The ninth Gordon District Cricket Club Charity Golf Day and Dinner has a new venue this year with the reconstruction of the Killara Golf Club and will be held at the picturesque Avondale Golf Club.  As usual the day will include lunch, golf, dinner, drinks and an auction.

Special Guests: The Grade Cricketers

 

The Grade Cricketers - Sam Perry, Rob Edwards and Ian Higgins

Cost & Special Hole sponsorship 

Costs for the day are $300 for lunch, golf, drinks and dinner, $160 for lunch and golf only and $150 for dinner and drinks only.

As a special offer for Corporate Guests, you can again purchase a hole sponsorship for $1,800 (including GST) which includes display of your banner on putting green and at dinner, a poster on a hole, one page of marketing material with the official booklet, exposure on GDCC website, and 4 players for golf and dinner.

It is easy to book, just to GDCC Golf Day Booking. 

We are pleased to announce that an allocation of funds from our auction items will this year go to the Chappell Foundation. The Chappell Foundation aims to raise funds for frontline organisations who are working to provide refuge, nourishment and a better future for homeless youth. Your support will help the youth of Australia get back on their feet. www.thechappellfoundation.com 

Get a group together now for golf and dinner (or just dinner) and enjoy the comradery of the supporters and players of the Gordon District Cricket Club. It is a must not miss event. 

If you would like to download a four-page flyer for the event just click here Golf Day Event Flyer

EVENT DETAILS

DATE: Wednesday May 22, 2019
EVENT: Shambles or Ambrose Format (you choose)
TIMING: 10.00am Registration open
10.30am Brunch
11.30am Shotgun Start
6:00pm Pre-dinner Drinks and Golf event presentation
6.30pm Dinner with special guests The Grade Cricketers and Charity Auction

Geoff Hickman

President 

Gordon District Cricket Club

It is now time to gets your mates together and book a table for the end of season presentation night. The awards will have some close results this season and we have added some extra elements to the night.

At about lunchtime, it looked like Gordon were heading for a decent handful of wins. By the end of the day, 3rds had completed a really good win but everyone else had come off second best, 4ths to Colts by narrow margins. 

Jamie Bekis played a blinder in 3rds to set up the win, while Darren Jayasekera also went close to a brilliant century in 4ths. 

So, in the end, the 4ths and Colts both move on to the finals. 1sts miss out on the finals by less than one win, 3rds come seventh. Tenth in the Club Championship. A moderate season, close to a good one. 

1st Grade 

Gordon won the toss and bowled. Things started in the very best way with Charlie Stobo taking a wicket with the first ball of the game. Glenn Winsor took another with the score at 36 and shortly after, the covers went on for a while. 

On the resumption, Glenn took another and Matt Junk got a couple. In the later overs there was some very aggressive batting and the tail wagged a little, with Sutherland finishing on 237. 

In reply, Lachlan Barnsley was tragically run out in the first over. Another wicket fell before Steve Colley and Axel Cahlin took the score to 88, with a rain break. Axel was dismissed but Harry Evans came in and the score moved to 147 with plenty of overs remaining. Harry was then out and, with Steve following shortly after, things went awry. A couple more wickets went and, when bad light stopped play, Gordon were 8-179 – about 30 runs behind on the Duckworth-Lewis. 

A sad end, as a win would have got the side into the finals series. Almost… 

Gordon 8-179 (Steve Colley 59, Axel Cahlin 38, harry Evans 33) lost to Sutherland 237 (Charlie Stobo 3-35, Matt Junk 2-35, Glenn Winsor 2-50) 

2nd Grade

Gordon batted first and, after losing an early wicket, Dom Thomson and Matt Wright took the score to 46 before the former was out. They found it difficult to form decent partnerships and wickets fell with only Michael Roberts really making a decent contribution. Reagan Klemt, having a guest spot, stroked his first ball for 4 and chipped in with 21 but 154 was disappointing. 

An early run out by Nick Miller got the Stags a bit excited and then Ashwin Premkumar took a wicket as the rain took the teams off for a while. A couple more wickets fell but Sutherland were too good and they passed the Gordon total for the loss of only 4 wickets. 

Gordon 154 (Michael Roberts 39, Dom Thomson 28) lost to Sutherland 4-156. 

3rd Grade 

Sutherland won the toss at Killara. They lost an early wicket, courtesy of Will Calov but a solid partnership took them up to the first rain break. When they got back on, Pat Effeney took two and Chris De Kretser one but a handy partnership added 64 before Chris took another two. One more for Will and a couple to Pat and Sutherland were all out for 211. 

Then…the rain came. A long break finally finished and Gordon were set 169 from 40 overs. 

Jamie bekis and Liam McElduff got the Stags off to a brilliant start, adding 81 in only 19 overs. After Liam’s dismissal, Jamie continued to smite the bowling to all corners. With cameos from Max Papworth, Charlie Booth and Oli Zannino, the win was attained with five overs remaining. An excellent way to finish the year. 

Gordon 5-171 (Jamie Bekis 86, Liam McElduff 31) defeated Sutherland 211 (Pat Effeney 4-25, Chris De Kretser 3-55, Will Calov 2-39) D/L. 

4th Grade 

Sutherland got off to a steady start against a very disciplined Gordon attack. Lachie Burrows took the first wicket in the 26th over, but Sutherland were only 57. The scoring started to accelerate but wickets came with it. Manus Chauhan and Danusha Seneviratne took three between them but a good partnership of 67 threatened to take the game away from the Stags. Raman Phoonie then did a great job, finishing off the innings very capably and Gordon were after 182 for the win. 

Early wickets made the Stags’ job that much more difficult. Darren Jayasekera decided it was his day and played a masterful innings. He had the score moving along quite comfortably but, unfortunately, didn’t receive any substantial support. He was out for a wonderful 93 but, despite a nerve-jangling last wicket partnership, Gordon were dismissed 10 runs short of the total. 

An unfortunate end but the Stags move into the finals series next weekend. 

Gordon 171 (Darren Jayasekera) lost to Sutherland 181 (Raman Phoonie 3-43, Danusha Seneviratne 2-28) 

5th Grade 

Sutherland won the toss and batted at Castlecove. Wicket fell early and they slumped to 3-36. The bowling was steady and, with the slow outfield, Sutherland could only muster 115. 

Gordon’s start was steady but the middle order, with the exception of Steve Bristow, couldn’t do the job and the Stags fell 8 runs short. A sad ending to what had promised to be a pretty good season. 

Gordon 105 (Steve Bristow 31) lost to Sutherland 115 (Dave Monaghan 2-21, Prashan Seneviratne 2-30) 

Colts

The Colts bowled first against Georges River. The batsmen got off to a fair start although Sam Braham bowled well and took a couple. From 4-85, Rohan Watson got into the act and took three quick ones. Georges River fell eventually for 113 – surely an achievable total. 

Unfortunately, the Gordon batsmen struggled with the conditions. Wickets fell consistently, with only Austyn Nugent looking like he might jag the win. Alas, the Stags couldn’t do it, being all out for 96. Austyn’s 39 stood out. 

But, still the finals series beckons next week. 

Gordon 96 (Austyn Nugent 39) lost to Georges River 113 (Rohan Watson 3-20, Sam Braham 3-33).

Following is an excerpt from an article by Dr Daniel Frogan, the legendary Australian sporting identity (coach and psychologist extraordinaire) and historian who has been researching the many and varied pathways taken by Test cricketers all around the world on their way to the highest levels of their sport. 

Sydney Grade/Premier cricket has been wonderfully strong for over a hundred years.  Goodness knows how many Australian players have, at some stage, played at Chatswood or Manly or Coogee or Pratten or Bankstown or Waitara (Mark Taylor) etc etc.

Mason Crane in action for Gordon

There has been a massive amount of publicity about how Steve Smith and David Warner are playing Premier Cricket this season which is fantastic.  A couple of years ago, the ABC Saturday sports program crossed to Chatswood Oval a number of times in the afternoon when Michael Clarke used a grade game between Gordon and Western Suburbs to prove his fitness for the 2015 World Cup.  It was the biggest crowd at Chatswood for a cricket match for many years.

But let's go back a few years to when there was no interstate limited overs competition and T20 was a brand of anti-pimple cream. One would oppose first class players frequently. If there wasn't a Shield game, THEY ALL PLAYED! Second XI or Colts games were played midweek and players were back for the next Saturday. 

Tony Greig, Mike Gatting and Geoff Boycott

Back when the Gordon side contained Phil Emery, Adam Gilchrist, Mark O'Neill, Richard Stobo, the Bankstown team had Steve and Mark Waugh, Steve Small and Wayne Holdsworth, One such game was played in 1991and there was a Shield game on the second weekend. After week one, Bankstown had dismissed Gordon and passed their total, with Steve Small having belted the Stags bowlers to all parts. However, come week two and the Bulldogs were a completely different side (Gordon also lost Emery and O’Neill).  Gordon scored an adequate number of runs in their second innings and then rolled Bankstown for a memorable outright victory. (It was in this innings that Richard Stobo uttered his immortal comment to Waugh III, as recalled by Steve Waugh in his autobiography, page 673).

Ten years before that era, when playing Northern District, one often played the NSW opening bowlers, Steve Bernard and Mark Clews.  Even before that, a St George lineup which included Warren Saunders, Brian Booth, John Rogers, Jack Wilson, Kerry O'Keefe (and others) was something to be feared but also presented a great opportunity to test oneself. 

Andrew Strauss, Nasser Hussain and Shoaib Akhtar

The only overseas Test players since the 60s to play for Gordon have been Scott Styris, Danny Flynn (both New Zealand) and Mason Crane (England).

In fact, since the 60s, over seventy Test players from other countries have graced the Sydney Grade scene.  Some of them were at the beginning of illustrious careers, some in the middle and some at the end.  Many of them have had a great effect on the competition.  Tony Greig and Mike Gatting, for example, had massive seasons and both won the Sydney Morning Herald Player of the Year Awards (in 1975-76 and 1979-80 respectively).  Geoff Boycott scored 1200 runs one season (remember, no Limited Over or T20 games back then!).  Some players used their experience here as an opportunity to broaden their cricketing horizons and went on to bigger and better things.

Mike Gatting even took 55 wickets.  And you didn’t even know he bowled!  Several others players who went on to become English captains, like Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain, continued to develop their skills in Sydney.

West Indian star, Alvin Kallicharran, in his only game against Gordon, on a wet Manly Oval wicket, was dismissed for a duck.  Gordon players were impressed by the manner in which he took the umpire’s somewhat dubious decision.  Apparently, once in the safety of the dressing room, his demeanour changed somewhat.

Alvin Kallicharran

In 2001, the “Rawalpindi Express”, Shoaib Akhtar, got off the plane and drove straight to Mosman Oval to confront the Gordon opening batsmen, Damon Livermore and Peter Crocker (who put on 88 for the first wicket).  I think they were very glad he was a bit weary after a long flight.

Following is a list of the overseas Test players who have played in the Sydney First Grade competition since 1960.  (No doubt there are more)

Overseas Test players in Sydney Grade/ NSW Premier Cricket (1960 to present) 

ENGLAND