All posts by Stuart Ridge

C&S, Classics, LMS, Match Reports, Vintage

WEEK ELEVEN: WEDNESDAY 22 – SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2023

December 2, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

LAST MAN STANDS T20 8-A-SIDE EAST SYDNEY DIVISION TWO ROUND 4 v GORILLA BOUNDARY BASHERS AT MP 8 , ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 22 NOVEMBER: REPORT BY WILL JACOBS

Heading into the game quietly confident of a first win , we started steady with the batting lead by debutant Jim Dempster who made a solid 50 but unfortunately fell away at the end and didn’t score enough runs. A solid effort by the bowlers and in the field and some ‘never say die’ attitude made it hard for the opposition but they passed our score in the 14th over for the loss of only 2 wickets. CCNSW simply did not score enough runs.

Great to see we can still get 8 players to a game after using a lot of players already this year. Hopefully we can improve on our batting next game

The Team was: – Nicholas Kochanowicz 14, Jim Dempster 55, Luke Goodman 10, Arun Shyamsunder 19, Ben Digan 7, Craig Fordham 8, William Jacobs (c) and (w) 5, Joseph Taylor 3

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 8-117 (19.3 Overs) (J. Dempster 55)

Lost to

Gorilla Boundary Bashers: 2-120 (14 Overs)

By 6 wickets

The Bowling was: – A. Shyamsunder 3-0-15-0; N. Kochanowicz 3-0-26-0; J. Taylor 2-0-22-0 ; C. Fordham 2-0-14-0; L. Goodman 2-0-11-0; B. Digan 1-0-19-0; J. Dempster 1-0-5-2;

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – Two to J. Dempster

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): 3 points to J. Dempster; 2 points to A. Shyamsunder; one point to W. Jacobs

Scorecard: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=407378

C&S ROUND 5: CCNSW vs THE SACHIN TENDULKAR XI AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2023

Cancelled by rain.

CLASSICS ROUND 5: CCNSW vs SRI LANKA LIONS AT WATERLOO OVAL, ZETLAND ON SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2023: REPORT BY SHERVILLE HALL

The Team was (playing 12): – Mike Weaver 44*, Tom Robertson 11, Paul Nash 16, Andrew Dawson 17, Andrew Davis 2, Andrew Bachelard 11, Mike Pinter 2, Scott Wells (c) and (w) 5, David Kent 4, Mike Tarrant 14, Sherville Hall 10, Ed Cross dnb

The Result was: –

Sri Lanka Lions: – 10-178 (39.4 Overs) (E. Cross 3-31))

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-144 (36.1 Overs) (M. Weaver 44*)

By 34 runs

FoWs: – 1-14 (T. Robertson); 2-33 (P. Nash); 3-71 (A. Dawson); 4-81 (A. Davis); 5-91 (M. Pinter); 6-98 (S. Wells); 7-102 (A. Bachelard); 8-120 (M. Tarrant); 9-121 (D. Kent) 10-144 (S. Hall)

The Bowling was: – S. Hall 7.4-0-41-2; D. Kent 3-0-27-0; A. Bachelard 9-0-40-1; E. Cross 9-1-31-3; A. Davis 2-0-10-0; M. Tarrant 9-1-25-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One To A. Davis and one to P. Nash

Run outs: – One to E. Cross

Player points (awarded by umpire): 3 points to M. Weaver; 2 points to E. Cross; one point to S. Hall

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/classics-summer-202324/classics-foxs/game-centre/c7239e35

VINTAGE ROUND 4: CCNSW vs NORTHERN STARS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2023: REPORT BY MICK McCORMICK

Luckily the Bureau of Meteorology got their Saturday forecast wrong with the prediction of considerable rain not eventuating. The humidity was pushing 90% at Camperdown on the Sunday morning and what better way to warm up than fold up covers big enough to cover the space shuttle. 24 senior citizens slaving and sweating profusely chasing sporting glory. And the game hadn’t even started. The resultant pile of conglomerated plastic would have easily plugged the entrance to the new Rozelle junction tunnel.

State championship cross overs between the two clubs ensured the prospect of uncompromising competition once on the field with the added nuance of a Kim Philby like defection adding social media interest and whispers in the toilets.

The pitch was surprisingly firm. CCNSW lost the toss and was sent into bat.

In form opener Gerry O’Shea and Peter Rolls donned the gear early. Rolls, having sustained an injury surfing (still thinking he was Wayne Bartholomew) was furiously rubbing his leg as the crowd jeered his slower than usual running between wickets.

The Northern Stars opening bowlers bowled accurately. Gerry hit some fine shots to keep the run rate on an even keel. One shot was driven well down the field close to the mid on boundary where a soccer ball had magically appeared some four metres inside the boundary like some David Copperfield illusion. The fieldsman signaled four as the ball passed the soccer ball until everyone, including the local dog, realised the soccer ball was not the boundary marker. It is a well-known fact that the last time a soccer ball was used as a cricket boundary marker was in a Christmas game of backyard cricket at Tim Cahill’s house in 2004.In a surprisingly sensible umpiring decision Garry James estimated the pair would have run three, completely ignoring Rolls surfing trauma.

Gerry clipped and drove until he was caught and bowled by an excellent reflex catch. Rolls buckled down with Joe Scarcella, keeping the run rate ticking at a reasonable pace. Joe conscious of increasing the run rate got scuttled with an uncharacteristic swipe.

Greg Brooks started his innings in the best way possible sweeping his first ball from the opposition run- scrooge captain over the square leg boundary for six. He then took full toll of a couple of short balls from the Northern Stars recent leg spin recruit with one denting the roof of the pavilion. He quickly reached his 30* laying a valuable foundation for the remaining batsmen. Unfortunately, Mick McCormick could not capitalise on the set up when his forward defence lost all structure waiting incessantly for the ball to arrive.

Garry James took up the challenge, though it seemed he had a gastric band on obtaining the strike. Meanwhile Dr. Sittampalam Ragavan (“Raga”) was getting on with it until a unfortunate run out ended the partnership.

As the overs started diminishing, Frank Baliotis was caught at the bowler’s end thinking about his upcoming Sri Lankan trip. Garry called loudly for a run off his pads. When Garry arrived at the bowlers end Frank was still thinking about what to put in his bags. Then as though someone said, “you better get home, your house is on fire” Frank took off like a fox terrier pursued by a leopard, ending in a gymnastic rollover manoeuvre Simone Biles would be proud of as the fielder and wicket keeper fluffed and fumbled leaving Frank safe and back on planet Earth.

Garry got his third undefeated 30*. Then John Finucane and David Glen ran like greyhounds between wickets to add some very valuable late runs. A final score of 5-163. A defendable score but needing good bowling and fielding against a strong batting line up.

Stuart Ridge settled into his normal line and length while Paul Georgiadis enticed the Northern Stars openers into hitting into the air resulting in a competent catch to Joe Scarcella followed by a lively caught and bowled to Paul himself. The new Northern Stars recruit then increased the risk taking with a number of edged and lofted shots narrowly escaping the fielders..

The Northern Stars captain required Dr Ragavan to delve into his bag of medical marvels for industrial quantities of magnesium to relieve his cramp brought on by attempting to bowl 8 overs and complaining he should be allowed to bowl 18. The drugs were to no avail and certainly had no calming effect.

Greg Brooks bowled beautifully conceding a miserly 3 runs over 5 overs. Mick McCormick took over from Ridge and bowled straighter picking up a couple of wickets including the aggressive lefty. Garry James threw the ball up and bowled a Jaffa arm ball to remove one of the more stubborn Northern Stars middle order batters.

Garry then blew up like a puffer fish when Mick McCormick loped around the pavilion boundary Michael Holding style, until he dropped as though shot by a sniper, failing to observe the crater like depression adjacent to the entrance gate, (note to A Hawkes… public liability claim pending) unable to propel forward on his stomach akin to a stranded walrus, he forlornly flapped his flipper at the ball just inches away as it continued to roll agonisingly slowly towards the boundary. The ball won.

Garry was somewhat recompensed the next ball, when a seemingly certain four halted centimeters from the cone designated boundary. The batters meanwhile were glove punching mid pitch having not crossed for a run whilst also risking a “Bairstow” incident as the ball was returned as they obliviously continued to wax lyrical over the shot not realising it had not made the boundary.

Raga then settled into his bowling rhythm even extracting some late innings bounce whilst keeping it tight. He was rewarded with two wickets, both plumb lbws. Joe Scarcella bowled the necessary tight overs when the opposition was looking to take more risk.

Greg Brooks and Stuart Ridge returned for the final six overs with the rain greasing the pitch and the ball. The light was also deteriorating and might have tempted formal umpires to cut proceedings short. The Northern Stars number 10 was batting ok until the slippery pitch saw him fall like one of the ice-skating group in front of Stephen Bradbury’s gold medal win. An easy run out resulted. (There may have been a loud Leyton Hewitt “C’mon” call from the Pres in instigating the run out).

Although at more than 10 runs an over… with ‘Mr Magnesium’ and some bloke named Jim (Ed Note Jim Hadley not playing for CCNSW this season) at the crease, the fat lady still hadn’t sung.

But Stu appealed for a caught behind. The umpire, gave the batsman the opportunity of walking, possibly because of Mr Magnesium’s awkward after shot gait, he looked like he was walking, but not in a month of Sundays. Finally the dreaded digit was raised to send him on his way. This resulted in a spray at the umpire a humpback whale would be proud of. All out for 123.

A gratifying and eventful win with every player contributing

The Team was (playing 12): – Gerry O’Shea 13, Peter Rolls 31* ret not out, Joe Scarcella 14, Mick McCormick 6, Greg Brooks 32* ret not out, Garry James 31* ret not out, Sittampalam Ragavan 8, Frank Baliotis 12, David Glen, 0* John Finucane (w) 8*, Stuart Ridge (c) dnb, Paul Georgiadis dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 5-163 (40 Overs) (G. Brooks 32* ret not out,; G. James 31* ret not out,; P. Rolls 31* ret not out,)

Defeated

Northern Stars: – 10-123 (37 Overs)

By 40 runs

FoWs: – 1-20 (G. O’Shea); 2-44 (J. Scarcella); 3-99 (M. McCormick); 4-115 (S. Ragavan); 5-142 (F. Baliotis).

The Bowling was: – G. Brooks 5-2-3-0; P. Georgiadis 3-1-12-2; G. James 7-0=29-1; M. McCormick 6-0-29-2; S. Ragavan 7-0-15-2; S. Ridge 6-0-23-1; J. Scarcella 3-0-13-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – Two to J. Finucane (w) and one to each of P. Georgiadis and J. Scarcella

Run outs: – Two: – One to G. Brooks and one to P. Georgiadis

Player points (awarded by umpire): 3 points to G. Brooks; 2 points to G. James; one point to S. Ridge

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202324/vintage/game-centre/abc5add6

C&S, LMS, Masters, Match Reports

WEEK TEN: WEDNESDAY 15 – SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2023

November 27, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

LAST MAN STANDS T20 8-A-SIDE EAST SYDNEY DIVISION TWO ROUND 3 v GRIZZLIES AT MP 4 , ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

(Ed note: In this game, Jamie Murtha broke his right hand in two places and will be out till after Christmas)

Following a washout last week, we lost the toss and were required to field. Debutant Joseph Taylor started off with a bang taking two wickets in an over, but the opposition steadied and then accelerated after collecting a couple of retirees and looked to score a big total.

Debutant Will Austen chipped in with a good wicket of his own, but it was a tough day for the remaining bowlers. Guy Sebastian of the Grizzlies buried the final nail in with a well struck home run 6 over the bowler’s head to boost the grisly score to 4-236 a run rate of just under 12 per five ball over.

Jonathan Seifman and debutant John Lyons opened and started positively. Seifman was seeing them well and hit some clean strikes and banked himself as a retiree early on with 51* off 20 balls

Will Austen and Rod Shone both kept the scoreboard ticking, Austen finding the boundary often retired with a swift 53* off 27, and Shone worked the ball around falling just short of his half century on 49* off 38 balls

The run rate eventually proved too high, but the team had reason to celebrate the batting performances. A big win is hopefully just around the corner.

The Team was: – Jonathan Seifman 51*; John Lyons 14, Will Austen 53*, Rod Shone 49*, Joseph Taylor 5, Vyshakh Sunny 14*, Jamie Murtha dnb, Will Jacobs (c) and (w) dnb

The Result was: –

Grizzlies: – 4-236 (20 Overs)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: 2- 190 (20 Overs) (W. Austen 53*;J. Seifman 51*; R. Shone 49*)

By 46 runs

The Bowling was: – J. Taylor 4-0-43-3; J. Murtha 4-0-44-0; V. Sunny 3-0-24-0; J. Seifman; 3-0-42-0 R. Shone 2-0-19-0; W. Austen 2-0-27-1; J. Lyons 2-0-38-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to W. Jacobs

Catches: – Two to J. Taylor and one to R. Shone

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): 3 points to J. Seifman; 2 points to W. Austen; one point to J. Taylor

Scorecard: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/2nd-innings?fixtureid=407373

JACK PACE ROUND 3: CCNSW vs MARRICKVILE CC AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2023: REPORT BY SOREN HUGHES

With Jamie Murtha nursing a broken finger in his right hand, his role was relegated to scorer on the day and organiser of the covers removal with the brand new trolley. Soren Hughes took over as captain for the day.

The early arrivals at Camperdown were treated to a glorious summer day with the prospect of a good contest, only to be informed that not only did the hessian and mid size covers need to be folded but also the large covers needed to be taken out and folded properly. Unfortunately it then took three attempts to get them folded correctly and once folded and in the sheds, it was time to go out to the centre and lose the toss. In a shock twist, we were sent in to bat and that was our first win for the day.

Gerry O’Shea and Rhys Longbottom kicked off boldly with runs and 2 powerfully hooked boundaries by Rhys before he made the mistake of trusting the bounce at Camperdown and was bowled playing a pull shot for 8. Ryan Lynch was about to take off before playing forward second ball loosely outside the off stump at a slower ball to be caught behind for a duck. At 2-12, enter Sam Millar whom we hope will become a regular this season. Supported by quick turnover of the strike by Gerry, Sam got himself in and began seeing how much noise the fence posts could make. While he was lucky enough to be dropped a couple of times, he gently hit a couple into the change rooms just before drinks at 2-80 after 17 overs. After drinks he accelerated past 50 through to 80 in an over including a hit over and onto the change rooms and another into Australia Street. After a partnership of 155 off 27 overs, Gerry decided he needed a break on 33 off 76 balls -all run with no boundaries and only one 3 and let one slip through the gate. Millar was finally out in the 31^st over for 119 off 88 balls with fourteen fours and five 6s with the score at 176. Mick McGrath and Tom Robertson then added 44 off the final four overs. Mick McGrath (30* off 15 balls with four 4s and two 6s) decided to join the CCNSW orchestra trials and belted everything in sight including a six into the sightscreen at the cafe end. Tom Robertson (14* from 8 balls) also chipped in to bring us to 4-220 after 35 overs- a run rate of over 6 per over.

The bowling went well. We opened with the medium fast right arm bowling of Avi Bhandari and Mick McGrath, who both bowled seven overs straight, both with figures of 2 for 20. Rhys Longbottom and Ryan Lynch bowled well to take us into the sheds at drinks 4 for 57 after 17 overs. It was going to be a tough ask for the Marrickville Saggers to score at over 9 per over and hit 164 from the remaining 18 overs.In the face of a lack of intent from the lower order Marrickville batters, spin was ordered, delivered and the game was closed out without much fuss by the leg spin of Henry Davis and Adam Khamis but especially Rhys Longbottom who finished with figures of 3 for 5 from 7 overs. It was nice to get currently into the top 8 of the JPS league table (Ed note some JP results have yet to be posted) with a win (possibly with some bonus points). Just need to continue our good form into the next two games.

The Team was (playing 12): –Gerry O’Shea 33; Rhys Longbottom 8, Ryan Lynch 0, Sam Millar 119. Tom Robertson 15*, Mick McGrath 30*, Mike Pinter dnb, Henry Davis dnb, Soren Hughes (c) dnb, Avi Bhandari dnb, Declan Thomas (w) dnb and Adam Khamis dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 4-220 (35 Overs) (S. Millar 119)

Defeated

Marrickville CC: – 7-113 (35 Overs) (R. Longbottom 3-5)

By 107 runs

FoWs: – 1-11 (R. Longbottom), 2-12 (R. Lynch), 3-167 (G. O’Shea), 4- 179 (S. Millar)

The Bowling was: – A. Bhandari 7-2-20-2; M. McGrath 7-1-20-2; R. Longbottom 7-3-5-3; R. Lynch 4-0-18-0; H. Davis 7-0-25-0; A. Khamis 3-0-12-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to D. Thomas

Catches: – One to R. Lynch and one to M. McGrath

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): 3 points to S. Millar; 2 points to M. McGrath; one point to G. O’Shea

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/city-and-suburban-cricket-association-1903-inc/summer-202324/jack-pace-shield/game-centre/48ce718a

MASTERS ROUND 4: CCNSW vs INGLEBURN CC AT MEMORIAL PARK OVAL, CAMPBELLTOWN, ON SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2023: REPORT BY DAN TURNER

After a longer than usual break between games of 3 weeks, the team gathered in the Deep South West of Sydney enthused from their last outing, a very tight loss to a traditionally powerful team. In last years encounter with Ingleburn, the game was decided on the last ball with CCNSW getting up. So we were ready for a close tight affair, always the best ones.

The wicket looked dry and hard and when captain Dan Turner called incorrectly and was told to have a bowl, there were a few forced smiles. But the Ingleburn innings got off to a great start for CCNSW with Ben Stanic (1-33) getting the prized scalp of the Ingleburn skipper on the 3rd ball of the innings, attracting a false shot and a high edge to 2nd slip, v/c Andrew Dadswell. This was the beginning of a dominating opening spell of twelve overs by both Stanic and Mick Tarrant (3-16). Both bowlers set about bowling very tight lines on a wicket that wasn’t playing as freely as first thought. Mick secured two wickets in his opening spell, bowling the other opened and trapping the dangerous No.3 lbw. After twelve overs Ingleburn were 3-32 and CCNSW was producing its best fielding display of the season. Matt Johnston at cover and Ashley Perrott at mid-wicket were a constant threat to the batters. The whole team was in on it and the fielding was excellent.

A double change in the bowling brought on Matt Johnston (0-14) and David Abreu (1-8) who both extended the CCNSW domination, bowling very well, and at drinks Ingleburn were 3-45, tracking well below a par score.

After drinks, Abreu lured a lofted shot and Ed Cross took a nice catch to make it 41-4. Andrew Dadswell (3-28) and Ed Cross (1-25) soon came on and continued the theme of good bowling, to some middle order hitters who were keen to get going. Birriwa reserve is a massive ground and with Ingleburn needing to hit out to get a score, there were plenty of spaces. Dadswell got 3 good wickets including the biggest hitter, bowled. Cross chimed in with a bowled as well. Ingleburn was restricted to 9-141, a score that was too small for that ground. A fantastic bowling and fielding performance, one that I am sure sent golden vibes to the Aussies who were later that evening about to provide their own fantastic bowling and fielding display.

We had a solid start to our innings with Ed Cross and Jason Kenn playing a good cop, bad cop routine. Ed playing slightly more watchful, and ‘Jaydos’ (as Dave Craig christened him last season in a moment of brotherly love), looking to be more forceful. The bowling tactics were obvious, stump to stump, pace off, keep it tight on a slow wicket. Cross went first bowled by the opening bowler with one that clipped the off bail in the fifth over (1-18). Paul Nash joined Kenn and was also watchful, playing a classic innings of’ respect the good, punish the bad’.

Things were going along well until Jason got one that nipped back. At first glance the ball hit him on the tip of the pad/thighpad, but he was given in what was to be one of four lbw decisions (out of 6 wickets). ‘Jaydos ‘walked off the ground, and let’s just say he wasn’t happy and leave it at that. Dan Turner joined Nash and was gone soon after lbw, and Ash Perrott came out and tried to smack the legspinner, only to get bowled. At 4-58 after 15 overs, things were still okay, but we needed a partnership.

Scott Wells strode to the wicket and after a small period of consolidation, set about changing the tempo of the game with his positive shots and running. Nash departed for a well made 32 (lbw again) and in came Dadswell, who played the Marnus innings while Wells played the aggressor. Wells went for 30 (yes, lbw) with the score on 6-106, but the momentum was with us. Mick Tarrant and Dadswell got us home with 4 overs to spare with the biggest partnership of the game (37) with excellent patience, shot making, and running.

A good win for Masters on a tough wicket.

The Team was: – Ed Cross 9, Jason Kenn 20, Paul Nash 32, Dan Turner (c) 4, Ash Perrott 2, Scott Wells (w) 30, Andrew Dadswell 20*, Mike Tarrant 19*, Matt Johnston dnb , Ben Stanic dnb , David Abreu dnb

The Result was: –

Ingleburn CC.: – 9-141 (40 Overs)

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 6-143 (35.4 Overs) (P. Nash 32; S. Wells 30)

Lost to

By 4 wickets

FoWs: – 1-18 (E. Cross); 2-36 (J. Kenn); 3-53 (D. Turner); 4-58 (A. Perrott); 5-80 (P. Nash) 6-106 (S. Wells)

The Bowling was: – M. Johnston 6.2-2-14-0; D. Abreu 6-0-18-1, A. Dadswell 6.4-1-28-3; E. Cross 7-1-25-1; B. Stanic 7-0-33-1; M. Tarrant 7-1-16-3

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One catch to each of A. Dadswell, E. Cross, J. Kenn and P Nash

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): 3 points to A. Dadswell; 2 points to M. Tarrant; one point to P. Nash

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202324/masters-foxs/game-centre/1ce48a68

C&S, Classics, LMS, Match Reports, Social, Vintage

WEEK EIGHT: WEDNESDAY 1 – SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2023

November 7, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

SOCIAL GAME: CCNSW vs ‘RAGA’ INVITATION XI AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL. CAMPERDOWN , ON WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2023: REPORT BY PETER ROLLS

**TEAMS: CCNSW AND RAGA’S INVITATIONAL XI – WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2023**
**Back Row:** Gowri Palan, John Jackson, Kim Taylor (wk/1 for Raga XI), Stuart Ridge, Neveille Emerson, Joe Scarcella, Greg Brooks, Michael McCarron, Frank Baliotis, David Craig, Cuthbert Berenger, Gary Whittaker (wk/2 for Raga XI), Malcolm Freame (wk for CCNSW), David Glen, Ian Bradburn.
**Front Row:** Michael Carmen, Matt Brennan, Sittampalam Ragavan (c for Raga XI), Peter Rolls (c for CCNSW), Garry Winney, Wasantha Hettiarrchchi, Upul Dangalle.

An English style 21 deg C and a firm, dry wicket.

Dr Ragavan Sittampalam (“Raga’) won the toss and elected to bat.

Rules for batters was retire at 30 balls (with no runs limit which was a big mistake!) and max 5 overs per bowler and one ball allowed down leg side per over (with second ruled a wide). 40 overs per side.

Raga’s XI Innings:

Raga had more ring-ins than Ringling Brothers. He was determined to break the deadlock of 2 games a piece on the shield to his favour.

Kim Taylor, all the way from Bathurst and in his first appearance for Raga’s team, opened and received the first two balls unusually loose from Greg Brooks as a welcome gift for 2 boundaries, then Greg’s next 4 overs only went for 11 including the wicket of Neville for 0, the other opener, caught well by David Craig at mid off.

Taylor reached 32 runs for his 30 balls (and recycled later to get 37). Upul Dangalle. was caught at mid wicket by Peter for 20 off David Craig who had them tied up better than an S&M worker which included the prize wicket of Gary Whittaker for 6 hitting on to his stumps.

Kesara de Costa (0) got a tickle off David Craig caught behind by keeper Malcolm Freame which was a pleasure for him after so much stretching/diving to leg side deliveries by Joe Scarcella. Uncharacteristic for Joe’s normal impeccable line and length and he claimed it must have been something he ate the night before…perhaps a lentil soup to be that lax???

Matt Brennan came in with gay abandon for a quick fire 51 from 30 balls. To David Glen’s credit he kept them pitched up but Matt kept pitching them to and over the short boundary fence. Brennan recycled and continued his onslaught for a huge 73 but then was caught unawares bowled by a good ball by Michael Carman (alias Opera) after some variety of lengths. Including one ball that bounced twice before hitting Raga’s stumps. Unlucky for Raga that the second bounce was between the crease and stumps so judged a fair delivery and Raga therefore out.

Michael McCarron and Cuthbert Berenger batted sensibly against the swift and accurate bowling of Stuart Ridge and the other end nagging length bowling of John Jackson (alias ‘Jacko)’. Both retiring for 7 and 26 respectively after 30 balls. (McCarron recycled to end with 17 not out).

After a hiatus Garry Winney came into the match saying he had not played for a while but showed his many years of experience and bowled Wasantha Hettiarrchchi (‘Wasa’) for 7 with good flight. Gowri Palan at number 11 showed his class, assisting Taylor, Brennan and McCarron when they recycled to be not out 13.

An imposing target was set of 8-266.

CCNSW Innings:

An event to enjoy our senior years especially with our Sri Lankans friends who don’t get to experience turf too often and for all to participate. We mixed it up to our normal games at Vintage on Sundays with Stuart Ridge opening the innings with Frank Baliotis. They survived the first two overs from Raga and McCarron but in Raga’s second over he slipped through Ridge’s defences bowling him for 3. Baliotis retired on 13 after his 30 balls (and when recycled later didn’t add to his score).

Peter Rolls and Joe Scarcella kept the score board ticking along until Scarcella (facing) had a seniors moment and called for a single after his nice straight drive hit the bowlers end stumps and deflected straight to mid off while Rolls went back into his crease to avoid a run out if Brennan the bowler had touched the ball on the way through. Rolls not seeing where the ball had deflected too, blindly responded and with keeper Taylor whipping off the bails, was run out by a metre for 19.

Brooks started promising with a boundary but was departed soon after stumped by Taylor off Brennan. Scarcella went aerial, caught for 18 off Gowri Palan. David Craig followed Joes lead for same outcome for 7. David Glen showed some fight retiring for 13 off his 30 balls. Carman didn’t last the first act out LBW to de Costa for 1. John Jackson ran some quick single for a 70 year old and showed the “young’uns” how to be selective retiring after his 30 balls for 15. Malcolm Freame was bowled for 4 by another 70 year old in Cuthbert Berenger who bowled an impeccable line and length.

Garry Winney was looking good with a couple of boundaries until caught off Upul Dangalle for 11. David Glen and Jackson recycled to keep pushing and enjoyed taking 5 runs off wicket keeper turned bowler Kim Taylor for his only over until Glen holed out to Neville Emerson with an easy catch at point off Dangalle in the second last over for 21. Jackson unbeaten on 17*. A good job that Kim Taylor didn’t get the last wicket otherwise the news would have been echoed from Sydney to Bathurst from the Blue Mountains.

After the game, the beer, wine and soft drinks still went down well with plenty of what ifs!!!

Thanks to Raga for supplying the tasty bbq chicken and bread rolls and fruit delights with more bananas than Taronga Zoo.

The Result was: –

Raga Invitation XI: – 8-266 (40 0vers) (NB Inc 53 extras)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-127 (38 Overs)

By 139 runs

Raga’s XI Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to K. Taylor (w)

Catches: – One to N. Emerson, three to anonymous

Run outs: – One to K. Taylor.

The CCNSW Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to M. Freame (w) and one to each of D. Craig and P. Rolls

Run outs: – Nil

Raga’s XI Batting: Kim Taylor 37 (wk/1), Neville Emerson 0, Upul Dangalle 20, Gary Whittaker 6 (wk/2), Kesara De Costa 0, Matt Brennan 73, Michael McCarron 17*, Cuthbert Berenger 26*, Sittampalam Ragavan (c) 18, Wasantha Hettiarachchi 7, Gowri Palan 13*.

FoWs: – 1-23 (N. Emerson), 2-70 (G. Whittaker), 2-70 (K. De Costa), 4-188 (U. Dangalle), 5-200 (S. Ragavan), 6-210 (W. Hettiarrchchi), 7-216 (K. Taylor), 8-251 (M. Brennan).

CCNSW Bowling was: G. Brooks 5-1-19-1; J. Scarcella 5-0-40-0; D. Craig 5-0-20-3; D. Glen 5-0-52-0; J. Jackson 5-2-14-0, S. Ridge 5-0-23-0, G. Winney 5-0-41-1, M. Carman 5-0-32-3

CCNSW XI Batting: Stuart Ridge 3, Frank Baliotis 13, Peter Rolls (c) 19, Joe Scarcella 18, Greg Brooks 6, David Craig 7, David Glen 21, Michael Carman 1 , John Jackson 17*, Malcolm Freame (w) 4, Garry Winney 11.

FoWs: – 1-6 (S. Ridge), 2-52 (P. Rolls), 3-62 (G. Brooks), 4-64 (J. Scarcella), 5-69 (D. Craig), 6-78 (M. Carman), 7-105 (M. Freame), 8-106 (F. Baliotis), 9-118 (G. Winney), 10-127 (D. Glen)

Raga’s XI Bowling was: –: S. Ragavan 4-0-13-1, M. Mc Carron 5-1-11-0, M. Brennan 3-0-20-1, G. Palan 5-1-18-2, K. De Costa 5-1-14-1, W. Hettiarrchchi 2-0-5-0, N. Emerson 5-1-9-0, C. Berenger 5-1-11-1, U. Dangalle 4-0-6-3.

**Shield presented to winners Raga XI by CCNSW**

LAST MAN STANDS T20 8-A-SIDE EAST SYDNEY DIVISION TWO ROUND 1 v O’SULLIVAN ROADMEN AT MP 6, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER: REPORT BY WILL JACOBS

Our first game of the season started at Moore Park 6, as C.C.N.S.W. faced O’Sullivan Roadmen. Winning the toss, C.C.N.S.W. chose to field first. The weather conditions were pretty good, but it threatened to get gloomy.

Our opposition put up a strong batting performance, scoring a total of 206 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their 20 overs. We faced a challenging run chase and the clouds started to take over, it became very dark before long!

In response we managed to score 119 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. Our opposition used the conditions and bowled well making it tough for the batters to find their rhythm and timing, Craig Fordham and Nicholas Kochanowicz had a solid partnership at the end but O’Sullivan Roadmen’s bowlers proved effective, ensuring their team’s 87-run victory.

Our guys dusted off the cobwebs and displayed good enthusiasm, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead in division 2.

The Team was: Rod Shone 24, Geoff Whitehead 9, Scott Williams 1, Asfand Uppal 30, Craig Fordham, 27* Nicholas Kochanowicz 21*, Joshua Heldarskard dnb , William Jacobs, dnb (c ) and (w)

The Result was: –

O’Sullivan Roadmen: – 3-206 (20 Overs)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: 4-119 (20 Overs)

By 87 runs

The Bowling was: N. Kochanowicz 4-0-45-0; C. Fordham 4-0-32-1; J. Heldarskard 4-0-36-0 ; S. Williams 4-0-44-2; A. Uppal 2-0-26-0; R. Shone 2-0-22-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – one to W. Jacobs (w)

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): 3 points to C. Fordham; 2 points to R. Shone; one point to N. Kochanowicz

Scorecard: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/2nd-innings?fixtureid=407377

SOCIAL GAME v VICTORIA BARRACKS XI FOR THE BARRACKERS’ CUP AT KENSINGTON OVAL, KENSINGTON ON THURSDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2020

This game had been rearranged because of rain the previous week but despite the weather now being perfect, neither side could raise a full team at a week’s notice. so it was cancelled.

The date for the second fixture this season for the ‘Barrackers’ Cup’ is Thursday February 29.

JACK PACE ROUND 2: CCNSW vs OLD CRANBROOKIANS AT DANGAR FIELD, ROSE BAY ON SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2023

Cancelled by rain

CLASSICS ROUND 3: CCNSW vs ROSEVILLE AT ROSEVILLE CHASE OVAL. EAST LINDFIELD , ON SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2023:

Cancelled by rain

VINTAGE ROUND 3: CCNSW vs LINDFIELD AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL. CAMPERDOWN , ON SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2023

Cancelled by rain

C&S, Masters, Match Reports, Vintage

WEEK SEVEN: THURSDAY 25- SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023

November 3, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

SOCIAL GAME v VICTORIA BARRACKS XI FOR THE BARRACKERS’ CUP AT KENSINGTON OVAL, KENSINGTON ON THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 2020

Cancelled because of rain

(Editor’s note) It was the Victoria Barracks player who in the 1850s, originally developed what became the SCG; they also claim that their soldier spectators who came from the Barracks and supported them are the originators of the term “to barrack” as used in Australia. (This is disputed by etymologists who ascribe the term either to Melbourne or Ireland)

C.C.N.S.W. was invited by Cricket NSW to represent the civilian population of NSW v the Army at the SCG to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the foundation of the SCG. Arising from that game C.C.N.S.W. and the Army jointly bought “The Barrackers’ Cup” which is kept in the Army Museum at Victoria Barracks and occasionally at the request of the C.C.N.S.W. Match Manager brought out on the day

The ball with which C.C.N.S.W. bowled in the150th anniversary game can be seen in the SCG Museum.

To quote from the Army web site

“Victoria Barracks is one of the best-known examples of military architecture in Australia. The Regency-style Victoria Barracks were designed by Lieutenant-Colonel George Barney, who also built Fort Denison and reconstructed Circular Quay. Most of barracks was constructed using locally quarried sandstone between 1841 and 1849. The barracks were occupied by British troops up until 1870 and then taken over by the New South Wales colonial forces. After the Federation in 1901, Victoria Barracks housed the various headquarters responsible for administering and co-coordinating the military. Between 1931 and 1936 the barracks was home to the Royal Military College of Australia and from July 1938 to July 1940 it also housed the Command and Staff School. Today, Victoria Barracks is home to the Headquarters of Forces Command. The Barracks are widely considered to be one of the best examples of a military barracks in the world”

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 3: CCNSW vs OLD ALOYSIANS ON SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

The match was played at Old Aloysians College oval, a typically gold standard batting track prepared primarily for school boys, with an immaculate outfield but very small boundaries, the ground is not much bigger than a rugby field.

We once again lost the toss and were made to field.

Our opponent had stacked their side with grade players as a resault of being short of regulars, they made a good start and went to drinks at 0-125 after 17 overs.

They looked to accelerate after drinks. Jamie Murtha brought himself on to bowl and managed to grab the first wicket; the catch was taken brilliantly by Mick McGrath at long on, on the run. Soren Hughes bowled well to remove the other set opener, and picked up an additional two wickets courtesy of more great outfielding by debutant Ryan Lynch and Toby Forbes.

Both Mick McGrath and Avi Bhandari picked up a wicket each at the end. We did a great job after drinks to stem the flow of runs and restrict them to 252.

In response, many of our batters once again made starts but were unable to convert those into solid scores. Left hander Ryan Lynch on debut opened the batting and was the stand out performer with 44. He presented the full face of the bat and timed the ball very sweetly. It took a remarkable one handed diving catch by mid off to dismiss him.

We were unfortunately bundled out for 152 in the 34^th over, precisely one hundred runs short of the target.

The Team was: – Ryan Lynch 44, Harry Brooks 5, Toby Forbes 14, Alex Cumming (w) 20 , Jamie Murtha (c) 0, Avinash Bhandari 11, Mick McGrath 19, Soren Hughes 12, Henry Davis 17* Ming Heng 11 and Jonathan Shaw 0

The Result was: –

Old Aloysians CC: -7-252 (35 Overs)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-152 (33.1 Overs) (R. Lynch 44)

By 100 runs

FoWs: – 1-14 (H. Bridge); 2-47 (T. Forbes); 3-75 (R. Lynch), 4-75 (J. Murtha); 5-96 (A. Cumming); 6-101 (A. Bhandari); 7-123 (S. Hughes); 8-124 (M. McGrath); 9-144 (M. Heng): 10-152 (J. Shaw).

The Bowling was: – H. Davis 3-0-35-0; M. Heng 3-0-31-0; S. Hughes 6-0-31-3; M. McGrath 7-0-35-1; J. Murtha 7-0-49-2; A. Bhandari 6-0-53-1; J. Shaw 3-0-12-0.

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 3 to Toby Forbes, two to Mick McGrath and one to A. Cumming (w)

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): 3 points to S. Hughes; 2 points to R. Lynch; one point to T. Forbes

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/city-and-suburban-cricket-association-1903-inc/summer-202324/c-and-s-club-matches/game-centre/ede29375

MASTERS ROUND 3: CCNSW vs OLD IGNATIANS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL. CAMPERDOWN , ON SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY PAUL NASH

Arriving to a stunning day at Camperdown and our captain Dan Turner did the right thing and won the toss; we batted.

The deck looked good, so here we go! Sadly Tom Robertson was adjudged lbw early second ball after hitting a four to square leg first ball. Jason Kenn and Mike Weaver got down to business, until ‘Weaves’ pulled a ham string and retired hurt on 29*. Paul Nash joined Jason Kenn and the pair ticked along nicely, as they dispatched bad balls and took singles where they could. The pitch was clearly playing more slowly than we had had expected; forcing the pace was challenging.

At drinks we were 1-84. Kenn soon retired at 40*, and in came the skipper Dan Turner. Bang! Bang! Both Nash (40*) and Turner (42*) retired. Everyone contributed and kept the run rate ticking over and we set them a fair 220 target.

Old Ignatians had bowled well and had taken the pace off the ball and fielded well but we needed to have turned our twos in threes better.

We didn’t get too excited when one of their openers was bowled second ball ….. as McCaffrey (former Grade player) had different ideas and had serious intent to finish the game before drinks.

They were scoring close to 10 an over, but by drinks we had pulled it back a little, they were 1-127.

They too had three retired not out in the shed (like us), so not panicking we kept to the plan and pinned back the run rate with the incoming new batters. Stand out in the field was wicketkeeper Ash Perrott (usually a keeper) patrolling the boundary with pace and strong arm returns, not bad for an old bugger!

Then things really got interesting! Their gun opener McCaffrey left the game early so was timed out! It was our Jason Kenn who came into the attack to stem the flow and took maybe his club best bowling figures of 4-19

At the 35 over mark with 5 overs to go, the scores of both teams were practically the same …… now 11 required off 3 overs and 2 wickets needed.. We took them to the last over and they scraped home by one wicket.

A terrific game with a lot of positives to take out from this loss. Take the tough chances, run harder, and never give up.

The Team was (playing 12): – Tom Robertson 4, Mike Weaver 29* ret injured, Jason Kenn 40*, Paul Nash 40*, Dan Turner 42*, Scott Wells 25, Ash Perrott 2, Jose Poothokaren 8*, Michael Tarrant 16*, David Craig dnb, David Abreu dnb and Ben Stanic dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 3-219 (40 Overs) (D. Turner 42*; J. Kenn 40*; P. Nash 40*)

Lost to

Old Ignatians: – 9-223 (39.3 Overs) (J. Kenn 4-20)

By one wicket

FoWs: –1-9 (T. Robertson); 2-187 (A. Perrott); 3-196 (S. Wells).

The Bowling was: – B. Stanic 5.3-0-49-1; D. Craig 9-1-37-1; D. Abreu 6-0-36-0, J. Poothokaren 4-0-22-0; J. Kenn 6-1-20-4; M. Tarrant 9-0-59-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One catch to T. Robertson and one to M. Tarrant.

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): 3 points to J. Kenn; 2 points to D. Turner; one point to P. Nash

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202324/masters-foxs/game-centre/283b2077

VINTAGE ROUND 2: CCNSW vs CASTLE HILL AT BEROWRA PVAL OVAL , BEROWRA ON SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY GREG BROOKS.

The over 60s CCNSW side stamped their seniors’ travel cards and headed north to the picturesque suburb of Berowra. This was a late change as the hosts usual ground at Kenthurst was unavailable due to repairs. The Berowra Oval is in very good condition and the wicket hard with a nice covering of grass. David Glen was the only player with memories of the ground but admitted they were vague as he was channeling Under 10s rugby!

Castle Hill RSL won the toss and sent us in. Gerry O’Shea and Frank Baliotis got us off to a good start putting on 41 before Baliotis was adjudged lbw for a well made 25. O’Shea (30* ret) kept accumulating running many threes to all parts of the large ground. Sittampalam Ragavan (“Raga”) (7) and Mick McCormick (4) both came and went looking to accelerate the run rate. The Prez’ (your writer) slogged a few and managed to retire with 31^ while David Glen (13) formed a partnership with Garry James who also found the wicket to his liking adding 30* ret in quick time. Joe Scarcella (30* ret) and Ashok Peiris (ret out 22), our guest wicket keeper while John Finuncane is smoking cigars and drinking rum in Cuba and Mexico, kept the score rolling along as we reached 200 in the 37th over. Our skipper Stuart Ridge (20*) and debutant Emmanuel Mouglalis (2*) took us to 5-230 at the completion of our 40 overs.

A large target to chase and Castle Hill got off to a wobbly start and never really recovered. Stusrt Ridge did the early damage withtwowickets in his first four overs while Greg Brooks picked up one from the other end. Garry James added two more after replacing Brooks at the southern end to have the hosts reeling at 5-21.Add in a smart run out where Ashok threw to the bowler’s end following a great throw from the outfield by David Glen and the game was just about done. Joe Scarcella, Mick McCormick and David Glen all bowled well during a period where the remaining batters chose to defend rather than attack. ‘Raga’ then came on and assisted Ridge in cleaning up the tail. Castle Hill all out for 72 in the 37th over.

We enjoyed a drink and some banter with our hosts and we all agreed that the venue was a great spot for a game of Vintage cricket.

We are backing up next week when we host Lindfield at Camperdown. This will be a much sterner test of our early season form and we are all looking forward to the challenge!

The Team was: – Frank Baliotis 25, Gerard O’Shea 30*, Sittampalam Ragavan 7, Greg Brooks 31*, Mick McCormick 4, David Glen 13, Garry James 30*, Joe Scarcella 30*, Ashok Peiris (w) ret out 22, Stuart Ridge (c) 20*, Emmanuel Mouglalis 2*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 5-230 (40 Overs) (G. Brooks 31*; G. James 30*; G. O’Shea 30*; J. Scarcella 30*)

Defeated

Castle Hill: – 10-72 (36.4 Overs) (S. Ridge 4-6)

By 158 runs

FoWs: – 1-41 (F. Baliotis); 2-62 (S. Ragavan); 3-97 (M. McCormick); 4-145 (D. Glen); 5-201 (A. Peiris).

The Bowling was: – G. Brooks 5-2-7-1; D. Glen 3-0-5-0; G. James 7-1-14-2; M. McCormick 4-2-10-0 ; S. Ragavan 6-3-3-2; S. Ridge 5.4-3-6-4; J. Scarcella 6-1-18-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to A. Peiris (w); one to each of F. Baliotis and G. Brooks

Run outs: – 2: One to D. Glen and one to G. James

Player points (awarded by umpire): 3 points to S. Ridge; 2 points to G. James; one point to S. Ragavan

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202324/vintage/game-centre/5ff84825

C&S, Masters, Match Reports

WEEK FIVE: SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023

October 20, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 2: CCNSW vs COLLEAGUES AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

Our first official home game got off to a great start with Jamie Murtha winning the toss and deciding to bat. Colleagues CC struck with a wicket in the first over, Jamie and Scott Williams got us back on track with a solid 48 run partnership before Jamie holed out to deep mid-wicket. Scott looked in good form, hitting back to back boundaries on a couple of occasions before being adjudged lbw.

A middle order collapse saw us in a lot of strife, but Henry Davis and debutant Kieren Purnell were able to dig in and rebuild. The pair worked the ball around, but Henry unfortunately strangled a ball down the leg side which sparked another collapse.

Ming Heng wacked a few nice fours to boost our score, but in the end we were all out for 134 with 8 overs remaining, (Ed note: This was a 40 over p. side game) short of our 160+ target. Our opposition fielded very well, preventing boundaries and building pressure, we had a few good partnerships starting, but couldn’t capitalise on those.

We took a break for tea and the CCNSW team put on a great spread, the opposition seemed quite surprised by it and grateful. John Shaw’s beef patties went down nice and Ming went all in with hot dogs in a slow cooker.

Needing 135 to win and having somewhere to be, Colleagues CC came out firing, they got off to a fast start. Jon Shaw found his line and length from his third over at the Rotunda end, he had the ball jagging away from the right handers and picked up two crucial wickets.

Despite the wickets, our opposition kept coming at us hard, determined to finish the game and head to the pub. This attacking style kept us in the game, Henry Davis’ leggies beat the outside edge twice giving Declan Thomas stumping opportunities, both of which he made look easy.

Adam Khamis with his own leggies targeted the stumps and took two wickets of his own.

We fielded well on the day, despite a few rough patches within the infield, and the guys never have up – we tried to take wickets right down to the last ball but unfortunately the opposition were able to chase down our total in the 26^th over with four wickets in hand.

Still plenty of positives to take away from the game, with a few more runs on the board and our strong bowling attack could have won it for us on the day.

Now we look ahead to JPS round 1 against the Reg Bartley XI next Sunday 22nd October.

The Team was: – Gerard O’Shea 1, Jamie Murtha (c) 10, Scott Williams 37, Alex Cumming 10, Declan Thomas (w) 4, Henry Davis 24, Len Volkov 0, Kieren Purnell 16, Ming Heng 17, Jonathan Shaw 1 Adam Khamis 2*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-134 (31.2 Overs) (S. Williams 37)

Lost to

Colleagues: – 6-141 (25.1 Overs)

By 4 wickets

FoWs: – 1-2 (G. O’Shea); 2-49 (J. Murtha); 3-51 (S. Williams); 4-64 (A. Cumming); 5-67 (D. Thomas); 6-71 (L. Volkov); 7-105 (H. Davis); 8-127 (M. Heng); 9-131 (J. Shaw);10-134 (K. Purnell).

The Bowling was: – J. Shaw 5-1-21-2; M. Heng 4-0-22-0; A. Khamis 6.1-1-28-2, H. Davis 4-0-33-2; S. Williams 3-0-15-0; K. Purnell 3-1-19-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – 2 to D. Thomas

Catches: – One to G. O’Shea

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): 3 points to H. Davis; 2 points to J. Shaw; one point to A. Khamis

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/city-and-suburban-cricket-association-1903-inc/summer-202324/c-and-s-club-matches/game-centre/36f5fc90

MASTERS ROUND 2: CCNSW vs ROSEVILLE AT TURRAMURRA MEMORIAL PARK, TURRAMURRA, ON SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY BEN STANIC

Round 2 for the 2023-2024 season saw the CCNSW Masters team venture out to Turramurra to take on a strong Roseville team. Captain Dan Turner on seeing a questionable pitch on arrival elected to bowl first after successfully winning the toss in the hope that the pitch could provide some assistance to the bowlers.

From the outset it was clear the pitch would play fine, and the Roseville batsmen were keen to play aggressively and not let the CCNSW attack settle into a groove. Despite runs flowing freely, CCNSW were able to get an early breakthrough in the third over when one of the Roseville openers played a false shot with the ball popping up to short mid-wicket where for the second match running Jose Poothokaren made good ground to take a tricky catch to earn our first wicket.

From that point on however, the Roseville batsmen were well on top with their other opener as well as batsmen 3 and 4 retiring and taking their team to an imposing 1-123 after 20 overs at drinks. Things were looking a little dire at drinks with a score in the 300s even a possibility the way the Roseville batsmen were striking the ball.

Thankfully, Paul Nash and Jose Poothokaren were able to pick up a middle order wicket each and Ben Stanic was able to bowl the number 9 late in the innings to stem the flow of runs a little, but not before another of the Roseville middle order (their 4^th for the innings) managed to get to retirement and take their total to 4-260 after their allotted 40 overs. CCNSW were happy to get out of the sun and off a challenging Turramurra outfield which provided some awkward fielding moments including the need to avoid swarms of insects (that appeared to be bees) constantly flying into us in the last 5 to 10 overs of the Roseville innings!

In the innings break, the Roseville team provided barbecued sausage sandwiches for all to enjoy, perhaps hoping this would cause the CCNSW batsmen to be a little sluggish on the return to play. CCNSW Masters knew we had to bat well to chase down the challenging total of 261 and perhaps the barbecue sausages played their part, as it was noticeable that our innings consisted of a lot of boundaries and less running between the wickets when compared to other games we have been involved in.

At the start of the innings Tom Robertson and Jason Kenn got us off to a good start, approaching things in the same attacking manner that the Roseville batsmen did, before the Roseville opening bowler settled into his rhythm and managed to sneak one through Jason’s defences to take their first wicket in the 5^th over. Following that early setback, Paul Nash, Andrew Dadswell and Scott Wells all came and went relatively quickly and all for the identical score of 4 to leave CCNSW at the precarious position of 4-86 after 17 overs.

However, despite the wickets falling at the other end, Tom kept going with his usual swashbuckling style, never letting the Roseville bowlers dictate terms to him and quickly moved to 41* and a well- earned retirement. This left Dan and Jose to form a great partnership which took us to 4-110 at drinks and onto 133 in the 24^th over before Dan was unfortunately undone for a well-made 31 whilst trying to keep the run rate ticking over.

Soon after, Jose fell agonisingly short of his own retirement milestone on 37 when going for one last hefty blow he was unfortunately bowled. After that, debutant Chinmay Trivedi, Ben Stanic and David Abreu all came and went quickly, all caught off the Roseville spinner, whilst trying to keep the runs flowing. This brought Tom back to the crease to join Mick Tarrant who had been watching the carnage unfold from the non-striker’s end. Mick and Tom then went on to push our score from 164 to 201 with a great last wicket partnership before Tom was ultimately dismissed on 62, caught on the straight boundary looking to keep our faint hopes of an unlikely victory alive, leaving Micky stranded on a quality 22*.

Our innings was also highlighted by a local kid deciding that running through a live cricket match to get to the other side of Turramurra oval was the quickest way to get to the other side, despite the obvious dangers of getting hit by a leather cricket ball. This was complimented by another Turramurra local (perhaps the kid’s mum) attempting to stroll out into the outfield to commence her regular Sunday afternoon laps despite the live game of cricket going on at the time. She at least provided some comic relief when informed she could not enter the oval while a live cricket game was in play for her own safety, when she with a straight face responded that the oval was a public place and clearly the cricket game had to end immediately so that her and other residents could use the oval. Thankfully, Tom was around and able to use his extensive diplomatic skills and inform the lady that the game would not be finished for quite some time, and she could run around the outside of the oval and call the local council if she was not happy with the outcome. The whole episode making us grateful for the fact that at Camperdown we simply need to shoo away several families having picnics on the oval before we start our home games!

But back to the cricket; overall, this game was a reminder that we are in Division 1 of the Masters competition this season and there will be no easy matches as we will be facing quality opposition every match. Although it was a tough day out for the bowling attack with us only managing to snare 4 Roseville wickets and leaking 260 runs, it was encouraging that our batting line up was able to score over 200 runs in the chase (spearheaded by a great innings from Tom).

We will no doubt be looking forward to a rematch with Roseville next season to attempt to avenge this defeat, especially given at the end of the match they decided to stay in their own dressing room with their own beers completely avoiding and ignoring the CCNSW Masters team much to the annoyance of captain Dan Turner and our team. Pretty poor form from them in our view given the game was played in highly respectful spirit without any conflict, disputes, or heckling.

The Team was: – Jason Kenn 8, Tom Robertson 62, Paul Nash 4, Andrew Dadswell 4, Scott Wells (w) 4, Dan Turner 31, Jose Poothokaren 37, Mick Tarrant 22*, Chinmay Trivedi 4, Ben Stanic 0 , David Abreu 2,

The Result was: –

Roseville CC.: – 4-260 (40 Overs)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-201 (37.5 Overs) (T. Robertson 62)

By 59 runs

FoWs: – 1-18 (J. Kenn); 2-39 (P. Nash); 3-45 (A. Dadswell); 4-86 (S. Wells); 5-133 (D. Turner); 6-148 (J. Poothokaren); 7-158 (C. Trivedi); 8-158 (B. Stanic); 9-164 (D. Abreu); 10-201 T. Robertson.

The Bowling was: – B. Stanic 7-0-44-2; A. Dadswell 5-0-27-0; M. Tarrant 8-0-43-0; D. Abreu 4-0-26-0; C. Travedi 1-0-8-0; J. Poothokaren; 9-0-61-1 P. Nash 4-0-28-1; J. Kenn 2-0-14-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One each to J. Poothokaren and D. Turner

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): 3 points to T. Robertson; 2 points to M. Tarrant; one point to J. Poothokaren

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202324/masters-foxs/game-centre/ae2a7c81

C&S, Masters, Match Reports

WEEK THREE: SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER 2023

October 6, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

SOCIAL GAME: CCNSW C&S vs CCNSW MASTERS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER 2023: REPORT BY DAVID CRAIG

**THE C&S TEAM XII AT CAMPERDOWN V MASTERS XII ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 1**
**Back Row:** Adam Khamis, Harry Bridge, Henry Davis, Johnathan Shaw, Matt Leong, Soren Hughes Alex Cumming (w)
**Front Row:** Tom Robertson, Jamie Murtha (c), Toby Forbes ’ Ming Heng

**THE MASTERS XII AT CAMPERDOWN V C&S XII ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 1**
Back Row: Ben Stanic, Stuart Ridge, Greg Brooks, David Craig, Mick Tarrant, Mike Weaver
Front Row: Scott Wells, Dan Turner (c), Ed Cross, Jason Kenn
Absent: Jose Poothokaren, Ashley Perrot

The “annual” CCNSW C&S v Masters clash for the President’s Cup was finally on again, after many frustrating years of cancellations due to rain and Covid! The undefeated C&S team looked stacked with talent and were heavily favoured by the punters on the day. For this eagerly awaited clash, Camperdown Oval presented itself in the best early season condition in living memory, while Sydney turned on the hottest Oct 1^st in recorded history (36° C), and the surrounding trees turned the air gold with a pollen count that threatened to overwhelm the nearby RPAH respiratory unit.

Masters captain Dan Turner called correctly and elected to bat on a typical Camperdown wicket, not a lot of pace or bounce but true enough to bat on, especially if you GET FORWARD. Mike Weaver took strike to Shaw, and was circumspect early, while at the other end Ed Cross immediately went on the attack against Ming Heng, racing to 6 off 3 before top edging a pull shot to Matt Leong at mid-wicket, 1-6. Jason Kenn joined Weaver in a productive partnership, with boundaries flowing freely. One particularly brutal ‘Jaydos’ pull shot bounced over the pickets, across the road and down the drain, allowing Jamie Murtha to substitute a new ball of uncertain providence (Ed Note; A “Kangarucci’ being promoted in the C&SCA). Would there be an Ashes style controversy with the new pill hooping all over the place? Not really…

Kenn moved to within a boundary of retirement before being deceived by Henry Davis, practicing the dark arts of wrist spin and eliciting the stumping by club newcomer Alex Cumming; the game well poised at 2-70 after 12.2. Scott Wells joined Weaver for a brief but busy stay, while Murtha rotated his leg spinners to good effect from the Australia Street end. First Wells, then Turner fell to Khamis, the latter bowled by that infamous wrong-un (4-113 from 21 overs). Weaver moved steadily to retirement at 41*, leaving the batting duties to Ash Perrott and the Masters all-rounders. Greg Brooks and Jose Poothokaren were typically aggressive, but perished to the accurate Soren Hughes, leaving the game in the balance at 6-143, with 14 overs to be bowled.

At this point, Perrott and Mike Tarrant took over, with a partnership that eventually yielded 98 runs, two retirements, some lovely cover-drives from Ash, four consecutive boundaries from Tarrant off Jon Shaw, a trademark David Craig reverse swivel-pull and a bunch of the usual hitting, missing, scampering and sledging before a couple of wickets in consecutive balls to Leong in the final over left the Masters team with a more than useful 8-245 off 40 overs.

“Par here is 300” barked Tom Robertson at the break, before heading out to open with Gerry O’Shea in yet another reboot of the Tom and Gerry show. Ben Stanic opened to O’Shea from the Australia street end, while in a surprise move designed to unsettle Tom Robertson, the leg spinner Craig took the new ball from the Mallett St end. Always keen to spoil the opposition’s plans, Robertson left immediately, bowled by Stanic. To be fair, it was an absolute peach, pitching leg and hitting off at pace.

Harry Bridge strode to the wicket, claiming to have not held a stick in six months. He rustily creamed a cover drive for four from his first ball and looked in a dangerous mood as he smoked Stuart Ridge down the ground for 4 and 6 off consecutive deliveries. However, the double bowling change worked a treat, with Tarrant removing the steady O’Shea and Ridge extracting revenge with a lovely in-swinger bowling Bridge just as he threatened to take the game by the scruff of the neck. A wonderful spell from Tarrant choked off the runs, and yielded two more wickets, with both Toby Forbes and Jamie Murtha bowled with the score on 61.

Now 5 wickets down, and needing more than 8 an over, C&S looked out of the contest, but debutant Alex Cumming and Soren Hughes had other ideas. Some lusty hitting produced a run-a-ball partnership of 72. With Cumming retiring at 40*, the responsibility fell to Soren and the C&S bowling unit, but the scoreboard pressure proved too much. The introduction of Jason Kenn to the attack saw the timbers regularly rattled, with Matt Leong the first to go at 6-133. Ridge returned at the other end to knock over Hughes’ stumps, while Henry Davis and Adam Khamis lined up to get castled by Kenn. The game was ended by a spectacular Tarrant catch, first walking in and then running and tumbling backwards to dismiss Ming Heng and give Ben Stanic a well-deserved second wicket, all out for 151 in the 35th.

With the CCNSW Masters succeeding in wresting the trophy from C&S from the first time in HISTORY, celebrations were reminiscent of the Australia II America’s Cup triumph, and once again no self-respecting boss could have sacked anyone for not turning up to work on Monday. (Especially Being a Public Holiday and all.)

The Teams were: –

Masters XII: – Mike Weaver 44*, Ed Cross 6, Jason Kenn 37, Scott Wells (w) 5, Dan Turner (c) 12, Ashley Perrott 41*, Greg Brooks 6, Jose Poothokaren 10, Mike Tarrant 40* , David Craig 23, Stuart Ridge 2*, Ben Stanic 0

C&S XII: – Tom Robertson 1; Gerry O’Shea 18; Harry Bridge 25, Toby Forbes 7, Alex Cummings (w) 40*, James Murtha 0, Soren Hughes 33, Matt Leong 4, Henry Davis 1, Adam Khamis 5. Ming Heng 10, Jonathan Shaw 0*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W. Masters XII: 8-245 (40 Overs) (M. Weaver 49*; A. Perrott 43*; M. Tarrant 40*)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W. C&S XII: 10-151 (34.1 Overs) (A. Cumming 40*)

By 94 runs

Masters FoWs: – 1-26 (E. Cross), 2-70 (J. Kenn), 3-80 (S. Wells), 4- 113 (D. Turner), 5-129 (G. Brooks), 6-143 (J. Poothokaren), 7-241 (D. Craig) 8-245 (B. Stanic)

C&S FoWs: – 1-5 (T. Robertson), 2- 45 (G. O’Shea), 3-45 (H. Bridge), 4-61 (T. Forbes), 5- 61(J. Murtha), 6-133(M. Leong), 7-135 (S. Hughes) 8-135 (H. Davis) 9- 151 (A. Khamis), 10-151 (M. Heng )

The Masters Bowling was: B. Stanic 5.1-0-21-2; D. Craig 4-1-13-0; M. Tarrant 5-1-8-3; S. Ridge 7-1-28-2; E. Cross 5-0-32-0; J. Poothokaren 2-0-8-0; A. Perrott 1-0-11-0; G. Brooks 2-1-11-0; J. Kenn 3-0-14-3

The C&S Bowling was: J. Shaw 6-1-37-0; M. Heng 5-0-35-1; A. Khamis 6-1-23-2; H. Davis 8-1-44-1; M. Leong 5-0-35-2; S. Hughes 3-0-18-2; T. Forbes 4-0-25-0; J. Murtha 3-0-22-0

The Masters Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to M. Tarrant

Run outs: – Nil

The C&S Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to A. Cumming

Catches: – One each to M. Leong and S. Hughes

Run outs: – Nil

Victorious Masters skipper Dan Turner receiving the cup from the President

Masters, Match Reports, Vintage

WEEK TWO: SUNDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2023

October 1, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

MASTERS ROUND 1 v LINDFIELD AT LINDFIELD OVAL TRYON WAY ON SUNDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2023: REPORT BY MIKE WEAVER

‘Next man up’ mentality is definitely part of the CCNSW Masters ‘DNA’ this season. When late withdrawals due to injury or other unforeseen events beset a team, whoever comes in must ‘step up to the plate’ to ‘do a job’. There can be no excuses while ever the Blues field a full team of 12 this summer.

All this rhetoric seems very much justified. As CCNSW travelled to a far off field with a foreign pitch last Sunday at the Soldier’s Memorial Park on the North Shore. And then walked away in the late afternoon having met all challenges, perceived and real, recording a comfortable victory, in terms of the scorebook data. The plucky and very sporting home side did not get to experience the best of the conditions, and the luck, after stand-in skipper Andrew ‘Tex’ Dadswell correctly sent Lindfield in to face the music. The weather to start the day was cool and cloudy.

The two or three loose balls delivered in the first few overs were put away well by the Lindfield openers, who otherwise struggled to get runs ticking over against the very capable Ben Stanic and Mick Tarrant. Mick was thanking Jose Poothokaren for the first wicket of the day, judging a very high ‘skier’ nicely, for a fine catch at backward square leg off the Lindfield No 2 batter. Lindfield had no luck in the two quick wickets that followed. The Lindfield first drop tore his calf on just his second ball faced. He duly retired hurt on naught and took no further part in the match. Then Ben produced a brute of a ball which reared off a length at Lindfield’s gun bat, David Kelly. The ball deflected from the bat, which was protecting the neck, and lobbed to Matt Johnson in the gully. Matt gleefully accepted the opportunity for the first of three catches he was to take during the day. Arguably Lindfield’s most highly rated batter gone for a golden duck.

To make things much worse for Lindfield, in the next over Mick knocked the other opener’s castle down, then followed up next ball to dismantle the woodwork again, leaving him on a hat trick and Lindfield rocking at 5-28. No bad luck was involved here. Six batters were now sitting on the sideline, though, their lot done for the day.

The hat trick ball survived, Lindfield saw off Mick and Ben, each spent after six over spells. Dave Abreu and Andrew Dadswell took over as Lindfield desperately sought to get a partnership going. Both bowlers kept up the pressure, although notably at least three more catching chances were missed.

Eventually the score scrambled to 51 before Dave cut one back to trap Mandhir Marang lbw, the batter’s intentions not bearing much fruit for his team. And ‘Tex’ picked up a deserved wicket, Lindfield’s Eldon Wessels out caught, again by the reliable Jose at square leg. 7-68.

As the sun came out, a fighting partnership between Lindfield’s Paul Sproules and his mate ‘Benny’ ensued. Further bowling changes (Jose Poothokaren and Matt Johnston) were instigated and CCNSW never let up on their overall effort. Although at one stage the ‘lefty’ Sproules looked to be well on top, with his partner defending stoutly in support. It had become noticeable that the batting surface was very indifferent in pace and bounce, difficult to become accustomed to, even after considerable time spent at the crease. Yet Sproules fought hard and batted intelligently. He looked for gaps while constantly encouraging his batting ally, striking three or four handsome drives to the fence.

Just when it looked like Sproules would reach mandatory retirement , the stand in CCNSW skipper, perhaps given the tip from his injured off field captain, Dan Turner, made the right final switch of the attack. ‘Next man up’, Ed Cross, operating across the left hander from the northern end, enticed a catch to Matt Johnston at gully and then knocked over the no. 11 in quick time. Lindfield’s innings wrapped up – all out for116 (with one retired hurt), in just 34 overs.

So CCNSW had a small target and the advantage of being able to ‘go to school’ on how the pitch had played and how it would play. As everyone thought, runs were hard to come by from the outset for Tom Robertson and Ed Cross. Both batters’ natural attacking instincts were curbed by the irregularities of the pitch which required considerable watchfulness. The sharp, accurate opening bowling of Matt Daly from Lindfield, supported by ‘off the pace bowling from Sproules, proved testing. An opening stand of 24 runs, solid on an ‘up and down’ track.

Tom was adjudged to be caught at the wicket to bring ‘Next Man Up no.3’ Mike Weaver into the game for CCNSW. After surviving a confident shout for lbw, (which was a clear inside edge into the pads), ‘Weaves’ set about not giving anyone else much of a chance. ‘Anyone else’ being inclusive of the umpire, the Lindfield players and the next up batters in his team.

Mike and Ed scrapped together another 18 runs before Ed was caught at mid on for a handy 27 runs. This saw the entrance of the ‘consummate English club professional’ Paul Nash. For CCNSW, this proved to effectively ‘all she wrote’ in terms of deciding the match outcome.

Paul showed all his class and experience to thump the spin bowling to the fence and using very soft hands against the medium pacers to nudge into gaps. He and ‘Weaves’ ran very well between wickets to take all runs on offer. As the Lindfield effort began to tire, Mike was good enough to put most of the loose balls away safely and firmly to the boundary.

A number of late sundries helped the partnership to reach 75 unbeaten, with four wides marking the end of the match. CCNSW were able to get the required runs just within 28 overs and secure maximum winning bonus points in doing so.

A good start to the season and a well deserved win for Cricketers’ Club, although if wise, the players will recognise that it was a good toss to win and that Lindfield maybe could have posted more runs, given their bad luck. And at the same time, CCNSW will know that some good chances were missed in the field.

The team will be looking at this area for improvement, in their upcoming intra club ‘grudge’ match v C and S, on Sunday 1st October at Camperdown Park. And for those coming back in to the side, they must again provide a ‘next man up’ mentality

The Team was (playing 12): – Ed Cross 27; Tom Robertson 6, Mike Weaver 39*, Paul Nash 24*, Jason Kenn dnb, Andrew Dadswell (c) dnb, Ash Perrott (w) dnb, Matt Johnston dnb, Michael Tarrant dnb, Jose Poothokaren dnb, Ben Stanic dnb and D. Abreu dnb

The Result was: –

Lindfield: – 10-116 (34.4 Overs) (M. Tarrant 3-19)

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 2-117 (27.3 Overs) (M. Weaver 39*)

By 8 wicket

FoW: – 1-24 (T. Robertson); 2-42 (E. Cross).

The Bowling was: – B. Stanic 6-2-13-2; M. Tarrant 6-1-19-3; D. Abreu 6-0-23-1; A. Dadswell 6-2-13-1, J. Poothokaren 3-0-11-0; M. Johnston 5-0-19-0; E. Cross 2.4-0-7-2,

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 3 catches to M. Johnston; 2 catches to J. Poothokaren; one to A. Perrott (w);

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to M Tarrant; 2 points to B. Stanic ; one point to M. WeaverScorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202324/masters-foxs/game-centre/002c7d71

VINTAGE ROUND 1 v CENTRAL COAST AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2023: REPORT BY MICK McCORMICK

**Vintage squad for 2023-24 Season before game vs Central Coast at Camperdown**
**Back row:** David Glen, Joe Scarcella, Paul Georgiadis, Ajoy Roy, Greg Brooks, Garry James, Stuart Ridge (c), Mick McCormick, Gerry O’Shea, Emmanuel Mouglalis
**Front row:** Sittampalam Ragavan, John Finucane (w), Frank, Baliotis, Peter Rolls (v/c), Daniel Pellen

The first surprise of the day came with the early season appearance of Camperdown Oval itself. Rather than an emaciated beach look, turf was actually a significant proportion of the surface. After clearing the various frisbee games from the field, Stuart Ridge in his first outing as Vintage captain lost the toss and saw CCNSW being sent into bat on the pitch closest to the pavilion.

The game was set to be a battle between the last two season’s premier sides that also had been an epic decider in the last game of last season that has been variously described as “Brookstopia”.

The Central Coast opening pair was accurate on the slow and low wicket. Peter Rolls looked comfortable in the opening role, (pun intended) and Gerry O’Shea played some well-timed shots to keep the bowlers at bay. A trifecta of lbws however transformed the steady opening, firstly Rollsey hit on the roll (pun intended) was fired quicker than a Qantas baggage handler.

Gerry O’Shea was lucky to survive a run out with ‘Joe the cameraman’, Scarcella, having his lenses obscured by the posterior positioning of the wicketkeeper. That luck was a mere splatter as Gerry was then adjudged lbw with a suspect splinter of timber seemingly involved. Daniel Pellen became the Central Coast left hander’s 3rd lbw victim. Frank Baliotis also went early leaving the lineup struggling at 4 for 24.

Greg Brooks (15) immediately released a swathe of clean hitting to the boundary. Mick McCormick (22) took advantage of the close boundary to dispatch the loose balls. The partnership built well taking the score to 62 until impatience simmered to the surface with the seemingly innocuous ‘dobbly do littles’ getting under Greg’s bat and then getting through a patient absent swipe from Mick. 6 for 64.

John Finucane (23) was scratchier than a hen with tinea early on, but settled to play a vital innings with Sittampalam Ragavan (“Raga”) (13) that took the score to 100. Garry James (19), after educating the 93-year-old mother of the opposition captain about what really goes on in an obstetrician’s practice (she was within earshot), entered the field and blazed with the bat in his usual fashion putting an invaluable partnership together.

A solid contribution from ‘Joe the cameraman’ (14) resulted in a respectable score of 8-140.

During the tea break it was feared the 93-year-old mother would refuse to allow Garry James her expertly crafted brownies and he would have to eat a whole package of donuts instead. The latter can be confirmed…enquires continue as to his access to the brownies.

On taking the field CCNSW was apprehensive following the close encounter at the end of last season.

Stuart Ridge immediately settled into his metronome rhythm and troubled the openers. He got a ball to lift which caught the gloves of the opener travelling directly to the gates of Brookstopia which normally would have efficiently ensnared its victim, however a rare mistake in the kingdom saw the ball hit the turf.

At the other end Raga settled into stride with accurate, skidding away swingers, making it difficult for the openers to score.

It wasn’t until the 5^th over that a dart like direct hit from Paul Georgardis ran the opener out. There was a sigh of relief in the realm of Brookstopia. Paul continued to cover the ground like a Jack Russell on heat, saving many runs.

It was the spark that lit the flame as wickets started to tumble. Raga backed up catching an edge which was well caught by wicket keeper John Finucane low down to his right. Stu Ridge bowled the other opener then next ball, cartwheeling the stumps of the incoming batsman.

Frank Baliotis was almost as excited as he was visiting the sphinx in the off season. Unfortunately, the hatt rick did not materialise. Central Coast were in a pickle at 4 wickets for 7 runs. Jonny Finucane threw chilli peppers onto the wound by innocently asking Central Coast to update the scoreboard not believing the score was 4 for 7. Somewhat bewildered they updated the scoreboard to read 4 for 8.

Raga picked up another wicket, well caught at mid-off by Joe the cameraman. 5 for 14.

Stuart Ridge picked up a third wicket when Frank Baliotis moved with Fred Astaire like feet to take the catch at cover, 6 for 19.

Geoff Patterson from Central Coast was the only one mounting any resistance until a shortish ball from Garry James was unceremoniously smashed at knee height to Gerry O’Shea at mid-wicket who took a superb catch. 7 for 29.

Garry James picked up another wicket with a neat stumping by John Finucane. 8 for 32.

Central Coast sank further into the mire as their indoor cricket recruit pulled a calf muscle negotiating the extra meterage of the pitch.

The final pairing used the opportunity for batting practice and took the score to 50 before the King of Brookstopia fired one at the pads of the batsmen, brutally banishing him from the dominion.

Mick McCormick picked up the final wicket when the left hander dragged the ball onto the stumps. All out for 58.

A very satisfying first win for the new Vintage captain with all contributing.

The Team was (playing 12): – Peter Rolls 11, Gerry O’Shea 10, Daniel Pellen 1, Frank Baliotis 1, Greg Brooks 15, Mick McCormick 22, John Finucane (w) 23 , Sittampalam Ragavan 13, Joe Scarcella 14 *, Garry James 19 *, Paul Georgiadis dnb, Stuart Ridge (c) dnb

The Result was: –

CCNSW: 8-140 (40 Overs)

Defeated

Central Cost: 10-58 (35.4 Overs) (S. Ridge 3-7)

By 82 runs

FoW: – 1-20 (Rolls), 2-21 (G. O’Shea), 3-24 (F. Baliotis), 4-24 (D. Pellen), 5-62 (G. Brooks), 6-64 (M. McCormick), 7-100 (S. Ragavan), 8-108 (J. Finucane)

The Bowling was: – S. Ridge 7-2-7-3, S. Ragavan 7-1-12-2, J. Scarcella 4-2-4-0, G. James 7-2-6-2, P. Georgiadis 5-2-8-0, M. McCormick 3.4-1-10-1, G. Brooks 2-0-2-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – J. Finucane

Catches: – J. Finucane (w), F. Baliotis, G. O’Shea, J. Scarcella,

Run outs: – P. Georgiadis

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to J. Finucane; 2 points to G. James; one point to S. Ragavan

Scorecard: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202324/vintage/game-centre/f567e311

Match Reports, Social

Week 1 – Saturday 16th September

September 24, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

SOCIAL GAME: MUDGEE WEEKEND HADLEY X vs ALLMEY X AT CRAIGMOOR WINERY, MUDGEE ON SATURDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2023: REPORT BY SCOTT WELLS

With COVID done and dusted, it was decided to resurrect a traditional season starter with a weekend game at the lovely country town of Mudgee. Previous years would have seen CCNSW line up against a local Mudgee Portwiners’ side, but sadly that team no longer exists and the fixture had not occurred for the past 8 seasons. CCNSW last played at the vineyard at the start of the 2015-2016 season.

Currently owned by Robert Oatley Vineyards which purchased the winery in the 1960s, and formerly known as “Poet’s Corner”, the Craigmoor winery has a long history dating back to 1858; it is roughly 5mins drive north from the town centre. Picture a beautiful sandstone building with tasting room, cellar and museum and just outside an elevated viewing deck of the cricket field, to the left, vines about to commence growing and an outfield which has quirks such as a steep drop off to the local creek on one side and a windmill at cow corner – something not out of place in an English countryside. Previously, a CCNSW team used to make a weekend trip away to play on a Saturday, then enjoy the Taste of Mudgee event that evening to taste and drink at local fairs.

No local opposition meant an intra club game was required to resurrect this fine fixture. Those who expressed interest entered an online auction – similar to the IPL. Each player was given a value and each team a salary cap. Both Captains – Ian Allmey and Jim Hadley then went through the process of selecting teams – beamed via a ‘WhatsApp’ chat link.

Initially 11 players were available for each team and both captains remained under their salary cap – with a trade window opened a week prior to accommodate any changes required. Both the “Allmey Allballers” and the “Hadley Hurricanes” had assembled some very strong sides consisting of current and former veteran Australian and State players. Some late changes to the line ups were required to accommodate some who ended up with better offers or high enough transfer fees to be “let go”. We also had an official umpire for the game – Mr Jed (deadly) Wesley Smith.

The newly created Mudgee Plate and bragging rights were on the line. Players filtered into the township from Friday into the early hours of Saturday morning for a 10:00am start. Being a brand new franchise game (and problems with the T20 trademark process) the rules of the game were established a week out. It has been dubbed the Mudgee 7’s. Original playing conditions were: –

42 overs per side
each team bats in pairs for 7 overs regardless of number of times out
each wicket reduces the total by 7 runs
hit the windmill and you get 7 bonus runs
each bowler can only bowl 7 overs

but with 3 late pull outs and one addition, this was modified to 40 overs and 8 overs per pair

Mudgee had turned on a great day for cricket, slight breeze, blue skies and a top of 28Cº. Once assembled, a “traditional” nip of the local Rum Port was enjoyed by all players and spectators. Ian Allmey won the toss and sent the Hurricanes in to bat. No player knew what to expect from this format e.g. what is a par score? Do you bat to minimise wickets or maximise runs? So Jim Hadley went on the attack and sent Brett James and Tommy Robertson in to bat. They faced up against Stuart Ridge and Paul Nash. Spectators and the batting team settled under the shade of a grand tree on benches elevated above the main ground, with the tasting room in the background. The anticipation was palpable.

To say Brett and Tommy teed off is an understatement – well Brett teed and Tommy swung hard. At the end of their 8 overs, Brett dealt in boundaries and finished on 70 and Tommy 18 with the first wicket combining for a 92 run partnership. Jim Hadley wanted to keep the foot on the throat and sent out Jamie Murtha and Scott Wells to continue the onslaught. The bowling of Dave Kent and Andy Bachelard tightened up, finding the right length which restricted the batting well but anything loose was still put away. The score reached 179 but the fall of 5 wickets saw it reduced to 137 after 8 overs. Dave Kent returning the very impressive figures of 4 for 23 off 4 overs (nett: 7 runs reduction for each wicket = negative 5 runs)

With the Allballers grabbing back some of the momentum, the Hurricanes continued with all out attack sending in the power hitting unit of Greg Brooks and Soren Hughes against the likes of David Kent, Andrew Bachelard, Dan Turner and David Craig. Brooksie finding his eye early, started slapping to his favourite part of the field, Soren backing up well with some powerful drives and saw the score (gross) get to 254 for the loss of 7 wickets.

The fourth pairing saw Mick McCormick and David Glen consolidate the total with watchful innings against the guile of David Craig. Good bowling saw the run rate pulled back with only one boundary in the partnership to get to 291. But as 10 wickets had been lost, a nett score of 221 with one pairing remaining. The last pair saw the skipper Jim Hadley and wily-o – John Davis – an Orange local. Jimmy dealt in boundaries and Johnny in singles to get Jim on strike – a great combination and perhaps a lesson for future parings in this format. The score at the end of 40 overs was 361 for the loss of 14 wickets – a nett total of 263 runs. A gettable total – run rate just over 6.5 required. Several ways to be chased with wickets the key.

Highlights of the first innings were Brett James 70, Greg Brooks 43 and Jim Hadley with 32 and bowling standout was Dave Kent with 6 for 70 (28) and Dan Turner 2 for 19(5)

Lunch which consisted of a selection of quartered sandwiches, pies and sausage rolls (prepared by the Mudgee Bakery) arrived at 1:00 which coincided with the change of innings. Several of the WAGS then embarked on a guided wine tour of Mudgee for the afternoon.

The Allballers sent out some guns first up in Dan Turner and Paul Nash in hope to get ahead early. Interestingly, Ian leaving himself down the order. The Hurricanes opened up with Soren Hughes and wily John Davis. An even battle ensued with good bowling, clever batting and some good hitting later in the partnership. The opening pair put on 82 for one wicket so it was game on. The Allballers then opted for experience with Ian Allmey and Stuart Ridge partnering up against the likes of Soren Hughes, Mick McCormick and Jamie Murtha. Some lovely cover drives from Stu coupled with some hitting (and missing) from Allmey the pair put on 53 for the loss of 2 wickets so a nett score of 114 which was probably a bit behind where they had hoped to be with the batting to come.

The following pair of David Craig and Dr Len Volkov batted solidly for a 48 run stand with the loss of 3 wickets against the likes of David Glen, Jim Hadley and Brett James who decided his shoulder wasn’t too bad. Mike Weaver and Ross Dalgleish had their work cut out to up the tempo to get back on track. Unfortunately not even Tom Robertson’s over (11 balls) was enough to stop the rot with Ross becoming stuck on strike and then half way down the wicket on a few occasions losing 7 wickets between them for 35 runs giving up -14 runs to the total.

This left the last pair with 132 to get in 8 overs. But the Allballers had two guys at the crease who could give that a nudge: – Dave Kent and Andy Bachelard. Both came out swinging with the ball flying to all parts. Some lovely straight hit sizes and one memorable back foot slap over cover for 6 from AB until Hadley decided he had seen enough, bought himself back on and gathered a few well bowled stumpings. DK and AB got the score to 321 with a 100 run partnership but with the loss of 17 wickets in doing so, saw he final score reduced to 219.

A fantastic day was had by all and special thanks for Jed Wesley-Smith for umpiring and putting up with Tom. Gwen Hughes did a magnificent job scoring: 682 runs scored, 31 wickets lost, 24 ports nipped and a few beers had.

A post-match presentation of the Mudgee Plate was made to the winning skipper – Jim Hadley much to the regret of Ian and enjoyment of Tommy. All then retreated to their accommodation in preparation for the evening’s meal and drinks at the Lawson Park Hotel. We had approx. 30 people that evening and packed out half of the beer garden area. Great meals and great company ensured an evening to remember

We plan to back up this event next year and reignite it into a traditional pre-season event. Mudgee is a great place to get away to for the weekend with lots do to apart from cricket.

The Teams were: –

Hadley X: – Brett James 70, Tom Robertson 18, James Murtha 23, Scott Wells (w) 19, Greg Brooks 43, Soren Hughes 12, Mick McCormick 18, David Glen 10, Jim Hadley (c) 32 and John Davis 10

Allmey X: – Dan Turner 36, Paul Nash 42, Ian Allmey (c) 24, Stuart Ridge 33, David Craig 26, Len Volkov 13, Mike Weaver (w) 26, Ross Dalgleish 6, David Kent 46 and Andrew Bachelard 47

The Result was: –

The ‘Hadley Hurricanes’: – 14-361 (nett 263) (40 Overs)

Defeated

The ‘Allmey Allballers’: – 17-321 (nett 219) (40 Overs)

By 40 runs (nett 44 runs)

THE CCNSW TOURING PARTY AT THE CRAIGMOOR WINERY GROUND, MUDGEE

**Back row:** Paul Nash, Ian Allmey (c), Jamie Murtha, Mick McCormick, Andrew Bachelard, Brett James Stuart Ridge, Greg Brooks, Soren Hughes, Mike Weaver, Len Volkov, Ross Dalgleish and Jed Wesley Smith (umpire)
**Front row:** David Kent, David Glen, Jim Hadley (c), Tom Robertson, Scott Wells, John Davis, Dan Turner, David Craig
N.B. : Hadley team in white shirts and Allmey team in blue shirts

LMS

LMS Winter 2023 – Grand Final

September 5, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY SUNDAY DIVISION 3 FINAL v ‘AVIN A SLAP AT ROBERTSON ROAD, MP5, MOORE PARK ON SUNDAY 13 AUGUST 2023: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

**CCNSW LMS TEAM IN GRAND FINAL v ‘AVIN –A-SLAP’ (PRE-GAME)**

The Team was: – James Bonkowski 51*, Mick McGrath (c) 23, Rhys Longbottom 40, Wade Butler (w) 38*, Avi Bhandari 1, Jonathan Seifman 10, David Craig 0*, Ming Heng dnb

In a high-stakes showdown under overcast skies, cricket enthusiasts around Moore Park were treated to an exhilarating clash between CCNSW and ‘Avin A Slap. Our opposition had the wood over us in close encounters during the regular season, 0-2, The sun assisted our batters early, but as the game progressed the rain clouds started looming for the two evenly balanced teams. The spectators were in for a treat as this match promised to be a spectacle of skill and determination!

CCNSW lost the toss and were sent in to bat first. James Bonkowski and Mick McGrath opened and looked solid, both were forced to respect some good bowling early as it took nearly 5 overs to find the first boundary,

James scored an unbeaten 51* runs and anchored the innings, he also produced a very memorable lofted cover drive for six with some sweet timing, Rhys Longbottom (40) and Mick (23) both contributed to the scoreboard with some clean strikes; Rhys was dropped twice and made them pay, proceeding to smash five sixes to all parts!

Avi Bhandari looked to play positively but got a good ball that hit the top of off, and Wade Butler (38) continued his fine form while launching balls deep into the other field, he was kept on strike by ‘Jono’ Seifman (10), our innings progressed steadily and after 20 overs we raised a sizeable total of 168 runs for 4, entirely defendable’

— Break —

Pressure was on ‘Avin A Slap to chase down our challenging target, and our guys were ready after receiving a quality high ball catching practice session, led by Rich ‘Berry Boy’ Clark who was only too happy to bomb a few up. Rhys Longbottom led the bowling attack, and seemed to beat the batters outside edge every ball during a great opening four over spell, conceding just 23 runs without luck,

Mick McGrath opened at the other had a two over bumper burst at the other end, unlucky not to take a wicket, one falling just short of a diving Avi at deep-square, and another really special effort from David Craig at long-off , covering several metres, dove full length and nearly took a screamer, both fielders saving boundaries too with great commitment . David bowled excellently, his leggies proving difficult to score off in the first three overs and getting an important breakthrough bowling the opening batter! Some rain started to fall which made both fielding and batting more difficult, however no time was lost!

Avi Bhandari bowled accurately despite the damp conditions, he ensured the required run-rate climbed and finally the other opener succumb to pressure, skying one for Mick McGrath to take a great mid-field catch, all the more impressive because the ball’s seam had cut Micks hand and was bleeding significantly. Mick had to leave the field for medical attention, kindly provided by the opposition. Stitches do seem likely to be needed, however! Jamie Murtha didn’t hesitate to join in the field at fine leg despite nursing a broken thumb, even managing to return a rather limp left handed throw in towards keeper Wade!

Just as one of the batters started to get a hold of some boundaries Ming Heng entered the attack and bowled an exceptional four over spell for just 19 runs, in gloomy conditions he had the ball swinging, hitting the stumps on one occasion and very nearly a couple more, Ming deserved a second wicket but an edge was unfortunately not picked up by the umpire, who had done a great job all game. Still very much either team’s game at this point!

Mick opted to finish the game with a wrapped hand before going to hospital, his two remaining overs kept momentum with us and was called on the field several times before the end! But it was Avi, Ming and Dave bowling dots at the death who finished the job; not even an impressive 58 from Oscar Jamieson including a home-run could keep them in it. Through an excellent team performance against a good opposition in tough conditions, we beat the previously undefeated ‘Avin-A-Slap by 6 runs to win the competition final.

The match showcased good spirit of cricket, sportsmanship and skill, credit to the team on the day as well as all 33 players who contributed to the team this winter season, this was a well deserved victory!

Thank you to all our report readers and wider CCNSW club-mates! Particular thanks to Adrian Hawkes for his diligent administration behind the scenes! And finally, well done to all of the 33 players this season! Jim Hadley, Wade Butler , Mick McGrath, Minh Heng, Jonathan Seifman, James Bonkowski, David Craig, Rhys Longbottom, Avinash Bhandari, Richard Clark, Nicholas Kochanowicz, Jamie Murtha, Joel Uddstrom, Scott Williams, Gerry O’Shea, Shahzeem Ajani, Declan Thomas, Shivam Agarval, Sanjeet Bhandari, Brendon Clarke, Toby Forbes, Sherville Hall,, Dan May, Charles Sharpe, Tom Sterrett, David Waldron, Phil Anderson, Liam Broughton, Yair Edinburg, Craig Fordham, Will Jacobs, Aaditya Mahata, Gurav Jain.

The Result was:-

CCNSW: – 4-168 (20 overs) (J. Bonkowski 51*; R. Longbottom 40)

Defeated

‘Avin A Slap: – 4-162 (20 overs)

By 6 runs

The Bowling was: – R. Longbottom 4-0-23-0; M. McGrath 4-0-36-0, D. Craig 4-0-49-1. A. Bhandari 4-0-35-1, M. Heng 4-0-18-1

The Fielding was: Stumpings: – Nil Catches: – One to M. McGrath Run outs: – One to R. Longbottom

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to J. Bonkowski ; 2 points to M. Heng ; one point to M. McGrath.See: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/live?fixtureid=389044

**(POST-GAME WITH CUP and WINNERS MEDALS)**
**From left to right:** Jonathan Seifman, Richard Clark (sub), Jamie Murtha (12^th Man), Wade Butler, David Craig, James Bonkowski, Mick McGrath (c), Avi Bhandari, Rhys Longbottom
**Absent:** Ming Heng

LMS

LMS Winter 2023 – Semi Final

August 8, 2023 Stuart Ridge Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY SUNDAY DIVISION 3 SEMI-FINAL v THE CUSTARD ARMS AT UPPER KIPPAX, MOORE PARK ON SUNDAY 6 AUGUST 2023: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

In an exciting LMS T20 semi final CCNSW faced off against The Custard Arms at Moore Park 6. The match promised to be a thrilling encounter. Despite grey skies overhead and a bit of drizzle, captain Jim Hadley won the toss and decided to bat.

We put on a dominant batting performance, setting a formidable target of 227 runs from our 20 overs, with outstanding contributions from Daniel May (52* from 17 balls) and Wade Butler (51*from 15 balls). The game was already looking to favor us. The pair was brutal with their ball-striking and found the boundary often. James Bonkowski (22), Richard Clark (25* retired), Nicholas Kochanowicz (34*) and Rhys Longbottom (35) also chipped in with valuable runs, ensuring a challenging total for our opponents to chase.

In response, The Custard Arms made a commendable effort, scoring 149 runs in their 20 overs. Our bowlers showcased disciplined performances, restricted The Custard Arms’ batting lineup. Nicholas Kochanowicz claimed one wicket with a perfect yorker. Rhys Longbottom bowled economically, going wicketless but conceding only 19 runs in his 4 overs. Richard Clark bowled 3 overs without taking a wicket but fielded brilliantly off his own bowling. Daniel May kept the runs in check with outstanding economy, the batters only managing 8 runs in his 3 overs. James Bonkowski contributed both with the bat and ball, taking one wicket thanks to Jim Hadley who took a brilliant catch on the square-leg boundary. Jim was as good as ever with the ball and had a big impact taking one wicket while only giving away a miserly 11 runs in his 3 overs.

In the fielding department, the team showed great athleticism and teamwork. Wade Butler executed a nice stumping and Jamie Murtha (who had not expected to play) fielded a few balls despite his broken thumb.

Overall, it was a memorable match, and our comprehensive victory by 78 runs has secured our place in Grand Final next Sunday!

(Editor’s note: The Grand Final will be v ‘Avin A Slap” (undefeated this season with 13 wins) at 1.40pm on Sunday 13 August at Robertson Road, MP5.)

The Team was: – James Bonkowski 22, Richard Clark, 25, Daniel May 52*, Wade Butler (w) 51*, Nicholas Kochanowicz 34*, Rhys Longbottom, 35 Jim Hadley (c) 8*, James Murtha (dnb)

The Result was:-

CCNSW: – 2-227 (20 overs) (D. May 52*; W. Butler 51*)

Defeated

The Custard Arms: – 3-149 (20 overs)

By 78 runs

The Bowling was: – N. Kochanowicz 4-0-36-1; R. Longbottom 4-0-19-0; R. Clark 3-0-39-0; D. May 3-0-8-0; J. Bonkowski 3-0-34-1; J. Hadley 3-0-11-1

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – One to W. Butler

Catches: – One to J. Hadley

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to D. May ; 2 points to W. Butler ; one point to R. Longbottom

See: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=389041

LMS EASTERN SYDNEY DIVI$ION 3 LEAGUE TABLE WINTER 2023

Team	P	W	L	D	Pts	NRR	TSBP	SBP	20%BP
CCNSW	12	9	3	0	86	1.763	6	8	18
‘Avin A Slap	12	12	0	0	85	1.434	4	3	6
Stumped!	12	6	6	0	70	-0.216	12	12	10
The Custard Arms	12	5	7	0	68	-0.183	11	11	16
The Fellowship of the Swing	12	5	7	0	57	0.154	7	8	12
High Street Cricket Club	12	3	9	0	49	-1.296	8	11	12
Flat Track Bullies	12	2	10	0	31	-1.840	5	4	10

NB 6 points for a win + 3 categories of bonus points

First Four teams go through to Semi Finals