5th Grade vs Easts - Round 3 - 2011/12

Sitting on zero points (2 draws) heading into the round 3 matchup against Easts, the boys were gee’d to put on a performance that showed we were a legitimate contender in the 5th Grade competition.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bowl on a deck that offered plenty for both teams, we started somewhat slowly to see the opposition reach 0/29 off the first 10 overs.

Max (Elton Jnr) takes a fantastic catch from Deva

With the skipper’s pre-match words about sticking to our plans and playing a high intensity game of cricket resonating in our bowlers’ ears, we began to build the pressure and saw the batsmen succumb one after the other. 

After Monaghan took the first two poles, that included an LBW and a sharp catch at first slip to newcomer James Hand, the bowling partnership of Chilli (Michael Perry) and Fester (Matt Todd) took over and swung the match in our balance.

Chilli was never astray, combining controlled lines with enough pace to bag his first five-fa in the Gordon colours, while Fester was his usual miserly self allowing minimal runs while beating the bat countless times in a day when he could easily have had 5 himself. Ultimately, their figures were 5/16 off 7 and 2/13 off 10. 

Tristan Cooper flicks one off his legs for a couple

In between wickets, Max Newman (Elton Jnr) further established his likeness to last year’s keeper Andrew Coleman (Elton), displaying his significantly higher IQ than the rest of the team in versing the younger members on military terms that were applicable to our cricket match, such as a ‘war of attrition’.

Unfortunately, he also revealed that he cannot yet count cards (described as ‘extremely easy’ by real Elton), but it is good to see he prefers to put his time into keeping, taking some sharp catches and stumpings throughout the match.

"Joel" Monaghan returned to the attack with Easts 9 down and proceeded to claim the final wicket in his first over to see the opposition total stall at 71. It should be noted that the fielding was significantly improved from last week with all but one chance taken, and with the boys starting to get to know each other better, we displayed the type of team performance that is needed to roll sides.

Deva, Max and Saahil contribute strongly against the Dolphins

With 45 overs left to play, our openers set out to see out the new ball and put us in a good position where this low target would not be troublesome. Saahil Turki (The Gobbler) and Chilli perfectly complimented each other, with Chilli playing the aggressor’s role blasting 26 while The Gobbler (41) turned the strike over with consistency. Chilli’s downfall saw Tom Cockburn (Shaft) enter and for the second week in a row looked solid before falling in the teens.

Elton Jnr then entered and looked a class above the opposition smoking many a cover drive to post a personal score of 41 and more importantly a partnership of 74 that saw our lead extended quite quickly. With the thought of having a crack at Easts before the close of play we then set out to get some quick runs, however this did not eventuate with batsmen instead playing loose shots and falling cheaply. With a declaration at 7/181, we had the opportunity to bowl 7 overs at the batsmen and put us well and truly on top. Despite tight bowling and a few shouts, no wickets fell, with Easts 104 behind going into Day 2.

Day 2 started with a Deva beamer almost taking off the young Easts bat’s head. With his Dad at the other end, heated moments were on the cards but it wasn’t to be. Clearly fazed, the batsmen left the next ball that coincidentally also happened to be the ball of the match, swinging in before cutting further and clipping the off bail.

Dogged batting saw the score meander slowly before Joel was able to claim another for the match, continuing his dominant form. Easts had one batsman who was a class above everyone, compiling a solid innings of 80* with only one half chance that was a near screamer by the ginger Brad Haddin (Carl Kinghorne), however wickets fell with consistency at the other end through continued sustained pressure.

Matt Todd continues his strong start to the season with more wickets in the bag

Wickets were shared throughout, with our pace trio of Chilli, Deva and Joel all bagging 2, while Fester added another to his tally for the season.

Alex Jackson (nickname still coming) snared his first for the club through quick thinking by Elton Jnr behind the stumps, with Toddy noting that perhaps it was a direct consequence of a fresh and much needed haircut? The lads continued to stay on top, with Easts bowled out for 131 after a run out, leaving us a target of 22 with 3 hours left in the day. 

With Chilli’s countless jibes pertaining to his excitement for the Poker Night heard throughout the day, it was no surprise to see the score knocked off almost immediately. He contributed 21 of the 23 runs scored to see us home by 10 wickets in a man of the match performance. Pleased to get off the mark and claim 10 points, the 5s now sit at 7th and with a clash against St George beckoning. If we can continue to build upon our strong form there is no reason as to why we can’t just win but dominate.

Tristan Cooper