LATE REPORT
TEAMS CCNSW AND RAGA’S INVITATIONAL XI – WEDNESDAY 9 FEBRUARY
Back Row: Rob Laing, Joe Scarcella, Graham McDonald, Jed Wesley-Smith, Mario G Giarratano (w/2 for CCNSW), Greg Brooks, Michael Carmen, Peter Rolls (c for CCNSW), Sittampalam Ragavan (c for Raga XI), Stuart Ridge, Paul Adams, Neville Emerson, Raj Beadle, Ashok Victor Ponnudurai, Harry Solomons.
Front Row: Garry Budden (w for Raga XI), Simon Lyon, Paul Georgiadis, Wasantha Hettiarachchi, Gunaratnam Kandakumar, Garry Winney, David Wright (w/1 for CCNSW).
SOCIAL GAME v RAGA’S INVITATIONAL XI AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2022 : REPORT BY PETER ROLLS
La Nina was causing havoc with matches called off the previous two weekends due to torrential rain. Luckily for us the rain stopped the day before and the sun came out to give us hope. Marcus the groundsman called me on the Tuesday afternoon to say he would only be able to try and prepare a wicket the game day Wednesday morning as the wicket was too wet to do anything on the Tuesday and no use putting covers down. He said he would call me at 8am Wednesday to let me know if a game can be played. Marcus rang me at 7.30am to say game on and did an amazing job to get us a wicket. Full credit to him. The wicket was slightly soft but playable. We were blessed to get a beautiful day with perfect conditions at 26°C and the wicket dried out nicely.
Sittampalam Ragavan (“Raga”) and Peter Rolls assembled teams that had more characters than a Marvel Comic book. Peter won the toss and elected to bowl as not sure how the wicket would play.
Raga’s XI Innings:
Garry Budden and Rob Laing opened Raga’s XI innings and started strongly like an All Blacks scrum with their Locks necks wedged between two bums. No wicket for 40 after 6 overs with Joe Scarcella and Paul Georgiadis getting some treatment and subbed off with bruises to their reputations. Then disaster struck for them in the 7th over with Rob caught by the safe hands of Joe at mid-off off Stuart Ridge’s first ball of his spell, 6 runs short of our agreed 25 runs retirement plan. Garry Budden continued his fine selective innings and retired at 26.
Simon Lyon came in and soon succumbed to Stuart’s fine line and length, bowled with the wicket doing a bit on a good length. 2-56 off 13 overs. Neville Emerson was looking dangerous until he tickled one to the safe gloves of David Wright off a fired up Jed Wesley-smith who had not got out much during the Covid lockdowns. Wasantha Hettiarachchi (‘Wasa’) showed good form with a couple of boundaries before run out from a mix up with his partner Raga.
Raga was scoring swiftly and enjoying the banter with bowler Jed Wesley-Smith until he lobbed one to Peter Rolls at cover off Jed. 5-94 off 24 overs. Harry Solomons decked out in brand new Kookaburra spikes was running like an Olympian with Raga’s quick calls and hitting the middle of his fine willow bat until the best catch of the day was pulled off by Paul Georgiadis at deep mid-on diving to his left. Raga was heard saying from the pavilion, “Paul doesn’t take catches like that at the nets!” Jed’s third wicket. 6-98 off 26 overs.
Michael (Opera) Carman first overture for CCNSW came on with his left arm mediums that were wayward to start but by his final ball took the wicket of Paul adams with a bizarre catch by Garry Winney at short mid-on as the ball was passing him he stuck his left mitt out to great effect. 7-103 off 27 overs. Ashok Victor Ponnudurai started to wind up in the 29th over but swung over the top of one, bowled by Garry Winney 8-113 off 29 overs.
Gunaratnam Kandakumar (‘Kanda’) was patient and gave the strike to Raj Beadle who was lustily hitting with his big frame but became Michael Carman’s second wicket, well caught behind by his mate Mario Giarratano filling in for the day, who had taken over the keeping job from David Wright.
Enter back from retirement Garry Budden who with Kanda for their last wicket squeezed the most out of their final 5 overs from Garry Winney and Graham McDonald like toothpaste out of the bottom of a tube. Both ended not out and a respectable score of 9-145 on pitch that had some variability but safe.
CCNSW Innings:
Peter Rolls thought he would give normal tail enders Paul Georgiadis and David Wright a go to test their metal against Raga’s normal ace opening bowlers of Paul Adams and himself. But Raga was up to the tactical challenge and saved Paul and himself for the crucial middle to late overs. Kanda and Ashok who normally bowl in the middle order opened and contained us well with two maiden overs to start and after 8 overs we were 0 for 12.
David was run out trying to lift the run rate. Mario Giarratano was caught by a sharp grab from Raga at silly mid-on to a confusing dismissal that Mario thought was a bump ball off Rob Laing ’s bowling. 2-28 off 13 overs and well behind the run rate of 3.7 per over.
Peter Rolls looking for quick runs, attempted a full blooded drive off Simon Lyon with a flying thick edge straight to Rob Laing at first slip that would have split his atom had he not successfully defended his face. 3-37 off 18. Paul Georgiadis meantime played the best innings of his long CCNSW career, retiring at 25* (the first time ever retiring). Michael Carman and Stuart Ridge came in and Michael started to fire when Stuart also looking for quick runs, was run out by keeper Garry Budden. Michael pulled a calf in the process and had to retire injured. A calamity for CCNSW.
Greg Brooks came in and with a combination of lusty hitting 3 fours and sensible 7 singles was careful to ensure we had at least two retired at 25*. Graham McDonald showed all of his 72yo class but Raga’s guile got him LBW. 5-85 off 35 overs. 61 required with 5 overs remaining. Not impossible but Greg needed to get back in. Joe Scarcella was bowled by ‘Wasa’ swinging hard. Garry Winney run out trying hard. 7-102 off 38. 2 overs to get 44 so all over red rover. Paul Georgiadis came back in to join Jed Wesley-Smith who was swinging wilder than a carefree couple in a Surrey Hills party. Paul was unbeaten on 31* scurrying singles for and Jed knocking off some boundaries at the end to make it exciting, with Jed also unbeaten, on 14*. A well deserved win by Raga’s men and Raga was quick to get the shield back to engrave his team’s name on it. Standing now at one a piece for this perpetual fun event. Drinks and banter continued until bad light stopped palling around.
Raga’s XI Team was: Garry Budden (w) 35, Rob Laing 19, Neville Emerson 15, Simon Lyon 1, Wasantha Hettiarachchi 17, Sittampalam Ragavan (c) 11, Harry Solomon 4, Paul Adams 4, Raj Beadle 12, Ashok Victor Ponnudurai 6, Gunaratnam Kandakumar 9*.
The CCNSW Team was: – PaulGeorgiadis 31* ret not out, David Wright (w) 6 , Mario Giarratano 1, Peter Rolls (c) 7, Michael Carman 9* retired hurt, Stuart Ridge 0, Greg Brooks 25* ret not out, Joe Scarcella 4, Graham McDonald 13, Garry Winney 1, Jed Wesley-Smith 14*.
The Result was: –
Raga Invitation XI: – 9-145 (40 overs) (J. Wesley-Smith 3-18)
Defeated
C.C.N.S.W.: – 7-119 (40 overs) (P. Georgiadis 31*; G. Brooks 25*)
By 26 runs
Raga’s XI FoW: 1-40, (R. Laing); 2-56 (S. Lyon); 3-66 (N .Emerson); 4-89 (W. Hettiarachchi); 5-94 (S. Ragavan); 6-98 (H. Solomons); 7-103 (P. Adams); 8-113 (A. Ponnudurai); 9-125 (R. Beadle)..
CCNSW FoW: – 1-13, (D. Wright); 2-24 (M. Giarratano); 3-37 (P. Rolls); 4-56 (S. Ridge); 5-85 (G. McDonald); 6- 96 (G. Winney); 7- 101 (J. Scarcella).
The CCNSW Bowling was: –: J, Scarcella 7-0-28-0; P. Georgiadis 4-0-28-0; S. Ridge 5-3-6-2; J. Wesley-Smith 4-0-18-3; G. Brooks 5-0-18-0; M. Carman 6-0-24-2, G. Winney 4-1-7-1. G. McDonald 3-0-8-0
Raga’s Invitation XI Bowling was: –: G. Kandakumar 5-1-9-0; A. Ponnudurai 6-2-10-0; S. Lyons 5-2-14-1; P. Adams 6-2-16-0; N. Emerson 3-0-8-0; S. Ragavan 4-0-14-1; W. Hettiarrchchi 5-0-22-1; R. Beadle 1-0-8-0.
The CCNSW Fielding was: –
Stumpings: – Nil
Catches: – One to each to J. Scarcella, D. Wright (w/1), P. Rolls, P. Georgiadis, G. Winney,
M. Giarratano (w/2).
Run outs: – G. Brooks
Raga’s XI Fielding was: –
Stumpings: – Nil
Catches: – One each to S. Ragavan, R. Laing.
Run outs: – One to G. Budden (wk) and ?
Shield prior to Raga’s XI team being engraved on it.
CITY & SUBURBAN ROUND 15 v BEAVERS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN SUNDAY 6 MARCH 2022:
Cancelled by rain
CLASSICS OVER 50s ROUND 8 v SRI LANKA LIONS AT MONTE BENNETT OVAL, WENTWORTHVILLE ON SUNDAY 6 MARCH 2022 :
Cancelled by rain
NB Our Round 8 confirmed home game v Old Ignatians at Marrickville Oval was redrawn at last minute so CCNSW (coming 3rd in League) could play the Sri Lanka Lions (coming 2nd in League) at their home ground but the game was rained off. We are due to play the Sri Lankan Lions at Camperdown in round 9 but this also could be redrawn