Yesterday in 1st Grade, we saw Chris Geers make club history by making 149 runs and achieving his third century for Leeming Spartans in as many innings.
Geers started the season committed to playing 7th Grade with fellow team mates from their One Day E Grand Final Appearance last season. Due to a lack of numbers, the whole 7th Grade side was forced to play 3rd Grade’s first fixture of the season against Piara Waters. Geers went on to make 41 not out in a losing cause.
Then after returning to 7th Grade the next week, returned his season low of 19. After this is when the streak started!
Coming up against a young Kardinya Lakes bowling attack and back in his customary opening position, Geers set about chasing a low total in the last 90 mins of Day 1. He then went to stumps on 52 not out. On resumption the next week, he quickly raced to 97 with three figures in sight. Team mates thought it was just “a good fifty” with Geers being caught at backward square leg for 97, only to see Umpire Steve Nichols with his arm extended signalling no-ball! Geers then went on to secure the hundred, only to be dismissed for 110 chasing quick runs for the team after victory was secured.
Century number 2 was made in less dramatic circumstances against Cockburn. Set 166 for victory, Geers was again the mainstay of the Spartans innings at Trevor Gribble, batting throughout the day to compile 138 not out, out of Leeming’s 7/256 after 65 overs.
So with numbers a little short across 1st and 3rd Grade, the call was made for players to push up the grades and of course Geers’ name plate on the whiteboard was high on the list to make the move up.
Then for his first Leeming 1st Grade match since season 2008/09, Geers was back to “just help out”. And he did just that!
Leeming won the toss and bowled against Willetton Crows at Burrendah Reserve last Saturday. Our bowlers did the right thing, including a 5-for from Andy Gibbs, a fellow 7th Grader returning to 1’s for similar reasons. This left a dicey hour or so for Leeming to bat. With Geers listed at number 4, he was hoping to not have to worry about facing up on Day 1. However, after a brisk start, a few quick wickets followed and Geers was out there! Once again, the luck of the bowlers front foot was on his side, as Geers was trapped LBW in front first ball, only to see the umpire with his arm out horizontal rather than vertical to give the reprieve he was looking for.
The second day’s play resumed with the talk being, ” if we can just get a nice 20-30 from Geersy that would be awesome”, well he did more than that. Geers resumed with Vice Captain Ben Harris and they carried on to post a 88 run partnership which well and truly put the result beyond doubt. But Geers didn’t stop there.
Geers and Adam Morgan then went on to post a 7th wicket partnership of 162 runs, which is the second highest 7th wicket partnership in Spartans 1st Grade history. Morgan then went on to post 67 not out of his own.
Geers was finally the last man out of Spartans innings for 149. Which goes down as the second highest 1st Grade individual innings in Spartan’s history. He is also the first man to score three hundreds in three consecutive innings and only the tenth Spartan to score three or more hundreds in one season.
A huge congratulations to Chris and let’s hope the runs keep coming for the rest of the season.
Peter Waite