�ʹڲ�Ʊ

�ʹڲ�Ʊ’s men’s cricket team delivered an outstanding performance at the UniSport Nationals T20 tournament, going undefeated and claiming gold for the first time since 2017 after beating University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in the gold medal match. 

The team, that fielded 10 �ʹڲ�Ʊ EAP's this year, kicked off their campaign with a dominant 10-wicket victory over the University of Southern Queensland. USQ were bowled out for just 63 runs in 12.4 overs, with Matthew Jones sealing the innings in style by taking a hat-trick to claim the final three wickets. Akshay Prasan and Joseph Gillard made light work of the chase, knocking off the runs in just 4.5 overs.

Momentum continued in the second match against the University of the Sunshine Coast. �ʹڲ�Ʊ restricted their opponents to a modest total and chased down the required 62 runs in just 4 overs without losing a wicket. Ethan Jamieson—a Vice-Chancellor’s Blues Award winner—and Henry Pike led from the front with another commanding display.

Round 3 posed a tougher challenge against UTS. Batting first, �ʹڲ�Ʊ had a shaky start but Mac Webster steadied the innings with a crucial 43 off 39 balls to take the total to 109. In response, UTS fell just short at 104 thanks to some tight bowling and disciplined fielding.

Next up was ANU, who elected to bat first and posted a strong total of 6/152, with wickets shared among six �ʹڲ�Ʊ bowlers. Chasing at 7.5 runs per over, �ʹڲ�Ʊ’s top order got off to a blazing start. Nirav Prasan scored 44 while Arnav Raina smashed an unbeaten 66*. With just 30 runs required, Ethan Jamieson came in and blasted 21 runs off 7 balls—including two sixes from his first two deliveries—to seal the win with over 4 overs to spare.

The fifth pool game saw �ʹڲ�Ʊ take on the University of New England. UNE set a target of 105 thanks to exceptional bowling from Armaan Sajnani, who claimed 4/15. Raina once again anchored the run chase with 25* off 13 balls, guiding �ʹڲ�Ʊ to a comfortable 7-wicket win inside 12 overs.

In their final pool match, �ʹڲ�Ʊ faced their toughest test against the defending champions, the University of Queensland. Batting first, �ʹڲ�Ʊ posted 5/142 with strong contributions from Henry Pike (32) and Joseph Gillard (34). UQ’s openers came out firing with 57 runs before the first wicket, but Ethan Kooner turned the game around with a crucial 3/21. �ʹڲ�Ʊ held on to win by 12 runs and top Pool A.

The semi-final against the University of Western Australia saw UWA bat first and set a strong total of 151. �ʹڲ�Ʊ’s chase came down to the final over, needing 15 runs. Cameron Frendo held his nerve, finishing unbeaten on 34 and hitting three runs off the penultimate ball to send �ʹڲ�Ʊ into their first-ever T20 grand final.

In the final, �ʹڲ�Ʊ won the toss and elected to bat—an inspired decision. They posted a mammoth total of 183, scoring at 9 runs per over from the outset. Key contributions came from Ethan Jamieson (43 off 34), Matthew Jones (31 off 20), Joseph Gillard (23 off 17), Arnav Raina (43 off 27), and Tom Connolly, who finished the innings with a punishing 23 off just 10 balls.

Opening the bowling, Cameron Frendo set the tone with an incredible opening spell—0/3 from his first three overs, including two maidens. Nirav Prasan continued the pressure with 3/18, and backed by sensational fielding, �ʹڲ�Ʊ restricted UTS to 9/142 to claim the gold medal.

“We came here with confidence,” �ʹڲ�Ʊ Men’s Co-Captain Akshay Prasan said after the match, “but also knowing there were a lot of other great teams here.”  

“We had a great week, we ended up going through undefeated and finishing up with the win this morning,” Parsan added. “My favourite thing about the competition is that it is a great week to meet people from all across the country, awesome to get to know people on and off the field and the spirit that the cricket has been played in across the week has been great to see.”

A massive shoutout to Arc Sport for working tirelessly behind the scenes to put together this talented squad and supporting them throughout the tournament on the Sunshine Coast.

�ʹڲ�Ʊ T20 Squad:

Tom Connolly (EAP)
Cameron Frendo (EAP)
Joseph Gillard (EAP)
Ryan Gupta (EAP)
Ethan Jamieson (EAP)
Matt Jones
Ethan Kooner
Henry Pike (EAP)
Akshay Prasan (EAP)
Nirav Prasan (EAP)
Arnav Raina (EAP)
Armaan Sajnani
Mac Webster (EAP)