facilities and above all, Mr Hariharan for his passion, enthusiasm, and effort which shines through with every victory the Academy gains. Thank you.Read more