Daya Singh: One season; Three milestones
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | May 24, 2025
Daya Singh is another of the outstanding all-rounders to play with Randwick Petersham. He joined the club in 2018-19 after seven seasons with Blacktown, where he scored 1,725 runs and took 143 wickets in 1st Grade. He made his debut in the top grade in 2011-12 at age 17 and two years later, played for NSW in the National under 19 championships in Hobart, where he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.
A right-arm fast-medium bowler and right-hand bat, this season brought with it a number of playing milestones for Daya, emphasising his quality as a top-class and valued cricketer.
The first was in round 9 against Sydney at Coogee in a limited overs match reduced to 15 overs per team, due to persistent rain most of the day. Sydney completed its overs at 9-96 after being 6-19 off four. In the run chase, the locals found the going just as tough and at 5-38 from 4.4 overs, had it all to do. Daya Singh joined skipper Riley Ayre and the pair put on 40 to set up a win in the final over. Daya made 21 that day but when he had made two, he brought up a career record of 3,500 1st Grade runs. He completed the season with 256 which included a dashing 87* including six sixes against Manly-Warringah and 73 playing Sutherland. His career record now stands at 3,575 runs, which includes a score of 103 against UTS North Sydney in 2020-21, batting at no. 9.
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The second event of particular significance was in round 11 against Mosman at Coogee, which doubled as round 6 of the Limited Overs Cup preliminary matches. Randwick Petersham was third on the limited overs points table going into the match and needed to win to ensure a place in the finals and secure a home ground. It was also the 250th 1st Grade game of Daya’s cricketing career.
When the final ball was bowled, Daya Singh was the toast of the team and was cheered off the ground. Not because he had brought up such an impressive game number, but because he had bowled the last man with the last ball of the match with Mosman one run short of the Randwick Petersham score! It was one of the closest finishes in the history of the club and led to another premiership, with the team going on to win the Limited Overs competition.
The match against Mosman was also significant in achieving a third cricketing milestone during the season for the 30-year-old, who finished the day with 2-17 off nine overs. While the second of those wickets brought victory for the side, the first gave Singh a record which very few Sydney cricketers achieve – 300 wickets in 1st Grade. He went on to finish the season with 23 wickets off 141 overs, a far cry from the previous year when injury restricted him to just eight overs. He has now taken 313 wickets in his career. His best performance has been 6-31 in a losing Limited Overs Grand Final against Sydney University at University Oval in 2019-20.
While the above relate to career performances, Daya Singh is within range of achieving certain 1st Grade milestones with Randwick Petersham. Of his 258 matches, he has played 137 with the club—just 13 short of 150. Another 150 runs will take him from his club total of 1,850 to 2,000 while he needs 30 more wickets to join club stars Adam Semple, Jake Wilson, Daniel Sams and Riley Ayre as players who have reached the 200 wickets mark.
Since joining Randwick Petersham, Daya Singh has been an outstanding contributor to the club. In his second season, he was appointed joint captain with Jason Sangha and the pair led the side to victory in the Belvidere Cup. They combined the following summer to take out the Limited Overs Cup and the next year won the Twenty 20 competition.
Over four successive seasons, Daya led the team on 91 occasions–39 as joint skipper with Jason and 52 on his own, usually when Jason was on first-class cricket duties. With this seasons Limited Overs victory, he has been a vital part of four premiership wins. Daya was the Player of the Season in 2021-22. He was also runner-up in the 1st Grade Captain of the Year competition, that season.
Lyall Gardner
Randwick Petersham Cricket Historian
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