Category Archives: LMS

C&S, LMS, Masters, Social, Vintage

WEEK TWENTY ONE : WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY-THURSDAY 2  MARCH 2023

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 2  ROUND 14 v ‘JOHNNY CASH MEMORIAL’ AT MP 5 ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE  PARK ON WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2023 

Cancelled by rain

C&S ROUND 14A v YARALLA  AT GODDARD OVAL, CONCORD ON SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2023

Pitch unable to be prepared by groundsman because of rain the previous Thursday

C&S ROUND 14B v REG BARTLEY XI AT REG BARTLEY OVAL, RUSHCUTTER BAY ON SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

It was a stunning late February day for our match against the RBXI at their home ground in Rushcutters Bay. As you turn down Waratah Street you see the picturesque oval, lush green grass surrounded by a cream picket fence, with large trees scattered around the perimeter, a similar feeling to Camperdown. On the North side of the ground is Sydney harbour, home to hundreds of sail boats floating there in the still deep blue water.

It was a warm afternoon, as the teams got ready, the captains tossed a coin, falling against CCNSW this time and we were sent into field.

James Murtha took the new ball from the Paddington end, the conditions produce some inswing in the first over, but the assertive opener looking to capitalise on anything slightly short managed to start well getting a few runs on the board. Andy Durant took the new ball from the harbour end and delivered a quality maiden over, beating the bat a couple of times. In his second over, Murtha found his line and length removing the opener with a sharp cutter that hit the batsman in front (playing on the back foot), after a long appeal the umpires fingers went up! 1 down.

Durant kept toiling and bowled economically without luck, his bowling suited the conditions and made the batters very uncomfortable! A quick change from the Paddington, Toby Forbes too made good use of the conditions, bowling short of a length; the batters couldn’t find their timing on the back foot as Mick McGrath prevented any opportunity for runs at cover.

Henry Davis the leg spinner on debut replaced Durant and was unlucky not to take a wicket, several balls in his 3 over spell going either side or just short of the fielders. A double change at around 1-60 after 14 overs:  McGrath bowled from the harbour end and Rhys Longbottom from the Paddington end. Both produced exceptional spells. Longbottom was fast, full, and providing real problems for the batters. McGrath was superbly accurate in his spell of 6 overs 1-6, including the critical wicket setting up RBXI’s No.3 batter in his first over, getting one to nip away and take the edge, with  Declan Thomas taking a great catch with the gloves moving to his right.

With the end of the innings approaching, Aaditya Mahata, Luke Holman and Toby Forbes bowled well, creating half chances, it was a good contest, with the batters continuing to tick the scoreboard over. Longbottom returned to bowl the final over of the innings with devastating effect. 2 wickets and a run-out from cover by McGrath assisted by Thomas behind the stumps,  to restrict the score to 8-132.

— Innings Break —

As we know, anything above 130 is a tough score to chase at this ground, made tougher by being effectively one down as a result of losing previous John McDonald Medal recipient Forbes to work commitments. 
Our openers Michael Carman and James Bonkowski went out to get us underway. The opening spells were tight. Our first run didn’t come until the fourth over, ‘Bonkers’ with a tidy flick of the legs for one; unfortunately he fell only two overs later to a sharp return catch by the bowler. 6 overs 1-5.

Rhys Longbottom was positive from the outset  but was forced to run ones and twos against his natural game due to the long boundaries, Carman was solid in  defence at the other end. Longbottom’s luck ran out after being struck right in front moving across the crease for 16. 13 overs 2-32. Followed shortly after by Carman, caught for 15 and Holman caught for 1 (another excellent return catch.) 

We were reeling at 4-45. Henry Davis dug in to try and stabilise the innings, while debutant Aaditya Mahata counter attacked effectively from the other end. He too was forced to run ones and twos but did manage to hit three particularly clean fours towards the square leg boundary. The pitch unfortunately had his number when a mistimed pull shot was skied and comfortably taken, out for an attractive 30. Declan Thomas was dismissed without troubling the scorers. It took a good catch, hit hard and flat. 6-70 after 25.

Henry Davis was out for 10 trying to pick up the scoring; he got decent hold of a pull shot in front of square straight to the fielder. Durant and McGrath boxed the ball around with good intent. They put pressure back on the bowling with a quick-fire 20 run partnership. Durant felt hard done by to be adjudged lbw for 12. Perhaps he got a tickle on it? Few could corroborate his feeling on the day.

Murtha was the last batter in, and solidly negotiated the final ball of the over back down the pitch to the bowler. The equation was 21 runs to win off 12 balls, McGrath on strike loaded up for the big pull shot, which had been a feature of his innings so far, but unfortunately picked out the man right on the boundary, out for 21 and closing out the innings. Murtha stranded on 0* entertained with a tongue in cheek request to bat alone, smiles all round.

Despite the outcome a good time was had by all at the beautiful Reg Bartley oval, the game was played in excellent spirit against a good side. Post-match underneath an orange sky the teams shook hands and shared beers and recollections of the enjoyable match and the hopes for even more fixtures in the future.

The Team was: – Michael Carman 15, James Bonkowski 1, Rhys Longbottom 16, Luke Holman 1, Henry Davis 10, Aaditya Mahata 30, Declan Thomas (w) 0, Mick McGrath 21, Adam Durant 12, Jamie Murtha (c) 0* Toby Forbes absent

The Result was: 

Reg Bartley XI: – 8-134 (35 overs) (R. Longbottom 3-18)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – All out 112 (33.1 overs) (A. Mahata 30)

By 22 runs

FoW: – 1-4 (J. Bonkowski); 2- 32 (R. Longbottom); 3-38 (M. Carman); 4-43 (L. Holman).5-93 (A. Mahata); 6-93 (D. Thomas); 7-105 (H. Davis); 8-108 (A. Durant ).; 9-112 (M. McGrath); 

The Bowling was: – J. Murtha 3-0-19-1, A.  Durant 6-1-25-0, M.  McGrath 6-3-6-1, H. Davis 3-1-13-0, A.  Mahata 3-0-20-0, R. Longbottom 7-2-18-3, T.  Forbes 5-1-24-1,  L. Holman 2-0-11-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to D. Thomas (w) and one to A. Durant

Run outs: – One to M. McGrath

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to M. McGrath; 2 points to R. Longbottom; one point to D. Thomas

MASTERS ROUND 10  v LINDFIELD   AT CAMPERDOWN PARK, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY ROB LAWTHER

Another hot humid day at Camperdown Park. No one was looking forward to running around in the heat so Andy Dadswell winning the toss and electing to bat was well received by all. Lindfield only had 9 players (including one child filling in) so we agreed to lend them a fielder. A late withdrawal due to illness from CCNSW meant it was 10 v 10 in the field – game on. 

The opening partnership of Rob Lawther (16) and Ed Cross (14) was steady if relatively uneventful. The pitch was a bit slow with the odd ball keeping low, with batsmen wary of going on the back foot. Eventually both openers were removed lbw (both adamant it was sliding down leg, obviously), bringing Dan Turner and Paul Nash to the crease. Some solid batting brought us to 2-80 at drinks – a “solid platform” as described by the skipper.

From there Nash and Turner continued their great partnership, accelerating the scoring and each retiring at 40* in style. Dadswell had a swashbuckling innings, featuring some lovely drives over cover, finally undone being bowled for 39 going for one big shot too many. Some big hitting by Michael Johnston in the final overs saw him to a quick-fire 21* not out, and brought the team to a very respectable 5-215 off our 40 overs.

After a few too many ‘twisties’ and ‘choccy bikkies’ it was time to take the field. Ben Stanic and David Abreu opened the bowling knowing we needed a good start to apply some pressure to the Lindfield openers. They did just that, keeping the runs down and watching the required run rate slowly creep up. Abreu got one of the openers to play across the line and pinned him lbw (smashing middle, obviously). Stanic then had the perfect set up the next over – first a long hop which was smashed for four through midwicket. Then a length ball just outside off which was back-foot cover driven with ferocity to the pickets. Finally one just short of a length that didn’t get up and cannoned into the base of middle stump. Classic.

With the Lindfield openers gone and the run rate going up, some great tight bowling from Jose Poothokaren and Johnston meant Lindfield were never in the hunt. Pick of the bowlers was Poothokaren with 3-11 off 6 including a one-handed ‘speccy’ by the keeper, rob Lawther diving to take an under-edge that wouldn’t have carried to first slip. Special mention also for Johnston’s miserly spell of 1-4 off 6, including some of the best long (and lone!) lbw appeals you’ve ever hear. Eventually Lindfield limped to be all out for 74 after 32 overs.

Thanks to Lindfield for a good day of cricket played in the right spirit, and good work to the CCNSW boys on a good win.

The Team was (playing 10): – Rob Lawther (w) 16, Ed Cross 14, Dan Turner 40* ret not out, Paul Nash 41* ret not out, Sanjeet Bhandari 1, Andrew Dadswell 39, Michael Johnston 21*, Jose Poothokaren 4, David Abreu 6*, Ben Stanic dnb, Peter Constantinou dnb (absent ill)

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 5-215 (40 overs) (P. Nash 41* ret not out; D Turner 40* ret not out; A. Dadswell 39)

Defeated

Lindfield CC: – All out 74 (9 players) (32 overs) (J. Poothokaren 3-11)

By 141 runs

FoW: – 1-26 (E. Cross); 2-37 (R. Lawther) 3-111 (S. Bhandari); 4-191 (A. Dadswell); 5-195 (J. Poothokaren).

The Bowling was: – B. Stanic 6-1-22-1; D. Abreu 6-1-21-1; M. Johnston 6-2-4-1; J. Poothokaren 6-0-11-3, E. Cross 4-0-8-0, A. Dadswell 4-1-4-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to R. Lawther

Catches: – One to R. Lawther (w)

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to A. Dadswell; 2 points to P. Nash; one point to D. Turner

See:–www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202223/masters/game-centre/02d9be0e

VINTAGE ROUND 9  v  CENTRAL COAST AT ROGERS PARK OVAL No 1, WOY WOY ON SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY PETER ROLLS

A performance for the ages by the Prez!

A hot 32°C and humid day with plenty of sunshine and only a slight breeze. No rain in sight or forecast.

A top of the table clash with the Central Coast only a couple of points behind us and only two losses like us and two teams in third and fourth place only a few points further behind.

The pitch was well grassed but a bit soft in patches where there was no grass after 40mm rain mid-week. Phone calls were made by Central Coast reassuring us that the wicket would be ready and covered the night before but they failed to inform the groundsman. No covers but luckily no rain overnight and the groundsman had an hour to prepare. Luckily there was a game played on the same wicket on the Saturday so it did have some preparation on the Friday. Even though the wicket looked dodgier than a vindaloo left out in the sun, the groundsman said 200 runs were scored on the Saturday and with the current stifling heat and humidity the decision to bat was made after winning the toss.

It was apparent after a few overs that this was going to be a difficult wicket to bat on and we were to be told,  half way through the game by a local, that 100 runs is a good score in 40 overs and typical of many Vintage games here. CC took advantage of the seam and slow bounce by bowling on a good length and letting the ball do the work. As nothing was coming off the bat we had to work the singles and the thick kikuyu outfield meant aerial was the only way to get boundaries.

The CC fielding was sublime when Frank Baliotis (2) smashing a rare loose ball hard to mid-on and was snapped up.1-2 off 3 overs. There followed a bizarre run out of John Finucane (4) initially turning back  for a second run after his good aerial shot over mid-on but then  deciding not to go, His bat appeared to get stuck in the grass, while he was trying to slide it into the crease. 2-16 off 10 overs.

CC’s fine fielding continued with finger tips scraping the grass diving forward to get Gerry O’Shea (16) cutting a short ball that popped on him. 3-26 off 16 overs. 

Peter Rolls (10) and Greg Brooks were starting to get some momentum when Peter flicked a ball hard off his pads towards mid-wicket when the 70 yr old CC  Captain Grieg Buscombe stuck his right hand out at full stretch at short mid-wicket for it to stick. 4-50 off 25 overs.

Mick McCormick  (0) tried to go aerial too early off a ball that bounced slowly off the pitch which meant his off drive went straight up in the air and was  caught. 5-57 off 26 overs.

Greg Brooks threw his quality willow at anything slightly full or short for five boundaries including a mighty 6 and soon retired not out at 30. A much needed one in the bank with smart aerial play on this “tennis ball” bounce wicket.

Mel Lucas (0) replaced Greg and had no choice but to throw the bat as soon as he entered the fray with only 11 overs remaining in a fine show of team spirit. A good cut shot but straight to point who held it. 6-71 off 29 overs.

Ajoy Roy(4) in his first game for 12 months (after having long Covid and other health issues) looked in command until a poor umpiring decision had him caught behind hitting the ground with an attempted drive. Even Garry James at the non-striker’s end,  saw a 4 inch gap between the bat and ball as it went past the outside edge. 7-76 off 32 overs.

Garry James (17) had combined well with Greg Brooks, then Ajoy Roy and then Stuart Ridge until he got one of the occasional massive off cutters that skittled his stumps. 8-92 off 37 overs.

Paul Georgiadis (0) was a gracious team man again (like against Southern Highlands) in throwing his bat at the onset and was bowled off the second ball he faced. 9-92 off 37 overs. Paul’s great team spirit allowed the return of a recycled Greg Brooks for what would be the finest display of big hitting I have ever seen in Vintage cricket. With three overs to go Greg and Stuart ridge put on a show for the last wicket that was cheered every ball. Even when Stuart blocked the last ball of an over he got a cheer as we knew Greg would get to face the next over. Over 38 went for 19 runs; over 39 went for only 3 runs but over 40 went for 18 runs with balls dispatched in all directions for a total of 9-133 and a score with “hope” for our bowlers. Greg 64* (including a further two 6s and four 4s) and Stuart 10*, both unconquered.

At tea, a well earned breather for all from the humidity and then we took the field with a spring in our step with the wicket still doing a bit. CC needing 3.3 per over.

Stuart Ridge  fresh from representing Australia in Overs 60’s ODI tournament in Barbados (and voted the second MVP for the tournament) was on song (even though congested with a cold from the flight back) and picked up our first wicket in his second over courtesy of a stunning reflex one handed catch at first slip by Greg Brooks when the ball was edged between keeper and first slip. 1-6 off 3 overs.

Paul Georgiadis opened at the other end and bowled a good line and length except for the odd short ball which CC pounced on as they knew they would get nothing from Stuart who took our second wicket in his fourth over bowling their number 3 with an in-swinger. 2-18 off 7 overs.

Both Stuart and Paul bowled only 4 of their max 7 overs due to the humidity and saving them for later. Greg Brooks replaced Stuart Ridge and kept it tight with a great line and length and Garry James  came on after Paul Georgiadis to great effect with two wickets in his first over (one bowled and one caught Ridge at cover). Wickets 3 and 4 for 33 off 10 overs.

Garry James then bowled their dangerous swinging left handed opener on 20 with an ‘offie’ he pushed through quicker. 5-40 off 14 overs.

Greg Brook’s fine spell was rewarded in his fifth over with an lbw. 6-48 off 17 overs. He was rewarded again in his sixth and seventh overs with a wicket in each (bowled middle peg and caught by a superb outstretched one handed grab from a snick by keeper John Finucane). 8-57 off 21 overs.

Then in the next 12 overs, a partnership developed between their numbers 6 and 10. Our fielders were throwing their bodies around like Greco-Roman wrestlers (which is not easy at our age) but Frank Baliotis, Gerard O’Shea and Mel Lucas saved many runs with their acrobatics. This CC partnership got them to 100 in the thirty third over by smart cricket just waiting for the odd loose ball from Mick McCormick, Gerard O’Shea and Ajoy Roy  who all put in sterling efforts under tense pressure. Even Stuart Ridge came back for one over to try to get a break through. Hopes were fading with only 35 runs required off 7 overs. (5 per over).

Enter partnership breaker Paul Georgiadis and in his second returning over, he had their number 10 hole out to Stuart Ridge at mid-wicket with a good and important catch. 9-100 off 33 overs.

The CC number 11 could also hold a bat and was feeding the strike to their number 6 who had reached 30 but continued batting as the last wicket was in. Over 34 went for 5 runs; over 35 went for 3; over 36 went for 5.

Stuart Ridge returned for over 37 and on his second ball CC number 6 made a strong cut shot that flew behind square.  Greg Brooks fielding at deep fly slip, launched like NASA, diving to his right to take a spectacular one handed catch to win us the game. Euphoria erupted from the team with hugs to Greg, lifting him off the ground which is some feat for this massive man.

A win by 18 runs but it felt like a win by one run so the beers went down well with Greg the stand out man of the match winner with 64* not out, 3 wickets and 2 excellent catches to get a bottle of red he knows his wife will love. (Ed note: Greg is a teetotaler) An individual performance I have not seen before in Vintage cricket but still also ten other players that all contributed in different ways to make this a special team effort. 

A tough final match against Northern Stars on Sunday 12 March to finish the season. Let’s hope we can all put in a big effort to finish on a high to stay on top with what has already been a special season of good sportsmanship and fun camaraderie.

The Team was: –  Frank Baliotis 2, Gerard O’Shea 16, John Finucane (w) 4 , Peter  Rolls (c) 10, Greg Brooks 64*, Mick McCormick 0, Garry James 17, Mel Lucas 0, Ajoy Roy 4, Stuart Ridge 10*, Paul Georgiadis 0

The Result was: 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 9-133 (40 overs) (G. Brooks 64*)

Defeated

Central Coast: – 10-115 (37.2 overs) (S Ridge 3-8; G. James 3-9; G. Brooks 3-21)

By 18 runs

FoW: – 1-2 (F. Baliotis); 2-16 (J. Finucane); 3-26 (G. O’Shea); 4-50 (P. Rolls); 5-57 (M. McCormick); 6-72 (M. Lucas); 7-76 (A. Roy); 8-92 (G. James); 9-92 (P. Georgiadis).

The Bowling was: – S. Ridge 5.2-1-8-3; P. Georgiadis 7-0-33-1; G. Brooks 7-1-21-3; G. James 7-3-6-3; G. O’Shea 5-0-15-0; M. McCormick 2-0-14-0; A. Roy 4-0-14-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to G. Brooks; 2 to S. Ridge and one to J. Finucane (w)

Run outs: – Nil

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

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202223/vintage/game-centre/f8494563

SOCIAL GAME v VICTORIA BARRACKS XI AT VICTORIA BARRACKS, OXFORD STREET  ON THURSDAY 2 MARCH 2023 

Game cancelled by Army as ground not available; being used for other military purposes.

LMS, Masters, Social, Vintage

WEEK NINETEEN: THURSDAY 9 FEBRUARY-SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 2  ROUND 12 v ‘JOHNNY CASH MEMORIAL’ AT CP 4 BRAZILIAN FIELD , CENTENNIAL  PARK ON THURSDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2023

Cancelled because of rain.

MASTERS  ROUND 9 v  BURWOOD BRIARS  AT RON ROUTLEY OVAL, ROTHWELL PARK, CONCORD ON SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY JASON  KENN  

A glorious albeit a little warm day greeted both teams as Burwood hosted CCNSW at Ron Routley Oval.

CCNSW welcomed 3 debutants Kieren Purnell, Sandeep Bhandari and Matthew (‘Matty J’) Johnston into the team to bolster an already strong CCNSW squad.  Welcome to the Club, gentlemen.

The day started on a winning note, with Andrew Dadswell winning the all important toss and having no hesitation in batting first on a deck that would come to resemble Nagpur by the end of the day’s play.  A new opening combination of Rob Lawther and Kieran Purnell strode to the crease, and started positively with a partnership of 21, until Kieran was trapped in front for 4 by a new ball that didn’t bounce more than a few inches.  Enter an in-form v/c Dan Turner who continued the momentum with Rob scoring freely as both took control on a tricky pitch.  

Rob worked his way to 40*  retired prior to drinks and never gave the opposition a chance with his stylish shots all around the ground, and even ducking a weaving a few head high full tosses. This brought last season’s leading run scorer to the crease Jason Kenn.  Dan and Jason survived some tight stump to stump bowling to go to drinks at 1-79.  On resumption, Jason put one over the fence (because it would be rude not too), before I tried to replicate the same shot, but the pitch demons got the better of me and I was bowled for 9.

Enter another debutant Sandeep Bhandari who joined Dan who continued to look like another retirement looming, before he played and missed for a well earned 31.  Quick wickets fell in succession and we were in trouble before our third debutant Matt Johnston came to the crease for the first time in 18 months after shattering his finger in a club game.  Showing no rust, he joined Sandeep who was also victim to the bounce and trapped lbw for 10.  Mick Tarrant came in at 6-119 in the 29th over and he and ‘Matty J’ regained control of the innings, constantly finding the gaps and the boundary, before Mick hit one straight back to the bowler to be dismissed for 19.  Dave (reverse sweep specialist) Craig joined Matty J (who was running out of puff), and showcased his skills to keep pushing the score past 160 before Matty J was stumped for a well deserved 28.  Ben Stanic pushed the scoreboard to 170 before being run out on the last ball of the innings.  CCNSW headed to the sheds for a well earned drink 9/170 after 40 overs. 

As we sat around and contemplated how to go about defending this total on a pitch on which it was becoming more difficult to score runs, our philosophy was to bowl full and straight, and that’s what our opening pair of Ben Stanic and Mick Tarrant did. The plan worked in Mick’s first over trapping their opener on the pads.  Burwood found scoring tough early on and Ben Stanic struck next helped out by a reflex catch by Dave Craig (who still probably hasn’t seen the ball).  

Runs then flowed at a steady pace for Burwood before a 60 run partnership was broken in the 25th over by a glorious delivery from Jose Poothokaren  to remove their opener for 39 (ouch).

Burwood looked to be gaining the upper hand in the middle stages, but enter our captain, Andy Dadswell who worked his magic to remove their dangerous middle order batter, bowling him around his legs.  A few field changes to try and dry up the singles paid off with a sharp catch at short mid wicket by Jason Kenn to remove their hitter for 27.  The game was in the balance with Burwood needing 24 of 18 balls, as Mick Tarrant came back for his second spell, and changed the game in CCNSW favour, only going for 3 runs in the 38th over.  Tight bowling from Ben Stanic in the 39th over. 15 now needed off 6 balls but Mick Tarrant continued his line and length with 2 wickets in the final over sealing the game for CCNSW.  Mick Tarrant finished with 4-21, Andy Dadswell 3-30 and wickets each to Ben Stanic  and Jose Poothokaren.  

This was a great game to be part of,- tight to the very end, and played in the true spirit of the game.  

The Team was: – Rod Lawther (w) 40* ret not out; Kieren Purnell 4, Dan Turner 31, Jason Kenn 9, Sanjeet Bhandari 11, Andrew Dadswell (c) 5, Jose  Poothokaren 0, Matthew Johnston 28, Michael Tarrant 19, David Craig 7*, Ben Stanic 3

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 9-170 (40 overs) (R. Lawther 40* ret not out)

Defeated

Burwood Briars CC: – 9-161 (40 overs) (M. Tarrant 4-21)

By 9 runs

FoW: – 1-21 (K. Purnell); 2-83 (J. Kenn); 3-95 (D. Turner;) 4-100 (A. Dadswell); 5-108 (J. Poothokaren),;6-119 (S. Bhandari); 7-153 (M. Tarrant); 8-163 (M. Johnston); 9-170 (B. Stanic).

The Bowling was: – B. Stanic 9-0-38-1; M. Tarrant 9-0-21-4; D. Craig 4-0-17-0; M. Johnston 5-0-24-0; J. Poothokaren 7-0-27-1; A. Dadswell 6-0-30-3

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to R. Lawther (w); and one to each of D. Craig, J. Kenn and B. Stanic

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to R. Lawther; 2 points to M. Tarrant; one point to M. Johnston

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202223/masters/game-centre/7794ae53

VINTAGE ROUND 9  v SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS  AT CAMPERDOWN PARK, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY GERALD O’SHEA

CCNSW (in white shirts) and Southern Highlands (in blue shirts) in a pre-match barefoot ceremony as recommended by Cricket NSW

After a pre-match barefoot ceremony honouring and showing respect for local Indigenous Country the Vintage side went on to win a thriller at Camperdown Oval last Sunday in a high quality encounter with the strong Southern Highlands side. This victory has taken a few years to come around so spirits are high heading into the last two rounds. Cricketers’ Club won the flip and batted first and after a slowish start (2-8 off 6 overs) against a very accurate bowling attack were soon able to change gear through solid knocks from Joe Scarcella (34*) and Peter Rolls (31). Greg Brooks (30*) then came to the wicket and followed them into the shed with his signature ball striking that accelerated our run rate, taking pressure off instantly. This is what he does. The back end of the innings was fortified by Jim Hadley’s sublime 32* and Sittampalam Ragavan’s (‘Raga’) accompanying 23* giving the Highlanders requiring a fair shot to pass CCNSW total of 8-170.

The Southern Highlands boys started well enough, keeping abreast of the 4.25 run rate but little by little CCNSW’s accurate bowling saw them gain the upper hand. Southern Highlands were 7-150 off 37 overs with 3 overs to go and 21 needed. In the 38th over Hadley  only conceded  2 runs and a wicket and in the 39th over Brooks only 3 runs and a wicket . this halted their momentum and the match went into the last over with southern highlands  requiring 16 runs to win, Raga (2-14) held his nerve in the last over to see us close out the match out and win  by 9 runs (with only 6 runs off Raga’s over). 

CCNSW bowling was on display last Sunday and wickets were shared around including Greg (2-32), Jim Hadley (2-23), raga (2-14),  Joe Scarcella (1-18) and Garry James  (1-37) digging deep with a dodgy knee and rewarded with a wicket at the games critical turning point. Special mention goes to keeper John Finucane whose skill is quite breathtaking at times. He snapped up 3 sharp catches, and a fourth snick, although heard all over the field was denied.  Also good catches by Joe Scarcella and Paul Georgiadis and a special one hander by Greg off his own bowling in his final over. Joe Scarcella’ all-round performance saw him named MOM on a memorable Sunday at Camperdown where Peter Rolls and his merry men were a reminder of how well a team can stick together when it matters.

Special thanks to Carla Stacey (Inner West Council’s ‘Coordinator Sporting Partnerships’) and her lady helpers from the Inner West Council for putting on afternoon tea as part of Council’s Seniors’ Festival. Cakes were amazing with Joe Scarcella (having the first shift off the field as 12thman) being the only one able to take advantage of the Pavlovas as the rest of the team had to bowl and field after tea!

The Team was (playing 12): – Gerard O’Shea 7, Frank Baliotis 0, Joe Scarcella 34*, Peter Rolls (c) 31, Jim Robson 0, Greg Brooks 30* ret not out, Garry James 1, Mick McCormick 5, Jim Hadley 32 * ret not out, John Finucane (w) 1, Sittampalam Ragavan, 22* Paul Georgiadis 1

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 8-170 (40 overs) (J. Scarcella 34*; J. Hadley 32* ret not out; P. Rolls 31; G. Brooks 30* ret not out)

Defeated

Southern Highlands: – 8-161: – (40 overs) 

By 9 runs

FoW: – 1-6 (F. Baliotis); 2-8 (G. O’Shea); 3-82 (J. Robson); 4-101 (G. James); 5-107 (M. McCormick); 6-108 (J. Finucane); 7-161 (P. Georgiadis); 8-163 (P. Rolls)

The Bowling was: – M.  McCormick 3-0-19-0; P. Georgiadis 5-0-17-0; S. Ragavan 6-0-14-2; G. James 7-0-37-1; J. Scarcella 5-1-18-1; J. Hadley 7-0-32-2; G. Brooks 7-1-32-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 3 to J. Finucane (w); one to each of G. Brooks, P. Georgiadis and J. Scarcella

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to J. Scarcella; 2 points to J. Hadley; one point to G. BrooksSee: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202223/vintage/game-centre/43233f7f

SOCIAL GAME   v MOLONGLO  AT KIPPAX OVAL, HOLT,  CANBERRA ON SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY SOREN HUGHES [ASSISTED BY AI CHATBOT]

Back row: Luke Holman, Brendon Kay (w), Brett James (c), Mark Henwood, Jack Luff, Tim Kerr
Front row:  Ziggy James, Tom Robertson, Soren Hughes, Rhys Longbottom , Harry Bridge

Molonglo Cricket Club was founded in 1956 as a nomadic social cricket club originally with a strong connection with Canberra Grammar Old Boys. Its logo is a keg of beer which perhaps over-emphasises the social aspects of the Club which contains very competent cricketers. It has no geographic connections with the Molonglo River or valley in Canberra 

With only six players mid week, MCC recruited some local Sri Lankan players for the day, including an opening batter from the local first grade side. CCNSW was also short despite the best efforts of Tom Robertson to persuade more C&S players to come and in the end we recruited 2 local players for the day including most relevantly a keeper and also gave a opportunity to Brett James’ 15 yr old son Ziggy- a promising young bowler.

The game was at the first Grade ground at Kippax Oval 1, located in the suburb of Holt in the Belconnen district of Canberra. 

Tom Robertson  and Rhys Longbottom (recruited from our LMS Mid week team)  opened the batting scoring at a run a ball and put on 84 for the first wicket in 14 overs before Longbottom retired at 50* off 42 balls and Tom was out,  hit wicket  for 31 off 38 balls. The partnership built a strong foundation for the rest of the team but unfortunately the opportunity was not taken. Apart from 39 off 54 balls from Harry Bridge and an obdurate 19 from Brett James off 28 balls the rest of the batting failed and we ended with 8-178 off 40 overs, only adding 94 runs from the last 26 overs

Brett James and Rhys Longbottom opened the bowling and Brett dismissed both openers in his first four overs to reduce Molonglo to 2-26 in the seventh over  but their numbers 3 and 4 batters were a class above us and both reached 50^ ret not out. Apart from a very economical spell by Soren Hughes (7 overs for 12 runs) the rest of our bowlers failed to contain them until the late introduction of young Ziggy James who brought us back into the game with only a few overs left and took 2-10 from 7 overs on his CCNSW debut. 

At 6-149 with only 6 overs left the game seemed in the balance. Unfortunately their number 10 batter (current First Grad top order batter), dealing mainly in boundaries was too good for us and delivered blow after blow to win the game for Molonglo on the first ball of the 40th over. We did drop a couple of catches so the game was there to be won by us but we didn’t take the opportunities.

A great day was had by all and the fun and merriment was reflected in the post game banter and a speeding ticket for one lucky driver who didn’t lose any demerit points on the ACT side of the border. 

This report was partly generated for you by a chat bot who has, in so doing, perhaps delivered possibly our first AI generated match report. (Ed note: a lot of factually incorrect information generated by the ChatBot has been deleted and Soren Hughes takes responsibility for what remains above)

The Team was: – Tom Robertson (c) 31, Rhys Longbottom 50* ret not out, Harry Bridge 37, Tim Kerr 2, Soren Hughes 12, Brett James 19, Brendan Kay (w) 5, Luke Holman 10, Mark Henwood 2, Jack Luff 2*, Ziggy James 3*

The Result was: 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 8-178 (40 overs) (R. Longbottom 50* ret not out)

Lost to

Molonglo CC: – 6-179 (39.1 overs) 

By 4 wickets

FoW: – 1- 84 (T. Robertson); 2- 85 (T. Kerr); 3- 111 (H. Bridge); 4-150 (S. Hughes); 5-157 (B. James); 6-159 (B. Kay); 7- 168 (M. Henwood); 8-170 (L. Holman).

The Bowling was: – B. James 7-0-30-2; R. Longbottom 8-1-35-0; S. Hughes 7.1-3-12-0; L. Holman 2-0-9-0; J. Luff 2-0-22-0; H. Bridge 3-0-15-0; Z. James 7-1-10-2; M. Henwood 3-0-24-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One each to M. Henwood, B. James and T. Robertson

Run outs: – One to J. Luff

C&S, Classics, LMS

WEEK EIGHTEEN: WEDNESDAY 1 FEBRUARY-SUNDAY 5  FEBRUARY 2023

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 2  ROUND 11 v ‘JOHNNY CASH MEMORIAL’ AT CP5 CENTENNIAL PARK PARADE GROUND, MOORE PARK ON TUESDAY 31 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY SCOTT WILLIAMS

CCNSW fielded possibly the strongest LMS team it has ever put together. After seeing our line-up the Jonny Cash Memorial team suggested that CCNSW should bat first so that we could get a decent game. This turned out to be a good decision as CCNSW put on 3-202 and kept Jonny Cash to 119. 

Steven Sheakey and Rob Shone got CCNSW off to a good start with some quick runs before Sheakey missed a full one to be out for 25. As Sheakey departed, James Bonkowski arrived…. and then departed an over later. Scott Williams came in swinging and put together a quick fire 43 off 17 balls. Rhys ‘Wild Thing’ Longbottom took over where Scott left and smashed the ball over the place. Rhys retired 50* from 20 balls  and Rob Shone, in  keeping with his current form of being undissmissable,  retired at a run a ball 50*. Dan May came in with 6 balls left and managed to destroy those 6 balls for 28 runs which include a home run 12 on the last ball.

Set 204 to win, the Johnny Cash Memorial VIII was always going to be in trouble and Mick McGrath swinging the ball around corners,  wasn’t going to help them. Mick picked up a wicket in his first over and from there the wickets tumbled with no partnership ever getting set. Wickets were spread around with all the bowlers having great economy rates and Dan May even bowling a maiden.

The win made it back to back bonus point victories and is putting CCNSW in a great position to sneak into the 4th spot and into the finals being currently only 3 points behind the 4th place team

The Team was: – Steven Sheakey 26, Rod Shone 50*, James Bonkowski 4, Scott Williams (c) & (w)) 43, Rhys Longbottom 51*, Mick McGrath 1*, Daniel May 28*, Craig Fordham dnb

The Result was:- 

CCNSW: – 3-203 (20 overs) (R. Longbottom 51*; R. Shone 50*)

Defeated

Johnny Cash Memorial: – 6-119 (20 overs) 

By 84 runs

The Bowling was: – M. McGrath 4-0-19-2; R. Longbottom 4-0-21-0; R. Shone 4-0-20-1; D. May 3-1-11-1, S. Sheakey 3-0-23-1, C. Fordham 2-0-21-1

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to each of S. Williams (w) and M. McGrath and D. May

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to D. May; 2 points to R. Longbottom; 1 point to R. Shone

See:  https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=370874

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 11  v NONDESCRIPTS  AT CAMPERDOWN PARK, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY TOM ROBERTSON

(Editor’s Note: this match appears to have given rise to some tension arising from player-umpire decisions)

Glorious conditions met us at Camperdown beach for our game against Nondescripts. Jamie Murtha  was captain for the day.  ‘Nondos’ won the toss and batted. Tight bowling from Avi Bhandari and Soren Hughes had them going at only just over 2 runs per over for the first 10 overs. Wickets were not falling quickly but runs were like hens’ teeth.

The young opener to the eyes of the CCNSW fielders appeared to snick one off Avi but the (Nondo player) umpire did not apparently see or hear it. More controversy soon after, when their captain appeared to  nick one  off Matt Edge’s slow bowling which deflected into Declan Thomas’s leg, standing up as keeper, then spooned up to slip. Again the edge appeared clear to us but was given not out.

Their captain did not walk and a few words were exchanged. Their innings never really got going and they were restricted to 7-124 off 35 overs. All our bowlers bowled well with Jamie Murtha lifting and bowing some nice seam up to end up with 3-19.

Our turn to bat and we soon discovered they were very much a bowling side. Their opener bowled full and straight but as it often turns out, the other less threatening opener went and got wickets. Tom Robertson faced his first ball that went sailing over cover for 6. ‘This is easy’, thought Tom. Next ball, bowled! Matt Leon (0) and Harry Bridge (0) came and went. Avi Bhandari (12) showed good resistance till he copped a good yorker.

Nondescripts had us 6 for 38 in the eleventh over and in deep trouble. But we fought  back  thanks to Toby Forbes and Jamie Murtha. These two have been caught in bad situations many times and have really fought hard. Jamie (19), Adam Khamis (3) and Toby (32) got out within 9 runs as we slipped from 6-88 to 9-97. We were in a real pickle at 9 down for 97, needing another 28 to win with six overs to go.

 Little did they know we had a Soren Hughes and a Matt Edge at Nos. 10 and 11 and both could bat! Soren put the state of the game aside and played his natural game hitting the bad ones away hard with his 3lb monster bat. Matt too hit some beautifully timed boundaries.

Two overs left and six to get. The pendulum had swung. Matt took strike and the lads worked 3 singles off the first 4 balls. Can Soren finish this? The bowler pitches it up into Soren’s sweet spot. Boom! But wait, he’s smashed it straight at a fielder on the boundary, oh no! But justice has prevailed; it has burst through his hands and gone for 4.

 What a finish! Beers were then enjoyed and tasted oh so sweet.

While there had been a degree of controversy and contention in the game with the odd hard word, next game the slate is wiped clean so I hope it is played in the spirit cricket should be played, especially when in most C&S games the players have to umpire their own batters and the fielding side can sometimes become frustrated.

The Team was: – Michael Carman 11, Tom Robertson 7, Matt Leong 0, Harry Bridge 0, Avinash Bhandari 12, Declan Thomas (w) 2, Toby Forbes 32, Jamie Murtha (c) 19, Adam Khamis 3, Soren Hughes 16*, Matthew Edge  12* (and 11 extras)

The Result was: –

Nondescripts: – 7-124 (35 overs) (J. Murtha 3-19)

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 9-126 (33.5 overs) (T. Forbes 32)

By one wicket

FoW: – 1- 8 (T. Robertson); 2-17 (H. Bridge); 3- 17 (M. Leong); 4-33 (A. Bhandari). 5-38 (D. Thomas); 6-38 (M. Carman); 7- 88 (J. Murtha); 8-96(A. Khamis); 9- 97 (T. Forbes).

The Bowling was: – A. Bhandari 7-1-23-1; S. Hughes 5-2-8-1; M. Leong 2-1-4-0; T. Forbes 6-0-22-2; A. Khamis 5-0-21-0; M. Edge 5-1-18-0; J. Murtha 5-1-19-3

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to D. Thomas (w) ; one each to H. Bridge and T. Robertson

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to T. Forbes; 2 points to S. Hughes; one point to M. Edge

CLASSICS  ROUND 9 v STRATHFIELD  AT AIREY PARK, HOMEBUSH  ON SUNDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2023: REPORT BY SCOTT WELLS

On a lovely Summers day – mid to high 20s slight breeze, the team was eager to play on the magnificent Airey Park vs Strathfield being the Shires first grade ground with a well prepared pitch and a rarely seen carpet like couch outfield. So much so that the skipper had left his whites behind (blaming his mum for not packing them the night before). 

Two late withdrawals from our 12 man team (Ed Cross and Brett James both with injury) meant we headed into the game with 11 but still with very strong depth in the bowling and batting. With the skipper not there for the toss, Mike Pinter was anointed in that capacity. Mike lost the toss and Strathfield had no hesitation in sending us into the field on what appeared to be a belter. 

Mick Tarrant opened the bowling and was on the spot from ball one getting some good movement in the air and with the pitch seaming, some coming through with lots of bounce and others “Camperdown like”. Perhaps the good coverage on the wicket was hiding what lurks below. From the other end, Andy Bachelard returning from his great spell against Old Ignations a month ago, was  bang on with his line and length as well. This is where our team really does stand out from other teams with the seemingly abundance of good quality line and length bowling. We were without Stuart Ridge (currently in Barbados representing Australia in the over 60s) and Brett James for this game.

With one opener throwing the bat at anything short or wide and the other watching patiently, Mick Tarrant was the first to bring on a mistimed slog skying between mid-wicket and mid-on but it was unfortunately spilled. Another edge behind was also spilled to the frustration of all. Andy Bachelard  also had a skied chance dropped from their opener. Mick bowled his best spell this season continually beating the bat and eventually send middle stump cartwheeling. 1 for 24 off 7 – off to a flier but you could feel the momentum shifting now with continued pressure from the good bowling.

Their first drop was run out by some swift fielding from Mike Pinter back to the keeper and we were on our way. Andy picked up a clean bowled and Mick also picked up their opener with a classic outswinger nicked to the throat of Brooksie standing at first slip. The very next ball was followed by a beautiful inswing to the left hander knocking back to the top of middle – fair nut to get first ball. Their spine was broken.

Change bowlers Paul Nash, “The Prez” Greg Brooks and David Craig continued the pressure with great line and length 4 for 86 at drinks – we were now well in control. Brooks was rewarded with an lbw and Craig the same with the quicker ‘zooter’ trapping the batter back and in front much to his delight. Their number 4 batted well to make 30* and be back in the bank but others offered little in attack. Brooksie picking up another lbw and Dave Kent (debut CCNSW Classics) picking up another clean bowled as his first scalp. Andy B came back and made short work with of their returning batter, clean bowling him as well. Strathfield all out 148 with 5 bowled, 3 lbws, and no wides: a tribute to our great bowling on the day setting up a very chasing target. A couple of injuries from fielding with Andrew Davis copping one on the ankle (very swollen), David Benson pulling something that resembled a muscle in the thigh to groin area and Mike Pinter also hampered by a niggling gluteus muscle.

With the  ball swinging all innings, it was also going to be a tricky target. But a solid start from Pinter and Gerard O’Shea picking off runs in a very good opening stand of 38 off ten overs keeping up with the necessary run rate (with not a boundary hit) until Mike on 16 copped a questionable lbw from a right arm around the wicket slinger. Mike called for the DRS but he must have not got the signal in time. Paul Nash and Gerry continued to knock it around with Gerry playing a classy, flawless innings to retire on 30* and Nash putting the loose ones away with the score on 74 when he retired, having  set us up well.

At drinks we were 1 for 86 – well on target for the chase set up by our top 4 batters. With wickets in hand, the skipper set the goal of achieving the total within 32 overs which would gain 2 bonus points in a chase. Achievable at just over 5 an over. Post drinks Scott Wells and Nash went about their business knocking them around with the odd rush of blood from Wells (much to the ire of ‘the Prez’  – his displeasure heard well beyond the boundary causing flocks of birds to scurry from every tree within 2km). Knuckling down Nashy bought up his 30* with a typical Nash like pull well over the boundary at mid wicket.

With a few guys injured, this bought debutant David Kent to the crease still needing 42 for victory – showing his class with a watchful eye, picking off runs, good running between the wickets and a smoked cover drive until a misunderstanding bought about a run out on a misfield (what was that saying?) when he was looking at getting going on 9. This bought ’ the Closer’ to the crease (G Brooks) with 30 runs to get. Brooksie did what Brooksie does, putting loose and some good ones away and running hard on the twos and threes.

Wells retired on 32* with the scores level bringing in our pinch runner Andy Bachelard at the non striker’s end. Brooksie then hit the winning runs and we had achieved the goal of getting the runs within 32 overs with 2 bonus points in a comprehensive win.

Post-match hospitality was at its finest with lots of stories, Asahi beers, spiced chicken and noodles a plenty.

The Team was: – Mike Pinter 16, Gerard O’Shea 31*, Paul Nash 34*, Scott Wells (c) and (w) 32*, David Kent 9, Greg Brooks 14*, Andrew Bachelard 0*, Mike Tarrant dnb, David Benson dnb, David Craig dnb, Andrew Davis dnb

The Result was: –

Strathfield CC: -10-148 (37.5 overs) (M. Tarrant 3-28)

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 2-149 (31 overs) (P. Nash 34*; S. Wells 32*; G. O’Shea 31*)

By 8 wickets

FoW: – 1-38 (M. Pinter); 2-123 (D. Kent)

The Bowling was: – M. Tarrant 8-1-28-3; A. Bachelard 7.5-0-34-2; P. Nash 3-0-14-0; D. Craig 8-1-26-1; G. Brooks 7-0-29-2; D. Kent 4-1-13-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to G. Brooks

Run outs: – One to M. Pinter

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to P. Nash; 2 points to S. Wells; one point to G. O’Shea

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/classics-summer-202223/classics/game-centre/fe97c851

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

WEEK SEVENTEEN: WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY-SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2023

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 2  ROUND 10 v ‘NRLCC’ AT MP 8, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY SCOTT WILLIAMS 

CCNSW win the toss and elected to bowl. Things got off to a great start with Mick McGrath being unplayable and even bowling a maiden-a very rare event in LMS cricket. Scott Williams and Mick kept things tidy for the first 8 overs and NRLCC never recovered, only scoring 5-106 off their 20 overs with new keeper and English debutant Freddie Greenwood getting a stumping and 2 catches..  

CCNSW needed to score 107 within 16 overs to get the bonus point and Stephen Sheakey (13 off 9 balls) and Rob Shone (30 off 35 balls) got us off to the start we needed. Once ‘Sheaks’ departed, Freddie Greenwood (50* off 34 balls) picked up where ‘Sheaks’ left off and we managed to win in the sixteenth over with a bonus point. 

The Team was: –  Steven Sheakey 13, Rod Shone 30, Fred Greenwood (w) 50*, Tom Richardson 9, Mick McGrath 0, Scott Williams 5, Jim Hadley (c) dnb, Soren Hughes dnb and Will Jacobs dnb

The Result was:- 

NRLCC: – 5-106 (20 overs)

Lost to

CCNSW: – 3-107 (15.2 overs) (F. Greenwood 50*; R. Shone 30)

By 5 wickets

The Bowling was: – S. Williams 4-0-14-1; M. McGrath 4-1-13-2; T. Richardson 3-0-21-0, S. Sheakey 3-0-13-0; R. Shone 3-0-16-1; J. Hadley 3-0-27-0

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – 2 to F. Greenwood

Catches: – One to F. Greenwood (w)

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to F. Greenwood; 2 points to M. McGrath; 1 point to R. Shone

See:  https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/2nd-innings?fixtureid=370871

SOCIAL GAME V ‘RAGA’ INVITATION XI   AT CAMPERDOWN PARK, CAMPERDOWN  ON THURSDAY 26 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY PETER ROLLS

[PETER ROLLS REPORT TO FOLLOW]

The Team was: –  John Finucane  4, Andrew Thurlow 3, Michael  Carman 10, Mel Lucas 30*, Peter Rolls (c) 7, Greg Brooks 5, David Craig 13, John Jackson 25. Paul Kumar 1, David Wright 9, Joe Scarcella 0

The Result was: 

Raga Invitation XI: – 9-199 (40 overs) (J. Finucane 3-14; G. Brooks 3-24)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-119 (38 overs) (M. Lucas 30)

By 80 runs

FoW: – 1-4 (A. Thurlow); 2- 9 (J. Finucane); 3-50 (G. Brooks); 4-50 (P. Rolls). 5-72 (D. Craig); 6-73 (P. Kumar); 7- 94 (J. Scarcella); 8-113 (D. Wright); 9-117 (M. Carman); 10-119 (J. Jackson).

The Bowling was: – G. Brooks 6-0-24-3; J. Scarcella 6-1-20-1; D. Craig 6-0-41-0; M. Carman 4-0-23-0; P. Rolls 6-0-31-0; J. Jackson 5-1-23-1; J. Finucane 4-0-14-3; A. Thurlow 3-0-21-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: –

Catches: – 2 to M. Carman; 2 to P. Kumar, one to P. Rolls and one to J. Scarcella

Run outs: – One to anonymous

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 10  v HUNTERS HILL  AT BORONIA PARK, HUNTERS HILL ON SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY TOM ROBERTSON

Always interesting playing at Boronia Park. Wicket is full of spice. To help bowlers even more, the humidity at Hunters Hill may have exceeded 100%. 

Craig Kitson took the reins and went and lost the toss. Hunters Hill decided to have a bat.

Avi Bhandari and Toby Forbes opened the bowling and the scoring rate was dour. Hunters Hill amassed 1-29 from  their first 18 overs. After drinks wickets steadily fell. We knew their best batter hated spin so Adam Khamis  came on and bamboozled him and got his wicket not long after. One of their middle order batters so struggled with his pads that he eventually just batted without them. Something you don’t see every day. Hunters Hill ended at 9-109 after 35 overs

Our turn to bat to chase a small total. The modern vogue in cricket is to attack the bowling but Hunters Hill’s strength is bowling so we needed to be careful about our chase. Tom Robertson  and  Jamie Murtha opened the CCNSW batting and went at over a run a ball. The ground is probably the biggest in C&S and that made it ripe for threes. We certainly earned our runs the hard way.

A 50 opening partnership all but ensured victory. Tom proved his inability to finish again by choking within sight of the line. Harry Bridge and Paul Nash took us home with more threes. One real point of difference in the sides was our catching; we caught everything (Oh except Declan when his Dad arrived to watch).

The Team was: – Tom Robertson 56, James Murtha 15, Paul Nash 18*, Harry Bridge 11*, Peter Constantinou dnb, Soren Hughes dnb, Toby Forbes dnb, Declan Thomas (w) dnb, Craig Kitson (c) dnb Avinash Bhandari dnb

The Result was: 

Hunters Hill: – 9-109 (35 overs)

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 2-111 (16 overs) (T. Robertson 56)

By 8 wickets

FoW: – 1- 54 (J. Murtha); 2- 93 (T. Robertson)

The Bowling was: – A. Bhandari 9-4-17-2; T. Forbes 6-2-10-0; S. Hughes 5-0-21-2; P. Nash 3-0-4-0; C. Kitson 3-0-13-1; A Khamis 7-0-35-2; P. Constantinou 2-1-5-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 3 to T. Forbes; one each to A. Bhandari S. Hughes, A Khamis, C. Kitson and T. Robertson

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to T. Robertson; 2 points to A. Bhandari; one point to T. Forbes

MASTERS ROUND 8 v STRATHFIELD CC AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL  ON SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY ANDREW DADSWELL  

A tough day in the office against some genuine quality cricketers

It was hot. It was humid. The opposition was high quality.

After two washouts the CCNSW Masters were keen to get on the field and have a crack at the defending premiers and undefeated Strathfield on our home soil. We presented a strong line-up by CCNSW standards, but so did Strathfield, in fact they seemed to have all their gun players on show and boy did they come ready to play.

Strathfield skipper Pasupati won the toss and happily batted first, taking advantage of the hot conditions. The pitch was an unknown factor and gave us some hope of early damage. Brett James didn’t disappoint with a fine display of left arm medium new ball bowling. But the Strathfield openers played the right shots at the right times until Ben Stanic got a wicket first ball of his spell to remove the dangerous Patel. Strathfield went about seeing off the good balls and punishing anything remotely loose. Four of their top seven batters reached 40*+ retirement scores as we struggled to make inroads in the middle overs. It wasn’t so much a case of bad bowling – it’s just that the batting was very, very good.

Ben Stanic continued to create chances and Mick Tarrant’s second spell was high quality. Their efforts created our best period in the field as we took wickets after drinks. But when Strathfield’s Paul Maraziotis came back to the crease he played his shots and ended up on 92* – just 98 short of his highest score of 190 for the NSW 2nd XI against the likes of Mitch Johnson back in the 2000s!

Against this kind of quality batting if we were to restrict them we needed to hold every half chance. We had our moments in the field with a brilliant one handed diving catch by Brett James, Jason Kenn’s great pair of hands and a beauty of a direct-hit run-out by Ed Cross. However we let a few chances slip too which proved costly, as they always do.

Strathfield’s 8-320 was going to be tough to chase down and it didn’t start well as both openers, Ed Cross and Jason Kenn, departed for ducks. Dan  Turner looked very good against the pace of Kish ‘I don’t bulk bill’ Nadesan and Scott Wells saw off the good bowling early before cashing in with some lusty blows and retiring at number 4. They were ably supported by Rob Lawther who continues to show his quality against good bowling.

But as each quality Strathfield bowler’s spell ended, another quality one would begin There was no let up and we ended up being all out for 134.

Beers were enjoyed after the game and the Strathfield guys are a good bunch.

It is easy to see why they keep winning the over 40s Masters competition each year. With Paul Maraziotis, the 8th highest run scorer ever in Grade Cricket, followed by two current representatives in the Australian  over 40s side  and a bunch of other quality players, they are the yardstick and they showed us the level to which we need to get  if we are to threaten the top sides.

The pitch played excellently and provided good consistent bounce throughout the day.

The Team was: –  Ed Cross 0, Jason  Kenn 0,Dan Turner 26, Scott Wells (w) 43, Rob Lawther 19, Brett James 2, Andrew Dadswell (c) 7, Jose Poothokaren 0, Michael Tarrant 11, David Abreu 11*, Ben Stanic 0

The Result was: –

Strathfield CC: – 8-320 (40 overs) (B. Stanic 4-77)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: -10-134 (35 overs) (S. Wells 43)

By 86  runs

FoW: – 1-0 (E. Cross); 2-0 (J. Kenn); 3-39 (D. Turner); 4-83 (B. James); 5-91 (A. Dadswell); 6-98 (J. Poothokaren); 7-100 (R. Lawther); 8-118 (M. Tarrant); 9-118 (B. Stanic); 10-134 (S. Wells)

The Bowling was: – B.James 9-0-36-1; M. Tarrant 8-0-69-1; B. Stanic 9-0-77-4; D. Abreu 6-0-51-0, A. Dadswell 6-0-57-1; J. Poothokaren 2-0-28-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to J. Kenn; one to each of S. Wells (w), B. James and R. Lawther

Run outs: – One to E. Cross

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to S. Wells; 2 points to B. Stanic; one point to D. Turner

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202223/masters/game-centre/b54ac9dd

VINTAGE ROUND 8 v GEORGES  RIVER   AT BLAND OVAL, RIVERWOOD  ON SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY GREG BROOKS  

When you’re hot, you’re hot!!

The over 60s CCNSW side arrived at Bland Oval with the conditions best described as hot and humid. Clouds were gathering and the first thought from the ‘Weather Oracle’ (Mr. G. James) was rain by 3pm.

Georges River won the toss and sent us in on a well grassed, hard wicket. We had a slow and measured start by Gerard O’Shea alongside guest player Neville Emerson who joined us via the “Raga network”, a very extensive network as we know! Neville was first to go adjudged lbw and Gerry was joined by Frank Baliotis, resplendent in his new CCNSW long sleeve shirt. He has now worn it twice and made consecutive 30 not outs! Further steady progress was made until Gerry (23) was stumped with the score on 43. Peter Rolls and Frank both batted well and were in complete control. On Frank’s retirement at 30* ret not out, ‘the Prez’, Greg Brooks  joined the Skipper, Peter Rolls to initiate some acceleration. The fours and sixes flowed and with the ‘Prez’s’ departure (34* ret not out) Mick McCormick joined Peter who retired not long after for 31*. Garry James (30* ret not out) then strode out… (perhaps more of a shuffle with his sore knee!) and smacked it to all parts of the ground continually “encouraging” Mick to follow suit! Mick (33* ret not out) changed bats and started to find the middle with regularity.

‘The Oracle’ was only 10 minutes off and sure enough at 2:50pm we retreated to the pavilion as a thunderstorm came through with solid rain. As a result we lost three overs. John Finucane  (8*), Sittampalam Ragavan (0) and Joe Scarcella (8*)  then came out swinging on the resumption and we finished with a very healthy total of 3-218 off 37 overs.

The umpire for the day Scott did a great job in managing the break between innings. Both teams wanted to get back out there and play some cricket as the covers had done their job. A target of 219 from 37 overs was always going to be tough so getting through the first 15 overs as quickly as possible to ensure a game was our first objective.

Georges River got off to a terrible start with the opener chopping down on his stumps (hit wicket) in the first over. Joe Scarcella (3-15) and Paul Georgiadis (1-20) did all the early damage backed up by some great catches from Neville Emerson (2) and Gerry O’Shea (1). With Garry James and Greg Brooks  replacing the openers Georges River found the going tough. Six of the runs from Garry’s bowling came in one blow yet the next ball saw a smart stumping by John Finucane and GR’s best batter was on his way! From  5-58 there was no recovery but two more wickets to Garry James (3-8) , one to Greg Brooks (1-14) and a destructive 2 ball /2 wicket spell from David Craig (2-0) meant the last 5 wickets fell for nothing!!  All out 58 in 21.2 overs.

David Craig as a 58 yr old ‘youngster’, played his first Vintage competition match thanks to permission from the Vintage Association Committee (and with the consent of the Georges River captain) and he duly delivered! Excellent in the field as always and limited to a 4 over bowling, he short changed himself by needing only 2 balls to wrap it all up.

Georges River were good sports and we had a laugh and a beer to finish.

Tough matches lay ahead starting with Southern Highlands at Camperdown on Sunday February 12th, followed by Central Coast and Northern Stars to finish.

If we continue to back our batting and bowling with good fielding we can give this competition a shake!

The Team was (playing 12): – Gerard O’Shea 23, Neville Emerson 4, Frank Baliotis 30*, Peter Rolls 31*, Greg Brooks 34*, Mick McCormick 33*, Garry James 30*; John Finucane 8*, Sittampalam Ragavan 0, Joe Scarcella 8*, Paul Georgiadis dnb, David Craig dnb

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 3-218 (37 overs) (G. Brooks 34*; M. McCormick 33*; P. Rolls 31*; G. James 30*)

Defeated

Georges River CC: -10-58 (21.2 overs) (G. James 3-8; J. Scarcella 3-15)

By 160 runs

FoW CCNSW: – 1-18 (N. Emerson); 2-43 (G. O’Shea); 3-209 (S. Ragavan).

FoW GR: – 1-0, 2-21, 3-27, 4-31, 5-48, 6-58, 7-58, 8-58, 9-58, 10-58.

The Bowling was: – J.Scarcella 7-3-15-3; P. Georgiadis 5-0- 20-1; G. Brooks 5-1-14-1; G. James 4-2-8-3; D. Craig 0.2-0-0-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to J. Finucane

Catches: – One to J. Finucane (w) and two to N. Emerson and one to G. O’Shea

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to G. James; 2 points to G. Brooks; one point to J. Scarcella

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202223/vintage/game-centre/45652d38

C&S, Classics, LMS, Match Reports

WEEK SIXTEEN A: THURSDAY 19 JANUARY-SUNDAY 22  JANUARY 2023

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 9 v  ‘CLEVELAND SEAMERS’ AT MP 5, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON THURSDAY 19 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY SCOTT WILLIAMS

On a wet and miserable Thursday CCNSW were up against the previously undefeated Cleveland Seamers. Cleveland Seamers ‘generously’ offered to bat first without a toss, Our captain, Scott Williams jumped at the chance to get the ball in his hands so accepted the offer.

Some tidy bowling from Dan May (1-20 off 4 overs) and Scott  Williams(1-18 off 4 overs) had them on the back foot. Matt  Edge  (2-36 off 4 overs) didn’t let the foot off with constant wickets slowing their progress. Seamers set a pretty modest score of 150 which we never thought was to be in doubt. However what we had never contemplated when we accepted  their  ‘generous’ offer at the “toss” was that we were going to have to bat in the dark; we had been played. James Bonkowski (8) was out early to some very good line and length bowling but Rob Shone (53*) and Joel Uddstrom (24) got us back on track. On Joel’s departure, Scott  Williams came to the crease with CCNSW  needing 8 an over. His 30 off 11 balls followed by Dan May’s 37* off 20 balls was enough to get us over the line to win with 11 balls to spare and back on track for a place in the finals.

The Team was: – James Bonkowski 8, Rod Shone 53*, Joel Uddstrom (w) 24, Scott Williams (c) 30, Daniel May 37*, Matthew Edge dnb, Craig Fordham dnb, Peter Constantinou dnb

The Result was:-

Cleveland Seamers: – 5-149 (20 overs) ()

Lost to

CCNSW: – 3-155 (18.4 overs) (R. Shone 53*)

By 5 wickets

The Bowling was: – D. May 4-0-20-1; S. Williams 4-0-18-1; M. Edge 4-0-36-2; P. Constantinou 4-0-39-1; C. Fordham 4-0-35-0

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to each of R. Shone and S. Williams

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to D. May; 2 points to R. Shone; 1 point to S. Williams

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 9  v NONDESCRIPTS  AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 22 JANUARY 2023

Cancelled because of rain

CLASSICS ROUND 8 v ST CLAIR WARRIORS   AT MERRYLANDS  OVAL, MERRYLANDS ON SUNDAY 22 JANUARY 2023

Cancelled because of rain

C&S, Classics, LMS

WEEK FIFTEEN: WEDNESDAY 11 JANUARY-SUNDAY 15  JANUARY 2023

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 8 v ‘SUB-PAR-CRICKETERS’ AT MP 5, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 11 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY SCOTT WILLIAMS

CCNSW were sent into bat on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. A steady opening partnership from James Bomkowski (52*) and RodShone (50*) got us off to the start we’ve been looking for all season. Shahzeen  Ajani made a quick fire 24 after “Bonkers’” retirement. CCNSW were 1-120 in the 15th over and needed to push the run rate to be competitive, in came Scott Williams and Ben Digan. Scott managed to hit 51* off 14 balls which included 7 sixes and a ‘home run’ 12 off the last ball of the innings.

CCNSW put on 1-199 which looked never in doubt given that the Sub-Par-Cicketers were made up of ring ins. Turns out those ring ins could bat. Despite bowling a good line and length Sub-Par consistently cleared the boundary and were cruising to victory. With some retirements came in a middle order that couldn’t clear the square and made the contest close again. Unfortunately wickets fell and the openers came back in and got across the line with 1 over to spare. 

The Team was: – James Bonkowski 52*, Rod Shone 50*, Shahzeen Ajani (w) 24, Scott Williams 51*, Ben Digan 22*, Jim Hadley dnb, Craig Fordham dnb, Matthew Edge dnb

The Result was:- 

CCNSW: – 1-199 (20 overs) (J. Bonkowski 52*; S. Williams 51*; R. Shone 50*)

Lost to

Sub-par-Cricketers: – 4-200 (19 overs) 

By 4 wickets

The Bowling was: – S. Williams 4-0-26-0; M. Edge 3-0-33-0; C. Fordham 3-0-26-0; J. Hadley 3-0-33-1; B. Digan 3-0-27-2; J. Bonkowski 2-0-40-0; R. Shone 1-0-14-1

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – One to S. Ajani

Catches: – One to each of C. Fordham and S. Williams

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to; 2 points to; 1 point to 

See: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=370858

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 8  v I ZINGARI (AUSTRALIA)  AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SATURDAY 14 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY PETER CONSTANTINOU

Back:  Adam Khamis, Mike Weaver, Andrew Dadswell, Matthew Edge, Harry Bridge, Peter Constantinou
Front:  Brett  James (c), Ash Perrott (w), Jonathan Shaw, James Murtha, Avinash Bhandari, Mike Pinter

I Zingari (Australia) won the toss and batted. An outstanding left arm opening spell by Australian over 50s player Brett James  captaining the C&S team for the first time and right arm away swing  by Avinash Bhandari returning from  a lengthy spell abroad,  had the visitors 4 – 18 after the first 7 overs.. They were well supported by the keeping of  Ash Perrot who caught the first three IZA batters, The pressure continued to be piled on the visitors with tight bowling from ‘Jonno’ Shaw, Jamie Murtha and Adam Khamis supported by off-spin from Andrew Dadswell. They were supported by great fielding especially by Matt Edge, nursing a broken finger, who took a screamer. ‘Captain Cool’ Brett James effected a run out and took a difficult catch. We had the victors all out for 94 in the 28th over.

The CCNSW openers Mike Pinter and Peter Constantinou got us off to a slow but steady start seeing off the two opening bowlers on a deck which wasn’t too consistent before Peter was out for 9, lbw in the ninth over with the total on 13. At the fall of his wicket Harry Bridge came in and lifted the run rate with three boundaries. Mike Pinter played solid for his 20 before being run out  but Ash Perrot then fell without scoring leaving us at 3-49 in the 19th over and Harry was bowled for 14  soon thereafter In the 21st over. With the score at 4-51, and another 43 runs needed from the final 14 overs, IZA appeared on paper to have a chance but Jamie Murtha (19*) and Brett James (18*) steadied the ship and battered nicely and aggressively  scoring the final 43 runs off only  3.2 overs  with Brett James hitting a 6 and a 4 off successive balls from IZA veteran Craig Hambleton to secure the win for the Blues. All round great cricket by the Blues and a rare win v IZA 

The Team was (playing 12): –  Mike Pinter 20, Peter Constantinou 9, Harry Bridge 14, Ash Perrot (w) 0, Jamie Murtha 19*, Brett James (c) 18*, Adam Khamis dnb,  Avinash Bhandari dnb, Jonathan Shaw dnb, Andrew Dadswell dnb,   Matthew Edge dnb and 12th man Mike Weaver dnb

The Result was: –

I Zingari (Australia): – 10-93 (27.3 overs) 

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 4-94 (24.2 overs)

By 6 wickets

FoW: – 1-13 (P. Constantinou); 2-49 (M. Pinter); 3-49 (A. Perrot); 4-58 (H. Bridge).

The Bowling was: – B. James 4-1-7-2; A. Bhandari 5-2-7-2; J. Shaw 5-2-15-0; A. Dadswell 5-0-30-0 ; J. Murtha 5-2-18-2; A. Khamis 3-0-7-2; M. Edge 0.3-0-4-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 3 to A. Perrot (w) and one each to M. Edge, A. Dadswell, B. James and A. Khamis

Run outs: – One to B. James

Player points (awarded by opposition captain): – 3 points to B. James; 2 points to M. Pinter; one point to A. Bhandari

CLASSICS ROUND 7 v BURWOOD BRIARS   AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN  ON SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2023: REPORT BY GREG BROOKS.

Stuart Ridge being cheered off the field  by the CCNSW team after taking 8-13

“Hacksaw Ridge tears apart Burwood”

I must admit feeling some trepidation in writing  this match report as I don’t think I can do justice to what occurred at Camperdown yesterday. It was a classic example of “you had to be there to believe it”. What started out as a regular Classics team cricket match turned into a one man show of swing and seam bowling as Stuart Ridge returned the third best bowling figures in the Club’s history.  6.5 overs 3 maidens 8 wickets for 13. Yes you read that correctly!

On a new wicket on the far side of the square Burwood won the toss, chose to bat and will long regret the decision. While not at all dangerous the wicket certainly had plenty of grass and combined with the high humidity, presented ideal conditions for high class swing bowling. Stu delivered just that and was backed up by some quality catching behind the wicket from Scott Wells and his slips cordon and in  front of the wicket by Gerry O’Shea and a fine return catch of his own. The fielding around the ground was terrific highlighted by a superb pick up and direct hit at the bowler’s end by first gamer Andrew Dawson. At 7-23 with Stu having 6 of these (one run out) we were contemplating a swim at Coogee by 2pm; however a stubborn eighth wicket partnership slowed down the speed of the carnage. Steady bowling by David Benson, Paul Nash and Greg Brooks kept  things tight during this period. The introduction of David Craig brought the breakthrough with the dismissal of  Burwood’s top scorer Steve Rouse (22). In a ruthless move our skipper brought Stu back on and he claimed the remaining two wickets with consecutive deliveries to close out the innings at 57. We discussed the potential for a hat trick next game which for Stu will be against  England on 30 January in  the West Indies Over 60s Cup in Barbados! We await the feedback from that one!

Our chase began slowly and Ed Cross was unfortunate to be out lbw in the second over. That was to be the only loss of a wicket as slowly at first and then with acceleration Mick Pinter and debutant  Andrew Dawson got on top of the bowling to see us home in the 15th over. Pinter was 27* and Dawson reached 30* retired with both in complete control.

The Burwood team was gracious in defeat acknowledging the wonderful performance of Stu and the overall dominance of their opponents. It was a short day and we were socialising with beers and cold drinks by 3pm.

Congratulations to everyone who played their part in the day. I am sure will we all remember the day for a long time to come.

The Team was (in batting order): –  Mike Pinter (v/c) 27*, Ed Cross 1, Andrew Dawson 30* ret, Gerard O’Shea 0*, Craig Kitson dnb, Paul Nash dnb, David Benson dnb, Scott Wells (c) and (w) dnb,, Greg Brooks dnb, David Craig dnb, Stuart Ridge dnb

The Result was: –

Burwood: – 10-57 (22.5 overs) (S. Ridge 8-13)

Lost to

CCNSW: – 1-60 (14.4 overs) (A. Dawson 30*; M. Pinter 27*)

By 9 wickets.

Burwood FoWs: – 1-3, 2-9, 3-10, 4-10, 5-17, 6-23, 7-23, 8-55, 9-56, 10-57

CCNSW FoW: – 1-4 (E. Cross)

The Bowling was: S. Ridge 6.5-3-13-8; D. Benson 3-1-8-0; G. Brooks 4-1-6-0; P. Nash 4-0-13-0; D. Craig 4-1-7-1; C. Kitson 1-0-4-0

The Fielding was:  –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to S. Wells (w/); One to each of G. Brooks; 1 to A. Dawson, 1 to G. O’Shea, 1 to S. Ridge (c&b)

Run outs: – A. Dawson (direct hit)

Player Points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to S. Ridge; 2 points to A. Dawson; 1 point to M .Pinter

C&S, LMS, Masters, Vintage

WEEK THIRTEEN: THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER –WEDNESDAY 21 DECEMBER 2022

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 7 v ‘ONE MORE BEER’ AT CENTENNIAL PARK CP 5  ON THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY JAMIE MURTHA

The second last game of the calendar year was played on one of the larger grounds, the grass was heavy and conditions both overcast and windy.

We batted first and made a promising start going at around 8 RPO  but after 5 overs, a middle order collapse and series of unfortunate dismissals made it difficult to post a competitive total. Mick McGrath played some sublime lofted cover drives in his total of 67* and was the only one on the day who could punish the ordinary middle over bowling. Rod Shone (17*) supported McGrath nicely at the end, presenting the full face of the bat as he rotated the strike, however, the opposition lifted at the death with excellent bowling and fielding to limit our total to 124 off 20 overs.

The opposition openers struggled early against an excellent opening spell from both Rhys Longbottom and McGrath with the former delivered an early breakthrough hitting the top of off. We generally bowled well but luck went the opposition’s way with chances just out of reach as Hardy continued his run of form against us with his second half century this season. Jamie Murtha applied some pressure with a wicket stumped by Will Jacobs, a great piece of keeping off balance. However  he bowled one too many overs and was punished for it in the third. Unfortunately ‘One More Beer’ scored the runs easily with over 3 overs left and 6 wickets in hand. With one game remaining for the calendar year we will be looking to finish with a win next week against the LMS NRL CC. 

The Team was: – Rhys Longbottom 8, James Murtha (c) 14, Mick McGrath 67*, Peter Constantinou 4, Ben Digan 2, Rob Shone 17*, William Jacobs (w) 5, Jim Hadley1

The Result was:- 

CCNSW: – 6-124 (20 overs) (M. McGrath 67*)

Lost to

One more Beer: – 2-128 (16.3 overs) 

By 6 wickets

The Bowling was: – R. Shone 4-0-25-0; R. Longbottom 4-0-25-1; M. McGrath 3.3-0-32-0; J. Murtha 3-0-27-1; J. Hadley 1-0-5-0; B. Digan 1-0-14-0

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: –  One to W. Jacobs (w)

Catches: – Nil

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to M. McGrath; 2 points to R. Shone; one point to W. Jacobs

SEE: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=370881

CITY AND SUBURBAN ROUND 6 v ST GEORGE VETERANS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SATURDAY 17 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY JIM HADLEY

CCNSW lost the toss and were sent in. Tom Robertson and Mike Pinter opened and gave us a steady start against accurate bowling till Tom got a good delivery clipping his off stump and was out for 17. Peter Constantinou and Pinter looked to be settling in till a mix up had Constantinou run out for 5. Craig Kitson hit some quick boundaries to up the run rate till he tripped over a ball he had covered and was judged lbw for 15. Pinter was then bowled by a good off cutter for 23. Harry Bridge and Soren Hughes then took over and put on a 100 stand, Bridge 61 and Hughes 54. Tom Litherland 10 and Adam Khamis 14 * finished off our innings. CCNSW 6-227 off 35 overs. 

‘Jonno’ Shaw and  Soren Hughes (‘Big Sooz‘)opened the bowling, Jonno brushing off the rust with a steady 6 overs 0-24, Sooz a tidy 4 overs 0-8. Tim Litherland’s off-spin  hit a length from the first ball and with attacking fields he finished with 6 overs 1-25. Tom Robertson was then introduced and bowled a barnstorming 5 overs 2-17 and St George were in a hole. Adam Khamis mesmerised their lower order with his leggies and googlies finishing with 4 overs 3-9 and Craig Kitson chipped in with an accurate 4 overs of off-spin 3-9.  St George  Veterans finished all out for 119 in the 33rd over.

The Team was: – Tom Robertson 17; Mike Pinter 23, Peter Constantinou 5, Craig Kitson 15, Harry Bridge 61, Soren Hughes 54, Tim Litherland 10, Adam Khamis 14*, Declan Thomas (w) 2*,  Jim Hadley (c) dnb, Jonathon Shaw dnb

The Result was: 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 7-227 (35 overs) (H. Bridge 61; S. Hughes 54)

Defeated

Saint George Veterans: – 10-119 (32.2 overs) (A. Khamis 4-14; C. Kitson 3-9)

By 108 runs

FoW: – 1-25 (T. Robertson); 2-35 (P. Constantinou); 3-68 (M. Pinter); 4-70 (C. Kitson). 5-172 (S. Hughes); 6-195 (T. Litherland); 7- 207 (H. Bridge); 

The Bowling was: – J. Shaw 6-1-29-0; S. Hughes 4-1-8-0; T. Litherland 6-1-25-1; J. Hadley 1-0-2-0; T. Robertson 5-2-7-2; A.  Khamis 6.2-14-4; C. Kitson 4-1-9-3

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to D. Thomas (w) and one to each of H. Bridge, C. Kitson and M. Pinter

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to H. Bridge; 2 points to S. Hughes; one point to A. Khamis

MASTERS ROUND 6 v GALUNGARA  AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 18 DECEMBER 2022

Cancelled by rain leaking through hole in the covers

VINTAGE ROUND 6 v ROSEVILLE ROGUES AT NORMANHURST OVAL, NORMANHURST  ON SUNDAY 18 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY PAUL GEORGIADIS

Back row: Sittampalam Ragavan, Greg Brooks, Garry James, Stuart Ridge, Gerry O’Shea
Front Row: Paul Georgiadis, Joe Scarcella, Frank Baliotis, Peter Rolls (c) & (w), Mick McCormick, Garry Winney

A damp and chilly summer morning (with 19°C and a 20km/h wind making it feel like 13°C) at Normanhurst for a match on the synthetic pitch rather than the available turf wicket at Marrickville left many bemused. Last season at Marrickville in our previous encounter our bowlers had bowled the Roseville Rogues out for 39 runs when they were chasing 139. Certainly one would assume that a synthetic wicket would give the batters the upper hand but as it turned out, good line and length bowling always makes things difficult for batters and brings rewards but more of that later.

Sittampalam Ragavan (“Raga”) brought along a stack of food to celebrate his 65th birthday and Peter Rolls provided a pink iced donut with candles for us to sing happy birthday. With that formality out of the way, we had a team photo. Only 5 candles used to signify 65 as using all to match Raga’s age would have brought the fire brigade (who happened to be in the same street!)

The Rogues won the toss and elected to bat. Four balls into their innings and without any runs having been scored Stuart Ridge (Ed note: newly selected for Australian over 60s squad) clean bowled the opening batter. Stuart struck twice in his fifth over and once again in his sixth over finishing up with the impressive figures of 4 for 17 off his seven overs (3 bowled and 1 lbw) – an excellent bowling spell that set the match up for us. Raga came on at the other end after Paul Georgiadis who had not taken any wickets in his four overs but had been unlucky as one difficult catch  was put down by an outstretched keeper. Raga’s first over went for 11 runs but he recovered his line and length and in the next 4 overs took 2 wickets for 9 runs. Greg Brooks chimed in with 2 wickets of his own from his seven overs for 19 runs which included a remarkable one handed reflex catch at first slip by Gerry O’Shea, taking it to his right side and behind him. Mick McCormick at second slip said “I decided not to go for it so as not to put Gerry off” but in real fact hadd not move as he had not see it!. Garry James bowled exceptionally well for 2 wickets conceding only 3 runs off his 6.3 overs. Special mention for Frank Baliotis whose fielding continues to impress and also for Peter Rolls as our stand in wicket keeper with John Finucane overseas. A couple of casualties for our fielders with Frank Baliotis straining a quad and Garry Winney straining a back flexor when both were chasing down balls heading to the boundary. Joe Scarcella gave them his physio contact after the game as he did not bowl as he was still getting physio for his groin (HCF are still questioning the legitimacy of his claim!) The opposition were all out for 99 in the thirty fourth over leaving us a target of 100 for victory.

Gerry O’Shea and Peter Rolls opened the batting in a steady fashion defending good balls and finding the gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking along at about 3 runs an over until the ninth over when Gerry was surprised by a rising ball that he could not get his top edge out of the way of – 1 for 23. Joe Scarcella (who seems to be enjoying a break from bowling) joined Peter in the middle and together they started to increase the run rate. In the twelfth over Peter hit the accelerator smashing 16 runs (including two fours and a six into the car park) to retire not out on 32* with the team score on 1-50 and only another 50 required from the remaining 28 overs

Raga joined Joe Scarcella and together they put on a quick 19 runs before Raga was run out in the fifteenth over (2 – 69). The word was then sent out that we wanted to finish the game within 20 overs to maximize bonus points. Joe was out for 29 followed by Greg  Brooks (10) and Garry James (0) with Mick McCormick on 5* and Frank Baliotis on 28 in the twentieth over – the objective having been achieved by our two new “Finishers” with Mick hitting a boundary for the winning runs. A good overall team effort with plenty of great and good individual performances.

The Team was: – Gerard  O’Shea 10, Peter Rolls (c) & (w) 32* ret not out, Joe Scarcella 29, Sittampalam Ragavan 8, Greg Brooks 10, Garry James 0, Mick McCormick 5*, Frank Baliotis 2*, Stuart Ridge dnb, Paul Georgiadis dnb,  Garry Winney dnb 

The Result was: –

Roseville Rogues: – 10-99 (33.4 overs) (S. Ridge 4-17)

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 5-103 (19.4 overs) (P. Rolls 32*; J. Scarcella 29)

By 5 wickets

FoW: – 1-23 (G. O’Shea), 2-69 (S. Ragavan), 3-85 (G. Brooks), 4-93 (J. Scarcella), 5-93 (G. James)

The Bowling was: – S. Ridge 7-1-17-4; P. Georgiadis 4-1-16-0; S. Ragavan 6-0-26-2; M. McCormick 3-0-17-0; G. Brooks 7-2-19-2;  G. James 6.3-3-3-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil 

Catches: – Two to G. O’Shea and one to S. Ragavan

Run outs: – Nil

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

See:  https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202223/vintage/game-centre/699e4a66

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 8 v ‘NRL CC’ AT MP 5, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 21 DECEMBER 2022:REPORT BY JIM HADLEY

CCNSW lost the toss and were sent in. James Bonkowski and Rhys Longbottom put on an opening partnership of 70 till Bonkowski departed for 39. Longbottom retired soon thereafter for 50 * and Scott Williams took over, hitting some heavy balls to and over the boundary till departing for 46. Peter Constantinou 17 and Mick McGrath 18 * made the most of the final overs helped by Craig McKenzie 6*. CCNSW 3-176 off 20 overs.

 McGrath opened the bowling and was untouchable for 3 overs for 7 runs, backed by Williams 2 overs 2-10 and Rod Shone 3 overs 3-38. Craig McKenzie was a trump for us keeping taking 2 catches and 1 stumping. NRL CC were all out for 110.    

The Team was: – James Bonkowski 39, Rhys Longbottom 50*, Scott Williams 46, Peter Constantinou 17, Mick McGrath 18*, Craig McKenzie (w) 6*, Jim Hadley (c) dnb, Rod Shone dnb

The Result was:- 

CCNSW: – 3-176 (20 overs) (R. Longbottom 50*; S. Williams 46)

Defeated

NRL CC: – 8-110 (16.3 overs) (R. Shone 3-38)

By 66 runs

The Bowling was: – R. Shone 4-0-38-3; M. McGrath 3-0-7-0; J. Hadley 2-0-18-2; S. Williams 2-0-10-2; R. Longbottom 2-0-14-0; J.  Bonkowski 2-0-11-0; P. Constantinou 1.3-0-6-0

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – One to C. McKenzie

Catches: – 2 to C. McKenzie (w) and 2 to S. Williams and one each to J. Bonkowski and R. Shone

Run outs: – One to Jim Hadley

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to C. McKenzie; 2 points to M. McGrath ; 1 point to S. Williams

See: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=370879

C&S, Classics, LMS

WEEK TWELVE: WEDNESDAY 7 DECEMBER –SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER 2022

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 6 v ‘SUB PAR CRICKETERS’ AT MP 8, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 7 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY JAMES MURTHA  

It was an overcast afternoon, the opposition won the toss and elected to bowl, we fielded a strong side albeit only with 7 players.

Their openers got off to a solid start and both appeared to be heading towards a 50* retired before Soren Hughes (‘Sooz’) playing his first LMS game of the season, struck a double play (Editor’s note: the LMS playing conditions adopt this rule from baseball), taking a high catch off his own bowling and having the presence of mind to throw the stumps down before the non striker could make his ground; it was a very impressive piece of cricket.

Adam Durant and Jim Hadley (also playing his first LMS game of the season) bowled exceptionally well without luck. David Craig grabbed a key wicket and Jamie Murtha bought a wicket at the end thanks to an excellent boundary catch by Craig. Solid bowling and fielding kept them to a relatively modest 5-162.

CCNSW started  the chase losing early wickets:  Jamie Murtha  (1) was bowled playing a dirty slog across the line; Scott Williams nicked off and scored his first ever LMS duck (after c. 140+ innings ); Adam Durant (7) and Rod Shone (10) both dug in early but couldn’t go on with it. 

At the other end Sooz was hitting boundaries for fun and retired on 50*. David Craig and Jim Hadley steadied and built a solid partnership before Dave fell for 30. Jim went up a gear and found the boundary regularly, requiring 24 off 10 balls Jim scored 18 off the first 5, taking the equation to 6 off 5.

A fast and accurate over took it down to the last ball requiring 1 to win, a leg bye was misfielded by the keeper and Sooz made it safely to the striker’s end for a single to win the match!

The Team was: – Soren Hughes 56*, Jamie Murtha (c) 1, Adam Durant (w) 7, Scott Williams (w) 0, Rod Shone 10, David Craig 30, Jim Hadley 55*

The Result was:- 

Sub Par Cricketers: – 5-162 (20 overs) ()

Lost to

CCNSW: – 5-163 (20 overs) (S. Hughes 56*; J. Hadley 55*; D. Craig 30)

By 3 wickets

The Bowling was: – A Durant 4-0-24-0 S. Hughes 4-1-23-1; D. Craig 4-0-39-1; J. Hadley 4-0-20-0; J. Murtha 2-0-23-1;  R. Shone 2-0-32-0; 

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to each of D. Craig, J. Hadley and S. Hughes

Run outs: – One to S. Hughes

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to S. Hughes; 2 points to J. Hadley; 1 point to D. Craig

JACK PACE ROUND 5 v SYDNEY UNIVERSITY LIONS AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY HARRY BRIDGE 

Spirits were high as our C&S team was finally at Camperdown for the first time this season. The weather was perfect and the square was finally playable, but its surprisingly dry, cracked and crumbly condition would prove more suited to Sydney University Lions. We made a convincing start with Tom Robertson’s 36 a continuance of his consistent form in the first half of the season, and Jamie Murtha coming off some big scores and looking comfortable for 15, their partnership taking us swiftly to 59 before both quickly fell. Murtha was the first victim to the Lions’ new off-spinner, who found the conditions ideal and went on to dismiss four of our top six batters in his 4-16, decimating our middle order as we lost our final 5 wickets for 20 runs. The only other resistance was Karthick Subramanian’s punchy 28, as we reached a below par 10-142. 

Toby Forbes and Soren Hughes struggled to find their lengths early on; however Forbes found a crack and cut a ball in to bowl the Lions’ best batter, giving us a brief sniff of being in the game. Adam Khamis caused some difficulties with his spinners, and both Adam Durant and Craig Kitson did well taking a couple of wickets each. At six wickets  down and looking brittle, there was a feeling the Lions may have struggled if we’d posted another 20 runs and were able to apply some pressure, but in the end their top scorer’s slowly compiled 50 guided them to a solid win by four wickets. 

We look forward to the return fixture at St Paul’s college in Sydney University on 8 January next which (unlike this game) will be played for the Brooks-Manning-Moorhouse Shield. Hopefully conditions will not be quite so spin-friendly.

The Team was: – Tom Robertson 36, Jamie Murtha 15,  Karthick Subramanian (w) 28, Dan Turner 9, Harry Bridge 11, Toby Forbes 0, Adam Durant 9, Adam Khamis 5, Craig Kitson 6*,  Peter Constantinou 1, Soren Hughes (c) 4

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 10-142 ( overs) (T. Robertson 36)

Lost to

Sydney University Lions: – 6-145 (33.4 overs)

By 4 wickets

FoW: – 1- 59 (T. Robertson); 2-60 (J. Murtha); 3-91 (D. Turner); 4-105 (H. Bridge).5-107 (T. Forbes); 6-122 (A. Durant); 7-129 (K. Subramanian); 8- 134 (A. Khamis); 9-135 (P. Constantinou); 10-142 (S. Hughes).

The Bowling was: – T. Forbes 6-1-19-1; S. Hughes 4-0-26-0 ; P. Constantinou 7-0-30-0; A. Khamis 7-1-27-1; A. Durant 5-2-15-2; C. Kitson  4.4-1-11-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to A. Durant

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to T. Robertson; 2 points to K. Subramanian; one point to A Durant

CLASSICS ROUND 6 v  OLD IGNATIANS AT RYDE OVAL, RYDE ON SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER 2022: JOINT REPORT BY ANDREW DAVIS AND MIKE PINTER  

La Niña must be a thing of the past as we arrived at the ground on a very hot Sunday, winning the toss was now very important for us two reasons 1) errr …. it was very hot, and 2) one of our eleven “Mick” Tarrant was still 90 minutes away due to being called into work.  With our regular Captain Scott Wells out due to injury Mike “Punter” Pinter stepped into the role of Captain and fortunately he called correctly with “Tails never fails in New South Wales”; hence we won the toss and elected to bat.

On the ladder before the game. Old Ignatians (“Old Iggies”) were sitting in fifth spot with three wins and one washout and CCNSW down in ninth with two wins and two losses – so this was a very important game for both teams to win before the Christmas break.  We didn’t have a number of regulars due to injuries and seasonal engagements; thanks must be given to “Gerry” O’Shea, Jed Wesley-Smith and Sam Skoulis for stepping in and  we also welcomed back Brett James (who had just been selected to represent the Australian Over 50s Cricket Team in the upcoming Over 50s World Cup in Cape Town next March). 

There was a cautious start to our innings by Gerry O’Shea Ed Cross as the pitch visibly had a few gremlins with the odd ball staying low at one end and sharply kicking up at the other. Gerry was the first wicket to fall being caught for 10.  This brought in our stand-in Captain Punter to join Ed who was doing a great job of punishing all loose balls, smacking six boundaries on his way to retiring at 30*.  A nice partnership was developing with Punter and Brett James with both turning over the strike and both running quickly between the wickets, converting the ones to twos and the twos to threes.  However Punter tried to take on the field once too often for a quick single that wasn’t there and was found well short of his ground to be run out for 20. The score was now 2-77 in the 18th over.  Andrew “Dee” Davis then joined Brett James and again a nice partnership was developing between the two with both batters hitting the pickets before another call for a quick single saw Andrew Davis also short of his ground again-  run out for 22 in the 25th over with the score now 3-125.

Around about this time, a call came in from Tommy Robertson from Camperdown Oval (some 40 minutes away from our ground) apparently some knucklehead (of course … apologies to said knucklehead) had accidentally locked the Camperdown sheds with the kits and keys inside.  To paraphrase the infamous words of the Robot from Lost in Space  “Danger Tommy Robertson”.

With 15 overs left we were looking to up the rate and close in on 200 runs. Brett was joined by Greg “Brooksy” Brooks and unusually Brooksy started cautiously, to watch Brett retire on 30*.  Now with two in the bank Brooksy was joined by David  ‘Dutchy’ Craig, who once again played a reverse sweep off his first ball for three runs much to the surprise of the bowler.  The pair pushed the score along to 3-163 before we lost three wickets for 12 runs (Brooksy c and b 23, Dutchy c and b 13 & Jed Wesley-Smith bowled 1). All were selflessly trying to accelerate our innings to get us over a 200 total. The score was now 6-177 with five overs remaining.  Enter Andrew “Bach” Bachelard.

Quick runs were needed and Bachelard had been given the licence to thrill – and thrill he did!  In the 37th over he launched his assault hammering 18 runs with two massive sixes with two brilliant cricket shots, one over the cover fence and the other over deep long on.  Mick Tarrant was Bach’s wingman for the onslaught, and Mick was our 7th and final wicket to fall at 7-202.  Sam Skoulis then joined Bach in the 38th over whilst Bach continued to plunder the bowling. Bach retired soon after on 30* with four balls remaining in our innings.  What a knock – one of the best by anyone in the team this season!  Sam was joined  by Ed Cross who managed to get seven more runs off the remaining four balls to finish on 39* (well done Ed on another great innings this season).  Our innings closed at a very defendable 7-220 with eight bowlers to choose from. 

After the tea break it was our turn to take the field in slightly cooler conditions with Brett James and Mick Tarrant opening the bowling.  This was one of the first opportunities Brett has had with leather in hand since being selected for the Australian Over 50s Team.  The opposition knew about Brett’s selection and they knuckled down and relished the challenge. Brett and Mick bowled well and regularly troubled the openers however without success.  There was a very fast outfield and most balls that passed the infield made it to the fence. Brett and Mick did exactly what was required to restrict Old Iggies to 0-40 after 10 overs, this partnership helped add pressure as the run rate required increased from 5.5 RPO to 6.0 RPO.

Punter then decided to make a double change and toss the ball to Bachelard and Davis – this is where we turned up the Bunsen burner.  Bach started with a maiden and it just got better from there for CCNSW with some brilliant fielding by Gerry O’Shea in and around gully and point and Sam Skoulis proving to be very valuable in close at square leg and cutting off singles. Adrian Schwager (one of their opening batters) retired soon after for a very well made 30*. Lttle did we all know however that was as good as it was going to get for any of the Old Iggies batters today.

Over the next 10 over spell between ‘Bach’ and ‘Dee’ we managed to rip the heart out of the Old Iggies batters to take 4-36 by drinks.  I hear you ask “How did that happen?” Well funny you should ask … this is what transpired.  In each of their second overs Bach firstly disrupted the timber 1-46 in the 13th over and Dee then changed his pace nicely to see their No. 2 loft one to Mid-On. Score 2-50 in the 14th over.

This saw the very dangerous Neil McLeod stride to the crease. Then Punter (channeling Hannibal from the “A-Team”) developed a plan with Bach to drop a single man back deep at long-on and tempt McLeod.  Back you go Mick.  The temptation was too great for McLeod and within a couple of balls he struck one high and deep close to Mick Tarrant who had to cover a bit of ground to get to it and  take the first of two magnificent catches.  McLeod out for 4. Score 3-53. This brought another slogger to the crease in Nick ‘Garlo’ Garling. As usual ‘Garlo’ plundered everything within his hitting zone and raced to 15 runs – before a second plan was struck between James and Bachelard for Bach to slow one down and roll his fingers over a delivery.  ‘Garlo’ was early on the shot and it was again lofted towards Mick Tarrant in the deep; obligingly Mick gobbled his second catch.  Score 4-70.  Don’t we all love it when a plan (or two) comes together!

So, at the drinks break Old Iggies were 4-76, now requiring 7.25 RPO off the remaining 20 overs for the win, with one in the shed and their two of their most dangerous batters out and not returning again today.  At drinks Bach had the very impressive figures of 5-1-8-3 so he deserved the opportunity to bowl his allotted nine overs today.  All fielders did their jobs extremely well and continued to apply the pressure right around the park in particular Mick Tarrant and Brett James were our boundary riders on opposite sides of the pitch and each played a pivotal role in cutting off boundaries. ‘Dutchy ‘Craig and  Ed Cross were at mid off and  mid on for most of the game saving many runs with some sharp fielding, and our Keeper Jed Wesley-Smith conceded no byes (compared to 14 byes conceded by their keeper) on a very up and down pitch.  Bach finished up his spell with the extremely impressive figures of 9-4-16-4 what an outstanding effort!  Score 5-96 after 27 overs, with Old Iggies now requiring 9.62 RPO for the unlikely win.

Without downplaying their contributions Greg Brooks (6-1-30-1), David Craig (7-0-23-1) and Ed  Cross (3-0-10-1) also rolled their arms over and all continued to bowl tight lines with each bowling to their fields and the fielders stopping just about everything.  It was a comprehensive display of bowling, ground fielding and catching – full stop. So after their 40 overs Old Iggies were restricted to 8-148.

A special mention to some outstanding efforts. After bowling his nine overs Bach found his position at one end at short fine leg still chasing the odd ball and cutting off boundaries and saving many runs. Lastly Punter, was everywhere in the field, out in the deep, in close, changing sides and chasing that little red ball around the park.  In the huddle after each wicket he gave us a few uplifting words to help encourage us all that every wicket and great effort in the field was bringing us one wicket closer to victory.

After the game both teams enjoyed a well-deserved beer or two after a long day in hot conditions. What a fantastic team result where everyone contributed, and what a way to finish off 2022 by beating one of the top teams in the competition. With five games remaining before the Finals we will need to continue this form and win most of these games to have a chance of making the top four.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. Let’s continue our winning ways in 2023. 

The Team was: – Ed Cross 39*, Gerard O’Shea 10, Mike Pinter (c) 20, Andrew Davis 22, Brett James 30*, Greg  Brooks 23, David Craig 13, Andrew Bachelard 30*, Jed Wesley-Smith 1 , Mike Tarrant 5, Sam Skoulis 1*

The Result was: –

C.C.N.S.W.: – 7-220 (40 overs) (E. Cross 39*; B. James 30*; A. Bachelard 30*)

Defeated

Old Ignatians 8-148 CC: – (40 overs) (A. Bachelard 4-16()

By 72 runs

FoW: – 1-23 (G. O’Shea); 2-77 (M. Pinter); 3-125 (A. Davis); 4-163 (G. Brooks); 5-174; (D. Craig); 6-177 (J. Wesley-Smith); 7-202 (M. Tarrant)

The Bowling was: – B. James 5-2-22-0; M. Tarrant 5-1-18-0; A. Davis 5-0-26-1, A. Bachelard 9-4-16-4; G. Brooks 6-1-30-1; D. Craig 8-0-23-1; E. Cross 3-0-10-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 2 to M. Tarrant,  one to E. Cross and one to J. Wesley-Smith (w)

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to A. Bachelard; 2 points to E. Cross; one point to B. James

https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/classics-summer-202223/classics/game-centre/f9655704

LMS, Masters, Vintage

WEEK ELEVEN: WEDNESDAY 30 NOVEMBER -SUNDAY 4 DECEMBER 2022

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 5 v ‘ONE MORE BEER’ AT MP 4, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2022:REPORT BY JAMES MURTHA  

(Editor’s note: When one of the opposition players opens  and  scores 80* and later opens the bowling and  takes 3 wickets in his first over, with figures of 3-11 in 4 overs, it is difficult to win!)

A  tough loss to swallow considering we bowled well. One of their players, Michael Hardy was great and a distinct class above the other 15 players. After scoring 80*, he took 3 wickets in his first over and we could not recover.

 We lost the toss and were sent in to the field.  The team bowled well, limiting the boundaries and taking a couple of early wickets. Rod Shone’s leg spin was extremely well bowled, he took 3 genuine wickets in his 4 overs and was the pick of the bowlers. Dan May on debut bowled mostly yorkers and looked very dangerous too. Our fielding standard was also very high especially considering we had no experienced keeper.

We were happy with our effort restricting them to 157, we set out to chase the runs, unfortunately 3 wickets in the first over and 1 in the second flattened our hopes of winning the game easily, Jamie Murtha and Craig Fordham started a nice partnership before a mix up lead to a run out, Rod Shone entertained as the last man for a while but we were soon wrapped up by the opposition for 75. 

We have six games remaining for the season before the Finals and need to win most or maybe all of them to have a chance of making the Finals!

The Team was: – Daniel May 1, Peter Buruma 2, Ben Digan 0, Steve Middleton 1, Jamie Murtha (c) & (w) 25, Adam Durant (w) 1, Craig Fordham 24, Rod Shone 15

The Result was:- 

One More Beer: – 6-157 (20 overs) (R. Shone 3-36)

Defeated

CCNSW: – 8-75 (17.2 overs) 

By 82 runs

The Bowling was: – A Durant 4-0-46-0; R. Shone 4-0-36-3; J. Murtha 4-0-19-0; C. Fordham 4-0-27-0; D. May 3-0-12-2, P. Buruma 1-0-12-1

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – One to A. Durant

Catches: – 2 to D. May and one to J. Murtha

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to Rod Shone; 2 points to Dan May; 1 point to Adam Durant 

See: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=370860

C&S   ROUND 5 v KNOX OLD BOYS AT GILLESPIE FIELD, WAHROONGA ON SUNDAY 4 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY JIM HADLEY 

CCNSW lost the toss and was asked to bowl. Soren  Hughes and Harry Bridge opened the bowling on an under prepared but consistent surface. Both Harry and ‘Sooz’ were a bit unlucky with anything miscued finding space which seemed to give the Knox openers further licence to try their hand. Bridge eventually got his man but Knox OBs were by then 1-113. Jamie Murtha and Adam Khamis were brought on and troubled the Knox batters but just couldn’t sustain a consistent length, Khamis 8 overs 2-58 and Murtha 6 overs 2-42. Peter Constantinou held a good length for 3 overs 1-15 and Ash Perrot and his son Tom Perrot bowled the final overs reasonably cheaply Ash 3 overs 0-27 and Tom 2 overs 1-17. Our keeper Declan Thomas threw himself everywhere to hardly concede a sundry all innings. Knox 7-245 after 35 overs. 

Tom Robertson and Karthick Subramanian opened the batting with Tom hitting 16 off the first over. Tom soon skied an off drive to be out for 21. Karthick hit some big pull shots before departing for 31 when trying to up the run rate. Constantinou played round an off spinner to be bowled for 14 and Bridge after an encouraging start departed for  23. Ash Perrot got the only low bounce of the day, bowled for 0 and Murtha played on for 2. Hughes skied one hitting out for 0 as did Thomas 0. Lenny Volkov looked solid till being given out lbw and the final overs were played out by Khamis 19* and Hadley 10*. CCNSW finished 110 runs behind at 9-135 after 35 overs. 

The Team was (playing 12): –  Karthick Subramanian 31, Tom Robertson 21, Peter Constantinou  14, Harry Bridge 23, Ash Perrot 0, James Murtha 2, Soren Hughes 0, Declan Thomas (w) 0, Adam Khamis 19*, Len Volkov 2, Jim Hadley (c) 10* and Tim Perrot dnb

The Result was: –

Knox Old Boys: – 7- 245 (35 overs)

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 9-135 (35 overs) (K. Subramanian 31)

By 110 runs

FoW: – 1- 33 (T Robertson); 2- 59 (Peter Constantinou; 3-76  (K. Subramanian); 4-76 (A. Perrot).5-86  (J. Murtha); 6-86 (S. Hughes); 7- 95 (D. Thomas); 8-122 (H. Bridge).; 9-119  (L. Volkov)

The Bowling was: – S Hughes 7-0-55-0; H. Bridge 6-1-34-0; Adam Khamis 8-0-58-2; J Murtha 6-0-42-2; Peter Constantinou 3-0-15-1; A Perrot 3-0-27-0; T. Perrot 2-0-17-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to D Thomas (w); one to S. Hughes and one to A. Perrot 

Run outs: – One to Tom Robertson

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to K. Subramanian; 2 points to D. Thomas; one point to H. Bridge

MASTERS ROUND 5 v NORTHBRIDGE AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 4 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY DAVID CRAIG 

CCNSW MASTERS TEAM V NORTHBRIDGE CC AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL ON SUNDAY 4 DECEMBER 2022
Top row L-R: Jason Kenn, David Craig (w), Ed Cross, Ben Stanic, Mike Pinter, Tony Campey, Jose Poothokaren 
Bottom row L-R: Dan Turner (v/c), Andrew Dadswell (c), Dave Abreu, Mike Weaver

Well, it’s that time of the year and every team I know of seems to be scrambling for eleven players. (Personally I can’t understand this, but then “I don’t like cricket, no, no, I love it!”), and Tex had to put a late Saturday evening call out for a batter. When NSW Emus rep Michael Pinter answered the call (11.03pm), skip gladly confirmed his spot in the team (11.05pm) – good call! Another good call was winning the toss and batting on the same old Camperdown strip (nearest the fig trees), which looked terrific but had already been used about six times this season and was either mutton dressed as lamb or a wolf in sheep’s clothing, depending on your personal platitude  and cliché proclivities. It started to break up from ball one, and while a lot of balls from the Australia Street end kept disconcertingly low, it was true enough to allow a decent contest between bat and ball.

Ed Cross and Mile Pinter (“Punter”) took to the crease against a Northbridge team new to the competition, and perhaps more suited to Classics than Masters. Twelve off the first over was a bright start and CCNSW were never really under pressure from this point on. (Game over, six points and a song, where’s the beers!). Nevertheless, it was a beautiful warm summer’s day and another 79 overs of cricket scheduled, so we played on regardless. In the fourth over Zatz got one to move in and got the lbw decision to send Ed on his way for 9. From there Pinter and Dan Turner compiled an excellent partnership, with Punter turning the strike over nearly every ball, while Dan dealt primarily in boundaries to quickly reach 40 retired not out at 1-79 in the twelfth over

Northbridge may have been relieved to see the back of the (first) mountain man, but there was to be no respite as Jason Kenn strode to the crease. There are strong Matthew Hayden vibes about the Springwood lefty, with his muscular build and belligerent hitting down the ground, but whereas ‘Haydos’ preferred catching in the gully, ‘JDo’s prowls around point or midwicket saving bulk runs and creating run out opportunities. The runs continued to flow with both Pinter and Kenn regularly finding the boundary and keeping the singles ticking over before retiring either side of the drinks break (1-136 after 20).

As often happens, the double retirement put the brakes on the scoring for a little while, and when  Tony Campey making his CCNSW Masters debut (Ed note: Tony became a financial member in January 2020 c 3 years ago),  and veteran Mike Weaver perished in consecutive overs we were 3-156 in the twenty fifth over and with a slight feeling of the old revolving dressing room door, new batters Andrew Dadswell (c) and Dave Craig set out to consolidate for a few overs. Eventually the shackles were broken as Tex drove extravagantly and yours truly fulfilled his contractual obligations by reverse sweeping the spinner to the third man boundary. The partnership yielded 56 before Craig mowed across the line once too often and the skied top edge presented little challenge for the Northbridge ‘keeper. Skipper Dadswell continued on his merry way to a quick 40*, whereupon David Abreu demonstrated why he is a highly regarded new ball bowler by swinging lustily: the willow moving plenty of air but not a lot of leather! Some late hitting by Jose Poohokaren in a nice partnership with a scampering Ben Stanic lifted the tally to 5-259 off our allotted 40 overs. 

After a sumptuous afternoon tea with all the major food groups represented (Twisties, lamingtons, muffins, cakes, cookies, snakes) we took to the field. I had the privilege of witnessing a clinical new ball spell from behind the sticks. Ben Stanic charging in from the Australia Street end with the wind at his back was getting good inswing, and with the ball regularly keeping alarmingly low, was a constant threat. From the Rotunda end, left armer Dave Abreu bowled with control and variety, mostly pushing it across the right handed openers, swinging the odd one back in, and occasionally rolling his fingers over a nasty leg-cutter that beat the bat consistently. It was only a matter of time really, as the dots began to fill the scorebook, and sure enough in the tenth over Collins skied Abreu into the safe hands of Ed Cross at mid-off (1-18). His mate Boulton followed next over with a textbook “top of off” from Stanic sending him back to the sheds. A problem for Northbridge quickly became a crisis two overs later when Ben induced a nick and Mike Weaver snared a one-handed screamer at second slip to dismiss Greenlees for a 🦆. Next over DA produced a peach that flicked Smith’s off stump, 4-30 after 14.

The game was still well and truly in the balance though, with Northbridge skipper Monty Noble at the crease. This bloke is good enough to have a stand named after him at the SCG, so commands RESPECT with a capital everything. Fortunately, Stanic got a thin edge and debutant ‘keeper Craig stooped low to scoop up the chance in defiance of the trademark Camperdown mullygrubber-style bounce. 

Tony Campey relieved Abreu from the Rotunda end, and his first delivery was a little off line, crashing into the middle stump instead of the off stump. Very disappointing, but the wicket first ball did help to ease the pain, and at 6-31 in the 16th over this was becoming something of a rout. Stanic bowled out his ninth over at the other end, finishing with the remarkable figures of 9-4-8-3 before handing bowling duties to Jose Poothokaren. For Northbridge Danny Zatz joined Parker at the crease and they built a nice partnership of 41 with some classical straight drives and not-so-classical mows to leg. The drinks break came and went and both batters reached 22 before the pressure eventually proved too much. First Zatz skied a lifter from Campey to a fast moving Mike Pinter running to his right from cover. Soon after Parker chanced his arm against Tony Campey (TC – Top Cat, anyone?) once too often, the lofted slog settling into the hands of “Tex” Dadswell at long-on. Jose Poothokaren toils were rewarded next over when Maw screwed one to backward point where ‘JDos’ Kenn wrapped his mitts around it (9-87). 

Jason Kenn  kept his mitts on the ball to relieve Campey from the Rotunda end, commencing his first bowling spell for CCNSW Masters. It did not last long. Steaming in to a badly wounded Cope (early in their fielding stint he went down as if a sniper had felled him, hamstring gaaawn), Kenn’s pace was just too much, and Cope could only spoon the very first ball to Stanic at mid-wicket.

There were a number of “firsts” for the Club in this one. Tony Campey, in his first official outing for CCNSW Masters  snared a wicket with his first ball, a feat later replicated by Jason Kenn (well into his second season but hitherto not entrusted with bowling duties). Considering Dave Abreu also snared a pole with his first ball for the Club in Round 1, perhaps we could change our recruitment spie to:: “Join CCNSW Masters and you are practically guaranteed a wicket first ball!” And after pestering numerous CCNSW captains unsuccessfully over the years, I finally got the nod to ‘keep and if I had to say (reluctantly, of course) the feedback was pretty bloody positive in fact (thanks for the opportunity Tex).

A great day out against some top blokes (shout out to Northbridge for bringing beers), I’ll be back for more for sure .The Team was: –Ed Cross 9, Mike Pinter 40* (ret not out), Dan Turner 40* (ret not out), Jason Kenn 42* (ret not out), Anthony Campey 5, Mike Weaver 6, Andrew Dadswell (c) 40* (ret not out), David Craig (w) 16, Jose Poothokaren 23*, David Abreu 0, Ben Stanic 5* (and Sundries 33)

The Result was: 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 5-259 (40 overs) (J Kenn 42*, M. Pinter 40*; D. Turner 40*; A Dadswell 40*)

Defeated

Northbridge CC: – 10-87 (27.1 overs) ((B. Stanic 3-8; A. Campey 3-28)

By 172 runs

FoW: – 1-21 (E. Cross), 2-156 (A. Campey), 3-156 (M. Weaver), 4-207 (D. Craig), 5-238 (D. Abreu)

The Bowling was: – B. Stanic 9-4-8-3; D. Abreu 7-2-21-2, A. Campey 6-0-28-3; J. Poothokaren 5-0-26-1; J. Kenn 0.1-0-0-1

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to D. Craig (w) and to each of E. Cross, A. Dadswell, J. Kenn, M. Pinter, B. Stanic and M. Weaver.

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to B. Stanic; 2 points to D. Turner; one point to A. Campey

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/masters-summer-202223/masters/game-centre/b29ca527  

VINTAGE ROUND 5 v BURWOOD/KU-RING-GAI AT TURRAMURRA MEMORIAL PARK, TURRAMURRA  ON SUNDAY 4 DECEMBER 2022: REPORT BY FRANK BALIOTIS

La Niña must be on hiatus as we arrived at the picturesque Turramurra Memorial Park under glorious sunshine and a rather warm 33 degrees. Our skipper, Peter Rolls won the toss and decided to bowl on what looked like a dodgy wicket with large pieces of turf missing from both popping creases. 

 The Burwood Ku-ring-gai openers were pretty well tied down by some exceptional bowling from Stuart Ridge and Sittampalam Rafavan (“Raga”). Stuart was a little unlucky, but still managed figures 1-19 off 7 overs and Raga 2-26 of his 7 overs. (Both were amazingly accurate when coming on for last 2 overs each at the death considering they played National Over 60s in Geelong in the previous week). Joe Scarcella was next up but only lasted 4 balls before succumbing to a groin injury sustained in the Nationals the week before. More about Joey’s batting heroics to follow. Gerry O’Shea took over admirably and only conceded 16 runs from his 6.2 overs. He also ran for miles in the outfield and took an exceptional running catch on the boundary. Greg Brooks was also unlucky not to get a wicket and only conceded 25 runs from his 7 overs. It’s amazing what Brooksie can do, given his new hip. Mel Lucas also ran for miles and his bowling continually troubled the batters and combined well with John Finucane for a classy stumping. John also took a catch and kept well given the tricky pitch and heat. Garry James was at his bamboozling best; he’s clearly been doing this for a long time, and took two well-deserved wickets. 

 Even though three Burwood Ku-ring-gai batters scored 30* , we still bowled and fielded very well to contain them to 6-155  runs after 40 overs. 

 Gerry O’Shea and I opened the batting, and unlike me, out for 1, Gerry,went on to make a well played 30*. Mel Lucas was unlucky being given out lbw for 2. Peter Rolls was up next and scored two quick fours then played smart patient cricket until getting caught for 25 trying to smack one over long on. Brooks came in after Gerry O’Shea retired and as only he can, smacked a quick fire 23 before being caught in the deep. We were now 4-100 off 30 overs and plenty of work still required to reach 156. Garry James and John Finucane were now in bat. Garry opens his account with a four and then proceeds to play a controlled innings scoring ones and twos before retiring at 31*. I think Garry continually asking the umpire for centre was a ploy used to catch his breath. Very clever ploy Garry! By this time, John has scored a couple of fours and a bunch of singles when the man of the hour arrives in the name of Joe Scarcella.

Let me set the scene. Before the game Joe arrives in the dressing room and confides to his teammates that his undergarment is entwined in his heavily strapped groin resulting in an inability to perform on the Royal Dalton. With this in mind and having broken down after bowling 4 balls, he was determined to make a contribution and limped out to bat with the able assistance of Gerry O’Shea as the runner. After a few minutes working out the rules and who would stand where the first ball was bowled and people started running everywhere. Gerry, John and Joe were in no man’s land while the fielders had at least three attempts at removing the bails but inexplicably failed every attempt. It was like watching inebriated Keystone Cops. This happened twice!!

The boys settled as 6 an over was still required from the last 5 overs. But Joe nonchalantly hit two signature consecutive boundaries  behind square leg,  providing the impetus to go on and win the game with John hitting the winning runs (the first time he’s ever done that) with an over to spare. 

A few laughs, a great game of cricket followed by a few drinks. The world is a beautiful place.

The Team was: –  Gerard O’Shea 30*; Frank Baliotis 1, Mel Lucas 2, Peter Rolls (c) 25, Greg Brooks 23, Garry James 31*, John Finucane (w) 19*, Joe Scarcella 12*, Sittampalam Ragavan dnb, Stuart Ridge dnb

The Result was: –

Burwood/Ku-ring-gai: – 6-155 (40 overs) 

Lost to

C.C.N.S.W.: – 4-156 (39 overs) (G. James 31*; G. O’Shea 30*)

By 6 wickets

FoW: – 1-9 (F. Baliotis); 2-17 (M. Lucas); 3-92 (G. Brooks); 4-100 (P. Rolls)

The Bowling was: – S. Ridge 7-2-19-1; S. Ragavan 7-1-26-2; J. Scarcella 0.4-0-0-0; G. O’Shea 6.2-0-16.0; G. Brooks 7-0-25-0; M. Lucas 5-0-25-1; G. James 7-0-38-2

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – One to J. Finucane

Catches: – J. Finucane (w), G. O’Shea, G. Brooks

Run outs: –  Nil

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

See:  https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/vintage-summer-202223/vintage/game-centre/0694425a

C&S, Classics, LMS

WEEK TEN: WEDNESDAY 23-SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2022

Leave a comment

LMS T20 (8-a-SIDE) EASTERN SYDNEY MIDWEEK DIVISION 3  ROUND 4 v ‘SUB PAR  CRICKETERS’ AT MP 8, ROBERTSON ROAD, MOORE PARK ON WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2022: REPORT BY JAMES MURTHA

On a superb sunny afternoon, CCNSW won the toss and chose to bat, but was unable to build momentum as wickets fell steadily.  CCNSW was reduced to 5-40 before the veteran Joe Scarcella  companied by the young Ben Digan who had just celebrated his 19th birthday, dug in for a partnership before Joe hit a high ball to mid off and departed for 26. James Murtha batting late in the order, scored a quick fire 43 to boost the total to 121, CCNSW failed to bat the full twenty overs being all out in the nineteenth over, about 50 short of par.

The team bowled well and tried to take the game deep. A few wickets were shared but unfortunately the chase was relatively simple for the opposition who won with nearly 5 overs to spare.

The Team was: –  Ben Gorham (w) 3; Shahzeem Adjani 15, Scott Williams 3, Peter Buruma 11, Asfand Uppal  0, Joe Scarcella 24, Ben Digan 17 (w) and James Murtha (c) 43   

The Result was:- 

CCNSW: – 8-121 (18.3 overs) (J. Murtha 43)

Lost to

Sub Par Cricketers: – 3-122 (15.3 overs)

By 5 wickets

The Bowling was: – Joe Scarcella 4-0-35-1; Scott Williams 4-0-23-0; Shahzeem Adjani 3-0-24-1; James Murtha 2-0-19-1; Ben Gorham 2-0-11-0; Peter Buruma 0.3-0-5-0

The Fielding was:-

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to J. Murtha and one to S. Williams

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to J. Scarcella; 2 points to S. Williams; One point to B. Digan 

See: https://www.lastmanstands.com/leagues/scorecard/1st-innings?fixtureid=370885

JACK PACE   ROUND 4 v OLD CRANBROOKIANS  AT DANGAR  OVAL, ROSE BAY ON SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2022: REPORT BY JIM HADLEY

We lost the toss and were asked to bowl. Ian Robertson and Soren Hughes (“Big Sooz’) opened up. Ian bowled with good pace and beat the bat regularly and was rewarded with the wicket of one of Cranbrookian’s better batters. Hughes kept a good line and length for 4 overs when Mick McGrath playing his first game for our City and Suburban team and Matt Leong took over. Mick McGrath bowled a terrific 7 over spell while picking up 1 wicket for 36 runs,  a very hot catch to Ash Perrot at cover. Matt Leong after a patchy first over bowled 3 on the money. Ed Robertson bowled unchanged for 7 overs from the Rose Bay end and hit a terrific line and length to finish with 2 for 20. Old Cranbrookians ended up 8-199 after 35 overs. 

Jamie Murtha and Tom Robertson opened the batting and went along well to 18 when Jamie was late on a pull shot and caught at mid-off for 4 in the fifth over. Mick McGrath joined Tom and our score progressed to 1-73 in the 17th over when Mick unfortunately didn’t quite get hold of an on drive and was caught at mid-on for 26. Harry Bridge unluckily played on first ball when he may have just had time to kick it away. After the drinks break  and in the next over Tom  followed given out stumped. for 34  and  two balls later with a thunderstorm looming and the match likely to be decided on run rate, Soren Hughes decided to try to lift the rate but top edged to mid-on to be out for a duck. In the space of two overs we had descended from 1-73 to 5-75. Karthick Subramanian and Ash Perrot, playing his first game for CCNSW were looking comfortable at the crease when a thunderstorm and lightning hit. 

They were  facing a heavy task needing 110 runs off the final 14.5 overs with only 5 wickets in hand when the storm broke. With the thunder and lightning getting closer, Old Cranbrookians hesitated to get the covers out and after a few minutes heavy rain it became academic and Old Cranbrookians had won on run rate

(Editor’s note: a similar situation occurred simultaneously at Camperdown in the Classics where playing conditions prohibited any entry on the field even for laying covers within 30 minutes of a nearby lightning strike. That game was also lost on run rate with the covers unable to be relaid)

The Team was: – James Murtha 4 , Tom Robertson 34, Mick McGrath 26, Harry Bridge 0, Soren Hughes  0,, Ash Perrot 2*, Karthick Subramanian (w) 3* Jim Hadley (c) dnb, Edward Robertson dnb  and Ian Robertson dnb

The Result was: –

Old Cranbrookians: – 8-199 (35 overs; run rate 5.69 p over) 

Defeated

C.C.N.S.W.: – 5-88-rain (20.1 overs; 4.38 run rate p over)

On run rate

FoW: – 1-18 (J. Murtha); 2-73 (M. McGrath); 3-73 (T. Robertson); 4-75 (H. Bridge); 5-75 (S. Hughes)

The Bowling was: – M. Leong 4-0-25-0; S. Hughes 7-0-46-1; J. Hadley 6-1-37-2; M. McGrath 7-1-36-1; I. Robertson 5-0-35-2; E. Robertson 6-0-20-2; 

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – One to K. Subramanian (w); one to Ash Perott;

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by captain): – 3 points to Mick McGrath; 2 points to Ed Robertson; one point to Ian Robertson

CLASSICS ROUND 5 v GEORGES RIVER AT CAMPERDOWN OVAL, CAMPERDOWN ON SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2022: REPORT BY MIKE PINTER

Back Row: Paul Nash, David Benson, Ed Cross, Ian Allmey, Greg Brooks, David Craig, Gerry O’Shea.
Front row: Scott Wells (c) & (w), Mike Pinter (v/c), Andrew Davis.
Absent: – Mick Weaver.

There were several players backing up in both sides (five for CCNSW – M. Pinter, M.J. Weaver, S. Wells, A. Davis and D. Craig and two from Georges River) from four games of cricket in four days at the National Over 50s Championship (which had only just wrapped up two days prior).  Special congratulations must be given to M.J. Weaver for being part of the Veterans Cricket Australia Division 5 Over 50s – National Championship winning side.

Unbelievably two players were actually voluntarily lining up for their sixth game of cricket in seven days.  Well done to you both Andrew “Dee” Davis and Trevor Whittall (the Captain of the Georges River side, who is also a member of CCNSW).

Showers were forecast for the late afternoon, so it was an interesting toss to win or lose. Fortunately for Scott Wells the decision was made for CCNSW as we lost the toss and were sent into bat.

Ian Allmey and Mike “Punter” Pinter strode to the crease.  In his usual fashion Ian (6) looked to get us off to a good start, however soon after crunching one to the boundary, and attempting a second over the covers Ian was clean bowled by a ball that stuck in the wicket.  Paul “Nashy” Nash then joined Punter, however he too fell victim to the slowness of the pitch and was also clean bowled in nearly the identical fashion to their opening bowler from the other end.  We were then 2-15 in the fifth over.

Michael J. Weaver “Weaves” then joined Punter in the middle and both of which were determined to consolidate in the middle for CCNSW.  Weaves tweaked his hamstring when running the first of five threes in the partnership with Punter.  Then just as Punter (18) was starting to hit the boundaries he was deceived by a crafty first ball delivery from O’Rourke and was adjudged LBW.  CCNSW was now 3-44 at the start of the 13thover.

Enter the third member of our team returning from Adelaide in “Scotty” Wells, and as usual he only took a couple of balls to get his first boundary of the day.  Again, just as Weaves was starting to get used to the wicket he too fell to the tackiness in the pitch and was caught in front of square leg for a very respectable 22.  Ed Cross strode to the middle with purpose, pushed at his first delivery to get an unfortunate edge and be out caught behind for 0.  The score had gone from 4-59 to 5-59 in the 15th over with the crafty O’Rourke picking up his third CCNSW scalp of the innings.  At this stage we still had another 25 overs to bat out.

Andrew “Dee” Davis (our fourth representative) then joined Scotty in the middle, and Scotty just did his thing by regularly crunching the ball into the metal picket fence all around the ground.  At this point I would like to point out that Scotty also injured his right quad at the Nationals and he was heavily bandaged, however this Mummy wasn’t going to spit the dummy!  Dee was the support act in helping Scotty to his retirement when the score had raced to 95 just after the drinks break.  Good work boys, however there was still a lot more work to be done.

There were another two brief cameos from Gerry O’Shea (6) and David Benson (5) with Dee on 25 with the score at 7-124 in the 29th over when Greg “Brooksy” Brooks walked to the middle.  We then only had 11 overs to get a respectable score on the board, and our goal was to get to somewhere around 180+.  This is where the magic started to happen; it was an absolute pleasure to watch Brooksy majestically smashing a number of straight drives to bamboozle the fielders – just as the fielders were moved from one spot, that’s exactly where he hit them.  Dee retired soon after on a very well constructed 30* in his best Academy Award winning “Best Supporting Batter Role” for our innings.

David “Dutchy” Craig, our fifth and final representative then decided that he would join in the fun and help entertain the crowd gathering on the hill* by also regularly helping the ball cross the rope.  [Note*: Crowd gathering on the hill primarily comprised of three people with two dogs]  Brooksy only took 20 balls to reach his second consecutive retirement for the Classics with 32* – top job Prez!  Dutchy was then joined by Scotty and both continued to hit the balls around the ground – none hit more infuriatingly for the bowlers than Dutchy’s paddles and reverse sweeps off middle stump to the boundary – let’s just say the bowler let Dutchy know that he wasn’t at all impressed.  These few partnerships helped take us from 7-124 in the 29th over to 7-212 by the end of the 40th over with Dutchy finishing on 27* and Scotty bringing up 50* just before the close of our innings.  Super stuff lads; we all agreed that we had been able to compile a defendable score.

We were carrying a couple of injuries into the game (Scotty (quad strain), Dutchy (calf strain)) and unfortunately a couple more injuries in our innings – Weaves (hamstring strain) and our scheduled opening bowler David “Beno” Benson (groin strain) – we knew we were going to be restricted in the field.  Especially by losing Beno’s all round speed, catching and throwing ability in the field.

Nashy and Dee opened the bowling for CCNSW, and Georges River were somewhat cautious in their approach to the chase.  Some good tight bowling from both helped ensure they were 0-16 off 6 overs before the first changes were made.  Brooksy and Gerry O’Shea tried to keep things contained, however the Georges River batsmen managed to take full toll of the rare loose ball to get to 0-45 after 12 overs, with their first retiring batsman in the shed.

The changes were being brought in regularly by Scotty in order to keep the Georges River lads on their toes, and Ed Cross was successful in his second over taking the ex-Australian Over 50s World Cup winning batter out caught behind for only 7 runs.  The bowling remained tight, and Gerry O’Shea helped ensure that Georges River did not get in front of the run rate required.  At the 20 over mark Georges River were sitting comfortably with two in the sheds at 1-84.

Whilst they still had nearly 130 runs to get, in the final 20 overs we were confident that we would be able to contain them if we fielded well.  Unfortunately for us a couple of chances went down but then we took a few quick ones to see them go from 1-103 after 23 overs for Georges River to be at 5-145 after 30 overs. [‘Dutchy’ Craig taking one off Dee at mid-on; Gerry  O’Shea taking a well struck lofted off drive on the chest at a straightish cover to take their skipper for a golden duck; then Punter took a very well judged catch which was never in doubt at cow corner – as Richie Benaud would have said “That’s brilliant – what a beauty!” – and Scotty taking his second caught behind off Dee]

We strived hard in the field but as  often happens the ball was attracted to our restricted fielders in Beno and Weaves, then also seemed to be hit towards Dutchy and Punter who regularly chased the leather all around the park, with some great chases and returns to restrict the runs where possible.

Things were definitely getting interesting as with 10 overs to go, we required another 5 wickets and Georges River required 68 runs – game on lads.  We needed to restrict the runs, as we all know that No Runs = Pressure, and Pressure = Wickets!

The Georges River lads were batting well in partnerships and they kept the scoreboard ticking along at around 6 runs per over.  Then there were a couple of quick wickets with Nashy drawing an outside edge then Ed  Cross also doing  the same, both to Scotty  to take his third and fourth catches behind the stumps for the innings. There were a couple of lusty blows by the Georges River lads in the thirty sixth over, that saw them sneak ahead of CCNSW for the first time in their entire innings.  Then with one ball to go in the 36th over there were a couple of close lightning strikes, followed by claps of thunder and we were immediately ordered off the field by the Umpire.   Due to the lightning strikes we were not allowed to put the covers down, then the heavens absolutely opened up and it bucketed down for about 10 minutes.  At that stage Georges River were 7-196 still requiring 17 runs for the victory off the remaining 4.1 overs.  

After a 30 minute delay there was a pitch inspection by the Umpire and both Captains and unfortunately for both teams the pitch was deemed unplayable due to the residual water on and around the pitch.  It was a cruel blow for CCNSW as the run rates were so close (5.30 vs 5.49). I understand that had the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method been used we apparently would have lost by only 4 runs.

Well done to the Georges River lads for a great afternoon of cricket, that was played with the spirit of cricket by both teams.  It was fantastic for most of the Georges River lads to stick around well after the game for the mandatory “debrief with refreshments”.  We were absolutely smoked by Georges River last year, and it was great for us to restore pride in the Cricketers’ Club emblem by getting so close to toppling them this year.

End result was CCNSW at 7-212 being defeated by Georges River 7-196 (on run rate and DLS).  It was a toss-up between ‘Dee’ and Scotty for the CCNSW man of the match as both made significant contributions with the bat (30* and 50* respectively) and then with the ball and gloves with Dee’s bowling figures finishing at (8-2-40-3) and Scotty taking 4 catches behind the wicket.

The Team was: – Ian Allmey 6, Mike Pinter 18, Paul Nash 0, Mike Weaver 22, Scott Wells (c) 50*, Ed Cross 0, Andrew Davis 30*, Gerry O’Shea 6, David Benson 5, Greg Brooks 30*, David Craig 27*

The Result was: 

C.C.N.S.W.: – 7-212 (40 overs/run rate 5.3 runs p over) (S. Wells 50*; G. Brooks 30*; A. Davis 30*)

Lost to

Georges River: – 7-195 (35.5 overs/run rate 5.49 p over) (A. Davis 3-40)

On run rate

FoW: – 1-9 (I. Allmey), 2-15 (P. Nash), 3-44 (M. Pinter), 4-59 (M. Weaver), 5-59 (E. Cross), 6-108 (G. O’Shea), 7-124 (D.  Benson)

The Bowling was: – P. Nash 5.5-0-30-1; A. Davis 8-2-40-3; G. Brooks 8-1-39-1; G. O’Shea 3-0-15-0; E. Cross 7-0-40-2; D. Craig  4-0-23-0

The Fielding was: –

Stumpings: – Nil

Catches: – 4 to S. Wells (w) and one to each of D. Craig, G. O’Shea and M. Pinter 

Run outs: – Nil

Player points (awarded by umpire): – 3 points to A. Davis; 2 points to S. Wells; one point to G. Brooks

See: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/org/sydney-masters-cricket-association/classics-summer-202223/classics/game-centre/fd7764a6