1st Grade Report Day 2 vs Sutherland
 
Compared to the majority of 1^st grade results last weekend, our result was one of the least exciting. Good I say. That's exactly what we set out to achieve. Next. We batted without 'ruth', ruthless in other words, and fort hard as batting unit to stay in control of the game from ball one.
 
James Packman congratulates Harry Evans on reaching 50 runs

Having made leaps and bounds with his nutrition last week, I decided to enquire about how Reece 'gun rack' Bombas prepared for last Saturday's match. This is how the conversation went:
Reece: 'I ate healthy again Bev but.'
Bevo: 'But what?'
Reece: 'I had a bagel with avocado and tomato'.
Bevo: 'Awesome Bomba! So pleased to hear it. Was that all?'
Reece: 'Na, it also had eggs and bacon on it but'
Bevo: 'Oh, that's OK, was the egg fried?'
Reece: 'Not sure, I got it from Macca's'
 
Well, still some work to do. Prior to ball 1, there was a collision between our favourite stick insect James 'I was a hit with the cougars in Wagga' Kennedy and Elliot 'Swedish House Mafia' Richtor in what Reece described as 'the greatest warm up game ever'. There were legs and claws everywhere. The only reason I raise this point is for that Els came off second best. Better luck next time Tiny Tempah. 
 
The top 3 set the match up for the Stags. Greg 'You'll see me on the cover of Men's Health shortly' Lewis got the chase off to a great start. Determined once again to grind out the opening session, Greg 'Lew-da-cris' Lewis was positive throughout the first hour ticking the scoreboard over with singles.

Harry Evans looked in great touch as he brought the side home against the Sharks

We lost Steve 'Ive actually got 2 courto's at Tumbi' Colley to a ball that took the top of off stump. Steve 'She actually hurled a bottle of water at me' Colley was looking in splendid touch. Some of the greatest 'shape' was being produced off the front foot and it is only fair that we mention that 'cover drive'' that went for 3. The challenge was set for Blair 'Go away!' Lindsey, get to lunch with 'gettin' Lewis. In hindsight, this session probably defined the match. Batting was tough. The ball was moving around for the Sutherland attack, however our boys held tough, and with a brief rain delay we made it to lunch 1-61 with 'The Temple' on 30 odd and Linds 20 odd.
 
After the break, the boys were able to play with a bit more freedom. The grind continued, however the runs started to flow. 'The Adonis' Lewis started to free the arms and open his massive chest with some great shots over point off the back foot. Lindsey followed suit and took a liking to the spinner with some excellent sweep shots. Just as things looked settled things changed dramatically. Within the space of 10 minutes, both 'Bahai' Lewis and Linds picked up half centuries and both got out.
 
With the score now at 3- 130 odd and 2 new batsmen at the crease, the game was again in the balance. James 'gun skull' Packman was called upon in circumstances that required 'a captains knock'. Well Packers did not disappoint. Similar to Dan 'Dylans Apprentice' Smith's form at 'the Beery', James 'got lewis' Packman jumped on the front foot and took the game to the Sutherland bowlers. The skipper played some unbelievable strokes, not shots. Packman played with touch and timing, stroking the ball to the boundary.

Unfortunately, Reece 'oi JK, what's your bowling average?' Bombas was not able to support his skipper with a partnership. Enter Harry 'mullet boy' Evans. Similar to his favourite dance floor move, 'the gun rack' looked in great touch, producing a near perfect sequence to full and short deliveries. Hitting the tea break we still required 100 runs or so to win the match.
 
James Packman played a 'skipper's knock' on his way to 92

For the final time Mr and Mrs Connell signed off in style producing a stella tea. All the greats were present. From scones and jam to the signature Connell dish of Gyoza's. The afternoon tea was brilliant as per usual. Thank you very much for your efforts throughout Dylan's career.
 
In order to win the match, we needed to push the run rate along. With wickets in hand and Packman and Evans at the crease, both victory and the 'Beery' were in sight. The boys dominated the final session. Harold got his guns out of the rack passing 50 with a massive 6 clearing the train tracks! At the other end, Packman was in a hurry. He took down the Sutherland attack as if he needed to be somewhere up the coast at 7pm.

At times 'gun skull' was impossible to bowl to. Some glorious cover drives. We passed Sutho 4 down. The run chase was well constructed set up by the top order. Last weekend we proved to ourselves what we are capable as a unit when we apply ourselves. Packers finished on 92 not out. A terrific innings which deserved three figures and very enjoyable to watch.

Good on ya Marcus, good on ya Stags.

Special mention must go to "The Moth" and 5th grade who came to cheer 1st grade over the line whilst Toddy cooked up a storm on the BBQ. Thanks boys, your support means a lot.

Bevo

Day 1 vs Sutherland 1st Grade at Chatswood Oval

Before we review what happened on the first day, this reporter would like to make a few 'off field' observations about the Gordon 1^st XI. The first being our coach was missing. That's right, Mark 'the juggler' O'Neill (not for his hand-eye coordination... well maybe that's got something to do with his nickname?) returned to 'the motherland' last week. I can't speak for my fellow team mates, however, I certainly missed his customary greeting in the change sheds.

Dylan "man of many nicknames" Connell continues to perform in his final year

The covers were put on the trolley in record time, well done boys. No thanks to Dylan 'number 11' Connell who was doing his best Justin 'my 10 pairs of Gordon shorts were ripped so I had to wear my Blues ones to training' Avendano impression...no help at all. Reece 'new number 1' Bombas consumed real food prior to the match. Yes it's true, he ate 2 pieces of fruit, instead of the routine Maccas' breakfast.

Finally, having speculated around James 'one knee' Kennedy's love life last time, this reporter was shocked to hear that last week 'one knee' became 'no knee's'. That's correct, James is off his knees, back on his feet and back on the market with a smile on his face. Congratulations James 'rebound' Kennedy, we are very happy for you.

Back to the day's play. Sutherland chose to bat on a fairly typical 2010/11 Chatswood wicket that was going to offer some assistance for the bowlers. Right from the outset Dylan 'what will the side do for entertainment next season without me?' Connell was a handful. Unplayable at times, Dylan let the ball do the work off the wicket, both ways might I add. He was unlucky not to pick up the prized wicket of Jacques in a close LBW decision. In the meantime, James 'plenty of fish...' Kennedy was toiling away at the other end. The first breakthrough came from a change at Kennedy's end. Dan 'down 3 spots' Smith found the inside edge and got the Stag's on their way in the first hour. We won't speak about 'what could have been', however Kennedy swapped ends and picked up our second wicket as the Stag's headed to lunch with the score at 2-80.

The middle session, as so often is the case, would define how the day was going to turn out. Greg 'the temple' Lewis refuelled with his low GI meal in order to not only maintain his blood glucose levels but also his body fat percentage of 12.9%. Like Greg 'gettin' Lewis, Dylan was ready to go after his spicy Subway and a couple of routine warm up deliveries to Steve 'I have access to a courtesy bus for the coast night' Colley. Miraculously Steve survived Dylan's warm up, however Sutherland's number 3 Murphy did not.

James Kennedy picks up the wicket of Phil Jacques

Connell trapped him in front and the Stag's got the early breakthrough they were looking for. Elliot 'I juggle like our coach' Richtor entered the attack in order to create pressure. Elliot 'Punna' Richtor found his rhythm and soon after sixth wicket bowling in tandem with Steve 'I'm addicted to Thursday nights at the Greenwood' Colley. Steve picked up two crucial wickets in the middle session and brought the momentum of the game back in favour of the Stags at tea time, 6-180.

Special mention must go to Mrs Lewis who provided a spectacular tea for the players. Once again our reputation of having one of the best tea's in Sydney was upheld. Thank you very much.

The Stags were looking to close out the final session and restrict the next weeks run chase to around the 200 mark. Having had some early success after the break with Connell and Smith, we 'wavered' slightly and expected the last two wickets to just happen. Credit must go to the Sutherland batsman Hopkins and Fitzgerald who put on close to 90 runs for the 8^th wicket. However, as a group we could have handled this situation with a bit more energy and vigour. As it turned out, we bowled our required 96 overs and only managed to get Sutherland 9 down in the process. I must admit that 287 is a very gettable target. We should take a lot of confidence into next week knowing that if we bat as a unit, we will come out on top.

'Beery' here we come.

Bevo

1st Grade Match Report v. Fairfield-Liverpool

It's been an eventful two weeks for the 1^st grade team with two of our ranks being selected for higher honours, Dylan 'Smoking' Connell taking another 5 poles as his son Reece so kindly pointed out in the sheds after Day 2; and Greg '12.4%' Lewis adding to his season tally with a patient and very necessary 75 not.

Dan Smith gets some good rise out of the Lions' deck

First of all, I'd like to congratulate James 'Greatos' Kennedy and Reece 'Works for you' Bombas on their Future's League and 2^nd XI selection's respectively; which have come off the back of both hard work and good, consistent performance. JK is now one of, if not the most relentless and competitive bowlers every Tuesday and Thursday which is showing dividends come Saturday. Reece, although he can't make Tuesday training due to work commitments makes up for this with extra hits on the coast and with him finding himself this year has piled on the runs after Christmas.

But I digress, and so onto the action from Rosedale. From memory the weather was overcast come Saturday morning and the threat of rain loomed almost the whole day, much the same all around Sydney. With a relatively dry week preceding the start of the round we were expecting a dry and overall good pitch with which our skipper could hopefully win the toss and make a positive decision. Cricket is a funny game though and ultimately it was one of those good tosses to lose, in the end Fairfield won the toss and chose to bat.

Dan's unlucky not to pick up this wicket after the skipper grasses a chance

Our bowlers were unleashed on what was a softer pitch than first thought and ridges lining it just short of a length. As mentioned Dylan bowled particularly well, forcing the top order into playing and missing more times than this author can count. His first wicket came from a good catch at 1^st slip by Packers, our slippers practice coming into good use. Overall Dyl's 5 wickets came at a cost of 25 runs, most notably from 20 overs of effort.

Like any team game such an individual performance requires support all around the ground, and at the other end we had JK and Elliot Richtor keeping the Fairfield batsmen to fewer than 2 runs per over, each picking up a wicket. Smith, although he went for a few more runs. picked up two wickets for his efforts. I think a look through the score card speaks volumes of how well we bowled to our plan, which like any other team is in that 'corridor of doubt'. All but the last wicket fell to catches behind the wicket, or by the boys sending pegs in all directions.

Bombas in good form at the moment

JK and Bomber shared many things during our stint in the field, in particular was the banter that was being hurled from gully to fine leg. If only we could pen some of their quips for all to enjoy because the boys behind the stumps had a great morning listening to it. Now there is one more thing they shared, not a lady, a pizza or even a shower but it was the number sitting in their wickets column. Banter.

For our efforts we had Fairfield dismissed at tea for 127 and as the weather would have it no more play would be seen this week, with the exception of the poker played in the sheds which I'm led to believe Els cleaned up.

Day 2 saw a brighter day, a slightly different pitch and another love bite but that's another story. Greg as already touched on played a very patient innings and controlled the Stags run chase in a great show in tricky conditions. Steve Colley on the other hand belted the ball to all parts in a promising stint at the crease for 29 and showed the difference a positive start can make to a run chase, particularly a small one. As a team we've noticed the warm up habits of our opponents and while the soccer game warm up remains the Achilles heel of opposition, this author learnt a valuable lesson. Teams like this are likely to have good kicking skills; unfortunately for me said opposition sent a booming penalty spot kick into the top of off.

Run hard kids!

Packers continued Steve 'Buck's party' Colley's positivity towards his 32 and again showed positive things coming into our last two fixtures for the year. All in all a very polished performance from a team really starting believe in their ability and that of those around them, well done boys.

Greg Lewis stands tall to stroke the ball down the ground

This week we look to Sutherland in the last two day and home game of the season. In particular week two of the fixture and the organised 1^st grade coast night. I'd like to take the opportunity to announce that James Kennedy has committed to the night and Bevo is likely to continue his self confessed addiction to the amber fluid and enthusiastic love of the 'Beery'.

Blair Lindsay

Gordon 1st XI v Penrith at Chatswood Oval

Following on from our good win against Northern Districts, we were ready to face Penrith.

Yes... your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Reece Bombas

After some very hot weather in Sydney all week, the temperature was predicted to reach over 40 degrees so one could say there was some interest from the team on what to do if we won the toss but after looking at the somewhat grassy pitch it was decided to put Penrith in and for us to battle the heat.  Our opening bowlers started very well despite the conditions, with Penrith being 3 for 30 in the early part of the morning but we still had some work to do.

With a drinks break every 40mins to help with the heat and our bowlers being rotated in short spells we were able to get Penrith all out for 126 just after the lunch break. Dan and Dylan were at their best taking 4 wickets each. It would be remiss of me not to mention Bevo's brilliant wicketkeeping (I think he has been doing some gymnastics training) and the rest of the team were energetic in the field taking some good catches. 

With the target set and pitch still a bit grassy we knew it was not going to be easy to bat, which for me, Steve, James and Blair proved unfortunately too true.

So at 4 for 18 we were in big trouble, in went Reece(play it under your eyes) and Elliot who after some very good and patient batting guided us past the Penrith score late in the day. Elliot was unlucky not to get his 50, just falling short, and at the end of Day 1 we were 20 or so in front. On Sunday the weather started off very similar to Saturday and Reece (play it under your eyes) continued on with Iain at the crease with him.

After falling short last week against N.D.'s Reece(p.i.u.y.e) finally made a much deserved 114 and Iain making a great 71 we finished up with 284, a lead of 158 with 2 sessions to go. Penrith went in to bat again and we had them 6 down, Reece(p.i.u.y.e) continuing on from his batting also took 2 wickets in the Penrith 2^nd innings but unfortunately we were thwarted due to the change in weather conditions and an outright win slipped away from us.

A more familiar picture of Reece 'Cletus' Bombas - he sure has been getting some focus in the latter half of the season

A great team effort by the Stags and let's see if we can make it 3 in row against a very strong Fairfield/Liverpool outfit.

Greg Lewis

1st Grade send the Rangers packing

1^st grade provided a true team performance, and the first two-day victory of the season, against highway rivals Northern Districts.

Well bowled James Kennedy!

Day 1

Greg Lewis had been leaving training early all week (or is that all year??) to help JK's uncle roll the Waitara pitch. So, when the coin fell in Packman's favour, 'Buck' Colley and 'Mirrors' Lewis were sent out to bat.

Unfortunately Steve pushed at one early on and was caught behind. Blair Lindsay joined Mirrors, who was punishing anything over pitched and looking very confident. Unfortunately Mirrors then received the 'only ball that moved all innings' and managed to feather it behind.

At 2-51 we needed a partnership, Packman and Lindsay provided one. Neither batsman looked troubled in their innings, with Blair's six over square leg and James' driving being the highlights. Unfortunately a mix up saw both batsmen finishing at one end, with James the unlucky batsman to be dismissed.

Blair was out soon afterwards, caught and bowled for an excellent 68. From then onwards Reece 'Cleetus' Bombas combined with the middle and lower order for a series of relatively small partnerships. Only James Kennedy provided meaningful support. JK played his most aggressive innings... ever. JK's batting has improved out of sight over the last two years and two fours, both lifting the spinner over the infield, were indicative of his hard work. A partnership of 55 important runs saw Reece and JK get the score to 342. Unfortunately after JK's dismissal, Dylan 'Jonty' Connell was out first ball.

Despite the score of 342 all out, the Stags could definitely have scored 400+ if a middle order player had stuck around with Reece. Still, this was a great batting performance from the top order. Reece finished on 87* a superb innings of patience and placement ' words generally not associated with Bomber. Hopefully there are many more runs to come.

Reece Bombas makes a big impact on the field, as well as off!

There were a couple of memorable off-field moments, all involving the supposedly banned mobile phone.

Reece thought tea was the perfect moment to update his facebook status to 'fighting hard'. Dylan Connell took it upon himself to assume the identity of a certain teammate and rekindle his courting skills, via text message. Needless to say he was called a paedophile ' true story.

Day 2

Although 342 is an imposing score, an excellent pitch and the fact a 2 day victory had yet to be achieved, meant 1^st grade were not at all complacent. Marcus spoke concisely 'bowl line and length, and take your catches!'.

We began well, Dylan bowling an exceptional spell. Both Dyl and JK picked up one each to have the Rangers 2-17. A partnership of 40-odd developed, but at a very slow run-rate. Elliot Richter bowled very accurately at this point (and all day), building pressure with dot balls. He finished with 0-20 off 13 overs.

Dylan managed to find the edge of the opening batsman three times, with the final chance being snaffled by Iain Beverley.

Soon afterwards, Dan Smith picked up the valuable wicket of Nelson after an over of play-and-misses as well as edges, quickly followed by Rod Hokin. ND's were 5-58.

Despite a streaky partnership developing in the middle of the Ranger's innings, Gordon bowled very steadily. Dylan produced a gem of a delivery to clean bowl one of middle order players and break the partnership.

From this point onwards the Stags bowlers dominated (there was no ruth). JK came back to finish off the tail and the last five wickets fell for just 7 runs. Northern Districts were all out for 123 after 53 overs.

The Stags enforced the follow on but on a now very flat deck and with tired bowlers it was difficult to penetrate the opening partnership. With Evans next in line to bowl, the captains agreed to finish proceedings.

Finally a two-day victory and a dominating one as well!!

Our inconsistency has been our downfall this season so we must continue our hard work and step up next week against Penrith.

Finally, I couldn't finish the report without notifying Gordon players/supporters about the Central Coast enigma that is Reece Bombas.

All year Reece 'Cletus' Bombas has been acting as dating coach for the single men of 1^st grade.  You can't really argue with his record either:

- Blair Lindsay is now attached thanks to Reece's advice.
- Reece had '5 or 6' girls on their way to ladies day (there was a big crash on the F3 so none made it).
- Multiple Central Coast girls drove an hour down the F3 to see Reece at the Orchard

For those interested, Reece has three points which, if completed correctly, will ensure you 'pick-up' (this is legitimate):

1. Be Nice & have manners ' Open doors for women, stand up to meet women etc.
2. Ask Questions ' Keep them on their toes with relentless questioning ('New girl, new questions, new answers')
3. Dance ' You have to be able to dance, and more specifically, twirl a young lady

Good luck.

Harry Evans

An outright loss after being in a promising position

After a fiery encounter on Day One between the two teams the Stags were looking to consolidate after a positive performance in the first innings. With the two captains taken aside by the umpires before the start of play, both teams were reminded about the 'spirit of cricket' and the boundaries that were crossed the previous week. Although we had to be careful about what was to be said, the intensity and passion that we displayed on the first day could not be lost.

Dylan Connell, Kennedy's soft target

The first hour of everyday is critical, however on this occasion it determined who would gain the outright win. Although after addressing the way we bowled in the first hour of play last week, the bowlers could not execute their plans and failed with their line and length again. Combining this with some aggressive batting Manly put on 70 within the first hour. However to the bowlers' credit they came back really well and after collecting the first wicket of the day they went on to collect the remainder of wickets rather quickly before lunch to set up a chase. With James 'Tos' Kennedy and Dylan 'RAW!' Connell collecting five and three wickets respectively, each of the pace bowlers contributed well throughout the match.

The lunch break saw Dylan Connell bringing out his 'playing cards' to calm the batters before they went out to chase the 180 needed for an outright win. I know there is a trend developing with my reports in which Dylan becomes my bunny, but other then Reece 'Casanova' Bombas giving love advice to Iain 'the Gnome' Beverley little is said or produced within the change rooms these days. So with Casanova giving his love song dedications and Dylan displaying his prized possessions the opening bats were ready to take the journey their and back again. At the time l wasn't so sarcastic with the score being 3 for 3. With wickets continually falling and no partnerships really developing the Stags were embarrassingly dismissed for 70 runs in the second innings. This week's performance was passionless and lacking discipline which has been the story of the season so far. Although it continuously gets mentioned that we are a young side developing, the majority of this team has been playing cricket for Gordon for many seasons and by now should know how much their wicket is worth to their team mates and their club.

Sitting at 14^th position on the ladder the 1^st graders have a lot of work to do to achieve our goal of a top 10 finish. However with a strong performance against Northern Districts this weekend we can gain some valuable points to our cause. Off field in the coming weeks the Gnome will put Casanova's advice into action as he searches for a date, Blair 'Buffy' Lindsay will need a blood transfusion and Steve 'Baby Bash' Colley will give a tutorial on how to shave your legs to become a professional cricketer.

We'll take on the Districts, Waitara way!!!

James Kennedy

1st Grade T20 vs Easts

After the tiring excitement of the previous day against Manly, the Stags 1^st grade team had a new challenge on the Sunday in a T20 contest against Easts.

Blair Lindsay performing with the bat after taking 3 wickets

Easts had the opportunity to set a total for the Stags to chase, on a pitch which only 24 hours prior had seen 23 wickets fall in a days play. They went about doing so with vigour despite the best efforts of the Stags bowling attack. It seemed the opposition batsmen always had the upper hand, regularly finding the boundary when needed.

The Gordon lads were not helped by the fact two of their bowlers succumbed to injuries whilst in the field with Emo dislocating a finger and BG straining his ribs.  Blair 'Buffy' Lindsay was the best of the bowlers picking up 3 wickets. Easts finishing with 166 runs from their allotted 20 overs.

Gordon started all guns blazing and after two overs, the scoreboard read 1 for 33. A very strong start was not capitalised on with many of the top order throwing their wickets away unnecessarily. Emo was unable to bat and BG was very restricted in his efforts, which did not help the Stags cause. Despite some superb ball striking from  Iain 'the Troll' Beverley,  the Easts total was out of reach, with Gordon being bowled out in the 18^th over, 28 runs adrift.

It  was a game 1^st grade could have won and from the position they were in probably should have.  A disappointing end to the T20 campaign, seeing the Stags winless from four attempts after making the semi-finals the year before.

Dylan Connell 

Christmas provides the catalyst for a sterling performance  

The first day of cricket after the Xmas break often provides plenty of excitement. However I don't think anybody would have predicted events to unfold the way they did at Chatswood on Saturday.

Dan Smith is congratulated by his team mates

Packman won his first toss for 2011 and chose to bowl on a pitch that would offer the bowlers some assistance early and then flatten out later in the day. Manly began their innings aggressively, with some wayward bowling assisting their quick start. At 1 for 51, it appeared that the Stags bowlers were in for the long haul. Dan Smith however had other ideas.

Replacing Connell at the Southern end, 'Nintendo' began what was to be the best 8 over spell by a bowler this season. He bowled with excellent control and aggression, luring the Manly batsmen into false shots. They were seemingly unable to cope with a little movement and the extra bounce the Chatswood pitch was providing. Smith claimed 6 wickets in the space of an hour to decimate the Manly batting line-up.

Supported by Connell who had switched ends and was also bowling with plenty of aggression, Manly had crumbled to be 9 for 90 at the lunch break. The Manly innings was wrapped up quickly after lunch, they had batted for 30 overs and managed to put 101 runs on the board. Smith finished with 6 for 25. He was not the only bloke to take 6 wickets as such in the innings, as Iain 'The Troll' Beverly had performed superbly behind the stumps, taking 6 catches in the innings.

The job for the Stags was only half done (or a quarter as it now appears), with the batsmen required to dig in and withstand what was going to a fired up Manly bowling attack.

Gordon began steadily, the score reaching 29 before the 1^st wicket fell. Manly, as expected were throwing everything they had, both physical and verbal  at the Stags. At 3 for 74 it appeared Gordon would pass them comfortably and then begin to build a substantial lead. Cricket is a fickle game however and the half an hour leading into the tea break yielded 4 wickets and only 15 runs, with the scoreboard reading 7 for 91 when play ceased.

Dylan Connell gets the Manly batsmen playing false shots outside off-stump

After another fantastic Chatswood Tea, Nintendo and James 'the Mantos' Kennedy successfully negotiated the final Manly barrage and safely guided the Stags into the lead. With Gordon eventually being bowled out for 140.

Manly began their second innings nervously, with the Mantos claiming 2 early wickets and Roughley chiming in to have Manly 3 for 50. Their batsmen began to dig in and by stumps they had reached 102 for the no further loss.

Manly have a lead of 60 runs with 7 wickets in hand going into day 2. There is a lot of cricket left in this match with the young Stags needing to fight hard to maintain then upper hand on Day 2.

Dylan Connell 

1st Grade vs Sydney University

No report submitted by Steve Colley

1st Grade are shown up by Parramatta in a T20 match

This report will be short and not so sweet. After what was a less than ideal preparation for the weekend the 1st XI put together one of its worst performances to date for this season. Our bowling lacked the necessary precision needed for 20/20 cricket on most occasions; Connell and Richtor being the exceptions.

Iain Beverley, the only shinning light with the bat

Parramatta got off to a flyer and were cruising along at 10 per over in the first handful of overs. Balls were being blasted to the boundary in all directions, which was an indicator that our line and lengths were not what they needed to be. After 20 tough overs in the field we managed to restrict the total to 186 which was a reasonable finish given that we were staring down the barrel of a 200+ chase at the half way point.

A positive belief and a commitment to the task were needed to chase down a pretty decent T20 total. Again we didn't walk the walk as the innings started poorly and failed to gain momentum with the top order failing to deliver what they are supposed to.

Iain 'The Troll' Beverley was the only one to put up a fight his gallant effort of 56 from 44 balls saved a little face for the team, starving us from certain embarrassment. Bevo batted the way he knows how and is fast becoming the mainstay of the batting order and the man to turn to when the chips are down. Keep showing the way Bev, the boys will follow!!!! More application and practice to improve our skills are required particularly given certain match/ game situations. Less talk and more action is required into Christmas and the New Year to ensure an enjoyable finish to the season.

James Packman 

A semi-final win over Randwick - Petersham secures a Grand Final spot for 2nd Grade

The Stags B-siders saved their most complete team performance for the two most important days of the season to date. Hosting the semi-final at Chaaaaaaatswood, "senior Thornborough twin" Garratt won the toss and had no hesitation letting his four-strong wolf pack loose under swing conducive skies.

Garratt leads from the front with his blade, getting the side across the line

They did not disappoint. Adair "I consider myself a bit of a loner" Durie (3/20 off 17 overs) set an ever high bar, bowling through the entire first session and never allowing the Randwick Petersham bats to settle into their work. The pack quickly grew by one with James "I changed my facebook name too... to Jimmy" Campbell (3/15 off 11.4) producing as miserly a spell as ever before wait a second, could it be? there was a third in the pack with "Banana bending" Beau Sadler (3/13 off 11) ripping through the Randy Petes middle order. The pack was superbly supported by a committed fielding display, highlighted by an excellent early catch at 3rd slip by "Mr" Beau Sadler and four handy (including one very special) graps by "the younger Thornborough twin" Thornborough behind the sticks. Randwick Petersham 86 all out in 45.4 overs.

With more than half the day's play remaining, the Stags top order set about building a platform for a long stint at the crease, with the skipper Garratt (45 off 182) and "Jordie's missus" Liddle (31 off 100) putting their heads together for 31 overs to put on 56 crucial runs. The highlight of this match securing partnership was undoubtedly the patience exhibited and the willingness to outbore each other and the Randy Petes' fielders. Here's hoping for more of the same this weekend! First innings points were secured for the loss of three bats, before the fourth wicket fell at the overnight score of 4/99.

After a stuttering start to the second day, Craig "Busboy" Thornborough (56* off 75) showed his potential with the blade by mixing defence and controlled aggression to score 47 of the last 60 runs, securing a first innings lead of 94 (Gordon all out 180 in the 80th over). Ever hard to suppress, the contributions of wolf pack leaders Campbell (a 28 ball duck) and Durie (2 off 18) cannot be overlooked in enabling CT to do his thing and build the lead. If all ten wickets were sold at such a price the captain wouldn't be losing so much of his hair.

Jordan Liddle stuck around with his skipper, before striking out on the second day

With only 54 overs of play remaining, Randy Petes threw everything at the B-Stags, piling on 9(dec)/ 149 in 22 overs, with Adair "Kong" Durie collecting yet another triple (3/ 60 off 9) and "JC-Bomb" Campbell (2/55 off 9), Ben "Benjamin James" Garratt (2/ 19 off 3) and Beau "Beau" Sadler (1/10 off 2) all chipping in to stem the flow of runs by taking wickets. With the exception of a howler of a drop from an unnamed left arm opening swing bowler, the fielding and catching standards were maintained in tricky conditions and this is sure to be a key ingredient in the trophy tilt. With 56 runs required in 30 overs for outright points, Cameron "Captain Waterproof" Eccles (38 off 42) was having nothing of merely seeing out the day, smashing the ball to all parts to bring home the win in style inside 14 overs.

And thus the seconds roll on to face North Sydney in the ultimate match of the season at Hurstville Oval this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 1 vs 2 from the end of the regular season. Nothing to lose and everything to gain in a match that the Stags have not competed in for over 15 years and have not won for nigh on 85. Cometh the hour cometh the Stag.

Pow!
Ben Garratt

2nd Grade have a hiccup on their way to the finals

It seems I have the unfortunate task of reporting on one of the very few losses that the Stags second grade has endured this season and therefore may be a rather short report. It seemed an odd game right from the start. We arrived on a pleasant saturday morning at Chatswood to find the grass roughly shin high due to the approaching rugby season, and continued on out to the middle where we discovered a brand new wicket which felt a little soft. This situation would not have been predicted by many.

Adair Durie charges in on a deck that provided assistance to the bowlers

We lost the toss and no surprise we were sent into bat. Cam and myself were given the instructions to be more cautious than usual given the uncertainty of the wicket. I failed to do this at all and was out in the third over. Cam played some good shots however he fell in reasonably quick succession, Which was followed by Justin, which was followed by Garratt, which was followed by Harry Turner and before long we were looking in a very uncomfortable position at 5 for 29. 'Missy' Higgins and Will Sweeney put up some resistance to take the score to 52 before Missy was out. The tail did wag a little with some big hitting from Sadler, but without doubt the most comfortable bat of the day was Will Sweeney who topscored with 25. We finished all out for 92 0ff just 35 overs, easily our lowest total this season.

At the break Garratt told us that despite the total we put on the board we should give it 100% with the ball and in the feild, and I believe for the opening part of thier innings we did that. The bowlers tried hard and there was good energy in the field, however you know when the end is near when Missy gets a bowl, with Blacktown needing only four runs to win missy bowled his first, and dare I say last ball in grade cricket which ended at the mid wicket boundary and game over. With considerably better batting condtions, in the end Blacktown passed our total four wickets down.  

After the game Garratt stressed to the boys that we shouldnt lose confidence after this game, I know all the lads will train hard during the week and be ready for our preliminary final against Sydney at Chatswood, for what is the biggest game of our season to date.

Jordan Liddle 

2nd Grade have a solid win against the Sharks

With the prospect of securing 2^nd position or even chasing down leaders North Sydney the reserve graders made their way down to Caringbah to net us some sharks. Mini Missy (Liddle) and Mini Sadds (Avendano) had an especially long trip ahead of them especially after their cosmetic surgery to look more like their idols.

Will "Manatee" Sweeney flounders around the field

Losing the toss on what seemed like a flat and true pitch we knew we needed to work hard to bowl a underachieving Sutherland side out. With the likes of Murphy the Sharks had the potential to hurt us early on with some big hitting. Early wickets were the key to unlocking their batting. 'Morpheus' Campbell got us off to a flyer, snicking off the opener for a gentle catch to 'Lowndes' Thornborough. Some questions were asked if he did hit it but Missy believed it would get squared up later. 'Morpheus' continued to trouble the batsmen and was rewarded when he broke through the deference's of the Sharks no. 3.

'King Kong' Durie also toiled away at the opposite end with a couple of lbw shouts being turned down. Kong after throwing down some heavy barrels got his man Mario with a catch to point. 'Chippy' Sadler was the next to get a breakthrough with a catch to 'Mini Sadler'. There was still a bit of danger with Murphy still occupying the crease and still looking aggressive. In stepped the sea creature of the hour; the famous Manatee.

Is it a Dugong, is it a Seal, no it's a 'Manatee'.

With six wickets required to get the Stags into bat, 'Manatee' Sweeney saw his opportunity and floundered (I don't think Manatees can pounce or even do anything a speed). Murphy gone stumps scattered everywhere like limbs in a Saw movie. He then teamed up with 'Poco' Thornborough, 'Heels' Avendano and the occasional solo effort of obliterating the sticks, to finish off the Sutherland middle and lower order to finish with 6 for 24 off 6. In the context of the game he was able to snatch player of the round, that's the 1^st one for the season for 2's.

The real Beau Saddler strides out as he sends one down

With only 30 overs bowled in the day so far a lot of cricket was still to be played. The plan was to bat for the rest of the day and pile on the runs. Did our game plan happen, wouldn't have thought so. Chasing down these small totals needs a good start and that's what 'JA's mate' Liddle and I set out to do. Unfortunately 'Mini Missy' Liddle took a leaf out of his messiah's handbook and left one a little too close to his stumps and was bowled with the score at 1 -10. In stepped our heroic leader to steady the ship and build a partnership. We added 20 to the score until BG poked at one outside off stump and was caught in the cordon for 0.

'Knees' Avendano limped his way out to the centre and after his usually greeting of 'no quick singles' we set out trying to build on our total. Yet again we couldn't get any momentum with our batting losing both JA and myself with the score at 56, still 50 to get. 'Hootch' Turner was joined by 'SS Cargo' Higgins and put together a little partnership to get us past the Sharks total before Hootch was cleaned up by a part time spinner and Cargo smashed one to the wicketkeeper. It was left up to the tail to salvage something of the day and they did disappoint (harsh?) only adding another 30 runs ending our innings at 136 and still 13 over's to play. The highlight of our batting performance was King Kong's innings of 4, 4, Out (very entertaining).

With 6 points and 2nd place on the ladder secured the motivation to grab 10 points wasn't there. The second innings saw the sharks set us 240 runs to chase in 40 overs. We didn't attempt to chase down the runs, instead opting to get some valuable centre wicket batting under our belts. In the end it was a nothing day. Big club, 2 grandstands,

BANG!!!!!!!!

Cam Eccles

Player Profile: This weeks player of the round
Name: Manatee
Height : 3.5m Long
Weight : Pretty Heavy
Likes: Tennis, sushi, the Aquarium, smashed crabs,
Fears: Ships and propellers, and Rex Hunt
Favorite Movie: The Little Mermaid

Next Week's Articles
Jordan Liddle next Charlie Sheen???
Justin Avendano gives a quick lesson in jogging.
Beau Saddler: The Dangers of domestic abuse.

2nd Grade Report laden with nicknames and great individual performances

The two days of Round 13 against Fairfield-Liverpool consisted of two very different days of weather. The first day was cloudy with intermittent showers. The second day was sunny and warm. The pitch on the first day was also wet with a consistent covering of green grass. As such, Parrot decided to bowl after winning the toss.

Will Sweeney takes a different approach after an off day with the ball

To the credit of Fairfield, the first day ended for rain after 64 overs at 4-170.

That said, Gordon bowled without luck. All 5 seamers bowled good persistent lines and lengths, with many balls beating the bat. The fielding was also near faultless. James 'Ninja' Campbell snared the first wicket, 'Donkey Kong' Durie the second (Cashy), 'Parrot' Garratt the third (1/17 off 1) and 'Queenslander' Sadler the fourth.

Of additional note was the even greater than usual verbal garbage resonating from the slip cordon. Justin 'SuperStar' Avendano arguing with Jordan 'MiniMissy' Liddle and Craig 'Bus Boy' Thornborough that one lands on their heels when they run was ridiculous!

Beau Sadler, ever proud of his average, hits down the ground

Gordon bowled 32.1 overs on the second day. The bowling highlight of the morning was Ninja's 14 overs straight reaping an additional 3 wickets (4/72 off 32), with the left-handers being his preferred meal as usual. It has been satisfying seeing the consistent, accurate, swing bowling that Ninja has performed for us all-throughout the season starting to have better results. However, a Michelle would have more appropriate this round.

'Queenslander' Sadler didn't bowl the consistency of the first day, but sporadically generated good pace and picked up another wicket (2/51 off 23).

Will 'Manatee' Sweeney had an unusual off day, thrown off line by the lefties, but his figures didn't reflect his pressure bowling on the first day (0/50 off 13).

'Donkey Kong' Durie only bowled 4.1 overs on the second day due to a stomach virus, having lost 6kgs in the 24 hours before the morning's play, but still sneakily picked up 2 wickets, the 10 and 11 of course. This left Gordon requiring 271 to win off 87 overs on the extended second day.

Cam 'X' Eccles and MiniMissy opened as usual. These two batsmen are giving the team more and more confidence as the season is progressing. Today was no different, until MiniMissy was out caught down legside for 20, the score at 25. Despite undoubtedly having the most complete technique in the team, MiniMissy has a tendency to get out in unusual ways.

It is worth noting that MiniMissy was absent at subsequent team talks once dismissed, preferring the more consoling and intimate company of a certain blond. Ian 'Cargo' Higgins in defence of his prot'g' said, "Fair enough!"

Snapped!!! - Jordan Liddle's blonde is not impressed by the action on the field

Parrot was back at his team's favourite position for him, No. 3. He was looking good until he lazily drove one to short cover on 11.

X and SuperStar took the score from 63 to 166, with SuperStar out after tea off a full-toss on 41, caught at mid-wicket. He once again looked comfortable, his innings being typically offensive and laden with glorious drives on the ground and in the air.

X unfortunately fell not long after on 96, providing slips practice off a wide full delivery from an off-spinner. X is obviously in good form. His innings was flawless, only getting a little loose just before tea on 74 and again on 75. His drives and cuts were scintillating. Of greater note was:

1. The patience X showed by waiting for 'his ball' to punish, and
2. X started slowly (X was only 5 when MiniMissy was out for 20), allowing his 'eye to get in' before settling back into 'business as usual' and reaping the rewards of time at the crease.

Cargo joined Harry 'Hooch' Turner on 174 but was out lbw on 4 with the score at 188. While making his way to his cricket kit, Cargo rather aggressively asked the green plastic chair next to the change-room door, "Is there any danger of a good decision?" Whilst cringing in pain, I am sure I heard the sore plastic green chair say, "I thought you smashed it as well".

Harry 'Hooch' Turner shows the rest of them how it's done during his masterclass

Manatee joined Hooch on 188 and left on 215, out lbw to a full-toss for 13. His innings was highlighted by two lofted 4's over the off-side.

Bus Boy helped Hooch take the score to 247 when he was bowled by the very slow-medium bowler. His innings consisting of his usual, busy running between wickets and occasional successful cross-bat swipe.

As expected, the game was soon over when Queenslander joined Hooch. His 14 not out consisted of 3 powerful 4's including the match-winning runs. This now takes his average to 121 and it is likely his new bat is going to stay in his kit until next season!

Hooch ended on 61 not out. His innings was chanceless. Hooch has brought a significant level of maturity to our middle order. At no time did Hooch seem pressured by the fact he was holding our innings together, as well as our chance of 6 points. His cuts and drives were very precise. His attentive running between wickets gained a few pressure-relieving runs (that is, pressure off the spectators) and he always put pressure on the fielders, some time too much!

So another 6 points, keeping us second on the ladder, 9 points ahead of third. Unfortunately, the 1^st place North Sydney achieved an outright, moving them 8 points ahead of us. The draw has reasonably meant that we would need to have an outright win against the 16^th placed Sutherland and North Sydney would need to lose against the 5^th placed St George in the next and penultimate round for us to achieve an unlikely 1^st place. I'll go to bed now to dream about similarly likely things!

Adair 'Donkey Kong' Durie

10 points in 40 degrees for the 2nd Graders  

With a long drive out to Penrith, the Wolverines were not too excited to play in 42 degree heat. But with the start we got off to, the heat didn't bother the pack. The deck had a lot of life in it and we had to take the most of it. Adair 'Donkey Kong' Durie and James 'Foxing' Campbell got us off to the dream start picking up early wickets have them 5 for 30. Judge and JC have been doing a great job all year of keeping the spinners off.

Cam Eccles pumps the Panthers

The slip cordon is always in the game with the Penrith batsman playing and missing most deliveries. 'Chunks' Sweeney and Beau '107' Sadler came on with instant success with Chunks striking with his 1^st ball. The fast bowlers bowled great lines with a moving ball. 'JA' finished the innings off with Beau always looking comfortable under the high ball.

With a small target required the boys were confident we would chase the runs down before the end of Day 1. Cam and Jordy didn't get off to the best of starts with a mix up with the score on 6 Jordy was run out for 2. Soon after Harry was LBW for 0. With the score 2 for 11, Cam and JA got the score to 48. Cam, JA and Missy fell within 15 runs of each other. We needed a partnership to get us over the line.  Ben 'Fingers' Garratt toughed it out with Sadler and declared at 7 for 127 so we would have 8 overs at them. Day 1 finished with a victory to the boys and the score 0-13.

Coming back on day 2 we needed early wickets and Chunks did that for us. Will bowled at pace with great lines picking up 5 wickets. He has improved a great deal during the season and is a key player for us getting to the finals. BG introduced himself in front of 'Missy' Higgins and bowled a good spell of bowling taking 2 wickets in 2 balls. The field came in for the hat-trick ball. Ben must have thought the batsman had a weakness with the cut shot, bowling it short outside off, but got us right back in the game for a outright win.

This humble author snaffles a catch in the slips

Chasing 77 for victory Jordan and Cam got us to 38 before the 1^st wicket. Harry and Justin fell soon after before Cam and Sadler getting us over the line. With a controversial finish with Beau been bowled after we passed the score, it meant it would half his average. But the game was over so it still remains as the best average in 2^nd grade at 107.

Another great win by the Wolverines. This puts us into 2^nd position, and a good shot at the finals.

Justin Avendano

2nd Grade stick to their guns against the Rangers  

3 Weeks ago after breaking down at Manly oval both physically and mentally and giving myself a self diagnosis that I was going to be out for 6 to 8 months with a torn spinal cord I found myself on the roster this week 'playing.' All that hard work and exercise really paid off during the week.

Justin 'Fox 8' Avendano - A movie career beckons

When you're winning you don't want to miss games and also there was no chance I was going to miss out on seeing Sweeny's hansom face, and going for a ride in that funky smelling car. If one was to describe the aroma that smacks you across the face upon entry, you could say it was a mixture of food sorts, cream donuts, cheese burgers, and yogo gorilla puddings. Sween's likens the smell to that of breakfast.

You got to love a home game at Chatswood Oval, especially one where you have the honour of partnering 'Judgy' Durie in the opening spell of the morning. Everyone who has the opportunity to take the new ball at Chatswood Oval should feel privileged as there is always plenty in it. And as 'Ted' Durie likes to explain, each ball is worth $60 so by taking the new rock he and I are making a mockery of our cricket fees. It was also great having the big 4 back in the team having missed Beau who was pumped to bowl to his old team, he definitely had a twitch in his eye and was in great form having taken 4 wickets the week before.

With a great team vibe, a wolf pack mentality and a string of victories the energy in the field is good and it definitely shows. Everyone is behind the bowling and wickets tend to fall regularly. Another reason we haven't dropped many chances this year. Craig 'Thorny' noted at the end of the 1^st day, that you could see the differences in the teams and I quote Thorny 'you could really see the differences in the teams,' Thorny, 'Saint' to some and 'George' to others has really brought a new culture to this young Gordon 2^nd grade team. He must have learnt a lot playing for that other club ' who was it again?

Cam Eccles posts 148 to keep the Ranges at bay

With short boundaries and a true playing wicket 270 was probably not a bad result although I think we deserved better, there were times where we did bowl too short however this was mainly due to intimidation tactics. Intimidation has been a big factor in the 2^nd grade team this year, we offer intimidation with a four pronged attack of pace bowlers, with our aggressive batting, our enjoyment of the male camel toe and the fact that a few of us are involved in the bikey gang 'the wolverines.' It isn't hard to spot a fellow 'wolverine' off the field, they wear matching scarves, drink Semillon and love good cheese. One of these wolverines Adair finished with a modest 3 wickets.

The batting this year apart from the game against Sydney and Manly has been a pleasure to watch its always good knowing that when you have bowled first, day two is my weekend off. And to analyze our success I will break it into stats. For those that don't like stats look away spoiler alert.

In 2^nd grade this year 3 of our players are in the top 10 for batting and runs scored.

7^th is Justin Avadano 372 runs
9^th Jordan Liddle 364 runs
10^th Cameron Eccles  357 runs.

When you look at batting averages we have one person up there.

9^th Beau Sadler!?! %&*$ He is averaging 75 this year.

Cam Eccles played a great innings scoring 148 runs, POW! If you wanted to know the secret to his success you would have to look to Friday night where he spent most of his night at the 'rape dungeon'. Yes he did miss the 2^nd grade Friday 3am team meeting at Cargo but he scored runs so all can be forgiven. Cam and Jordi have really built up a great relationship in the top order, I wouldn't be surprised if Jordi isn't joining Cam on his Friday nights. Gone are the old days were the opening bats would see off the new ball these two are real run scorers and have the ability to stay out there all day Jordi scored 51 and both shared an opening stand of 110. If they can keep this up we will stand a really good chance come finals!

Other highlights of the innings was Harry 'Hooch' Turner getting timed out as he was to busy 'talking' to these birds at Chatswood in the Cedrik Pike stand. Some call it talking, others call it sharing sandwiches, lucky they were good sorts otherwise we he would have had to have a drink from the cup. 'Pockets' Avendano also did well to score 48 runs, I'll also mention that Pockets will be the new face of the cricket superstar show on TV. What does this mean, it means he gets to hang out with none other than your mate Allan Border. We wish Pockets luck with this great opportunity. For the team let's keep the momentum building into the finals!!!

The author, 'Hernandez' Campbell, continues to excel in the top grades

Here's a little song that will keep us going through to the finals

WE MUST DRINK FROM THE CUP, WE MUST DRINK FROM THE CUP.
THE CUP THE CUP THE CUP
WE MUST DRINK FROM THE CUP, WE MUST DRINK FROM THE CUP
ITS BLUE ITS WHITE ITS BLACK
THE CUP THE CUP THE CUP

Jimmy 'Hernandez' Campbell

2nd Grade gets pipped by Manly

After a large festive season from a number of the lads (no Wilbur, I'm not saying you have put on an extra few kilo's nor Brian am i implying that Jordy drank anything but lemonade over NYE) it was almost a start of season feeling for 2's who had gone into the Christmas break performing very well and sitting in third spot. Some solid wins in the latter games of 2010, the Stags were gaining confidence and playing some very good cricket.

Harry 'Hooch' Turner plays a commanding innings to nearly get the boys home

When Missy finds a computer and completes his match report, you'll be able to read more about it. With plenty of rain around during the week, Manly Oval looked green which led the skipper to say "we'll have a bowl" after correctly selecting which side of the coin would be facing up.  After a solid warm up and the muscles finally feeling better after Thursday's training (ok, that may have just been my muscles after coming back to cricket a year older), the lads headed back to the dressing room to get ready to take the field.  

With 'BG' Garratt giving his usual inspirational words at the start of play, this weeks speech included the word facet, the boys hit the field keen to continue our winning streak. 'Judge' Durie led the wolf pack from the front with a superb spell of bowling. The only problem being that it was almost too good for the Manly openers who kept playing and missing or having a slog.  This didn't last too long with Judge breaking through and with 'JC' Campbell chipping in, we quickly had Manly in all sorts.

As can be seen by one of the photo's displayed on the website last week, the bowling from Judge commanded an impressive slip cordon, even if 'Pockets' Avendano at first slip was hiding behind  the keeper because he had a sore left thumb. A good period in the field with plenty of talk (BG said he almost heard Eccles talk) and some good catches by the boys, including 2 by Elliot Richtor at second slip, Manly were in trouble at lunch 5 down for just over 100. Lunch allowed Judge to talk (for the first of many times) about his bowling to the English cricket team on New Years day at the SCG net session which clearly led to Paul Collingwood's retirement.  After hearing this for the third time in 30 minutes, i was grateful that Judge bowls and I keep wickets.

Adair 'Judge' Durie takes apart the Manly batsmen

After lunch, the Stags continued to take wickets and with good energy in the field led by Missy, we pretty soon had Manly at 9-162. Sweeney, BG, 'Els' Richtor and Pockets all provided solid support with Judge collecting a 5 for. With JC injuring his back, someone's mate Brad helped out on the field while JC had a lie down in the grandstand. Even with JC's spikes giving Brad the appearance of wearing clown shoes, he fielded well and even completed a very handy bit of fielding which cut a certain two runs to one and enabling Pockets to pick up a caught and bowled next ball.

Unfortunately, Manly's final pairing, batsman 10 and 11, decided they would show us how you bat with discipline on Manly oval and proved quite stubborn to remove. They defended good balls and dispatched poor ones.  Pretty soon the score crept towards 200 and then they went past. With tea delayed by 30 mins to allow us to get  the final wicket, it was a long hot session and with little joy.  Finally after tea we managed to sneak an LBW and finish the Manly innings at 226.

Jordy and Cam started the Gordon innings off in fine fashion and at stumps we were 0-66 chasing 226.  Looked like an easy win at this stage didn't it?

Unfortunately, the second week did not go to plan at all. From a great start the week before, Stags were now in big trouble losing 6-16 to be 6 down for 82. This meant Harry 'Hooch' Turner was batting much earlier than expected (he was hoping for a bit of recovery time after apparently a night of passion) and joining him at the crease was Els who said he only bat if required because he had a sore finger.

I don't know about the two Bevo's and Shayne, but us keepers generally play each week with broken and bruised fingers and there is none of this whingeing.

Great camera work, but perhaps something Eccles may want to forget

Hooch and Els batted superbly and saw us get to lunch still 6 down.  After lunch they continued the solid batting and with Judge counting the runs required to win down, victory was back in Gordon's grasp. The partnership had taken the score from 6-82 to 6 -201. Unfortunately, with a new ball taken and some decisions not going our way, the game went Manly's way. It is still amazing we lost the game and I even thought we had the game when batting with JC and needing 13 to win (even if JC was commenting on how his helmet was way to big for his head and maybe he shouldn't have swapped lids with Judge), but that is cricket.

Overall, we should take away some excellent performances, namely Judge's bowling and the batting of El's and Hooch and look forward to winning more matches on the way to the final series.

Craig 'Thorny' Thornborough

2nd Grade vs Sydney University

No report submitted by Ian Higgins

2nd Grade scare the Ghosts  

1^st of all sorry this is not a 2000 word report like last round from Adair but here we go. We travelled to the amazing complex of Raby on a perfect Saturday morning. The boys knew that a win would get us into the top six. As soon as Adair walked out to the wicket he signalled to Ben we were going to bowl. Ben won the toss and sent Campbelltown into bat. Adair 'King wolf' Durie (3/27) started this innings off well collecting 3 early wickets with James 'never in doubt' Campbell taking a great catch moving backwards and forwards to claim it.

Beau Saddler in fine form, keeping it tight and picking up a pole

In the huddle after his second wicket, Adair suggested we needed to bowl as a pack of wolves. We did so, with James Campbell (1/19)collecting his first wicket for the match. JC and Adair bowled with great accuracy and were constantly beating the bat which set the game up for the supporting bowlers.

Will 'beef' Sweeney (3/23) bowled with great precision with a swinging ball to collect 3 wickets well supported with beau Sadler bowling with great pace collecting one himself. Justin (2/5) chipped in with 2 late wickets to finish the innings with Campbelltown only managing 104. The enthusiasm in the field was 100% better than last week, we were always on top. Keep it up boys.

Cam Eccles and Harry 'Justin?' Turner started off the innings well putting on 30 before the 1^st wicket. Cam got off to a good start but played one shot to many to lose his wicket for 16. Ben 'let it bounce' Garrett batted very well with some beautiful lofted drives before he lost his wicket in unusual fashion when the ball slipped from the bowlers hand and went straight up in the middle of the pitch. Ben ran towards the ball and attempted to hit it on the full when he top edged it back to the bowlers hands for 30. With the bonus point in sight at 30 overs, Harry decided to finish it a little earlier with a four to bring up a well deserved 50 not out.

It was another great win by the boys with all players contributing in different ways. If we keep up the spirit of this team we will have a great shot at the finals.

Justin Avendano

2nd Grade vs Parramatta

Inaugrual T20 match washed out.

3rd Grade vs Blacktown at Blacktown Olympic Park No. 2

Arriving at the ground early Saturday morning, the Thirsties were looking to end the season with a second win on the trot, and go out on a high over their lower placed opponents Blacktown.

'Reg' Livermore finishes on 73 not out after a great innings

Howitt had some luck with the toss calling correctly and electing to send Blacktown in on a good wicket that would prove to take both spin and seam. Pat Effeney and Alex Lines got the Stags of to a good start with Pat claiming the first wicket with a well directed bouncer. The catch was taken behind the wicket by Beverley, who would go on to claim six dismissals for the game.

Not long after, Pat went down with a rolled ankle which needed some treatment. Pats injury gave 3^rd grade debutant Ben Armstrong his opportunity. Ben bowled really well and despite this author putting a tough chance down he was able to grab a wicket to continue to put Blacktown on the back foot.

Howitt then introduced spin and it proved to be a good move as the wicket was gripping and turning. With some purchase in the wicket all the spinners bowled well to claim a combined 6 for 86 including 8 maidens.

Pascal bowled well to claim 2 wickets, including two excellent stumpings behind the wicket by Tom Beverly. Howitt was as usual extremely tough to get away and claimed a wicket, whilst Tjaard bowled well in claiming 3 wickets and helped to wrap up the tail.

An excellent team effort highlighted by Beverley's 6 dismissals meant the Stags were left with the small total of just 156 for victory.

Howitt, Player of the Year, makes sure he gets a good bowl in the final round

Howitt was the first to go in the run chase for 13, but from then on it was all the Stags with Mark Fonseka and Damon Livermore batting beautifully to put on 105 for the second wicket. With smart running between the wickets and some brutal shots square of the wicket by Reg these two took the total to 121 before Fonseka was out caught.

Reg went on to post 73 not out and guide the Stags to victory just 3 wickets down.

Well done boys on a good win and ending the season on a high even if we did finish a disappointing 8^th on the ladder.

Pascal 

3rd Grade come through unscathed as the Sharks circle  

After weeks of constant frustration watching all the other grades win while we constantly faltered, the Thirds finally got back onto the winners list after a game in which substantial individual performances got us over the line. After arriving deliberately late in order to hopefully miss the folding of the covers, Hoppa merely asked the opposition what they would prefer to do and we were in the field. Sutherland promptly signalled their intentions by dispatching Pat over square leg for six in the first over. However quickly rebounded to nick off their opener and should have had a couple more if it wasn't for some somewhat laughable catching.

"Your Hero" Lines hits "the best cover drive in history"

Fortunately Hoppa once again turned up with the ball and bowled good lines while varying his pace well, keeping it tight and picking a crucial wicket of someone who hit boundaries for fun. Kurt was well welcomed into the third grade bowling crease bowling a random mixture of leg spinning wicket taking deliveries that were sent over the midwicket fence but removed Sutherland's solid looking opener well caught by Chappo. Pat 'I'm a rubbish bloke' Effeney then returned to pick up another deserved wicket before tea however Sutherland went into the break well in front in the game.

The post tea session was more productive with Your Hero bowling consistent half volley throw-downs, to which somehow the batsman got themselves out. and Pascal, bowling some decent stuff as opposed to his usual dribble. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and with some more horrible catching from the usual suspects (Tjaard 'I'm never going to the Orchard again until Hoppa gives me a bowl' Tait) we managed to capture the last 6 wickets for 54 and had a manageable chase to look forward to with 8 overs to bat out overnight. Fortunately for us, typically pessimistic Reg's 'easier to get rid of than a common cold' prediction of two down overnight was not to eventuate. However we lost newcomer Fonseka, unluckily caught down the leg side for one.

Day two saw overcast skies and hope of the international cricket card game returning with on and off showers during the warm-up. Fortunately the weather cleared and we were to have the complete complement of overs to hopefully run down the gettable total. We started poorly with Tom 'Cymbals' Beverly losing his off stump early to a seaming ball and Kris 'I don't deserve a nickname' Colley nicking off early.

Pascal provides some substance to the middle order

Taity came in and looked solid and once Reg got himself out, combined well with Pascal to put on 50 before he chased a wide one that kept low and was caught behind for a well made 36. Taity then missed a straight one and Kurt got bowled off his elbow and we were suddenly 7/102 and looking to be in trouble with the bat for the umpteenth time since Christmas.

Andrew 'Cartman' Chapman and Ed 'How have I not won a player of the round yet?' Howitt combined at the crease and started carefully against some decent bowling. Chappo got his innings started with his customary loft over long on off the spinner and Hoppa started to punish anything full. Ed has been in supreme form lately and looked good as he hit numerous times over the infield and all of a sudden the Sutherland team were worried. Unfortunately, he fell short again of a well deserved hundred and was caught behind on 77, with 30 still to get.

Luckily Chappo was still batting patiently and showed his faith in Your Hero, trying to run me out without facing a ball. We slowly worked the singles while trying to hit the bad balls for four, and with an added rain break for suspense, we only needed 10 with two wickets still in hand. Your hero then hit the best cover drive in history, and then decided he had had enough of batting and was hit on the foot off the last ball of the 80^th over leaving 6 needed with one wicket in hand.

The real "hero" at the end of the innings, Chapman gets the side across the line

Luckily Chappo has mastered the art of the glide through third man under pressure, and after refusing a single off the first ball of the over with Pat up the other end, calmly hit the next two balls for four and ended a spectacular run chase. Chappo's 52* was very mature and showed his class in a difficult situation. Pat proceeded to lead the song but I think everyone had forgotten the words.

Finally, victory at last.

Your Hero, Alex Lines

3rd Grade Report: Fairfield Liverpool

I can't tell you what happened in the first five minutes of the warm up because, well, I just wasn't there. Arriving at 11:21 on the Samsung, I must have missed whatever it was we did wrong because the first day at Fairfield was nothing short of a disaster for the Thirsties.

Nick Dowsley hits out on Day 2

The customary laid back warm up, complete with men hanging their legs over the fence pretending to stretch was followed up by a quick jog then into some intense ground fielding. Just as the bowlers started bowling and the batsmen started batting, the captains started tossing and it was decided that Fairfield should bowl first on a green wicket. It seemed that once again Ed had decided against winning the toss, putting the pressure on the opposing captain to make the tough decision. Tough it wasn't, as we found out throughout the first 32 overs of day one.

Not much to say about these overs really. Charles Bangs and I sat down, 11 and 10 respectively, looking forward to a day of Zooper Doopers and lazy banter. A couple of hours later I watched from the non strikers as Charles was bowled first ball, and we were all out for 87. Howitt top scored with 26, but overall it was a day dominated by the Fairfield bowlers.

Just as our turn for retribution came, it started to rain. So without use of the bowler-friendly wicket, Gordon were left disappointed and somewhat disenchanted with the game as it stood.

Week two presented a new challenge: 120 overs in a single day. Ouch. With most arriving at 8:30 this week we looked to have a good attitude in everything we did. If we lost on first innings, said the captain, we should gun for the second innings points. With Fairfield one man down, this too looked to be in our favour. The pitch, however, seemed a little changed from the one a week previous.

The openers, in a normal run chase, bowled fairly well. Given the context of the game, however early wickets were required. Effeney picked up one early and Charles toiled hard at the other end, but unluckily went without reward. Enter our inspirational captain, the best performer in 3rds, and maybe even the club, for the last month, and Gordon were right back in it. Ed bowled 21 overs, with only one break to change his end, for 25 runs. He also managed to pick up 5 wickets along his merry way.

Of the other bowlers, Alex 'Boogie Board' Lines also bowled tightly and snared a critical wicket, while Effeney's second spell was rather better than his first, and he finished with 3-33 of his 18 overs.

Fairfield had to work hard for their runs, but eventually the Gordon total proved to be insufficient and Fairfield passed our score six down. A well earned first innings victory, but the game wasn't done yet. Bowling them out with a scant lead of 13, Gordon were determined to get six points out of this game.

Again, there really isn't a whole lot to talk about in the top order, with the exception of the resurgent Nick Dowsley, who hung around with Ed and Alex lines to make Fairfield chase 130 odd for the outright off 26 overs. Once again, Ed played some nice shots, as did Al, but the star was Digger, who smashed his way back into form with some stylish driving and ferocious pull shots.

Game on! Fairfield needed the ten points, Gordon needed the six. Charlie opened up and went on to get the rewards that deserted him in the first innings. He bowled 10 overs straight, with the figures of 3-42. This really was a great effort in the context of the game. Alex also picked up a wicket, and Effeney was the beneficiary of some late game hitting, ending up with three dismissals, all caught off attempted slogs. Though Ed went wicketless, again he showed serious class with the ball.

Although he was denied player of the round because of 'the context of the game' this round, as well as the round before, surely the context of back-to-back five fas, as well as a 'four-fa' and an eighty will ensure him player of the month? I suppose we'll find out in the context of the next club meeting. Chin up Ed.

Overall, it was a very disappointing loss for the Thirds in a game that was very winnable. Now out of the six, the Thirds need to rediscover the ability to put on a decent total, and our bowlers need to keep plugging away and striving to achieve that consistency of line and length. We just need to improve.

Yes Taity.

Patrick Effeney

Third Grade vs Penrith

Day 1

The Killara wicket has been reasonable to bowl on first over the last few weeks but with the extreme heat on Saturday, winner of the toss was always going to bat. The odds were stacked against us with Ed only winning 1 out of twelve tosses this season, not surprisingly Penrith won the toss and elected to bat.

Pascal continues to contribute with bat and ball

With the Stags bowling consistently although with some occasional short and wide crap, the batsmen steadied and moved to 2-120 at tea. After tea there were a few near things but unfortunately it wasn't our day and none came off. The two Penrith batsmen continued after tea and a very large score was on the cards before a couple of wickets had things looking up. Charlie Bangs (1-44) and Alex Lines (2-41) bowled well with good lines but not length. Ed, who had bowled only 2 overs before the break, began a long and successful spell where he took 5 wickets with his well-flighted offies, the action he got off Pat Symcox. He probably could have had 6-for if we took our catches.

It was a long hot and frustrating day in the field, with Penrith finishing on 9-298. Pretty sure most of us don't want to relive it, so I don't have much more to say on day one, particularly as I wrote this report on Saturday night after spending the whole day in 49C.

Day 2

Chasing a total like Penrith's has certainly been possible at Killara over the years. An hour or so after the beginning of play on Sunday saw the score at 6-38. With only Reg ('there's no better feeling than blocking a bloke for 6 balls in a row') managing to fight through the difficult period, it was not looking good. Then things went from bad to worse when Reg got unlucky and was declared out LBW for 20 off 200 balls, leaving the lower order with a lot of work left to do, particularly after a disappointing performance by the top 5. However, from adversity comes achievement when Pascal and Howitt got together to improve the situation. Batting very sensibly, they added 95 before rain and bad light saw players off the field for an extended period.

As the rain started to fall and after having to do the covers numerous times, thanks to the cold southerly breeze (dearly missed on Saturday) we decided it was time to put our heads together and think of a new game to occupy our time in the sheds. Moments later Tait and Beverley came across a deck of cards, not just any cards, but Australian cricket player stats cards from 1994. So a new game began and within moments with the whole team getting involved with more enthusiasm than they'd mustered that weekend. Taity took the first game easily thanks to sneakily studying the cards before play commenced and of course making up the rules as he went along.

That was also the last time he scored that day, going on to get his first ever duck at Gordon. Henry was a standout finishing in second place every time, and second behind Tait for a TFC award. The remainder of the players had one win each after realising that Shane Watson is the worst player in the deck with Alan Border being ten times better than the kid who gets his medal, but I suppose they were from 1994. We can safely say that it will be called the Watto medal soon.

Charlie Bangs persists in the dreadful heat

Also for the first time ever Pascal couldn't believe it when his hero leggie Warnie lost to Stuart MacGill, as he had a better bowling average than the great one. If there's any cricket memorabilia that MacGill owns it'll be those 1994 stats cards.

As Henry came close to winning his first game the rain stopped and covers needed to be removed to continue our run chase.

Howitt and Pascal went out needing 8 an over from the reduced 25 overs and added a total of 142 before Pascal was dismissed after yet another useful contribution of 52. Alex (sidekick9) Lines strode in looking good to his form in stick cricket on the iphone, while the skipper moved towards what might have been a memorable match for him ' 5-for and a ton. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for a fantastic 88, Alex then deciding that he could get 15 an over instead of playing out 7overs for the draw, which lead to the final 2 wickets crumbling soon after. This saw the Stags falling 84 runs short of Penrith's total being all out for 215.

A very disappointing outcome for the Stags, which means we now have to win our remaining 3 games to make finals. Perhaps we should look no further than the determined manner in which our skipper approaches the game or maybe just play 1994 cricket stats trivia instead.

Tjaard Tait

A shakey batting performance made it hard for the bowlers 

Howitt astonishingly won his first toss of the season and opted to bat at Asquith. The first hour of the game belonged to ND's as we lost 3 wickets for no runs with the score on 26. Colley and Tait began to rebuild, taking the score to 67, until Kris lost his wicket on 23 after batting for 75 minutes. Tait fell soon after, top scoring with 25.

A 'measured' Tom Carruthers adds valuable runs to the total

The steady loss of wickets meant our innings could not gain any momentum or rhythm to it. Pascal de l'Epine chipped in with 21, but again a third grade batsman failed to reach the magical number of 30 in two consecutive rounds. Tom Carruthers batted in a measured manner and was able to add valuable runs to our total. The innings came to a close with the score on 145 and Tom on 22 not out.

There were some signs of things starting to come together, however the continuous loss of wickets meant that we could not link a quality partnership together. We were in need of a big score from the top order to anchor our innings.

With 14 overs remaining on Day 1, and the Asquith wicket keeping low, Effeney, Carruthers, and Howitt all toiled hard for their wickets, and with the score at 3/18 at stumps, there was a glimmer of hope that this match could be ours.

On the resumption of Day 2, we kept fighting to try and swing the match back into our favour, and the with the score at 6/88, we were still a chance, however a strong partnership saw the Rangers pass our total 6 down. Howitt was the standout taking 4/22 off 21. Our bowling was a positive that we can take away from the match, yet our total of 145 was never enough runs to work with.

We are currently sitting in 6^th place on table, with many teams hot on our tail. This forthcoming round against Penrith is a must win for Thirds to avoid the chaos of the middle table. We are not far away from our potential. A batsman to kick on after a start and partnerships are crucial so we can take the 6 points in our next round.

Tom Beverley

3rd Grade fail to string partnerships together

Another game starts in the opposition's hand as Howitt loses the toss. 0 wins from 10, he is looking to break records.\

Beau Sadler tries to make his mark with the willonw

In the bowling department Beau Saddler 4 for 49 of 17 and Pascal 3 for 57 of 21 were the standouts. With a long day in the field a good result to keep them 9 for 228 at the end of play.

The declaration of the Manly side 10 minutes before the start of the second day gave Gordon 80 overs to score 228, which is under 3 an over and was a good test for the 3rd Grade batsmen. With an early wicket in the first over, Kris was sent back to the pavilion and Nick Dowlsey went out to join Damien Livermore.

Both did the job of getting us off to a good start and we started to gain a bit of momentum. However, both getting in the early 20's shifted the responsibility on to the other batsman who also got a start. Crosland looking very determined playing in his 'V' and taking charge to the spinner (top score 29). Beau Saddler also scoring in the 20's but disappointed he didn't go on with it. Howitt and Tom had a good partnership but yet again both getting out in the 20's.

A disappointing loss for the Stags, falling only 50 runs short against the team at the top of the ladder. We needed at least one person to go on with their score and there would have been a different result. One positive to take out though is that we are a definite semi final team and are determined to finish in the top 6.

Kris Colley

3rd Grade vs Sydney Uni

The Stags all arrived on time at Sydney Uni, for the first T20 of the season. Conditions were slightly overcast. Hoppa cleverly lost the toss for a record 8 times in a row, to save having to make the decision to bowl or bat, and the Stags were sent in to bat.

Ed 'Hoppa' Howitt takes apart the Students' attack early

We lost a wicket early, but that did not stop Ed Howitt accelerating through the early overs with some quick fire runs. Most notably, hitting successive sixes over mid wicket in one disastrous over for the students, he finished with 40 off 21 balls. Crosland kept the runs ticking over while punishing the bad ball to the boundary, scoring 15 progressing the score to 60. We looked in a very dominant position until we lost 4 for 9 runs.

Pascal watched on as the middle order were slowly collapsing, but when Beverley came to the crease they built a partnership, looking determined to get the team back on track. Beverley was then caught behind for a well played 16 getting the score to 111. Pascal scoring at more than a run a ball showing good cricket shots are still effective in this shortened version of the game, finishing up with 39. Lines went in at the end, looked to hit some boundries, and added 13 runs off as many balls to bring the total to 142, which was considered a par score on this ground.

Opening bowlers Fleming and Lines both bowled on the spot keeping the runs down in the early overs. The students opening batsmen got off to a steady start, although the Gordon bowlers could not find that much needed wicket to slow their run rate down. The first wicket came with an excellent run out to break the opening stand of 88. Sydney Uni kept scoring at a run a ball which was below the required run rate, thanks to some tidy bowling from Dowsley, Al Cambell and Ed Howitt.

Although with wickets in hand they it would always be possible to chase at ten an over. With three overs remaining in the game we had to stop them scoring 30 runs. Despite tight bowling we were not able to contain them as they were still getting a boundary an over which helped their cause. Flem had the last over, he was able to take one wicket although they managed to find the boundary and score the final 11 runs needed.

All in all it was a great effort for the first T20 of the season, with most of the boys not having much experience with this shortened version of the game.

Enjoy the Christmas break! Don't over do it, and let's all look forward to the first game back in January.

Tom Carruthers

3rd Grade secure a bonus point against the Ghosts  

Killara Oval again proved a mystery to this Author. With a reputation for being a fast and high scoring ground, Killara again proved to be anything but, with the outfield again relatively slow and the grass not being cut all the way to the fence.

So' with out of control grass along the fence line the use of cones was in order to provide a make shift boundary. Despite the wicket having a little more grass on it this week it again proved to be slow, variable and hard to score freely.

Hugo was definitely the pick of the batsmen on a slow Killara Oval

But' with the sun shining we were hoping to make first use of the wicket and put on a big total for Campbelltown to chase, but alas as mentioned in the weekend wrap this would not be the case and Ed would be 0 from 7 with the coin flip and the Stags found themselves bowling first.

The day started well for the stags with Alex Lines getting a wicket in his first over for the second straight game in 3's and the third straight game this season, and after a couple more quick wickets Campbelltown were in big trouble at 3 for 3. A small partnership put them back on track, but with a regular fall of wickets they found it difficult to build any momentum. Tom Carruthers, Ed Howit and Nick Dowsley all bowled well picking up a wicket each.

The innings was closed in emphatic style by Adam Fleming, who continued his great form with the ball this season to knock over the last 3 Campbelltown batsmen cheaply and have the Ghosts all out for 109.

The only sour note out of the bowling was the donation of 3.1 overs and 19 runs worth of wides. We will need to tighten up next week in the 20/20 or it will prove costly.

The Stags went out to bat with confidence in knocking off the target, and despite not putting too much emphasis or chat on the possibility of gaining a bonus point it was always going to be on the cards.

Damon and Hugo got us off to a solid start getting the score to 31 before Damon was out LBW. Nick Dowsley then joined Hugo and helped to take the score to 43 before a misjudged pull shot had him back in the pavilion.

The in-form Kris Colley then went to the crease and together with Hugo they took the score confidently to 70. However after Kris fell for 12, Pascal and Andrew both fell to forgettable cut shots off half trackers, and at 5 for 70 things were getting shaky. However Tom Carruthers joined Hugo and together they finished the job off with a mixture of excellent running between the wickets and shot making.

Needing 5 runs off the 30^th over for a bonus point Tom played a beautiful flick of his pads through mid wicket to bring up the winning runs. The pick of the bats without doubt was Hugo who held the innings together with an excellent 33 not out.

Well done Boys.

Pascal

3rd Grade vs Parramatta

Inaugrual T20 match washed out.

3rd Grade grind down UNSW in a grueling two days

As I arrived at the ground for our battle against UNSW, I was eager to have a bat, but with the 'unprecedented' loss of the toss by Ed Howitt we were forced to field for what was one of the most enjoyable fielding experiences of my cricketing career! The riveting game consisted of UNSW scoring 7-169 after 80 overs and on the second day just 6 runs in 11 overs for a total of 175. The highlights in the field included an old woman unfortunately being asked to leave the field and Alex Lines' first ball of the UNSW innings.

Nick 'Digger' Dowsely plays one off the back foot

With UNSW opting for a cricketing war of attrition, our bowlers nonetheless bowled line and length all day forcing mistakes from each batsman, Ed Howitt (1-28 from 20), Alex Lines (4-29 off 18) and Adam Fleming(2-28 off 17.4) ensured the scorebook looked like an Aboriginal artwork, with Nick Dowsley (1-38 off 18) and Pascal de l'Epine chipping in with much needed wickets. With 28 maidens and some excellent fielding by Carruthers ,Taylor and Tait and Beverley taking two catches in hard keeping conditions, the UNSW team began to lose interest in the game of cricket currently being played thus a new game had begun on the pathway in front of the Killara sheds.

This captured the fielders' attention as each ball bowled in the middle had become to me, as if my post high school career was sinking further and further into a landscaping one, as the grass became more interesting than the batsmen.

Traditional Livermore, caught more than once in this dominating pose

The second day of play began much like the previous week. But with some fine bowling from Fleming and Lines, Gordon was finally sent into bat chasing 175. Our opening stand of 57 was well fought by Hugo Anderson making a classy 26 at the top of the order and Livermore whom finished with a well constructed 46. Nick Dowsley approached the wicket with Gordon at 1/57 and began to continue laying the framework for Gordon victory in the clash. With the loss of Livermore, and Tait soon after to an unlucky runout, we were looking a bit worse for wear as the smokescreen hovering above the ground could affect the light later in the day thus forcing a draw against UNSW.

This was not to be! Pascal de l'Epine entered the crease steadying the Stags ship alongside Dowsley who was dismissed for 24. Tom Carruthers played a supporting role finishing on 12 due to a rush of blood. Gavin Taylor (15*from 20) entered with the score at 5/138 and just a few overs left in the day's play. He established a key role in assisting de l'Epine to 42*from 67 and therefore saw Gordon to a deserving victory!

       

Pascal and Nick taking control out in the centre of the ground

All in all a great team effort with everybody contributing with the bat, the ball and for long hours in the field. Good luck next week fellas!

Gav Taylor

4th Grade Match Report vs Sutherland

I'm often teased about the lack of suitable events and nightlife available in the Canberra precinct from certain people in the club.

I am pleased to say this weekend the Canberra Festival will get underway this weekend with a host of flagship events including a balloon spectacular, Enlighten featuring George Benson ( famous cigarette maker ), Chris Issak ( Baby did a bad bad thing ), Franki Vali and INXS.

Chris Retallick plays some expansive shots on his way to 50

On to other things, 4th grade progress nicely into this week's match against Blacktown sitting 3^rd on the table.

The team has bonded into a solid unit with everyone playing a part.

On the weekend against Sutherland, the side rapped up the six points with an impressive half century from Chris Retallick and five wickets each for Charlie Bangs and Adam Cubbage the previous week. James Kidd continued to shake the batsman up a bit and Cubby continues to catch well at slip. The Sutherland batsman struggled early with LBWs given for the first 4 wickets.

Chasing small totals in the 160's is never easy, as Kleem found out last week being fired LBW for 8. Gav Taylor chipped in with a handy 20, Hugo Anderson didn't trouble the scorers but Retallick stood firm.

Other handy contributions from Tom Carruthers and Shayne Lin pushed the score passed the required total.

Shayne is currently paranoid about his new bat. I tell you, Shayne, it is all in the mind. Often cricketers get these little superstitions in the brain, such as pads, but having the money to pay for these non essentials is also very important.

Mitchell Kleem

CANBERRA

The Stags were back at Killara to face Fairfield in round 13 wondering if the rain would hold off and if Andrew Crosland would contribute this week. Coming off a good win we knew that we had to be confident but not complacent given

Fairfield position on the ladder.

Kleem looks the goods in the run chase against the Lions

We won the toss on a greenish wicket that would offer a bit to the bowlers early on. James Kidd took the first wicket of the day in his second over, however we were unable to capitalize with the new ball and Fairfield were off to a good start at 1/50. Will the ball wet and doing very little the plan was to bowl straight and full with the ball skidding on. Tommy Curruthers bowled very well claiming a couple of wickets with Deva supporting him well at the other end and claiming a wicket with his first ball. After 50 over the heavens opened up and the day was called off. Overall it was a disappointing day the fours not bowling or fielding to our best standards. Fairfield finished the day at 5/130.

On day two of the match we needed to improve our attitude from the previous week in order to prevent Fairfield from posting a large total. We started the day well with Hugh Sinclair bowling very well picking up a couple of crucial wickets and bowled with excellent pace and control. The Fairfield total was increasing vey slowly. The batting was very frustrating at times but we knew we had to stay patient. James Kidd bowled vey well, as did Cubby claiming the last couple of wickets.

208 was the target with 48 overs to get them. The message to the batsmen was to stay positive and keep doing what had been working for us. Mitch and Hugo got us off to the perfect start batting for 20 over together and putting on close to 130. Both showed excellent patience as well as the ability to put the bad ball away. Chris Retalick and Jack Colley in his first 4^th grade game got us close to the total before departing just before the winning runs were hit. In the end the Stags cruised home in 43 overs.

James Kidd starts well in trying conditions

The win puts the 4^th graders in third place in a very tight competition. It's off to Sutherland next week to continue our late charge towards the finals. It's important that we continue to improve on each performance as we get down to the business end of the season.

Good luck against the Sharks, lets take all grades!

Shayne Lin

 The long trip out to Penrith presented 4th grade with an opportunity to crack the top six in what was to be a 40+ degree day. 2nd placed Penrith had only lost 1 game all season but Gordon had stormed up the ladder on the back of consecutive big wins, so confidence in the camp was high.

Tom Carruthers punches one through the infield

The toss was lost by the skip but the goal was achieved on what looked to be a tacky surface for the first hour. Gordon was sent out into the heat to spend some time in the field. James Kidd bowled a fast and accurate opening spell, beating the bat more often than not on his way to best match figures of 3-24 off 13 overs. Supporting at the other end was Hughy Sinclair who finished with figures of 2-26 off his 11 overs in the heat.

Good tight bowling from Tommy Carruthers (1-14 off 9) and Deva Nirthanakumaran (1-17 off 8) helped Gordon work their way through the Penrith batting line-up as they continued to falter in the heat. Adam Cubbage (1-52 off 10) bowled more half trackers than not but got a vital breakthrough as runs started to flow for the Panthers. A special mention should also go to Cubby's slip catching, taking 2 vital catches early doors to really put the pressure on. 'Gavman' Taylor was introduced at the end of the innings and somehow claimed 2-11 off his 7 to rap up the Penrith innings, all out for 147.

Mitch Kleem continued his good form getting Gordon off to a rapid start with a well made 37 to settle any nerves that were in the camp. Meanwhile Gav Taylor was slog sweeping the openers on his way to a classy knock of 84 to see Gordon into the top 6.

Gav Taylor plays once off the back foot

Handy support to Gav was provided by Tommy Carruthers (19), Shayne Lin (27), who bombed some ridiculous straight sixes to establish his dominance as a fence clearer, Cubbage (21) who managed to clear his name as a nerdler with a big six over square leg and Hugh Sinclair with a hard hitting 36 not out to boost the average for the season.

A good win by the Gordon lads, storming home in the final straight.

Andrew Crosland 

4th Grade in a massive outright win  

Day 1

Fourth grade are running into contention for finals this year following a huge win over NDs. Shane 'I never lose tosses' Lin lost his 3^rd toss for the year and the ND's skipper chose to make use of what appeared a good Killara wicket.

Cubbage in vintage form with the ball

As most of us know, the first hour is crucial as any life in a pitch is generally early on in an innings. That being said, Bangs nicked off the opener 6^th ball into the first over and then got another a few overs later. With a great start, the Gordon bowlers really stuck to their task and cleaned up ND's for 139.

Pick of the bowlers by far was Charlie who picked up 5/40 with some classy out swingers and was supported well by James Kidd 2-22, Hugh Sinclair 2-29 and Adam Cubbage 1-18. Hugh, in his grade debut, is a great find for us as we push towards the finals. He bowled with great control with his in swingers and was unlucky not to have picked up a few more.

After scoring 170 in the T20 then chasing down Manly's 170 in 26 overs the week before, the flood gates opened as we finished the day 7/238 of 26 overs. It would come as no surprise to anyone who's been a part of the Gordon Cricket Club over the past 9 years to know that it was Mitch 'don't bowl length' Kleem who's early onslaught of 85, including an effortless 4 sixes, kept us going at nearly 10 an over with brilliant assistance from Shane 'fence clearer' Lin who slammed 48 with 5 sixes.

Everyone in the middle order helped continue the run rate at just over 9 an over with Medcalf 17, Crosland 24, Retallick 27, Franklin 11 respectivly. A special mention must go out to Will 'rather do it in singles then sixes' Medcalf who has copped some flack over the week being the only one of the top 6 not to clear the fence. In his defence, he didn't need to as his partnership with Mitch yielded 60 plus runs.

Day 2

The second week saw just as much excitement as the first week on another good Killara deck. Shane declared first thing and gave the new ball to the first innings hero Charlie and Sinclair who again kept things tight.

The skipper Shayne Lin keeps a watchful eye on proceedings

This brought about the first wicket to Hugh (1-36) caught 3^rd slip with Charlie (3-43) and Kidd (1-37) both picking up one and keeping their ends tight. This allowed Cubbage to attack from the other end and pick up his best figures for the year of 6 for 58 off 15.1. His decision to listen and pay attention to a Higgins leg spin clinic during the week actually paid off! Having bowled ND's out a second time for 190 gave the Stags a total of 92 to get achieve the outright in 22 overs.

Kleem was out early and was followed by Medcalf but Gav and 'Retro' Retallick finished the innings off in about 14 overs with Gav notching up a well compiled 56 not out and Retro an unbeaten 21. An awesome win that had us jump from 13^th to 8^th on the ladder and only 3 points out of the top 6. Bring on the Rif!

Up the Stags

Adam Cubbage

An outright win and the Mal Hall Trophy remains with the Stags

Day 1

With the weather turning during the week, the pitch had some obvious signs of under preparation which captain Lin looked to take advantage of with his infallible toss record. He won the toss and elected to bowl on a long green deck.

Cubbage plays the boys right back into the 2nd innings

The day started slowly with few runs scored, but more vitally, wickets failed to fall. However, just when doubt began to envelop us, Charlie Bangs struck and continued to strike with 4 quick wickets, while continuing to dry up the runs as he finished with figures of 4 for 9 off his 13 overs. Tommy Carruthers was then introduced and continued to pepper the batsmen with great bowling, beating the bat regularly as he went about his 4 wicket haul. With manly 9 for 81, before tea, we were hoping for a quick finish and some good time in the middle in the afternoon, however a long partnership from the last 2 batsmen saw a further 24 runs being added, which as so happens turned out to be crucial.

The afternoon saw Gordon off to a disastrous start losing 4 wickets for next to nothing. This brought Tommy Carruthers and Gavin Taylor to the crease, who steadied the ship for a short time. As more wickets fell Shayne Lin came to the crease and got us within a whisker of first innings points scoring 47 in quick time, while being well supported by Adam Cubbage.  However, with 11 runs needed for the first innings points, Charlie Bangs left a full one on off stump and the innings was over.

Day 2

Having bowled 3 overs the previous week to no avail, and having already lost an innings, the morning saw the Stags go through the motions and a number of catches were put down during the day. This was to the detriment of some good work once again from Bangs and Carruthers who at times were unplayable, both finishing with 3 apiece. Alex Campbell also bowled well and deserved more than 1 for his efforts.  The Manly declaration came with the Stage requiring an unlikely 177 for victory off 26 overs.

Having scored 170 in a recent 20/20 fixture, we thought we were in for a shot. Mitch Kleem and Gavin Taylor started strongly smoking 24 off the first 2 overs and adding 50 in quick time before the first wicket fell. Two more wickets fell shortly after before Taylor and Adam 'nurdler' Cubbage put together a good partnership, staying at or above the required run rate, punishing the full and wide balls and put us in a great position with wickets in hand.

Shayne Lin plays a great cameo to get the boys home and retain the trophy

Taylor eventually fell for 52 and Cubbage for 44, but not before Shayne 'fence clearer' Lin came to the crease clearing the boundary and dispatching the bowling for his 29, leaving Will Medcalf needing 5 off the last over of the day for the win. With the field set, Will receives a generous half tracker down leg which he dispatches down leg for FOUR before clearing the infield for 2 the next ball to seal the win and a great fight back from fourth grade.

Chris Retallick

Christmas comes early for Feisty Fourths

On arrival at the ground the day started with the news of a big win in 2nd Grade over a strong Sydney University side on a slow, difficult Chatswood deck. After the usual procrastination, the warm up started which did not receive a warm welcome from one Chatswood local who was screaming and moaning. There was a sense of anticipation and excitement in the air as it was the first chance for most of us to play in a competitive twenty20 match. A sharp, effective warm up was followed by the news that we were batting first.

James 'Billy' Kidd playing his part in the T20 match against Uni

The once described slow, difficult Chatswood deck had now hardened up to be perfect for batting. It was now up to the openers Mitch 'MITCHY' Kleem and Will 'insert ironic name' Medcalf to put on a show for the packed Chatswood oval stands, and they did not disappoint. As Will nurdled the ball around turning over the strike, Mitch teed off.

Like Happy Gilmore at the Waterberry open he continually skipped down the wicket and hit the Sydney University bowling to all parts, without failing to swing and miss at a few as well. After Mitch's wicket fell for a blistering 44 off 20 odd balls, will's wicket followed soon after, however there was no need for the Gordon batsmen to panic as the score had rocketed to 60 off the first 6 over's. Small partnerships between myself, Chris 'retro' Retalik, Shane 'motherlovin' Lyn, and Andrew 'Chapo' Chapman kept the score ticking along through the middle over's. After a small frustrating rain delay in the 18th over we finished off the innings to set Sydney University an imposing 173 for victory.

Once the short inning interval was completed the feisty Gordon fourths took to the field with a sense of urgency and spark that had been missing from the teams fielding efforts for the past few games. Some good batting and luck got the young Sydney university batsmen off to a rapid start. Enter Charlie 'Tom' Bangs, after being comprehensively spanked over the Cedric Pike (soon to be renamed 'Pockets Avendano') stand, forcing a ball change.

Charlie followed it up with a peach to remove the opener and start a steady trickle of wickets. Adam 'Ya Mum calls' Cubbage bowled economically, James 'Please for the last time stop it' Kidd bowled intelligently and the rest chipped in. In this match we really stuck to our game plans that never allowed the Sydney University team back into the match after the fall of their first wicket.

Nic Franklin

A poor batting display gives away 6 points 

8 wicket loss to 16th place - not what I had in mind when I crawled out of bed to make the trek down the M5 early saturday morning. Batting frailties surfaced again in 4th grade after a string of strong performances.

Adam Cubbage is one of the few that stood up on the day

El Capitano S. Lin won the toss and batted first. Not great viewing, I'll keep it short as it was a pretty forgettable day with the blade for over half of us. Some rather soft dismissals had 4th grade 4-17 after 10 overs and 5-32 soon after. Kurt 'Zyrtec' Roughley thought he'd take it easy on the lower grades and only use the top of the handle with his dismissal. Best bowling conditions were in the first period before drinks - but of course an opening batsman removed for 0 is going to say this. So 172 from those circumstances was a great effort. The main reason was the performance of Chris Retallick (64) mostly dealing in boundaries as wickets fell around him. With great support from Adam Cubbage (31), showing great resistance and effectively navigating the square shape of the field by avoiding the ridiculous length of the corners.

The two put on a valuable 7th wicket stand that gave us a competitive total that got us right back in it. Deva and Dan Lake also showed the top order how it's done with some useful contributions.

Early wickets were the key when we took to the field. Charlie Bangs and Dan Lake were incredibly unlucky not to grab at least a solitary wicket in their opening spells consistently beating the outside edge of both batsmen. Frustrating to say the least, those behind the stumps were astonished not to have a chance come our way. A couple of catches were grassed when the game was still well within our reach.

Adam Cubbage bowled well but found it difficult to keep things as tight as usual with the short and fast square boundaries. Deva was Deva, never disappoints and was reliable as always. The breakthrough eventually came courtesy of Nic Franklin. Forget any natural abiliy, the 'Placebo effect' of these $12 'Powerband' knock-offs, those I copped an absolute ear-bashing about, was the only reason he trapped our first victim halfway up in front of middle. Obviously our total wasn't competitive. The Ghosts passed our total only 2 down with 9 overs up their sleeve.

I hate to use the word 'disappointing', but the overall attitude, I think everyone will admit, wasn't at what was needed to have chance to grab the 6 points. After the season was resurrected against Bankstown S. Lin declared that 4th grade could easily go undefeated until Christmas and as it stood before round 7 we had 4 of the bottom 5 teams in that period, which is more than an achievable task. All is not lost but a win over Sydney Uni in the T20 this week is a must. 

Will Medcalf

4th Grade vs Parramatta

Inaugrual T20 match washed out.

Match Report 4th grade vs UNSW

Day 1 began with 'Shane-o' Lin being a little cranky at a few certain somebodies arriving slightly later than expected. Whether or not this mood influenced Shayne's decision to call heads instead of tails we'll never know, but it worked and we won the toss and chose to bat on a road accompanied by small boundaries with a quick outfield.

Kris Colley blasts the students' attack to all parts of the ground

Mitch Kleem opened his account with 4 boundaries in the first over getting us off to a blazing start whilst Tom 'Sizzle Dick' Cockburn watched on in awe from the other end and me and my team mates did so from the sideline. However the run fest for Mitch was short lived after he spooned one straight to a fielder, who was shortly followed off the field by 'Coach' Cockburn bringing Nic Franklin and Kris Colley to the crease.

These two formed a good partnership with Franklin blasting a decent 30 with good running between the wickets supported by the lightning fast outfield. Nick was unlucky not to go on with his innings however after his wicket fell Andrew 'Alberts Tavern' Crosland waltzed out to the crease. At 3/80 odd we still weren't in any trouble as the run rate was still ticking over nicely.

The next wicket took 234 runs to come and the students did not look like they were the best time in the field having to chase the ball over the boundary and under fences at least once an over. Colley showed his class playing every shot in the book, off the front and back foot, proving to be impossible for the young bowlers to tie down. The fielders' heads were down and at the other end was Crosland casually smashing boundaries here there and everywhere further upsetting the boys on the opposition.

Crosland soaks up the moment of his grade hundred against UNSW

By tea it was obvious that the opposition didn't want to be there and Shayne set us a target of 350 to get before the 65^th over. With both batsmen on surpassing triple figures a further punishing of the bowling figures of the students was accelerated. Both Colley and Crosland didn't feel like being out in the middle any longer so decided to let some of our other batsmen enjoy some time at the middle'

Colley finished his innings on 144 and Crosland on 104 after their record breaking 4^th wicket partnership. Shayne came in to hit a few fours before he was dismissed bringing Andrew Chapman in who put us past the 350 mark and beyond a couple more wickets fell and we declared after 65 overs for a modest 7 for 376 with 13 overs left in the day for us to have a crack and try to get a couple of cheeky wickets before the end of the day.

The pitch still had a bit of life in it for the two opening bowlers Dan 'Disco' Lake and James Kidd with the new ball testing out the two opening batsmen with some short deliveries. A few exciting runs came off the edges but Lakey proved the winner with a decent short ball at the head of the batsman being hit straight to the fieldsman at midwicket for the first wicket. The second wicket came only the next over and as the students were having trouble playing anything short it was another bouncer that saw the ball being skied straight above his head proving an easy catch for Shayne.

Cubbage takes a catch off his own bowling - why would he bother off anyone else?

Deva 'Hustler' Nirthanakumaran bowled extremely well supported by Adam 'Frodo' Cubbage unlucky not to be given another wicked.

No more wickets fell on the first day but we had achieved what our captain had asked us to do and the students went home with their spirits crushed as they were 2 for 36 at the end of play knowing they had a lot of work to do next week.

Day two saw some punctuality being exercised' in most cases. Mitch had some car troubles and Nic Franklin just had some trouble.

Before we set foot on the field we were given a stern speech by the Captain to not go through the motions and to be energetic in the field. An early wicket came our way after Dan Lake took the 3^rd wicket on his first ball clean bowling the batsman. However, after that we found ourselves watching a partnership unfold and before we knew it the students were getting themselves back in the game with the score at 3 for 150 and plenty of overs to spare.

Deva again bowled well but went unrewarded for his efforts and Adam Cubbage also going unrewarded. For the most part of the session the fielding was rather flat and the energy was lacking but a run out was taking before tea bringing the score to 4 for 220. A stern talking to from the captain at tea was sure to rouse the spirits of the Stags, as we were in a position in which we could potentially let the game slip. We didn't, the fielding improved after tea and a fiery intensity was felt amongst the boys.

A bowling change after tea saw Nic 'Fumbles' Franklin come into the attack, the apparent part time bowled extremely well and aggressively and took a well deserved 2/20 in his spell , a small partnership was brought about as another of our part time bowlers Andrew 'what the hell are you doing bowling' Chapman was brought into the attack, unlucky not to get a wicket he did bowl well and he was supported by Deva bowling straight and full at the other end ending up with good rhythm taking 2 wickets finishing with the figures of 2/25.

Nic Franklin using his tongue-out approach effectively

The students were now on the back foot and the Stags had taken the reigns once again. Adam 'I only take catches off my own bowling' Cubbage was brought back on to extinguish any hopes the students might have still had of winning, taking two wickets in his final over. One of which was a brilliant diving caught and bowled.

The students were bowled out for 284, a great game from Gordon, the second day proving a bit tougher than we had thought, a good fight back from UNSW with some good batting and a few mishaps in the field gave them a sniff back into the game but we were able to re-establish our dominance in the match and the competition. A great win for the stags.

Get fah you bah! 

James 'Billy' Kidd

4th Grade come away without a win, or a loss

Fourth Grade is improving every week, and on Saturday against Mosman we put in our most complete performance of the season. However, we were unable to take the final two wickets and secure a much deserved win.

The skipper, Lin, clears the fence with a big blow

In an odd move we were put into bat on what could only be described as a belter (Editor's note ' This normally happens in these shortened 'two day' matches as the team bowling second MUST take all 10 wickets to win). However, we didn't take full advantage of this early on and found ourselves precariously placed at 4-80. Despite this, all the top 3 looked in good knick and made starts and it is only a matter of time till they hit a big score.

With the loss of the 4^th wicket Andrew Crosland joined Hugo Anderson at the crease, the two batted sensibly before lunch steering the team to 4-130 at the break. After the break runs started to flow more freely as the Mosman bowlers tired in the heat. Crosland was eventually dismissed trying to push along the scoring for a well compiled 61, he and Anderson put on a pivotal 120 run partnership to place Gordon in a very strong position.

The loss of Crosland brought Captain Shayne Lin to the crease, and with declaration on his mind, Shayne proceeded to clear the boundary on 3 occasions on his way to a quick fire 45 not out. When Shayne declared the score was 5-266 off 58 over's with Lin and Anderson combining for a 70 run partnership off 10 over's. Hugo finished on 87 not out, a determined knock which was much needed time in the middle.

With 63 over's, and an impressive bowling attack at our disposal we were confident that we would be able to dismiss Mosman and take the points. The bowling started well with Dan Lake and James Kidd bowling tight lines, Dan was rewarded with the first wicket, a sharp catch to Anderson in the slips. After 17 over's Mosman found themselves at 1-37. It is this slow start that was much to the detriment of Gordon. It meant that Mosman had very little chance of winning, and though they didn't play for the draw, from here they batted with very little intent to chase the score which gave us limited wicket taking opportunities.

However, we continued to push hard and some impressive bowling from Alex Lines (3/16) and Adam Cubbage (2/80) gave us a sniff with Mosman 8 down with 8 overs to play. However their tail enders batted with good determination and we weren't able to take the final two wickets, Mosman finishing at 8/195. We were by far the stronger team on the day and there are only positives to take out of the game for the team despite taking no points.

Hugo Anderson

5th Grade have a close shave against the Warriors

Round 15 saw the mighty 5th Graders make the early morning trek out to Mt Druitt to take on the winless Blacktown. Victory was necessary to have any chance of snaring an all-important home final at our Beauchamp 'fortress'.

Ouch... Cooper is dismissed after saving the Stags' innings

The massive Whalan ground was in less than ideal condition. A wet patch on the pitch delayed the start of the game and allowed for a greatly appreciated trip to McDonalds. Gordon batted first and were soon in trouble at 3-1 with extras being the main contributor from some wayward Blacktown bowling.

Will "outdated nickname" Medcalf and Tom Cockburn found themselves trying to resurrect the innings. Patiently waiting for the inevitable 'boundary ball' the score got to 73 before both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession (as usual) leaving their team in trouble. The under-prepared, crumbling pitch, after little more than 10 overs, resembled something you would find on day 4 in Mumbai. After a fightbackfrom the Blacktown spinners the scoreboard read 7-90 and a home final looked like it might slip through our fingers.

We were rescued by Tristan 'Tom' Cooper (62) and David 'Masterchef' Monaghan(18) who got us to 8-155 and back in front. 'Coops' was putting on a show for his travelling family, taking a liking to to the Blacktown bowling attack. Dave showed his hardwork isn't only found in the kitchen, running hard and playing a typical 'Joel' innings. The pair ran plenty of 3's on the expansive, slow, ordinary outfield it must be noted. We scraped together 179 to defend. With the pitch only going to turn and crumble more and with our arsenal of experienced and improving spinners we were confident of collecting the 6 points.

A bright start by Blacktown was soon dulled by Paul Deitz (4-28) who grabbed two early wickets in his impressive first spell. Dave Monaghan constantly beat the bat with his savage outswingers and was unlucky not to grab a wicket early. Matt Todd was vocal in the field and was thrown the new ball on a raging turner. It became obvious that spin was going to do the damage through the middle overs. Cockburn(1-19) and Cooper(3-15) bowled in tandem and really put the brakes on the run chase with some quality offies.

Although we were on top throughout, Blacktown always had a sniff. Andrew Coleman was awake to this and was rather vocal and forward in reminding us. We eventually got the points with 23 runs up our sleeve. Finals are finally here and an increase in intensity is exactly what we need as we have been coasting and going through the motions at times recently.

With team chemistry arguably our greatest attribute, some great banter in the sheds and a bit of talent the 5's are a huge chance of hoisting the David Sherwood Cup. As Tim Packman reminds us "There is no other team you would rather play for"

Will Medcalf 

Many thoughts and inspiration words came to the forefront during our match against Fairfield-Liverpool, including;

'A game influences by a couple of key moments'

'A bump in the road'

'A game of two halves'

'A loss to keep us focused on the goals'

Josh Goldsmith makes his photographic debut on the Gordon website

Coming into this match with just one loss in 12 rounds, confidence was obviously high and when Fairfield won the toss and sent us into bat, we were looking for a good start and the creation of partnerships.

Cricket however being 'the great equaliser' it is, after 35 overs we found ourselves red-faced and all out for 74, with number 11 Matt Todd top scoring with 24. With a hint of shock, a cup of poor batting and a pinch of low bounce, this is one recipe I would not like to dish up.

With finals cricket looming and the 3 team goals embedded in our minds, we went about our defence/attack with clear and cohesive plans. An early wicket rallied the stags only to be dampened by the rain, which set in for the remainder of play.

Day 2, 120 overs of play ahead and the message for the day, 'grit'. This seemed to resonate amongst the lads producing effective bowling partnerships, plenty of energy in the field and a reward of 8 wickets in 35 overs with only 54 runs conceded. With only one wicket required to secure first innings, Fairfield's tail wagged and to their credit played smart cricket strokes under high pressure.  

Matt Todd, Dave Monaghan and Tom Gooch test out the Lions' batsmen

All out for 116 after 49 overs, it was a valiant effort by all Stags but as in the case in other matches, the final wicket(s) proved to be as, if not more, important that the first. Wickets taken by Monaghan (3), Dietz (2), Todd (2), Gooch (1) and Cockburn (1) supported by catches from Coleman (3), Packman (1), Goldsmith (1) and Cockburn (1).

With approx 80 overs remaining, we had the belief we could turn this game in our favour. This positive thinking translated into a declaration at 3 down for 207 runs in 50 overs and a great partnership of 139 between Cockburn (64no) and Coleman (80no).

This set a target for the home team of 165 runs in 24 overs. Unfortunately, their 'test-match' application was made clear early and after 14 overs, 1 for 21, the ball was thrown to Coleman (who has not bowled since under 10s just in time for the game to be concluded.

We played great cricket for all except 30 overs in the match and despite losing the game, we can draw a lot of positives as a team and as individuals. We will take our lessons learned and momentum into our next match at the fortress.

Dave Monaghan

A celebratory BBQ after a win against Penrith  

Day One

With heat and humidity at disturbingly high levels, the Pupae were delighted to see our inspirational captain Tim 'Moth' Packman motion a cover drive after a successful toss. Despite this distinct advantage on a deck which looked great for batting despite some grass, we knew we were in for a tough battle against a side fighting for their finals lives. After tight bowling and aggressive fielding by the Panthers, we lost James Dedman in the 4^th over which brought Will 'Pony' Medcalf to the crease with the aim of steadying the innings. Josh Goldsmith toiled hard seeing out the new ball, but was ultimately unable to convert his form off the field into runs, succumbing to a catch behind the wickets leaving the score at 2-14 after 13 overs.

The youngest Colley, Jack, turns it on at Beauchamp

A partnership was needed desperately for the Pupae, and Tom 'Shaft' Cockburn joined Pony to tough it out. Both players batted with tremendous application as we were up against an attack which contained a first grade bowler coming back from injury, who had taken 6 wickets in a semi final and had his keeper standing a pitch and a half's length from the wickets. After surviving his spell and progressing the score to 71, both Shaft and Pony had what most would call brain snaps, bowled in the same over for scores of 30 and 36 respectively. This brought upon a mini collapse with two more wickets falling in quick succession to leave the Pupae at 6-83 going into the tea break.

When play resumed, Jack 'Precious' Colley and David 'Joel' Monaghan sought upon turning the match back in our favour through attacking yet sensible shot play, combined with sharp singles which continually frustrated the Panthers on a steamy day. Precious was particularly devastating, living up to his name by guarding his wicket carefully and waiting for the loose ball to put away - which he did on a regular basis. Their partnership of 68 stabilised our innings and left us in a reasonable position at 7-151 after it looked like we would fall cheaply. Tom 'Hooch' Gooch then came in and was able to block as well as he does on nights out with mates who are with a girl, holding up an end while Precious dismantled the Panthers attack with an array of lofted drives. His dismissal for a classy 63 saw Hooch and one half of the Bang Brothers, Tom Bangs, provide some brief lower order hitting to see the score to 186, with Matt 'Fester' Todd the last man out.

With 45 minutes to bowl at Penrith before the close of play, Moth had a glint in his eye knowing that although we fell for a low total by our standards, we had the chance to bowl to a side that had been in searing heat the last five hours. Tom Bangs produced immediately with an LBW, showing that the Bang Brothers don't mind a bit of grass on the wicket, with movement both in the air and off the pitch. Following this, the Panthers sought to see out the rest of the day with numerous leaves and blocks following. With our primary tweaker Fester feeling a little crook and Shaft keeping stumps after Andrew 'Elton' Coleman pulled out with a mysterious injury (although numerous undisclosable theories put forward by Moth and Fester exist), the ball was tossed to the humble author who produced flight, drift, turn and bounce to produce wickets in successive deliveries (Humble? ' Ed.). With no more wickets falling, the day ended with Penrith at 3-29 and the match in the balance.

Day Two

The Day started with the revelation that the Panther's number five was also a first grader who had just come back from holidays, and the Pupae knew we had to be at our best if we wanted victory. After the score progressed to 49, Joel struck the first blow, with his consistent bowling finally rewarded with the number three chopping on. The introduction of Fester produced immediate dividends with wickets on consecutive balls, leaving Penrith at 6-48 and facing their second hatrick ball of the innings. A big shout followed for LBW but the umpire's finger unfortunately stayed put. A special mention must be made to Shaft who took a sharp catch in his first day of wicket keeping in over a year. Fester continued to bowl great lines to the Panther's batsmen, finally being rewarded with his third wicket of the innings after trapping the first grade bat LBW with one of his trademark wrong'uns. Another wicket soon thereafter to the author saw the Pupae well in control with the score at 8-71 at the drinks break.

After words by Moth reminding us of previous matches which have gone down to the wire due to our inability to claim the final wickets cheaply, we were keen to end their innings abruptly. This did not eventuate however, with Penrith seemingly adopting a reverse order as their tail showcased considerably more grit and application than their upper order. While we continued to bowl decent lines, the Panthers nonetheless scored quite freely, with the score suddenly creeping upwards. It was not until the introduction of Hooch that the match swung back in our advantage after he claimed the wicket of the number 8, leaving Penrith teetering at 9/120 still 67 short of our total. Another rearguard partnership ensued with the 10 and 11 looking in control and rarely playing false strokes. Our fielding did not help our cause with fumbles and dropped catches leading to leaked runs. Fired up by news that his lady would be coming down to Sydney next week, Hooch bowled with great heat to take the last wicket after 36 was put on, with the reliable hands of Fester snaffling a sharp chance in the gully.

Penrith attempted to gain quick wickets, and were successful, as we slumped to 2-12 before rain soon came with the match called off with the score at 2-24. The Gordon Club Song was sung loud and proud, with the Pupae affirming our status as premiership heavyweights after our 10^th win of the season placed us 4 points off first place. A special thanks to Moth from the boys, as he brought his Weber Q down to Beauchamp and provided us with a celebratory post match barbecue, along with beers and the always quality 5^th grade banter.

Tristan Cooper

5th Grade defeat the Rangers inside Day 1  

Day One

On a scorching day at Somerville the Pupae quickly secured first innings points against an inexperienced Northern Districts side. After our now traditional pre-game banter session, the Stags took the field confident of maintaining their good run of form in the New Year. Tim 'Moth' Packman's tactical loss of the toss on a wicket that looked a good deal better than it played, allowed our opening bowlers to get off to a great start. The pick of the bowlers was a fiery Deva, who executed a relentless spell of seam bowling at good pace to finish with figures of 4-25 off 10 overs. Dave 'Joel' Monaghan also bowled a strong uphill spell, breaking through the ND's top order with two more wickets.

Tristan Cooper fires with the bat against the Rangers

With ND's now 6/36 the first hour had set the tone for the entire match, however the opposition total could have been even less had we held onto several early chances. Josh Goldsmith complemented his off-field form down the road at Tracks with two very sharp catches in the slips ' setting the standard for the team. Tommy 'Side-bar Shaft' Cockburn made a great cameo with the ball, floating a full toss to catch the back of the No.7's bat and land in the outstretched arms of Fester. After a well disguised wrong-un by Toddy and a clean run-out by Joel took care of the tail, the Stags were back in the sheds with 69 to chase for the win.

Despite some early attacking play we soon found ourselves two wickets down with Jack and Tristan coming in to steady the ship. Jack wasted no time in getting on with the chase, unleashing a brutally aggressive 23 on the ND's medium pacers before coming unstuck with the score at 37. Tristan 'So upright its almost a gee-up' Cooper showed no signs of frustration after his dry tour of Japan, combining powerful hitting with a calm temperament to make an impressive 86 that secured the win and set up a possible outright on the second day. He was well supported by 'Elton' Coleman, whose aerial drives down the ground were a highlight of the afternoon.

Meanwhile on the sidelines' An innocent questioning of Jack's sandwich choice caused Mrs Colley to exclaim 'Aw, he's just my precious little number 3 batsmen!' Moth and Fester's eyes lit up instantly, and the ensuing quips caused Jack to quickly return to the change room. A new nickname was born'

A strong 54 by Paul 'Don't bother running' Campbell finished off the day with the Stags 7/231 at the close of play.

Day Two

The second day began with the author dismayed at the decision to declare overnight, robbing him of his maiden grade half century. Spirits were soon lifted however by a vocal Dietzy on the sidelines and the possibility of claiming an outright win.

Paul Campbell makes light work of the ND's bowlers

The task was ahead was a tough one however, with fresh resolve from the ND's batsmen, who were watchful and patient on a very solid batting deck, and worked hard for their opening partnership of 131. It just wasn't the Pupae's day unfortunately, as the bowling was consistent but chances often flew wide or short of the fieldsmen. Toddy once again led the way with the ball, combining with Elton for two clinical stumpings before the game was called with ND's 4/181.

5's should be encouraged by last weekend's performance, as although the outright escaped us, we were able to put together a patient, consistent effort. Moth, Fester and Elton continue to provide valuable leadership to the more junior players and keep spirits high in what is turning out to be a very successful season for fifth grade.

The pupae march on.

Tom Gooch

5th Grade vs Manly - Version 2

This report will be short but sweet.

Moth Packman is an absolute legend in my opinion. He runs a tight ship in 5s. We probably don't do things in the conventional way but we get results, and ultimately that's all that matters.

This photo of Deva has made the Facebook photo of the year candidates

Moth lost the toss against Manly & we were sent in on a green wet wicket. Shaft Cockburn fell early but as per team policy did not sulk & returned from the sheds to support the lads. Speedblitz Goldsmith was dusty after a heavy night on the grog, but hung in there for a 20. I don't remember much else about the batting but Jack & Tim also got a few. The star however was Elton Coleman. He blasted the attack to all parts of the Beauchamp stadium. He got dropped 8 times but they were all hot chances & he rode his luck well for 70. At the end of our innings we had 222 on the board. More than enough.

Enter Skilly Skilbeck & Deva for a final 7 over assault on the Tahs. The result was 2 for 12 at stumps. Skilly is definitely a future shield cricketer. At 16 he already has unsettling pace, & he impressed this old bastard immensely with his attitude both on & off the field. Deva had been suffering from dizzy spells of late but a pep talk from Moth had him firing. Yes my friend the Dizzy rascal is BACK.

Day 2 started slowly on a green deck which played easy. Moth rotated all the bowlers but it was run outs that won the day. Three in fact, to take the Tahs to 5 down. For a team that does not practice its fielding this blows me away. All the run outs were tight & achieved through precision execution. Unbeleivable!

So 5 down at lunch. I was cooked, it felt hotter than 29 & the humidity must have been nearly 100%. All the lads took in fluids apart from Jack who consumed a foot long Meatball Subway, the very thought of which had me dry retching! I had a quick chat to Moth & thought maybe Shaft could  be the man to get the breakthrough. He agreed as he usually does. That's the great thing about Moth, he always listens to Fester & he respects my experience in the game.

Jack 'Skilly' Skillbeck impresses this author no end

Shaft gets the danger man second ball after tea. High 5s allround. A big unit comes in and hits a few sixes & Shaft continues to throw them up. Shaft then unleashed a delivery that will long be remembered by anyone who saw it when he threw down a 'Doosra', no lie this ball turned from leg to off, it was amazing. The ball caught the big rigs edge and I took a sharp chance. Now 7 down.

I came on and got the next two and Manly were 9 down with 78 to get. In the huddle Dietzy could already taste that first beer, I however have played for the Stags long enough to know the its not over till the fat lady sings & we still had to get the last pole. This little guy came out with a harrow bat & no thigh guard & I thought it would be a matter of balls before we'd be singing in the sheds. How wrong was I as this little fella batted with great maturity & along with the experienced captain at the other end guided Manly within 30 of victory.

Enter Skilly and the relieving sight of rattled stumps and a win for the stags. Next a beer with the opposition, umpires & support staff. It was a good win & keeps us in contention for the semis but I can't help but emphasise something that everyone can learn from this win. We had an opening batman in Shaft who got a second ball duck but stayed positive & ended up winning us the game with 2 massive wickets. We had other batsman who failed but who executed perfect throws to secure 3 important run outs. What am I trying to say? Well cricket is a game of three distinct attributes being bowling, batting & fielding & just because you fail in one does not mean you can't make an impact in the other two. That's what happens in 5s & it happens cause we are led by a positive encouraging leader who is our inspiration.

All the best

Fester

5th Grade vs Manly - Version 1

The pupae returned to their home at Beauchamp Oval after the break for what was an important match kicking off the second half of the season. Before round 10 the top three were all separated by bonus points, with Gordon 3^rd and Manly 2^nd the win was essential as the team start to build up to their finals campaign.

Matt Todd - author of the second 5th Grade article - applies the pressure

After all the rain in the previous week it was no surprise that the deck was soft and green, and the outfield long and slow. After losing Tom Cockburn 2^nd ball of the day, Josh and Jack Colley set about rebuilding the innings. The loss of quick wickets however saw Andrew 'Elton' Coleman come to the crease, who immediately set about making an impact on the game. He bludgeoned the attack to all parts of the ground, and for his first 49 runs looked very solid. Elton combined with the Moth as the deck started to flatten and both set about building the vital partnership that would be needed to reach 200+, what we thought we be a par score on the slow outfield. After some luck (being dropped twice on 49) Elton made his 50 in style with a cover drive for four, and continued to torment the bowlers on his way to 70, being dropped another 5 times ' or hitting balls to the boundary.

Packman ended his innings on 39, while Dietz kept on pushing for more runs and held the lower order together until our innings closed on 222 after 70 overs. This gave us 7 overs at the Manly bats and we knew if we reached our goal of 2 wickets we would be well on top. Jack Skillbeck and Deva did not disappoint - both bowling tight lines in the channel and picking up a wicket each.

Throughout the week more rain fell and the wicket looked greener then the previous week. Manly resumed at 2-12 and in the first session looked to be on top, slowly compiling runs and getting closer to our total. However three quick run outs saw them at 5-52 at the first drinks break. In the period of play before tea we were unable to take a wicket, however all bowlers bowled accurately and tightly, and it was only a matter of time before the break through occurred.

Toddy as usual bowled exceptionally without the reward he deserved, consistently beating the bat with his vast array of tricks and building pressure. 2^nd ball after drinks saw the inform Number 7 depart for 38, and although a few balls disappeared over the fence, the  Number 8 departed in the next couple of overs. It wasn't long before the Stags had one wicket to take and felt like on top as Manly needed 70 to win the game. We thought the spirit of cricket beers were close however some defiant batting from the skipper and the Number 11 bat saw the score creep closer and closer towards our total, and the pupae started to get nervous. Jack Skillbeck took the final wicket and Manly were all out for 193.

Tommy Cockburn - author of this version of the 5th Grade report - takes two crucial wickets

The Stags sung the song, and finally enjoyed a few beers with the opposition in the changerooms. In round 11 we take on the lowly placed ND's, and an outright win could see us move into first position.

Tom Cockburn

5th Grade vs Sydney University

Fifth grade arrived at Sydney University for the feature event of the day, also the last round of the 2010 and our first T20 of the season. Skipper Tim Packman won the toss and elected to bat. Tom Cockburn then took the responsibility of getting quick runs as he bombed shots all over the park. Tom had a great cameo of 27, opening partner Josh Goldsmith also had a great innings which involved turning the strike over and hitting the lose ball. Others chipped in with quick fire tens and twenties to finish with a total of 5/150, which was a par score.

Matt Todd comes to the party and helps secure the win

We then went out to field and with a fast start from Sydney University they looked to be in the box seat, however we realized that tight bowling and more fielders allowed outside the ring we could pull the runs back and put the pressure right on them. The game was still evenly balanced when the Moth handed the ball to Toddy, which turned out to be a match winning bowling change as Toddy produced two amazing flippers which left two Sydney Uni batsmen bamboozled and no choice but to walk off. Paul Dietz then bowled nicely taking two wickets and some good fielding to finish the game of.

A win to the good guys in their first T20.

Jack Colley

Top order batsmen set up the win against the Ghosts

Unfortunately due to 'work commitments' the captain was late which allowed Matt (Fester) Todd to go out and win the all important toss. Fester elected to bat on a belter of a wicket which proved to be an intelligent move.

Todd, Packman, Dietz with a couple of eager supporters

Mark Fonseka and Josh Goldsmith gave us a solid start with a 60 run opening partnership. Then young Jack Colley joined Josh and these two put on a further 130 to set up a big score. Unfortunately we then lost a couple of quick wickets and this brought Andrew Coleman to the crease and he reeled off a quick fire 45 which included the shot of the day ' a flick 6 over cow corner. At the end of our 50 overs we had 265 on the board and Campbelltown had it all to do.

The two Davids ' Leiboff and Monaghan ' opened the bowling and put Campbelltown under the pump in their run chase. 'Joel' Monaghan added to the pressure with an early wicket. As the Innings wore on Campbelltown's upper order staged a bit of a recovery with some risky shots which paid off. Until 'Moth' Packman made a courageous move and brought on Matt Todd who added to his heroics at the toss and broke a promising partnership with a spitting cobra of a leg break that took the outside edge.

Dietzy came on and continued the good work of the early bowlers and took two middle order wickets which took Campbelltown right out of the game. At times the boys were sloppy with the fielding and our throwing (just ask Andrew) and at the end of the day Campbelltown only lost six wickets but were 55 runs in arrears of our formidable total.

This win meant that 5ths are now well placed inside the top six and only a few points away from the top of the ladder. Next week we look forward to taking on the students at Camperdown, which is setting up to be a grudge match seeing as it was Sydney Uni who took the final spot of the top six in front of Gordon last year.

Josh Goldsmith

5th Grade vs Parramatta

Inaugrual T20 match washed out.

A strong win to 5th Grade against the Students

There is a very famous poem from the 19th century that sums up most games of cricket to perfection.

Dave Monaghan, the author's pick of the bowlers

It captures that moment late in the day when the game could go either way. When the captain and team must step back and have faith in their fellow players.

It is called Vitai Lampada and goes as follows:

'There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night --
Ten to make and the match to win --
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play and the last man in.
And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat,
Or the selfish hope of a season's fame,
But his Captain's hand on his shoulder smote --
'Play up! play up! and play the game!''

And while I would like to write as if this was one of those games, in reality round 6 wasn't left to the last minute or an inspirational talk. In fact I don't think anyone in fifth grade has ever said 'play up' or wore a ribbon on their coat (with perhaps the exception of Tom Gooch whose captain's hat is a little worrying).

And so, instead of keeping the match report nice and short, and ending on the words of Henry Newbolt, it is left to me (the reluctant author) to present to you, the audience of Stags, the (mostly) true and accurate history of Gordon the 5^th in two parts.

Gordon the 5^th:

Part 1:

Enter, in order of appearance:
Josh "Speedblitz" Goldsmith - an ex-baseballer with a penchant for the run-out
Mark 'Fonzy' Fonseka - the court Jester
Jack "Pistol" Colley - the young heir to the kingdom of Gordon
Christopher "the Rat" Retallick
Tristan "Upright" Cooper - a fine batsman with a ramrod gait and far too much practice on a treadmill
Paul "Romeo" Dietz ' because there is no way I am going to call him Adolf
David "Joel" Monaghan - whose antics on the field are often as worrying for the opposition
as the Raiders off it
Andrew "You better not call me Elton as I'm narrating this" Coleman
David "Tall" Leiboff - whose skill is derived from his height
Tom "Graeme" Gooch - to bowling what the English are to batting
Sir Matthew Todd - the wise captain
Timothy "Falstaff" Packman - the old captain, graceful (on occasion)

Sir Matthew: The grass is green and pitch is set

Romeo: To bat or not to bat? That is the question

The coin is tossed, and Sir Matthew does not lose . And so, into the Battle of Beauchamp strode Speedblitz and The Fonz.

Tom Gooch snakes in before delivering a thunderbolt

Fielders to the left of them, fielders to the right of them, and one by one they fell. First Speedblitz, then the Fonz whose score of 30 was less than he deserved, and young Pistol to a mistimed pull.

Scene 2: the dressing room, score 3-56.

Toddy (to Upright): Once more unto the pitch my friend, once more;
Or close up the gap with your English pads.
Mid-week there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the stitch of seams blows past our ears,
Then imitate the action of the moth;
Grasp up your willow, summon up the courage,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
And play yourself into the books
Or lest ye fall with Fonzy to the Colts!

Scene 3: Pavilion

Enter Falstaff
Falstaff: Good morrow my good men
Romeo: And to you fair Captain Falstaff
Graeme: What brings you to this game but as a spectator?
Falstaff: A sad but necessary wound.
Oh but would I give to stride into the battle once again,
Feel the leather of the ball within my hand,
The fear upon the batsman's face'
Sir Matthew (aside): Methinks that fear is from the risk of beamers to the head!
Falstaff: But alack, Young Graeme, Pistol too,
I was but WAK'd and cannot take the field with you.

Exit Falstaff and the Shakespearean prose.

Just like the attempt at iambic pentameter, eventually the Stags grew weary of UNSW's attack and began to take the initiative. Led by Upright Coops, who has a lovely drive and a run that looks like something from a Baywatch intro: lots of graceful movement but ridiculously slow motion.

Coops batted well, seeing off the brunt of the UNSW attack and deftly moving to 96 before a rash swing saw him fall four short of his maiden grade ton, and ensuring that he has to do his turn on the scorebook for at least one more game.

Rat and Dave Monaghan also contributed nicely with 30 and 24 respectively, and the Stags were finally all out with 6 overs to go for a very reasonable 234.

With just a few overs left in the day's play Gordon took the field and, more for intimidation than in the expectation of a wicket, brought Romeo Dietz under the lid at short leg.

Matt "Fester" Todd keeps it tight from one end

The first few balls brought a lot of banter and some nice plays and misses before a short one at the body brought a leg glance from the opposition captain. Unfortunately for him, the ball went much squarer then intended and Romeo pulled off the catch of the season so far with a diving effort to his right to prove that no matter how many cigarettes you have, there are always at least an over of reflexes left in you.

Day 2 progressed in much the same fashion as day 1 with Gordon completely on top. While a few of the UNSW batsman managed to occupy the crease, with one batsman even managing to bring the 80's back with a very accurate rendition of Ijaz Ahmad's axe like stance, none managed to look comfortable and with the score at 5-68 at tea on day 2 it was clear the game was in the bag.

The UNSW batsman finally showed some desperation and threw the willow for a few overs until the Rat was thrown the ball. 1.5 overs later he had 3 for 6 and the game was over ' proving yet again that some people just have all the luck when bowling to the tail.

From this author's perspective the bowling display was the best of the year by the Stags, with a mere 3 wides and 3 no-balls in 62 overs, however the fielding was a little disappointing and we know we will have to do a little better come the back end of the season.

Pick of the bowlers were Dave Monaghan who bowled a very tight 18 overs for 2-41, including 6 maidens and more missed drives than successful shots; Tom Gooch who bowled 15 overs, 3-34; Dave Leiboff 13 overs, 1-30; and Toddy whose 13 overs went for just 9 runs and included 7 maidens but only the one wicket.

Andrew "Elton" Coleman 

Colts win by forfeit against the Warriors

No report submitted after Blacktown forfeited

Colts secure the minor premiership with a win over Sydney Uni 

The Colts arrived at St Pauls expecting another competitive match against 3^rd place Sydney Uni, with the boys hoping to keep the undefeated season going after just stumbling across the line in the last round against Bankstown.

Dedman opens the shoulders and drives down the ground

Skipper Dave 'Mega' Millar won the toss and instantly realised he hadn't discussed with anyone whether we wanted to bat or bowl. This reporter was slightly confused as Mega waved in our direction and motioned both a batting and bowling action to the boys, were we batting or bowling? A number of cover drives were signalled back and not to long after Benny Armstrong and James Dedman made their way out to the middle.

After a promising start Benny fell with score on 29, enter Nick 'I'm really an angry fast bowler' Franklin. Nick appeared to be in a massive hurry as he went 4,6,4,6,4 then unfortunately chased a slightly wider one which was well held at second slip to send him on his way for 24 of about 9 balls. Paul Dietz then joined James at the crease and the two of them went about building the innings. James brought up his half century as the team total passed 100 and soon after their partnership reached 50 James fell on 62, to another really sharp catch.

Another quick wicket saw Hugh Selby join Dietzy in the centre.  Again a promising partnership of 30 odd was broken with the total at 163 when Paul was bowled for 42, Dietzy had played a really patient and important knock on a day where the batsmen had to work hard to score runs, a good show of what is going to be required in the next weeks. Hugh continued to play his shots and keep the runs ticking over as wickets continued to fall around him and when he got out for a well-earned 32, we felt we were in a little bit of trouble and still quite a few runs short at 8/194.

The fall of Hugh's wicket brought in the skipper who joined this reporter at the crease. After getting off the mark with a 4 Dave remarked 'I've just doubled my aggregate for the year', he now had 8 runs for the year. When this reporter departed a few runs later we were 9/217 and Tom Bangs joined the party. It was a great effort from Tommy who hung around very patiently and fed the strike to Dave who was belting the bowling to all corners. Dave was bowled four runs short of what would have been a well-deserved half century and the Colts were all out for 259. Tom was not out on 7 and played a vital role in that 42 run partnership.

We arrived on the second day to be greeted by some overcast conditions and just a little bit of rain before play got under way. While we had recovered quite well to get to 259 we still felt it was a little bit short and knew we were going to have to be patient and bowl and field well. Dave Leiboff and Tommy Bangs opened up the attack and started quite well keeping the Sydney Uni batsmen quiet with only 16 runs off the first 10 overs. Bangs kept hitting his line and length and soon had the opener on his way edging through to Matt Turner.

An inspirational bowling change by the Skipper saw Benny Armstrong enter the attack and he picked up a wicket in both his first and second overs with Nick taking a great catch at first slip, followed up by a caught and bowled. Nick then took over at the other end and he too picked up a wicket first over with the opener skying a short ball which was taken by the keeper, leaving Sydney Uni in trouble at 4/42. Ben and Nick then both continued their great spells and the wickets kept falling. Nick picked up his second with a clean bowled, followed by Ben getting another edge to Matty Turner, finishing his very impressive spell with 3/20. Nick then picked up an LBW to claim his third, 3/31 and was unlucky not to have got 1 or 2 more with a couple of edges just out of reach of the slips but got good reward for some aggressive and fiery bowling.

A partnership of 31 took the score to 7/108 at tea but soon after Paul Dietz got the reward for some good tight bowling, with another bowled. Skipper Millar then picked up a wicket in the next over with another edge to Matty who claimed his 4^th catch brining the last batsmen to the crease. After writing his name in the score book last week as 'Little Kid' (he was just 13), Paul Dietz decided to not to let rip fully at the youngster, however  after missing the first ball, the youngest proceeded to get well behind Dietzy's next 4 and the 'Little Kid' suddenly saw the last ball whizz past his face. Brendan Gray then got chucked the ball to try his offies and picked up the last wicket with the first ball of his 2^nd over to finish with 1/0. Sydney Uni had lost 3/0 and were all out for 115, our 259 had been more than enough.

A good result for the Colts that sees us march on into the last round still undefeated, top of the table and a minor premiership secured. Three wins to go.

Dave Leiboff

Colts crawl home in a nail-bitter against the Bulldogs 

What a difference a week makes in sport.

Having sweated out a dominant display against Randy-Petes in Maroubra the week before, the Colts boys returned to Beauchamp in anticipation of a tough fought match against the 3^rd placed Bankstown. The late 30'C heat was replaced with the threat of rain towards the end of the day's play. Inspirational captain Dave Millar won the toss and chose to bowl on a deck that looked as though it would do a bit early.

Mark Fonseka makes the most of some loose bowling

Dave 'Boff' Leiboff and Owen 'Beans' Hynes opened up and got on top early, each with an opening scalp to his name. It quickly became apparent that reward for shots was not going to be the order of the day as the length of the grass frequently pulled up balls that on any other day would have raced to the boundary. This, however, is not to say that the batting was overly attacking.

Nic Franklin was thrown the ball as first change and was relieved the 1 bouncer per over rule was no longer enforced with this being a 2-day game. As it happened, a sharp catch from Benny Armstrong at catching cover gave Nic a well-deserved wicket. Andrew 'Chappo' Chapman, having recounted the various tales of his exploits from the last 2 weeks in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos came on to bowl and immediately made an impact, bowling a tight line and length and picking up 3 wickets.

At 6 down for not many we thought Bankstown were in massive trouble. Benny, having taking that catch, came on and found the outside edge of one of the set batsmen and another sharp catch, this time from Luke Ham, removed him. When they lost this 7^th wicket, a young chap who'd made 60 of their 80 runs, we thought we should have this innings wrapped up for less than 100.

The tea break, however, changed their fortunes, with two prime opportunities going down in slips, that would have had them 9 for 80-odd.

Throughout the day we had been told that an over 40s match was due to take place on the Sunday and the brains trust of the GDCC was keeping a keen eye on the radar. Unfortunately, the rain started to come down, lightly at first but before long the day was called off with Bankstown in trouble at 7/118, but having made the most of the chances we gave them.

We returned to Beauchamp the next Saturday looking to clean up the tail and chase the runs early. The Boff was on fire early and in 12 overs had managed to do exactly that. This reporter would like to note that our perennial fumbler Mark 'Fonzy' Fonseka once again fumbled a catch but fortunately managed to regain it before it hit the ground, later claiming he was the 'team entertainer' and that it was 'always under control!' Bankstown ended up on 149, which under the conditions was probably worth 230.

Knowing it was going to be a tough chase but wanting to show why we currently lead the competition; Fonzy and the newly promoted Benny Armstrong opened the batting and formed a solid partnership before Fonzy was removed. Benny was looking good and the key member of our batting line up, Nic, came in looking to dominate from the start. Unfortunately, one came onto him a little quicker than he had thought and he too was removed.

Our other opener, Ben Armstrong, adding a significant string to his big, heavy bow

This reporter would like to let the next batsmen in know that the idea of the game is to protect the stumps and that playing a shot when the ball pitches on off stump will help next time. Chapman came in and the game was looking 'in the bag' as he and Benny took control each with well-made 30s.

However, Ben was removed with the score on 71. Adam came in and battled his way through some good bowling while playing some outstanding cover drives. By this time, this reporter had moved into the middle to umpire from one end, which as it turned out was a very exciting place to be. Brendon Gray came in and looked in touch early. He and Chapman took the score to 138 before both were removed. We needed 12 runs with Boff, Beans and Dave to get them. Boff and Hynesy fought hard against some quality bowling.

The Boff was unfortunately removed with the score at 146. Four to get. As had been the case throughout the entire innings, the bowling was slightly wayward and 4 byes gave us the win. This reporter would like to note that although the scorebook shows Millar on 1 not out, he instead remembers that run going to the name of 'Beans' Hynes. However, this reporter was later accused of being 'old,' 'grey-haired' and forgetful!

In all likelihood we will meet Bankstown again with the top 4 in our competition 12 points above the rest with 2 rounds to go. But let it be known that the Gordon Colts are on the march to the finals, and the boys are all getting excited, shown by the intensity with which the club song was sung.

Next challenge is the now 3^rd placed Sydney University at St. Pauls which is yet again, likely to be another tough game.

Paul Campbell

A bonus point win against Randwick-Petersham Green

The Colts side, looking as strong as it has been all season, made its way out to Snape Park on a semi-warm day to take on what looked to be a fairly formidable Randy-Petes side. While sitting in the change rooms, many wondered about what we should do in the sweltering heat if the toss was won. Unfortunately, despite Fonsey's legitimate suggestion to bat first and go home, it was the home side that decided to have a stick.

Dave Leiboff works hard on a very hot day out at Snape

After much delay due to the opposition skipper being unhappy about the amount of grass on the deck, and calling up the groundsman to mow the pitch, we set out to get the early breakthrough an hour and a half later.

It was Dan Lake who managed to force the opposition skipper into a false stroke and picked up an early first wicket for the Stags. A few overs later, Dave 'Boffy' Leiboff collected his first for the day. After a much awaited drinks break, it was Armstrong and Millar who had a go at trying to break a steadily building partnership and, after some tight bowling, Skip picked up his man. Nic Franklin then came about bowling his quick bumpers and was rewarded with 2 wickets with a great catch to Skip in the slips.

Unfortunately, as has happened in several previous games this season, the Colts side was once again on the wrong end of some suspect umpiring decisions, including an edge that our clubmates sweltering out at Penrith were likely to have heard. For some of our players who've not played in Colts this season, they quickly realised how hard you have to work for your wickets.

Their innings finished with some great death bowling by Boffy and Nic, and they finished with 7/204.

Our opening pair had no intentions to have to stay around longer than they needed to, and set about chasing the total quickly as the outfield was running fast and the deck fairly flat. Unfortunately, Tim Van Zuylen was dismissed early, so Nic was at it again, batting sensibly but putting the bad ball away.

His quick scoring attitude was passed on to Fonseka who unfortunately had a swing at the wrong ball. Enter Paul Campbell, and he immediately looked as though he'd been batting all day, quickly hitting some nice shots to push the score to 2/93 off 15 at drinks, keeping comfortably ahead of the required run rate. Soon after drinks, both batsman took the liking to the spinners, and absolutely pumped them all around the ground, with Franko bringing up his well earnt 50, closely followed by Paul.

Benny Armstrong does a great job, whist his father and brother watch on

A 20 run over, breaking the shackles of their best bowler ' and batsman - and the bonus point was in sight for the Stags. At this point, we still needed over 8 runs an over and Nic and Paul were well aware of the skipper's wishes to pick up an extra point after the disappointment of the previous week's match against UNSW.

It came down to the 29^th and 30^th overs, where we needed 16 runs to win. The first 5 balls of the 29^th over went for singles and then Paul Campbell strode down the track, his team's interests ahead of his, and tried to knock the ball long down the ground. Unfortunately for Paul and the team, the ball cannoned into the stumps and he was dismissed for a well-constructed 59.

The 30^th over saw the Stags needing 11 runs to pick up the bonus point. Nic tried to do it in two balls, and succumbed to the first of these, spooning it to cover and departing for 83. Red ink would have been his preference, but the bonus point was his first goal and, similar to Paul, was selfless in his pursuit.

A Paul Dietz single from the next, followed by a Brendan Grey single, followed by another Dietz single. The stage was set 8 runs from 2 balls. Two clean hits. Two new batsmen, fresh from the sheds.

The bowler charges in and Brendan takes an almighty swing, but misses the ball. 8 runs from 1 ball. It's all over.

Or so we thought.

The final ball of the 30^th over was sent down. Down the leg side. Down to the boundary for a total of 5 wides.

Suddenly we were back in the game. 3 runs from the final ball of the 30^th over. Brendan didn't miss this time. Smashing the ball down to long on for a boundary and securing the bonus point victory!

All in all, it was a solid fielding and bowling effort that allowed the batsman to play their own games, and with a solid key partnership of 137 between Nic and Paul, the win always looked inevitable with the Stags almost doubling the Randy- Petes run rate. Another good win boys. Looking forward to taking on Bankstown next week.

Ben Armstrong

Dedman stars in a poor draw against UNSW  

Round 10 had the Colts travelling out to UNSW to face a Bumblebees side fighting for a finals spot. Mega Millar won the toss, and on an absolute belter elected to bat. It became clear that the Stags were in for a good day. James Dedman and Tim van Zuylen made a cautious start and took about 15 overs to settle in before starting to play some shots.

A fantastic display with the willow nets James Dedman 198 runs!

The UNSW bowlers slugged away in the heat but simply had no answers to the sublime shot making. Deadman quickly reached 50 while van Zuylen was dismissed for 42 setting an extremely solid platform for the batsmen to follow. The UNSW skipper persisted with spin from both ends despite the ball regularly clearing the rope (very regularly). JD was supported by Brendan Gray (28) Matt Turner (29*) and Nick Sheehan, who on debut for the Stags, scored a quick and well compiled 54.

However, the day went to JD, who was eventually dismissed for 198. It was an exhibition of batting, making it a very entertaining day of cricket for all at the ground. Mega eventually declared at 6 for 369, leaving the UNSW opening pair a very awkward 7 overs to close out the days play. Leiboff (Snr.) made a valuable breakthrough before the day's end, and the Bumblebees were to resume at 1 for 7, Gordon well and truly in the Mayor's Office.

With UNSW sitting just outside the top 4, chasing a finals birth, one would assume they would go about their run chase with intent and positive shot making. We did, and we were wrong. 83 overs of negative and boring cricket followed. At no stage did UNSW look like even getting close to anywhere near the total. All the bowlers bowled good lines and breakthroughs did fall at fairly regular intervals. However at 8 down, and 28 overs left in the day, the batsmen decided to shut up shop (even more so) and on what was practically a slab of concrete and the ball looking very tired, it was easy for them to do so. This was made even easier with two team mates umpiring, who for all we knew didn't actually have index fingers.

10 overs with the new ball bought about wicket number 9, but the 10^th wasn't to be and UNSW finished 9 for 136 off 90 overs. I hope the Bumblebees have plans for March because they certainly won't be playing finals cricket.

Even though we didn't get the six points, we can certainly take a lot from this game with our spot in the top 4 secure. We were the better side throughout the match. Our batting effort was near faultless and our effort with the ball and in the field, under tough conditions was extremely promising heading into finals time. Hopefully we can continue to improve and be there at the very end.

Tom Bangs

Gordon Colts Match Report ' Round 9 Week 2

The mood going into week 2 was very positive, and this was evidenced by the skipper overlooking a certain latecomer and leading us in a spirited warm-up of touch footy and some throwdowns, before Edgar and Fonseka resumed our inning, 30 short of the Bears' total. The plan was as follows, collect first innings points and go nuts building a big lead. The plan actually WENT as follows, collect first innings points then collapse in a flaming heap.

Adam finds himself castled, going for quick runs

Batting started well enough, with the Colts gaining a first innings victory without losing a wicket on the second day, and Fonseka soon bringing up his 50 as well. When the time came to hit out, it appeared as though forces were working against us, with Corbin's bat breaking clean in two after smashing a straight drive attempting to up the tempo. With an unfamiliar bat, his innings soon came to an end. Adam 'close your eyes and swing' Aarons joined Fonseka at the crease, and lasted 3 overs before being bowled trying to play one shot too many. Shortly after, Fonseka guided one to first slip to end on a match winning 61, while Millar and Selby both departed for ducks, leaving Brendan stranded on 0. With a lead of only 15, Gordon declared, and went back into the field.

Things only went downhill from there. For starters, it got hot, the wind stopped, and the pitch got even flatter. This lead to the Bears deciding that they didn't like the sound of an outright loss, and that they would rather stick around. This led to an extremely frustration session of cricket. As all readers are aware, the Colts side is at the mercy of the opposition umpires when in the field. Armstrong and Millar were the only bowlers to register wickets on the scoresheet' 1 each ' although both took at least 3 each. The tea break was just another addition to the frustration, with the Colts being provided with a chocolate cake. One. Chocolate. Cake.

The webmaster wrote about the hospitality of Manly in his weekend wrap. There wouldn't have been so much as a sentence if he was reporting on the Bears.

After the break, captain Millar tried everything, even bringing on Fonseka with his surprisingly good legspin. As the day wore on, it became clear that there was never going to be an outright result, and the captains agreed to call it off. Despite the way the second day panned out, round 9 remained a victory for Gordon, and the singing of the team song still ensued, with the Colts looking forward to taking on UNSW next week.

Adam Aarons

Gordon Colts Match Report Round 9 Week 1

Upon arriving at my first match after a stint overseas, I was delighted to hear that the mighty Colts were still undefeated (although had a somewhat lucky escape against Blacktown), and were gracing the top of the table. The weather forecast claimed it was going to storm, but there was no evidence of this as we awaited our late start of 12:30 in the heat and humidity of the Australian summer. The pitch looked typical for Tunks Park, flat as a pancake and good for runs.

Benny Armstrong performed well with the ball on a flat track

As usual, the warm up jog and stretch happened to coincide with Dave 'Clean up the tail' Millar heading off to do the toss, which he lost anyway. North Sydney chose to have a stick, which played right into the hands of Millar, who would have chosen to have a bowl in an attempt to force an outright result. Into our whites we got, and out onto the field.

There was a breeze blowing off the water, which helped Owen 'Beans' Hynes and Tom 'Bang Bang' Bangs to combine their excellent line and length with a bit of swing, causing the opposition some serious scoring problems. Despite a few close chances being missed early, the Bears didn't manage to progress, and at the first drinks break they were 1/51 off 25. Dave assured us that all we needed was two quick wickets to get back on top, and our newest recruit from the Green Shield side, Corbin 'Offie who doesn't overstep' Edgar delivered, bowling North Sydney's best batsman around the legs and beating the next man in for Matt 'Gloves' Turner to secure a stumping. The Colts were back in business.

Enter Ben 'McGrath' Armstrong. Taking the words 'corridor of uncertainty' to new meanings, Ben ripped through the Bears' middle order with his steady line and bag of tricks, including having the opposition skipper sky one off a slower ball, and hitting the off stump so delicately that half the team was appealing for an edge before realising a bail was off. In combination with Luke 'Baby-faced' Ham and his pressurising of the North Sydney Batsmen, the middle order crumbled, and we had them at 5/90 by tea time.

Due to age restrictions, Ben and Luke were unable to bowl long spells, and in ran the tail expert himself, currently standing 3rd on the club's player of the year table for his efforts. It was 'Beans' who struck the next blow however, showing that height doesn't worry him when executing a brilliant display of ground fielding to gain a valuable run-out. Of course, the captain got his reward, picking up two wickets, including a great catch by Corbin in the gully, to end the Bears' innings at 103, an all-around great bowling and fielding performance on what should have been at least a 200+ track.

Dave Millar puts himself on to clean up the tail

The day wasn't over yet though, as we still had 24 to bat before the close of play. Armstrong was at it again, opening the batting with Mark 'Give me a bowl' Fonseka. Both batsmen looked instantly in touch, and North Sydney's modest total was being eaten up very quickly. Nothing spells cricket like on field drama though, and there was confusion when Armstrong edged one to slip, who proceeded to drop it, only to have it bounce off his boot and back into his hands, out of view from either umpire.

Showing true sportsmanship, Ben decided to walk and avoid an altercation, which is certainly a difficult decision, especially when he was looking in such good nick. Corbin made his way to the middle, and kept up the pace with Fonseka until the close of play, with Gordon only 30 runs behind, 9 wickets in hand, and a whole day's play ahead.

Close of Play

North Sydney 103

(Ben Armstrong 8 overs ' 3 maidens, 4 for 13,

Corbin Edgar 10 overs ' 2 maidens, 2 for 23,

Dave Millar 13.2 overs - 5 maidens, 2 for 19,

Tom Bangs 12 overs ' 3 maidens, 1 for 26,)

vs. Gordon 1 for 74

(Ben Armstrong 16, Mark Fonseka 36*, Corbin Edgar 18*)

Adam Aarons

Magpies left battered after a solid Colts performance  

The Mighty Gordon Colts team turned up to Punchbowl Oval ready for a 50/50 over format on a overcast and miserable Saturday. Everybody seemed pumped and ready, especially Mark 'Fonzy' Fonseka who was still feeling the effects of a big work party the night before ' even if he doesn't drink. With all the boys arriving on time, it was a first for the Colts and I reckon should defiantly get a mention on the next Thursday meeting.

Millar consistently hits a line to take his first 5-for

The warm up was probably one of the highlights of the day. Warm up consisted of  a game of touch footy. What was even more surprising about every one turning up on time was that 'DM' MIllar was actually involved in the warm up. I wonder why? (The highlights of the game were Luke Ham's blistering speed from his intercept an 'Beans' Hynes chip and chase effort to score.)

With everyone all warmed up - it was time for the toss. Dave came up with the goods winning another toss and putting Magpies into bat on a wicket that looked to have some life to say the least. Beans struck early having the Magpies 1/0 and it went from there, eventually bowling out West for a small 65 off 33.3 overs.

Despite the helpful pitch, our bowling was right on target the whole day with Beans, Bangs and Benny Armstrong all taking 1 for not many. The stand out was DM's 5/20 off 9.3. His bowling was on the spot all day and deserved to get a bag and goes to show what happens when you bowl consistent lines and lengths leading from the front.

Going in to the change rooms for a very early lunch we were all quietly confident about chasing down the thoroughly getable total. At lunch, half the boys decided to find the nearest Subway, and, with Beans in the car, it wouldn't be hard for him to sniff it out. The boys that stayed behind were involved in great discussions about backyard cricket high scores and the different rules at each 'venue'. The comparison regarding the contents of the lunches was also rather amusing during the break.

When everyone returned and all Subway was devoured, it was time to put on the pads. Fonzy and Timmy van Zuylen opening - both confident..ish about getting the total themselves. Fonzy got us off to a great start, hitting anything full. Timmy played a support role down the other end. Fonz was dismissed for a nice 15 which got us off to a brisk start and set the tone for the rest of the batsman. Fonz's departure brought Hugh Selby to the crease and with some lovely 'late cuts' through slips he got us some valuable quick runs.

Unfortunately he was bowled by a ball the cut back a mile. Next to the crease was Paul Campbell. After coming off an excellent innings last week against Blacktown, Paul didn't look like getting out again. He punished anything that was just a little too full, ending with a tidy 19* to help his average even more. With only a few runs to get Tim played at a wide one and was caught, bringing in Brendan Gray to get the few runs needed. Grey was not impressed to say the least about going in, but managed to get a superbly crafted 2 n.o.

The end result saw us leaving with not only another victory but a very handy bonus point! (Chasing the total down in under 30 overs.)

Well done boys for a comfortable win - which wouldn't have happened without tight bowling and some sharp fielding. Hope all the Gordon boys have a good Chrissy and don't put on too many kilo's over the break.

Luke Ham

Colts have a draw against Blacktown after a poor performance in the field  

Playing against Blacktown out at the massive Whalan Oval is a road trip that's difficult to get excited about and this game has done nothing to change that view. However the mighty Colts are still undefeated, although not in their typical conquering fashion. It was hardly an ideal start from the get go with a disrupted warm up with two players arriving 35 minutes after the first ball was bowled. However captain courageous Millar fluked another toss and elected to bowl knowing full well that 10 wickets were required during the day to win due to the unusual 2 day format jammed into a 120 over 1 day game.

Luke Ham in action

The opening combination of Owen "Heinz" Hynes and Tommy Bangs was tight and restricted the batsmans' runs, who failed to capitalise on the missing fielders early. Both wickets and runs were hard to come by early as the batsmen continued to play and miss and frustrate the bowlers to no end. Bangs eventually got the breakthrough against the opening bat literally half his height. From there, the game continued to meander along and at the first drinks break Blacktown were 1 for 40 off 20 overs. The Stags then continued to pick up the odd wicket but couldn't really get any momentum going due to an abysmal fielding effort.

When Blacktown were 4 for 80 we had an opportunity to roll them for under 150. Unfortunately, we let ourselves down in the field grassing more chances then a whole family of octopuses could count on their tentacles.

Seriously.

The bowlers all toiled hard with Millar and Bangs the pick along with solid support from Luke Ham and Selby. The sun continued to beam down and the runs started flowing and the catches kept going down. All this led to one long hard day in the field. Blacktown kept batting and batting until mercifully they declared at 4-251 from 67 overs with one bloke notching up 110 (106 of those all ran) who I dare say is still dehydrated.

Chasing down 250 from 53 overs was always a tough ask especially on a gigantic ground comparable to the MCG which turned 6's into 3's and 4's into 2's.We got off to a slow start with the youngster Lachlan Charles feathering one to the keeper. Wickets continued to trickle just as partnerships were gathering momentum. Selby couldn't match his superb knock from last week this time making an untimely and perhaps unlucky exit.

With Brendan Gray and Luke Ham both out cheaply - the latter to a suicidal 2nd run from the other end - we were sitting at 6-118 and had to shut up shop and play for the draw. The only resistance came from Dedman and soon to be Dr Paul Campbell back from the land of academia making a classy 69 unbeaten including some majestic drives and a hell-of-a lot of running.

Heinz then pigged out on some loose bowling to help boost his average and show the selectors he's a bowling all rounder with a vast array of shots. We ended up at 6 for 182 taking the draw and with it the consolation prize of remaining undefeated. All in all a disappointing game for a team which should have really put up a significantly better sowing against the opposition. Plenty of fielding practice needed at training and we should come up with the good against Wests next week.

James Dedman

Colts on a roll against Randwick-Petersham   

Another well fought win by the Stags and the undefeated Colts continue to roll on.

We arrived at Snape Park on a nice sunny day for cricket. The oval looked to be in good nick, a nice long boundary but a greener pitch than we were expecting. As we head into the change rooms and sit down I looked around to realise that nearly half of the players were juniors from Gordon with the likes of Jim 'junior' Ham, Cam 'Camo' Davis, Sam 'Cool-Headed' Mart amongst the regular youngsters.

The author, Brendan Gray, smokes one through the covers

The warm-up went ahead as usual with Dave 'Skip' Miller leading the way of course... well maybe not, Skip once again joining the jog late. With the stags looking just a bit unorganised and startled, Skip asks ''does anyone know how to keep?'' with every looking around and heads in the sky Brendan 'Breno' Gray stepped up out of retirement and let Skip concentrate on his bowling. As the boys were unsure of whether to bat or bowl we left it in the experienced hands of Skip. I believe he lost the toss. Which is unusual for Skip due to his fine form with the coin, so Randwick Petersham decided to have a stick?

It was clear that the new ball had a bit of swing and varied bounce in it early so it was important that the Stags used this to our advantage and sure enough Skip and Luke 'Lukeyy' Ham didn't disappoint with Skip grabbing a few early wickets while Luke bowled his usual tight line to keep the batsmen scoreless until he bagged his first senior wicket for the Stags making the batsmen play a shot he would have regretted hitting it straight down the throat of James 'Lanky' Dedman at point. Lukeyy ending up with figures of 1/32 after 10.

The ball was then handed to Matt 'Junior' Selby and Ben 'Ginger' Armstrong to try and work their magic; Matt reluctantly came out of retirement to bowl a great line and length, considering he hasn't played for a while it was great effort. At the other end Ginger was running in as usual of his 50 metre run-up bowling his usual top of off balls but unfortunately wasn't able to grab a wicket and left the wicket taking to 'Junior' Selby who finished up with figures of 2/36 after 14 which is a great effort.

Before we knew it Randwick Petersham was 5/38 and we were well on top. However, this deck was a belter and we knew that many runs had been scored here in the previous weeks. A fight back was gathering momentum with Randwick Petersham starting to pile on some runs. Cam 'Camo' Davis was handed the ball to try and spin RPs back to the beach, bowling some great balls but couldn't keep his consistency. The ball was then handed back to Skip for the answer and luckily enough well of course it came with Skip bowling a teaser outside off for the batsmen to edge to Brendan 'Breno' Gray at keeper to take a screamer of a catch.

Hugh 'The other' Selby shows his younger brother how it is done

Wickets then began to fall, as we knew they would, but it wasn't until they made 220 that 'Camo' snaffled a good return catch to bring their innings to a close.

Chasing 221 for victory, the Stags were sent into bat for 5 over's, unfortunately we lost the 1 wicket of Ginger and were 1/19 after our 5 overs with James 'Lanky' Dedman showing his intentions for next week hitting the ball with ease.

Dedman kicked off Day 2 where he left off, smashing fours to all parts of the ground to bring up a great 50, unfortunately shortly after this Dedman was bowled playing over the top of a straight delivery. This brought Brendan 'Breno' Gray to the crease to try and re-settle the ship with Hugh 'The other' Selby, who looked to be in good nick at the other end.

As 'The Other' Selby and 'Breno' looked to be building on to something big, Brendan was out for 21, only to bring Luke Ham to the centre. Unfortunately he was dismissed for 6 and in came Sam Mart, the dark horse of the Stags, to try and restore the Stags' middle order.

Hugh looked to be the key for the Stags as he worked his way to 50 and onwards with Sam playing a wonderful supporting role tapping singles wherever he pleased. Hugh and Sam kept on ticking the runs away after lunch and comfortably steered the Colts to victory.

Luke Ham looks stylish in his brief stay at the crease

A special mention to Hugh for his wonderful 90 not out, displaying his class to the juniors and that patience is the key and not to throw your wicket away and (if we hadn't learnt enough by this point) that you don't have to score off every ball. Well done Hugh and Sam for an excellent batting performance. Also a special mention to Skip, for his great bowling performance of 4/39 after 20 overs including bowling 7 maidens.

To wrap it up the Gordon Colts grab another win to the tally and are ready to continue the Colts train to success.

Bring on Blacktown!!!

Brendan Gray

Poidevin Gray report vs Easts  

The Stags' younger brigade arrived at Chatswood determined to put on a better showing than their previous encounters by chalking up a win against top of the table Easts. Skipper Evans lost the toss but was not fussed when Easts elected to have bat, on a wicket that would offer something if the bowlers could put it in the right areas. Dan Smith and Jack Skillbeck opened up, bowling some good lines and restricting the opening batsmen's scoring opportunities.

(Harry Evans sends the BBQ area into a panic behind the Trumper stand)

This allowed Alex Lines to come on and pick up 3 wickets in his 1^st over immediately putting the pressure back on the East's batting lineup he continued to bowl good areas throughout his spell and finished with the impressive figures of 3/17 off 4 overs. The stags continued to bowl well with Tom Carruthers and Justin Avendano continuing to mount pressure. Kurt Roughley was brought into the attack and bowled extremely well  bowling in the crucial final stages he picked up 2/17 off his 4 overs to ensure that the Dolphins were restricted to 130 off the 20. One of the areas the stags improved on dramatically was the fielding, ensuring that the Dolphins were not able to rotate the strike easily, and forcing them to take risks to score.

Before heading out to bat Skipper Evans set us a challenge to not only chase down the target but do it in a dominating way within 17 overs. Though this did not start well with Jordy Liddle out early, Harry Evans then joined Steve Colley at the crease and put on 40 before Steve lost his off pole. Justin Avendano then joined Harry at the crease and the pair put on 35, with Harry nudging singles but also being very severe on any lose bowling to ensure that the runs continued to flow.

(Alex Lines who took three wickets in one over and Kurt Roughley who kept the scoring quiet at the close of the Easts innings)

Justin was out trying to push the scoring making the stags 3/85. Henry Carmichael then joined Harry at the crease, with the aim of trying to finish the game inside the 17 over target, he fell with around 10 runs remaining and it was left to Dan Smith and Harry to finish over the win in the 16^th over. 

Special mention must go to Skipper Evans who put on a great display of 20-20 batting not trying to hit everything for 6 rather nudging 1s and 2s and waiting for the bad ball and punishing it finishing on 73 Not Out.

Hopefully this group of stag's youngsters will be able to finish of their season well with a win in the final game in 2 weeks time.

Henry Carmichael

Poidevin Gray vs Wests

No report submitted by Dan Smith

PGs outclassed all around the park

The long haul out to Richmond saw the PGs side confident of a win following strong performances across most grades the previous day. The morning didn't start as planned with team organisation and warm up being rushed.

Avendano attempts to re-build the Stags' innings

After losing the toss and being sent out to field, a good bit of bowling by Adam Flemming caught the edge and a sharp catch was held in slips by Andrew Chapman. Following this success, Gordon never made it out of first gear as the runs came too easily for the Hawkesbury batsman.

Tight bowling in patches wasn't enough as their batsman managed to put away the loose balls keeping the run rate high. At 2-150 off 30, Gordon were looking at a possible chase of over 300, but the introduction of Justin Avendano slowed the scoring rate as he bowled a good tight spell to help restrict Hawkesbury to 7-265 off their 50 overs. A good scramble by Gordon to restrict the runs at the end.

Gordon went out to bat fairly confident of chasing down the total on what looked like a good track to bat on. A less than desirable start ensued, as both openers were out cheaply, leaving Harry Evans (28) and Justin Avendano (28) to try and pick the run rate up against the new ball. At 2-40 off 20 overs, Gordon never managed to catch up and the game rapidly slipped out of reach.

Solid knocks by Kris Colley (25), Dan Smith (22) and Andrew Chapman (36 no) saw Gordon limp home to 9-176 ensuring that Hawkesbury didn't take away the bonus point.

Andrew Crosland

Poidevin Gray vs St George

No report submitted by Harry Evans

Poidevin Gray Report vs Randwick - Petersham - Twenty20 Match

After a week in which Sydney endured a substantial amount of rain, (enough to wash out all games on Saturday), the PG boys arrived at Coogee with uncertainty about what the ground and wicket condition would be like. And after spending around 45 minutes trying to get parked somewhere in the same suburb, upon eventual arrival I think everybody was surprised with the good condition of the ground.

(Harry Evans during his excellent innings)

The wicket was hard and flat, the only fault being dampness on the edge of the square. The umpires decided to delay the start of the game 45 minutes.

Given that this was the first game of the season after the Round 1 washout, bowling first in a twenty 20 was never going to be an easy task. The Randwick team got off to a good start scoring quickly, however all the scoring was coming from one end and after we grabbed the prize wicket the boys really tightened things up. From this point on the bowling and fielding was generally very good with all bowlers being economical, Jack Skillbeck (1 for 24 off 4), Tom Caruthers (0 for 4 off 2) 

But Kurt Roughley was the standout with the ball, taking wickets and drying up the runs to finish with 2 for 16 from his 4 overs, most of which was bowled towards the end of the innings. And in the field everyone contributed well, with Gavin Taylor doing an excellent job stopping runs in the ring and Justin Avendano foxing beautifully to grab a couple of run outs. Overall after a bit of a sloppy start the boys did well to pull things together and restrict Randwick to 9 for 126.

After our efforts in the field we were all quietly confident of chasing this score down and, after losing Jordan Liddle early, Steve Colley (40) and Harry Evans (56) put together a fantastic partnership mixing soft hands and good running with some clean, powerful hitting (which was demonstrated when Harry smashed a six straight through a car window) and took the score to 103, at this point the game looked ours to lose.

(Kurt Roughley who showed his skills as a T20 bowler)

Which is exactly what happened.

Both Harry and Steve were out in quick succession. The middle order put in a good effort but it was not at all easy to come in and score quickly in these circumstances. I think many of us learnt the hard way, that in Twenty 20 the last few overs can go in the blink of an eye.

It was a disappointing loss for the Stags; however it must be noted that prior to the game Harry and Bevo called us together and set the team a few small goals. They were to get a run out(we got 5) to not bowl any no balls (we didn't bowl 1) and to have a partnership of 50 or more which Steve and Harry comfortably exceeded. So in that respect the boys did well; we just fell at the final hurdle. At the end of the day as a group I think there are many positives that can be gained from this close loss, and all the boys will take away something we can work on at training to make sure we improve, and win our next game.

Jordan Liddle

Green Shield finish season in third place

Review of season and report on quarter final match

The Green Shield team succumbed to the strong Western Suburbs team on Tuesday in their Quarter Final match on Tuesday, however have come out of the season with their heads held high after some excellent wins against strong opposition. In the preliminary rounds they ended up playing 5 of the top 9 teams and in keeping with this tough draw certainly had a roller coaster ride.

(Jack Colley in action during qtr final)  

With a poor first game they turned ourselves around and showed a lot of grit and determination to make a statement in round two against Blacktown. They went into the Xmas break with a win and continued our good form for the next 4 matches. Five in a row was a top effort. 

The team played on some challenging pitches and came through strongly. Unfortunately the team didn't play to our potential against Wests and this meant there was no second chance after Norths defeated Blacktown in their Quarter final.

The team coach, former NZ test batsman Bruce Edgar had the following to say to his team after the final match:

'Overall you can take away some very valuable experiences that many players are not exposed to. Green Shield is a tough competition and I'm sure you will be richer for the experience. 

(Thomas Lee shows his style against Wests)

As the coach I've thoroughly enjoyed working alongside a group of fine young men. It's been wonderful to see such personal development. But equally important has been the way you all came together as a team. The team spirit just got stronger by the game.

As I've said a number of times we've been very privileged to have such strong Club support right across the board. From the selection process to training, grounds, sponsorship and match days etc.  Just take a look at the website!!  Gordon has a great history and some very committed Club members ensuring that the foundations remain robust. We have been the beneficiaries of that support'.

Bruce went on to thank the great support provided by manager Peter Klemt and the parents for their great work to allow the team and coach to concentrate on the job at hand.

In addition Manager Peter Klemt addressed the team and said:

"You displayed many strong traits throughout the season -  outstanding sportsmanship, respect and support for each other and a determination that only a champion team can claim".

Peter also thanked Bruce for his leadership, words of wisdom, encouragement, strategies and tactics which were second to none.

(Corbin Edgar who took wickets in qtr final) 

At the pre-season meeting of the team and their parents a brief history of the club was explained to the players to let them know that they would be wearing the same colours as players like Victor Trumper, Charlie Macartney, Bert Oldfield and Adam Gilchrist and to respect their legacy.

This they did with great team spirit and respect for their opposition.

The webmaster

The final report for the Quarter final written by Charlie Stobo against Wests now follows:

Green Shield match report

Gordon vs Wests - Quarter Final

Gordon commenced the quarter-finals at Killara Park with high hopes of beating a strong opposition from the Western Suburbs. Although Gordon were beaten in their last match against Wests, we were confident we could win on this good batting track.

(Ben Leighton smiles after bowling a Wests player through the gap)

Gordon lost the toss (Ben's first loss in five matches), and were told they would field. Due to Lachlan Borg's injury, Jack Colley stepped up to open the bowling with Charlie Stobo. Early pressure helped to give Gordon confidence, and an early wicket from Charlie saw Wests at 1-8.

However, a large partnership made the going tough, and Wests were soon 2-86. There were periods when the strong batting started to crumble, however they fought hard and scored a total of 6-209 after 60 overs.

Special mention goes to Ben Leighton (3-33) and Jack Colley (2-38), who were the pick of the bowlers.

Chris Spratt and Connor Jackson walked out to bat, facing a fearsome opposition bowling attack, and Gordon were soon struggling at 5-29. A small partnership between Jack Colley (31) and Charlie Stobo (20) saw the team through to the tea break.

After tea with the partnership broken Gordon went on the score 120. Ben Leighton (27) and Jack Colley (31) were the top scorers.

Due to Blacktown's defeat against North Sydney, Gordon's hopes of reaching the semi finals were ruined.

(Charlie Stobo in action)

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank Bruce Edgar for his wonderful coaching and support throughout the season, and to Peter Klemt for the tireless organising of trainings, covers and practice matches.

Also, thanks to the parents and supporters who came to watch throughout the Green Shield season, and to those who helped with the scoring and afternoon-tea.

Lastly, congratulations and thanks to the boys in the team for making the finals in this year's season. Every player contributed with either the bat or ball, and helped to make the 2010/11 season one to remember. Good luck to those boys playing next year, and to those who go on to play more cricket with Gordon, or elsewhere.

Charlie Stobo

(The team celebrates their last round win against Sutherland with the club song)

Green Shield Report vs Easts

Report by Regan Klemt

Today's triumphant win against Eastern Suburbs gives us very good momentum heading into the last game before the finals.

Things started positively, with yet another win of the toss (great calling Ben !) and us sending Easts into bat on a slightly green wicket.

(Dom Thomson and Jack Colley lead off the team after their winning partnership...with Charlie Stobo providing the security)

Gordon started strong, building pressure through our opening bowlers - Stobes and Borgy. Stobes beat the bat constantly while Borgy took 2 early wickets.

'Swing master' Rajy and 'Mr Reliable' Jack continued the solid start with tidy spells from both of them.

A rain delay brought an early lunch with Easts sitting at 3-49 off 19 overs.

( Suraj Laha, Corbin Edgar and Ben Leighton take up the attack against Easts) 

After lunch our spinners Corbin and Ben took charge. Corbin had the opposing batsmen mesmerised with his offies and finished with outstanding figures of 4-14. There was no let up at the other end with Ben and his refined action (thanks Mark !) turning the ball heaps. He finished with great figures of 3 for 5.

All bowlers were ably assisted by our wickie Nick 'Hadds' Coleman, with 3 catches and one stumping.

Easts were bowled out for 92 after 45 overs. It was now our turn to bat...

Strong partnerships between Spratty (24) and Dom, then Dom (not out 30) and Jack (not out 26) saw Gordon make light work of East's total, passing their score 3 down after 32 overs.

A great effort from the lads puts us in a strong position heading into the last round.

We are looking forward to continuing to do our best...

Reagan Klemt 

Webmaster's note

This win now puts us in fifth position going into the last round against Sutherland at Sutherland on Thursday. The table is:

Bankstown 36, Blacktown, 30, Wests 30 Sutherland 24, Gordon 24, St. George 24, Norths 24.

We are currently in fifth position based on our net run rate of 0.31 compared to Saints 0.24 and Norths 0.08.

Norths play Saints in the last round so a win will put us through while a loss will mean a calculation of NRR to determine 6th. The three teams on 18 points below the top 7 appear to have too low NRR to get in...but you never know... 

To look at the Green Shield Table with one round to go...click here...

Scores

Gordon 3 for 94 (Dom Thomson 30 not out, Jack Colley 26 not out, Chris Spratt 24) defeated Easts 92 (Corbin Edgar 4 for 14 (12), Ben Leighton 3 for 5 (5), Lachlan Borg 2 for 5 (5)  Suraj Laha 1 for 23 (8)   

Green Shield match report vs Saints

Win takes us to sixth sport after three wins in a row

The Gordon team was confident leading into the match against St George, and with a hard and faster wicket to bowl on, it was pleasing to win the toss and elect to field.

(Jack Colley hits a straight drive for four)

The opening batsmen of the Saints' attack looked very solid, as the opening bowlers failed to find an early wicket. The combination of Charlie Stobo and Lachlan Borg helped to minimise the run rate, and due to a combination of Lachlan Borg and Chris Spratt, the Gordon team had an early wicket.

This helped to give Gordon confidence, and they soon found that they had reached the tail of the opposition's line-up. These last wickets came soon after, and Gordon was pleased to chase a total of 179 after 60 overs. The standout bowler was Corbin Edgar (2-31), although all other bowlers chipped in with the wickets.

(Corbin Edgar bowling his offies, Connor Jackson showing great technique with his driving and Lachlan Borg punishes one through mid wicket against Saints)

In the mid afternoon session, Connor Jackson and Chris Spratt walked out to face the St George bowling attack. After a surprising in-swinging delivery first up, Chris Spratt was given out lbw, and the Gordon team found themselves under pressure. After the first wicket, partnerships were formed, and Gordon was soon back in control. Connor Jackson (37), Reagan Klemt (34) and Lachlan Borg (22*) all batted sensationally, but the inspirational performance of Jack Colley (64) helped to secure the win for Gordon. Charlie Stobo hit a single through mid-wicket to pass the opposition total and secure the win, six wickets down.

(Some work needs to be done on the song but they are getting the hang of it)

Charlie Stobo

Webmasters's note

This was a fine win against a typically strong St. George team that was built on team discipline in the field to restrict a strong batting line-up and then some inspirational batting under pressure by Jack Colley that was backed up exceptionally well by Connor Jackson, Regan Klemt and Lachlan Borg. The team was also well led by Ben Leighton.

Charlie Stobo set the tone again with his consistent bowling on a good length at good pace and his start gave the others the confidence to fight hard all the way. Corbin Edgar is showing his development as an offie with another good spell while all of the bowlers performed to the teams goals for the innings.

The batting performance showed how coach Bruce Edgar is starting to mould this team to believe in themselves and to take disappointments in their stride (Chris going first ball) and to make sure it didn't stop them from winning. No-one in the team left it to someone else to perform and all did their best under pressure with good skills.

(Bruce Edgar congratulates all players as they come from the field for a great team effort)

Jack's innings was special with some fantastic driving and hitting through mid wicket off his toes as highlights. He decided the win would depend upon him, just as other batsman had done in the previous two wins.

The team is also playing with great spirit and are a credit to the Gordon colours.

Scores

Gordon 6 for 180 (Jack Colley 64, Connor Jackson 37, Regan Klemt 34, Lachlan Borg 22 not out, defeated St. George 8 for 179 (Corbin Edgar 2 for 31 (10) Charlie Stobo 1 for 24 (11) Jack Colley 1 for 27 (9), Ben Leighton 1 for 33 (8), Lachlan Borg 1 for 34 (10)  

Link here to match scores on SCA website:

The webmaster

Green Shield match report ' Gordon vs. Randwick 4/1/2011

After winning the toss and electing to field, the Gordon team was confident that they would have a good day of cricket. Due to rain, the match would be reduced to 34 overs a side.

Gordon started well, taking a few early wickets, and saw the opposition struggling at 6-34. After only 34 overs, Gordon had bowled Randwick out for only 57. The pick of the bowlers were Tom Lee (3-13) and Suraj Laha (2-6).

(Corbin Edgar leads off the team after their win)

Gordon's fielding set the positive tone for the innings, with all catches held in the outfield. Although the pitch was damp and hard to bat on, the constant pressure from the bowling attack would have been a fierce attack anywhere

After the great start to the game, Gordon went into bat, knowing that Randwick would put up a fierce fight. The constant chat from a chirpy opposition didn't help the opening batsmen. This became apparent when Gordon also lost early wickets and were 4 down for only 13 runs. Reagan Klemt looked solid in the middle, but was bowled soon after. The match was becoming a close match, and a small partnership between Charlie Stobo (14) and Corbin Edgar (12*) gave the rest of the team confidence. Ben Leighton hit the winning boundary through square leg to pass the opposition's total 7 wickets down.

Well done to the whole team for what was a close and exciting match.

Charlie Stobo, Tom Lee and Corbin Edgar in action against Randwick Petersham 

Charlie Stobo

Tony Wilson additional comments: The author was too modest to comment on his major contribution with ball and bat. Charlie bowled 6.1 overs of accurate meds with a return of 2 wickets for 9 runs. He then joined Corbin Edgar at 6 down for only 37 runs and the side in big trouble. He stayed with Corbin for 31 minutes scoring 14 off 31 balls and took the score to a safer 47. Much credit must also go to Corbin Edgar, who was the rock they needed, coming in at 2 for 12 and staying for 72 minutes, to steer the side to victory on a difficult deck.

The Gordon side concluded the game with  a rousing rendition of the song. They now sit equal 7th, just one win out of the semis and face a vital match against Saints on Thursday at Killara.

Scores

Gordon 7 for 59 (Charlie Stobo 14, Corbin Edgar 12 not out, Regan Klemt 11) defeated Randwick Petersham 57 (Tom Lee 3 for 13, Charlie Stobo 2 for 9, Suraj Laha 2 for 6, Lachlan Borg 1 for 12)

Green Shield Update  

A tough start but the Greenies will be a force in the new year

The Green Shield team has played three matches with a win and two losses. One of those losses was very close and the team is bouyant going into the new year. We will be providing reports for each match in January, so to catch up the skipper Ben Leighton has put his thoughts together on the first three rounds. 

(Corbin Edgar in action)

Round 2 included an excellent century to Corbin Edgar as the team got very close to a Blacktown side holding a favorites tag for the championship with a number of NSW Under 17 players.

Round 3 also included an excellent 89 by Dom Thomson and a 67 to Lachlan Borg)

Reports for Rounds 1, 2 and 3

Rd 1 vs. Western Suburbs

We lost wickets on a green pitch that moved early and at one stage were 5-38. We never recovered and were bundled out for 56.

The highlight was a great bowling effort from Stobes and Borgy who beat the bat on a number of occasions and we were unlucky not to get more than 2 wickets.

Scores

Gordon 56 (Chris Spratt 19, Lachlan Borg 14) were defeated by Wests 2 for 57 (Lachlan Borg 1 for 13) 

(Charlie Stobo and Lachlan Borg gave it everything however the total was too msamll to defend)

Rd 2 vs. Blacktown

Blacktown are one of the top teams in the competition, stacked with NSW Emerging Blues and Australian U16 players. We thought it would be a tough match but were up for the challenge after a disappointing Rd 1 performance.

The tone was set right from the first over after the Australian opening bowler Daya Singh hit Spratty on the shoulder. Spratty 24 and Connor 24 took it to them and we got to 58 off 9 overs by the time Dom and Corbin arrived at the crease. Doma's cameo of 19 and Jack Colley's fantastic effort of a run a ball 42 set the platform for a fantastic score. Borgy's 25 rotation of strike for Corbin helped us get a move along. However it was Corbin Edgar's tremendous maiden greenshield ton that secured us a score of 274 against an almighty bowling attack.

(Jack Colley in action for the Green Shield team)

A great opening spell from Stobo and Borgy set us up for a great bowling innings. At 2-17 Blacktown were on the ropes until jag and grant set about a chase. At halfway Blacktown were still 160 runs behind and needing 5 runs an over. The next 10 over's only brought them 20 runs. We were cruising and in a fantastic position as they needed 140 off 20 over's. We thought the game was won, and that's where we lost it. We kept them tight but couldn't bring about a wicket. We missed a couple of catches and run outs and the odd ball bowled too short were punished for 4 or 6. 

One bad over turned the game around and we were back on the ropes. A fantastic effort from their no. 4 grant who scored 146 secured them the win with 8 balls's to go.

We were so disappointed but after reflection we put in an amazing effort to come within so close of a win. This would set us up for the rest of the season.

Scores

Gordon 7 for 274 (Corbin EDgar 105, Jack Colley 42, Lachlan Borg 25, Chris Spratt 24, Connor Jackson 24) were defeated by Blacktown 5 for 278 (Charlie Stobo 2 for 49, Lachlan Borg 1 for 28, Thomas Lee 1 for 24) 

(Dom Thomson during his 89)

Rd 3 vs. Hawkesbury

The highest innings score in Greenshield this year. After losing the toss on a green wicket that seamed and turned we were sent into bat.

A fantastic opening partnership of 51 between Spratty 35 and Connor 26 again laid the platform for a great score. Dom came to the crease and after batting really well with Corbin 13, Jack 21, and a great cameo from Reagan 31 our score was 5-181 with a bit of work to do. Borgy came to the crease and with Dom set about destroying the spin attack of Hawkesbury, so much so that the left arm orthodox bowler changed to chinaman's. Borgy's amazing effort of 67 took us to 6 for 283, and with 5 over targets mapped out by Bruce we were set for a big score. Doma's scintillating performance of 89 as well as some late hitting from Stobes 18 took us to 321 the highest total in greenshield this year.

(Nick Coleman makes a valiant dive to catch a ball, Regan Klemt hits a four past point while Suraj Laha show his style in taking one wicket) 

We couldn't have got off to a better start, a wicket on the second ball from Stobes set the tone for Hawkesbury's innings. A solid partnership of 40 wasn't enough to bring about a good chase and with wickets falling regularly to great bowling from Suraj, Vidura and a fantastic effort from Jack (1-3 off 5) and Corbin (3-23 off 10) secured us a winning position. Of course we wanted to bowl them out and after a late partnership of 35, Borgy came back on and took the last 2 wickets.

A fantastic effort from the boys with the bat and ball and it was fantastic to chant the club song and get the first win under our belts.

Scores

Gordon 9 for 321 (Dom Thomson 89, Lachlan Borg 67, Chris Spratt 35, Connor Jackson 26, Regan Klemt 31, Jack Colley 21) defeated Hawkesbury 175 (Corbin Edgar 3 for 23, Lachlan Borg 2 for 23, Charlie Stobo 2 for 25, Suraj Laha 1 for 28, Vidura Perera 1 for 24, Jack Colley 1 for 3)  

Green Shield Report  

Gordon vs Nth Sydney (14/1/10)

The Gordon and North Sydney teams arrived at Killara Park and were disappointed to hear that play would be delayed until after 12:00 due to light rain. The match would also be played as a 38 over-a- side game. The covers came off at about 12:00 and Gordon elected to bowl after winning the toss.

(Jack Skilbeck gets the edge and Tom Carruthers takes the catch)

North Sydney lost 3 early wickets with Jack Skilbeck taking 2-32. North Sydney's Stephen Birch and Callum Fursman put on a 150 run partnership after the lst wicket, with Birch getting into the 80's and Fursman in the 60's.

This partnership brought a slight loss of enthusiasum to the Gordon field. After the end of the innings at 38 overs North Sydney were 3-179.

(Taylor Francis and Tom Carruthers whose partnership almost won the game for the Stags)

Gordon went into bat with high hopes, but also knowing they had a tough job ahead of them. Unfortunately, Gordon lost 2 quick wickets, making Gordon 2 for less than 20, but Taylor Francis batted aggressively with Tom Carruthers to make a 98 run partnership; Taylor getting 66 and Tom getting 53. 

After that, a few more wickets fell and Michael Clareborough came in and got a quick 21. This gave Gordon hope, but the North Sydney bowling and fielding proved too much and Gordon fell 9 runs short at the end of 38 overs. 

(Skipper Darren with the new ball against Norths) 

To have any chance of making the finals, Gordon will have to beat Sydney Uni on Sunday.

Charlie Stobo

Green Shield Report vs Manly-Warringah

The Gordon Green Shield team lost in a close match to Manly on Tuesday 12^th January. The total of 144 runs posted by Gordon was always going to be difficult to defend.

Chris Spratt leads the boys off at the top of the innings

The Stags arrived at Manly Oval to take on Manly-Warringah for the fifth round of the Green Shield competition. The pitch looked as if there would be plenty of turn for spin bowling. There were some clouds about during the morning session although they soon cleared, and it was going to be a hot day's cricket with the temperature rising. Darren Jayasekera won the toss for the first time in this competition and elected to bat first.

Taylor Francis and Chris Spratt opened the batting for a confident Gordon side, who had won three out of their four previous games. Taylor and Chris got Gordon off to a solid start pushing the runs around with the occasional boundary. Taylor was timing the ball well, until caught at mid-wicket trying to pull a short ball. This brought Dom Thompson to the crease. Dom and Chris went on with their business slowly building a partnership. Dom was unluckily caught at point. Two wickets down then Tom Carruthers joined Chris to build their innings. Wickets fell steadily with all batsmen contributing some runs, top scorers were Corbin Edgar with (26) and Chris Spratt with (22).

Darren, Jack and Tom send down some tight deliveries to contain the Waratahs

Jack Skillbeck asked for an inspirational talk at the lunch interval and was definitely stunned by what Jim, one of the Gordon club executives, had to say.

The tight Manly bowling managed to frustrate the Gordon batsmen, which meant even when players were in, no one managed to go on and get a big score. Charlie Stobo, Michael Clarebrough, Bhavya Nanda and Jack Skillbeck all hit some vital runs to get the total to 9-144 at the close of innings, which at one point would have been unrealistic.

After a team discussion in between innings on how Gordon were going to defend their total, the team took to the field. The fielding through out the innings was of a good standard, as was the bowling. Although the Manly batsmen got away with some quick early runs, once the first wicket fell, there was always an outside chance that Gordon could restrict Manly and get all the batsmen out.

The opening bowlers were Jack Skillbeck and Darren Jayasekera who bowled with their usual speed and accuracy, managing not to be distracted by the unusual sight of an umpire wearing a batting helmet to officiate. Jack got the first breakthrough thanks to an excellent catch from Taylor Francis diving to his left at mid-on. With the first bowling change came the second wicket, Lachlan Stewart continuing his form taking a safe catch off Tom Carruthers bowling. Tight bowling from Charlie Stobo beating the bat troubled the Manly batsmen.

Shaun Chandiramani's spin bowling was producing good turn, as well as bowling at a good length. Michael Clarebrough took a vital wicket in his first over testing the batsmen with a short ball. This was followed up by a superb fielding effort by Darren for a run out which allowed the team to be on a hatrick. Despite all these regular wickets falling and the team being on a team hatrick, Manly limped to the total with a score of 7-147 after 47.5 overs.

Results for Tom Carruthers as he picks up a pole

A big thank you from all of the players to the parents and helpers who continue to take time off work to make these matches possible.

It was a good effort by the boys unfortunately could not get the win. The Stags go into their next game with some excellent form behind them and with a clear opportunity to make it through to the semi-finals.

Tom Carruthers 

Harry has a chat to the boys after the match

Green Shield Match Report vs Northern Districts

The Gordon team travelled away in the 4^th round fixture, as we headed up to Waitara oval to take on Northern Districts. The conditions were stunning with not a cloud in sight and the stage was set for another battle between the two historic clubs.

(Tom Carruthers after his 5 for 17)

Our day started slowly with Darren Jayasekera continuing his unfortunate losing of the toss. This didn't bother the stags as they set about their mission of dismissing the talked about Northern Districts line up. Hugh Buddin and Darren Jayasekera steamed in from both ends to get the attack under way and to almost immediate success Darren had picked up his first scalp picking up one of the N.D's openers caught behind thanks to some handy glove work by Lachlan Stewart, who picked up four catches in the innings. The highlight of the innings was Tom Carruthers brilliant spell picking up 4-12 and very quickly taking the game away from the Northern Districts team.

Chandiramani again got amongst the wickets clean bowling his way to his tenth wicket of the season. This put Northern Districts in deep trouble and this only got worse as some quick thinking by Taylor Francis directly hitting the stumps from the boundary and picking up a rather bizarre run out. Gordon went to lunch in a commanding position having Northern Districts on the ropes with 7-65.

(Chris Spratt, Ben Leighton and Darren Jayasekera in action at Waitara) 

Gordon came back from lunch and immediately the spinners looked dangerous from both ends with Ben Leighton and Shaun Chandiramani both bowling very tidy spells. It was time for the onslaught to continue with the pacemen coming back on to finish up the tail. Carruthers and Jayasekra finished off the tail with Darren finishing with 2-30 and Tom Carruthers finishing with an impressive 5-17.This only consolidated Gordon's position and all but ended the chances of N.D's posting a formidable score ending up all out for 101.

Gordon's Batting Innings got well underway with Chris Spratt and Shaun Chandiramani opening up the batting. Unfortunately Shaun was given out Caught behind to a quick short ball, which sent out in form batsmen Dom Thomson. As he did in round three Dom was sending the bowlers all over the oval, with Spratt playing the supporting role at the other end. With the fifty partnership up the two looked to be in cruise control until Chris was caught behind for 25. This brought Corbin Edgar to the crease and was only in their for a short stint before it was time for tea. Gordon went to the tea break 2-71 and well on top.

(Winners are grinners)

On the return from the break Corbin Edgar went after a wide one and was caught at point for a disappointing 2. It was left for Dom Thomson and Tom Carruthers to bring Gordon home but after only putting on nine more runs Thomson was caught at short cover for a hard fought 34. The Skipper was next to the crease and as in the past the run rate was boosted with his arrival. Tom and Darren brought Gordon's score level with that of Northern Districts and it looked like they would hit the winning runs until Darren Was given out Lbw on 14 with the score at 5-101. The fall of his wicket brought Michael Clarebrough to the crease and was at the non strikers when fittingly Tom Carruthers hit the winning runs with a beautiful shot down the ground.

Thanks to the Northern Districts cricket club for the wonderful afternoon tea that was put on i know the boys thoroughly enjoyed it, the callipo's were a hit. Thanks to the scorers and the umpires for helping to make it an all round good day.

Congratulations Stags!!

Michael Clarebrough

Green Shield Report Round 3 vs  UNSW

We arrived at Killara for our round 3 clash with UNSW to find that the pitch was very damp and soft under foot, which meant that play was delayed until 10am. Overhead conditions however were excellent and we knew that things could only improve. During this period the squad was treated to more bantering from the Kings and Riverview boys carrying on from Round 2 on school rivalries in the GPS.

(Dominic Thomson during his 57) 

Darren Jayasekera unfortunately lost the toss and we were sent in to bat on a bowler friendly wicket. Despite losing the early wicket of Chris Spratt caught behind to a ball that sprung up off a good length, the Stags looked comfortable at the crease and it appeared as though Uni were not fully utilising the conditions.

Dom Thomson and Shaun Chandiramani were combining well until Shaun was adjudged LBW for 12. Tom Carruthers fell soon after and we were in trouble at 3-27. A few good partnerships then developed as Dom was joined by Corbin Edgar (23) followed by the skipper Darren (22) who all played prominent roles in our innings. Each of them ran well between wickets and dispatched the bad ball to the boundary.

With the loss of Dom for a well-compiled 57 we were 6-144 and there was still some work to be done by the lower order if we were to post an imposing total. The wicket was beginning to flatten out and batting was becoming easier as the day progressed. With that in mind Bhavya Nanda and Michael Clarebrough looked to increase the run rate.

(Charlie Stobo at Killara)

They made 11 and 12 respectively before being dismissed and with contributions from Charlie Stobo (16) and Hugh Buddin (25), we managed to reach 207 from 59.5 overs. Evidently we were pleased with this given the state of the wicket at the start of play. However Uni's strength lay in their batting and a solid bowling and fielding effort was required.

The openers Jack Skilbeck and Hugh Buddin bowled well with Hugh picking up a couple of wickets while Jack bowled accurately from the other end. Darren then brought himself into the attack and had early success trapping the number four in front. At tea we were well on top with UNSW 3-32 off 16.

A problem however was potentially going to be rain and when play resumed, spinner Shaun Chandiramani was introduced into the attack to get through the overs quickly. Darren changed his bowlers from the other end swiftly with Tom, Charlie and Michael all bowling tight lines, Uni began to feel the pressure and when Charlie took a great catch at slip off Michael the game was all but over.

Shaun picked up more wickets for the competition one of which was a sharp stumping to keeper Lachlan Stewart. Shaun is now the leading wicket taker in Green Shield with 9 after 3 games. The lower order for Uni hung around for a while but was not particularly threatening.

(Excellent stumping from Lachlan Stewart)

A superb runout from Corbin and a Jack Skilbeck short ball finished off the tail, UNSW all out for 116 and a 91 run win for us. The ominous rain clouds from tea thankfully never played a part and we recorded our 2^nd win from 3 matches.

Our next game is against NDs in the local derby at Waitara on Thursday. This game appears to be pivotal for both sides as we are 7^th and they are 9^th.

Thank you to all the parents for the afternoon tea and also to those that scored.

(Some of the action with Hugh Buddin, Jack Skilbeck and Shaun Chandiramani) 

Go Stags!

Hugh Buddin 

Green Shield Report vs Campbelltown   

Round 2 of the A.W Green Shield competition saw Gordon arriving at Campbelltown's home ground Raby 1, eager to replicate their riveting win 2 days ago against Penrith. Captain, Darren Jayasekera lost his 2^nd toss in 2 games and this resulted in Gordon fielding 1^st on what looked to be a flat wicket. After a solid warm up, the enthusiastic Stags prepared to put Campbelltown on the back foot from ball 1. 

(Tom Carruthers at Raby)

Jack Skilbeck and Hugh Buddin opened the bowling for Gordon. They bowled economically considering the immense heat, keeping the boys from Campbelltown to a run rate of 2 an over. Struggling to find early wickets, Gordon was feeling the pressure as the opening batsmen from Campbelltown were hanging in there.

Darren Jayasekera soon replaced Jack who was looking tired due to the heat. In Darren's 2^nd over, he managed to clean bowl the opening batsman, making the score 1/30. However while celebrating his wicket; Darren somehow managed to roll his ankle resulting in him having to leave the field for the rest of the innings. It was now up to replacing Captain Hugh Buddin and the rest of the boys to clean up the Campbelltown line up.

Tom Carruthers and Taylor Francis were soon given the ball, expected to apply pressure and bowl the right line and length. They did what was asked for as Tom was rewarded with a wicket, getting the left handed opening batsman out LBW. Off Spinner Shaun Chandiramani was next to bowl, very eager to repeat his recent efforts of 4 wickets in the previous game.

Shaun portrayed his dominance taking 2 quick wickets with great work behind the stumps by Lachlan Stewart and a great catch by Tom Carruthers at slip. Leg Spinner Ben Leighton also got into the action bowling great lines to pick up a handy 2 wickets, both Caught and Bowled.

(Hugh Buddin opens the bowling) 

With the score at 6/100 at lunch, Gordon was prepared to take the 4 wickets as soon as possible with minimum runs given away. Shaun and Ben finished off their spells with great figures; Shaun ' 2/16 off 12 and Ben ' 2/31 off 12. Hugh Buddin and Tom Carruthers came onto bowl, hoping to clean up the Campbelltown tail. The tail unfortunately started wagging, as the score increasingly grew. At 6/149, Gordon became slightly worried however were still on top. Hugh Buddin soon relieved the pressure, clean bowling the opposition's number 3 batsmen who scored a classy 64. Hugh struck again soon after with a great catch by Shaun Chandiramani.

The weather soon played a part in the match, stopping play for ' an hour reducing the game to 58 overs. With 1 over left to bowl, Jack Skilbeck was handed the ball and he got a wicket with a catch by Taylor Francis. Gordon was set a total of 170 runs which was definitely within their reach.

(Corbin Edgar, Tom Carruthers and Ben Leighton in action at Campbelltown)

Opening Batsmen Chris Spratt and Dom Thomson strode onto the pristine ground with great confidence, keen to set a solid platform for Gordon. However, Dom was soon out LBW, and Tom Carruthers came into the crease and put a solid 33 run partnership with Chris (15) who showed his class only just turning 14 years old.

Tom maintained his accumulating of runs with number 4 Corbin Edgar. The two formed a 2 run partnership and were looking good until Corbin got out caught and bowled for 26. At 3/85, Darren Jayasekera came into the crease with runner Dom Thomson due to his rolled ankle. However his stay at the crease didn't last long getting run out for a diamond duck. After Taylor was dismissed cheaply, an anxious Gordon closely watched Tom Carruthers bat with Bhavya Nanda (6) and Jack Skilbeck.

(Jack Skilbeck in action)

Tom batted superbly to make a solid 61, unfortunately getting out trying to make quick runs. At 7/128, Shaun Chandiramani and Jack Skilbeck forced runs making use of every opportunity they were given. Shaun (12) got out trying to run one down to third man as this brought the score to 8/149. Hugh unfortunately got out cheaply keeping the score at 9/149. With 21 runs and only 1 wicket in hand, everyone was on the edge of their seats.

The sky was dark as signs of rain were promising. With Gordon being in front of the required run rate, slight hope was gained. However, when Jack received a ball that kept low, Gordon's hopes sank as he was bowled for 8. Even though there was a complaint made for bad light, nothing could be done as Gordon was all out for 152; 18 runs short.

It was a very disappointing result, however there has only been 2 games played. Being placed 9^th on the table, there is still a great chance to get into the top 6 for the final rounds. I would like to thank Harry Evans (Coach), the scorers and the parents for taking us all the way to Campbelltown.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Christmas and a happy New Year.

(Shaun Chandiramani who took 2 wickets) 

Scores:

Campbelltown ' 6/169 (S.Chandiramani 2/16, H.Buddin 2/18, B.Leighton 2/31) defeated Gordon ' 10/152 ( T.Carruthers 61, C.Edgar 26)

Darren Jayasekera

Green Shield Report Round 1 vs Penrith  

A fine looking Stags line up commenced the A. W. Green Shield competition on a dull and cloudy day at our home ground, Killara. This solid line up was lead by Darren Jayasekera, who unfortunately lost the toss, which didn't really worry them as they bowled on an uneven green surface which seemed to bother Penrith early on.

(Skipper Darren Jayasekera during his 45)

The Stags knew that this game was vital, and that leading to Christmas it would be essential to win; if they wanted to be in the running to win the competition. The opening bowlers Jack Skilbeck and superstar Hugh Buddin bowled tightly; keeping Penrith fewer than 3 runs an over. Skilly nearly got off to the perfect start, but was unfortunate not to pick up the 1st wicket second ball of the game with a very difficult catch for Taylor Francis, fielding at point.

After this chance, the Stags remained alert in the field, however it wasn't until the 19^th over that 'man moment', Charlie Stobo took the first wicket of the match, dismissing the Penrith skipper who was caught by the Gordon skipper, Darren Jayasekera at point. Tom Carruthers came into the attack troubling the Penrith batsmen from lots of pressure from ball one, hitting the a great line and taking the prize wicket of Richard Potter in his 3rd over. Not long after that Ben Leighton got into the act, making a tremendous run out to definitely turn the game our way. 

(Jack Skilbeck and Charlie Stobo in action at Killara)

Soon after, Shaun Chandiramani came onto bowl his offies and started consistently, not giving Penrith too many runs which lead to wickets tumbling. Shaun managed to secure a wicket before and straight after lunch, which boosted the Stags confidence in the field. In Chanda's 7th over, he was on a hat-trick, but unfortunately missed out. He ended up with figures of 4-12 of 8 overs. The Gordon Stags had made a tremendous comeback, demolishing the Penrith Panthers for only 143, on what had turned into a very good wicket. Credit also goes to the Stags exceptional fielding efforts.

(Shaun Chandiramani leads off the Stags while Hugh Buddin does the honours at the end)

The Stags resumed play full of confidence, with Shaun Chandiramani and Dom Thomson opening the batting, These boys job was to see out the opening bowlers. The pair looked promising and patient as Dom was working the singles around the ground. In the 3rd over of the game, Chanda looked to boost the Stags confidence by belting the ball to square leg for four, which nearly hit the fence on the full for a six. Unfortunately the very next over, he was trapped LBW.

Soon after wickets started to fall like dominoes. Before the team knew it, the Gordon Stags at one stage were 5-34 after 13 overs. Penrith looked unstoppable as they were bowling hand grenades. But this didn't stop the Gordon skipper Darren Jayasekera and Taylor Francis from putting on a quick fire 28 partnership, with a couple of sublime shots from Darren and Taylor which sailed over the boundary for six. This looked to be a promising partnership until Taylor tried to hit over wide mid on and was caught.

Charlie Stobo joined Darren at the crease playing his natural strokes from the start and supporting Darren. Unfortunately Darren's fine innings of 45 came to an end when he tried to pull one too many. The vice captain Hugh Buddin strolled onto the field with a big job to help the team to a first up victory needing 82 runs to win, but still a lot of overs left. The Stags had not given up as yet, however Junior Stobo was extremely unlucky to get to a superb catch. The total at the point in time was 8-106. So it It was up to Hugh Buddin and Jack Skilbeck to do the job and Skilly to do the job. They both occupied the crease very well and played each ball on its merit.

(Hugh Buddin and Ben Leighton)

This left the Stags 8-115 at tea and lots of encouragement and chatter from the boys in the Pavilion gave superstar Hugh and Skilly lots of confidence. Needing just 10 runs to win, Skillbeck edged one to the Penrith keeper and the pavilion became silent. The best number 11 batsman in the world, big Benny Leighton knew what was expected of him. Cries from Ben's Mum "give Hugh the strike" didn't seem to be the case as he faced most of the balls.

(The winners)

After an agonisingly long period with both batsman holding out well, it came down to only two runs to win, and the nerves in the pavilion were starting to show. The skipper was biting his collar and was looking as nervous as ever. This wasn't the case for long as there was a misfield from the opposition which levelled the scores. A couple of balls after, Penrith tried to aim for a direct hit which missed the stumps and went straight past the fielders for 4 overthrows which gave the stags their first win and an excellent start to the season.

(The post match review with coach Harry Evans)

On behalf of the boys, I would like to thank the parents for the great afternoon tea with many more to come.

Hopefully we can rip through the Campbelltown boys and make it two in quick succession.

Go the Gordon Stags!

Scores

Gordon 9 for 147 (Darren Jayasekera 45, Hugh Buddin 20 no, Charlie Stobo 17, Taylor Francis 13) defeated Penrith 143 (Shaun Chandiramani 4 for 12, Hugh Buddin 1 for 18, Charlie Stobo 1 for 10, Tom Carruthers 1 for 6, Michael Clareborough 1 for 17, Ben Leighton 1 for 0,

Chanda Panda (the big guy)

To view the complete score sheet click on the link below:

http://www.sydneygrade.nsw.cricket.com.au/showrvcontent.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=610882&loc=/cricket/reports/match.asp&loc1/match.asp

5th Grade come unstuck against the Whales

Due to no play on the first day we had a bright and early start at 9:30 with 120 overs to be bowled in the day. Despite losing the toss, we were happy to learn we would be bowling first and Deva got us off to good start with a great opening spell during which he was really unlucky not to pick up any wickets, despite plenty of edges and plays and misses.

Tommy Bangs picks up wickets reliably for his skipper

Pretty quickly Moth turned to Tommy Bangs who picked up a wicket in his first over and continued to keep things tight bowling 10 overs straight and finishing with 1/20. Toddy came on to replace Deva and he too picked up a wicket straight away.

The run rate was very slow and helped us to maintain the pressure along with some really good bowling from Matt Todd and Tim "Moth" Packman.  Chapman then stepped up to bowl his first over for Gordon and did well to find the edge during his first over which unfortunately landed wide of 1^st slip. His spell lasted only that one over as the long awaited bowling debut from Tom 'Shaft' Cockburn was to take place as the last over before lunch.  It was a great start for the Shaft who showed off all his variations in that first over, including the doosra, making sure he would get an extended spell after the break.

With 5 minutes to go before play started again Andy 'Elton' Coleman and Sunny were nowhere to be seen and with Tommy having just began his career as an off-spinner he wasn't going to give up the chance to bowl and Chapman was left to put on the gloves as we took the field just as Andy and Sunny arrived back. Chapman had become somewhat of a one over specialist after his one over bowling and then his one over keeping spell, however he did a fine job that over touching the ball only once, apparently the slip cordon was a much quieter place for that single over, which was greatly appreciated by Moth at 1^st slip.

Matt "Fester" Todd gets one early against the Whales

After Andy re-entered the field we got back on the job and began to steadily pick up wickets as the Mosman boys tried to pick up the pace. The Shaft continued his spell and managed to pick up his first Gordon grade wickets bowling 9 overs 2/17. Moth and Deva returned at the end to pick up a couple of well deserved wickets each with Deva finishing on 2/45 from 16 overs and Moth 4/23 in 10. Toddy had finished with 1/36 as we bowled out Mosman for 155 in the 60^th.

Unfortunately our innings didn't get off to the start we had hoped for and we quickly found ourselves in a bit of trouble at 4/40 before Paul Deitz joined Chapman at the crease.  They combined for a really gritty and well controlled partnership off 64 before Deitzy departed. From that moment the game changed and in the next over, after bringing up his well deserved 50, Chapman was given run out. Things then went from bad to worse as 2 overs later Moth was given out caught behind down the leg side.

There was still some chance if we could just hang around as we only required 35 runs from nearly 20 overs but wickets continued to fall and when Deva was trapped lbw, we were all out for 126, a pretty disappointing effort after doing so well earlier on.

Andrew "Chappo" Chapman provides a solid platform for the run chase

The guys were really disappointed and after a long chat and a few beers we felt maybe this was the loss we might have needed to have leading into the Semis. With two tough games coming up in the last 2 rounds  against 1^st and 6^th this is our chance to bounce back and make sure we finish well and march into the finals.

David Leiboff

Fifth Grade report vs Parramatta

This round against Parramatta saw the even stronger 5th grade team playing at Beauchamp. Coming into the round we were placed 3rd, and a win would see us move into 2nd place.

(Toddy takes two wickets in his first over)

After the usual warm-up, the Skipper won the toss and we found ourselves having a bowl on what was a good deck that would promise some early movement. Beau Saddler, on his way back to 3rd grade from injury was handed the new rock, and did not disappoint with two quick wickets. Moth (1-5) pitched in as well, picking up a wicket. As the deck started to flatten out a little, a little partnership ensued, until the ball was thrown to Matt Todd, who immediately made his impact on the game. In his first over he took 2 wickets, and was on a hat trick. At 5 for not many Parramatta were looking to be in lots of trouble.

The bowlers had bowled tightly all day, with no one being hit for many runs. To the delight of the supports on the hill, Toddy picked up another 3 wickets, with the final figures of 5-11 off his 8 overs. The final two wickets went to Deva (1-7) and Beau (3-6), with Parramatta bowled out for 49 in the 37th over of play.

The superb bowling gave our bats a great chance to chase the total and set a total on the first day of play, with the chance of the 5ths first outright win.Andy Coleman looked to get off to his usual fast paced start, however after smashing a six was on his way back to the pavilion. Rob Edwards made his way out for his 5th grade debut. Rob started picking off the bowlers, and played some effortless straight drives in his 46, until he was given out to a difficult caught and bowled decision. We passed the Parra scored 1 wicket down  with a 2nd wicket partnership of 82 runs. 

Tom Cockburn continued batting like the shaft of old, with Andrew Chapman until he was run out on 36. Chapo continued in his recent dominating form, and blazed a 20 red whilst loosing partners around him.  Gordon decided a declaration was needed with our bowlers on fire, with the score at 6-139, giving the Parra bats 5 overs to face. Beau picked up a wicket, giving him 4 for the day, and at stumps Parra were 1 for only a few runs.After the rain all week, getting on for the second days play didn't look likely, and on Friday afternoon the game was called.

(Tom Cockburn in action at Beauchamp)

A win on first innings points moved the mighty 5ths into 2nd place. The boys, especially the supporters of the famed Double Whisky, enjoyed a rare Friday night out. Next week we must play well against Mosman as we are facing two top 6 sides in our final two matches, and time is running out before the final series starts.

Tom Cockburn

Fifth Grade report vs UNSW

The inspirational Moth arrived at Beauchamp oval with one thing on his mind. An early finish. I wasn't sure about his state of well being. He was very guarded & not giving much away. To say he looked hung over would be harsh, let's just say he wasn't his normal vibrant self.

(Andrew Chapman during his innings)

It was a scorcher on Saturday so Moth decided no warm up was required from the stags 5ths. He also informed the lads he would send the opposition in. 'We should roll these blokes for around 50' he declared, 'We will chase this down, secure the 2 bonus points & get to the beach'. Everyone liked the idea of this.

The toss was taken & we were bowling first.

The Gordon openers, Tom Bangs and Deva Nirthanakumaran took early wickets on a reasonable flat Beauchamp wicket and UNSW were quickly 3-11. Good ground fielding and catching ensured a constant flow of wickets, in so doing we reduced the Bees to 7-75 & a score of fewer than 100 looked on the cards. We got a bit over confident however & as always seems the case in this wonderful game a couple of handy partnerships, including 26 for the last wicket, ensued, &  we finally nailed the Bees for 141, not too bad a result.  Best of the bowlers was Tom Bangs, while skipper Tim Packman, Deva Nirthanakumaran also bowled well.

The 45 minute lunch break was a pretty quiet affair. It was hot & no one had much energy. Lethargy had set in and a senior player confided in Moth that he was somewhat concerned about the state of the top 4 or 5 bats. It was time for a chat from the skipper, and the Inspiration delivered in spades. 'It's time to fire up you blokes!, why on earth are you blokes tired, you haven't done anything yet! Fire up!'  It seemed to do the trick. Sunny & Elton Coleman got kitted up & were ready for battle.

(Deva shows just where he is going to bowl)

Elton was particularly pumped up. He'd just picked up a new GM from Kingsgrove (he assured me it was the same model as Shane Watson's), a nice piece of willow indeed. Elton is a fine keeper-bat, perhaps the best in the 5th grade comp. He was once named in the Mosman first grade side only to have the fixture washed out. He was subsequently dropped the next week to 5's at the Whales. Cricket can be a cruel game like that. I should know I had been just dropped from 2's to 5's!

After losing Sunny early, Elton and Ben Cannon took command of the game. They both played some crisp shots against both pace & spin. Their partnership took UNSW out of the game and, despite losing a couple of wickets, Gordon was in control. Big Andrew Chapman came in and dominated the innings, scoring an excellent 48* and ensuring the Stags' win with a bonus point.

He played a pretty mature knock did big Chappo, look out for this guy in the future. Not the 2 bonus points the skipper demanded but a pretty good result on a scorcher of a day.

(Uncle Fester looking good in the field)

The song was sung, a few beers were had, & it was time to head home. A good day all-round I reckon.

Special thanks to our support crew of Pooley & Jenny& Cats, Dietzy's lovely girlfriend Ash, Stevo & the various parents who attended the fixture.

The win for fifths jumps them to third spot on the ladder with four rounds to play.

Fifth Grade Scores

Gordon 5-142 (Andrew Chapman 48*, Andrew Coleman 40, Ben Cannon 19) defeated UNSW 141 (Tom Bangs 4-25, Tim Packman 3-22, Deva Nirthanakumaran 2-32, Matt Todd 1-17) with one bonus point.

Matt Todd

Emphatic win over the Hawks

Saturday, 17 January. Alarm goes off and my day begins. Bensons Lane is my location and a date with the Hawks. Being a Bensons Lane virgin, I took off early and, along with the rest of the 5th grade team, turned up on time as usual, to be told that we were on the 3rd grade field ' like I said, Bensons Lane virgin. So we swapped it up and found out we liked the new one better because we'd be playing right next to the legendary 1st Grade side.

The skipper, when he got his chance to bat, smokes one through the infield

We got off to a great start, with skipper Tim Packman losing the toss and being sent in to have a bat.  We wanted to have a bowl too.  But that didn't matter, because our openers Tom Cockburn and Ben 'Cannon' Cannon got us off to a great start of 0/31 off the first six, before Ben was dismissed after an aggressive 20 which had some sweet pull strokes.  This brought Andy 'Elton' Coleman to the crease, who finally got around to converting starts into something of meaning in a well constructed 48.  Tom was looking pretty good, but ended up getting bowled after a bit, for 18 with the score at 101.  Adam 'Pinky' Cubbage came in and hit a good 27 before deciding to run himself out half way down the pitch.  Our last three batsmen really put the foot down with Paul Campbell (29), Tim Packman (32*) and Gordon debutant Paul Dietz (30*) scoring a good 100 off the last 15 and hitting some sweet bombs in the process.  21 was hit off the last over, going 6, dot, 1, no ball, 4, 2 and 6.  We also knew that when we bowled, we needed to reduce the number of sundries that were conceded by the Hawks - 36 in total.

So we headed off to have a bowl, looking to defend a pretty solid 266 off our 50 overs, knowing that if we limited the previously mentioned sundries, held our catches and were tidy in the field overall, it would be a tough ask on a slightly slow pitch with a very slow outfield.  The bowling didn't start off well with Deva 'Lucky I'm writing this as otherwise I'm only ever referred to as 'Diva'' Nirthanakumaran chucking 'em all over the place, but at the other end, Dave Leiboff bowled the spell of his Gordon career with great line, length and swing in opening spell of 8 straight overs of 3/18.  His first wicket was a screamer taken by former wicketkeeper Ben Cannon in the deep, diving forward and to his left. 

Skipper Tim Packman brought himself on for a couple of tidy overs and to beat the bat on several occasions, even if he eluded the scorers.  Paul Dietz was brought on to bowl his pace and bowled very tightly, striking in his first over before going on to finish with a tidy 2-27 off his 9.  From the other end, Cubbage bowled well, grabbing 2-46 off his 8 overs of beautifully flighted leg spin. One wicket was a plain ridiculous take by Paul Dietz at second slip and the other was a flighted delivery that beat the bat of an older player who had come down the track. 

After performing with the bat, debutant Dietz performs with the ball

Michael Manners (1-21 off 8) and Deva Nirthanakumaran (2-26 off 7) then came on to clean up the tail.  They ended up on 142, giving us a bonus point.

Overall, it was a good and comprehensive win, dominating with bat, ball, fielding and sundries (we had 28).  Another win for the fifth grade team who are on a roll, and will be looking toward the post-season with great hope and expectations.

Deva Nirthanakumaran

A Christmas present comes nicely wrapped for the departing writer

For this round's match against Wests the Fifth grade side travelled out to Blick Oval.

Deva 'Just Deva'  Nirthanakumaran charges in on his way to 4 wickets

The day couldn't have started any better with Tim Packman winning the toss and batting without hesitation. Sunny Sajdeh and 'Pup' Mark Fonseka set about the task of building a big total. After a promising start Sunny was unable to go on and get a score after being trapped in front.

With Pup continuing on and starting to score freely another wicket fell at the other end which brought Paul Campbell to the crease, although once again after another promising start Paul failed to go on with it.

When Mark was finally dismissed for a fantastic 76, the score was only on 111 and with a couple of quick wickets we were in a vulnerable position. This brought the skipper Packman (61) to the crease and with Michael Gribble (43) began rebuilding the innings. Gribble handed Gordon back the momentum as he was dealing mostly in boundaries (9). This allowed Packman to play a more reserved role at the other end.

After Gribble departed for a well made 43, Dave Leiboff (30) joined his captain to form another solid partnership with Packman, which would see us finishing the first day with a respectable 9-251.

Upon arriving at the ground at the start of the second week it looked as though the pitched had been livened a bit by the previous rain. While both Dave Millar and Deva Nirthanakumaran were able to extract early movement the initial breakthrough came from a brilliant piece of fielding from Sunny with a direct hit which left the batsmen stranded.

Deva was able to pick up two wickets in an excellent opening spelled marred only by multiple no-balls and Dave chimed in with a wicket to leave Wests reeling at 4-40. Tom Bangs followed in Deva's lead and also picked up 2 wickets of his own.

From here Wests started to build a good partnership but this was soon halted with the return of Millar just before tea, clean bowling the set batsman. This allowed us to relax a bit and go in and enjoy the tea that was provided.

Tom Bangs picks up two crucial wickets in the first session

With Packman looking to wrap the game up he turned to his strike bowler in Deva and after each inspirational talk from the captain picked up wickets to take his tally to four for the day. With 1 wicket left and Deva looking for his 5 wicket haul, he charged in and promptly cleaned up the batsmen's stumps only to turn around and see the umpire standing with his arm out signalling yet another no-ball. Next over, the same thing happened but with the batsman trapped plumb in front. Some lusty hitting followed but was never going to be enough as Wests fell well short after being bowled out for 185.

This was my last match for Gordon as I have moved back to my hometown of Lismore and was good to go out with a win. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Gordon and wish the club and all the players the best of luck for the rest of the season.

Mitchell Wilson

Fifth Grade Report vs Fairfield   

Momentum built as the 5ths  achieved another close victory

With the Beauchamp oval unavailable last week for play, the mighty Gordon 5ths turned out with a fairly new team on Saturday and Sunday last weekend, keen to put another victory next to the Gordon name. After losing a good toss to lose, Packman's men were sent into the blistering heat for a bowl.

(Nick Dowsley in action against Fairfield)

Pressure applied in the field as Fairfield struggle to get upper hand

Dave Leiboff and Mike 'M'' Manners opened the bowling on a flat deck, facing strong opposition from the Fairfield batsmen. Packman's choice of 9 bowlers allowed for good rotation of the 8 pacemen in the heat. They all maintained good lines and lengths containing the Fairfield batsmen to roughly 2.5 runs an over throughout the day. The possibility of a big run chase was evident with the score at 2-109 mid way through the day but the pressure in the field and the tight areas with the ball brought about wicket after wicket ending the day's play with Fairfield all out for 203 at stumps.

Nick Dowsley's 2-22 and Tim Packman's 2-26 were the highlights for the pacemen, with most of the team's bowlers chipping in for a wicket or two. Josh Poysden's 2- 57 off 26 overs with 9 maidens was effective in tying down one end and keeping the Fairfield batsmen guessing with his spin.  Disappointments included Andy Coleman's 1 bye he let through as keeper (although apparently it was off the bat). He was devastated to end his 3-game clean sheet as keeper.. But we'll let it slide this time!

(Josh Poysden during his spell)

Spirit was high on Sunday morning in the change rooms as the team was confident they had the line-up of batsmen to get the job done. We were happy with yesterday's efforts and were hopeful the top and middle order could chase the required 204. Despite Tom Cockburn's 26, early wickets and a growing trend of a middle order collapse the Stags were in a dangerous position at 5 for 87. The class of Nick Dowsley's 94 not out held together the hopes of the 5^ths showing the determination and patience required to pull Gordon through. Josh Poysden's 24 not out meant that Dowsley could maintain his flow of runs without running out of partners. This crucial partnership helped Gordon get the 6 points in another close 'down to the wire' victory ending play at 6 for 204. The 5ths hope to work on not losing wickets in clumps in the middle order and focus on building partnerships. All in all good victory for the Stags!

Next week we head back to Beauchamp oval to take on Randwick Petersham.

Adam Fleming

Moth clocks up his first win as it goes down to the wire 

For the last two weekends the mighty Gordon fifth's side traveled to Ryde to take on the Sydney Tigers. The boys were looking forward to playing on a cricket oval, rather than the baseball field experienced at Tonkin Park. After winning the toss on a deck that resembled the Pacific Highway, 'Moth' Packman elected to bat first.

A stoked Packman led from the front with the ball in hand

The foundations of a big innings were laid by the two openers, with Mark Fonseka showing his form early on. Tom Cockburn ran himself out on 14, and the score was 1/48 just before the first drinks break. The next 6 wickets fell in quick succession, and we were faced with the probability of having to bowl that afternoon with the score at 7/90. Enter Mitch Wilson. The often quiet Mitch proved his worth in the middle, and became the rock of our innings and constructed a beautiful half-century. In partnership with Paul 'Pauly' Campbell, they formed the vital partnership that was needed to resurrect our innings, and took the score to 180, when Wilson was dismissed for 53.

The batting exhibition was enjoyed by all, just as much as Gribble's theories on his phone about our female friends, with both batters showing the value in playing straight. With Dan 'Lakey' Lake, Pauly continued to smash around the Sydney attack, and took the score to 230 before he was dismissed for 'marvelous' 75. Lake then stepped up, and hit himself to an unbeaten 31 before the day's play was over. At training during the week, we heard all sorts of claims about Dan's first half century.

Day 2 saw Gordon resume their innings on a virtually identical deck at 9 for 257. A minute later, Gordon had concluded their innings in the 81^st over all out for 257, with Tom Bangs out bowled first ball of the day. No chance for Dan to further his batting.

Mitch Wilson puts together his first sizeable innings for the club

Although posting a reasonable total on a batting deck with an average outfield, it has to be noted that too many times the middle order has failed to perform and that it is vital we work on not losing wickets in clumps and building an innings.

Our bowling line up went on the attack early, with Lakey bowling 'sexually'' fast and in good areas - and Tommy Bangs bowling a battle of attrition ' consistent areas aimed at frustrating the batsmen. Both were rewarded, as was the captain when he came on, and Sydney was struggling at 3 for 30 odd at the first drinks break. The next 40 overs were tough. The Sydney batsmen dug in, and had 2 batters make half centuries. Tight bowling from Aaron 'have you got any food?' Johnston, Josh 'Pommy' Posyden and Moth helped stagnate the Sydney attack, however ground fielding was not at its best, with many fours being scored that should have been one, two or even no runs at all. Having said that, no catches were dropped and all throwing was much improved.

At 7 for 160 the match was up for grabs. With 12 overs left of play, Moth took the vital wicket of the in-form batsmen, much to the delight of the support that had arrived from 2^nd and 3^rd grade. Inspirational words from the Pommy helped the Staggies get back on track, yet there was still a lot of work to do.

With 6 overs left Gordon needed two wickets while Sydney needed 35 runs. In the 2^nd last over, Josh who had bowled superbly in his 2^nd spell took the second last wicket, giving Gordon the glimpse of victory needed.

Time and time again, Lake come to the party with a much needed wicket

It came down to the last over. One wicket to take, or 10 runs for a Sydney victory. The problem for Sydney was that Dan Lake had decided cricket was more important than his HSC and was thrown the rock for the last over. He only needed the one ball, and took the 10^th wicket with ease, the batsmen not knowing what had happened till he heard that death rattle from behind. Wickets went to Moth who not only captained brilliantly (maybe he'll give me a bowl next week) but also took 4/51 from his 16 overs, Lakey who took 3 for 42 off 19, Josh took 2/104 off 22 and off his 11 overs Tommy Bangs picked up 1 for 20.

The joy of winning a game likened to the Australia test vs. India at the SCG in 2008 was made greater knowing that the mighty 5ths had just made it 5 from 5 for the club.

Although we walked away with a win and proved we could fight back on more than one occasion, that may be the last 'get out of jail free' card we get, and we have to make sure we value our wickets when we bat, and to never relax but keep applying the pressure when we are in the field.

Next week we travel to Snape Park to take on East's.

Get fah you bah!

Tom Cockburn

A poor performance hands over 8 points to the Sharks  

After a long trip south of the bridge, the Stagies arrived at Sutherland's Tonkin Park. For anyone who hasn't been there before, it is right next to the water and if you bowl from that end you face being hit into the sea! It also features a full on baseball mound and various bases where it is literally just dirt. You could say it makes Turramurra look like Lords!

Fonseka makes a positive start at the top of the order

The start was delayed for a while so a game of touch footy commenced with team trackies dominating thanks to some outstanding play from Mark 'Fonzy Fonzy Moi Moi' Fonseka. Anyway, skipper and legend Tim 'Moth' Packman lost the toss and the Stagies got put in on a wicket that was quite wet and with overcast conditions. The ball could do a bit early on. And it did.

In the first over Tom 'Cockburner' Cockburn was dismissed, given out caught behind. Aaron Johnstone was the next to fall, run out, with what was a questionable single in the first place! Andy 'AC/DC' Coleman, who has already got the tag of talking too much (unlike a wicketkeeper!!), was the next to go; caught behind. Things were proving tricky with the Sutherland bowlers bowling quite consistently and in good areas.

However, new found opener Mark Fonseca and Michael Gribble then shared a partnership of 46 with Gribble particularly playing a number of good shots and looking good for his 24 before he was caught in the covers. Fonz joined him in the changing rooms soon after, with a solid innings of 29.

This sparked a collapse for the third week running, and the last seven wickets were lost for just 17 runs. Millar, Packman, Campbell, Lake and Bangs were all dismissed without making any significant contributions. Poysden was the undismissed batsmen on 2, and the Stags finishing on a very disappointing score of just 84, all out off 37.2 overs.

Lunch was interesting, which incorporated Poysden's first ever trip into the 'shire', Cronulla. Surprisingly there was a lot of young female talent around, and Dan Lake looked in his element.

Lake's excitement was carried forward onto the pitch where he nicked a batter off in his first over to give us a glimmer of hope. Bangs and Packman also bowled early on, with the Moth having to take himself off after one just one over due to an old man's hip injury. However, this was not of great concern to our great skipper as it set him up for a 'massage' later on in the day. Paul Campbell also bowled a decent spell where he showed a lot of aggression.

The next wicket did not fall until the 'Sharks' were on 52. Josh Poysden bowled their number 3 batter. Then, the heavens opened! The Stagies were quietly pleased with this as Sutherland required only 33 to win with 8 wickets left. We were off the pitch for nearly 2 hours. Highlights of this break included some epic games of iPhone Hangman and some group discussion on whom and what Moth should text next!

However, with the ground still very wet and light drizzle in the air the Stagies came back onto the field. However, when we looked at the wicket we discovered there was a massive puddle/mud patch/swamp on a good length just on the bowlers follow through at one end. After a bit of discussion we decided to carry on and see how it played. It would be cruel to deny the Sharks a chance at victory considering they had bowled so well earlier in the day.

With the batters obviously trying to get on with it, Poysden took another wicket in his next over, caught by the Moth. Dave Millar then struck in the next over, getting his wicket caught by a good catch at mid-off from Paul Campbell. With Dave bowling well and the batters aggressing, anything could have happened and we still thought the game was in the balance.

Things turned fairly farcical when the conditions got even worse and we remained on the pitch. There was literally squelching as even the slow bowlers were running up and the swamp on a length was causing serious safety concerns for the quicker bowlers run ups.

Despite these safety concerns and the resulting ineffectual bowling, the Sharks got the score just 4 down. A result they deserved, but one couldn't help but feel the match was simply gifted to them on

Although, we should not have stayed on the pitch, we must take responsibility for this defeat. We all need to take a look at ourselves and think what we can do to improve our performance next week. Batters need to avoid getting bogged down, but not throw their wicket away when they are well set. It's the big scores that win you games not a bunch of low scores.

We travel to ELS Hall Park next week and if we perform to how we know we can, we should get a result.

Up the Stagies.

Joshua Poysden

5th Grade under new ownership. Results expected.

The poor weather conditions on Saturday for Day 1 against Bankstown didn't curb the murmur around the ground as word spread that a new leader had emerged to take the Gordon 5^th grade side to great heights. After throwing the footy around, 'Mega' Millar doing his darndest on the supersoper, frantically working his way back and forward along the rain soaked covers, both skippers decided that with very wet playing area and more rain on the way it would be a fair decision to commence the game on Monday with 120 overs to be bowled in the day. Besides, the sweat Mega was returning to the covers from all his hard work was comparable to the water he was collecting so the gesture was proving rather futile.

Fonseka proves himself worthy at the top of the list

Day 2 ' The game

A grey Monday morning saw a return of the mighty stags to Turrumurra oval. A few players entered the arena blurry eyed but bushy tailed, with one of our younger players boasting of snagging a 'cougar' that night. This kind of behaviour, one would find, quite normal due to Rugby League Grand final fever, whereby excitement levels and endorphins are running high. Need less to say Dan 'the man' Lake slept through most of our innings but he did 'perform', again, later in the day with the ball.

Similar to the anticipation of the Eels pulling off the fairytale win, the Stags turned up to demolish the Bankstown Bulldogs. Conditions were damp with run ups a little muddy, but the pitch was pretty good. The boys rallied together and after some inspirational words from their skipper and were ready for battle. The Doggies won the toss and sent us in.

On a slow and turning wicket Tom 'Cockburner' Cockburn and Mark 'the Fonz' Fonseka toiled away beautifully. Batting conditions weren't easy and they both grafted away for an opening partnership of just under 90 runs setting up the game for a total of 220. Some well timed but short lived shots from Johnston and Coleman added modestly to the total however the middle order failed to capitalise on the good platform provided by the openers. It took a nice little partnership between Mega and Paul Campbell to steer the ship to a respectable total of 209 from 68 overs.

Trailblazer, Cockburn, nails a short one

The skipper was pretty pleased with the fight back from the boys and the fact we didn't crumble. Something which I want us to replicate during the season.

So, the Dogs needed just over 4 runs an over from 51 overs to reach our total but they found it hard to score from the opening combination of 'Lakester' and Tim 'the Moth' Packman with Dan claiming the first scalp. Bankstown were 1 for not many.

With a turning wicket the tactical option was to bring on our Pommie leggie and the plan worked with Josh bamboozling the batsmen with an 'Embryo special' (a full toss) and picking up another wicket. As well as being a top young bloke, the highlight of having Josh in the team is his 'wicked' London cockney accent. You feel like you are watching 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.' The moth picked up 1 shortly after from the other end. The batsman was caught at cover, however the team was a little puzzled as to why Moth shot down the other end to pat the keeper on the bum as if caught behind' everyone later realized Moth was confused and thought Missy was keeping.

So, after some very positive signs by Gordon with the ball the Dogs were reeling on 3 legs and their saving grace was the square leg umpire who, by SCA law, had to call us off due to lightning. He assured me he counted 3 seconds between lightning and thunder intervals which meant the storm was 30km away (10km per sec) and by the book that meant 'danger' [Editor's note: Tim was not nominated for the Noble Prize for Physics with his knowledge of the speed of sound, but his maths is squeaky clean.]

Poysden punches one through the offside

After much analysis of weather conditions, I think Mega even put a quick call in to the bureau, it was to no avail; the storm continued and rain started to fall and heavily. Spotty (the veteran Dogs' skipper) and I shook hands and went to the sheds for an early beer. Enjoyable, but disappointing as we had the ascendancy and were the dominant team.

After the match the team shared a few moments and a laugh in the sheds and my perception is that this team promises to be a very successful and also a very socially rewarding one.

Looking forward to taking on Sutherland next week.

Cheers

Moth

5th Grade kickstarts season with a bonus point

Gordon 5^th Grade took on a capable Blacktown outfit at Turramurra Oval on Saturday. Like most of the sides this year, the Stags had a few new names included and all were keen to impress and stake a claim for higher honours.

Danny Lake does the damage with the ball

The new partnership of young Cockburn and Kleem began at a brisk pace, dispatching numerous balls to cow corner and beyond. Kleem was the first dismissed, bowled for 56 attempting to reach a hundred by the 1^st drinks break. It was not to be, and young Cockburn, 'Deepheat' as he is affectionately known, was joined by Aaron Johnston.

Aaron is currently a student at Macquarie, having come down from the North Coast town of Taree. He is a quiet unassuming young man and will grow in confidence as the season progresses. 'Deepheat' was dismissed for a sound 50.

Andy 'AC(DC)' Coleman a young recruit from the Mosman Club made a solid 36. He has impressed everyone with his 'can do' attitude and his ability to get on with the task at hand.

Coleman is a St. Ives boy and has come back to his local roots to better his cricket and enjoy a more stable and successful environment.

Lakey keeps the pressure on the Warriors

Iqbal Ahmed joined AC(DC) after a middle order collapse saw the Stags lose 5/27 and chipped in with a handy 26, but the star of the show was Captain Dave Millar who bludgeoned his way to a brutal 76 in double quick time, which would put the Stags in a commanding position at 297 all out.

The usual trip to that chicken shop a couple hundred metres down the road pursued and Kleem enjoyed a selection of roast pork, broccoli, carrots and roasted potatoes.

Very nice!

Millar had his usual 10 hamburgers and 5 chips with sauce.

The young Blacktown outfit had a couple of mature blokes leading the way but for the most part, Dan Lake took advantage of a young and inexperienced batting line up and had one of the openers trapped in front LBW. From the other end Bangs collected another wicket caught behind. 'He bangs, he bangs, oh baby he moves, he moves.'

Tom Bangs makes his debut for Gordon with an early swing bowler's wicket

Blacktown for a short bit did consolidate but were no match for the guile and nous of Iqbal Ahmed collecting 2/39 and Josh ''Poseidon'' Poysdon 2/36. Josh is England's #1 Oasis fan and is devastated by the recent split of the Gallagher brothers.

Captain Millar was the pick of the bowlers claiming 3 for 54. All in all a solid performance, but there needs to be plenty of work done on fielding. At times it was lacklustre on a difficult outfield, but no excuses can be made. More work has to be done.

Thanks

Mitch Kleem

1st Grade's all-round performance disposes of the students

And so another season comes to a close, and before I get to telling the tale of a wonderful day out at the Sydney University grounds I thought I would take the opportunity to look back on what has been, on and off the field.

Harry Evans in great form on his way to 93

Firstly we've seen a number of young players making their debut in the top grade with a large percentage of the team currently or recently featuring in the club's Poidevin Gray side. This is a tribute to the hard work put in by Michael Falk, Paul Stephenson, Tony Wilson, Mark Carmichael and Ed Howitt through their ongoing work with the Gordon Academy.

Brendan 'Mayor of Crows Nest' McDonald was selected in the NSW 2^nd XI during the season and is a testament to his hard work at training and application on game day.

Similarly, Steve 'The Buck' Colley has had a massive six months, not only was he selected in the NSW U19 team, and a NSW academy side to play in a national T20 tournament, the young gentlemen celebrated his recent engagement during the season with a quiet night out.

We also had a birth within the team with Reece and Dyl, the original odd couple, welcoming little Zoe Connell into the world. Congratulations to everyone on their achievements during the season, whether it be with the bat, ball, in the field or what we took from game each and every weekend.

Now, onto the weekend's activities ... Needless to say with the Uni boys chasing a win to secure a finals birth there was plenty for the Gordon boys to play for against a top 6 side. We knew we would have to execute all aspects of our game well and although this wasn't always the case we had individuals step up to ultimately shift the momentum in the game at crucial moments. James won the toss and took the initiative in the decision to bowl first. Under Mark O'Neill we've learnt that we need to earn our right to bat first and set a target by proving we can bat well under match conditions and pressure. But more on the batting later...

A batting masterclass care of Harry Evans caught on camera for all to enjoy

Our quicks did the job with the ball in hand, tying down the Uni openers who travelled at under 2 runs per over for the first ten over's. Of particular note was Dylan's incredible ability beat the bat early, but as we all know bowling in partnerships is important to building pressure. With the wiley James 'Hernandez' Campbell operating with precision at the other end it was him who made the first break through, getting his PG's bunny Henry out in a similar high catch yet again. A useful and controlled partnership ensued from the uni batsmen Moran and Hay and fielding became the key.

Unfortunately we let ourselves down here, with many singles turned into two's and quick singles taken but, with the bowlers picking away, we stuck at the job and Elliot made the break through, bowling Hay with a great yorker and nearly sending Bevo off for some dental work! At the end of the 50 overs, the Uni boys finished five down for 251 after some clever, if not frustrating shot making from Mail who took a leaf out of Brendan McCullum's book. As mentioned the quicks did the job, with Dyl and Elliot each picking up a wicket each and more importantly only going for 4 runs per over. Jimmy Campbell picked up two and kept his run rate under 5 runs per over with some great swing bowling on what became a good batting pitch. With half the job done and the last of the fielding done for the season it was time to look forward to one last crack with the willow.

Things here didn't get off to the greatest of starts; I played a horribly loose shot to be dismissed in the 3^rd over, shortly followed by Steve Colley who on a positive note did manage to score 2 valuable runs and avoid his 3^rd duck on the trot. Let's hope the young man can carry the momentum through to his time in England! A string of small partnerships ensued between 'Jammer' Packman (15) and 'Bomber' Bombas (29), all of this time at the crease was crucial in setting up some sort of platform to launch from in the latter stages of the innings.

Not to be outdone, anything Harry can do, Richtor can do as well.

Brendan 'BMac' McDonald chipped in with another 14, taking it to the bowlers with some attacking shots over the point and cover regions. With his dismissal we were still in trouble, 5 down and still over 150 runs still left on the board to chase down with two new batsmen at the crease in Harry Evans and Elliot Richtor. They went about their work in exactly the manner we needed, worked the singles well early and jumped all over the loose balls to capitalise and swing the momentum back in favour of the Stags. Harry took the dominate role scoring a fantastic 93 at a strike rate of over 100!

It was at exactly this point in recent games that we have stumbled, not taking it upon ourselves to turn things around and well done to these two in changing this mould. With next season now in mind this was a valuable lesson to learn and take with us to what promises to be an exciting year with many good prospects all knocking at the door to play in the top grade. But I digress...We still needed roughly 8-9 runs per over and the momentum again shifted with the loss of Harry and Elliot in quick succession in the power play, enter Bevo and James 'Mantos' Kennedy to steer the ship.

We needed a couple of those trademark Bev sweeps and being the genuine and good bloke that he is didn't disappoint, dispatching the red ball over the boundary on two occasions  and later in the last over crashing into it for victory! It was a great display late in the innings and special mention must go to JK for doing the job, getting bat on ball and chipping in with a valuable 12 runs. Then there are Dylan's efforts, late cutting his first ball for a start and then running 3, who would have thought it!?

Richtor entertains the crowd as the Uni fielders helplessly watch on

Well down to the middle and lower order to get us over the line in what was a great win for the Gordon boys against a top six side. Special thanks for the 3^rd grade boys for sticking around after their great win and helping with their support, also to Mark O'Neill in his role as coach which has been spot on and really taken on board by all. Looking forward to next year, stay safe and good luck to all travelling overseas during our off season!

Up the Stags!

Blair Lindsay

Right on the spot, the film crew catches the momement one slips through the guard

First Grade Report vs Saints  

The 1^st graders turned up to Hurstville on a warm Saturday morning expecting a tough game against strong opposition who have won back to back premierships. This was definitely going to be a test for this young side.  First on the agenda was to welcome Hamish Angus into the side and he was presented with his cap by Mark O'Neill.

(James Packman at Hurstville)

The wicket looked a little green and when St George won the toss they had no hesitation in sending us in especially with the likes of Hazlewood, Copeland and Henriques.

Out went one of the most inexperienced 1^st grade opening combinations of Hamish Angus and Blair 'Bear' Lindsey against a very strong attack. We didn't get off to a great start by losing 4 wickets before the first drinks break. Two more wickets fell in the next hour and at lunch we were 6 ' 70, however Packman and McDonald was still there.

After lunch Packman and Bmac went about building a partnership and just as they started to get going Bmac fell and so did the rest of the tail. We were all out for a mere 98. Packman was left stranded on 32 not out. He batted very well and showed us all that to be successful on that wicket you had to be patient. Another mention must go to the St George bowlers as they bowled in good areas and every wicket was either caught behind or lbw. It was a good lesson for our bowlers too.

We went out to bowl and knew that we had to bowl very well and take all our chances to have a chance of reducing saints to under our score. JK got the first wicket with the score on 13 and then Dylan bowled an excellent over, picking up two wickets including that of Henriques who has seemed to dominate Gordon attacks in recent years. At 3-23 we were still in the game.  However a few dropped catches seemed to be costly. St George strolled past 98 four wickets down. They continued to bat for the rest of the day and finished on 6-188. Dyl ended up taking 2 wickets, JK 3 and Macca 1.

(Brendan McDonald at Hurstville)

We turned up on day 2 knowing that Saints were without their 'big 3' but had some handy replacements. There was concern the run up at one end of the wicket was a little wet from the rain overnight but no time was lost. Saints declared overnight and decided to put us under the pump again.

Our second innings didn't start well with 2 early wickets falling with the score on 2. Blair Lindsey and James Packman batted well to get the score to 47, but then they both fell just before lunch.

After lunch it was up to the lower order to show some fight and bat for extended periods. Beverly and Richtor were going along nicely before Richtor was run out. Beverly then decided to go on the attack playing his famous 'wrench' and bombing Zammit for 3 sixes. However this was also his downfall as he went for one too many and skied an easy catch for square leg. He was out for 32.

JK joined macca and this proved to be our best partnership for the game.  They batted together for well over an hour. This was a good partnership and showed the other batsmen how they should have batted on this wicket. Both batsmen played with positive intent and played some quality shots. When Macca fell on 29, JK (36) soon followed and then Campbell decided to walk down to Zammit and was stumped. We were bowled out for 175. Saints needed 86 for outright victory in 22 overs. The target proved to be no problem for them. They achieved it 1 down in the 20^th over.

(Dylan Connell at Hurstville)

Overall this was a poor performance from the stags and more consistency is needed at this level. In terms of the batting we need to be putting more value on our wicket and need go on and make a big score once we get to 20. It was however a good experience for the young guys to come up against such quality opposition. One game to go against another strong team Sydney University, and hopefully we can finish the season strongly and take momentum into next year.

Elliot Richtor

First Grade hunt down the Whales

With torrential rain washing out the previous week's play, we came into this one feeling fresh, with high spirits and the right attitude. We weren't perturbed by the early 9.30a.m. start due to 120 overs needing to be bowled in the day.

James "Mantis" Kennedy looking to out-leap the author

Secretly we wanted to bowl, and therefore weren't displeased when James 'Packers' Packman lost the toss and there we were out on the field bowling on what had appeared to be Chatswood's best wicket to date, with a nice tanned finish it looked a belter. We bowled well, with the discipline we had talked about earlier. Wickets fell at a regular rate, with 'DK mode', Dylan Connell, picking up 4 for the innings, really putting in a huge effort for the team. However of these four wickets none came close to matching his superb runout! And this was a crucial one coming right after the break. A ball turned off the batsman's hip for what some might think an easy single. But beware, for despite Dyl's resemblance to a three toed sloth and his high centre of gravity, there is no single there. It was poetry, as with one motion he picked up the ball and threw it in right above the stumps. It also was fortuitous that this was Mosman's top scorer, and he was run out by a bat length.

Mac (B McDonald), K-Time (J Kennedy) and the Buck (Steve Colley) all picked up wickets. The Whales then made a sporting declaration on 248, with 9 wickets down. A few runs more than they should have, with their 9^th batter getting a quick 47 runs off 35. This was later overshadowed, by Iain 'Bevo' Beverley.

Dylan "Father of one" Connell one his way to four Whales' wickets

Gordon's innings started well with an early 100 run partnership between Packers (47) and the Buck (66). These types of partnerships set up good innings, and will always feature in a good run chase. After these two got out it was up to someone else to put their hand up and get the runs on the board. When you're so close to the score, one person is all it takes and it was Bev's innings which this report will try to focus on.

This writer, J.C.( the one recovering from surgery today after the brutal extraction of all 4 wisdom teeth,) came to the crease at 212-8. Bevo was up the other end on 4. There had been 53.2 overs and we needed 36 off 34.

I was thinking that I was lucky I'd done a few extra workouts during the week because my strength training could really pull off here. Managing to nudge the first one for a quick single I was happy to get up the other end and watch the onslaught. We didn't need 34 balls to do it. We did it in 21 balls. Bevo faced 16 and scored 56 off these 16 balls. He hit 6 6's and 4 4's on his way to getting 60 off 37. Funny that. When it looked like we could settle on a draw Bevo put his hand up, stuck his chest out and got us home.

Classic Beverley.

It was clinical hitting; just plain pure bullying. Where do you bowl it when someone is hitting it this well? Well obviously you don't. Try underarm it's hard to get that away.

Iain "Big Bash" Beverley. Going from strength to strength

What made this finish all the more memorable for me was when Bevo went up to the bowler he had just hit for successive 6's. 'Well bowled mate', he said, being the nice guy he is. The bowler replied with something less friendly.

It was great sleeping with another win under our belts. Up the Stags.

JC Hernandez 

First Grade Report vs Parramatta    

Chatswood was the venue for the round 12 clash against a Parramatta line up who are pushing for a finals spot. With previous incidents occurring between the two sides in the past both teams were looking forward to a tough game. Like many games this season the team was welcoming a debutant to the side and with previous strong performances in second grade Blair 'Bear' Lindsay had deserved his chance in the top grade.

(Blair Lindsay gets his cap from Mark O'Neill)

Since the arrival of Mark O'Neill as coach of first grade he has instilled an attitude of being mentally tough, something of which is lacking for the less experienced first graders. He has noted that more experienced sides believe in their ability to dominate and intimidate their opposition. With this in mind we were pointed out to the fact that the Parramatta boys had taken over our warm up area. The goal was set to reclaim the area by proceeding with our warm up regardless if they were still present. After stating our intentions the warm up was completed and unfortunately another toss was lost forcing us to bat on a Chatswood wicket that had a healthy covering of grass.

Obviously the aim was to establish our innings and adjust to the extra bounce and movement off the deck. However with the Parramatta opening bowlers bowling a tight line that continued to make the batsmen play, we were quickly 3 for 17. Cameron 'X' Eccles was the only top order batsman that showed some determination to get through the tough early conditions until he was adjudged LBW for 32.

Reece 'Bomber' Bombas and Brendan 'Stiff' McDonald battled hard to rebuild the innings but after Eccles dismissal the Stags lost 6 wickets for only 27 runs and ending the innings on 92.

(Brendan McDonald encounters some of the bounce apparent at Chatswood)

Our last two batting displays cannot just be blamed on losing the toss and batting on difficult conditions. To make a challenging total for the opposition it will require more from the top order to fight for their wicket and for the team not to lose two or three wickets at a time. Batting displays like this are always disappointing but for everyone it is a great opportunity to learn and adjust for similar conditions in the future.

There was still a lot of time to be played out in this game and with the wicket still asking questions of the batsmen we were confident of putting early pressure on the Parramatta top order. This was achieved with early wickets to Dylan 'Dees' Connell and James 'Mantis' Kennedy.

Special mention must go to Iain 'Barometer' Beverley for his glove work during this innings taking three catches and a stumping. The author of this report has never seen a better catch behind the stumps off his bowling; with Beverley having to change direction, dive and catch the ball one handed just before the ground after hitting the inside edge. 

At 4 for 61 at tea the team was reminded that we were still in the game regardless if Parramatta had passed the total. Unfortunately for Gordon the next partnership developed and they passed our total not long after tea. It was not until Elliot 'Emo' Richtor bowled the Parramatta opener that our luck began to change. Connell came back on with immediate success claiming three wickets along with McDonald's two wickets. Parramatta lost their last five wickets for 58 runs ending their innings on 235.

(Dylan Connell in action at Chatswood)

At the end of the day Gordon was to face another challenge with the bat; facing 9 overs until stumps. Our aim was to be positive with the bat and embrace the situation. Unfortunately Eccles was dismissed early for 4; however Steven 'Jiggy' Colley and Blair Lindsay survived the remaining overs taking the score to 1-27. With 21 wickets falling, the bowlers used the conditions well with only one substantial partnership taking place. At the end of the days play both sides were still in a position to push for points.

With the rain falling throughout the week, the players arrived to a very damp Chatswood outfield on the second day. The covers were removed and unfortunately a few dangerous spots around and on the wicket had established. It was unlikely that any play would have been completed with the constant rain occurring throughout the day making it difficult for the wicket to dry. The game was abandoned with first innings points going to Parramatta. Looking towards the next round against Mosman at the same venue, it will be interesting to see if we apply ourselves in a different manner and really push towards a win.

James Kennedy

Stags undone in T20 Semi Final

The Gordon 1^st grade side arrived at the Blacktown Complex (host of the 20/20 semi finals) knowing that if they produced another performance against Sydney University like the one against Bankstown they would be very competitive. 

It seems to be a theme in 20/20 cricket that the pitches are somewhat batsmen friendly, though this was certainly not the case, and it was soon evident that the toss was going to be very crucial in the outcome of the game. Unfortunately for the Stags the Uni captain won the toss and not surprisingly elected to bowl first.

Steve Colley whips one off his legs

The 1^st 10 overs saw the Stags finding runs hard to come by, and at the 10 over mark the Stags were in trouble at 4-30. Steve Colley was batted very well at the top of the order for 17, but was not able to find a partner to stick around with. It was left to Brendan McDonald and Ben Garratt to try and get to a defendable score and both batted well for 16 n.o and 18 respectively and moved the score along to 80 at the end of 20 overs.

Although not a huge score, the Stags knew that if they bowled and fielded like they did against Bankstown in the previous game, that they were in with a chance. At 2-18 there was a belief that a couple of quick wickets and we were back in the game, though a good partnership from the Uni number 3 and 4 batsmen ensured that they would get home passing the total 4 down in the 14^th over. All the bowlers bowled well with Dylan and JK picking up 1 wicket each and Elliot Richtor picking up 2.

Hopefully the confidence gained from these games, can be transferred into the longer form of the game and the team can finish the season off strongly and take confidence into next season.

Henry Carmichael

A win for the ages in Twenty 20

Dylan Connell reports from Bankstown Oval

Eighteen years is a long time any way you look at it. When it refers to the period of time it has taken to win a cricket match against Bankstown at Bankstown Oval in 1st grade, it appears even longer. Half a dozen of the Stags players in 1st grade today would have been infants or not in existence the last time Gordon won a 1st grade game at Bankstown oval.

(The victorious team is congratulated by team mascot Marcus Faulkner)

Well times have changed, a win, in a quarter final, under immense pressure, defending a small total and against a side that boasted a formidable line up. In fact the author believes that perhaps only three of the Bankstown players in today's match have not played at a higher level.

(Steve Colley, James Packman and James Kennedy in action at Bankstown)  

20/20 cricket. Bash, smash, big hits, boundaries galore, a game for the spectators, a batsman's game. Well not always.

The Stags had the opportunity to post a total, on a slow wicket. What total would be enough, 120 '150, time would tell?

Packman and Beverley opened the batting. Packman was the aggressor, smashing 22 off 20 balls, before being bowled by a delivery that must have 'nipped back a bit', 1 for 27 in the 5th over. Wickets then began falling steadily, with Colley being the only batsmen to come to terms with the wicket. When Evans fell in the 9th over the Stags were in trouble at 5 for 42.

(Henry Carmichael on debut in First Grade collects his first wicket and hits out near the end of the Stags innings)

Through some sensible batting from Garratt, Colley, Carmichael (on debut) and Kennedy, the score began to rise, and when Kennedy was dismissed on the 2nd last ball of the innings, the Stags had scrambled to 105. The highest partnership for the Stags was 29 for the 9th wicket.

The consensus among the Gordon players was they were probably a little short of par, but something to defend. They would have to bowl and field well.

(A brilliant run out from Brendan McDonald who hit the stumps from side on)

Connell removed the dangerous Burke for 0 on the 2^nd ball of the Bankstown innings. A partnership of 33 followed before Richtor and Carmichael were brought into the attack, taking some pace off the ball. The two young, medium pacers did a superb job, bowling with control and patience beyond their years. The pressure began to build on the Bankstown batsmen and wickets began to fall. Big shots, great fielding, a run out, catches and 12 overs later the Stags were right in the hunt with Bankstown slumping to 5 for 53, needing just over a run a ball from the remaining 8 overs.

Enter Steve Stiffler or should I say the Great Man, or perhaps just McDonald will do.

BMAC bowled with control and great variations in pace and was ably supported by Garratt at the other end. The required run rate began to rise, whilst wickets still fell. More catches, another run out and suddenly Gordon were the favourites. Bankstown needing more than 10 runs an over from the last two. It was beyond reach, the Dogs finishing 9 for 94.

The team celebrates a great catch from James Kennedy on the boundary)

A win, in a quarter final at Bankstown Oval, a superb effort from everybody in the team. The enthusiasm and commitment in the field and with the ball were exemplary.

So much for 20/20 cricket being bash and barge. Across both innings only six 4's and one 6 were hit. 19 wickets fell for 199 runs.

A young side has begun to come of age. Another chance for the next generation of Stags players presents itself on Tuesday, where a semi-final and potentially a final beckon against more quality opponents. The opportunity to become Stags legends is there to be grasped with both hands.

Get Fah you bah!

Dylan Connell

First Grade Report - Day 1 vs Randwick Petersham   

From the beginning of the season, it appeared, at least on paper, that the Randwick-Petersham Cricket Club was going to be a formidable opponent. Irregardless of the four missing state or national contracted players, the Stags entered into the Round 7 home fixture with an introverted approach, keen for improvement upon earlier performances.

(Reece Bombas acknowledges his maiden first grade century) 

A number of forced changes to the side saw youngsters Harry Evans, James Campbell and Rob Edwards (author, who hasn't played an away game since Round 2 against Bankstown) back into the side.

Given the recent streak of high scoring matches played out at Chatswood, as well as the sweltering morning, the bowling contingent were keen for Captain Casson to win the toss and leave the work to the batsmen in temperatures which saw the mercury pushing 36 degrees.

Fortunately this was the case, leaving openers Cam Eccles and Ian Beverley to enjoy the early onslaught of Randwick, intimidating enough without Burt Cockley in the side. The opening bowlers employed a WACA-esq approach, mixing controlled aggression with short-ptiched bowling, perhaps somewhat deterred by the extra bounce offered by the Chatswood wicket, leaving opener Scott Coyte to comment 'you don't get this kind of carry out at Coogee.'

(Cam Eccles hits Scott Coyte for 4 through mid wicket)

Openers Eccles and Beverley did a fantastic job to survive the initial phase, taking the shine off the ball whilst simultaneously scoring runs at a reasonable 3 runs an over rate. The openers, along with number 3 Packman, were all dismissed in their 20's, all showing early promise to establish long stays at the crease.

Casson and Ben Garratt played important innings on what appeared to be a flattening Chatswood wicket post-lunch. The match was in the balance at this point in time, but the strong back-foot play of Casson and the silky-smooth drives of Garratt saw them post 53 and 45 respectively.

But the day belonged to Reece 'Trent' Bombas. Approaching the wicket with the score at 3 for 83, Reece applied himself appropriately to the task at hand, and the Gordon innings was moulded around an exceptional and chanceless 112 not out off 201 balls. Trent celebrated his maiden First-Grade century to the applause of his entire team, who all knew his first, of undoubtedly many, was a long time coming.

(The "silky-smooth" Ben Garratt) 

Of his own self-admission, Reece has been guilty of offering chances once he passes his half century, however on this day, he was not to be denied. He blasted 16 elegant boundaries all around the ground, rotated the strike expertly and held the middle and lower order of the Stags together.

McDonald (29 runs, probably about his age these days too???) was not short on providing entertainment value during his cameo innings, enjoying many slog-sweeps, deft late-cuts and innumerable moments of banter with opposition players. Quote Casson: 'He just knows someone from every team, doesn't he?'

The day ended with the Stags 9 for 354. The runs have been posted'Now the enjoyable task of bowling at Chatswood oval which has seen mixed weather during the week.

Congratulations Reece.

First Grade report vs Fairfield

Lambert. Lambert. Lambert. 5/56 off 25. 205 not out off 286 balls.

There are very few blokes in the history of grade cricket whose stats compete with this mans', especially considering the top achievements tend to date back to the days of uncovered wickets and the like. This game only added to his remarkable career.

(Beau goes over the grandstand)

Day 1 saw our fragile top order fail again. A gutsy 96min stay at the crease from Benny 'BowlABit' Garratt was the first signs of heart from our blokes at the crease for some time. McDonald played a watchful role as Beau 'my next Test I'll be batting at 4' Casson continued his rich vein of form with the willow to dispatch anything short and dig in to the tight stuff. The pair put on 90 when McDonald fell just before tea, to follow the 74 from the previous partnership.

The most pleasing thing here was not the runs scored but the attitude and application of blokes to put in for their mates and club ' something that is unfortunately too intermittent at the crease these days. Two wickets fell in the four hours following the initial 4 in the first 10 mins.

Post tea saw some of the most pleasurable batting I have witnessed. Beau was in another league, and Iain 'I do the covers for PG's' Beverley was murdering them down the ground and punishing anything short.

It was most pleasing to see Bevo get just rewards for his continual hard work and his attitude towards our side and the game, a case in point to some of the younger blokes in the club that respect and your place in a batting order or team is something you earn, and are NOT GIVEN!!!! If only this bloke could convince himself that he can bully attacks, he could be anything!!! Well done mate.

(Bevo jams one out against Fairfield)

This brings me back to Beau. This bloke has been carrying our batting all year, but this was different gravy. 181 in 346 mins at the crease. He deposited 7 over the stand on the railway (think about what I just said'.) The best part about this innings was the 25 fast and tight overs he negotiated off Lambert in the meantime. It was an innings of finesse and determination. This man's character is phenomenal, and is becoming more apparent the harder people try to break him. We are blessed to have him.

Gordon 8/402 dec.

You know the rest. A massive shout on Lambert first ball of the innings could have made the innings a lot different. A drop off Dylan with the other opener under 20 didn't help either. When the opening partnership fell just over 200 runs later, the game certainly was a different one.

If we continue to field like muppets, we will continue to let each other and the club down. I put it to you that every year the bottom five teams on the table are the worst fielding sides. We are deservedly in the cellar.

James 'Mantos' Kennedy continues to try hard and learn. Dylan put in as always and will be better for the run next week (coming back from injury). Beau also got a lot out of his 22 overs with some great rhythm and confidence coming with it.

Next week is another game and another challenge. 3 games till the break, 2 wins will give us hope. Intent over the past few weeks has been improving, but do we play the game to have good intent????  

Brendan McDonald

First Grade Report T20 vs Campbelltown  

The First grade boys gained their first twenty20 victory on the weekend against a strong Campbelltown side at Chatswood.

(Iain Beverley hits one into Orchard Road  at T20)

Arriving in sweltering conditions to the site of the PG boys continuing their winning streak, the boys in the top grade talked positive and cleared out excess rubbish (PG player bags) in the changerooms with Jammer (Packman) and B.G (Garrett) exchanging ideas on where they would rather be on a 42 degree day. (Cheeeeatsoood oval playing cricket ofcourse).

With the presentation of the hat to debutant James Campbell, the tradtional warm-up was underway. With the toss lost, The Staggy boys were sent out to bowl first on a wicket that Im sure left some scars from the previous day where G.Lambert scored more runs himself than the entire career runs a certain leggie that left us last season.

Nonetheless, the boys stayed positive and within 4 balls the return of big Dylan Connell brought the Gordon boys their first scalp. Clean bowling the Ghosts opener through the gate.

Was good to see the big man running in at Chatswood again with the new ball, showing us how it is done with 2-23 off his 4.

With the loss of Midnight (Stephenson) early with a niggling injury, all bowlers stuck to their plans with the spinners B-Mac (McDonald) and Buzzard (Casson) in particular bowling very well and making life hard for the westerners. McDonald (3 for 21 off his four) despite having the batsmen coming hard at him, used good flight and guile in the middle overs and with Soper (1-32 off 4) and Casson (1 for 23 off 4) slowed down the Ghosts run rate.

(Beau Casson hits out on Sunday)

Buzz bowled very well with confidence and kept the younger Ghost bats in check.The Stags fielded very well in the tough hot conditions with no dropped catches and a very good runout to B-Mac. Special mention to Brendan, always keen to help the younger/newer members of the team, when he swapped with the debutant J.C from cover to long off to 'take the pressure off' him. Mac, known for his cricketing brain and his know-how on anticipating in the field obviously knew what was to come.

The next ball went up in the air and landed safetly in the hands of the now not so under'pressure' James Campbell. God Bless Brendan MacDonald, he is such a charismatic player.

The Stags restricted the Ghosts to 9-154 off their 20 overs.

With the job not over the boys, rehydrated and reassessed. After his 83 last week and for owning the largest cannons in the club since M.Jones, Iain Beverley was sent to open the batting with Steve Colley and from the beginning overs the two little men, went on the attack. Steve showed us why he has been picked for higher honors by punishing anything loose through the covers and Bevo showed us his cannons by dispatching anything short, hitting high and long over the top for numerous boundaries.

At 0-82 after 8 we lost a few wickets with Bevo (48 off 32 balls), Steve (30 off 21 balls) and Packers out trying to keep the pace going.

Beau took the leading role in a partnership with Reece. With Reece running quick singles and Beau opting to sweep anything flighted over the boundary. Both played 'cricket' shots and soon the target score was reached in the 17^th over. With Buzz finishing 41 off 23 balls and Reece (18 off 16) both looking in good touch.

(JC on debut at Chatswood)

A commanding first win in the twenty 20 competition for the Stags with lots of positives to take out of the match.

Congratulations to J.C on his debut in the top grade, very well deserved and hopefully more games and wickets to come for him. Well done boys, now lets get some momentum going our way for these next few weeks before Christmas and continue on improving our own games. Best wishes to J.K and Jules, hopefully see you back on the paddock ASAP.

Cheers, C.SOPER

First Grade report vs Easts at Waverley 

After gaining our first victory of the season, the 1^st XI was eager to continue playing good cricket against the more formidable opponents in the Eastern Suburbs Dolphins. After chasing 290 the week before, we confident we could keep scoring runs, so when the coin fell in our favor, Buzz decided to bat on a flat, hard wicket.

(Chad Soper on day 1 at Waverley)

Buzz and Coll started confidently and were able to see off the Dolphins openers with about 30 on the board. Unfortunately we were unable to capitalise on this start and proceeded to lose 7 for 30. Poor shot selection and tight bowling was the main contributors to this downfall. The top order can only learn from these mistakes and we are all very positive this will happen.

After lunch Gun Sculls (Bevo) and Midnight continued to bat with patience, slowly ticking the scoreboard over and trying to put together a partnership. They did this for a while until Bev was adjudged LBW. Young Chad Soper joined Midnight with the plan to bat as long as possible. Old mate Zelma had other ideas, clean bowling Stephenson not long after.

Enter The Praying Mantis, Pro Mantis, The Mantos, Mantos Bagdatos. The last pair for the Stags and the two youngest blokes in the team showed experience beyond their age in putting together a 60 run partnership, trading lusty blows with daft singles, which gave us something to bowl at. Chad ended up 50no and Mantos 30. With 25 overs left in the day, we needed early wickets to give ourselves a chance. This was not the case with the Dolphins ending the day 0-92.

(Beau Casson in action on day 2)

The plans for day 2 were simple. Enjoy yourselves, enjoy playing with your mates and anything might happen. Even though at the end of the day we were well beaten, I feel as though we achieved a lot as a team. We bowled well on a flat wicket, with our two spinners bowling the majority of the overs. Our fielding was better than other weeks and we all seemed to enjoy each others company.

As a batting unit we can learn a lot from Pete Neville's innings of 149no. He showed a great deal of patience by keeping the good balls out and putting the bad one's away.

Good luck to everyone next week against the Lion's and lets get another win on the board.

Go Marcos

Jules Stephenson

Called off due to wet weather.

1st Grade notch up their maiden 09/10 victory against Sydney

The team was eager to put together a solid performance after a mixed start to the season. On occasions we had performed credibly in one discipline whilst letting ourselves down in another. So this match was about getting it mostly right with bat and ball.

'Jammer' Packam grafts out an innings against the Tigers

With the toss lost we were asked to bowl first, our new ball attack was a blend of inexperience; Chad Soper (17y.o), James Kennedy (19y.o) and the veteran Julian Stephenson (approx. 45 y.o). The Stags also boasted two of Sydney's premier spinners in Beau Casson (test no. 401) and Brendan McDonald (test no. *).

The bowlers toiled well on a flat wicket which was at times variable in bounce, however hard work was required to get through the 10 wickets. The youngsters bowled particularly well with Kennedy taking 3-42 with good control, swing and pace whilst Soper took 2 wickets with his skiddy swingers. The spin twins also bowled some good overs for us in the middle part of the day and were rewarded with 2 to Beau and 1 to Brandan. Only one of the Sydney batsmen was able to go on with their innings and compiled a well struck 128 before being run out by some exceptional work from Stephenson.

The Sydneysiders finished with a healthy 292 all out and had it not been for a spirited effort throughout the afternoon we could well have been chasing substantially more. On the flipside had we taken our first 10 chances dare I say the target would have been considerably less.

The end of Day 1 saw us 0-53 after 13 - a very positive end to the day, Casson showing his muscle with some impressive back foot play and Eccles showing good fight against some shorter stuff.

Brendan McDonald rewarded for his toils on Day 1

Day 2 and there was a clear message delivered by the skipper, "bat all day", partnerships being the key and lets get our first win under the belt. The boys must have listened and went about executing their plans well with a dominant display of patients and aggression. Casson and Eccles continued on where they left of with Casson providing the aggression and Eccles the patience (even testing out the strength of his new helmet against the new ball). The 1st wicket partnership yielded 97 which laid some very solid foundations for the middle order who delivered on what was said at the morning briefing. Patients and partnerships developed and the 3rd wicket stand between Packman and Bombas put the game almost out of reach of the opposition taking the score to 2-238 before Packman was adjudged LBW for 79.

Bombas and Garratt then continued the grind and evetnually the winning runs were struck with the debutant Richtor's blade and Gordon had their first win. Bombas played some excellent strokes for his 67, however will be dissapointed to fall the way he did so close to getting us over the line.

Elliot Richtor presented with his 1st Grade cap, before stroking the winning runs

An encouraging performance for the boys and will look to build on this for a big game coming up against what is likely to be a strong Easts side.

James 'Jammer' Packman

A wet day makes the Sharks feel at home

A tough day ends in a heavy loss at the hands of the Dogs

The easy option may be to seek solace in clich's when you've suffered an eight-wicket loss doled out within 52 overs, but this was no clich' Stags' performance. And nor shall it become one. (Although I do concede that despite my best efforts this report shall still be laden with clich's ' hell, there's one and a half in the last sentence alone).

Another victim on the day - Connell goes lame with hamstring injury

Electing to bat first on what proved a tricky Chatswood track, the Stags failed to adapt to conditions with the requisite urgency, and consequently the collective innings failed to register anything more than a muffled whimper. With the exception of the import Flynn (26) we lacked the patience and grit to combat a disciplined and probing Bulldog's attack, with only three double figure scores posted (four if your include sundries) and the only 20+ partnership for the innings being registered by the final pair. Not a pleasant looking scorecard, especially after the promising returns of the previous week.

Defending 109 was never going to be easy, but with ill discipline again rearing its ugly head in the form of numerous grassed chances and some wayward leather offerings, we certainly didn't put our best foot forward. Adding injury to 16-over insult, Dylan 'I think my head grew during the off-season' Connell pulled up lame with a hamstring complaint in the latter overs and may be in doubt for the weekend.

Amid all the doom and gloom, perhaps the best news to come from the weekend was Marcus out punting seasoned veterans McDonald, Packman and Wilson on Saturday afternoon to the tune of $17.55. At least he was smiling. (Or perhaps that was the NZ cricket shirt he'd received from his new favourite Stag.)

Marcus' favourite Stag, Flynn, puts in a determined effort in the second dig.

Needless to say - much improvement is necessary on the field. Of prime importance is the rediscovery of the side's famed out enthuse mentality, disturbingly AWOL at key times during the first two outings. Couple this with the required application and selfishness ' as demonstrated by Skipper Casson (39*) and 'Errol' Flynn (30*) in warding off any hint of an outright result ' and the Stags will be well on the way to ending the season's duck.

BG (Final clich' count = 10- 12)

1st Grade go down fighting in the last over 

Well another season starting at the home of cricket, Chatswood, and the same dramas with the covers and everyone putting their 2 cents worth in but nothing getting done. Fortunately it was done in time for our bright and early warm up at 8:30am, which I am pretty sure none of the lads have seen since last season.

Casson and Eccles start the season in style

The wicket was in amazing condition and the outfield a little bumpy, with the rugby union chewing it up from their season, but didn't really matter when playing on the wicket closest to the railway line. I thought it was always going to be a tough side to defend when it came to our time to bowl, so when we won the toss we took the opportunity to have a bat.

Looking at the conditions we thought no less than 250 would be acceptable but 300 was definitely possible, especially with the flying start Cam Eccles(36) got off to. The boys were all excited to see our new recruit from NZ, Daniel Flynn, get the opportunity to stroke a few around. Unfortunately it wasn't the case for Daniel. Cricket gods can be very harsh sometimes, but I am sure another couple of games for us and his class will rise to the top. James Packman came out and kept the score board ticking over with a number cover drives to the boundary.

Chad Soper comes on in leaps and bounds

The Stags were starting to mount a big score with three good partnerships (Editor's note ' the author made solid contributions to all three of these with 90 odd runs) and then Reece Bombas(49no) looked like he has been playing cricket all year round, with not one ball missing the middle of the bat. Not bad for a guy that said he isn't happy with the way he's hitting them on Thursday night training' must have been taking the mickey.

All the boys that had a bat on the showed great signs particularly the urgency showed between the wickets. Ben Garratt was exceptional in this area which helped the stags reach 295.

At the start of our bowling, we were aware that we need to bowl very well, especially with a small boundary one side which was going to make it difficult to defend. Our openers Julian and Dylan bowled well and got us off to a reasonable start in the first 10 overs. Then came the introduction of our youngest player and exciting prospect Chad Soper, who got the initial breakthrough for us.

And even more extraordinary was the dismissal. Caught at third man to a flying Dylan Connell. Yes, that wasn't a typo. A flying Dylan Connell. And as he dusted himself up off the deck, he got up with no nonsense and looked at the boys as if to say what do you expect. Not that Dyl! Not from you mate!

Can we believe that this has been caught on film? Garratt bowling?

Blacktown had a couple of big wickets which we knew were crucial to us, but they continued to mount good partnerships and did not lose multiple wickets at a time. With Paul Maraziotis and their own new NZ recruit, Tim McIntosh, playing well, we struggled to defend our total. There were some good signs, with Chad testing himself against good players and will learn heaps from game. Brendan McDonald I felt also bowled well without the results he deserved. But both our fast men Julian Stephenson (1/43) and Dylan Connell were brilliant with both bowling exceptionally in the power plays. They are something as a side we will have to keep trying to improve on. But the big feller Dylan (3/36) led from the front and did a fantastic job.

Back at home again this week against Bankstown, in two day cricket, and we are extremely keen to turn the result around and get that 1st win on board to kickstart our campaign.

Beau

Gordon lines up the Whales

Gordon 4th Grade proved too strong for Mosman in the round 13 clash at Rawson Oval.

Pat Effeney takes 7 wickets in the second dig

Captain Shayne Lin won the toss and elected to bowl in overcast conditions on Day 1. People often question the role these conditions play, and for some reason the general consensus is low cloud activity means moisture in the air causing the ball to swing.

In a nutshell Mosman began unsteadily, with little confidence in their batting. They were rolled over for the paltry score of 82, however small scores are never easy to chase.

Star of the show was Tim Fulton claiming 6/26 in a brilliant display of swing bowling. The score could have even been less, except for the 6 dropped catches that were littered throughout the innings.

Kleem and this year's new recruit Hugo Anderson opened the batting. Kleem was aggressive early on dispatching deliveries to all parts of the ground but was dismissed for 29 with Tait also being dismissed on the same score after looking very solid. A big one is due for Kleem shortly ' this author is convinced!

Hugo noodled his way to a handy 39 given the context of the game, and it was common knowledge that we would have to ram home the advantage and put the Whales out of the game. At the end of Day 1 the Stags were 4/105 and were satisfied with the day's effort.

The start of Day 2 was a relaxing affair for those who batted and bowled the previous week, with the assumption that greater things would have to take place later in the day. Anthony Sherman made a well compiled 41 bringing the Stags' innings of 8/202 declared to a conclusion.

Mosman proved a little more stubborn in their 2nd innings, on a much better day for batting, posting a total of 248. Pat Effeney continued his impressive year with the Stags collecting 7/49 which was a marvellous effort.

Unfortunately the Stags had just 8 overs to chase down 120 runs. The innings started swiftly with Kleem taking 18 off the 1st over but the mission proved too difficult with fielders scattered all along the boundary.

It is now that the Stags must take care of the Saints if we are to play a part in this season's finals. Stay tuned!

Mitchell Kleem

4th Grade retain the Mal Hall trophy  

With the Mall Hall trophy up for grabs it was all to play for as Gordon met Manly on a hot day at Killara. The deck was hard with a tinge of green, a perfect day for batting. The day could have started a lot better with Tim Fulton rolling his ankle during the warm up. Shayne lost the toss and we were sent into the field. Throughout the day the bowlers did their job, their lines were good and the fielding was tight. We knew that today was all about patience, if we didn't crack the wickets would fall.

Skipper Shayne Lin pounds one over the fence

Josh 'Pom' Poysden provided the first two scalps and found himself on a hatrick, Manly were 2-60. The Manly batsman had to work hard for their runs for the remainder of the day as the bowlers kept them in check. A star studded bowling line up of James 'Billy the' Kidd, Tim 'one ankle' Fulton, Nick Medcalf, Pom, Iqbal Ahmed and Tjaard Tait kept the beach boys at bay and only allowed them to score 251. Special mention goes to Tim for bowling with a completely screwed up ankle. He was rewarded for his efforts with 2 scalps. The story of the day however goes to the Pom, picking up his first '5fa' for the season, and a great way to start the New Year.

Unfortunately for myself and Tom 'Cockburner' Cockburn, Josh's final wicket in the 77^th over meant that we would have to go out to face the music for an over. The over was faced out with ease and the Stags found themselves 0/1 chasing 252 at the end of the days play. A good effort by the lads to keep Manly to 251 on such a good deck, the only disappointing factor of the day was the spread provided by our boys, which consisted solely of chips and lollies.

Day 2 saw early wickets fall and the Stags at 3-70 at the second drinks break. A steady partnership was needed to rectify the situation. Medcalf joined the list soon and the skipper Lin was joined by Tait at the crease. The steadily growing partnership was ended as Shayne (24) departed. Enter Clem 'We'll call you Brom, because Clem is an old man's name' Bromwich. Brom joined Taity needing 5-6 runs an over for victory. Brom's luck came early, having bunted one straight back to the bowler, the opposition didn't appeal, this allowed the young feller to cut loose and he compiled a quick fire 80* while bombing 6 sixes.

Tait plays yet another 'supporting' role to get the Stags across the line

Taity supported him well at the other end and accumulated 64*. This 120 run partnership saw us through to the end, 5 wickets down with two overs to spare. 

The Mal Hall Trophy safely in our possession, having proudly never left, we headed down to the Chelsea Bar to reflect on the game and our former clubman.

A top start to 2010 and something we will definitely be looking to continue. Quick learners, the boys noted the mistakes of day one's spread and the standard was lifted. This is a trend that should continue in the coming games. Bring on the Hawks!

Mark Fonseka

Bowling combination Tim Fulton and James 'Billy' Kidd doing some damage

4th Grade doesn't get the gift they wanted

4^th Grade entered the round against Western Suburbs at Beauchamp with high hopes of cementing a place in the top 6, and entering the Christmas break in a strong position. However, two Saturdays of poor application and concentration meant that 4^th Grade lost to a side which we should really have beaten.

James 'Billy' Kidd celebrates taking a bag full of wickets against Wests

The game didn't start well with Lin losing the toss on a belter. However, it was not long before Wests were in trouble at 5-27 after great bowling from the openers James Kidd (4 wickets) and Dan Lake (2 wickets), who were then backed up by the Pom Josh Poysden (3 wickets). However some poor fielding and a loss of intensity meant that Wests were able to fight back. They reached 6-170 before Kidd swiftly finished off the tail to see Wests bowled out for 194. Though we would have taken this result on such a flat wicket at the beginning of the day, in reality we should have bowled them out for much less.

The Gordon bats were left with 16 over to face out, however with 2-37 the game was left very much in the balance for the second week. With the resumption of play on the second day 4^th Grade were almost immediately on the back foot with the loss of 4 wickets within the first ten overs. For those new to Beauchamp, there is generally some life in the deck for the first hour, before it turns into a batsman's paradise. It is here we needed the application.

The batsmen continued to fight hard and it was the lower order who showed those further up the order how it is done. Iqbal Ahmed batted with much maturity despite only celebrating his 21^st birthday on Saturday. He played aggressively and was well supported by Hugh Smith (18) and Dan Lake. Dan Lake (20 not out) and James Kidd (21) then backed up their heroics with the ball to push us closer to the Wests target. However after a last stand of 40 we were bowled out for 170. This was really a poor effort on such a good batting wicket, and the job of reaching the total should not have been left to the last 4 batsmen. There is no excuse and if we want to feature in finals cricket our batting needs to improve and back up the efforts of the bowlers.

Hugo Anderson

Fourth grade match report vs Easts

Day One

Shayne Lin proceeded to have a toss and again found himself losing it on what looked like a great pitch to bat on. This assessment proved correct as the East's bats got off to a good start with some flashing of the blade and handy assistance from Tim Fulton.

(An Iqbal Ahmed special shot during his 70)

Fourths were again the team Dylan Connell was placed in to aide his hamstring recovery and this time we were more than happy to see him use his hands for more than penning scores in the scoresheet. He managed to pick up one wicket in his short opening spell. Congratulations on your 1^st 4^th grade wicket Dylan.

The sessions before tea were an even affair with some of Easts bats putting some reasonable scores on the board. However Dave Millar, Bangers (Charlie Bangs) and ul haq (Iqbal Ahmed) all bowled well to keep East to the modest and evenly poised score of 5-200. Sir Inzi and yours truly were in fine form in the catching department.

After eating some little boys thanks to Iqbal and hearing another captain's predictable speech about the importance of lifting our standards, having more energy in the field, bowling dot balls and fielding better etc. we entered the field.  This time it seemed that Shayne's speech had more people listening as we put Easts away with roughly 30 more added to their score. Ul haq was bowling tremendously landing his bombs and making Adam Cubbage proud on the sidelines. Inzi managed to dismiss 4 batsmen and was the pick of the bowlers but not the fielders. The other bowlers picked up a few wickets here and there and we entered the sheds with a total of 233 to chase. 

Mitch Kleem got the innings off to a real flyer, going hard and hitting most balls in the middle of the bat. Michael Dalrymple departed early once again playing and missing what would have been a glorious straight drive and watched as Hugo played well looking confident before getting out cheapish. He was then followed by Tjaard Tait who seemed more interested with the pommy girl on the sidelines.

(Tim Fulton in action against Easts)

The day finished with the score on 4-120 odd with Mitch Wilson and Shayne 'the magnificent' Lin in the middle topping off a good day for Gordon.

Day Two

Mitch and Shayne seemed comfortable out in the middle facing the East's bowlers with relative ease. However both skied the ball to give East's easy catches and a look in with the game at 6 for 141. Shayne had made a good 47 and tried to make that 51 with some poor scoresheet work. Enter Inzamam and Dave 'the ZZZZZZ' Millar. Ahmed was seeing the ball like watermelons and playing wonderful drives to score boundary after boundary. The amount of times he ran between wickets could be counted on one hand. Dave was battling along, having micro sleeps between balls but playing an absolutely vital role sticking around to support Ahmed.

Eventually Insi was dismissed for 70 leaving the score at 7-220 with big Dylan entering the field. Connell tried his best to get out however East's were keen to see him hit a clean 6 before deciding they should dismiss him. By this stage the Stags had passed the total of 233 and with some good hitting from Bangers and Mash and attempted hitting from Tim Fulton were able to push to 260 odd.

East's were sent back out to bat with Dylan coming in off full run up. Unfortunately he could only grab one wicket and spilt no blood. Consequently after 20 overs the match was finished with Gordon winning on first innings. The song was sang with much gusto and a big well done goes to Ul haq, Kleemy and the fearless captain Shayno.

Michael Dalrymple

4th Grade perform well on docile new deck 

Was it worth it?

I can tell you that "yes it was".

And no I am not talking about Mitchell Kleem's 2nd publication in the Inside Cricket magazine. (This plug for Mitchell Kleem was not, I repeat not assisted by Mitchell Kleem or any Mitchell Kleem affiliates).

I am in fact talking about the 2nd weekend against the Sydney Tigers.

Let me lay the scene for you from the first week.

Timmy Fulton picks up 5-for - after running a half-marathon!

The Tigers ended the day at 7-279 off 83 overs. What the score doesn't tell you is that Adam Cubbage broke the pinky finger on his right hand (His bowling hand, amongst other things, returning the ball to the bowler!!) and that we were carrying an injured 1st grade bowler in Dylan Connell, so for 20 odd overs we had the evergreen James Catlin running around in the field, after borrowing Anthony Sherman's spare whites. Anthony was more than accomodating and happy to lend the set to Catts without hesitation.

Anyway back to the Saturday just passed. We arrived promptly at the ground to find that Cats had been replaced (probably by the selectors) by David Millar's father Tom. So we had our 11 and took the field keen to take the last 3 Tiger wickets quickly.

As it turned out we bowled 6 overs and took 2 wickets for 30 runs and thus the Tigers declared at 9-304, a gettable target, especially at Killara.

The highlight so far was the 2 wickets, which fell, both Tim Fulton. Tim had 3 from the previous week, thus giving him his first 5 wicket haul for the club, not a bad effort considering he started with the Stags at the start of last season.

Anyway now it was our chance with the willow in hand. Mitchell Kleem fresh from a week off and with the 2nd interview under his belt as well as the unwavering support that he had received from Anthony Sherman from the previous weekend set about destroying the Sydney attack.

In short Mitchell Kleem (86) was the 4th wicket to fall right on tea to leave us teetering at 4-149 off 26.4 overs.

Sherman does what he does best - destroys the opposition bowlers

Then after tea Anthony Sherman, deciding that his good mate Mitch was not to get all of the glory, took the game by the scruff of the neck (no pun intended) and with Tjaard Tait demolished the attack. Anthony was out for 90 with 40 runs needed off about 25 overs. This was managed easily by David Millar and Tait (49).

A big thank you to James Catlin, Tom Millar and Dylan Connell. All 3 were somewhat instrumental in helping out 4th grade get there second win of the summer.

Congratulations to Harry Evans and Steve Colley in 2's for a magnificent partnership and to the rest of the club for getting up in all 5 grades.

I look forward to playing with the all the young boys again next weekend (Note: this comment could possibly be taken out of context, and now probably will be.)

The people's champion -Inzi.

Fourth Grade fight back, but an unfortunate loss

After our almighty captain Shayne Lin continued his amazing form with the toss, which I might add he has never ever loss! The Stags decided to have a bat first on what looked like a very good Killara wicket.

Mr Hugo 'Weaving' Anderson and Michael "Miccy D's" Dalrymple cross for one

After witnessing the worst possible start, which saw us losing our two experience openers before you can blink your eyes, the team pulled together to score a modest 182-9. With Tjaard Tait(21), Hugo Anderson(33) and Michael Dalrymple(26) all getting starts but were dismissed as soon as they got themselves in which saw the Stags struggled to 119-8. Thanks to a very brave effort from the tail, especially by newcomer Hugh Smith. Hugh batted very sensibly and was supported well by the two quick's.

Timmy Fulton (the newly promoted number 10) supported Hugh well by rotating the strike until he got out playing a premeditated sweep shot which saw him lose all 3 of his stumps. Pat Effeney, the last man in, did his best to give Hugh as much strike as possible in the last few overs, in fact Pat did such a good job that he made sure he gets that number 10 position back, especially after Timmy 'Fools' terrible sweep shot. Hugh Smith played well for his average with a 41 not out to get us to 182-9 at the end of the 50^th over. This seemed like a defendable score if the bowling and fielding was good.

The bowlers however, did not come to the party until after the first drinks break. The early Sutherland batsmen were given too many scoring opportunities and, at 152-2, with the opening batsman on the way to a century, the game was going to finish embarrassingly quickly. However, the Stags from last year are renowned for their fighting qualities and those last 30 runs proved to be very difficult to chase.

All thanks to Shayne's mum showing up for some moral support giving Taity and the rest of the team a good luck wave after one of Shayne's big captaincy speeches at the drinks break. The team then started the fight back, led by a determined spell from Pat Effeney and some tight bowling from the no sightscreen end by Anthony Sherman (1-16), the Sutherland innings faltered, and runs became very hard to score.

Hugh Smith crafts an innings with the tail

At 178-8 it was anyone's game! With Pat just finishing a good spell, with figures of 31-4, Patty knocked over the Sutherland batsman with some good accurate bowling. The team continued the fight back with good fielding and tight bowling in the last few overs. Hugh(23-1) and Tim(45-1) bowled well in the end but unfortunately, the Sharks prevailed and Gordon was left to ponder what might have happened if there had been another 20-30 runs on the board.

The Stags are back at Killara next week with sightscreens on both sides against the Sydney Tigers. Now that we know what we capable of, we can take that fighting spirit into the next game and start playing to our full potential.

Taity

4th Grade gets washed out 

Day 1

After using up a get out of jail free card last week, 4th Grade arrived at Jenson Oval (well most of us) looking to improve on last week's performances - especially with the bat.

Shane 'I never lose a toss' Lin won the toss and put Bankstown in on what looked a very good wicket.

Tom Bangs just a week earlier in better cricket conditions

The Ef-mister ' Pat Effeney (0/30 off 8) and Tom 'She Bangs, She Bangs' Bangs (0/18 off 8) opened up with some tight lines and were both unlucky not to pick up a couple each and with 3^rd slip putting down a dolly. From there the fast men toiled hard but were leaking runs due to some very average fielding.

Once Tait (0/21 off 7.4) was given the ball the runs dried up and chances started to come about. Hugh Smith (1/27 off 7) came on and bowled straight and was rewarded with a wicket. With the rain just around the corner, and tea fast approaching, the skipper injected Cubbage (1/6 off 4) into the game, and with success, picking up the opener he dropped earlier. An over later saw the umpires deem that the square was getting to wet from the consistent drizzle and called an early tea.

From then the drizzle did not stop and play was abandoned for the day with Bankstown 2/96 off 34.4 overs, which meant that Monday would be an early start and a long day.

Day 2

After the come down from the NRL Grand Final, a 24 hour bender and a festival, 4's arrived to find that water had seeped under the covers from the Saturday night downpour. At 9.30, after all the stories of the weekend had been told the umpires and captains decided that we could have our day off to enjoy. Match Drawn.

Even with a tame ending to the long weekend match we are able to get some thing out of the game. One major thing was our fielding had to pick up 200% if we are going to go one further from last year. Which, that being said, we will move on to next week which will see 4's return to Killara, for which I know for certain Pic is excited about.

Adam Cubbage

Bowlers come through for 4th Grade

Gordon travelled out to Blacktown to start of the season looking to go one better than last year. We welcomed to the side a few fresh faces as well as some old ones coming back form last season. The pitch at Blacktown was flat as we won the toss and decided to have a bat with an idea that it would be a great day for batting and scoring plenty of runs. The only difficulty that we should encounter was the wind which was causing a lot of problems when trying to remain still at the crease.

Taity gets his castle re-arranged

We got off to a flyer with the first 2 over going for 30 with Pic(17) blasting boundaries and a little help from wides. However the early loss of Hugo for the first wicket sparked a major collapse losing the majority of the top order before the 1^st drinks break as we were 5 for 70. Tom 'Ledge Jnr' Ledgerwood came in at number 7 and immediately went after the bowling and started the rescue mission. After a well made 59 he was dismissed and the Stags were all out for 166.

After the poor display with the bat we still knew that 166 runs on the board will be enough if we bowl well and hold our catches. Fulton and Effany took the new ball and applied the pressure which led to the first wicket via a run out to Hugo. Tim rolled through the top order taking 3 wickets in his first spell with a couple of dropped chances. Pat offered great support at the other end only going for 15 in his first 7 with an edge falling just short of the keeper. Ledge Jnr came on to bowl and did a good job keeping the wickets coming taking three himself.

Cubbage bowled very accurately all day in the difficult windy condition and only went for a very economical 29 off his 10 overs. With the score 7 for 79 we were completely outplaying Blacktown and wanted to finish of the game well. However a loss of concentration in the field led to a couple of dropped catches and a 50 run partnership that put the game in doubt. Hugh Smith came on and managed to break the partnership and take two wickets doing a great job when the game was in the balance. Tait, who claimed the last wicket and added to his 1 run for the day, may not have made a wise choice in naming himself the captain of his fantasy team.

'Pic' Sherman gets his side off to a flyer

The game didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked, but a win is a win with the batsmen clearly showing their rust and offering poor shot selection. The bowlers did a great job today bowling a good line and being patient. There is plenty of work to be done, but the 4^th grade side is one that will go from strength to strength each week and play some exciting cricket this year. Well done to the club in taking 4 wins which is a great start to the year. Good luck to everyone next week and let's knock Bankstown off.

Shayne Lin

Wet weather cancelled the match before play had begun.

2nd Grade go down... but not without a fight 

Cheaaatswood Oval was the venue for second grades last game of the season, against the Students. As Harry Evans had moved up to first grade, Hamish 'Torah' Angus dropped back down after his close encounter with Josh Hazlewood. Matt Kelly went back into retirement, so the other change was Reg coming back into the side after a run in the threes due to work commitments. Ben 'Parratt' Garratt was the stand in skipper and after winning the toss he elected to bat on a sunny day.

Hamish Angus rocks back and cuts through point

Justin 'Salad' Avendano was the first wicket to fall, possibly distracted by a women walking round the ground which would have been the 'first girl he's seen in three weeks!' Reg joined Torah at the crease and they both looked good as they added a partnership of 73 before Reg got caught for 41 off a rank ball off the Students leg spinner, which was not the last time it happened that day!

Parratt, 'Missy' Higgins and Henry 'Perez' Carmichael all departed quickly and were also soon joined in the sheds by Torah and Sweeney to leave the Reserve Grade at 135-7 (note I listed the score the proper way, how it should be)! Torah batted well for his 61, and it was the solid innings we needed at the top of the order. Archer came in and played some good looking shots including a big six over to the home changing rooms before he was dismissed. Rob 'Deano' Edwards was the next man out after a handy 29. Poysden and Sadler managed to swat a few runs before Sadler was cleaned up and the Stags were all out for 190, a score that we thought was defendable as long as we were disciplined, and fielded with lots of energy.

Reg Livermore works the Uni bowlers around Chatswood Oval

The students came out firing and dispatched first Sweeney, then Beau, then the spinners, Archer and Poysden, until the score was 113-2 off 14 overs as they went for a double bonus points. 'Salad' Avendano was awarded the chat captaincy for the first five overs of their innings and was a bit quiet until the gauntlet was passed to Poysden and he kept it going for the next 33 overs, making sure he made the most of his last game in Australia.

The game then changed dramatically with the spinners taking five wickets for one run, with Archie taking one, and Poysden getting 4 wickets in ten balls. The Students were 114-5 and seemed a long way from home. This livened everyone up and was one of the most enjoyable passages of play the author had played in since his arrival. Two Sydney Uni batters then put together a solid partnership to see the game home. It was a disappointing end to the season which at times promised more but we have learnt lessons and will be back stronger next year.

I just want to take this chance to thank everyone from the club, Tids and Catts for helping me get here, the rest of the committee,  Hoppa for his advice at training, and of course all the players for making this such a quality 7 months for me. I will be having leaving drinks at Chelsea on the 3^rd April and would love people to come so I can get a good chance to say goodbye. We are a talented club and next year should perform a lot better! I can promise I will be back soon, maybe even as soon as next season depending on how my cricket goes at home.

Proud to be a Stag!

Pom

Hamish Angus shows off his ability to the captive media contingent

2nd Grade gets picked off by the Hawks

Better late than never. It's taken over a week and a good win at UNSW to get to the point of being able to bear a recount of our worst loss of the season to the Hawks in the round 10 one-dayer.

Will Sweeney toils hard at the start of the innings

We never should have lost this game after being in strong positions throughout each innings. 'Reg' Livermore decided to bowl first with the wicket looking a little sticky and it looked a good decision as we had them 3-40 early on. However, we couldn't capitalise on our good start as we bowled too many loose balls and conceded too many sundries. The extras count of 32 proved to be close to the winning margin at the end of the day.

Bad balls and fielding mistakes happen, but it is important that when they do the whole side rallies and shows the energy and spirit to lift the standard. This is something we can do better in 2^nd grade but certainly took steps in the right direction at UNSW on Saturday.

Henry Carmichael was probably the pick of the bowlers despite not taking a wicket. He had 0-13 off 6 overs and in hindsight it perhaps would have been helpful if he had got his full 10. Bowling restrictions on the younger quicks must be a headache for the captains.

As we know, wickets in hand are a great asset toward the end of an innings at Chatswood. We allowed Hawks this luxury and paid the price with 63 runs coming from the final 6 overs of their dig, taking their total to 8-264 from 50 overs.

Our top order started the chase nicely with Reg scoring 38 and Harry at number three scoring 32. Blair Lindsay was also in top form with 80 until he was run out from a direct hit taking a tight single. He was the third wicket down with the score at 180 with 14 overs still remaining. This meant a run a ball chase for the remaining batsmen which we backed ourselves to achieve at Chatswood with 7 wickets in hand. We struggled to keep the board ticking over though, and as the run rate lifted so did the intensity and spirit of the fielding side who showed good fight to stay in the game after being in such a poor position.

The pressure told with 5 of the last 7 batsmen dismissed in single figures to leave us all out 229 and ending any chance of keeping our finals destiny in our own hands. Even after our win in at UNSW in Round 11 we still need to win our last 4 games and hope results go our way but it's a funny old game and we'll be doing our best to give ourselves every chance. Fingers crossed.

Chris Archer

Hopes were high on the first morning as skipper 'Reg' Livermore won the toss and elected to bat. Whilst Blair fell LBW in the first hour to a handy delivery, Hamish joined the skip at the crease, and the two proceeded to build the foundations for a solid total. The cricket was tedious at times during the first couple of sessions with the batsmen unfazed and score progressing extremely slowly. A disillusioned 'Fester' Todd commented, 'Oh'I have never seen two batsmen look more solid at the crease than these guys.' I swear I didn't detect any sarcasm in this statement at the time. In light of this sentiment, and also underestimating the ability of both batsmen to 'block the sh!t' out of the ball for extended periods, 'Missy' Higgins promised to wear his full batting kit out that evening if he was not at the crease by tea.

If my calculations are correct, he remained in his pads and whites for approximately 17 hours last Saturday, not appearing at the wicket until close to 4.30. Despite the wait, he knocked up a useful 41 in as many balls to get the score moving along. To be fair the wicket was slightly slow and the opposition attacked bowled accurately all day. Reg and Hamish both batted extremely well to reach chanceless centuries in the final session, giving Gordon the upper hand in the game. Useful contributions from Dowsley and Carmichael saw the final total reach 333.

Taking the field mid-way through the first hour on day 2, the Gordon attack were solid, but largely ineffective on a wicket which offered very little. Forgetting we had 6 other medium pace bowlers in the team, Reg opened up with Archer at the Civic Video end. Whilst he didn't get a wicket, Archie consistently worried the batsmen, bowling a long and economical spell. Fester was equally as good, turning the ball sharply at times and unlucky not to pick up several wickets in his spell. At lunch, the scoring graph was taking a painfully familiar shape, with Randy Petes 0-45 at lunch.

It was not until Effeney came on after an hour and a half that the first breakthrough was achieved. Bowling some very heavy deliveries on debut, he collected 2 big wickets to give the Stags some momentum and get them back in the game. Unfortunately, the attack tired in the afternoon, and Randy-Petes cruised home scoring 160 runs in the final session, a good demonstration of what a side can do with wickets in hand. Whilst there were some positives to take out of the game, there is some work to do for 2^nd Grade to get their season back on track.

Second Grade Report vs Fairfield  

The second XI continued their good start to the season with a complete performance against Fairfield Liverpool at Rosedale. With Chad Soper returning to Second grade the bowling stocks were strengthened and the team looked threatening with both bat and ball.

(Reg Livermore in action)

The pre-match warm up went to plan besides the most critical. The toss was lost and the stags were in the field on a hot day and a pitched that looked more like the Hume Hwy. Super Soper and JC took the new ball and bowled with great control. Chad picked up a wicket in the 3^rd over with a regulation catch to Elliot Richtor at gully. This was the first of many for El, at least he caught this one with a hint of technique. JC was unlucky not to pick up a wicket in his opening spell but produced many deliveries that troubled the batsman and had numerous appealed turned down.

Chris 'Patty' Archer took the ball and bowled unchanged for the rest of the day with an enduring 26 over spell of class. Patty showed why he is involved in the Sea FM cricket clinics picking up 6 wickets and turning the game to the stags. Archie is a perfect example someone who puts in 110% and how with hard work come the rewards. Well done Patty! Arch was well supported by Henry 'H C Bomb' Carmichael who bowled tight to build pressure. JC returned to pick up a wicket as did Sweeney. Super Soper also took a second wicket to finish with 2.

The bowling effort was well supported in the field, particularly considering the trying conditions. The standard of catching in the reserve grade has set the standard for the club and is making life easier for the bowlers. Although we still need to address our energy levels over the whole day as we have periods of high energy and some with low. Some would say a little like a night out with Ricky. Speaking of Ricky, he self proclaimed himself Man of the Match honors with a great set of ALF marks in the field finishing with 4 catches (Harry Evans couldn't believe this considering his display in PG's against ND's last year) and 5 not out. Well done Els.

(Chris Archer in action)

With half the job done, the message from the captain was to get to stumps without loss and reassess for the following Saturday. Reg and Bear Grills took to the field and came off an hour later with the stags in a commanding position. Reg was unnaturally the enforcer and played attacking cricket whilst taking minimal risk. Bear '1 of 2 in the whole world with this name' Grills played a mature innings and played himself in. Bear played within himself and the boys got us to stumps on day 1 at 0-67 (Damon Livermore 48*, Blair Lindsay 14*).

The next Saturday rolled around and it was even hotter with JC nursing a rather large head ache and sleep deprivation the stags new the job at hand and the bowlers were enjoying their well deserved break. The roles reversed in the morning session with Blair taking the attacking roll and Reg the supporting. The boys took the score to 97 before Blair was caught at gully for a well complied 34. I am sure a big score is just around the corner. Harry Evans took off from Blair and continued his good run of form with some beautiful stroke play which would have made Roger proud. Harry is on the move and hopefully will soon be out of 2^nd grade so that others can get some runs. Harry 'as normal' rode his luck but played a very attacking and aggressive innings that was fully of majestic boundaries and dangerous running. Harry was out for a well made 68.

Meanwhile Reg was doing everything required of himself in trying conditions whilst grinding the opposition into the ground. Ian Higgins strolled to the crease with the umpire asking why he had blood shot eyes; Missy was quick to point out that he was a champion at Play Station 3 and offered free tutoring. These two took us passed the required total with Damon Livermore bringing up his 9^th century for the club. His knock was one that showed the younger guys in the team just how to apply them selves when they bat and wait for the balls in their areas.

(Harry Evans in action)

A great knock from Reg and a well deserved hundred. Ian was unfortunately out to a full toss which he didn't pick up and was adjudged LBW for 17, the author was then out next ball LBW and might have well, just not have picked it up. Man of the match Eliot Richtor took us tea with a majestic 5 not out.

A fantastic effort for the whole team with a comprehensive win and a good platform to build on for next week. Well done to Archie's 6 wickets and Reg's 116* for putting us in such a strong position. Still areas of improvement but we showed that we have the potential to match it with all teams in this competition. A complete performance'Up the stags!

Stay out of trouble..

Hamish Angus

Campbell takes 7, before batsmen falter at the close

Round 5 of the Sydney grade cricket competition pitted two posh rivals against each other. Eastern Suburbs with its trendy bars, architectural sights and harbour views against Gordon's leafy surroundings and suburban living, at Chatswood Oval - the epicentre of multiculturalism this side of the bridge. And Chatswood was its usual hive of activity with a procession of bottles smashing, sirens singing to the sound of emergencies and tires screeching in perfect harmony with honking horns. This, coupled with misled youths experimenting with all forms of life, makes Chatswood oval a wonderful place to play cricket.

The only man to stand up, James 'JC' Campbell takes seven

Mother nature played her part too, treating both sides to a fine Sydney summers day in September. Easts' captain Kirk won the toss and elected to have first use of what looked to be a green Chatswood wicket. His decision proved a poor one for himself personally as he was dismissed by a rank half tracker that seamed significantly back at him from Sweeney and only managed to play on. Sweeney himself having attempted to tackle a fence the over before was heard to say "oh no!" as he released the ball. The first wicket epitomised how the mornings session was to play out, as Gordon continued to pick up easy wickets thanks to some hapless batting from the dolphins top order.

James Campbell was his ever steady self from the Trumper Pavillion end. His consistent display of left-arm-finger-spin-off-the-long-run was rewarded by some poor shot selection and exceptional fielding. His first wicket of Schutz was brilliantly taken down the leg side by Evans standing up to the stumps. The best, or more accurately, fortuitous moment of catching saw the dismissal of the ever dangerous Warner whose run scoring prowess is well respected amongst grade cricketers across the city.

After a out witting the talented opener Robson leg before, Warner came to the wicket in his ever confident stride. Campbell pitched a half volley on leg stump which Warner happily clipped of his legs for what would have been a certain boundary had it not been for Higgins standing at bat-pad who managed to stop the ball mid flight with a combination of groin, forearm and a prayer. His arrogant celebration of a shrug of the shoulders and a flick to square leg either suggested that this occurrence was a regularity or that he had no idea what had happened. I'm rather inclined to lean towards the latter. A better bloke would have apologised to Steve, but having copped the rath of some more than accurate sledging in the past, perhaps this was a square up.

When Rob Edwards claimed an athletic caught and bowled on the stroke of the subway interval, Gordon stood at a false position of having Easts at 5-70. Edwards claimed to have injured his abdominal region, however upon further inspection, Missy could only see the workings of a perfectly formed abdomen that Jay Cutler would be proud of. There's no way Edwards could ever be injured, it would be like Jesus crying - it just wouldn't happen.

After the lunch break, Easts' Dai Williams looked to grab back the ascendancy with a succession of dominant front foot play. Williams was brilliant. Technically sound, although never properly tested on the back foot, his prowess through predominately cover, point and square leg both reflected a man in good form and plenty of ability with shots around the wagon wheel and some wayward bowling which was deservedly punished. Gordon did give him a life however when on 80 off the bowling of Campbell. Evans, again standing up to the stumps, shelled a difficult chance as Williams looked to push off the back foot through cover. His hundred came up a few overs later as he superbly stroked Archer through cover for his 16th four of a near flawless innings.

Williams bonded fruitful partnerships with wicket keeper Mitchell - who batted for more than hour for his 20 -and David Richards who made an aggressive 60 batting at 9, notably hitting two large sixes over long-on off Archer who unfortunately never got into his rhythm.

Henry Carmichael pushes through the slippery conditions

Richards should have been run out just after tea, but Gordon's inability to seize key moments again cost them and the partnership between he and Williams continued to flourish on its way to 129 before Campbell returned to the fray and claimed the wicket of the hard hitting Richards. Captain Livermore was hard pressed to find a bowler to support Campbell, whose 25.2 overs not only yielded 7 deserved wickets, but only conceded 69 runs. The four other bowlers used were rotated, but neither could find a consistent rhythm and regularly bowlers slipped at the crease at the moment of delivery. Sweeney at one point asking for sawdust to lay in the crease.

The last 3 wickets fell in the space of 10 minutes, leaving Gordon a tricky last hour to negotiate before the close of day 1. Lindsey was the first to fall for 2, unluckily given out caught behind. Gordon 1-13. Night watchman Archer could only survive 12 minutes and 6 balls before a clever bit of bowling from Bernhard Ballin saw him caught at bat pad, his first of 3 evening wickets. Gordon 2-18. Eccles looked in decent touch, driving well down the ground and swiftly avoiding short balls before he was adjudicated leg before from that man David Richards. Eccles appeared displeased with the decision, but he had to go and Gordon teetered at 3-19.

When Livermore was caught between leaving a ball and playing, he could only manage to chop onto his stumps and Gordon crashed to a woeful 4-21. Evans played out the last over with 3 confident boundaries, whilst Higgins happily watched at the non-strikers end on 0*. Gordon 4-33. 

Eastern Suburbs stand in a more than dominant position and will be entertaining thoughts of an outright victory during the working week, whilst Gordon will look to consolidate and try to get into a position where they can once more win the game. A tense first session is set to ensue at Chatswood on day 2.

Missy 

Three brilliant performances give Twos number one spot

What a great little ground Chatswood Oval is, just ask Steve [Colley] and Harry [Evans]. If I had to describe our efforts over the last fortnight I think that 'a superb team effort, punctuated by individual brilliance' sums it up nicely. Although we didn't always have things our own way, as the final scoreboards may have suggested ... The flip of the coin didn't land our way and it's definitely an area we can improve in, I'm looking at you 'Reg' Livermore. We were obviously sent to the field to bowl on what some had described as one of the flattest wickets they'd ever seen. But that's cricket and it was a cracking day to be out in the sun.

James Campbell leads the boys from the ground after taking 5-for on the first day

There were some concerns early in the day as to who would actually be bowling all of our overs with so many of our team placed under bowling restrictions. Chris Archer was quickly nominated to step up and bowl long spells from one end, which he did, taking 3-59 from his 21 over's. Talking to Chris after the game he felt he was improving each week, and taking 3 wickets in the conditions we faced is a great platform for improvement. A great performance from such a consistent cricketer and team man.

But the talk of the first weekend was all about James 'Supremely fit' Campbell who bowled 30.3 over's in what was a mammoth effort from the left arm speedster. He took 5-68 and showed that patience with the ball will be rewarded, it was an important lesson to learn and one we must carry forward right through the season. Well done Jim, many more to come I'm sure.

Another great sign of things to come was the bowling of HSC student Henry Carmichael. He took 1-48 from 16 over's that included 5 maidens and delivered exactly what captain Reg wanted, that is, full and straight bowling to a well set field. From memory we only dropped one chance which if taken would have been very close to the best catch I'd ever seen.

Steve 'What HSC?' Colley gets some revision in whilst Sydney searchs for balls at Chatswood Bowls club

Not only was the bowling of the highest standard so too was the fielding with our energy and discipline being outstanding pretty well the whole day. It was one of the best fielding performances that I've been a part of for quite some time. Sydney all out for 298 and plenty of work left to do next week.

Well the work that was left to do was taken squarely on the shoulders by yet another HSC student Steve 'Col Doctor' Colley and Harry Evans whose record breaking 284 run partnership took us to within inches of victory, well before tea. Both never really looked like getting out, until Steve dragged his foot and was stumped down the leg side and Harry run out after a tap on from the bowler's foot after a Reg straight drive. Where to start with their innings? Harry's innings could have been over with a dropped chance at 2^nd slip with him still on 0 proving a costly mistake. After that early chance, Harry batted with a fierce determination and scored in a positive manner with quick singles and some punishing pull shots that cleared the boundary.

Steve on the other hand was more aggressive, especially in the period between reaching his hundred and getting out. Singles weren't so much of a worry for Steve and he managed to capitalise, scoring consecutive boundaries on many an occasion to make up the difference. It was a pleasure to watch but did come with mixed emotions as one [unnamed player] of the top 3 did miss out big time on the weekend. Well done also to Reg and Missy who both picked up some time in the middle scoring 25 a piece to see us through to tea and the end of the match.

If you're sick of seeing his photo, spare a thought for the opposition! - Harry Evans scores a ton

Well done lads and bring on Easts!

Blair 'Bear' Lindsay

2nd Grade Match Report vs Sutherland

Another disappointing round overall for the Stags, however second grade can certainly hold their heads high after a close defeat at the hands of a strong Sutherland outfit. Only a few crucial moments and a powerful batting display from a first class opponent prevented us from taking this one out.

Archer is congratulated after a sharp catch off James Campbell

10 of our 11 were present to remove the covers form a surprisingly dry Chatswood Oval, but unfortunately for Rob Edwards, he is now $20 lighter as a result of Reg's new rule that a fine will be incurred if a player arrives more than 20 minutes late. Fortunately for the rest of the team this money will be going straight into the beer fund.

A bad toss to lose saw us sent in on a deck doing plenty early on. Steve Colley fell victim to it in just the first over, edging behind for 0. Steve has had an unlucky start to the season, copping some good deliveries early in his digs, but looks too good in his technique not to post some big scores as the season goes on. Blair Lindsay also went within the first 10 overs after not quite getting on to a short ball and was caught at mid wicket.

After this slow start the ship was steadied by Reg, who didn't score many but batted for more than 10 overs to see off their quicks who were doing the early damage, and Harry Evans, who batted beautifully for 97. It was a very mature innings from Harry who got himself in on a tough wicket with determined defending and smart running between wickets. He then accelerated the scoring by taking advantage of the short Chatswood boundary and some loose bowling from their spinners to hit three sixes and numerous fours.

Ian Higgins and Elliot Richtor have both returned from England in fantastic form to play great supporting roles for Harry with 43 for Missy and 48 not out for Emo. Some excellent striking from both players, in particular Emo late in the innings, along with some helpful dropped catches, saw us reach 8/242 at the end of our 50. A good total considering the early batting conditions, we ground it out well after a poor start and our running between the wickets was key in reaching our score, as it was against Blacktown in Round One. We must continue this good cricket.

Higgins back from England and in form with the willow

Reg has spoken to us about the importance of momentum, particularly in one-day cricket, and we certainly took the momentum from the back end of our batting innings into our bowling after lunch. James Campbell and Will Sweeney were tidy in the opening overs, with JC the pick of our bowlers overall. His 5^th over was taken for 16 runs by one of their openers but credit to Reg who had faith in him and to JC for coming back next over to get his man. Another wicket in the same over and two more in his 10^th saw JC finish with 4/39. Some sharp catches from Archer, Edwards and Reg had us in the box seat with Sutherland stumbing to 5/73 from 21 overs. Rob was the other wicket taker with his second scalp for the season.

A magnificent partnership from their 6 and 7 then took the game away from us. Their number 6, who apparently has played plenty of first-class games across the ditch (or is that dutch?), scored a match-winning 82 including five sixes, two of which made Reg very unpopular with CityRail staff - in particular one train driver - when he went to fetch the ball off the tracks. It took a great catch from Henry Carmichael off the bowling of Emo to finally get rid of him. He was also well supported by the number 7 who ended up with 69 not out. Our bowling and fielding was still quite good throughout the partnership of 138 and we never put our heads down. Perhaps maintaining a fuller length for longer periods would have helped the bowlers create more pressure but all in all it was good cricket that won Sutherland the game, we certainly didn't hand it to them. I'm sure the bowling group will continue to improve and learn to better build pressure through consecutive tight overs and bowling in partnerships, and this will make us very tough to beat as the season progresses.

The mood in the sheds after the game was as positive as can be after a loss. We knew that we were close to taking down a good side that consisted of 10 players with first grade experience. Only a crucial toss and an excellent partnership prevented us from doing so and we all know where we can improve to make sure we are back on the winners list next week.

Also good to see plenty of the boys stay back for a beer and get across to Chelsea for dinner as well. Let's make sure that continues lads.

Chris Archer

Harry Evans on display: Smash, Bash, Crash, Punch, Flick, Closure.

No report submitted

Rain washed out most of the first day and all of the second.

Please see match results for individual player's statistics.

2nd Grade notch up a victory against Blacktown

A quick trip down the M2 / M7 link on the way to Blacktown's home ground seems a pretty simple yet expensive journey. For some, the $9.57 to get to the game on time, without a GPS, is a small price to pay. For others who like the scenic route, albeit via Penrith, $37 in tolls seems quite a hefty dent to the austudy allowance.

The saying 'Tales never fails in New south Wales' has never rung truer.

Hamish Angus returns to a happy hunting ground

The new poster boy for the SCA fixtures program and Inaugural Inside Cricket Magazine 'club player of the month', Damon 'Reg' Livermore, won the toss and decided that the Stags Second Best XI would bat first on a hard yet grassy wicket.

On the windiest of windy days, batting was going to be difficult.

Stags openers of Colley (14) and Lindsay (19) got us off to a good start at 4 runs per over. Letting the ball go on a seaming wicket was crucial. These guys showed great respect for the good balls whilst cashing in on anything short. Both were unlucky to be out to sharp chances. Harry Evans (74) steadied the ship with a fantastic partnership with Hamish Angus (25). Both batted extremely well on a deck that had brought them premiership glory back in the Dave "Tweety" Gray era. The singles, which these guys 'stole', were unbelievable and no doubt were the difference between us winning and losing the match.

Angus who was unlucky to be caught off a waist high full toss, showed great temperament throughout his innings, hopefully a big innings is around the corner. His dismissal brought Elliot Richtor (25) to the crease. Els hasn't lost any of his touch whilst in England and the combination with Evans was wonderful to watch. Crisp stroke play so early in the season had to be admired. As the push for runs in the latter part of the innings brought the downfall of Evans, next man in Robert 'GPS' Edwards (25) showed his class as a finisher, knocking the ball to all parts. Will Sweeney (25) was the quiet achiever in the late flurry, knocking the ball around and rotating the strike. Sweens cover drive was in action and the bowlers had no hesitation in feeding him fodder to dispatch through the off side.

Harry Evans pumps one over the top

Chris Archer made a welcomed return to Sydney grade cricket with a run a ball 20. A total of 268 '8 was a pretty decent in those conditions. The running between wickets was sensational and to be fair about half of our dismissals were to very sharp catches. So on any other day, all those scores of 25 might turn into 50's. All the Stags batsmen performed extremely well for this initial bout for the 09/10 season, hopefully this will be a sign for things to come.

As the wind continued to be annoyingly gale force, the Stags set out to make inroads against The Blacktown batting line up. The 'J 'connection of James Campbell (1-28) and James Kennedy (1-39) performed well. Left armer opening bowlers are never easy to face and these guys are no exception. Both struck early, leaving the 'Warriors' reeling at 2 wickets down for just 5 runs. Stags were definitely on top now. The next partnership was a blur. Honestly. The next 120 runs came at 7 runs per over. We didn't bowl as badly as the score indicated. The batsmen chanced their arm on anything that was slightly wide. Balls in the air often missed awaiting hands by only centremetres and often ended up at the boundary.

Sometimes its hard to set fields in these times as no one, not even the batsmen expect balls to be flying in those unorthodox directions. Chris Archer (0-49) was unlucky not to grab a couple of wickets. Shots just clearing the fielders and an edge to slip was grassed. Archie showed great variation with his deliveries beating the bat on numerous occasions. The drinks break was a welcomed relief. We knew that if we hung in there and just got a single wicket, we could again grab the game by the scruff of the neck. The old sugar hit did work wonders. Steve Colley (3-42) getting the vital wicket. The dismissal of their consistent left-hander came almost instantly, soon to be followed by another wicket. Add another twist, with their number 5 blazing a rapid 25 in 4 overs, a definite roller coaster was in action.

Will Sweeney performing with bat and ball

Will Sweeney (4-36) started the roll we desperately needed. Three wickets in quick succession, definitely took the wind out of the Warriors sail.

Unfortunately for us, the wind was also out of our sails. Having the opposition 8-185, a good side would have knocked over the tail without fuss. We, on the other hand, took the foot off the throat, lost all our intensity and decided to drag the finish out for another 12 overs. Eventually bowling them out for 219. Which still looks good on paper against our 268-8 but after the many twists and turns of the game, a sub 200 score would have been a much more satisfying result.

A bit of an anti-climax really. That may sound quite harsh but in reality, bonus points don't come along too often and the opportunity to grab one or two extra points definitely presented itself.

The victory was still one to be proud of. A great start to the new season and many positive signs. We have a great bunch of young men in the team with talent to burn. If we can turn that potential into runs and wickets on a Saturday, second grade will be pleasant place to be.

That's what im talking about!

Yours in Cricket

Reginald

3rd Grade teach the Students a lesson

After last round's epic battle with St George, we turned up to Sydney Uni No. 2 ready to do battle with a team who would have to win to have any chance of making the finals. For the Stags, out of finals contention, our job was to enjoy our cricket and ensure the students would join us in playing their last game of the season.

Leon Galaptis rocks back and puts one away

We warmed up with 10 men as Alex Campbell was having difficulty getting from Redfern station to Sydney Uni and arrived after the toss. With just one player less, the warm up, in terms of enthusiasm and volume was definitely won by the students. They play the same warm up game each year, and each year it is played with the same passion and tenacity.

Unfortunately, after losing the toss and being sent in by the Gordon skipper, the enthusiasm and tenacity was seemingly used up in the warm up as they capitulated for 82 inside half their allocated overs. Some of their shot selection gifted the visitors wickets and it was hard to believe this was a side who were playing for a semi final spot (results would ensure they would not have made it even if they had won). But, the Gordon bowlers bowled good areas for the 2^nd week in a row and reaped the rewards.

Adair Durie led from the front with 3 wickets, and he had good support from James Kidd (2 wickets), Charlie Bangs (2) and Nick Dowsley (3). 4 bowlers used and a simple run chase hopefully.

Mick Dalrymple (34) and the energetic and effervescent Leon Gulaptis (31*) ensured the target was reached with ease, inside 16 overs, 2 bonus points and an afternoon off to support 1^st and 5^th grade. A brilliant last couple of games, with two completely different victories. One a hard grind, the other a complete annihilation. Both showed what is need to win games. We need to turn up each week with the same intensity and stick to the cricket basics.

Leon and Nick Dowsley complete the innings and take the 8 points back to Chatswood

Thanks to Ed Snr for scoring throughout the season and to the parents who dropped by and helped out with teas, drinks etc.

Ed Howitt Jnr 

Third Grade report vs Saints 

A really good win against a disciplined team sitting 2^nd in the competition. Gordon 3^rd grade's third visit in a row to Harold Fraser and 3^rd win on the trot against the Dragons. All 3 games we have batted first and defended scores less than 200.Very satisfying!!

(Ed Howitt celebrates another bowled victim)

After the disaster the previous round, the thirsty 3rds were looking to atone for the disappointing batting performance and were asked to bat first on a flat, slow wicket. Saints theory, I suspect, was to use their best bowlers before they went up to 2nds the following week. Livermore (73) and Dalrymple (36) made a perfect start, albeit with Dalrymple offering a couple of simple chances which were not grasped.

Runs were difficult to come by against a patient attack, slow outfield and very defensive field. The plan was to bat the day and we succeeded in achieving this aim. Twenty's from Dowsley and Rosen, saw the total at the end of the day reach 4/197 (off 80). Hardly exhilarating cricket but cricket which would allow us to control the game and a relief after our dismal batting performance against Mosman. Reg batted extremely well and held the innings together. He occupied the crease for 70 overs and thwarted Saints plan to capitalise on our errors through unwavering concentration and patient shot selection. A batting lesson!!

After day 1, I read on the St George website that given the score we must have been playing for a 'respectable draw'. I am not sure of the scribe of these words, but their comments were duly noted by most at the club. The decision to declare overnight and win the game in the last over was most satisfying after reading the above comments. Oh'..and you don't get any points for a draw. You do get 6 for a win though!!!

Day 2 we turned up with the intention to bat for 5/6 overs and set Saints 220-230. Unfortunately the rain during the week (which Reg had forecast the previous Saturday) changed those plans. One end of the wicket was very wet, but to St George's credit they were very keen to play and produced 3 blowers to dry the pitch.

These, together with a nice breeze and clear sky, saw the game commence 2.5 hours late, with 8 overs lost. The wicket was still a little soft, but would only make scoring difficult if we bowled well. The brains trust (Rosen/Dowsley/Livermore/Durie) were split as to whether to bat on or declare. The captain decided to declare and allow St George a very gettable total and nearly equal time. Saints batted slowly for the first half innings, losing 4 wickets in the process.

(Part of the brains trust Adair Durie in action at Harold Fraser) 

However, the opposition looked on top at 4/110 and it was at this time we saw the departure of selectors Wilson and Hickman. Faith gentleman!! We fought back through good bowling and pressure on new batsmen to play outstanding cricket shots to score 8 an over for the last 8 overs. The game ended in the last over with a run out and the Stags victors by just 3 runs. A good game of cricket and full credit to determined batting and excellent, straight bowling. Adair Durie, Alex Campbell, James Kidd and Charlie Bangs all bowled superbly and the victory  is greatly attributed to their ability to bowl at the stumps, bowl to the field set and be patient.

I would be quite happy to travel to Harold Fraser again next year. It is a good stomping ground for the Stags!!

Ed Howitt

The hunter becomes the hunted as 3rd Grade get demolished

With a heavy downpour on Friday evening the pitch was looking very favourable for the bowlers. After Gordon had won the toss and sent Mosman in to bat, it was clear that the pitch worked favourably for the opening pair. With the ball swinging and moving off the seem it wasn't easy for Mosman's batsmen, and with an early wicket from Charles 'Banger' Bangs, things were looking good for Gordon, another 2 wickets from James 'Billy' Kidd helped by a very sharp catch from Mick Dalrymple.

"Billy" Kidd takes two early poles

At 6/40 the Stags were in the box seat after some very tight and aggressive bowling from Alex 'Junior' Campbell picking up a well deserved 2/9 and proving that he has a little more pace than his older brother, who was seen watching from the sideline. Adam Fleming (1/9) and Nick Dowsley (1/15) kept things tight and were unlucky not to have a few more wickets with some dropped catches. With the captain being a rose amongst the thorns, or in this case a spinner amongst the pace-men, it was time for Edward Howitt to have a trundle, giving the ball plenty of flight to try to tempt the batsmen into some shots. He proved successful picking up a very handy 2/20.

At 9/50 the end of the Mosman batsman was near, however a handy last wicket partnership and multiple dropped catches meant the visitors last wicket partnership proved to be costly for the Stags with the last wicket coming in the 2^nd over after tea, with the Mosman finishing at a final score of 98. Overall a sound performance in the field from the Stags with an always high standard of fielding and bowling we walked off the field with our heads held high, and Mosman with their tails between their legs.

With each batsman only needing 10 runs each and the pitch beginning to flatten out a first innings win for the Stags was on the cards and we were quietly confident with our approach to the run chase' however we must have been reading the wrong cards, as Mosman's opening bowlers tore through the Gordon top, middle and lower order like a hot curry to roll us for a mere 30 runs in 11 overs with only Damon 'can I please have some chewing gum' Livermore and Charlie 'Cow corner' Bangs making double figures, with Charlie showing some initiative to go big with a two consecutive boundaries including a large 6. Full credit should be given to the Mosman bowling attack' well one bowler in particular that scalped 8 of our batsman and showed us what were the right areas to bowl.

Before we knew it we were back in the field with little left to play for but to try to maintain some honour. The new ball proved useful once again, however the Mosman batsmen had a little more spring in their step this time around and proved slightly more difficult to dismiss. 2 wickets fell before the end of play on Day 1 leaving the score at 2/40.

Day 2 sees 'Digger' Dowsely perform well with the ball

Day 2 of the game saw a new pitch and a new game, the grass from the previous week had gone and the pitch looked flat and batsman friendly. Leading by 68 runs at the start of play the Mosman side came out to play from the start for what for them was a very possible outright win, a good start saw several boundaries come from the opening over's of the day. However the 'Banger' struck after tempting an aggressive left hander into a ambitious cover drive.

With Adam 'Flem ball' Fleming suffering a dancing injury to his ankle on Friday night it was then up to Alex Campbell to take the reins with the older ball, bowling extremely well, with some excellent pace took the second wicket of the day, which lead to a dry up of some runs for Mosman. Campbell managed to pick up 5 for 32 for the day. Campbell was well supported by Nick 'Digga' Dowsley, bowling some excellent lines and lengths consistently, a modest 3 for 21 return. With time running out for a run chase to be possible the Mosman captain continued to bat after tea already being over 200 hundred runs in front. Not long after tea the remainder of the Mosman players were dismissed and we were set a run chase of 239 from a mere 33 overs.

With a Gordon victory not looking likely it was time for the Gordon batsmen to regain some confidence and to find some form. 'Reg' Livermore showed some class with bat , scoring an unbeaten 65 and Dowsley putting a modest 23 on the board. A partnership between two of the more experienced players in the side little Brett Rosen and Livers, brought some entertainment to the crowd with an array of shots proved that the side was more than what the score sheet from the previous week read.

At the end of the day cricket was the winner, and the result was no change from day one. However the learning experience is what we play cricket for and the side can take away some valuable things from the match.

 James 'Billy' Kidd

Third Grade Report vs UNSW  

Being sent into the field on a stinker of a day it is easy to sit back and make excuses. We're not going to do that. 

(Adam Fleming in action against UNSW)

I think last week typified the miss part of our hit and miss season. There were patches of some good tough cricket in the field however a lack of intensity, concentration and possibly even enthusiasm once again prevented us going  for the kill when we had opportunities to take control of the innings. 

Unfortunately the same can be said for our batting. Once again off to a good start until a lack of something between the ears meant that one of the loosest spells of bowling I can remember seeing was rewarded with some big wickets and we managed to throw away a perfectly good opportunity to capitalise on a par run chase on a great pitch and outfield for batting on.

Uni made 249 for I don't know how many wickets and Gordon managed (not sure but we gave away a bonus point) to lose their last 7 for under 20 runs. Full credit to the Uni boys for taking advantage of our shortcomings. That spell by the way was probably deserving of about 1-100.

It must also be said that that Dan 'the skipper will get upset if I use my favourite nickname for this kid' Lake put in a good showing for his first game in third grade. Well played to Josh Poysden also picking up several important wickets and James Kidd (during his first spell) for the second week in a row showed why blokes hate facing him in the nets .

(The skipper in action in the heat on Saturday) 

Then there's Digger, ever reliable Nick 'Digger' Dowsely again did the business with the bat longer than anyone else. I'll have bat with you for more than fifteen minutes this week mate. 

So to this weekend lets take the chance to show one of the top teams that despite our inconstancy we can match it with the best of them. Time for us to take the points that Parra probably expect to win and you never know how the top six can shape up during the silly part of the season. Lets do it right.

3rd Grade Reportvs Manly

After finishing 2009 with a win against West's, the third grade team knew a strong performance was needed if they were to start 2010 well and remain in the hunt for the finals. Things started well with skipper Howitt winning the toss and electing to bat and what seemed a fairly good pitch to bat on.

Beau Saddler on debut for the Stags

The loss of 3 early wickets put the Stags on the backfoot, with the score at 3-30 just before drinks. A near 100 run partnership between Dowsley and Carmichael got the team back on track and at 3-124 going into the last over before tea the game looked to have shifted back into Gordon's favour, that was until Carmichael shouldered arms to the last ball of the over and had his off stump rattled to leave the score at 4-123 heading into tea. 

After tea wickets again fell in clusters with Dowsley playing on for a well made 63 and Sherman being taken by a good return catch from the bowler. As in the previous game, Skipper Howitt set about trying to reach a defendable score and along with James Ryan moved the score up towards 200, though again wickets fell in clusters and Gordon were bowled out for 216. Ed's 55 batting at 8 was vital in ensuring the team had something to defend, but stressed that he should not have to make runs each week to ensure the team has a chance to defend a score and that it is up to the top 6 to get the majority of the runs.

Arriving on Sunday with Manly at 1-70 in reply the bowlers knew that early wickets were vital if they were to have any chance of winning the game. The first session of play went the way of the Stags bowling good areas and with some excellent fielding had Manly at 5-140 at tea. After tea the bowlers again bowled good areas and the fielding continued to enforce the pressure onto Manly. At 8 down and still needing around 20, a ball was hit to mid off where Nick Dowsley dived forward and immediately claimed the catch, though the batsmen has not walked claiming that he believed it bounced. The umpires deliberated and, to both the batsmens and the Stags credit, once the not-out decision was made by the umpires all moved on and continued the game.

Young Henry Carmichael takes 3 wickets against the 'Tahs

Unfortunately for the Stags, Manly passed the total 8 down. All the bowlers toiled hard with wickets being shared Carmichael 3, Effeney 2, Avendano 2, and Durie 1.

It is clear that our bowling and fielding is keeping us in games and if we are to start winning games and move into contention for finals the batsmen must stand up and start scoring runs, to allow the bowlers solid totals to bowl at, starting against Hawkesbury next week.

Henry Carmichael

Old man Ed 'Hoppa' Howitt and young James Ryan put on a display out in the middle

3rd Grade Report v Western Suburbs

This was an odd game ' built all upside down. The foundations were on the roof and the attic was in the basement.

(Adair Durie at Punchbowl)

Eddie won the toss and elected to bat on what looked to be reasonably good wicket. Mitchell Kleem played a typically aggressive and cheery innings, as fiery as a final Nathan Rees press conference, and which included six well-struck boundaries. He ensured that he got the team off to a good start before being caught low down in the slips and there was no doubting his disappointment at not being able to go on with it.

Thereafter, the top order failed to fire sufficiently well. A couple of promising starts but nothing of real substance.

Credit must be given to the Western Suburbs fielding and bowling, of course, which was consistently impressive. The attack was steady and controlled and forced batsmen to place a premium on their wicket.

Furthermore, and importantly, it was backed up in the field.

In particular, the cover region was patrolled well. From the pavilion it was clear that the fieldsman in that region relished his task and his anticipation was impressive.

On the whole, runs were to be hard earned.

James Ledgerwood looked good and appeared to be headed for greater things before he decided, a little recklessly perhaps, to run down the wicket to a new spinner and paid the price.

(Skipper Ed Howitt)

Henry Carmichael was the pick of the first half of the order, with a well-made 36 that included some coruscating stroke play. However, he too was dismissed just when he looked well set, cutting at a ball and touching it through to the keeper.

Brett Rosen was another to show that he is a batsman of real class but unfortunately the promise of things to come was not realised.

Things looked grim at 6-104 and even worse at 7-128. But the captain was at the crease and was determined to do what he could to make a defendable total.

That withstanding, there were few indications at that point of what was to come.

But happily for the skipper, the tail did what it could to stick with him, but even still the final act of the innings was remarkable.

He added 40 something with Stobo, all through gritted teeth. It was the reincarnation of Allan Border in the mid-1980s.

Importantly, for all of those youngsters reading, the partnership lasted for well over an hour and included not a single glove punch. See. It can be done. 

With Adair Durie, Eddie's score moved from about 40 to 90. It was terrific to watch, with calculated hitting, particularly over mid-on. It was experienced batting of high calibre and the Western Suburbs attack, which had toiled manfully, was increasingly frustrated.

(Charlie Bangs at Punchbowl)

During that same period, Adair moved from 0 to 9.

This meant that Charlie Bangs was under not just a little pressure to help his captain through to his 100, which he duly did in most a remarkable manner.

The most extraordinary over began with Ed watching helplessly from the non-striker's end, perched on 99. Charlie had a number of options but most of them involved being circumspect and watchful.

Watchful he was, but circumspect he probably was not, as he crashed three of the deliveries, including the last one, to the leg side fence. Not only did he ensure that Ed had his chance at an extremely well-deserved ton, but the score was advanced in healthy and entertaining fashion in the process.

Ed's 100 was brought up with a scrurried single. There was not doubt that he was counting his runs. Both arms held aloft, he savoured what was a terrific and satisfying moment.

Truly a captain's innings, if ever there was one. However, having had the pleasure of playing alongside Eddie a few years ago in 2^nd Grade, I can't say that I was altogether surprised.

Ed's devotion to the Club over the years is only matched by a handful of very special people, in my experience, and when you boil it all down it is they that make the Club what it is.

Good people come and go, as one would expect, but to have individuals such as the Ed Howitts (both Jnr and Snr) around for the long haul is to give the Club a soul and a heart beat.

They understand the nuance and the essence.

The story.

That is why I was so thrilled to see Ed run that single. It meant that Gordon could take to the field with 262 to defend, nearly twice what might have been expected a few hours earlier.

(Justin Avendano in action)

With 19 overs to bowl before stumps, Adair Durie got things off to a perfect start with a wicket in his first over, and another fell in the second. Just goes to prove that batsmen still miss straight deliveries.

Western Suburbs were teetering but found themselves in deeper trouble when a batsman padded up and was given out LBW. Then the skipper's day got even brighter when he completely befuddled a left-hander in his one and only over, resulting in a good catch by Rosen, Jnr.

Stumps were drawn with Western Suburbs on the edge of the precipice at 4-42 and Gordon in the box seat going into Day 2. However, little twists and turns still lay ahead.

On arriving at the ground on the second Saturday, after a day of rain on Friday, it was frustrating to see a wicket that looked like a damp turnip patch. Things look bleak on what was a very sunny day.

However, there is a rule in the book which says that, if both captains and the umpires agree, the game can be moved to another wicket on the same square, which is what happened. The pitch had been used during the week and some preparation by the groundsman meant that cricket was to be played after all.

It was a wonderful testament to the club of Bardsley, Davidson and Simpson.

It meant for an entertaining and worthwhile day, in which runs were scored and wickets taken. Both teams had a chance to win, two batsmen scored half centuries and a bowler took four wickets, which suggests that there was a little bit for everybody.

And it was in stark contrast to the alternative of going home, frustrated.

Stobo ensured that he hosts' good sportsmanship was well received by getting it all wrong from the outset, bowling too straight and he ended up on the receiving end of some pretty impressive hitting.

Indeed, it was the beginning of a sorry and embarrassing day for him. A six in his first over gave a clue and dropping a catch in the gully soon after made things even clearer.

The final three sixes in subsequent overs pretty well confirmed things.

Of course, I could harp on about his second dropped catch later in the day ' a ball that spun viciously and deceptively as it snaked its way cunningly to backward point ' but I don't think there's really much point. There are plenty of others to tell that sorry tale.

And the derision from all and sundry, which was fully expected, was well and truly received.

Indeed it had begun well before the tea break. A committeeman's phone call meant that it had travelled around the suburbs of Sydney within minutes and, of course, it was in print on the website soon thereafter.

It's hard to keep typing with tears in your eyes.

Happily, the other bowlers and fielders did well. 'Hoppa's Game' continued to unfold as he toiled away manfully and constrained the scoring. Importantly, he received excellent support from Justin Avadano's, whose leg twirlers were well flighted and his two wickets well earned.

Nevertheless, at tea Western Suburbs needed only another sixty with wickets in hand. Gordon was rather flat and the game was in the balance.

But it was Charlie Bangs' spell after the break that settled things. A wicket in his first over ' a sharp catch at slip by Nick Dowsley ' and then a second a little while later (the last of the recognised batsmen, who had worked very hard and well for 60 odd) meant that the pendulum was back where it should be, with Gordon.

It was impressive bowling, with good pace and bounce and one always felt a wicket was just around the corner.

As long, of course, as that chance wasn't hit in the direction of Stobo.

The Big Red One, Adair, made sure of the result by snaffling the final two scalps and his four wickets were just reward for yet another terrific effort, driving up into the breeze. If there's a more whole-hearted player in the game I haven't yet met him; any team is a better one if Adair is in the line-up.

(Adair leads the team off at Punchbowl)

Therefore, Eddie got what he certainly deserved: a victory, built largely on the back of his magnificent innings.

There it is. A 3^rd Grade victory going into Christmas and placed in the top half of the table but with a long way still to go.  Howitt got a century for his stocking, which should keep him happy for a bit at least.

And a whole of extra grist to the mill for Wilson, Falk (x2), Grumpy (Snr), O'Neill, etc., at Stobo's expense, so at least the pensioners are happy.

In summary, it was a win but not a particularly convincing performance by the Gordon lads. Certainly some encouraging aspects but, on the whole, rather patchy.

There's no question that there is quality in the team and a good mix of youth and experience. A number of very capable bowlers and batsmen who are positive and aggressive, all very well led by a Premiership-winning captain. However, potential never won anything, let alone the Mitchell Cup.

It was, therefore, an enjoyable couple of days. However, my main criticism is reserved for the fact that, at the end of it all, two apparently good spirited teams went through a well-fought match over two Saturdays, yet didn't spend any time in each other's company, or that of the umpires, at the end.

It would have been great to share a drink and some talk about the game, and whatever else.

A pity, as I firmly believe that the game is all the richer for the effort spent in breaking down barriers and building up the relationships between teams. The cricket should only be a vehicle, not an end in itself.

Cheers and Merry Christmas. Hope Santa brings plenty runs and wickets to all.

Remember ' Christmas is the time of the reindeers (or is it stags?)

Richard Stobo 

Third Grade Report vs Easts 
   
Day 1
 
Two new faces greeted the third graders on Saturday morning - Andrew Coleman and Anthony Sherman up for their first games in 3rd grade for the club (or maybe Pic has played once or twice before).  A much shorter warm up lap (due to Brett Rosen's absence) was followed by a toss that was a formality - Gordon was batting whichever way the coin landed.  

(Nick Dowsley during his 87)
 
After the loss of an early wicket, Justin Avendano and Nick Dowsley set about building a foundation and moved the score along to 41 before Avendano was dismissed.  Harry Turner joined Dowsley at the crease and played a great dogged supporting role for Dowsley who continued his good form.  The wicket was a little two paced, which made it difficult to drive, but Dowsley and Turner took the score to about 125 at tea.  After tea, fresh from some very effective Ledgerwood stretching of his 'officed' hamstrings, Dowsley was feeling great and probably got a little carried away in his search for a 100 and was dismissed for 87, with the stags in a solid position at 3-145. 
 
What then followed was another disappointing collapse, Turner fell for a well compiled 31 and soon Sherman and skipper Howitt followed and suddenly to score was 6-160.  Dan Richtor (29) and Andrew Coleman (21) then combined effectively to add 38 for the seventh wicket but it wasn't until the final overs of the day that Gordon was back in a good position.  Matt Todd, shocked at his demotion to number 11, proved his skipper wrong with some remarkable shots on his way to 44 not out off not many balls.  The highlights were the numerous sixes over cover off the quicks.  Todd's brilliant cameo took the score to a good 9/271 at the end of play.

(Only one player could play a shot like this. Toddy)
 
Day 2
 
Despite the rain overnight, the wicket looked in good shape when we arrived at Trumper Park on day 2, with less grass than day 1.  Nevertheless, that was no excuse for what happened in the first hour of play.  Easts' openers simply came out and punished our bowlers from ball one.  Anything slightly wide, full or short was sent to the boundary and we were in deep trouble with the score 0-100 after about 18 overs.  Dowsley (2-28) was brought on and claimed both openers with fullish deliveries that were hit straight to fielders.  Soon Todd (1-55) took a third wicket and Gordon were right back into the match.  However, runs kept flowing at a steady rate until the tea break, putting Easts in a dominant position.   
 
With Avendano (2-34) and Pat Effeney (1-37) claiming quick wickets after tea, Gordon's hopes were rekindled again.  However, the vital final wickets proved hard to come by and it took a great run out by Effeney to get the 7th wicket when there were only 10 runs left to defend, which, unfortunately, was too few.

(The skipper trying to break through on day 2) 
 
Nevertheless, there was much to learn from this result.  We need to develop more consistency in our bowling, and remove that '4' ball that reared its head far too often on Saturday and, as the skipper emphasised after the game, be more anticipatory in the field to gain that extra split second that would have got us quite a few run-outs.
 
Nick Dowsley 

Middle order collapse not enough to deny 3rd Grade a victory

The Gordon 3^rd Grade Stags arrived at ELS Hall ready and willing to keep their winning streak rolling, and also keen to keep the Sydney Tigers waiting another week for win #1.

Nick 'Digger' Dowsley with his bowling boots laced up for the first time this season

Unfortunately the toss was lost by the experienced coin flipper Ed 'Hoppa' Howitt Jnr, with the Tigers deciding to bat on a fairly benign wicket. Sydney got off to a decent start, however the Gordon bowling maintained good lines and lengths ensuring that, even though wicketless, Sydney's run rate was kept at bay. Pat Effeney (3-19 off 10) had the ball swinging early on, yet the determined Tigers edged along nicely. Enter Nick Dowsley.  'The Lawyer' had the bowl nipping both ways, resulting in a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss one of the openers. Soon after, 'Dowser' had his second and finished with great figures of 2-42 off 10.

However this was to be the end of the Sydney wickets falling for a substantial period of time, as the Sydney batsmen took the attack up to the Stag bowlers. At 3-157, things were looking ominous for the Staggies, as the ball started finding the boundary more often than we would have liked. At tea, Sydney were in a commanding position, however Hoppa made sure heads didn't drop, and instantly after tea Justin 'JA' Avendano knocked over the crucial Sydney batsman. JA later told me it was the 'ball of the century' a huge ripper that surprised the Sydney batsman by scooting through rather than turning. Justin bowled terrifically, finishing with figures of 4-59 off 17. 

Once the wickets began falling, the momentum shifted to the Stags, and we knocked over the Sydney side for a very-gettable 234 off 75 overs. Also of note in the bowling efforts was Howitt's cheeky 1-26 off 13, but more noteworthy were his verbal efforts directed at the Sydney batsmen, which had youths like JA taking notes. Effeney also had the old ball hooping Irish, dangerous signs for the batsmen in coming weeks!

Avendano pounces on anything short on his way to 61

The Stags then had around 8 overs to face before the close of play, with both openers determined not to let the Sydney side regain momentum for the following week. Thankfully both openers batted aggressively, and no wickets fell in the afternoon session, ensuring Day 1 of the match firmly belonged to Gordon.

Day 2 began for the Stags just as they had left off the previous week, with the openers dictating play. Of substantial note was Justin's 61, which had the side at 0-106. Unfortunately wickets began falling, with Ledgerwood falling for 50 and Rosen coming then going for 11. Both wickets were fairly soft, something which the Stags must eradicate from their game against stronger sides. One can understand Brett's mode of dismissal, caught on the boundary whilst trying to put the Sydney leg spinner's full toss into what was named 'Cheadle Memorial Baseball Field'. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful.

Nick Dowsley came to the crease and continued his fine form contributing 53 to the Stags total. JA fell on a well-made 61, however really should have gone on to score a big one after batting so well for a long period of time. One cannot be too harsh on JA, as he put the middle order in a great position to knock off the remaining runs.

Harry 'D.J Turn-tables' Turner joined 'The Lawyer' at the crease and together the two put on a firm partnership that had Gordon seemingly walking their way to victory at 3-212. However we let our foot off the pedal, with Turner, Richtor, Smith, Dowsley and Howitt all falling within 8 runs. Suddenly there was a massive chance that the Stags could lose, a position that the batsmen should NEVER have allowed happen. Thankfully the old man of the team, Matty Todd combined with Pat Effeney to see the Stags home, but Gordon's lower order was put under immense pressure that should never have occurred. The top order needs to have a good hard look at themselves- 50s are not good enough to win cricket matches, with all batsmen capable of scoring 80s-100s. We need to learn how to grind an innings out rather than just smash a quick 30 and then get out. However as Ed said post match, a win is a win, and hopefully we have all learnt not to give away our wickets so easily.

Special mention must go to JA and 'The Lawyer' who both contributed with bat and ball, ensuring the G[ordon]-train kept rolling along!

This week we face a far tougher opponent in Easts, who will not give us so many scoring opportunities and will capitalise on a collapse like we saw on the weekend, which will be a great test for our play makers up the top of the order. Carn the mighty 3^rd Grade Stags!

Yours in cricket,

James Sledger-wood

A lucky escape as the Sharks circled in for the kill

Round 3 saw the 3rds make the journey to the Shire for what would be a tough game against a fairly quality opposition. Matt Todd came back into the line up after sustaining a side injury while trying to make his ground in Round 1.

Ledgerwood (Senior) makes a typically strong start at the top of the innings

Howitt won the toss and elected to bowl on what was an interesting deck, which looked to have felt some effects of the rain in the days preceding. The Sutherland opening pair started cautiously and this coupled with some good ground fielding early on from the Stags, mounted pressure on the scoreboard. At the first drinks break Sutherland were 2/50, which was not a bad spot to be in, all things considered, and we knew we had some wickets to take to ensure a gettable total.

The introduction of spin from both ends caused havoc for the batsmen with Toddy (3 for 29) and Justin (2 for 24) bowling very well and providing ample opportunities for the fieldsman. However it wasn't our day on the catching front. A total of 9 catches went down throughout the innings and inevitably let Sutherland make a fairly respectable total. Ground fielding was good, however there is plenty to work on at training throughout the week to ensure that we don't drop as many catches in future rounds. Sutherland's innings was finished off by James Kidd (3 for 19) with good death bowling, restricting the total to 140.

We felt confident about chasing the total down, knowing that one or two good partnerships would more than likely steer us home. Jordy Liddle and Ledgerwood (J), opened up the innings both keen for runs, however Jordy got another peach of a delivery and Brett followed him back to the sheds the very next ball and we found ourselves 2 down with only a few on the board. The ever reliable Dowsley and Ledge (35) set about steadying the ship and both batted very well to reach a total of 2 for 70. From then on we lost wickets in clumps as the Shire's spinners bowled very consistently.

The rain then started to come down the score was 7/100 and we found ourselves behind the run-rate, but eager to get back on to chase the total. Eventually the square was covered and the track protected from the elements. We were still in with a chance if the weather spared us for just a while.

Turner surrounded by Ledgerwoods as the (now less) nervous author comes off with the victory

As the rain eased Harry Turner and James 'Billy' Kidd resumed the innings and looked very solid and moved the total to 125 until Billy was run out and the game was in the balance. The score kept ticking over until Toddy was castled and with 12 to get an extremely nervous number 11 went in... Harry (33 not out) remained extremely solid and ultimately guided the Stags home in the final over of the day.

In a game where neither side was really on top at any stage, we were extremely happy to come away with the 6 points and content knowing that we didn't travel all the way to the Shire for nothing. Hopefully some solid practice during the week should lead to a good performance against Sydney in Round 4.

Charlie Bangs

Bankstown escape as the thunder rolls in

After a comprehensive victory in Round 1, the thirsty 3rds knew they would face much stiffer opposition from the boys from Bankstown. An injury to mercurial leg spinner Matt Todd, saw Tom Ledgerwood(not a like-for-like replacement) promoted and we welcomed the return of Ian Higgins to the fold.

Rosen takes his usual route to runs

Day 1 was unfortunately washed out after a number of attempts to start the game. This was not such a bad thing, as the younger brigade received a crash course in covers management. Next step in their covers degree is to be proactive and undertake this chore without constant supervision. Covers, funnily do not move unless the person who picks them up actually moves. Just a hint!!

The covers did a wonderful job to ensure a game on Day 2 and Howitt succeeded in losing the toss and being sent in. On a wicket which offered the bowlers enough assistance, we lost Jordy (to a peach according to their captain) and Ledgerwood (senior) relatively early in proceedings. Brett Rosen (50) batted superbly and forged a partnership with the reliable Nick Dowsley.

Rosen batted well under difficult circumstances and it was not the wicket which he was fighting. Unfortunately he was struck in the groin area and couldn't shake the injury for his entire innings. He hobbled around and refused the application of ice at drinks. He is a tough little fella our wicket keeper.

Justin and Missy compare notes for the next edition of The Mail

Rosen fought through the pain and was only undone by a wonderful full toss which he duly hit to mid off. Brett has asked the coach if it possible to practice facing full tosses at training during the week. Good luck to the person who gets roped in to throwdowns at training!! Justin Avendano (44*) and Ian Higgins (49) formed a wonderful alliance and ensured we reached 201 after 60 overs. Both players batted intelligently and ensured we had a more than competitive total to defend.

Bankstown started well but at tea the Stags had reduced the opposition to 4/54. A magnificent direct run out from Avendano was the highlight of a session where our bowlers were a little inconsistent, but were assisted by some poor shot selection from the Dogs. Quick wickets after the break from Tom Ledgerwood (2/20) and James Kidd (3/45) saw the opposition on the ropes at 9/120. However, the threat of a storm became reality as the thunder began rolling in and our desperate attempts to take the last wicket were thwarted. The rain stayed long enough for the game to be called off and the Bankstown boys were very lucky to receive the same amount of points as Gordon'.zero.

A very annoying and frustrating end to a game where we really dominated, especially in the field. Rosen, Higgins and Avendano batted superbly and showed the importance of building partnerships and ensuring a competitive total batting first.

Avendano leaves his mark on 3rd Grade early in the season

However, both games thus far we have been 5 for not enough. James Kidd and Thomas Ledgerwood were the pick of the bowlers, but overall we were guilty of bowling either too full or short and lacked consistency. Something to work on.

A tough away trip to the shire this week and hopefully the 6 points we missed out on over the long weekend will be in the bank after this round.

Ed Howitt Jnr

3rd Grade Report vs Blacktown

A new season, new personnel, old personnel and back home at Killara Oval. On a windy day the boys were treated to a covers lesson from the skipper and others who learnt last season the art of such a draining chore. We managed to defeat the 3 covers, albeit in a shoddy manner, and organise a decent warm up before Howitt won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch which the groundsman described as a 'virgin wicket' and one which he had no idea how it would play. Unsurprising, given it was a completely new square.

Matt Todd returns to Gordon grade cricket with a catch by Jordy Liddle

Jordy Liddle and James Ledgerwood started our season off somewhat cautiously, before Jordy played on in the 7^th over. Rosen (49) entered the fray and played a vast array of shots (surprise ,surprise!!) and looked in complete control. Unfortunately, his wicket was the start of a mini collapse as we slipped to 5/120 off 25 overs. Nick Dowsely (84*) remained solid and played a very controlled innings. He found allies in Henry Carmichael (57) and Ed Howitt (43), who both played their natural games and allowed Dowsley to be the rock at the other end. Some poor ground fielding by our opponents and positive batting saw the Stags reach 9/303 off their allocated 50 overs. A brilliant result given we were 5 down half way through the innings.

James Kidd and Charlie Bangs formed a new opening attack for 3^rd grade and both bowled good lines in ensuring Blacktown did not get off to a flyer. Both deservedly picket up a wicket, and their efforts were soon supported by Henry Carmichael who also picked up a wicket early in his short spell. The introduction of out two leg spinners, Avendano and Todd, again saw wickets continue to fall and Blacktown were never in the hunt. It was now down to whether we could get the double bonus points, and fortunately two run outs and some straight breaks from the skipper saw 8 points in the bag with 5 runs to spare. On a very bumpy outfield, the ground fielding was excellent, with Ledgerwood taking one in the mouth for the cause and Jordy taking a great catch in swirling conditions to give Toddy his comeback wicket.

A good result first up and now we look forward to hosting Bankstown. They have a good mixture of youth and experience and they will provide a much stiffer challenge. Now for a 2 day game and the top order has the opportunity to build an innings and not be in such a hurry, as it seemed some were this game. Killara is a ground we must learn to play on. We talked about it after the game and we know how to go about it. Less talk more action is the key!!

We missed it by that much... or did we?

For those avid readers of fifth grade reports, it may have occurred to you that fifths always seem to have the most ridiculously close games. Narrow escapes with the bat, miracles with the ball, a marvellous catch or just a piece of luck always seems to go our way and we escape. So it has been. So it was.

Cam Brown scores a handy few, before the bowlers take over the mantle

The equation for the finals was remarkably simple. We lose, we were out. Manly, Sydney Uni win and ND's win with a bonus point, we were out. We win without a bonus point and Sutherland get one, we were out. As it turned out, Manly and Sydney Uni won, ND's lost, but Sutherland won with a bonus point, and this is what happened in our game...

We turned up on a nice sunny day to David Phillips, eagerly anticipating the final one-dayer of the year and potentially the final game. The team had a little bit of a different feel to it, with season regulars Sunny Sajdeh, the brothers Selby and Mark 'Lay into Effeney in the report' Fonseka out and 'Buff' Jones, Mitchell 'Inside Cricket' Kleem, the Marvellous one (Brett Marvell) and Dan 'Number two' Mahaffey coming in.

Surely a wealth of higher grade experience in both wickets and runs columns would ensure a clinical performance from the stags? It really didn't work that way. At 6 for not many after Millar had won the toss and elected to bat, it seemed the sudden influx of batting talent had not payed off. Kleem got a few before holing out to mid wicket, Avendano had his off-pole rocked by the opener, Marvell got a roughie, edging onto the pad, adjudged LBW. 'Buff' looked great for 25, before going for one shot too many, and gave mid-wicket more catching practice. McKeith and Brown came and went, Brown for a handy knock, McKeith less so. It was down to Millar again to save the Gordon innings.

He was out before any saving was done, leaving Effeney, Lake and the Mahaffey to post some scores and give themselves something to bowl to. Effeney and Lake endured patiently before Effeney was caught in front, LBW. Lake and Mahaffey then showed their promise with the bat with a more than handy partnership of forty-odd, leaving the Stags all out 161. The selectors' decision to bring in batting talent was more than justified, with Mahaffey firing with the willow for 20 odd, ensuring his probable elevation to 3 next week. Lake finished unbeaten on 21.

So with 161 on the board on a wicket that was settling down as the day went on, UNSW would have really felt in a commanding position. This should have been even moreso after the openers spells failed to yield any wickets, though they were desperately unlucky in the process. Kris Colley also managed to cement his number two rank in fifth grade fielding with a very sharp run out from square leg.

With McKeith and Lake replacing the openers, the pressure started to mount, with both bowling very miserly spells, drying up the runs. It could only lead to one thing. Wickets started to tumble, McKeith picking up 3 (full toss being the strike ball - learning from the successful Avendano) and Lake 2 in a brilliant spell of 8 overs, 2 for 9. After McKeith's ten overs were exhausted, it was left to Avendano and Millar to clean up the rest. Millar bowled one of the worst spells I have ever seen from the usually consistent captain, but still managed to pick up 3 wickets ' doubling his tally for the season!!

We knew we had to win with a bonus point if we were going to have a realistic chance at finals. With this in mind, Millar bowled what was to be his final over with UNSW in sight of that threshold. Three catches were dropped in this over, as a delighted fourth grade team (fresh from a win) watched on the sidelines. The first, a dolly to McKeith at cover, was put down. The next, a mistimed cover drive to Mahaffey at short cover went in, then out. Finally, a lollypop went to 'Buff' at point. At this stage I, at third man, was walking off the field. Surely 'Buff' wasn't going to drop that one? He did, and our heads dropped. Surely they were going to deny us a bonus point now'

Avendano bowled the next over and Buff 'Matt Selby' Jones managed to get the ball tangled up in his arm (gut ' just ask Selby how this works) at slip after an attempted cut. The game was over. The Stags had won with UNSW within 1 run of denying us the bonus point. We found out later that night that ND's had lost and Sutherland had won with a bonus point. That one run really saved a lot of embarrassment for the likes of McKeith, Mahaffey and Jones. Better not drop those sort of chances in the final'

So onto St George, number one on the ladder. Take solace, though, in the fact that the last time we clashed we beat them in a thriller. Hopefully it is not as close but the result is the same. Fire up fives!

Also, more personally, a big thanks to Matt Nicholson whose leadership and advice have been so appreciated around the club, not to mention the haul of wickets and runs his career yielded.

Pat Effeney

A miraculous turn-around gains 6 points for the Stags

We all arrived at Raby on time apart from Effeney, who took the M2, M7, M4 and M5 before finally reaching the destination a bit late. Apparently our state government needs the revenue.

Kris Colley provides a target for our bowlers to bowl to

Having won the toss for the second time this season, Dave chose to bat on what looked to be a very good pitch. Moments later he found out that four of their players were attending a wedding and they would have subs on all day ' top stuff Dave. A few early wickets left and we were in a bit of strife before Will McKeith (28) came together with Kris Colley (54) and gave us a somewhat decent total. The tail did not wag and the Stags were left defending 154 with 20 overs still left in the day.

So out on the field we went, knowing our season was on the line. Pat 'I'm bringing Shenal home to meet my parents' Effeney grabbed the first wicket in his first over. However, wayward bowling during the next five overs leaked 50 runs. Improvement was much needed and so too was a wicket as we only needed to take six wickets today and they would have to close their innings. Lake dropped one short and the batsman fended in the air towards square leg, Colley came rushing in and a great diving effort onto the square saw a catch being taken and a few grazes on the elbow.

Cam Brown takes it to the Ghosts in the second dig

A runout followed soon after and the hosts were 3/89 (Editor's note: The author was too humble to talk up the side on hit at the bowler's end after running around from point, but it deserves a mention!). McKeith picked up the final wicket of the day beating the batsmen with his loop, dip and spin. The Ghosts ended up 4/116 a daunting task we needed 6 wickets and they only needed 40 runs.

Again Day Two did not start of well, with Kris Colley being injured during warm-ups; his sunglasses breaking near his eye when the ball struck it. Warm-up catches were missed and there was a general lack of intensity.

This didn't change with the first over which saw Avendano go for 9, 28 needed and still 6 wickets in hand. Effeney came in and got a wicket next over, a fish outside off-stump that landed in Avendano's hands. From then the wickets fell at both ends, Avendano taking two with his usual wicket taking deliveries, with good catches to Dan on the boundary and then Matt Selby at 1^st slip. Next over Pat had the batsman fishing outside off, again guiding one to Matt Selby at slip. In his next over Kris 'Stevie Wonder' Colley took a screamer at cover to leave them 9 down and now over 20 runs to get.

Avendano was then charged with taking the last wicket. A well-flighted ball was stuck to the skipper, who grassed the chance. I don't tell a lie when I write that he was the most relieved man on the field when an LBW decision was granted just a couple of balls later.

 A fantastic win unfolded within 30mins of the start of play.

5/126, 6/126, 7/126 8/126, 9/134, 10/134. All in all, the Ghosts were in shock, whiter than their namesakes having lost 6/8, the match and their place at the top of the table.

Pat Effeney sends one by the batsman

Effeney ending up with 4 for the game and Avedano 3. what an exciting come back, it proves that runs on the board do count, and anything is possible.

Again the openers padded up with still more than 70 overs left in the days play. The second dig saw Avendano compliment his bowling and notch up a well deserved half century, however he fell to a rank half tracker and upon returning to the players area, who were congratulating his dig, he remarked 'so this is what it feels like getting out to one of my deliveries'. Pure genius. It must suck.

We ended up 7/166 when the Ghosts skipper called it quits and the boys from Chatswood went home with a well needed 6 points.

We now sit equal 6^th and need a win this weekend against the Bumble-bees to see us through to the finals.

Come on Stags! Let's make this happen!

Mark Fonseka

The 5th Grade boys celebrate with each other after the win

5th Grade get home in another nail-biter

These are the games we must win

After heavy rain, and lots and lots of it, for the week leading up to the 1^st day of play, the decision was made by the SCA to turn this fixture in to a one day match. This meant an earlier start, no tea and a longer day of cricket for the next Saturday. Not to worry though, at least it was a home game and we should have the advantage there.

5th Grade remember those lives lost in the bushfires - Courtesy of Blacktown C.C.

Wrong. Blacktown's Whalan was the venue for this fixture, only about an hour from where anyone in the team lives ' except Sunny of course, who famously waits on the M2 for any chance of a lift to the grounds. It was quickly realised there would be no home crowd here to cheer us on.

The day started in regular fashion with Captain Dave 'lucky' Millar again losing the toss and being sent it to bat on a field where runs would not be easy to come by. After missing the previous match over in South Africa on 'business', we would have been better suited if the coin skills of Selby were still employed. Nevertheless, the pitch was a belter, hard and flat, however we were playing on one of the largest grounds in Australia, 2^nd only to the MCG we were repeatedly told. The boundary's only 2 meters shorter straight and the same length square, but, with the previous week's rain, the grass was about four times longer. This would set up an interesting day of cricket.

Iqbal and Brett opened up the batting and started well, keeping the score ticking over at a good rate. Iqbal showed his prowess with numerous square and late cuts which had the fielders diving and scrambling. Brett was also looking good until a good low, sharp catch sent him on his way. Justin came and went quickly bringing Kris to the crease. Kris added a handy 11 runs before getting a leading edge and popping up a simple catch to mid on. Cam didn't trouble the scorers and was on his way back to the change room in quick fashion ' that walk from a big ground is never pleasant!

Will McKeith then joined Iqbal and the two started building a decent partnership. Will was dismissed for a well earned 24 (with more in the offering), whilst Iqbal continued his brilliant shot making and was looking the goods until he called for new gloves. The new gloves didn't seem to work for him and he soon followed his sweaty gloves back to the pavilion for a well earned 59. The tail wagged and added a few handy runs taking our total to 166. By no means a large total, but it going to be a tough chase on a damp outfield where boundaries were extremely hard to come by.

Mitch Sweeney came out firing showing good speed and length which really troubled the batsmen, he picked up 2 wickets but was perhaps unlucky not to snare a couple more. Dan Lake also bowled well to good lines and was rewarded with good figures of 1 for 19. Dave and Will bowled well in tandem not allowing the batsmen any free runs which helped restrict there total and set up an exciting finish. Blacktown was looking in a dominant position before the youngster Avendano stepped up to the plate. He bowled very well in tough conditions for spin, putting the ball in the right areas and giving it good flight. He really troubled the batsmen and was rewarded with good figures of 4 for 33.

Matt Selby called into action for a supurb over at the death

Blacktown's progress was again halted when Brett 'I'll run you out from anywhere' Marvel broke up a partnership with an excellent direct hit from deep in the outfield. This really gave us the upper edge and left Blacktown's tail to do all the work if they wanted the win.

After some big hitting from their no. 9 bat Blacktown were '9 for' needing 10 runs off the final 12 balls, after a fine over from Matt Selby yielded just two the over before. With 7 balls left, and only 5 needed, the ball was hit just behind point where Mitch dived to his left and in a swift motion threw it to Millar at the bowlers end who whipped off the bails and gave us the victory by 4 runs.

Justin "JA" Avendano picks up another crucial 4 wickets for the Stags to get the back in the match

It was exciting match with an excellent finish, and with the 4^th grade boys winning right next door we were able to sing the team song in style as a big group. If we can keep the momentum going into the next 2 rounds we should be able to get the wins and sneak into the finals.

Cam "Cam" Brown

5th Grade Cricket Report vs Eastern Suburbs at Snape Park (Day 2)

An indifferent performance on Day 1 and a sporting declaration by the Easts' skipper saw the Stags return to Snape Park for Day 2 of their clash with Easts full of renewed hope. Fuelled by the threat of dehydration, Friday night hydration at a suitable watering hole was essential for all. Bearing that in mind, the game plan was simple: double our score from last week, declare, and bowl Easts out. 

Kris Colley whips one off his legs

At 1 for 14 overnight, then 3 for 30 and 4 for not many more, the perky banter from Easts reached fever pitch.  Enter Will McKeith and Matt Selby.  Being stewards of the moral high ground, both Will and Matt focused on playing cricket and punishing the loose ball.  A valuable partnership of 46 ensued, before Matt was unlucky dismissed.  Will continued on his way, taking a liking to cow corner off their leggy.  A 50 partnership between Will and the skipper, saw the score to 6/129 at tea.  The declaration was imminent, and with this in mind Will and Mark Fonseka hit 24 off the first over after tea, including a broken windscreen from a McKeith bomb.  A couple of overs later and the declaration was made, leaving Easts with the 165 runs to win and Gordon 35 overs to claim ten poles. 

A good opening spell by Pat Effeney and Dan Lake, saw Easts make an edgy start.  Dan claimed the first in his first over, with the Pat grabbing the second in the seventh over.  A change saw Adrian Widders replace Dan with immediate success, bowling their other opener, to leave Easts at 3/49.  Matt Selby replaced Pat, and with a couple of split chances in Matt Selby's first over, the pressure looked to be increasing on the Stags as Easts were 3/87. Avendano and McKeith were now on, with Will claiming two wickets in three overs and Justin one, bringing Easts to 6/91 off 26.   

Pat replaced Will, with immediate effect, 7/91 off 27.  Some tight bowling, plays and misses, then edged Easts to the hundred mark off 30 overs.  Persistent, aggressive bowling by Pat saw him claim two wickets in consecutive balls in the 31st over, setting up a dramatic finish.  The plan was simple; the more balls bowled at the No.11, the greater our chances. 

Some anxious moments followed, a highlight including Avendano producing a leading edge from the No.11 in the second last over, which somehow lobbed over the bowler and between Mid-on and Mid-off.   Enter the final over, with Easts at 9/107 and the No.11 on strike.  Effeney to bowl.  Ball 1 ' just kept out, Ball 2 ' LBW shout, Ball 3 'kept out, Ball 4 ' Huge shout LBW, caught bat pad surely something(?), Ball 5 'nervously left, Ball 6 another LBW shout, but to no avail - Easts just held on to claim victory on the 1st inning.  A superb over from Pat and congratulations to all the Stags involved, for regaining focus in trying conditions and really put the screws on Easts.

Hugh Selby

5th Grade Cricket Report vs Eastern Suburbs at Snape Park (Day 1)

With Captain Millar on an overseas jaunt, we saw a new captain at the stand in home ground of Snape Park, Maroubra.  On a rare occasion Gordon won the toss on what appeared to be a good deck.  Despite the prospect of some early life, the deck was expected to flatten out and the decision to bat was made. 

(Cam Brown in action at Snape)

The openers appeared to have started well until a mix up saw Sajdeh run out, then two overs later Avendano was caught down the leg side. The tail of woe continued with regular dismissals on a deck which showed some uneven bounce.  Runs were hard to come by on a lush outfield; some poor shot selections and reasonable lines from East's resulted in Gordon being dismissed for 83.

Early wickets were required and Effeney, (the ginger ninja), ripped in with fire in his eyes and a howling gale at his back. His second over saw their opener trapped in front then on the next ball their number three watched a ball rip through his stumps.  The hat-trick ball was an anticlimax but the ball after resulted in Effeney's third pole.  The last ball of the over was a close shout but to no avail.  Some sound batting saw the score tick over, before Lake grabbed the fourth wicket with a ball that rolled from short of a length. Avendano then turned one through the gate of a lefty, before East's passed our total five down.

East's declared with a lead of four, and gifted Gordon the opportunity to recover some points.  Some positive play had Gordon ending the day at 1 for 14 with a plan in mind to dominate Day 2. 

Matt Selby

Fifth Grade report vs ND Rangers.

DAY 1

On a Saturday that was so obscenely hot that it drew comments from every Gordon player in relation to Millar winning the toss and bowling, Millar made a tactical call of tails. Turns out tails does fail in New South Wales and Gordon were told to field first in the heat, rather gleefully, I'd imagine, by the ND's captain.

(Pat Effeney in action)

The only Gordon player who did not sink in their spirits a little was Avendano, but we realised that was only because he did not connect us warming up fielding and bowling, as well as Millar running through the bowling line-up with us fielding that day. Eventually he deduced, as we began to get our whites on, that we were indeed bowling and sent his father to buy four more powerades, on top of the three already sunk that morning.

The wicket was grassy, to say the least, meaning that swing was a possibility throughout the day, pending overhead condition's permission. The duo of Lake and Effeney opened up, both coming off the long run in the forty plus degree heat. After two overs each they recognised it wasn't a day for extreme heat, and they shortened their runs dramatically. Lake was replaced by Widders, who bowled economically and with penetration, snaring the first wicket, catching the ND opener in front of the stumps. In an excellent spell he was unlucky not to have a second with a dropped chance at slip.

Otherwise, it was tough work for the quicks, with Millar also bowling a good long spell in the heat for little reward. After the quicks realised the middle of the day wasn't really their thing Iqbal and Avendano were thrown the ball. Couldn't have come quick enough, but you didn't hear me say that.

Iqbal managed sixteen overs in the heat, restricting the scoring effectively before tea, leading to ND's having a snack at 1 for 80. Avendano also bowled well, with his control being the highlight of his long spell. As a fifth grade leg spinning duo, I couldn't think of a better pair in the competition, and although the wickets didn't come cheaply on Saturday, both bowled with good control. It looked like a situation where restriction was the key to taking wickets and the two spinners bowled accordingly.

(The master Iqbal in action)

The highlight of tea was definitely the ample selection of fruit. Watermelon, grapes and apples were on offer and were welcomed on such a hot day. The lowlight of tea was the refusal of the umpires of our suggestion that a game of cards could settle this battle, rather than this futile struggle with the forty plus degree heat. Surely a good old fashioned game of hold 'em would have been a fairer and less sweaty way of settling this fierce rivalry' It wasn't to be.

After tea, with Lake suffering from some sort of heat related illness ('I don't sweat when it's dry heat!') the stags retook the field. The spinners suffered a little in terms of control after the break, with both spinners bowling shoulder high full tosses first ball back. Call it a wicket ball all you like, but they both went for four (deservedly, said in true medium bowler fashion). ND's looked like they were trying to up the run rate, and did so relatively effectively, though relative to the first session anything would look like a six over a side game.

They upped the run rate though, with the captain and his number three partner both reaching half centuries. Number three went to Ahmed trying to increase the scoring rate, lobbing a full toss straight to Kleem at mid off. Number four looked like he was told to hit them to a big score, and was successful for a period before succumbing to Avendano LBW.

Time passed and eventually Colley was introduced, only for one over though. Millar had another go, and Effeney replaced him. The big surprise at the other end, though, was Kenner being thrown the ball. His first delivery was a rather comical wide, about two pitches away from the target. Kenner will tell you it shaved the off stump, but from the position of Brown it would seem Kenner is fighting a losing battle. Aside from the wides, he actually bowled a good spell. With ND's hitting out towards the end, he managed to snare a dangerous new batsman after Effeney had dismissed the captain, who finally nicked one after several hundred plays and misses.

(I searched the archives for Kenner bowling, but I did find Kenner howling)

These two bowlers finished off the day, with a runout leaving them six down for 265. A good effort to restrict the run-rate to just over three, especially on such a hot day. The honours were shared, with five bowlers taking one wicket each. Fielding was generally good, with few errors made and only the one easy catch going down.

DAY 2

Sunday was not so hot and rather pleasant for bowling, so it was fitting to find out that ND's were declaring. The pitch was still good for batting though, and the cool weather meant the helmet would be saved some extra moisture.

Avendano and Kleem opened up, though not for long, with the embryo falling in the first over, caught at slip. Not really the start we desired.  Kenner came in and looked assured pretty much from the start, with a few plays and misses the only blemishes on a fine 88. Kleem also looked good, but fell after another start. Colley continued his good form on his way to a solid twenty, but again fell after a start. The run rate was good but two quick wickets before tea (Colley and Lamont) did not help as we went into tea 4 ' 115. Brown came in and looked good, and another fifty partnership with Kenner swung the game in our favour again.

Unfortunately, Kenner fell just short of his century to what he thought was a dubious LBW decision, claiming he hit it. That's when I started to pad up, and get nervous. Iqbal came in and survived what was apparently a very good LBW shout. I guess luck is a funny old mistress. With Brown falling LBW, captain Millar came in, and looked aggressive from the get-go. ND's had their chances to dismiss both of the larger (and elder) statesmen in the stags side, but were unable, with both striking the ball very cleanly to get us over the line in seventy overs.

(Dave Millar hits out)

Fittingly, Millar bombed a six over mid wicket to finish it off, leaving Iqbal scratching his head at the other end on 47 not. Sorry Iq, but as you say yourself, that might be the last time this season you're that close to a half century. A very good win by the stags, assisted by the fact that ND's had two quickies playing injured (as my pal from their side didn't hesitate reminding me) but the six points are now ours, leaving us in a good position to pounce and hopefully consolidate a top six spot at the end of the season.

Did I mention how hot it was on Saturday?

Til next time'

Patrick 'Ginger Ninja' Effeney

5th Grade back in the hunt 

Not since bygone days has this writer had the opportunity to write a 5^th grade report. In fact it maybe before Justin Avendano was born.

Pat "Ginger Ninger" Effeney takes 4 poles against the Bears

First of all, one of my new features in this issue is LOST AND FOUND. Found at Chatswood Oval just recently 1 bottle of Loreal Paris dermo expertise sublime bronze, self'tanning milk + smoothing effect with AHA, even, natural'looking tan, 12 hours hydration 150 ml face and body. If lost please phone Tony (040-FAKE-TAN).

As it turned out Millar lost the toss, things don't change, and surprisingly we were sent in on what looked like a hardish even deck with a good cover of grass. North Sydney can never be accused of a lacklustre effort with their grounds. Their grounds people definitely earn their keep. Credit must be given where credit is due.

There was a little life in the wicket early with balls seeming around a little and bouncing. Plenty of swing early too. Don't tell Justin how to play, he''ll tell you how to play. Justin cruised his way to a brisk 25 before trying to noodle one through the mid ' wicket area and moving well across his stumps. He was adjudged LBW.

Kris Colley (Kris Kros) arrived at the crease fresh faced and bouncing with enthusiasm. Up until date Kris's results have been modest, but today there was a feel of self assurance. I only wish I had started playing this young. Kleem made it to 39 before looking to break the shackles trying to loft one over mid on. Kleem looked calm and collected while at the crease but looked for that trigger to really set the innings on fire. It was not to be - however both 'special Ks' contributed a good partnership to the team's cause

Cam Brown has been impressive this season with a string of handy scores. Unfortunately it was not his day and he was dismissed lbw early. Henry Carmichael came to the crease and, with Colley, were watchful and contented early on taking what runs were on offer . We went to the tea interval at about 3/100 with the rest of the afternoon to bat. During the break it was found out Justin Avendano 'Googles' his own name approximately 2-to-56 times per day. According to him there around 200 pages of articles relating to the great man himself. Most are the resultsvault pages, but it is good to be popular nonetheless.

Kris Colley punches one down the ground on his way to 101

Sometimes when bored I'll often 'Google' people I know just to see what they have been up to. Just recently I typed Anthony Sherman and found all kinds of articles relating to his exciting escapades in the Northern hemisphere. I then decided to type in Tony Wilson ' SHEEP but for legal reasons I am not permitted any further.

What took place after lunch was extraordinary Kris Colley and Henry Carmichael took apart the North Sydney bowling attack apart. I t was relentless. In particular Carmichael was devastating. Kris Colley was eventually dismissed for 101. This was a partnership of 208, the highest ever 4^th wicket partnership in all grades. A total of 4/321 was realised at the end of the day.

I can't comment about the warm-up on day 2, I was stuck in the terrible traffic between Cammery and ... well' Cammery. However, I do note that on day 2 we were presented with very similar conditions. Pat Effeney broke through early and eventually achieved the figures of 4/50. The spin twins Justin Avendano and Iqbal Ahmed tightened the screws. Justin ended up with the very impressive figures of 3/13 while Iqbal was very unlucky claiming just the 1 wicket for 55. I have played plenty of cricket with Iqbal and 5^th grade are extremely lucky to have his services. At some clubs he'd be playing as high as 2^nd grade. It should also be noted David Millar chimed in with 2/24. They were dismissed for about 180.

An excellent win by the boys and 5^th grade will be looking to improve on their position against well placed Northern Districts. Until next time stay tuned.

Thanks Mitch

Kris Colley and Henry Carmichael leave the field with 3 figures against their names

5th Grade back on track  

5 airports, 4 flights, 3 delayed flights, 2 missed transfers and 1 free hotel in Hong Kong later, I have begun to write. Sorry about the report being late guys.

Cam Brown launches one down the ground

Yes, I am in Turkey and no there is no cricket here. There are, however, many kebab shops. many drug users and lots of people with no idea about English. Thus we adapt. Currently I am writing in an internet cafe in Istanbul. I got here from Ankara in a converted ambulance with a movie director, a paraglider and a dog. I sat with the dog in the back. I know you are all waiting for the cricket report though, so here goes.

A rather crowded vehicle shuttled us to the ground on the day, leaving us all reaching for our deep vein thrombosis guides on arrival, as well as our game faces. Between Dan Lake's abundance of stories about old girlfriends and Shenal's pumping hip hop, not to mention that 5's were on the brink of a much needed victory, there was a lot to be excited about .

This excitement was channelled into a game of touch American Football, with Brett Favre (McKeith) squaring off against Eli Manning (Effeney). Favre proved that age is no barrier for a QB, something I put down mainly to the deceptive running of Dan 'Wide Receiver' Lake. In fact, don't beleive anything Favre tells you about his Gridiron skills.

Cam Brown and Harry Turner (Replacement midweek) resumed on a deck that looked as good as any for batting, conditions promised to be much better for batting this time around. With only 87 to chase it was a very simple equation. Cam carried on his good form from past weeks and managed (37). Other notable contributors were Kris Colley and Will 'Favre' McKeith with (20) and (25) respectively. Despite wickets falling relatively consistently we were able to pass the target 6 down.

Harry's replacement, Matt Cain, watches as the snick is taken by the keeper

Once a few more had been added, Millar decided batting was boring and declared at which point Effeney and Lake were called into action. Lake begun extremely well, picking up two wickets in his first two overs. Effeney also managed one the over before tea, and with 3 wickets down and the Hawks still in negative territory, we were looking for an unlikely outright.

Tea was good, not just chips this week which was an immediate improvement. After tea, however, was not so good. Lake bowled well but without luck. Effeney picked up another wicket but after that two of the more experienced Hawks played very sensibly and stayed at the crease before playing some big shots. A lesson to be learned by all batsmen, perhaps, on the value of building an innings. Once again, Millar got bored and called it quits.

A satisfying victory and the team song was sung with great gusto.

If this report contains undotted I's (i) I apologise, but it's the computer's fault.

Pat Effeney

No match - Abandoned due to rain

5th Grade in a strong position

5th Grade arrived at Bensons Lane, (almost) everyone on time, only to find out the pitch had a sizeable damp spot halfway down, and thus play would start at around 2:30. That gave a few of us two hours to enjoy the atmosphere of Richmond. Some chose the safest route and went to Maccas, others chose to sample the local cuisine and townsfolk. Piling into Will 'the symbol' McKeith's rather unsanitary car littered with his shoes, socks, unfinished washing and assorted crayolas, a few of us went to the hippest cafe in Richmond to see if lattes are made the same way.

Effeney earlier in the season

Turns out they are, for all those who were curious. This isn't supposed to be a restaurant review, but for anyone interested portions were ample, service was friendly and eager and flavours were on point. I forget the name of the cafe though'

The two hours simply flew by viewing the local flora and fauna, puzzling over why some radios don't pick up AM, and determining whether Effeney or McKeith's car is the bigger heap of junk. At around one-thirty the umpires announced that play would begin in an hour. Time for relaxation was over, and 5ths were all business.

After an intense game of touch in which the bottom five defeated top six with a try on the bell, we were told by captain Millar that we would be in the field for the day. The quicks couldn't have asked for better conditions for bowling and they were thankful that the captain had won the toss. He hadn't ' nothing new there ' but the Hawks had chosen to bat first. The pitch was bestowed with rather variable bounce, and ample cloud cover and a cross breeze meant that swing was very probable. Lake and Effeney were chosen to open up despite Avendano's protestations.

Over one dictated the rest of the day's play, with several plays and misses and no runs scored. Lake had to be the unluckiest bowler of the day, with no batsmen seemingly able to put bat on any of his well controlled deliveries. None for six off eight was the result, and this ensured pressure was on from the very start. The benefactor of Lake's control was Patrick 'The Ginger Ninja' Effeney, snaring the first three poles. On a hat-trick, and with a leg slip for the first time in his life, the batsman watched despairingly as the ball went straight through the gate and over off stump.

Once the openers were off, a piece of inspired captaincy brought the captain himself to the crease. Even with an injured ankle, Millar is still one of the finest seamers in fifths, with his loop, guile and drift coming to the fore on this occasion. He blames his ankle for his lack of pace, but a full time move to Gordon's swelling spin stocks are on the cards, so goes the rumour mill.

Avendano delivers a well-flighted full toss to dismiss another batsman

So with Millar snaring the wicket of the opener who had stayed at the crease for a good time (his first for the season, he did not hesitate in reminding everyone, even the opposition) Gordon were well on top with four down and not many on the board.

'Cougar' McKeith, 'Silent Bob' Kinny and 'The Foetus' Avendano did the remainder of the bowling, mopping up the tail in relatively quick time. McKeith snared three wickets, making use of the damp patch (as he does so well away from the field) for his first, but after a change of ends had two more. Avendano bowled effectively, with his wicket ball being the full toss, to which two opposition batsman succumbed. It seems an Avendano full toss is like none other in terms of the regularity in which it takes wickets. But who can argue with three wickets from four overs, right? This scribe certainly can.

A particularly amusing incident in the field was Harry Turner's catch in the outfield off one of those drifting, looping, ripping, non-bouncing full tosses of Avendano's. It seemed Turner had not made the full transition from rugby to cricket season, with the techniques being confused somewhere between ball flying off bat and ball thudding into chest. As the sickening thump echoed around the ground, Turner smacked his hand against his chest to secure the catch, the wicket and a rather painful bruise for the days to come.

Inspirational.

Otherwise, The Foetus and The Cougar made short work of the last six, barring a handy sixth wicket partnership, and the Hawks innings came to an end on 87. A great effort by all the bowlers who showed good control from the get go, and maintained it throughout the innings. The fielding was also good, with no real chances missed and sharp ground fielding all throughout.

In reply, we lost more wickets than we would have liked, finishing the day at 3/26. Millar, Sajdeh and Avendano were all disappointed not to be there at the finish of play, but the total posted is not exactly a mammoth, and with the shine coming off the new ball, we should be able to convert this into a solid win.

Til next week'

Patrick 'More nicknames than is reasonable' Effeney

Another victory is left behind

With Killara out of action, the 5th Grade Stags made the journey to Rance Oval to play our 'home' game against Penrith.

Kris Colley lets one go through to the keeper

The removal of the covers revealed a large wet patch, just outside the off stump of the left-handers and meant that play would not start on time. The intervening hours between arriving at the ground and the start of play were spent making fun of 'Grandpa' Millar who made his way to the ground with the aid of a walking stick and Will 'Cougar' McKeith who enlisted the help of his girlfriend for support to get to the ground. His late arrival at the ground was greeted with an entertaining story about how he was forced to stop off at McDonald's for a happy meal in order to get this week's toy and then stop at the local newsagency to find coloured pencils and a colouring book!

At tea time both captains agreed to start play and try and salvage what was left of the day. Fortunately 'Grandpa' managed to win the toss and sent Penrith in on a green top. A fiery opening spell from James 'Billy' Kidd and Pat 'Twinkle Toes' Effeney deserved more reward for their toil. Each managed to get through the defences of the Penrith openers and put Penrith on the back foot right from the start. When the umpires called for the cordial Penrith were 2/38.

The second session saw a change of tactic from 'Grandpa' Millar yielding to the immense expectation and pressure from the crowd, bringing Justin 'I would have taken 20 wickets in Nagpur' Avandano at one end and 'Cougar' McKeith at the other. This was a great little session where we fielded with enthusiasm and built up lots of pressure with consistent dot balls. Both bowlers troubled the batsmen and were unlucky to not pick up more cheeky player points each. However 'Cougar' McKeith did pick up a kiss and a hug for his efforts from his number 1 fan.

As the light faded and the threat of poor light beckoned the end of the day, Avandano and Sajdeh took up the attack in tandem until the batsmen cut the afternoon short, calling for bad light at 5/108. A disappointing end to a good day of cricket, with the opportunity to get more overs at the batsmen it was conceivable that Penrith could have been really looking down the barrel.

Avendano on his way to a good couple of poles

A good start on day 2, with some early scalps, was imperative to give our batsmen a good chance to knock over the runs. The day started off well with 'Twinkle Toes' Effeney and 'Billy' Kidd troubling the batsmen right from the first ball. Special note must go to 'Twinkle Toes' who ran into the roaring gale force wind all morning. With the addition of only fifty more runs for the last 5 wickets, we were set a very reasonable target of 156 in 57 overs.

Both Sajdeh and Kennar knew that a good confident start was necessary, with both having to last the one-hour session prior to tea. A good couple of overs from the Penrith quick's kept both openers in check, both patiently waiting for the bad ball to put away.  We had two crucial LBW decisions early in the piece, which put us on the back foot and in a precarious position at 2/20, a position made worse by the loss of a third wicket in the over prior to tea.

The second session started off much like the first with the loss of wickets in a quick succession. A 5th wicket partnership between Mark 'Pup' Fonsaka and Cam 'Gilly' Brown, which included great running and lusty hitting, stole all the momentum from the Penrith bowlers. This partnership looked like it would take us to a well-deserved victory. Unfortunately the cricketing gods had other ideas and we lost another bundle of wickets in quick succession before succumbing to defeat 15 runs short of the target.

(James Kidd lets one go) 

A good effort with the ball, especially the quick's, they did a great job to restrict Penrith to 160 but a very poor effort with the bat with the exception of Brown who provided a backbone to our innings. An all too familiar sight this season has been the lack of partnerships right throughout the innings; something that I am certain will be fixed this week on the long road trip to Benson's Lane this coming week.

Sunil Sajdeh

Another weak performance sees victory slip away

The day started like any other, Dave lost the toss and we were in the field, (we really should be getting use to this by now). The bowlers worked hard on a batsmen friendly deck and stuck to their lines and bowled to their fields. The fielding was standard. We are still lacking that extra bit of energy. We are doing the basics right, it's just time to take it to that next level now. A bit of enthusiasm and anticipating the ball, it's something we're going to have to find otherwise we can expect more long days in the field.

Avendano bowled beautifully on the first day

The pitch was flat and the batsmen waited and punished us for bad bowling or lazy fielding. Their score kept ticking along. A surprise declaration at 5/264 saw the Stags with 4 overs to see off before the close of play. The pick of the bowlers was Pat Effeney, (3/66 of 19), who bowled well throughout the day and was lucky not to have a few more victims. Avendano picked up the other two scalps and bowled very well in the early periods of the game on a deck that gave him no assistance.

So with 4 overs left in the day Dave Millar and Sunny Sajdeh took to the crease, just wanting to make it through to next week. This was made harder by the consistent wides by the Uni opening bowler who prolonged their stay at the wicket. The day ended 0/9 for the Stags; a reasonable and very gettable chase with 10 wickets in hand. The second week would be a good test for the Stags.

We rocked up the next Saturday ready to bat all day and hopefully take away 6 points from University. We did end up batting all day; however we did not receive any points.

Cam Brown was one of the few that successfully took the attack to the University bowlers

The day did not start well, before we had even warmed up Dave Millar had tripped over the stairs leading onto the ground and his ankle swelled up, nearly to the size of Justin's head. Not a good start. He retired hurt, and Justin took his place at the top of the order.

To say that regular wickets fell at intervals would be a great understatement as the top and middle order collapsed and we were 5/28 and then 6/49. When Cam Brown (47*) joined Will McKeith (33) they showed the resistance that the rest did not. They batted positively punishing the attack, even when the field was moved into their scoring zones. McKeith fell just after the 50 run partnership and the score was 101.

Effeney had talked himself up, as usual, and stated how good he was batting in the nets, and he struck 18 in quick time, playing shots of the back foot, and piercing the field. When Effeney fell at 9/140 we were still 24 shy of the follow on target and our clumsy skipper came out to bat, with the aid of a former University player as his runner. Cam and Dave added another 19 to the score, before Dave was bowled, just 5 short of the follow on.

The Uni skipper, then sent us back in for some much needed batting practice. Cam unbeaten of 47, paired up with Sunny and had 27 overs to face out. The batting was slightly improved however wickets still fell and at the end of the day we were 5/79.

Not a great game and a lot to think about. Application is worth more than skill or talent at this level and that is what we are lacking at the moment. Losing is a habit and not one I'm sure any of us would like to get use to. We have a week to turn it around before Penrith.

Lets step in up boys.

Mark Fonseka

5th Grade takes away a well-earned draw

Useless bloody skipper. There is a rule, somewhere, buried within the laws of this great game, which allows the captain to nominate another player to do the coin toss for him. The 5^th Grade skipper should utilize this rule. Every bloody game.

Kenner's 90 was one of the few talking points... along with his 2 wickets

To say we were behind the 8-ball from the start was a bit of an understatement. Beauchamp was looking a picture; the grass was short, the pitch was rock hard and the temperature would make it uncomfortable to be chasing leather all day. Added to this, the Stags had a bowling attack that opened up with Millar - into the breeze mind you ' who had injured himself lifting the covers onto the trolley before play. The ball barely reached the other end before it was dispatched into the distance.

And dispatched we were. 380 odd runs came from the 80 overs in the day. It was a long day in the field chasing the ball through the Beauchamp carpark and retrieving it from Roseville, Lindfield and, towards the end of the day, as far as Sutherland. A couple of crucial catches went down. Both were struck firmly but should have been taken. We needed them. As a result, nearly 200 runs were scored by these two bats after those chances were grassed.

Our intensity in the field was not up to scratch. Although there weren't really any misfields, overthrows or other mistakes, players were not anticipating in the field. Not expecting the ball to come to them. Not wanting the ball to come to them. There were a lot of stationary bodies throughout the day and not enough support given to the bowlers who had to toil away on a lifeless deck.

I will not dwell on this much longer than to say our best bowling performance, after Millar had kept it very tight from his end early, was from Richie 'Sticks' Kenner, with a couple of consolation wickets at the end of the day. After almost leaving the field in protest, after Wigham was given an over before him, the man with more moving parts in his bowling action that any other person known to mankind struck with his first ball ' a mistimed swot at a ball travelling well down leg side that caught the top edge. I was told that Kenner's insistence in the group huddle that 'it was all planned' was reminiscent of Trevor 'The Angry Ant' Watling who used to drum into his troops the idea of line and length. Before having a bloke caught on the boundary from a rank short ball.

Day 2 could only get better.

Some good work from the groundsman saw a deck that was in good shape, although still a little soft, after all the rain during the week. Unfortunately, neither of the openers were able to adjust quickly enough to the deck 'popping' early on.

It was imperative that they saw us through the opening 10 overs or so, until the deck settled down, and then built a platform to attack during the later session. I have been told, and all those playing at Beauchamp should be aware of this, that you can almost score twice as many runs in the session after tea if you have wickets in hand. The deck always flattens out and becomes a pleasure to bat on.

Losing those two wickets for just ten runs meant we were not looking to good at this stage. Any dreams of getting 400 went out the window. However, Kenner and Wigham set about rectifying the innings. Sitting back in the stands, it was a pleasure to see Wigham flourish in these conditions. He waited for the ball to come onto the bat and guided plenty of runs behind square on both sides of the wicket. When he had to, he dropped his hands and wore the ball, rather than risking popping it up to the men in close. Kenner, usually a quiet accumulator of runs, was patient, determined and looked like he wanted to see out the full 80 overs for his side and club. It took a full 90 mins for him to get his first 10 or so runs. But it was just what we needed ' from the openers.

Unfortunately Wigham's chanceless innings was cut short by a good piece of fielding and a direct hit at the keeper's end. Decisions tend to even themselves out over the long run and Jono is due for plenty of it to come his way soon.

Jono carves one out through the covers

Another close all to Kenner, who was very lucky not to be following Jono back to the sheds, saw the team's luck even up and we went into tea was 7 wickets in hand.

At this point I had to leave the game and field for the injured Stephenson in 1^st Grade. However I was told that after tea the deck had settled out and Kenner began to put the Sutherland bowlers to the sword. McKeith, Selby and Qureshi all had the chance to capitalise on an afternoon in the sun, plenty of overs and plenty of red ink next to their name come the end of the day. All three failed to support Kenner and quickly followed each other back to the sheds.

Fonseka, looking to find some form before the game against his old club, joined Kenner and soaked up the pressure. The field came in closer and men were to be found all around the bat. A patient start to his innings and an application that wasn't evident in the previous batsmen saw him there the whole way to the end of the game.

Kenner was unlucky not to be there at the end, but an edge through to slip brought his innings to a close a handful of runs short of what would have been a well deserved 100.

This brought Cam Brown to the crease and, after a few hairy runs, was dismissed with half an hour or so to go in the day. Kinney took his place out in the centre and when he feathered a ball through to the keeper there were 2.2 overs left in the day.

It was down to Fonseka and Millar to see out the day and ensure that the Sharks did not return home with any points. As McKeith was entertaining those in the stands with his wildly fluctuating preferences for the age of his love interests, Cam Brown's sister dropped by and then wisely left before McKeith could do any damage. Best any women under 18 - or over 50 - stay well way from the game.

With an imploring shout by the Sharks on the penultimate ball of the day for an LBW that hit Fonseka directly in line with the middle but somewhere around his Adam's apple, and the final ball left untouched, the game was over and the Stags had seen out the day, 9 wickets down, still 140 runs behind.

From the start of the day, the Sharks never really pressured the batsmen, having a ring field with a couple of slips. It wasn't until the ship had almost sailed that they began to turn the screws. Perhaps they should have declared the previous week or simply just got under our noses from the start, but we were happy not to concede points, knowing that next week we will have a stronger bowling attack with plenty of potency.

Let's get this season back on track Stags.

Kris Colley

5th Grade fail with bat and ball

After taking Tuesday and Friday nights to set up sight screens and put down covers at Beauchamp Oval, the Gordon 5^th Graders were ready for another great game of cricket against Wests. The Gordon boys knew that it would be a tough game, however after two good wins against traditionally tough opponents to start the season, the mood from the change room was good.

Sajdeh makes a few runs early

The day got off to a great start when we realised that the council had put a lock on the change room door that nobody had a key to. This was not a huge problem as the rooms could be entered through the main room of the pavilion; however we later realised that for Wests to get to their change room they had to walk straight through ours, this had the potential to cause many awkward moments throughout the match.

The sight screens were up, covers were off, and before we knew it Dave 'Millsy' Millar was out in the centre losing the toss. The wicket had a bit of green on it and as mentioned Millar lost the toss and the Gordon boys were sent in to bat. The innings started nicely with Kris Colley and Sunny Sajdeh pushing the ball around before Kris was unfortunately dismissed. This brought Kenner to the crease. Kenner and Sajdeh, the stalwarts, pushed on and with some great shots and quick singles the Gordon innings was well underway.

In bizarre fashion and something I have never seen before in my cricketing life, the Wests left arm opening bowler was dismissed from the bowling attack by the umpires after three warnings for following through on the pitch. The boys in the pavilion did not know what had gone on until Kris Colley told us about the footmarks he had left right down the middle of the pitch (ironically the problem itself being a "left, right down the middle of the pitch") . One big black footmark on a good length on off-stump and another short of a length outside off-stump. He must have had a very weird follow through.

Kenner and Sajdeh continued to play very well and got the score to 79 before Sajdeh was dismissed. At 2-79 the Gordon boys where not looking too bad. (The worst was yet to come). Unfortunately 5 wickets for 4 runs in the 6 overs placed Gordon at 6-84 and suddenly not in the best position! The middle order had failed to do its job.

There was no need to panic just yet as Selby and Millar were at the crease. Selby decided that it was a good idea to get off the mark with a massive six over mid-off into the houses across the road almost taking out a white van. The two managed to keep the score ticking over and had put on 40 runs in 8 overs before Selby top edged a sweep shot to the square leg boundary where a flying Wests player took a great catch low to the ground. There was some doubt about the catch and the two umpires met in the middle. Despite some serious doubts voiced by the square leg umpire Selby was required to depart the field.

Next ball Millar did the same thing and a suspect catch was taking. A Wests player dived caught the ball and then hit the ground. To the people on the field he had his back toward them and they all thought it was a catch however from where we were sitting, those who saw it saw the ball come out of his hands as he hit the ground before he re-gathered it and claimed it. Millar had to depart and two big moments in the game had fallen in favour of Wests.

It is fair to say that both wickets deserved to be theirs. Both shots were miscues that sailed high in the air and should have been taken much more cleanly than they were.

"Sticks" Kenner whips one onto the leg side

Before long, with another collapse of 4/6, the Gordon innings was wrapped up on 128 well before the full allotment of overs. This score was disappointing; however we knew we had a chance if we bowled well.

Gordon took the field in an effort to roll Wests for under 128. Tim Fulton and Patrick Effaney bowled well early but somehow the scoreboard kept ticking over for Wests. Dave Millar and Vaughan Patterson also bowled well throughout the middle overs however catches went down and Wests started to run away with the game. Matt Selby assured us he would take 10 for 0 if the captain would let him bowl and after his first over of 1 for 0 with a great catch from Richie Kenner it looked possible! Unfortunately Wests picked up the scoring and before long they had reached the total only 1 down.

This was a disappointing result for the boys as they had started the season so well. I hope there are plenty of men hurting from such a result. The middle order batting let us down; however we have a chance to redeem ourselves on Saturday! I'm sure all the players will be looking forward to it and we hope we can get a win for our fantastic club, GORDON!

Jono Wigham

5th Grade gets over the line to grab points  

A full compliment of players arrived at Jensen Oval on Saturday morning, confident after a bonus point win in the previous week with a man short. However, Bankstown, our opponents had pulled off a bonus point win in their round one clash as well, so we entered the contest with a very cautious approach.

Sajdeh gets the batting off to a handy start

Rain delayed our start of by half an hour with the Bulldogs skipper keen to head home and Captain Dave Millar champing at the bit to bowl with the wind again. After winning his 3^rd toss from 20 attempts we sent Bankstown into bat on a pitch that looked like it would offer a bit to both bat and ball.

Not after the Gordon boys had pulled the home team's covers on and off the deck a couple of times.

A heavy downpour sent us from the field after only 2 overs during which we were able to knock off one of the openers. With the rain getting heavier and a now freshened up pitch the opposition skipper again pushed for calling the day off. But armed with his laptop and wireless internet Millar was on the bureau of meteorology's website studying the radar as if he were Tim Bailey. He managed to convince the umpires (but not the opposition skipper) that the rain would pass and we would be back on the field at 1:30 before fitting in the rest of the days play.

As predicted, the rain stopped and we were able to take the field again. Despite losing another two early wickets, Bankstown got off to a fairly quick start and were 3 for 40 before Justin 'Embryo' Avendano gave his hat to the umpire. Turing the ball square and landing them in the right spot he was able to keep the Bankstown batsmen scoreless for his first 6 overs. Dave Millar supported the young leggy well going for just 6 runs from his 8 overs.

The pressure was building and Justin, grunting like Maria Sharapova, was able to get wickets consistently throughout his spell including a LBW, two bowled and a handful of catches using great pieces of deception. He bowled 22 overs straight with figures of 5 for 18. After each wicket he took he made sure to reminded us how many fantasy points he was worth this week which and encouraged us to pick him as captain in our own sides. No-one did.

Mark 'Lotto' Fonseka also bowled a good spell, managing to keep the batsmen, the keeper and more often than not himself guessing as to what ball would come next ending with figures of 1 for 23. The day ended with Bankstown in trouble at 9 for 129.

Justin "Maria" Avendano with 8 wickets already this season

At the start of day two we were keen to knock off the last wicket without giving Bansktown any bonus runs. Luckily the Embryo, fresh from a warm-up in his backyard net, hadn't lost any of his form and was able to clean up the final wicket in just 3 balls with one run added to the Bansktown total to finish with figures of 6 for 19 ' this one round his legs and all!

Sunny Sajdeh got our chase to a great start, playing shots on both sides of the wicket ' but mainly his trademark leg-side nudges, noodles and knocks - and had a crucial partnership with Jono Wigham to steady the top order after the loss of some early wickets. Sunny was trapped in front for 38 to a well bowled wrong-un by Bankstown's very own fetus, aged 14. Boy did Justin feel old!

Rain, once again stopped play at the tea break. As Millar again studied the weather radar, Kris Colley's grandfather showed us the best way to kill time during a rain delay by visiting the local strip club for a cappuccino. He rated the coffee and Sefton's Monday morning line up as 'not the best he's ever had.'

Once the rain cleared, play restarted and we found ourselves in a very comfortable position at 3 for 70. The runs were ticking over nicely before Jono Wigham fell for 30 and Mark Fonseka departed after making a solid contribution. Only a handful of runs were needed with 5 wickets in hand and it seemed as though a relatively comfortable win was on the cards.

In the closing stages only 5 runs were required with 5 wickets left in the shed before three quick wickets sent nerves throughout the side. But Nathan Kinny and Tim Fulton were able to steady the ship and score the remaining runs for the win. Not a moment too soon either as the remaining 2 wickets fell without adding to the score, so we won by a solitary run.

The Bankstown captain felt it appropriate to have second dig for 9 overs, despite there being less than a snowflakes chance in hell of a result, before both captains agreed to call it a day. Overall a good win set up by a great spell of leg spin bowling by the Embryo.

Tim Fulton

5th Grade vs Randy-Petes

1 man down, but 7 points on the board

A hot sunny morning welcomed the 5^th grade team onto the field. We warmed up with about 6 players and we knew that it was going to be hard against last year's grand finalists. Were we going to have another John Sawtell moment? Surely not, it wasn't that hot out there. We've been told that Knox boys are made of tougher stuff. Nevertheless, the captain, and former Knox boy, Will Sweeney was confident with the reduced line-up, called heads and opted to bowl first. Brave move!

Justin "The Embryo" Avendano - growing out of his trousers

Actually I have no idea if he won the toss, but we found ourselves in the field nonetheless. With only 9 men on the field, and an opening bowler down, Sweeney's hand was forced and Millar shed the keeping pads and took up the challenge to run into the breeze and up a hill in order to pair up with Tim Fulton to open the bowling (Tiddles would be ashamed if he found out Sweeney allowed Millar to run with the breeze in the first half).

The opposition found hard to score under Millar's (fast ' well slow medium) bowling which had them jumping all over the place. After 12 overs for almost no runs and now with 10 players on the field, the players knew that we were on top. With a couple chances going down on the field, James 'Billy' Kidd got the break through with sharp bowling with figures (1 for 24).

When the opposition started to increase the run rate, Will decided to put spin from both ends; both bowlers rewarded the captain with some very tidy figures. Justin 'Embryo' Avendano (2 for 34 after 10) put in a much bigger performance much to the chagrin of Kenner, who is now both smaller and slower than the 15 year old. Mark 'The Fonz' Fonsaka (0-5 after 5) has been imported from Sydney Uni and bowled a very mixed bag of deliveries that kept the batsmen, wicketkeeper and usually himself guessing as to what was coming next. His athleticism in the field, a tidy pair of hands and a solid arm meant that there were very few runs scored through the point region.

A few runs were leaked in the final few overs, but the score was kept down to a very manageable 190. With only a couple of wickets down and 10 overs to go, Randwick-Petersham would have been looking for a much bigger total. But credit to the bowlers and especially the fielders in restricting them to a very gettable target.

Millar on his way to 0/15 from his ten

After lunch, our openers Kris 'Steve' oh, sh!t' sorry mate' Colley and Richie 'Sticks' Kenner got us off to a very good start, with Richie flying to his first 50 of the season. Colley fell, bowled around his legs, with the score on 60-odd and Vaughan 'Micky V' Patterson was caught lofting the ball down the ground. Our stand-in wicket keeper Jono 'Chief' Wigham lifted the run rate with Kenner in search of an early season bonus point. Sticks finished with 71 after chopping a ball back onto his stumps, bringing the skipper to the crease.

For those watching, it brought back memories of Dave Gray as he strode out to the crease to meet the young pup Wigham. The order was issued that there was to be no quick singles due to his age / lack of fitness / desire to win it in boundaries. For those of you who are unaware of Will's background ' Will was a regular in 2^nd grade before succumbing to the curse that has stopped Ed Howitt Snr from returning to the field in recent years (bad knees). Opting not to have titanium replacements, Will is currently recovering from tendinitis and is playing as a batsman whilst captaining 5^th grade. A true club man and you would struggle to find a person who could say a bad word about the man ' despite what Higgins would have you believe.

The Chief and our captain kept pushing on towards the bonus point for the team and after a quiet start the Chief showed some very classy shots through and over the field. Sweeney butchered the bowling from ball one and sent some lusty straight drives cannoning into the picket fence. With only 3 runs to win within 11 balls to get the bonus point, The Chief tried to finish it with a pull over mid-wicket. A great catch was taken by a bloke who had done nothing all day and this then saw both the Fonz and the Embryo fall in the remainder of the over.

Thinking it was all over, Millar, missing a right pad, left glove and his bat, strode to the crease to finish of the game with his skipper. Luckily it was the end of the over and he had time to retrieve his missing gear.

Steve... sorry Kris Colley opening the innings for the Stags

Sweeney knocked the first ball through the covers for 1. Fittingly he brought up his 50 with this ' not that any of his teammates even clapped. Perhaps they too may have a bad word to say about him. But more than likely they were engrossed in the finish.

A quick single to Millar, testing out Sweeney's knee, and a leg bye saw the side home with a couple of balls inside of the 40 overs.

It was a solid win to the 5^th Graders who played a man down all day. The song was sung with gusto and the new players will hopefully get a chance to learn the words in the coming rounds.

Finishing an hour early, a few players packed into the local pub to watch the end of the AFL Grand Final. We publically apologise for an unnamed player's first ever trip inside one of these hallowed drinking establishments.

To borrow a phrase 'You stay classy Livingston Hotel' ' and all its patrons

1st Grade now need a miracle after loss to Ghosts

First Grade arrived at Raby 1 with it all to do in the second half of this season defining clash. With 7 wickets needed for less than 120 and the prospect of another juicy wicket, there was a lot of possibilities in 96 overs.

A bright note during the day: BMac congratulates Colley on a fantastic catch

Upon arrival, all plans had to be immediately reviewed as the wicket presented could not have been more different from week 1. A hard brown featherbed was going to make the task very difficult. Indeed Campbelltown needed 10 points to stay in the running for the season and the wicket presented was certainly not conducive to that. We had been on the wrong side of conditions 5 or 6 times this season and triumphed and would have to do it again. On the plus side the wicket was so dry it looked like it might spin for Macdonald and Colley.

Connell and Edwards bowled good consistent initial spells but were never really in the game with the lack of pace and bounce stifling their considerable efforts. Connell struck the edge a few times only to see the ball die a few metres from the bat.

MacDonald appeared the only hope as he was brought on with out a wicket going down. He responded to the challenge, gaining some turn and consistently challenging the previously unhindered McKell and Croese. Unfortunately 2 catches went down, both from Brendan's bowling and it wasn't until the score was past 100 that he held onto a sharp shoulder high caught and bowled from the night watchman, Croese. Croese had batted for 80 minutes for less than 20 on a very good wicket, soaking up valuable time in the game. Mckell was holding the batting together but was getting very tired and began playing some loose shots.

The new batter was state representative Scott Coyte, 3 men were immediately dispatched to the deep on the leg side. Coyte obliged by smashing his second ball high to mid on where Steve Colley took a great catch close to the fence. Colley and MacDonald were both turning the ball and causing problems, Adam Coyte and Mckell put together a partnership taking the score past 130, only 5 down. Nicholson came back into the attack and pre lunch the Stags needed something. McKell was very tired and helped Gordon by smashing a half tracker from MacDonald straight to Ben Garrett at mid on where he held a scorcher above his head.

Steve Colley extracts some turn out of a flat dusty deck

The door was ajar at 6-140 with ten minutes to lunch. Ian Beverley then combined with MacDonald to dismiss Adam Coyte with the catch of the season. A low edge from the cue end of the bat was held only an inch from the turf. In a testament to Bev's technique and hard work throughout the season, it had all come together in one perfect catch. A great example for others to follow.

At 7-143 at lunch it was game on for the six points. Gordon had done an excellent job to hang in the contest against the odds. Alas there was no more joy after lunch. Campbelltown mixed resolute defence with some attacking flair to peel off the runs relatively easily after the break. It felt like a long season of the bowlers getting the team out of trouble had caught up with them. They can't be expected to do it every week.

Campbelltown declared straight away and Gordon set about trying to set some sort of target. Looking for about 150 ' 160 from 22 overs was always going to be tough. Due to the flat pitch and the time taken to earn first innings points, a ten point match was almost impossible. On that wicket, any small chase was always going to favour the batting side. Gordon couldn't get enough of a target with enough overs to bowl Campbelltown out, and despite the disappointment of Tony Clarke, the game was called off. This game was highlighted by some very good bowling by Brendan MacDonald, supported as usual by Dylan Connell and some good spells from Rob Edwards. Iain Beverley had a very good all round game and Cam Eccles burst back into form in the second innings with some crunching straight drives and pulls.

This looks to be the end of the line for the first grade side. Only a miraculous result this week against cellar dwellers UNSW will see us progress to the finals. A very, very disappointing situation, given our dominance before Christmas. Unfortunately we haven't had enough consistent contributors this season. Too many relying on too few will not win you a flag

Matt Nicholson

Bombas supervises the 5th Grade warm-up: Not quite Merv Hughes & Bay 13

1st Grade bowlers to do the work... again 

The Gordon First Grade side travelled down the M5 for a must win encounter against the Ghosts. Recent weeks have seen their powerful position on the table eroded as the batsmen have squandered opportunities to shine.

Nicholson won the toss on a grassy and somewhat damp pitch. The decision was to bat first and try and get some sort of score on the board as our attempts to chase in recent times had been ordinary to say the least.

Packman, who fought hard and provided a backbone to the innings

Steve Colley, on debut and Cam Eccles went out to face the music. Both players fought hard on a tough wicket, it was fortunate for Gordon that the bowling was not particularly accurate in the opening exchanges.

It wasn't long before Colley was trapped LBW for two and Bombas followed shortly after, playing one on from veteran Tony Clark. Normal transmission had resumed and the Stags were 2-20. James Packman was asked to perform his weekly rescue mission along with Eccles, who was uncomfortable but fighting hard. The board was creeping along at one run per over and both players were hanging in there. A change of bowling saw Campbelltown's English import Gidman trap Eccles in front and once again it was Nicholson and Packman set with the task of rebuilding from 3-30. Both players applied themselves and batted selectively and positively to take the score to 3-58 at lunch. This continued after the break until the score was 103 when Nicho chopped one on from the spin of Burke. This wicket facilitated a collapse and as is so often the case the Gordon batting appeared soft and listless.

Before the captain had his pads off, Garrett and Evans had both been caught in front by Burke who had completed a hat-trick. Packman was soon gone as well for a hard fought 40, Burke had 4 and the Stags were in tatters at 7-109. MacDonald played his usual breezy knock which was cut short by teenage leg spinner Brain, this brought Beverley and Edwards together for a partnership that gave Gordon something to bowl at. Beverley combined hard sweeps with solid defence for a vital 35, while Rob showed his growing maturity with a patient 19 not out. The less said about Dylan's contribution with the bat the better. At the end of the innings the Stags had limped to 175 and once again it was down to the bowlers.

Nicholson - before he had the pads off

Nicholson and Dylan started well and the usual 2-10 was posted. A great catch from Bombas at first slip and an LBW had Gordon in the game. From there, John McKell showed the Gordon top order how to play on a seaming pitch. Controlled aggression, mixed with good technique and patience. Rob Edwards bowled with good aggression and to everyone's delight got rid of dangerman Burke just prior to sumps. With the Ghosts poised at 3-56, the game could go either way. One of the premier bowling attacks will try and prize out a very respectable and deep batting line up. The task: 7-120. We will need to take all our catches and play with enthusiasm throughout.

Beyond the first innings result, there could be a possibility of further points, given the Ghosts position on the table and the state of the pitch.

1st Grade vs. Blacktown, Feb 2009

The lads from the Stags premier side arrived at Chatswood Oval having dropped out of the top 6 for the first time in 08/09 season. With the club also in the mix for the club championship, it was imperative that a win was registered.

Nicholson charges in against the Warriors

The ground was in outstanding condition and the pitch looked pretty good considering the amount of rain it had received. Matt 'The Great Man' Nicholson won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Dylan 'D-Train' Connell and Jules 'Midnight' Stephenson opened up, with Jules claiming a wicket with his first ball back from injury. All the bowlers stuck to their task, bowling good lines and not allowing Blacktown any chance to hit out. The fielding was also of high standard, although special mention must be made of Rod 'Rocket' Hokin who provided all those watching with his own highlight reel. Rod, who had already taken 2 very handy grabs, was fielding at square leg, next to the umpire. The Blacktown batsman attempted a pull shot, off Nicho's bowling. Rod immediately turned towards the boundary and began to chase the ball, or so he thought. Rocket ended up three quarters of the way to boundary when the ball landed about 3 paces from where he had initially been standing. Enough said.

A storm hit the ground around 1pm, with Blacktown 6 for 80 at the time. Play did not recommence until 3:20, with the game revised to 42 overs per side. Blacktown was eventually dismissed for 130, with Brendan 'BMac' McDonald the pick of the bowlers.

There was another rain delay following the change of innings which left Gordon chasing a revised total of 120 off 38 overs.

Once again the batting struggled, chasing a small total, it crumbled to be 6 for 39. James Packman with the assistance of BMac did their best to dig the Stags out of the hole, but unfortunately the task was too great, with Gordon being bowled out in the 32^nd over for 101.

"BMac" - Dylan's pick of the bowlers, handy with the willow as well

With results falling our way, luckily we are still only 2 points out of the top 6. With the rest of grades winning their games and the club striving to win the club championship, it is time 1^st Grade stood up and show what they are truly made of!

It was a shame not to be able to farewell Will Smith with another rendition of the team song, and the next couple of round will be interesting with the young top order required to step up and build a platform for the club to launch its assault at numerous titles.

Dylan Connell

Gordon v Easts First Grade Day Two

36 runs or three wickets ' the equation was pretty simple at the start of day two.

Given the general nature of Sydney grade wickets (early wickets seem a formality) and conditions due to any lingering overnight moisture, it was always going to take something special to secure those priceless runs.

(Beau Casson...another wicket)

Given the fact that it was our lower order who were entrusted with the job, hard as they usually fight, it was to prove even tougher against a fresh bowling attack, and eventually would prove beyond them. Only a further eight runs were added, and while Ed Zelma did the damage last week, this time it was his new ball partner Ritchard who took all three wickets to fall.

There was an upshot to losing so early on the second morning ' there was still plenty of time for a spirited fightback in the hope of securing outright victory.

On a wicket that ended up being expectedly flat come the middle session, early wickets were a necessity, in larger quantities than usually come about. We got three (3/32 ' I'm sure 80% of grade innings see this scoreline) before a decent partnership ensued. And as the heat and the pitch stifled a willing Stags attack, Easts progressed to 4/131 just before tea. It was looking like the inevitable handshakes would be done with early. That is not accounting for the resilience which this side possesses with the ball and in the field. Three quick wickets and a tea-time score of  7/138 set up a potentially intriguing last session ' tea was taken upon the seventh wicket and completion of Easts' number seven's pair. Just ask the poor guy whether Beau is due a stint in higher level games ' six balls faced, four of them from Beau, none of which were read correctly, and two of which claimed his wicket.

Unfortunately, Easts' lower order managed to bat long enough to ensure no outright result was possible. 13 overs were left in the day when they were bowled out for 196, leaving the Stags 223 runs adrift.

(Brendan McDonald during his three wicket spell) 

If only Beau (75 off 44 balls) had told me he was going for them ' if I (29 off 40 balls) had pulled my finger out then we may have got close... Nonetheless it was great striking from Buzz and a chanceless (!!?) innings to boot. It capped another good day for Beau (3/90 off 27 overs), as he again bowled probingly and with slightly more help from the surface, could have engineered an unlikely outright win. Brendan (3/55 off 22 overs) bowled beautifully also, and like Beau, I'm sure he would have appreciated a drier track.

It is now the pointy end of the season, and a meagre six points separates second place and us in seventh. Two wins out of the last three games, and a finals spot should be all but secured. There is no questioning the resilience, skill and quality of our bowling and fielding efforts. Now is the time for the batting to come good ' with more calm and more steel. The fickle nature of the game and of people means that a couple of brave and positive efforts now, and the struggles of the recent past will all be forgotten.

Gordon First Grade v Easts ' Day One

Those spectators who could have been forgiven for leaving this game at afternoon tea, will not have believed their eyes when they saw the scoreline in the morning's paper, following a chaotic final session.

(Beau Casson in action during his 4 wickets)

Both teams contrived to lose winning positions, and also win losing ones. Maybe it was the heat that made everyone go slightly crazy. Either way, the final sessions saw ten wickets fall for nigh on 150 runs, scored at four per over. Three more wickets than the first two sessions combined, and 50 more runs too. The end result being a game that is well and truly still on a knife edge, be it for first innings points and outright.

Losing the toss was not ideal, as the wicket looked hard and true, (thus it seemed to play for most of the day), and the weather set fair. A perfect batting day. The Stags bowlers however had other ideas, and throughout an intriguing first two sessions, the ball firmly held sway over the bat. The wicket soon revealed itself to have accentuated bounce and carry, but the fact that it was not inconsistent might have suggested scoring would have been found easier than the Easts batters portrayed. The paltry scoring rate was down to a highly impressive and disciplined display, (as has been the norm), by every Gordon bowler.

A tea-time run-rate of under two per over, and the fall of seven Easts wickets looked a fair result, given both team's apparent intentions. It proved to be the calm before the storm. And for storm, read E.Zelma. The last three Easts wickets fell soon after tea, for 143, and due to a show of greater intent from their lower order.

(An early wicket is celebrated)

For all his apparent craziness and whatever misgivings there may be on his return to Chatswood, Eddy Zelma it seems can't be accused of being anything less than whole-hearted, and possessing no little skill in his bowling either. His 5 for 31 included four of the Stags top order, and he then took the prize wicket of Nicho late in the day, to break the biggest partnership of the game (66 with Rocket), and one which was hinting at winning the game. As ever with our batting this season, nothing has been plain-sailing. Apologies for praising an opposition player, but I feel it is case of credit where credit is due. And anyhow, given a similar Stags bowling effort and more assured batting come next week, then we may have cause to celebrate first innings points, and perhaps an outright win too...

On a mixed day for Gordon, two guys in particular can hold their heads deservedly high. Apart from  Nicho of course, who at nearly 2m tall does so anyway, plus he puts in match-winning performances week in, week out. He, as ever, was talismanic. Dylan, Robby Edwards and Macca were able support also.

But I feel Beau 'Buzz' Casson was without doubt the pick. For a guy who has had his fair share of ups and downs, through that shines his commitment and the ability to enjoy a team-mates success more than his own. Figures of 4 for 38 from 21 probing overs are perhaps a little under-done. He could have had more wickets, certainly had Easts batters intent been more apparent. He is accumulating menacing rhythm with every spell he bowls, and for his sake, one hopes he wont be with us much longer.

(Bevo shows his style at Chatswood)

Commitment and enjoyment of other's success are also a forte of Iain 'Beaver' Beverley. The guy undertakes a triathlon every time he takes the field, has not misjudged or fumbled a ball for weeks, and had his innings not been unluckily (!!) cut short on Saturday, I have no doubt Bev would be 30 not out going into next Saturday. His efforts should never go unappreciated.

Without wishing to sound glib, there were many positives to take from a performance otherwise marked by underwhelming batting.

Will Smith

First Grade Report vs Northern Districts

On a very hot Saturday morning 1sts found themselves travelling to Waitara Oval and very keen to get back on winning ways after a disappointing couple of loses. This match sees Raging Rocket and Bevo return to a much familiar ground. With the heat reaching high thirties at 9 in the morning the obvious inclination was to throw the pads on and bat.

(Nicho during his innings at Waitara)

Nicho kindly won the toss and with a quick pep up for the top order to fire we were ready to post a big score. Will and Cam went about there business and worked there way through the new ball. After bringing up the first wicket partnership to 50 Jiggy (19) hit a catch to short cover and Cam (31) fell 1^st ball after the 2^nd drinks break to leave us 2-56 and needing a partnership.

Unfortunately it didn't come and we lost Packers (8), Bomba (11) and Rocket(1) for less than 30 to have us looking down the barrel at 5-82. Nicho joined Buzz at the crease and went about starting a middle order partnership. With every over with no wicket the ND players were noticeably getting frustrated and with the searing heat their concentration was reducing. Beau(28) was the next to leave edging one to the keeper and Macca(8) pushed one to first slip and we were back on the ropes at 7-137 and ND's with there tails up could sense that they could be batting soon after tea.

However Nicho and Bev had other plans with some brilliant batting and great temperament Bev and Nic's batted well after tea. The innings included some superb cover drives from Nicho's blade and Bevo the sweeping master showed that no spin bowler is safe when he is on strike.

(Bevo, Australia's number 1 sweeper)

Nicho brought up his half century and was far from finished. Their partnership was edging closer to 100 but on 99 Nicho fell for 76. Jules and Bev continued to tick the scoreboard over and Bevo brought up his 2^nd first grade half century. Soon after he fell for 54. Jules was joined by Darren McConnell at the crease and sensing that the Tree's were getting tired went about smashing 30 including 7 boundaries.

At 9 for 278 stumps was called with a hefty total reached.

The second day was looking very bright for us as there was a change overnight and instead of temps of 40+ it was back down in the twenties. Dylan and Jules continued on from last night and added six more to the total before Jules nicked one behind and D-train wondering what could have been at the other end.

With 284 on the board the boys were sure with our bowling attack that it was enough we just needed to take every chance that comes our way. Backing up after spending most of Saturday in the sun Nicho got the first, with a good catch from Reece, and third break through and with Beau getting the other we had ND's 3-45 and well and truly on top. After lunch we continued our enthusiasm with the ball and the field saving runs all over the field and bowling very tight. This led to a few more wickets one for Macca, Buzzy and Dylan to have them 6-102. The talk was to have them dismissed before or just after tea and it looked that way at 8-144 with Jules and B Mac picking up more wickets.

However there number 5 bat was still working away and having reached 50 just needed someone to hang around with him. The next partnership lasted a little over an hour and added 64 to the total. With Mac taking his 3^rd wicket we were edging very close to victory so the paceman were brought back on to take the last wicket.

(The slips are ready for the new ball)

However their number 11, although not looking convincing at all and a few comments such as 'when did Matt play Test cricket' and 'gees this is quick' didn't give his wicket away and was determined to get his partner to 100. On 98 Ball ran the ball down to Dylan at fine leg and set off very hard determined to get his hundred. Coming back for his second dyl ripped it into Bevo's gloves and with shouts of 'bowler' he twirled around and flinged it at the stumps and ran out the non striker for 0 and leaving Ball on 99*. A very good victory by the mighty stags.

Cameron Eccles

1st Grade vs. North Sydney

The lads from the Stags premier side were to resume hostilities after the Xmas break at one of Sydney's finest cricket venues, North Sydney Oval. Reinvigorated after two weeks of relaxation and festive season indulgence, the boys looked fit and raring to go.

Julian "Midnight" Stephenson in action against the Bears

Cricket is one of the few sports around the world where the result can at times hinge on the toss of the coin prior to the start play. Unfortunately this was scenario that presented itself to the North Sydney and Gordon captains, as the pitch appeared to have also had an extended break over Xmas and New Year. The playing surface was green, soft and cracked, a combination the defies all logic considering that pitch cracking is due to heat and a lack moisture, yet it was soft and green which normally means there is ample moisture. The science boffins would do well to study this freak of nature.

Nicholson lost the toss and Gordon was sent into to bat.

The entire Stags batting line up fought extremely hard not to give their wickets away, yet despite their intentions, the pitch at times was unplayable. The bounce was inconsistent and the ball seamed and turned at right angles. Nicho's dismissal was probably the best example of the variability as he was out LBW to ball that landed half way down the wicket and then proceeded to strike him on the ankle.  Bomber fought hard for 38 before being bowled by a ball that pitched on leg and clipped the top of the off bail. The Stags dismissed for 159 after 66 overs.

Early wickets would be they key for the Stags bowlers; however the North Sydney openers rode their luck, surviving the opening spells. Bowling changes were made which saw Rob 'the youth' Edwards claim his maiden 1^st grade wicket, whilst 'Midnight' Stephenson worked over the other opener, before he edged a ball and was well caught. At stumps North Sydney were 2 for 55.

Day 2 saw the pitch improve slightly which would only further aid the home team. The Gordon attack all bowled good lines and lengths, constantly troubling the North Sydney batsmen.  When the 7^th wicket fell on 144, the Stags had a sniff, but some lusty hitting from the North Sydney number 9 saw them pass the required total. The remaining wickets were taken fairly quickly, the final score 172. With Beau 'Buzz' Casson finishing with 4 for 57.

With just under 50 overs left in the day and nothing to lose, the Stags set about chasing quick runs, with the aim of setting North Sydney a total to chase. Will 'Jiggy' Smith scoring the only half century of the match with 58 runs off 48 balls. The innings declared closed at 7 for 138. The opposition would require 126 runs to win off 23 overs.

It's good to see "Buzz" Casson back on the field

The 23 overs turned into a blur, wickets were taken, run outs executed, balls dropped and caught, boundaries hit and sixes smashed. With 2 overs to go, North Sydney required 9 runs with 4 wickets in hand. D-Train (3-21 off 5) bowled the 22^nd over and Midnight (2-26 off 8) the 23^rd, both doing a fine job in restricting the runs whilst trying to take wickets. The match finished with the score at 8 for 123, both sides having gone within a whisker of an outright victory. But unfortunately the Stags had been defeated on 1^st innings. In the match 592 runs had been scored for the loss of 35 wickets.

There is little doubt that on a level or maybe a less uneven playing field the Gordon boys would have been victorious. It is one of the few times when a team has lost that they could honestly say they played better cricket than the opposition. Although disappointed with losing, there is so much that can be taken away from the contest.

 Dylan Connell

1st Grade Report v Manly

After a deluge of rain on Friday and overnight it was a testament to the ground-staff and Gordon volunteers that play began only 2 hours late. The Stags were inserted on a wicket which offered the bowlers plenty of side-ways movement. The Gordon top order resisted well before wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Eccles made a valuable 34 before Nicholson (38 not out off 33 balls) showed good intent in the final overs to push the score up to a competitive 7 for 191 off 49 overs.

The boys celebrate Chad's first pole

In reply Manly struggled early against a formidable attack. Nicholson twice induced an edge to Beverley before Connell struck to remove the dangerous Cruickshank for just 4. The ball was then given to Chad Soper, the fourth youngest debutant in the history of the Club, who announced his arrival with a wicket in his first over. The Sea-Eagles were reeling at 4 for 33.

From here the Stags took the foot of the gas and some poor fielding and missed opportunities saw the visitors mount a fightback. A superb three over spell from the captain built pressure and resulted in a crucial wicket to break a dangerous partnership. Meanwhile Casson was deceiving with expert flight and guile. His subtle variation reminded some of Peter McDonald at his best. Despite beating the bat on a number of occasions luck seemed to elude him.

The young gun in action for 1st Grade

With 71 runs needed of the last 14 overs with 5 wickets in hand Will Smith threw down the stumps for a crucial run-out. The captain then showed faith in our 17 year old debutant. Two dot balls followed before another run-out (Brendan 'BMac' McDonald's 1stfor the season'Player of the Year points here we come) and then the wicket of Cleary for 57 next ball. Another couple of wickets followed shortly after before a last wicket partnership created a few nerves in the camp. When Packman under-armed for a direct hit run-out the Stags were home by 21 runs.

Behind the stumps Beverley was superb. 5 catches and an outstanding stumping off Casson was just reward for his efforts all season. Overall though, it was a very average performance from our team. All batsmen made starts but we once again failed to convert them into match winning scores. Our fielding was poor with a number of opportunities missed. The 'enthusiometer' was disappointingly low throughout the match. We all have a lot to work on at the training paddock this week.

It's great to see Buzz Casson back in the fray

Good sides however win matches when they don't play well. With tougher matches to come as we close in on the business end of the season we need to start playing with more intent and dominance. It is an exciting prospect for players and supporters that the team currently sitting 2ndin the competition has such substantial room for improvement. We all look forward to seeing this team at its peak.

Rocket

First Grade report vs Parramatta at Old Kings  

As the clock hit 10am, the boys found ourselves in Merrylands with the Parra boys instead of in bed with our girlfriends! Match referee Marcus carefully watched as 'Great man Ghandi' Nicholson won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that looked as though it had 240 plus in it. Cam 'I must sit on my girlfriends lap at all times' Eccles and Wilbur 'bowl me a full toss and I'll SeeYouLater!' Smith were cautious early to good a first 10 from Parra.

(Brendan "why use two hands" McDonald improvises)

Reece 'My hair is a vert ramp' Bombas arrived when Cam cut one to the keeper and looked good until he too was out cutting. James ' Can you paint my house after work?' Packman came and went and when Rodney 'I have a dog whistle for a voice box' Hokin was out in a period of cricket impersonating the collamity of 60's Country and Western, we were in strife at 4 for 115.

Ben 'Agassi' Garratt came in and forehanded a few beauties whilst Wilbur compiled his neat 50 at the other end before falling victim to yet another fully on 65. Both Benny and 'Ghandi' Nicholson fell trying to up the rate for team, and when B 'I can't speak German' Mac fell for 21 it was up to our trusty quicks to continue their onslaught from the day before. This was not to be and our innings terminated on 182, some 40 or so short of par.
 
The bowlers spoke of having to come hard at this young Parra line up and when Dylan '........' Connell snicked off the opener with a peach, signs were ominous. 'SeeYouLater' Smith's off spin was introduced early with great effect as he soon had the other threatening opener LBW, and then brought our new friend into the game due to a neat stumping off Iain 'I don't work yet am always too busy to do the covers' Beverley.

(Will Smith proves to Tiddles how he actually does flight the ball)

This brought danger man Wood to the crease, the key to Parra's line up for some years now. Julian ' Upside down Head' Stephenson stormed in and cut one back to dismiss him LBW for one, leaving them 4 - 56. BMac then drifted one in to bowl their No 6, and Nicholson claimed his first of two in a timely spell to dismiss thier captain with a catch that met all 1 million strict criteria needed for Packers to catch one!!!!!!!!

Nicholson then bowled a ball that went off the HawkEye radar before gently kissing the No 9 on the toe, brilliantly decieving him with a slower ball for 0. Whispers of 8 points were rife..... Julian then opted for a more 'unorthodox' method in taking a great catch to dismiss the hard hitting keeper, and when a BMac quicker one bowled Jackson for 4 it was locked and loaded. 8 points. 14 for the weekend. WE'RE BACK!!! 
 
After only 7 days since 'black Sunday' the boys showed the character of a team hardened by a Grand Final loss to dispell any thoughts that we are not the real deal this year. With only two games till Christmas the training and enthusiasm is far from fading.

(Jules Stephenson and Brendan celebrate his unorthodox catch. Jules must have caught it in his pocket)

It was great to be able to sing the song twice in a couple of days, and singing it with so many of the old boys on the Sat (including Gerry Elkan, the great man that penned our song) was an experience not lost on the boys in a team very proud of a strong tradition at our great club.

Brendan McDonald

*Webmasters Note

Having now been asked on two previous occasions (strangely enough both at Bankstown Oval) to act as the First Grade team manager I always wondered what it is that the manager does. On my last assignment as manager at Bankstown earlier this year when long time manager Ian Packman was ill, I had to go past their home and collect the bag from Gilly.

Upon reaching the ground and wondering what was inside I found:

Two packets of snakes (three weeks past used by date) an empty sun cream tube, five empty packets of dressing tape, one pair of scissors still in its packet, an empty water bottle, two packets of 2002 chewing gum, one packet of Nurofen Plus, one packet of codiene, one packet of panadol, three loose aspros, an empty tube of dencorub, a spare sun hat flat in the bottom of the bag and three 200 over cricket balls.

Having completed the day still unsure what the manager does, I thought I would investigate further at Old Kings last Sunday.

Now I know what he does all day:

1st Grade suffer a heavy defeat  

It was with great confidence after Saturday's play that we headed to Rosedale Oval to face Fairfield Liverpool in a one-day game. Word had it there State players were available. Beau Casson was the captain for the day as Nicholson was unavailable for personal reasons.

Will Smith sends one down - in sunnies

We lost the toss, so into the field we were sent. Lambert and Liddell opened with a steady partnership before Dylan struck to dismiss Lambert. Enter Rohrer with Liddell, they both scored 70's to setup their score. Sensible batting and good running between wickets set up an imposing target on a tough wicket. We were to be set 5 for 246 by the hosts.

Lunch was had as it was Fairfield Liverpool Sponsors day.

So, as we left the dressing room, we were quietly confident we could chase down the total, even without our captain who injured himself and had to leave the game to have stitches in his injured hand.

Well to say things didn't go to plan was an understatement.

Lambert opened the bowling with a devastating spell to have us reeling at 4 for 17. Cameron Eccles first followed by Will Smith then Reece Bombas and Rod Hokin.

Packman (24) and McDonald (15) showed some resistance but they finally dismissed us for 61.

Unfortunately it was an embarrassing result for us and hopefully this will battle harden us for our future games. It was a day where nothing went right for us and I hope we realise that it takes a lot of hard work for the rest of the season to make sure that it is successful.

Let's make sure we have 2 wins from 2 games over the weekend.

Reece (Bomber) Bombas

What happened?

There has been silence from everyone in writing as report about the first grade one day match against Fairfield last Sunday, but to maintain our standards there should be an explanation.

Cricket is a funny game'.and importantly it is a game. Things seem to conspire against us for this match and everyone is keen to move on.

(Will Smith during his 1 for 25 on Sunday)

It started with Matt Nicholson and his wife Nat being confronted with every parent's nightmare, a very sick little son Jett in intensive care. Cricket is only a game and the Gordon Club is a family. Matt would be by his son's side and Beau Casson would take over the captaincy with Matt Michael coming in. Beau lost the toss and we knew that was important as the wicket would get slower and lower as the day wore on and scoring would be very difficult.

Fairfield batted and batted well. We bowled good lines outside off stump and balls kept low, however their experience on their wicket showed and they ran very well. Then Beau tried to intercept a missile coming back at him and after frantic calls to the NSW Physio, Beau was off to have 4 stitches in a cut across the webbing of his thumb and first finger on his bowling hand. He was due to fly out the next day to play against Tasmania in Hobart. 246 runs was the end result and we would need to bat well without our captain and top 6 batsman.

Enter Grant Lambert, nominated by Sam Buono as the best allround cricketer in Sydney for many years. A big call but who would argue wth Salvatore Buono.

Grant coming from a higher delivery point than our bowlers and bowling straight on a wicket that by now was very variable in pace and height and as Grant said in his response to a journalist from the Sydney Morning Herald. 'It wasn't a good cricket wicket and things just went my way'.

Grant is very humble and sure things did go his way but he knew how to use the wicket and bowled very straight and fast. Soon we had stumps falling over and pads in the way of his direct deliveries and four of our top order were in the pavilion for almost single figures. Matt Michael was then run out with a throw that was well wide of the stumps and was literally deflected onto them by Grant in his follow through. It was certainly his day. Surprisingly after 6 overs Grant was given a rest. However Fairfield captain Tony Clarke obviously knew better.

(Brendan McDonald on Sunday)

Iain Beverly came in at 7 and hit a drive in the air that looked like it was through the covers. An outstretched arm appeared and a magnificent diving catch was made to dismiss him. Did I say who caught it? Yes it was Grant Lambert.

Brendan McDonald then joined James Packman who was holding up his end and they put on a few runs to give hope of a score of maybe around 100 or even avoiding one of the bonus points at 123.

Unfortunately James was taken in the gully and after Jules was caught at slip it was left to Brendan and Dylan Connell to see out the match as Beau was away getting his stitches. It was time to bring back Grant so he could get 5 wickets.

Brendan slashed a cut and another smart catch was taken in the gully. Grant had 5 for 6 off 7 and we were all out for 61. Maybe Salvatore is right.

A quick call was made to Graham King and'phew' we had scored 54 against Bankstown previously in a one dayer and there were four or five other first grade scores less then this including a 40 in a first grade final in Dick Guy's time. That was only cold comfort as the team packed their bags and left for home in a sombre mood.

 (Bevo about to stump a Fairfield batsman off Brendan McDonald)

It is pointless to say anything other than we were comprehensively beaten on the day by a better side, but as they say, there is always next week and the team will look forward to another opportunity against this very good side. Hopefully in the semi finals'at Chatswood.

A thank you also to the Fairfield players who were very humble in victory and to the club's administrators who put on a sponsor day at Rosedale and kindly provided lunch for our team and supporters.

And the good news.. Jett Nicholson is now out of intensive care and on the improve. That's what everyone wanted to here.  

The Webmaster

P.S. Grant Lambert finished with 0 for 40 off 8 overs in Tasmania's second innings in Hobart with 5 wides. Cricket is a funny game.

First Grade Match Report ' Penrith Day Two

When seven batsmen get to double figures chasing a respectable but imminently 'getable' target of 264, you might be expected to win the game fairly comfortably.

(Nicho collects four through point)

This however was not the case. Firstly, seven batsmen shouldn't have been needed, let alone have the chance to reach double figures, and secondly, the fact that the highest score was the captain's unbeaten 63, combined to allow this crucial game against one of our closest pursuers, Penrith, to slip through our fingers.

It will be a great test of this team's resolve and individual's own sense of responsibility when it comes to winning matches, as to how we learn the lessons of this loss. Both were lacking in the chase and from here on in match-winning efforts with the bat need to be summoned up. Precious little is technically wrong, what needs to be worked on now is the mental process of scoring big runs and taking games by the scruff of the neck. It is hard graft and Nixon's effort, while gallant as ever, would not ideally be necessary.

The day started badly as we lost Cam Eccles to useful left-armer Lalor's very first ball. On a flat and dry wicket, (again great credit to Glen for preparing a belter), Reece and myself set about compiling the biggest partnership of the game to take the score beyond 100. Partnerships are crucial to reeling in targets such as this, and this really should have been turned into a match-winning one. Reece and I both fell to innocuous deliveries from Penrith's spinners and at 3 for 124 at lunch, the game was evenly balanced.

(Will Smith)

To lose Jammer, given the great touch he is in, so soon after lunch was a big body blow. Nicho and Nicho Jr. (Rocket) then wrestled the advantage back towards the Stags with a fighting partnership for the fifth wicket. Again just at the wrong point, a wicket was lost, emphasizing the need for greater recognition of crucial match situations.

The match swayed firmly towards the visitors, after a handy spell of reverse-swing bowling from McNamara had left us 8 for 214, and it was only a spirited partnership between the skipper and Jules that got us close. Any proximity to their score, while it gave us hope, only masks a poor batting effort. All out for 255 on such a good deck was below standard.

On the whole it was a disappointing day for a side who are, on paper, one of the most talented in the competition. Cricket is not played on paper however, and how quickly we learn from this and start consistently getting hundreds as a batting unit, will determine how far this team can go. Every one of the top four is capable of scoring really big. Cam and Reese are two excitingly talented young batsmen and have shown exactly what they can do at various points this season.

(Reece Bombas)

Jammer and I are experienced cricketers now, and much more influential innings' are required. We have both shown in the past, and for this side to prosper, will have to show it at vital times for the remainder of this season. With Rocket and Nicho (and Beau to come back in when available) following that, the middle has a solid look about it.

The challenge is now to put this disappointment to one side, not forget about it, but move on as a group. The next two weekends have cricket on both days, and are an ideal chance to prepare for the mental challenges that winning games of cricket involve. Next Saturday can't come quick enough.

Will Smith

First Grade Match Report ' Penrith Day One

After a dry and hot week (perfect beach weather for some'!) had allowed Glen the Groundo to produce a hard and true wicket, coupled with a Friday night storm and showery start to the morning, skipper Nixon had a choice to make at the toss.

(Who is the tallest? Brendan, Nicho or Reece)

Conditions were conducive for pace bowling ' cloudy and damp. Such weather never fails to prompt people to point out that it must make me feel at home. Yes I'm English, yes we have clouds, yes it rains a lot. Get over it!

Upon winning the toss Nicho chose to insert Penrith in the hope of using the bowler-friendly conditions to blast out their top order. Ably assisted by Marcus the match referee, who ensured there was no skullduggery, and whose debut in the whites is surely creeping ever closer, this looked a good decision.

It looked a great decision when the captain's loosener clipped the edge and found itself nestled somewhere in Rocket's lower abdominal/crotch area at third slip. Knowing Rocket, he would probably claim it was a new catching technique, but for the rest of us it produced one of the longest, most uncomfortable silences on a cricket field.

(Brendan McDonald, Jules Stephenson and Rob Edwards on Saturday) 

Thereafter some disciplined bowling from the Stags seamers was met with equally disciplined batting. Robby 'Youff' Edwards started his spell brightly and on another day would have had his maiden first grade wicket. Unfortunately he was cut short due to a recurrence of a hamstring injury, but once fit again it will surely not be long before he picks up a hatful. He is due a change in luck. Left with two balls of the over to bowl after Robby's injury, Nicho performed his trick of picking up another wicket with a loosener.

Robby's misfortune brought about the need for a 12^th man to field. I could see Marcus' eyes light up and just as he began to pull on Jammer's spare whites and my batting spikes, than Macca's 'Pommie mate' had snatched them from under his eyes. I refer to him as 'Pommie mate' as that's all Macca had introduced him as. We are people too you know'

(Macca's Pommie mate...)

I soon found out his name was Matt and hope that in future we all address him by his real name ' Matt 'Ting Ting'. Thanks for your efforts Matt ' not since Gary Pratt running out Ricky Ponting have I seen such an assured effort from a fielding 12^th man.

Meanwhile at the other end the Penrith number three was playing and missing exquisitely at Juli-Hahn's swinging deliveries, one of which was too good for the left-handed number four, as he exhibited perfectly one of the two types of leave ' a bad one as opposed to a good one. That made it 3 for 65 and Gordon had a sniff.

The fourth wicket pair played watchfully and progressed the score to 3 for 130 with the biggest partnership of the innings. Things soon changed however, with the introduction of Brendan 'Baby Blue' McDonald. He claimed two wickets in two balls thanks to an LBW decision and a neat leg-side stumping from Iain 'The Enthusiast' Beverley. Though I feel Bevo should count himself lucky to even be playing, following a disgraceful outburst in the Twenty20 game against Sydney Uni last Sunday. In my opinion it was worth at least a two game suspension. He may have a nice guy image, but deep down there's a vicious, swearing, fighting larrikin itching to get out. I suggest anger management.