Needing 6 points and a miracle result in the match between Easts and Saints, we travelled to the picturesque North Sydney Oval knowing the odds were against us. Mind you, not only were the odds against us, but our coach also decided to put down the lamington for another season and pick up the pork pie. Marcos was still fist pumping at Wharf Bar after a big win against the $1.90 favourite Tigers and Greg Lewis was spotted at Anytime Fitness North Sydney 8:55am queuing for a bench.

Chad Soper charges in against the Bears 

Even without the presence of the coach and Marcos, Packers won the toss and choose to bat second. Dan Smith jumped early out of the cage and opened the "Stag" attack on a track which proved a little slow. Smithy shaped the ball around nicely, reinforcing the hard work he has put in at training this season is finally paying off. Unfortunately the ball seemed to be shaping into the middle of the bat.

Up the hill, our leader decided to hand (via the wrist) Chad Soper an opportunity. Soper (1-14) responded and was sensational. 

From the outset, Chad worked the 2 opening sticks over by bowling "back of a length" and gave them little chance to score. 

Dan Smith keeps tall as he delivers a great spell 

Chad bowled 7 straight! A sign that he is constantly finding out more about "his own game" as a bowler and being able to execute his own "plans" as a cricketer.

James Campbell, "The Real McCoy" replaced Smithy and settled in for the long haul, 10 overs straight. Very English, keeper up, "ring field" etc... JC put the brakes on the scoring and allowed Chad to attack from the other end.

Fortunately it was not as "English" as what Harry Evans is about to experience in the UK. The changes will be, Harold will not have to help with the covers because there are none. Harry will be opening the bowling with an abbreviated run up, (which means shorter than the one at the moment Reece because he will be required to bowl 24 straight from the one end, they play 48 overs). The keeper will be standing up although in exchange for gloves, he will be wearing his 9 to 5 welding mits from the village barn and batting pads as patella protectors. The captain's grandson will be setting Harry's field, due to the fact "pop" can't see anymore and the regular skipper had the week off to watch the away game at Oldham.

The bad news is the opposition only have 10, so "pops" grandson Jonny (who already has bun in the oven) puts his hand up to play for them. 12 year old, little Jonny hands his Burberry cap to the umpire, steams in with the new rock, bowling 70km/hr seam up. Harry's conscience will get the better of him and probably miss a straight one on purpose and proceed to consume 17 pints at tea whilst fighting off Jonny's Mrs and her plans to migrate to Australia with him and start a family.

I must interrupt to announce that JC is a specialist at his craft which is deceiving batsman. This reminder takes me back to a 2 day game v Manly at Manly Oval, 2009. JC deceived the manly skipper by a perfectly pitched delivery that swung back through the gate collecting the top of middle stump. I know its a little off the topic and a terribly vague example, however this manly player was good. You just have to ask him. So good that the following season he got out twice in a day against the Stags.

James Campbell continues to trouble batsmen with his big swingers 

Back to it, from overs 3 to 10, JC was superb. I believe he missed his length only once and created a pressure environment which was hard to score. Enter the giant, Scott Heaney. Scotty would be the first to admit he was not "on" in his opening spell. What impressed me the most is the way he returned. "Heans" sets incredibly high standards for himself, so it was really pleasing to watch him fight to get it right.

Special mention must go to Dan Smith (3/40) for the unusual dismissal of one of the North Sydney openers. Unbelievably the ball was "kicked" twice by the batsman and given out as caught at cover. Very peculiar and apparently the pitch was responsible....I guess you had to be there.

At 1/100, things were not going to plan. However we did manage to turn things around. Similar to Heans, Smithy returned with more discipline like the true "champion" greyhound he is. Smithy displayed good determination by bowling to plan and executing.

To be honest, the turning point to our session in the field was the introduction of Lewis and Evans. So often this season, these two have been called upon to work in tandem, affectionately known as "Chest" and "Abs". Harry pranced in off the long run, stood the seam up and planted the ball on a length. Having the best seat in the house, I can vouch for Harold, he bowls a heavy ball and makes it "talk" off the wicket. For about the fourth game in a row, Harry was complimented by the opposition batsman post delivery about how good he is bowling. 4 weeks ago Nathan Hauritz was offering his bat to the in field with a remark, "you have a go".

The highlight, or should I say highlights was Lewis picking up a pair of brothers. Both remarkable deliveries. I say remarkable because they both turned. Straight out of the palm, both deliveries pitched outside off stump and hit the top of leg stump. Had we not removed the brothers we were looking at 250 plus. In the end, we managed to restrict the total to 203.

After no lunch and a break, the two openers Eccles and Lewis set out on mission. Cameron looked comfortable on the back foot from the outset, punching Bills back down the wicket and launched Campbell into the stands as a contender for pull shot of the year. Unfortunately X missed a straight one shortly after....it was very straight.

Greg Lewis, also contender for "palm/pull" shot of the year, started in a positive fashion, piercing the field through the off side with some classic "fingerless" drives. Lewy and Reece Bombas looked in control. Having hit one of the best on drives this season, Reece followed Cam's lead and also missed a straight delivery, although chose not to kick the ball a second time before walking off.

Lewis continued to chip away at the score with young Harold. Harry entered the realm at a difficult stage of the game, we were slipping behind the run rate, could not afford to loose another wicket and he needed to get going from the outset.

Part-time specialist, Harry Evans, keeps his side in the hunt 

The chase feel in a heap when we lost Lewy (40). The momentum was gone, we were behind the rate and for the new batters the wicket proved hard to "get in". Steve Colley did his best, as usual, but fell victim to ever increasing pressure of the scoring rate. We lost our middle order in quick succession. The fight back came from Evans (59) and Soper which is something that would make our coach very proud. The feeling from the sideline was that we were always going down, however Evans and Soper put up a fight. Harry was brilliant and gave the side constant hope. Chad (30) played a crucial support role and in the end we got fairly close to the total, falling 8 runs short! So really, not that far off the rate in the end. Our chase lacked structure and we panicked at crucial stages of the innings. Or if you want to look at it like "the ger", we bowled 14 wides, they bowled 2!

Special mention must go to the manager. The service was fantastic and I think a few players have become accustomed to the constant pampering. Although I blame the former manager, Ian Packman for setting a high standard.

Another big thank you to the angry man that sits, observes us under a lens and tells us to be the best we can. This group cannot thank you enough for the time and preparation you put in each week to allow us to be the best we can be. See you shortly. And finally, to the absent Marcos. We love you regardless of whether you are "busy" or not. Up the eagles!

Bevo

After a disappointing loss to Parramatta last week the First Grade side needed an outright against Mosman to keep their finals chances alive.

James Packman lost the toss, which did not matter as Mosman decided to bat, and we were more than happy to bowl in our bid for an outright. Dan Smith did not disappoint with two wickets in his first two overs both caught James Packman, where he continued to take five for the innings - the most Sam Bunno has ever seen. Reece Bombas claims he has taken 5 in a PG’s game, but we have our doubts.

Dan Smith in action

Constant pressure from all the bowlers had the Mosman bats in all sorts struggling to score and survive. A good aggressive spell from Scott Heaney, with minimal balls in the batsmen’s half earned himself two wickets both caught behind the wicket. Julian Stephenson continued to plow away giving Mosman nothing to hit except when he was persuaded by the mastermind of the 1st Grade team, Reece Bombas, to bowl a bouncer - the only ball which sailed with plenty of conviction to the boundary. After that he went back to the game plan of 4th stump and picked up 4 wickets all behind the stumps. An excellent display of good tight, aggressive bowling and catching meant Mosman were bowled out for 129. It would have been 125 if Jules hadn’t listened to Reece.

The game plan was simple when we went into bat get the runs and have a bowl before stumps.

We got off to a steady start with Reece Bombas and Greg Lewis getting to tea.

Jules celebrating another wicket!

After tea we saw Greg Lewis expanding his “V” and playing shots all round the ground even a pull shot over midwicket. Just ask him about it on Tuesday. Reece hit the ball hard down the ground especially of the spinners, using his feet superbly, just like he does in the nets. He continued to thump the ball to the fence with the world’s worst bat in grade cricket. Unfortunately with a few runs to get Reece Bombas was dismissed.

We got the runs and added a few for the road, before James Packman was forced to declare when Harry Evans rolled his ankle. James Packman brought the boys in leaving 11 overs at them before stumps. Has to be said excellent palming by Greg Lewis on a superb 78 not out. 

Although we didn’t bowl to our best and were a little bit greedy searching for wickets we were able to snare two vital wickets one From Dan Smith caught Iain Beverley down the legside and Scott Heaney caught Iain Beverly.

Today was a great day to be part of the Gordon 1st grade side. We showed excellent fight by all the boys with our season on the line and achieved everything we set out to achieve. Hopefully we can back it up next week and come away with 10 points.

Steve ‘Buck’ Colley

The slip cordon waiting for another James Packman catch

Parramatta: In a must win game for the top grade we arrived at Old Kings kitted out in the traditional creams.

Pre match: Scott Heaney was an early arrival at the ground, no doubt looking to finally meet our beloved Marcos even though Marcos rates Heans as our number one. This cannot be explained as only two weeks ago it was alleged that Scotty was asking a fellow team mate "whats that Eagles supported doing here, is he lost?". And to think I was 8th "unbelievable". In complete contrast Harry Evans was late once again, every excuse was thrown at the captain; "M2 was terrible", "I hit a cyclist." All I can say is guilty. Too the trough.

Cam Eccles plays strongly through the off side 

Alright to the game: With the pitch looking particularly flat the skipper decided it was time we have a bat first after winning the toss. Unfortunately this must have taken the top order by surprise as we were quickly 3 for bugger all as Parkinson picked up Greg, Reece and Harry all caught behind. This brought Steve to the crease with a must needed partnership required. With some early shouts and close calls we were progressing along nicely as the score moved past 80. Unfortunately, Colley fell next to Wood who must have bowled his slightly straighter one and Steve chiped an easy catch back.

Packman and Smith fell cheaply and this brought Iain Beverley to the middle. Another partneship with Beverley and me of 80 before I was out for 70. The end of the innings was nigh and with some lusty swings of the willow from Chad, Jules and Marcos' mate saw our score get to 231. In hindsight the score was probably 80 odd runs short.

The Parramatta run chase got off to a good start as stumps were called and they were 0/50. Sunday required some excellent bowling and some luck to get the points on a pitch that seemed to get harder and flatter and the outfield becoming fasted after two days of 30+ days. 

Greg Lewis picks up the spinning duties for 1st Grade - taking two wickets in the match 

All the bowlers toiled for a wicket and it came from Jules, a perfectly pitched ball catching the outside edge for an easy catch to Bev. However that was one of too few highlights for the Stags as Parramatta inched closer to the target. Only some good bowling and sledging from Lewis brought a couple of wickets for our spinner. Parramatta eventually passed our score by tea on Sunday, just 4 down, with the only other wicket going to Harry Evans. 

Poor result on a tough weekend.

A good possitive is that kangaroo court is growing and very enjoyable even after a loss. What will Bomb be guilty of this week!

Too the trough.

Cam Eccles

Rocking up to Chatswood on Saturday thinking that we might not get on because of all the rain we had during the week, we sat around until 1. Then we got the call that we were playing at 2. The boys were pumped and ready to go. 

The Greyhound - Dan Smith - gets the Stags off to a great start 

Special mention to Iain Beverley who was organising his wedding apparently! 

We had won the toss and sent the Dogs in on a track that had a bit of life in it. Dan 'Greyhound' Smith started well with some early wickets from some consistent bowling, while James Kennedy bowled without luck. Then young Chad 'I don't wanna get 5-fa anymore, so I don't have to skull VB anymore' Soper was thrown the ball and without doubt came up with the goods snicking the Dogs batsman off! 

Before we new it we had them 5 for 30 odd. Scott Heaney from the other end toiled hard with some heavy rocks and got himself a well earned wicket. Young Chad was destroying the Dogs at this stage and wickets keep falling and the Bankstown were all out 76. Well done to the bowlers outstanding job. 

Now it was our turn to bat and Cam Eccles and Greg Lewis went about punishing the bowling attack and were off to a flyer the boys put on 39 before cam was out hooking. Reece came in looked to score quickly before he was out lbw with the score at 71. Harry was out in the same over. Steve Colley and Greg batted with good patience and got the score to 112 before Greg spooned one to cover. 

In walked night watchmen Iain Beverley and he and Steve saw us out to the end of the day with the score at 5 for 122.

Turning up on a nice sunny Sunday ready for a Day 2 battle against the Dogs, the boys were keen on getting more points from this game. Bevo and Col started patiently looked in control and wasn't long before Bankstown's head began to drop and runs started to flow. Steve played some quality shots to all parts of the ground which we haven't seen for awhile. Steve was out caught behind for a well made 49. Bevo continued on and looked solid for a bloke who has been worrying about how many guys he's going to invite to his wedding! 

We then lost wickets consistently and we were all out for 229. The boys were pretty confident that we could roll Bankstown again on a wicket that was starting to dry out by this stage. Wickets were hard to come but Dan continued he's perfect swing bowling picked up four wickets and we had Bankstown 4 for not much and we started to feel we could knock them off cheap again. However, two of the Bankstown boys knuckeld down and put on a hefty partnership. 

On came Harry 'repeat offender' evans and with his little medium pacers took a couple of wickets to give us a chance of maybe and outright. We toiled hard for the remaining wickets but the Dogs keep fighting, and at the end of the day we had Bankstown 9 for 290 and the game was called off. 

Well done boys very solid effort from us and where getting better every week. Keep fighting for each other! 

Bomma

Driving out to Campbelltown through quite a bit rain didn’t give me great hope for the cricket ahead but arrived at the ground to find not much rain about over Raby No 1. So after “the skip” Packman arrived late, but still getting stuck into Harry, and a short delay, the boys were ready to take on the “Ghosts”. The pitch looked like it was in good condition but a little slow so with that in mind James after winning the toss sent the Ghosts into bat.

Chad Soper on his way to 5 more wickets after his recall to 1st Grade

The openers got off to a solid start with 46 before Chad took a wicket in his first over. The runs were ticking over steadily until Chad again chimed in with 3 more wickets. Dan with 2 wickets, James with 1 wicket and Scott, who was unlucky not to take a wicket, all bowled very well and Harry & I helped out also with some tight bowling.

The bowling honours for the day went to Chad Soper with 5 for 44. The Ghosts finished up with 9 for 210. With the target set but, because of the slow wicket, not knowing how good a score on this ground it was, we had to bat sensibly and solidly.

Cam and I went out with a positive attitude to keep the scoreboard ticking over and to make sure we had wickets in hand at the end if they were needed. The Ghosts opening bowlers were quite tight and with the slowness of the wicket runs were not easy to get but we managed to be a hard fought 61 before Cam was out for solid 23.

Reece Bombas came to the crease and we knew that it important for us to continue building runs so our other batsmen could come in and be able to play their natural game. I was out next for 33 and Harry “always late” Evans came in and he and Reece took the score to 134 before he was out for a well made 32 which put us in a good position to win the match.

Reece continued on with Packers who pinch hit 21 off 17 and then Dan “Greyhound” Smith came in to finish off the match, hitting the winning runs, with 4 balls to spare. Reece finished with a good, patient innings of 69 not out.

Reece 'Bomber' Bombas demonstrates his maturity as he guides the side home

After the game there was a quality fines session with a few punishments handed out for previous offences!

Starting with JK receiving the packing of the kits for last week’s crime, then Packman drank 3 fingers of his beer for being late which he loved anyway and finally ‘Situation’ Lewis had to eat a meat pie for leaving early on Thursday night! This was a high carb and saturated fat punishment for the ‘situation’ which required a 5km run later that evening. It was a tight and exciting game and I believe the Stags worked really hard for this win, so let’s continue the good form against Penrith and Bankstown.

Greg Lewis

Breaking news. The Buck (Steve Colley) has a girlfriend. More details in later match reports as the rumours continue to filter through.

But first, what a game of CRICKET! We arrived at Cheeeeeeyatswood determined to get our season back on track. After losing the toss on a pitch with a nice covering of grass, we were sent in to bat.

The author, Dan Smith, brings the team back from 5/19

Although quite green, the pitch was also quite hard, so it was difficult to gauge how the deck would play and what a par score would be. Eccles and “déjà vu” Lewis both departed early, while Steve “I always get out the same way as Ponting” Colley and Harry “18.7” Evans had their stumps cleaned up off some good bowling by Philipson and Collymore. Reece “I almost got fired but…” Bombas’ hard work at training this week did not pay dividends as he too fell victim to the seaming ball.

At 5 for 19, things looked grim. James “Race 4, Number 7” and Dan “Number 7” Smith then tried to take the attack to the Blacktown bowlers. Packers was timing the ball perfectly, while Smithy took full advantage of the gap between 2nd slip and 3rd man. Lucky Guptill wasn’t playing. Packers was particularly dominant against the Blacktown spinners, with the highlight of his innings being a sweetly timed flat six over cover. The pair put on 129 runs for the 6th wicket to give the Stag’s bowlers something to defend.

Packers and Smithy then departed in consecutive overs for 64 and 61 respectively, and it was left to Iain “I’m putting speed-stipes in my hair. Makes you go faster” Beverley and the tail to progress the score towards 174. Special mention also goes to Scott Heaney who is still yet to be dismissed this season.

Young Chad Soper makes the most of his return to 1st Grade, taking 3 wickets

Things did not start well with the ball, as Brett Collison took down the Stags pace bowlers. At 0 for 50, we desperately needed a breakthrough. Packer’s sent square leg back to the boundary, and after one or two mean bumpers, Scott “keaney” Heaney clean bowled the other opening batsman who was stuck on the back foot.

However, it was the introduction of Chad “pumped up kicks” Soper that turned the match around. From ball one, Chad was right on the money and before long he snicked off the no. 3 batsman. Packers then reintroduced James “we found love in a hopeless place” Kennedy into the attack. Many eyes were on “contacts” Kennedy, and he didn’t disappoint, forcing Craig Philipson into a rash shot that was comfortably taken by Scott Heaney. Big wicket. Good song as well.

Wedding at Forester’s Beach Resort?

Chad continued his good work with the ball and was again rewarded with another wicket – through the gate, top of middle – not a bad rock. He was well backed up by 'Harold' Evans who picked up the prized scalp of Collison for 60 off just 55 balls. The next over, Steve Colley then ran out Hodges and Blacktown had lost 5 wickets for just 7 runs. What was more astonishing, however, was the celebration of Steve after the run out, who remained motionless next to the stumps with his hands towards the heavens, not too dissimilar to a Freddie Flintoff celebration.

A small partnership then followed, but it was once again Chad who made the breakthrough. Shortly after, Harold clean bowled Tony Clark. One would think that Harry was bowling with a 300g rock the way the ball crashed into the stumps, but I can assure you he just bowls a heavy ball. Chad finished with figures of 3 for 22 (8 overs) while Harry finished with a tidy 2 for 8 (4 overs). The tail was quickly cleaned up and Blacktown were bowled out for 110, 65 runs shy of victory.

A great performance from the Stags 1st XI after a disappointing game last Saturday. Also, a quick mention regarding the first-class fielding display of Greg Lewis, Steve Colley and Harry Evans who led from the front. After the game, the Gordon song was sung loud and proud. I can also confirm that Reece Bombas never did a match report for the Eastern Suburbs game. Boo-urns!

Get Fah You Bah!

Dan Smith

After a disappointing finish to 2011, the Stags 1st XI were keen to get back into CRICKET! and ambush the Hawks at our home ground. Our preparation going in to this match wasn’t the best, with a couple of average training sessions. James ‘win at all costs’ Packman lost the toss, and the Stags were sent in to bat on a pitch that would favour the bowlers early on. We were playing a 50 over match whilst the rest of the club (except for the Colts) were still in T20 mode.

Cam "Pinger" Eccles launches a ball into the far regions of Chatswood

Greg ‘kit off in summer, singlet in winter’ Lewis and Cam ‘reverse tail’ Eccles got the team off to a solid start, rotating the strike well and dispatching the bad ball to the boundary, with Lewis even pulling out his first pull shot in his cricketing career. Don’t bowl there.

However, with the loss of Lewis, Colley and Evans in relatively quick succession, a partnership was needed to turn the momentum. After grinding out the first hour, Cam started to find his feet at the crease and took to the Hawks bowlers. He was ably supported by Reece ‘I hate woodport’ Bombas at the other end, and together they shared in a crucial 95 run partnership before Bombas opted for a tactical change of bat and smoked the leather off the ball to the keeper for a well compiled 37 runs.

Enter James Packman. At his best, “Jamma” makes batting look easy. After smashing the spin bowlers out of the attack, Jamma started swotting the pace bowlers into the gaps. His innings of 50 runs off 28 balls was short and sweet and allowed us to edge closer to a par score at Cheeeeeyatswood.

James "I'll get a new club helmet soon" Packman notches up 50 in short time

Meanwhile, Cam continued to dominate the bowling at the other end on his way to 100. A real grinder of an innings at the start, but by the end Cam looked very comfortable at the crease, playing each ball on its merits with a clear intent.

When Jamma departed, Elliot Richtor then took hold of the reigns, hitting three consecutive sixes in a quick fire 24 run stand. At the other end, Cam finished on 122 not out off 136 balls. All in all, it was a very mature innings from the Stags, led by Cam Eccles with the other batsmen batting sensibly around him.

The plan with the ball remained the same as always. The bowlers got out of the box early and shortly after the first bend picked up the first wicket with James ‘4 eyes’ Kennedy clean bowling the Hawks opening batsman. At 2 for 10 and then 3 for 49, we were on track for 6 points. However, some undisciplined bowling and plenty of 4 or 5 ball overs allowed the Hawks batsmen to pick off the runs with ease. Before long, Lowe and Decent put on 150 runs together and pushed the score to almost 200.

We desperately needed a wicket to get us back in the match, and this came courtesy of a slower ball from JK that ballooned back for a straightforward catch. JK did his best to make the catch look difficult, however, diving forward and plucking the ball just centimetres off the ground with his right hand.

Iain "Bevo" Beverley takes a big inswinging delivery as it passes the batsmen

At this point, all 11 of us were thinking that this was our chance to really put the pressure on the Hawks, but again some wayward bowling meant that the gap between the runs required and balls remaining started to close. The Hawks eventually passed our total with 4 balls to spare.

Overall, it was a very disappointing match for the Stags, and it was a shame that we couldn’t honour Cam’s century with a win. That said, we take on Blacktown this Saturday and I have full confidence in this young side to bounce back and take home 6 points.

Harry also bowled a heavy ball.

Dan ‘greyhound’ Smith

James Packman reports on our Round 8 match against our Northern neighbours.

After an interrupted few weeks due to wet weather and an unexpected weekend off against Penrith, the team had not participated in competitive cricket for a number of Saturdays. It would therefore be assumed we were eager, energetic and excited to take on the Rangers at our home ground prior to the Christmas break. A respectable week at training and the return of the regular skipper and we were prepared to put in the best performance of the year.... or so we thought.

The old fella Packers in full flight

There was something missing at the toss (no Marcus!!! -it was later discovered he was busy at the shops purchasing the brightest set of white trainers possible... in size 4) and immediately the vibe was a little off. The toss however was won and on what appeared to the eye to be a green wicket which would assist the bowlers it was decided we would have first use with the ball. That said it was difficult to gauge if that was the right decision as the bowlers got off to a pretty ordinary start with both sides of the facilities being tested and a variety of lengths being used, mostly to the batsman's liking. Some useful deliveries were produced by "after dark Heaney" and "best out of box 1" smith however as a bowling unit we didn't apply pressure and with "the only one not to get hit for six by Chris Gayle at thunder training" Kennedy having an off day the bowling figures tell the story. One highlight however was watching "sponsored by Tony Wilson" attempting a run up off about 10 steps..and trapping the ND's no. 5 dead in front.

I would be very surprised if there isn't a photo of Harry in action on the website at some stage this week. It has been a turbulent week for "office works" with some of his office ethics coming into question by senior management... nothing more at this stage however look forward to the progression of this story.

No bowling photo of Harry, Packers but we did get him batting

Back to cricket, we were staring down the barrel of 350+ at one stage so to be chasing only 313 was a minor victory, however was going to require a quality team performance with a number of contributors. A steady start from Eccles and Lewis was required and wickets in hand and a run a ball intent needed right from the start. We began to fall behind the run rate and pressure was mounting, mirrors was beginning to loosen up after a slowish start until a hamstring injury halted his late charge and was out for 62. It did give him an opportunity to get the budgie smugglers out in public so he could ice the leg, most would probably just iced it under their shorts - not "the situation" as he doesn't miss any opportunity to get the kit off! Evans the only other batsmen to get in and looked good until losing concentration in the 30s. A cameo by the "old fella" packers on his return game wasn't enough as 10 per over were needed in the last 15 to get over the line and proved too much and the team were finished 9-262 in reply after the allotted 50 overs.

The Christmas break will be a good opportunity to take time out of cricket, catch up as a team and enjoy the camaraderie of your team mates. As a side we are coming together well - it now has to start translating into confidence and a winning way to progress to the next level. There is no doubt we are a team of talented cricketers, it is now about displaying it week in week out. Some thoughts on how each individual will 'find a way' to dominate the 2nd half of the season would be encouraged over the next few weeks and look forward to hitting the ground running in January 2012.

James Packman

We arrived to Pratten Oval on a picturesque summer's day with the magpies larking and the local shoppers pushing their trolleys through the thick outfield (amazing). After a few rounds ofT20 where we were largely unsuccessful, the 1st graders were keen to get back to winning ways.

After welcoming back Blair “Beach runs are the best hangover cure” Lindsay to the side our stand in captain and King of the coast Iain Beverley won the toss and sent the home team into bat on a pitch that should give a little assistance to our 3/4 pronged pace attack (depending on the Reece’s Neck).

Steve Colley uses his feet to hit straight

The team motto to ‘out enthuse’ was evident from the get go with James "Contacts" Kennedy and Dan "Redbull Racing" Smith tying the batsmen down with nice line and length. Our first breakthrough came with “Better than what Reece can get” Kennedy bowling a strategic no ball to force a free hit. This free hit saw their opener smash a cover drive straight to Harry "Geoff's new In-law" Evans and take off resulting in both batsmen at one end. Cheers. 1/15 was soon 3/28 as Dan picked up 2 wickets with catches to Reece "the owl" Bombas (neck reference definitely not a nocturnal reference) and "fingers" Beverley. With tight bowling from Scott “How did I get stuck with him” Heaney and Elliot “Let me take over the decks” Richtor wickets just kept coming. Col Chipped in with what some would describe as ‘spinners’ wickets and we went on to dominate with the ball and in the field as we bowled the magpies out for 111 off 45 overs. A few special mentions need to go out to:

• Steve "this is what I would wear anyway" Colley's one handed pick up and throw with one stump to aim at run out. 
• James "Geppetto" Packman obviously getting bored with the pace of the game and sitting on the fence and feeding Reece "Parrot" Bombas with some dreadful banter.

Elliot Richtor playing off the back foot

Thank God the T20’s are over

The day started with the warm up, it wasn’t the most energetic warm up of the year and that followed through to our bowling. The boys showed glimpses of a game plan but failing to convert we struggled to keep the runs down. Dan Smith showed his skills with a good three overs finishing with 0-22 alongside James Kennedy 1-28 off 4, Elliot Richtor 0-29 off 4, Henry Carmichael 1-16 off 2, Scott Heaney 1-38 off 4 and Kurt Roughley 1-41 off 3. Everyone bowled well at times.

With good fields being set by the opposing team our batsmen found it hard to score boundaries but with Greg Lewis (36 off 34) and Harry Evans (44 off 32) showing us the way, 182 didn’t seem so far away, we just needed a big partnership which didn’t eventuate. It was left up to Dan Smith (17) and James Kennedy (25) to get us through to the final over but even though 148 was a good score, it wasn’t enough against the strong Sutherland outfit who made 182 with only the loss of 4 wickets.

Looking forward to getting back to the longer form of the game!

Scott Heaney

Harry Evans works one off the pads while Dan Smith tries to go over the top

Arriving at Chatswood Oval for the last time in the regular season the Stags reserve graders were met with a surprisingly good looking ground considering the considerable amount of rain we endured during the week causing flash flooding in several areas of Sydney. Credit must go to the Gordon groundsmen and all of the officials who helped with the repairing of the covers. Your time and effort was much appreciated!

Adair Durie midflight!

Every single Gordon player knows the intense rivalry between the Bears and the Stags, and this game was going to be particularly significant, not only was it the rematch of last year’s grand final, but we knew we had to win to assure a place in the semi finals with Parramatta breathing down our neck just two points behind us.

BG lost the toss, which turned out to be a good result for the Stags, with the Bears captain choosing to bat first on a hard and green looking Chatswood wicket. The return of Jules Stephenson proved vital for us as he opened up and bowled an agressive and fantastic spell of fast bowling taking 1 for 13 off 7. However, the whole bowling attack deserves recognition; every one of them bowling fantastic spells. Adair "Teddy" Durie and Ben "the bowling allrounder" Garratt took three wickets a piece. Els "Emo" Richtor and Kurt "Roughers" Roughley finished off what was a ruthless and complete bowling performance with 2 and 1 wickets respectively.

A special mention must go to Craig "Thorny" Thornborough who put on a virtually flawless display of wicket keeping with some onlookers in search of a better term for "hangers" when describing his efforts behind the stumps. 

North Sydney was all out for a miserly 100 from 29.1 overs.

Ben Garratt chipped in with 3 wickets

Although it was a score well and truly under par you just never know in a game like this so application and patience would be needed with the bat. With yours truly feeling under the weather, Brett and Blair opened up the Stags’ innings and both played terrific knocks getting us off to the perfect start. They put on 79 for the first wicket, both being particularly punishing on the short ball before Brett was dismissed for a well made 43.

Brett Rosen cutting on his way to 43

Blair continued through the entire innings carrying his bat for 40, with some support from the inform Richtor, making a quick fire 15 to cap off what was an all-round performance from the Gordon 2nd Graders, giving us plenty of momentum heading in to the semi finals this week against Sydney Uni. We have been here last year and I think with the self belief and confidence around this group we can do it again. Except one better this time.

Until next time, up the Stags!!

Jordan Liddle

While the rain conspired to leave the Stags clinging to sixth spot after a day-two drown-out, the B-Graders will proceed with a spring in their step after their round 15 clash with the Whales. 

Elliot Richtor raises his bat to his teammates, celebrating a fantastic century 

Winning the toss and batting on a flat, brown Rawson track, the Stags were quickly brought back to earth, plunging to 4/37 as a result of some stray strokes played before coming to grips with the slowish pace and sporadic variable bounce of the wicket.

The Whales were sky high with four wickets before drinks. Understandable. Yet, they were not to know that the fifth wicket would not fall for the next four hours.

While for long periods the off-field chat (discovered bongs, JC’s date options for the team dinner, Shortbus reviews) was undoubtedly more interesting than the on-field action (head down, shouldering arms, “fighting hard”), the side’s two bowling all-rounders ground away, over after over, to resurrect the Stags’ innings. 

Other than ten-minutes of Richtor (105) madness and two-overs of Garratt (79) forearm cramps the pair controlled the game, until deep in the last session the second new-ball split the pair six runs from a double-century partnership.

Benny Garratt plays himself in before forcing the pace and lifting the run rate

Richtor’s doing, but congrats none-the-less on a supreme debut second-grade ton. Either side of this partnership the Stags lost 4/37 and 5/52, however with the team objectives of 1x 80+ partnership and 1x 80+ individual score met, a defendable total was on the board.

And then it rained.

The equation for the twos is simple. Win and stay sixth (or best case, fifth) or lose and be at the mercy of results elsewhere. All this on top of a score to settle with the Bears.

Ben Garratt 

Round 14 saw the Stags take on Parramatta in a Saturday-Sunday 2-dayer. With Parramatta only a few points behind us, it was important to take 6 points from the weekend. This round saw new faces James Kidd and Pat Effeney join the squad, in place of the injured James Campbell and the captain/triathlete Ben Garratt, with Blair Lindsay taking over the role of captain. 

Superstar Justin Avendano cashes in on a great deck to notch up a century for the Stags 

After winning the toss, Blair decided to let the batsmen loose on what looked to be a good batting deck. While the pitch was quite hard, it wasn't exactly easy for the batsmen, with some variable bounce, and the ball not quite coming on to the bat. Another solid start from Jordie Liddle and Brett Rosen saw us reach 59 before Jordie was dismissed after making a good start for 28. From there Bretty continued the form with some excellent stroke making, and was joined by skipper Blair in forming another solid partnership. Brett was next to be dismissed after notching up a very handy 69, bringing Justin ‘JA’ Avendano to the crease. 

From there the mix of calculated strokes from Blair and and some hard hitting from JA seemed to be perfectly coupled, as the two put on a 100+ run partnership which was vital in ensuring we posted a competitive total. Blair played sensibly, waiting for the bad ball, and ensuring it was adequately punished, and JA showed great control in playing the ball along the ground, while picking the right ball to send out of the ground, and frequently down the street to the mandarin centre as well. 

JA brought up the 100 at more than a run a ball, and in great fashion, mousing one over the ropes, and clearing the fence by a long way. Both batsmen were well supported by the crowd, which consisted of a mix of the old faithfuls, along with the finest youth Chatswood has to offer. This partnership really took the scoring to the next level. They took the team score to just under 350 before Blair was dismissed, followed soon after by Justin. With Justin being dismissed, the local youth decided the entertainment was over, and left in search of a fight down at the skate park. 

Wickets then fell steadily through the last session, with an important contribution made by Elliott Richtor adding 42 to push the total toward the 400 mark. Some incredible late hitting from the recently promoted No.9 batting all-rounder Adair Durie, including a huge another huge 6, took the score to just below 400 before being dismissed. Some late assistance from Patty and Kiddy ensured we passed the 400 mark before the end of the day. It was great to see batsmen at the crease in the last session, and the solid platform laid by the top order batsmen really enabled us to dominate the game from the outset.

On arrival for day 2, the team was confident of defending 400+ on the small ground, even with a lightning fast outfield, we felt our bowling and fielding, and out-enthusing could bring us home. From the start, we bowled a both sides of the wicket, making it difficult to set fields. The Parramatta batsmen cashed in, and ran rampant in the first session, going to lunch at 1/158, with James Kidd picking up the only wicket. 

Els Richtor bats well with the lower order to continue accumulating runs for the Gordon side 

While this wasn't an ideal start, we tightened our game in the second session with some tight bowling, in particular from the captain, Blair, and Els Richtor. It was this pressure that changed the game, and it was only a matter of time before wickets came. Ramped on by the support of the returning youths (Logan's mates) Els snicked off one of the batsmen, and second string spinner Kurt Roughley managed to catch the danger man off his own bowling, taking him just short of his 100. The tight bowling continued with Blair back in the attack, taking a much deserved wicket.

Roughers then picked up 2 wickets in 2 overs. In this session, we really stuck to the plans of building pressure, and we really brought the game back into our own hands. Going to lunch at around 6/240 meant that we had to the stronghold on the game. To come back from the first session of 1/160, and take 5/70 odd in the second session is a real testament to the whole team, with some solid fielding and bowling, and overall resilience.

Going into the 3rd and final session needing 4 wickets, the team was again confident that sticking to our plans, we could close out the game. More of the same resulted in great pressure heaped on the opposition. Forced to score runs, Justin's mate from cricket superstar looked to take quick singles.

While this was effective in the short term, some incredible fielding from the Stags, mixed with some terrible calls from Justin's pal resulted in 2 run outs in quick succession, one from “the best JK at Gordon”, over the top of the stumps, and a direct hit at the bowlers end from backward point, from the injured shoulder of Avendano.

James Kidd's perfect throw catches a Parramatta batsman short of his ground 

Justin followed this up with some terrible chat to his mate, who was close to becoming the leading wicket taker for the innings, which he was reminded of every ball. The pressure all became too much, with the batsmen leaving the ground with 2/55.

The entertainment kept coming all day from the Chatswood locals, namely the spectator having a casual stroll down at long off, and the local youth back to try and score some speed from Logan out at deep point. With one wicket left, the opposition really didn't have a chance, but to their credit, they never played for the draw. Roughley took the last wicket to finish with 4, with 2 to Richtor, 2 to Potter (Justin’s mate from Parramatta), and 1 a piece to Lindsay and Kiddy.

With a tough, ground out 2 day win this week, and only 2 rounds to go, we are looking to be real contenders. With rumours that Lindsay is offering a spot to Garratt back in his side as an all rounder, this should strengthen the squad for the following 2 dayer against Mosman, and the final 1 dayer against your mates North Sydney.

Let’s make these last 2 games count, and take that momentum into the finals. It’s what men do.

Kurt Roughley

I am not greatly motivated to write this match report. I know the limit of my abilities and they can’t compete with the two greatest match reports ever written, those of 3rd and 2nd Grade last round. On the other hand, maybe if I miraculously write a masterpiece, I will find myself in 1st Grade…. which makes me wonder why Missy doesn’t find himself in 2nd Grade. Let’s face it, I would rather be reading a report written by him as well.

The purpose of this manuscript is to document for the future generations Gordon’s 2nd Grade’s effort and success against Randwick-Petersham, so I shall do so with the ideal of relevance being paramount.

The match was originally meant to be held over 2 days, and 2 weekends. Rain forced the SCA to make this a 1-day, 50-over match on the second weekend.

The pre-match hype was more animated than usual by the Randwick-Petersham website stating that Gordon 2nd Grade hadn’t beaten them for a decade. Such short memories…. we nailed them outright in last’s year’s semi-final! They were always destined to lose after publishing such absurdity.

Benny misses outie 

R-P won the toss and elected to bowl. We probably would have done the same as the tinge of green was enticing, although the wicket played very true. Any movement was due to the humidity and a touch of seam.

Jordie and Brett are becoming an imposing opening partnership. Jordie (488 at 34.86 in 2nd Grade this season) just needs a hint more focus to become an innings rock. His 38 was as comfortable as it was commanding until he was bowled by a pitched up offie.

Blair (462 at 38.50) played a much more subdued than usual innings for his 9, providing a base for Brett’s exuberance. His captaincy next week is no doubt in part a reward for the maturity he displays with the bat. I just missed Blair’s dismissal, but heard his wicket fall as I was returning from Chatswood Westfield’s food court.

With Justin at the crease, the pressure to push the scoring was not as great for Brett (256 at 36.57), but a “yes-no-wait” resulted in Brett being run out for 66. Excellent innings. Great natural batsman!

BG came and went quickly for 1. I long for the days when the foundation of Ben’s batting philosophy was that any delivery in the driving zone was carelessly lofted over cover or mid-off for 4 or 6. Ben missed a mildly out-swinging yorker, not for the first time this year. His season (305 at 23.46) is better than expected thanks to three half-centuries. Tough but true.

Justin played a typically aggressive innings. He made the impressive left-handed R-P opening bowler look very pedestrian, dispatching him to the boundary on numerous occasions.

Blair Lindsay looks to improve his bowling stocks 

The following over, after his batting partner crafted 5 runs off the first 3 balls, Justin (153 at 21.86) attempted to hit the offie for 6 on the last ball with the field spread out on the boundary. Justin always looks to be in a rush to dominate the bowlers, as opposed to accumulating runs at a slower pace in order to lower the risk of being dismissed. He was caught in the outfield.

Like most of the top-order, Logan (272 at 20.92) is continuing to improve as the season progresses. With 9 scores between 19 and 37, his 34 was his second top score of the season. Logan always looks to be in control… until he gets out!

Craig was run out by a freaky direct hit from the outfield, his 15 runs taking the team from 185 to 223, while Kurt was not able to chime in as we have come to expect, out for 2. Julian, on the other hand, ended the innings with great momentum, his 14 came mostly off the last over, out caught off the last ball of the innings. Credit must be paid to JC who ran like the wind during the last over, 0 not out. The final score of 9/236 seemed likely to be enough.

Only 4 overs were bowled to R-P before the rain, then thunder and lightning, stopped play for 90 or so minutes. During the break, R-P were most likely thinking that they were in trouble after two superb overs each from JC (26 at 17.5) and Adair (25 at 18.92). Unfortunately Adair bowled his worst 3 overs in the last 5 years after the break, giving R-P some hope.

However, this was quickly ended by JC, who continued with his mesmerising swing, and Julian, who replaced Adair. It is a pleasure watching a man with 91 1st Grade wickets on the comeback trail after working so hard to get there. Julian’s presence definitely raised the aura and the potency of the Wolf Pack.

Logan Weston guides one behind point 

JC finished with 2/11, Adair with 2/39 and Julian with the totally unflattering figures of 0/44, after being touched up by the R-P No. 10 when the game was virtually over.

Unlike BG’s batting, his bowling has improved to superlative levels of maturity, awareness and skill. His new level of triathlon fitness has provided him with an extra yard of pace. His skill and maturity has enabled him to bowl with both consistency, in terms of line and length, and variation, in terms of speed and spin. His awareness and maturity has enabled him to bowl this variation at the right times and without fear. His match figures of 2/17 are in no way due to luck, and neither are his season figures of 28 at 13.43.

Kurt only bowled one over in this match, for 17 runs! The club’s premier leg spinner openly admits he is not bowling at the phenomenal level shown in 1st grade earlier in the year. This is unfortunate as I am told he is bowling with exceptional consistency and spin in the nets. However, excellent form is only a spell away. Fortunately his gutsy batting and enthusiastic fielding provide significant contribution to the team’s success.

The 5th of the weekend’s bowlers, Blair, once again displayed his all-round cricketing prowess. His left-arm orthodox bowling was handy last year but has moved to consistently dangerous this year. Confidence and maturity seem to be the key ingredients to his 3/30 and season figures of 7 at 17.71. His flight and spin constantly tests the batsman’s nerve and skill.

Justin Avendano hits out

It is also important to mention that Craig once again displayed his consistent prowess with a faultless display behind the stumps, this round’s highlight being his swift stumping off Blair’s bowling.

So that is my brief summary of the situation in 2nd grade, in the context of primarily the last round and also of the season. Looking forward, a win against Parramatta virtually assures our place in the finals. A loss virtually assures our place out of the finals.

Adair Durie

The round us ‘quicks’ fear the most. The Saturday/ Sunday double header. And there are two this season! There had been a bit of rain around during the week, which gave me a little inspiration for the upcoming round. I was, however, rearing to go after a cheeky Friday night/Saturday morning team meeting at ‘Cargo.’ ‘Cargo’ apparently is sponsoring this match report and every time I get the name ‘Cargo’ into it, there’s a free drink for our next team meeting.

Blair Lindsay askes some questions of the Bankstown batsmen

So after realizing the time, we all left ‘Cargo’ and went straight to the game. Turns out when we got there, we had to sit around and wait for the pitch to dry. Now, I don’t understand why this happens? And I can say this now because we did win the toss. However it is widely known that my best batting is done on a grassy top <insert picture of James Campbell batting> Oh, we don’t have one. Who’s running this club’?

But I didn’t have to think about my batting till later. And this morning it would be Adair and my opportunity to make the ball talk. Adair was so excited that we were bowling he had polished a whole bottle of Savignon just as the Umpires said they were heading out. With a blood alcohol level of about 80% wine, 20% silliness, Adair marched out to the crease, leaving a fresh bottle down at the fine leg boundary.

Adair finished the innings with 5/13. His deliveries were a combination of the ‘spinning Kong, hand slap, head butt, giant punch, and Konga beat,’ which we know and love of Adair. For those that haven’t played as the character DK in Smash Brothers don’t worry. But don’t read on. The innings lasted 27 overs. Adair was still drunk when we came off.

He walked off the field and hopped onto his exercise bike. He has a deep connection with his bike. Ask Justin Avendano. Adair had lost 20 kilos some years back in an extremely intense exercise regime. Don’t picture K-Fed doing star-jumps to Kylie Minogue’s ‘Let’s Get Physical’.

Not only did we not get a photo of James Campbell batting, but with their demolition of the Bulldogs, we didn't get a photo of him or Adair bowling! Here is the skipper instead.

What a farce these weight loss programs are. Instead get inspiration from Adair who, with a whole lot of grape squashing, extreme scootering and barrel rolling can now fit into those boat shoes he so wanted for Christmas. Don’t pretend that you don’t know the ones I’m talking about. They have bells connected to their amazing tassels. And yes shoes, he had chubby feet.

But his feet he could rest for awhile. We were batting. ‘JA’ Avendano was the only promising sign from the top order. He really showed that he could score runs on a problematic wicket. There was one other scorer that reached double figures but that was from an old timer and he will not be mentioned. He continually gets my name wrong and he never goes out of his way to pick me up even when he’s playing in a different team. Speaking of lifts, you don’t understand how great it is having Elliot Richtor back in the team.

Enter the lower order. This is where the story should really begin. Because these guys really have talent. Pure talent. Not the kind of stuff moulded by hundreds of throw downs. We don’t need to study videos of correct batting techniques. No. We are ‘thoroughbreds.’ Yes there are some glitches in our techniques, but that’s why we are inconsistent. And that’s why when we are at the crease, everyone is on the edge of their seats. Anything can happen. Yes I am talking about Craig, Kurt and yours truly. We made it look easy. Did I mention it was on a green deck.

Special mention must be given to Roughly. It’s tough to say it I know. I mean he lives out west and he sometimes goes to the Flinders, but he loves to share. And we all know about the culture here at Gordon. Sharing is what we do best. Why do you think me and Jordan Liddle are having such a great time on a team full of ‘in a relationship’ type guys. And we get the full age spectrum as well, starting with JA and through to Craig.

But I was talking about that sort of sharing with Roughly I was talking about his ability to share stories. I mean a story is usually followed with someone retorting ‘classic Roughly.’ Each story contains a deeper meaning, and Roughers will tell the story to you over and over until you finally understand it. I dare you to ask him about his story about his socks.

Speaking of socks, a man who loves Capri pants and showing a great deal of sock on the cricket field, Adair Durie. It was after his demise that the pitch had flattened up. This was as soon as he got out, because I had definitely batted on a green deck. And obviously it was easier to score runs on this wicket now. We were back in the field and bowling again. The bowlers all toiled hard but wickets were slow coming. My mind began drifting...

At some point I was imagining being at Killara, I had heard ‘Missy’ Higgins and Harry ‘Turntables’ Turner were batting together. When those two meet at the crease a conch is sounded. A subtle sound to some, yet for others, they know what’s up; that two incredible males have come together, and will dominate the ball in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible.

Lucky Missy is great talisman of words, his imagery has spoilt me. But seeing that partnership in the flesh. Words cannot describe.

Where was I, were we talking about cricket?

Not a whole lot happened in the end. They sent us in with a late declaration. Jordan Liddle did very well bludgeoning a quick 70 odd. This almost put us in with a chance, which would have been embarrassing for the Bankstown captain who had left us chasing 160 off 19 around 8 an over to get. Overall good win, we are back in the top 6! Bring on 4 free drinks at ‘Cargo’ this Friday, I mean 5. And bring on Randwick this Saturday.

James Campbell

The second grade report is sponsored by:

At Chatswood Headquarters, spectators and supporters from various parts: local, deep south, distant north, and far west, arrived looking forward to a relaxing day of socialising, as well as some entertaining cricket action, were disappointed that the only action was Gordon’s skipper, Ben Garratt, winning the toss.

Adair Durie continues to lead the attack for his skipper

Instead of willow and leather colliding on the pitch, it was thunder and lightning from above, and rain pelting down.

Possibly the supporters from the far western regions were not too disappointed, as their team holds the upper hand on the competition table. Prospects of play were not looking too positive as Chatswood Oval became water-logged, but after four hours of dressing room games and spectator ramblings of suicide like exploits on the F3, the rain finally eased.

A start to play still seemed unlikely, but with Adair quietly encouraging the umpires to reluctantly leave their slumbering in the lounge area, and with the probable next curator at the SCG, Logan Weston, working magnificently on the super sopper, the umpires kindly deemed play to start at 2.45 pm with a 25 over aside game. Finally, the action we had all been waiting for was about to unfold.

Campbelltown is sent in to bat and what a start, with Adair “Any One For Red” Durie snaring a wicket with the third ball of the innings. The Gordon bowlers kept it very tight, with accurate bowling backed up by energetic fielding and some top catching behind the wicket. The Campbelltown innings, with wickets falling regularly, was never allowed to get into full stride. The Captain rotated his bowlers well and Blair “AB” Lindsay helped out with some tidy overs. However, at 6 for 107 after 21 overs on a wet outfield, the Ghosts had runs on the board and wickets in hand for a final onslaught. Captain Ben “the bowler of the moment” Garratt had other ideas.

Benny Garratt, Craig Thornborough and James Campbell & Logan Weston all contributed heavily

After bowling three tight overs, B.G. had a wicket with the first ball of his fourth over, thanks to an outstanding running catch on the boundary by James “it’s all in the technique” Campbell. Next ball, Campbelltown’s top scorer got an edge and was caught behind by a smart catch to Craig “keeper” Thornborough, to bring his tally to two after his brilliant first diving catch off Adair.

Two balls, two wickets. The pressure is on.

Ben bowls and the ball is hit hard back high to Ben’s left: a return chance; Ben dives: juggles three times, finally snaring the catch. A hat trick!! Congratulations. The skipper has now taken 15 wickets from his last 17.2 overs. This is from a skipper who regularly needed encouragement to bowl himself in games. A great effort. Next over, Elliot Richtor bowls the final Campbelltown batsman. All out for 112. All bowlers contributed with fine spells with Adair Durie 3 for 22, James Campbell 3 for 13, Ben “hat-trick” Garratt 3 for 12, and Elliot Richtor 1 for 18, sharing the honours.

A small total to get, a top batting line-up, get a good start and a win should not be a big problem, but with a wet outfield, dodgy batting conditions against a good bowling line-up, and Gordon 2’s penchant for the dramatic, nothing is certain.

Gordon got off to a good start with Jordan Liddle and Brett “The Flasher” Rosen building steadily against tight bowling. An opening partnership of 31 off 6 when Brett falls. A solid start. Blair “Cuddles” Lindsay has a rare failure with the bat. No worries. Plenty in reserve. Justin Avendano, B.G. and Jordan after a well compiled 29, soon follow victims of good bowling and a pitch that is obviously bowler friendly.

5 for 73, no need to panic. Elliot Richtor is still there and batting well, and Logan “The Curator” Weston is coming in. Oh crap! Elliot is out. 6 for 77.

The far westerners are starting to smile. Could be a long trip home south for others, Harbour Bridge closed, tunnel clogged, bugger it. Experience needed. Keeper in. A partnership please. Logan plays out a maiden. 5 overs left, 36 runs to get. Tension and runs steadily mount.

James Campbell partners with Adair Durie to cause a top-order collapse

Andrew Falk, a steady hand on the scoreboard, but I think I detect a slight quiver in the fingers though. A partnership at last, we reach 100. Sit still Manuel. Craig falls. Oh, why do they do it to us old blokes?

Kurt is run out: 8 for 104.

Mark “The Paparazzi” Weston is having trouble staying focused while, at the table, tiny pearls of sweat stain the scorebook as Dickie’s grip on his pencil tightens.

J.C. comes in, a level head and a technique to match. Logan pulls, a certain boundary. Oh no! He has punctured the square leg umpire. One run instead of four. The umpire claims he has never been hit in 40 years of umpiring. Why now? 8 for 105.

One over left. Curator, it is up to you. First ball: 4. Second ball: 2. Third ball: Logan skies it, fielder runs back and drops it. 2 runs and it is all over. A win that was never in doubt. Well played Logan. Congratulations again skipper. Well played Gordon 2’s. Can’t wait until next Saturday.

The Spectator

Benny Garratt celebrates his hat-trick!! Congratulations!!

The Gordon second grade reports are sponsored by:

We headed out west to Blacktown for round 10 of the competition. With the Team coming off a good win last week against Hawkesbury with both batting and bowling performing well we were confident that we could pull off another win.

Skipper, Ben Garratt - "Double 'R', Double 'T', Two 'A's" - takes six wickets for his side  

With a pointless 5km warm up run around Joe Mcaleer we were sent into bat on what looked to be a good wicket. Jordan got off the mark 1st ball but 3 balls later Justin hit one to short mid wicket for 0. Blair batted beautifully with Jordan and put on a good partnership of 73, both Batsmen looked solid at the crease playing lovely cover drives for 4 and putting away the loose ball.

Jordon fell on 27 and soon after Blair 40 and Ben 7 and Logan 8 all fell cheaply and at 5 for 134 we needed someone in the middle order to get us a total to defend and henry batted well for 33. 

Losing 9 for 83 there’s not much to talk about with most batsman falling cheaply hitting the ball in the air in front of the wicket. The deck was a bit slow and we didn’t play to the conditions.

With the bowlers feeling confident after last week’s performance, defending 158 was going to be hard work. 

Henry Carmichael shows his worth as an all-rounder 

Early wickets were going to be key and JC did this by picking up the opening bat to a good catch in the slips by Jordan. Adair and James bowled very tight and were not leaking runs. Ben and Henry took over from the openers and were brilliant.

Ben 6 for 28 bowled good lines and changed his pace to claim the Blacktown wickets. Henry 1 for 20 built up a lot of pressure and was unlucky not to pick up more wickets. Blair again bowling his handy spin in the middle of the innings picking up 1 for 18 did a great job. Once again all the bowlers put in a big effort to defend 158 to bowl out Blacktown for 133.

Big mention must go to BG picking up another 6fa. He has assessed the wicket in both games and his clever change of pace working perfectly on the slow wickets.

We have to keep performing when we get back to the longer format of the game to have a chance of making finals again.

Justin "Superstar" Avendano

Isn’t it great to be back in the winner’s circle!!!  

After a near miss against our neighbours Northern Districts before Christmas, the Gordon 2nd XI boys regrouped and produced a comprehensive win against the Hawks in the shorter form of the game.

Ben Garratt - Hardest man in the club?

With Captain Garratt “2 ayyyy’s, 2 arrrrr’s and 2 teeee’s pleeeease” winning the toss, the boys sent the opposition in on a good looking deck. With our warm up complete (which now includes a full lap because it’s what men do) the boys were underway with a top start by Adair and JC (1/17off 4) bowling tight which saw an early wicket to Jimmy.

A partnership threatened to ruin our plans but a double bowling change by the skip bringing himself and the 20/20 specialist spinner Blair Lindsay on, saw a double breakthrough. Ben "BG" Garratt provided his team with a 20/20 bowling master class with a mixture of cutters and yorkers and even turning a few leggies much to the delight of our fluorescent haired spinner now known as “Big Wheels” (Kurt Roughley) who also must be commended for his strong performance with 1-22).

Another wicket to BG and the Hawkesbury bats continued to struggle against some economical bowling by the Stags. Regular wickets fell in clumps which as we learnt in our previous 20/20 encounter, put the bowling side on the offensive. Here the boys were able to capitalise on some poor shot selection by the opposition and with more poles going towards the swing king Garratt in the last over and strong out fielding performances by Logan “Gus Logie” Weston and Henry “I drive to Richmond to field” Carmichael, the Hawks were dismissed for 103.

Special mention to Benny finishing with the amazing figures of 6 for 13 off 4 overs and debutant Max Newman behind the stumps in his first 2nd grade game, who was not overawed by the jump in the grades and showed us that he can mix it with the best at this level with a tidy performance.

The job was only half finished... or so we thought. Justin Avendano (27) opened with Jordan Liddle (48*) and both played with such confidence and power that yours truly began to purchase paddle pops ‘on tap’ from the lovely Hawkesbury tuckshop lady, what a vixen! The boys made the most of the fielding restrictions in the first 6 overs with the cricket superstar campaigner showing some favouritism to the Hawkesbury spinner. A well rounded partnership of 55 in just 8 overs set the foundation and when Justin was dismissed going hard at the ball, the left handed Missy lookalike (Jordan Liddle) and Blair “Afridi” Lindsay (31*) brought the boys home in the 16th over with an easy victory.

Lets continue this form boys!!!

Chad Soper

Match report from Brett Rosen

Being the first 20/20 match for yours truly this was an interesting game for me. Only three hours of play with a one hour warm up. Excessive?? Probably not as it turns out. It seemed to me that the plans would be simple. Bowl 20 overs for as few runs as possible in the first innings or if we bat the belt hell out of the thing until we have as many runs as we could possible cram in to 20 overs. One of those proved to be correct. 

Blair Lindsay hits out during his 30.

We bowled better than I could have hoped with all bowlers excelling and possible only Adair to be singled out for yet another 3 wickets. Field placings were astute and the fielding some our best since I joined the team. All in all bowling Northern Districts out for 102 in 19.3 Ii thought was brilliant and as good as you could hope for. In retrospect I should have hoped for better. We started our run chase without doing anything crazy against one of the better bowling attacks going around 2nd grade.

The top five batsmen stayed composed and being about 3 for 60 after about 11 overs we looked to be in exactly the position we wanted. Blair Lindsay was comfortably the pick of the bats. It took a good catch from their keeper to get rid of him. Unfortunately this is where it fell apart for the Stags. Between some good bowling and a middle order unable to keep out the good balls and take advantage of the first half of the innings we were soon dismissed almost 20 runs short in what should have been a relatively simple run chase.  

 

Blair Lindsay, Ed Howitt and Jordan Liddle in action against ND's

One more of these games to get through then bring on the real cricket as us older blokes know it. Many more points to come for seconds after Chrissy. Time for a break before we really get stuck in at the start of 2012.   

Second Grade scores

Northern Districts 102 (Blair Lindsay 2 for 13, Ed Howitt 2 for 15) defeated Gordon 83 (Blair Lindsay 30)

Brett Rosen

Round 7 against Penrith was a must-win game if GDCC 2^nd Grade were to have any realistic chance of emulating or improving upon last year's achievement. To the team's credit, both the bowling and batting were to the task.

The wicket was clearly to the batsmen's advantage but the morning humidity made the decision to bowl easy.

Brett Rosen hits one through cover

Accurate off-side and good length bowling of James “Els, can you take this catch” Campbell, Adair “I don’t catch well on my left” Durie, Chad “My pectorals are sore from benching” Soper, Ben “My last year’s bowling figures are better than yours” Garratt and Ed “508,next...” Howitt forced Penrith to 6/113 after 35 overs, heading for a score of around 160-170. Ed’s off-spin was a harmonious addition to the usual pressure exerted by the 2^nd Grade “Wolf Pack”.

However, fine hitting from Penrith’s Number 8 (Betros - 70 from 39) and Number 7 (Pradhan – 45 from 49) taught us the difference between half-volley and block-hole / yorker. All bowlers except James “I’m the more accurate but a tad slower” Campbell were hit over the boundary during Penrith’s flurry to 7/218 in the 47^th over. More typical scoring resumed for the final overs after the Betros dismissal as Penrith finished at 9/237 off 50 overs. It is worth noting the 3 catches by Craig “Who cares about a few broken fingers” Thornborough including one caught behind up at the stumps off Ben.

GDCC’s innings began with Logan “What comes after the 20’s” Weston and Jordie “Thanks selectors, now how do I know when to shave” Liddle looking extremely comfortable. The first ball that seemed to trouble either of them removed Logan for 19 off 25, caught in the slips. For whatever it is worth, there was a pleasing aspect of control to Logan’s innings. Jordie too continued with control and authority, also disappointing both himself and all spectators when out lbw for 32 off 41. Both these batsmen have improved significantly over the past few rounds and a much larger score is nearby.

Brett “I have given up thinking when I am batting” Rosen again was the star of the innings. His power without needing to take to the air was impressive.

Chad Soper in action on Saturday

Being bowling by a straight one on 72 off 66 was not so impressive, but his partnership of 81 with Ben “I still actually can loft over the off” Garratt, taking the score from 70 to 151, was the foundation of GDCC’s victory. However we were not able to complete the task without raising the blood pressure of the lower order.

Ben “All these old people are diminishing my authority” Garratt was joined only briefly by Harry “I can talk as much silliness as Kong” Turner and then formed a 39-run partnership with Henry “These second graders are an unusual bunch” Carmichael, the partnership taking the score from 165 to 204, until Ben skyed a rank full-toss, out for 58 off 83.

With 7 overs remaining and requiring 5 runs per over for victory, Henry and Chad quickly but clinically finished the game in the next 4 overs, Henry finishing with 27 off 29 and Chad 22 off 17, and their partnership 36 not out.

This was a critical yet satisfying win after last round’s debacle. It places us 6 points out of the Top 6, although with a serious quotient deficiency.

This game was also a timely segue to the next 2 matches with both of these being 20/20s. Although both the batting and the bowling have improved, the batmen still need to keep concentration to extend their innings and craft more damaging partnerships, while the bowlers need to more readily consider the slower ball against premeditated big-hitting and bowl the yorker with more precision if it is going to be attempted. Bring on the Hit & Giggle!

Ben Garratt, Chad Soper and Henry Carmichael helped to get us a win on the weekend 

Adair Durie

The second grade report is sponsored by:

With Ed being in form with the coin toss, we were batting first on what looked to be a good batting wicket. This was somewhat wrong as we found ourselves in trouble at 6/50. Henry came to the crease and took his usual batting game with him, showing excellent aggressive strokes that rattled the North Sydney bowlers. Beau Saddler also joined Henry and established a crucial partnership in the innings to reach a score of 169 which was a respectful total seen the position we were in.

Henry Carmichael proved to be the rock of the Gordon innings

With this score, we knew we were well in the game, as North Sydney needed to get the runs in fewer than 30 overs to be a chance of making the finals. As such, the bowlers were expecting an explosive batting display from the Bears. With this in mind, our bowling had to bowl straight, as extras could not be afforded. James Kidd bowling exceptionally well picked up 5 wickets that he rightly deserved. 

Runs were tallying up fast, however the wickets were falling as well care of some excellent catching by Harry out in the deep. 

After Effeney’s efforts last week at Killara, it is fitting to mention the efforts of another Stag, Ian Higgins this time, who caught a great catch out at long off. However, in steadying himself, he touched the 4cm concrete edge running around the ground which happened to be right near the Bears’ players.

James Kidd in great form coming into the finals series 

Ian straight away signaled a six. As he should have. 

However, instead of applauding Ian’s sportsmanship, the Bears carried on as if the bloke batting had hit the winning runs. That’s just typical behavior from North Sydney and why I will always play for a team that embodies sportsmanship above all else.

Club coach Ed Howitt Jnr in action

Having them 7 down with a few runs to score the game was still close and a wicket or two at the end could have grabbed us the 6 points. However, this was not to be. Coming of two losses, we are hungry for a win and will be ready for a good game this weekend.

Kris Colley

There were a few alterations to the 3rd grade side that came up against Parramatta in our last fixture. We were now a little light on Knoxonians as we lost Bangs, Lines, and Turner, however it was left to Sweeney, Higgins, Kidd, and Ed Howitt Snr to fly the Knox flag. Both Jack and Kris Colley also found themselves in a third grade side together, which was worth the admission price alone.

Tjaard Tait works one to the leg side 

Ed Howitt chose to bat first against a classy Mosman bowling attack, and after a busy warm-up, the plans were in place to accrue a total that we could defend. Hoppa got the scoreboard ticking over quickly as he usually does. Reg, the guy that has a pet python, joined Kris Colley in the middle, and the pair gave us a free lesson on turning over the strike. This was much to James Kidd’s despair as he was on sight screen duty when the left and right hand combo went to task. Kris and Damon added 52 to the total before Col was dismissed on 41 after a solid opening knock. Reg claimed he had trained too hard, (nothing ever changes) and finished with 34.

Ed Howitt Snr cracked open a pack of ‘footy fever’. Henry, Wilbur, and Pat certainly caught the contagious footy fever, and had a field day discussing the opening round of Super Rugby. Hurricanes to get the spoon in the NZ conference. 

Tjaard worked hard for his 22, whilst Henry suitably adapted to game situation. His innings was unlike what we normally see from the big hitting Chennai import, although he did manage to sneak in a Carmichael Classic bomb over cover. A well-earned 23, in conjunction with Kidd’s 14 helped boost us to 215.We were content with this total, as we enjoyed what was left of the spirit of cricket beers.

Classic 'Chennai' Carmichael bombs one over covers 

As Kiddy was leaving the change room he notified Hoppa that he had a fairly large function on the following Friday night, to which Junior replied: “That’s not ideal James.” This is not the first time I have heard our Club Coach say this. Pre-season training at Narrabeen, the first grade captain was having a hit in the nets, and what a better time to bring out some new balls. Packers danced down the wicket, and as Ed watched a $63 Kookaburra fly into the Narrabeen bushland, we heard: “That’s not ideal James.” 

Astonishingly, Kiddy was fresh and one of the first at Killara the following Saturday for Day Two. After heavy precipitation throughout the week, it was not surprising to see some rain cards played. Not many thought we would have a game, which was reflected in the amount of tea that was brought. However a magnificent job of covering the wicket throughout the week allowed for one of the only games to play on Saturday. The help of Falk, Wilson, Michael, Howitt, Higgins, Effeney, and the ground staff at Killara was monumental in getting us a game, and to everyone else that contributed, we are very grateful for your efforts.

The wicket had a bit of early life to it, so it’s understandably perplexing that our first wicket was a run out. With player of the year points on offer, Sweeney didn’t want the catch anyway. His foxing was second to none, and executed an outstanding run out. Howitt then claimed the important wicket of Roberts through a spectacular catch to Jack Colley. I am a little concerned about Jack, as now Steve and Kris are living out of home, someone needs to toughen him up because he is still soft as butter. Nonetheless, a sensational catch in the conditions.

Henry backs up his batting with some handy wickets in tough conditions 

With the score at 4-53, we had early control in a topsy turvy game that had a number of momentum shifts. A Mosman partnership followed, however we were patient to remove the left hander who took a particular liking to the legside. Henry jagged one back through the gate, and one did bring two, as Carmichael went bang bang in the same over. With the ball becoming increasing harder to grip, spin bowling was the best (only) option. Howitt and Tait displayed some high quality lengthy spells of bowling, as the pair completed 50 overs between them.

At 7-160, we had a small delay with two dogs on the field. Normally at Killara, the dog walkers start arriving from about 5:30, and ask annoying questions like: “Who’s winning?” and “When is Missy going to bowl?” However this time, a lady decided to open the gate, take her dogs off the leash, and let them run wild. Missy decided to let her know that: “We’ve actually got something on here at the moment, can we do this later?” Not quite sure what that was all about.

It's hard to keep Taity out of the action, with bat or ball 

The intensity of the match lifted another gear and after two wickets to Ed, we had the Whales on the ropes at 9-180. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the last wicket, and the last batting pair saw Mosman home on the final ball of the day. A thrilling and tense finish to a game that was full of tough cricket. In the end, a solid hit out against a quality opposition. A good taste of pressure cricket, which there will be plenty of in the forthcoming weeks. 

Tom Beverley

Editor’s Note: See the article regarding Mosman’s commendation of Pat Effeney’s spirit of cricket.

After a short lay-off through injury, this scribe arrived at Merrylands Oval to be greeted with a slightly unfamiliar squadron of Gordon cricketers. Most notably, it was a far less intimidating 3rd grade line up in the absence of our hairy and hard-working hybrids - Little Lion Man (Effeney) and Little Bear Man (Cubbage). One was up. One was down. Neither here to amuse us.

Hey Missy, perhaps this was as better shot to play on 99?? 

On the flip side, the changing room bore a far less noxious odour. It was also flooded in one corner, but this was no surprise given the housing of Manatee over Saturday and Sunday. The reverse-inclining-pivot double-doored entry to our temporary abode was also worth a mention, although honestly it was too confusing to describe properly in words. Let’s just say it required a lot of effort to enter/exit this change room.

As it turned out, the toss was one of the few Ward Howitt has won this season (so I understand), or over his career for that matter. Inevitably, given his lack of experience in this regard, his election to bat was not great (we very quickly found ourselves 5/50 on the first morning). This, however, is very easy to say in hindsight, given the wicket looked reasonably batting-friendly. Further, the Parramatta quicks bowled with discipline, with one completing a hatrick with a ball that had one of the Kolley brothers (Dave?) shaping to leave, then decked to dislodge his leg stump.

The non-striker Higgins (who, by the way, is preparing to make his Hillsong radio debut after the success of his podcasts) described this ball as unplayable.

In fact that was really the story of Missy’s early morning. He was a spectator to the demise of our top order. However, slowly but surely he accreted runs, mostly with little tickles and flicks to the on-side (as he was constantly reminded by the intellects in the Parramatta cordon). In a display of defiance, Missy continued to 50 and then 80 with the support of the Mini Beaver. Tom Beverley played a very important innings in the context, taking singles here and there whilst occasionally branching out with a booming shot.

After he departed, Missy continued on his merry way but was incomprehensibly denied his hundred after he lobbed a ball to mid-wicket on 99. This was undoubtedly the worst ball of the day, and deceived Missy by its parabolic like qualities as it floated through the air. A fantastic innings all the same, which put Gordon in a commanding position going in to day two.

Let’s not forget Charlie “Billy Bongwater” Bangs’ contribution either. His 2 or 3 bombs at the end of the innings, which got progressively bigger in size, were awesome. One even interrupted the Under 8 swim carnival next door. Harry ‘Hooch’ Turner claimed it was 109m. Silliness. He was too busy downloading country and western tunes on his iPod in preparation for the night’s festivities. Gordon all out for 224, or thereabouts.

In the short list for photos of the year, Howitt is bowled neck-and-crop 

The short conclusion of day 1 was equally exciting, with T-jaard and Billy removing an opener a piece. The Roxy was surely heaving on Saturday night.

Day 2 was much more subdued. Reg even had time to let his new pet snake loose on the outfield for a while. Gordon slowly accumulated wickets throughout the day, albeit a couple of small partnerships. As usual, Howitt Jnr lead the charge, claiming 4 crucial wickets with his wily straight-ones. All the other bowlers also contributed and Alex ‘Lines of” Lines even snatched a cheeky run out in combination with “Fingers” Beverly (rarely has a quicker and more probing pair of hands been witnessed).

As was the trend throughout the game, this act by Lines cost Taity about $400. Gambling has been taken to a new (low) level by this two, and not an over went by without some sort of odds being thrown about.

In any event, the game was secured with an hour to go in the day. Another solid win, another step closer to the finals. An exciting few weeks ahead.

Will Sweeney

We arrived at Punchbowl to be pleasantly surprised at the condition of the playing surface. A slight amount of grass and a firmish appearance. Absolutely outstanding for the amount of rain and poor weather we have had all week. We knew a lot of other games would be either washed out or rain affected. Hopefully a win here would consolidate our top 6 rank.

In my 20 years of grade cricket, I don't have too many fond memories of the Petersham Oval wicket. 

Damon Livermore, batsman and author 

A 4 innings match was common and being dismissed twice in a day was even more regular. But the pavilion, with all its memorabilia and its top class afternoon teas, was highly regarded. The Pavilion was even making an appearance during the lunch break segment on the cricket show. ...as a commentator. That's how good it was.

Things have changed now. The wicket was great and the Pavillion was .......the toilet bowl. A smell often associated with a prank of enormous proportions. The change room was not the greatest place to be.

Anyhows, in many companies, if you do a bad job, for long enough, they simply ask you not to do the job anymore or just not to come back in on Monday. Let's be honest. It's not the coins fault. Ask Pic. It's the bloke who we send out there to represent our team, our club, our state. Howitt has got to go! Edward Howitt - you're fired ! 

We can ramble on for hours about how it comes down to luck.....it's always a 50 /50 chance....call tails south of the harbour....whatever! Its going to cost us a premiership one day! I vote Clem to do it. Hi Clem.

Lost the toss and sent in. The wicket was soft and seamed a little early on. We can cope with this now; in fact we dominate on a wet seaming wicket. Howitt, who only wants to open the batting so he can win player of the year ahead of his old mate Fester, takes his positive attitude about marriage and applies it to his batting. Gets on the front foot early, goes over the top, has a crack at anything wide and he will not be home late for dinner.

He just goes and smashes the ball to all parts of the ground while Harry Turner sits and watches.

At the score on 60 from 10 overs, Tom Beverley noticed an attractive woman with a baby in a pram fast approaching. As she noted, 60 from 10 overs was a good score,that confirmed that she was in fact a male and that the baby was indeed a rolled up blanket. If she didn't mention the score, (real women don't understand the score) we may never had known....and Tom may have had a date for Valentines Day.

Howitt's 44 from 43 balls set the tone. Reg joined Harry at the crease to form a memorable partnership. Reg's 88 was regarded as one of the best ever at Petersham Oval. Harry and Reg's running between wickets was brilliant. With the outfield so slow, singles and twos were crucial. Harry continued to blunt the Randy Petes attack. His solid determination to bat for long periods of time is commendable and now i am glad to see the runs are piling up next to his name each week. Reg and Harry put on a 100+ run partnership before Harry was run out on 66. A great innings. Missy batted with a bit of intent again this week and is showing that his form is returning at the business end of the season.

A few cameos at the end proved important as we reached 247 from our 50 overs. (Damon Livermore 88, Harry Turner 61, Ed Howitt 44, Ian Higgins 26).

We should have made 249, but Cubbage thought it would be good to run the first one hard and push for 2 on the last ball. Unfortunately, Cubby was run out attempting the 2nd. Unfortunately, Cubby also ran 1 short. Good effort Cubby, I've got Shayne Lin's number for you.

With the phone ban lifted for the lunch interval, we could see oceans of red headed our way on the radar. So when we returned to the field to bowl at the Randy Petes' batsmen, rain started to fall after just one over. Covers were called and full credit must be given to the Gordon ground staff. A commendable job indeed.

With the rain not as heavy as the radar indicated, play was resumed with the loss of just 6 overs and the target reduced to 217 on run rate.

We bowled reasonably well but drifted a little too much on leg stump early doors, providing easy runs to the vacant mid wicket area.

As the sun stuck its head out in the afternoon, the wicket firmed up and turned into a good batting track. wickets were hard to come by, so excellent fielding was crucial in this period.

However, wickets fell at regular intervals but the Randy Petes' batsman scored quite quickly with their aggressive shot selection.

Kris Colley looks to score runs down the ground 

With the score on 6 for 130, their number 7 played and missed a few times but found a liking to Taity's offspinners, bombing 3 consecutive sixes. There was a possibility that this guy could win the game single handedly. But our steady heads in time of immense pressure, turned the screws and forced the run out of the year. I don't want to talk about it further but it was pretty damn impressive.

Our bowlers toiled away as usual.

Effeney 1 for 20, probably bowled the best lines and was unlucky not have a few more wickets. James Kidd 3 for 31 bowled a fraction short but got the breakthroughs we needed. Tjaard Tait 2 for 29. Came back well after being hit for 3 consecutive 6's to post impressive figures. Adam Cubbage 1 for 27. Best wicket ever. Pushed the James Gatting look-a-like back onto his stumps. Classic Cubbage delivery.

But what won us the game was the outstanding fielding. 3 run outs really changed the game. A great effort from all the boys. 

We kept the chirp up in the field the whole time and the energy we created was exceptional.

With 3 more games to go, we need to continue this roll we are on. We are often given the worst of the conditions to bat on and we bat with intent and determination. We have bowlers that can change the game but most importantly, we have the fielders that can carry us to a win!

Yours in Cricket

Damon Livermore

PS: To the gamblers in our team, you are wrecking homes and hurting feelings. I know who you are and betting on dot balls while I am batting is very hurtful.

A must read report from Ian Higgins

Let's be honest. You don't care what happened in a 3rd grade game at Killara Oval vs Bankstown in round 12 of the 2011/12 season. Gosh, I barely even care and I participated (starred) in the affair. You're reading this because I’m writing it. What? That's arrogant? I know. I don't care.

Ed Howitt celebrates one of his bagfull of wickets

So let's cut to the chase, call a spade a spade, and I’ll give you the boring bits first and the decent bits - the bits you actually care about -second.

Scores on doors:
Us: 6/253 (dec) from 56 overs.
Them: 104 all out from 44.1 overs and 6/108 from 26 overs.

Howitt lost his millionth toss in a row and we were sent in on a wicket that was moist and an outfield that was lush. Openers Turner and Howitt walked out to the middle in gumboots, wearing life jackets and carried one end of a canoe each. Their efforts to merely make it out to the middle were well rewarded as Howitt specifically was ruthless on some lack lustre opening spells from the Bankstown bowlers.

The captains 33 from 31 deliveries received was as entertaining as it was frustrating, as good balls - be they few and far between - were interspersed with textbook and borderline cliché' wrenches, cuts and pulls from balls not worthy of such a bowler friendly wicket. If only Gordon's captain knew how to win a toss, both sides could have had Sunday off. As it was, Howitt was dismissed at fine leg and Livermore was smartly caught from a rank long hop. Higgins and Turner (unarguably the best looking partnership in grade cricket) were reunited after 47 minutes of separation and rejoiced their reunion with an 86 run partnership which would ultimately take the Stags out of reach of the Bulldogs.

God it was a good looking partnership. Aesthetically, their bodies have rarely looked better and their lofted drives, flicks and pulls were highlighted in between moments of brooding, posing, propositioning and finger bashing. Cargo was a heavy discussion point between overs and whether or not there is in fact a "downstairs".

The outfield was, and presumably still is, unfathomably long. The only way to penetrate the field was aerially as anything along the ground would screech to a halt. 4's were turned into 1's and even balls landing mere feet from the perimetre would pitch and station unerringly close to the boundary without ever crossing it. Turner's 65, Higgins' 58 and Tait's 58* on other days may well have been hundreds. Howitt's 33 would have been 10.

Tjaard Tait makes short work of the Bankstown bowlers on Day 2

Long story short, Turner smashed them. Higgins smashed them. Tait smashed them. 253 was akin to 793 according to one spectator.

Truthfully, after an evening and extensive period of non-rain, the wicket looked and played significantly better on day 2 of this encounter. The bounce was quicker and overall truer, the pitch continued to turn but was entirely less outrageous than the day before and balls regularly came onto the bat as if Sydney wasn't the wettest city in the hemisphere. It cannot be argued that the visitors had the better of the conditions by a discernible margin - which is probably irrelevant but no less important to mention.

Unpredictably, Gordon's bowlers were truer to the conditions at foot and fieldsmen offered fewer chances to batsmen as they stood in shin-high cooch. Stephenson and Howitt were exceptional. Does that surprise you? Obviously not. Hence why these minutiae are so irrelevant to any part of your life, I may as well be writing to you about what I'm thinking about right now.

And what I am thinking about right now is that I'd be happy to substitute Jim Courier for Ian Healy on Channel 9's coverage of the Australian cricket summer. I love his accent. I love his honesty. I love his je ne sais qoui. I don't have the power to make this happen, nor do I really care as I have both a 'mute' and 'volume up' button. Rich kid.

Anyway, I’m getting side tracked and bored because all I really want to talk about is the highlight of the summer for every Gordon Stag player, ever, but through fear of climaxing too early I shall save it for the end. Yes, I have a perennial fear of climaxing too early. Hoppa bowled a bloke who played a back foot defensive leave. It was the slowest death since Leonardo Di Caprio's character in Titanic.

The 'mane' man, Pat Effeney charging in for his skipper

Cubbage picked up an equally comedic wicket from a ball which was on its way down for the second bounce, as the batsman pulled a ball straight to Tait who was sweeping on the square leg boundary. The only thing funnier than the dismissal itself was the way Tait caught the ball as he rolled awkwardly over his head and somehow managed to get 3 spikes from his right boot to scrape up his left thigh. It was as if Wolverine had made an advance on him. That bloke is weird. Saffa's are weird.

The 10th wicket of the Bankstown first innings added 32 before Stephenson, fresh from taking a properly decent two handed catch diving to his right, confirmed the 6 points with his first ball of a new spell. Without saying a word, he collected his wide brim hat from the umpire, walked 4 metres towards the Killara dressing rooms and called out to the visitors "Put 'em on".

With only 26 overs to have a crack at the outright victory, one could never really hold hopes of taking 10 points away from this match, but to beat a club like Bankstown so thoroughly is such a rare feat, everyone in the home dressing room were more than happy to try to dismiss some batsmen twice in a day. I think most have been on the receiving end of a Bulldog flogging at one time or another.

A slightly more folically-challenged bowler - Jules Stephenson

And that's exactly what happened. With 6 of the Bankstown players having played Green Shield last season, the contrast between youth and experience was never more tangible. It fringed upon the embarrassing for the visitors as they continually chirped at the fielding side, with bat in hand, and 6 second innings wickets were gifted rather than earned.

Harry Turner capped off a truly tremendous outing with 4 wickets in 5 overs, 2 from full tosses. The first resulted in a quite remarkable outfield catch from Adam Cubbage. A knee high full toss from Turner was comprehensively flicked with distain from the right handed opening batsman toward the mid wicket fence. Cubbage, fractionally behind square (probably eyeing off picnic baskets) took 641 steps to run 30 metres, as he does.

As the ball dropped from the heavens, "Carbo" (in no way does this nick-name work, as he doesn't at all resemble the "Packed to the Rafters" character, nor does his name align with this alias. Also, can report writers stop inserting weekly nicknames into their match reports? It's annoying, it rarely has context for the neutral reader and it's not funny) dropped to the floor and slid along the sponge cushioned canvas. He lifted himself from the dirt triumphantly, almost in disbelief, and held the ball aloft in one greedy hand. An unequivocally astonishing grab, deserved of mention.

However, my second favourite moment of this match occurred thanks to Jules Stephenson in the second innings. After questioning the left handed opening batsman, who seemed regularly open to symposium, if he could score a run on the off-side, he stood atop his mark and vociferated to the striker "This is going to be a half-volley outside off-stump. It won't swing."

Harry Turner makes a big impact in the second innings

He didn't offer a stroke. It hit middle and off. Queue eruption.

But let's cut to the chase. The game was done. The good guys had taken 15 wickets in the day on a far superior day for batting than the one before and the 'baddies' were limping to the 80th over of the day without any real ambition. I think there comes a certain self-satisfaction from beating a team after having the worse of the conditions.

79 overs have been bowled for the day; the 80th is a proverbial dead rubber. Higgins has been warming up for a month and a half.

Higgins is on.

First things first, he gets a sweeper. All good captains will give an inexperienced bowler a sweeper. It's captaincy 101. Higgins is nervous because A: he realises he hasn't got his bowling shoes on and B: he will have to complete a full over. 6 balls and everything. And C: Paul Stephenson has his camera primed and pointing straight at I. Higgins. I don't know how Jules does it every week. Literally every week - off season inclusive.

At this point, let me run you through my current grade bowling experience for those I haven't told. 8 years, 0.1 overs, 0/4.

Many of you will point out that my current economy is 24.00 per over. Cheers for that. At this point, I’m really looking at going for anything less than 6 boundaries in this over. You have no idea how much I need this. More than Cubbage needs a back wax, or a rug dealer or something. Cheap shot.

Is this photo real? With photoshopping and graphic design, could this really be Ian Higgins bowling?

I hand my cap to the umpire, look him dead in the eye; "right arm over.... and rapid". Leg spin is not for the untrained, and with recent work commitments, my pursuit to usurp Nathan Lyon as Australia's premier spinner has had to be put on hold. For now. I don't have a run up, so I kind of amble around where a good run up would start. I've seen them on the telly hanging about here; I’ll just do what they do. All of a sudden, the wind picks up. It's more than gusty. It's near cyclonic. It's meant to be. The best wind bowler in grade cricket is on.

So I roll out my first ball, praying it doesn't get pumped for a 4, or a 6, or an 8. I burgle a dot. Perfect. Now I can tell the striker to not get out to me. "Don't get out to me. Don't be my first. I'll never forget this. I'm going to take the scorebook home with me and frame it on my wall. I'll never forget your name". Kids are so easily riled. Stephenson at point isn't helping, sledging me.

I run in again, nay steam, lusting for a wicket I’ve dreamed about for as long as I’ve donned the Stags cap - more than 100 fixtures ago. I don't know why, but I’ve decided to run my fingers down the side of this one, trying to seduce the left handed wicket-keeper batsman into a false drive in hope of feeding one of the many hungry vultures, barely concentrating, around the blade.

An error in execution on my behalf sees that plan go to waste and in semi-despair I see the kookaburra bounce half way down, openly inviting a boundary laden stroke. Without realising how quick I can actually be, the ball lifts and kicks and bites, rushing and hurrying the batsman. He's pushed back upon his stumps, practically fending away such an unfairly aggressive delivery. The ball nastily careers into the splice of the bat and is lofted, as planned, toward the man of the match.

Now, I’ve seen some beautiful things in my time. I scribe this with the evenings 7th Heineken beside me. I remember the times I spent touring the Heineken factory in Dublin and the shared experiences and laughter I had. The bands of string that limply lasso my left wrist from which I purchased on Las Ramblas in Barcelona remind me of all the things I’ve seen and done. The places I’ve been, the people I’ve met, the things I’ve achieved.

Cubbage congratulates Higgins after his first ball doesn't get punished to the boundary

I've seen sunrises in Rome and and Paris and sunsets in New York and Tokyo. I've had both kinds of threesome, and once slept with two different birds in one night. But nothing, upon nothing, compares to the sight of when that ball left that bat and sailed safely into the hands of Harry Turner at deep mid wicket. My friend. My beloved friend.

I'm not sure if I’ve ever had to work 8 years for something before. Maybe to graduate kindergarten. So there you go. A third grade match report. Now go and do whatever you're supposed to be doing.

Gordon 6
Bankstown 0

Missy

It was a long journey to Raby 2, and even longer for me. As I arrived at the newly refurbished facilities of Campbelltown-Camden I was more than impressed; especially as I was greeted with the news that we didn’t have to share a changeroom with another team. The changeroom was filled with positivity as we headed out to inspect a relatively hard but grassy pitch before our warm up. We awaited a few late comers - Harry ‘Disco’ Turner and Ian ‘Cargo’ Higgins if I was to mention some names.

Adam "Flem ball" Fleming - part of a successful opening pair

We had a solid warm up followed by a not so surprisingly poor coin toss in which Hoppa lost and we found ourselves out on the field bowling first. Campbelltown’s openers kept out some very tidy bowling from Adam ‘Flem ball’ Fleming and Julian ‘Midnight’ Stephenson, who bowled some nice lines at good length and managed to get a bit of bounce from the grassy wicket. After a catch going down early in the slips, it wasn’t too long before Jules had his man, pulling a shorter ball straight to Turner at square leg.

This started a small tumble of wickets. Shortly after this 2 more wickets fell in the same over from Flem, both LBW, proving bowling full and straight with the new ball will get wickets.

The bowling continued to trouble the batsmen as the run rate was going not much over 2 an over for the first 20 or so overs. Hoppa brought himself on for a short little spell and trapped another victim in front of his stumps to claim his 500 and something’th wicket.

It was an all too familiar sight as the Campbelltown boys found themselves 4 down for 30 odd and in a bit of strife.

Despite the prediction of a local Campbelltown meteorologist, the rain was in fact falling from the sky at this point and began to get a little heavier. Covers were brought on and play was shortly delayed until it eased up. After the break James Kidd came on to bowl, 2 balls after the break a full pitched ball on middle stump struck the pad of yet another of Campbelltown’s batsmen.

Jules "Midnight" Stephenson - the other half of the opening bowlers

The middle overs brought about a longish but relatively inexpensive partnership due to some really tight bowling from Tjaard Tait, Harry Turner and James Kidd, who bowled to the field whilst the opposition batsmen were rarely able to pierce the field and looked for few singles. A few catches were put down but we stuck to our plans and kept it tight all the way to the end as Flem and Jules came back on for the last 6 overs. Jules dismissing their only batsmen to score a 50 in the dying overs, leaving us with an uncertain score of 6 for 142 on a pitch that was starting to get flatter. And the sun starting to come through the clouds was about to make it a little bit dryer and flatter.

However, Hoppa was unsure about what the new ball could do to us early, so we still had a fair bit of work to do.

Harry Turn(tables)er and Hoppa headed out to bat after lunch to chase down the low total. The first 2 overs were a little shaky as balls were whizzing past the bat and popping off a length; the total looked as though it might be a tough chase.

Harry didn’t last long, copping a good ball and he was trapped in front and on his way.

Harry Turner makes a contribution with the ball before missing out with the bat

Damon or Damien (as he prefers) ‘where’s my bacon and eggs’ Livermore, trounced his way out to the middle with the swagger of a guy that owns a Mercedes Benz and can keep his lights on all day. His innings started well, working the ball around the field, rotating the strike around to Hoppa at the other end who was swatting balls all over the park. The aggressive batting of both Hoppa and Reg unsettled the opposition bowlers, and they had changed the bowling about 4 times in the first 10 overs. Runs were flowing easily and fielders continued to chase balls around the park.

"Reg" Livermore looks to his trademark hookshot, whilst "Hoppa" Howitt celebrates his 50

After 1 for 4 we raced away to 1 for 120, Hoppa reaching his half century in 20th over. Reg soon followed suit and brought his half century up shortly after. With a win well in sight it was the bonus point that we were now after. ‘Cargo Bar’ Higgins went in after Hoppa to work a few singles around looking to support his partner at the other end (and possibly improve his average) and chase down the few remaining runs. Both batsmen were still there in the 27th over when the runs were chased down with 8 wickets in hand.

A convincing win for the Stags. Well worth the long drive.

Special mention must go to Clem Bromwhich and Adam Cubbage, who, despite not contributing with either bat or ball made a long drive for a game of cricket with their team mates… TFC guys.

James Kidd

In 3rd grade, we don't even ask who won the toss, we just ask "what are we doing?" 

We bowled first on a slow but decent Killara Wicket.

Get a good look at this young man - Tom Stobo - we'll be seeing a lot of him in the future. Either at GDCC or in some police line-ups (see property damage story below)

Early wickets were the key and Jules Stephenson assisted by bowling the opener on the third ball and also took a wicket in each of his subsequent overs. It was good to have Jules back, his pace was decent and hitting the right areas brought instant rewards.

We bowled well and wickets fell at regular intervals. The fielding was exceptional as always, led by Missy Higgins and young Brett Rosen. These two always lead from the front with banter and very witty remarks. It makes the time spent in the field rather enjoyable.

But I'm happy to be parked at 1st slip most of the game just so i can have a decent, mature conversation with Tom Beverley. Hi Tom, done any food shopping lately?

The spinners bowled really well as a group. Just as Ed Howitt ties up an end, someone like Taity or Cubbage can take over at any stage and do just as good a job. Having 3 spinners in your team, in a limited overs game is always a very handy option.

A few catches just didn't go to hand in the latter overs but this didn't really matter, the Stags were on top with the ball, eventually ending the Warriors innings on 141 in the 42nd over.

(Tjaard Tait 3 for 17, Julian Stephenson 3 for 23, Adam Cubbage 1, Ed Howitt 1, James Kidd 1, Tom Stobo 1)

Special mention must be made of Tom Stobo. Yeah, he may have taken a wicket with his 1st ball in Grade cricket but watching him collect a ball that went for 6 down the road, then trying to throw the ball back to the field whilst standing on the road and the ball hitting a parked van was exceptional. I think the driver of the van, who was sitting in the van at the time, was rather pleased.

Also, Missys mate who was seen walking round the oval with a flag on his back and wearing a funny hat was also a highlight. Missy, where do you get these friends??

Back to the cricket

The rain held off and the wicket improved for the 2nd half of the game.

With a bonus point a possibility if the runs could be scored under 30 overs, Ed and Brett Rosen set about to collect quick runs with 50 coming off the first 6 overs. Some lovely cut shots over 3rd slip really boosted Howitt's Scoring rate. Bretty also played some glorious shots with Tom Beverley's bat.

It's all a blur - Jules Stephenson continues to perform in his comeback year

A couple of wickets meant a consolidation was needed and Clem Bromwich provided this with a well-made 34 off 38 balls, while Ian Higgins and Tjaard Tait also kept the runs coming. Missy was out once again LBW. He has missed a couple on his pads this year. The bin and the chair in the change room must have been on his offside as they were dipatched quite easily on his return to his seat. Just saying.....

With the cut off for the bonus point closing in, Taity continued to block the hell out of it. Luckily, for the team of course, Taity was dismissed and Tom Beverley pretty much ran a suicide single to win the game for the Stags with a Bonus point. Great win and an early finish to boot.

It's great to have that winning feelings back again. Hopefully everyone is fit and injury free this coming week to take on the 3rd placed Ghosts.

Yours in Cricket

Damon Livermore

Thirds turned up for the first match of the new year, ready to burn off some Christmas pudding, but surprisingly were greeted by a pitch that was a worrying grey colour. On closer inspection, the decision to leave the white covers off on Thursday night to let the square get some moisture had left the wicket too wet to start on time.  

Damon "Reg" Livermore was particular fond of the leg-side boundary

Eventually it was decided to start at 12, 2 hours after the initial start time.  Some players called for a super over to decide the match, but it was determined that the match would remain 20 overs a side, with the start to the 5ths match also pushed back. 

As per usual, Howitt (now engaged!!) lost the toss and the Stags were sent into bat.  We expected a slow wicket, with some unpredictable bounce.  However, although we had the worse of the conditions, the 2 hours of sun had dried out the wicket and it played much better than we expected. Howitt opened and, after dispatching two balls for six with his trademark wrench over the (very) short Killara boundary, was dismissed for 22 off only 8 balls.  Livermore then joined Turner and together they built on the rapid start and we were flying along at 10 an over.  Harry scored a well made 28 off 25 balls and Reg was particularly severe, smashing 68 off 36 balls. His only undoing was yours truly saying that we could be about to witness the first Gordon T20 100. Reg was dismissed the next ball!

After a bit of hiccup mid innings, losing 6/46, including Dowsley damaging his ankle while getting run out going for a single he would never consider taking in any other form of the game, we were suddenly 8/152. However, some impressive hitting from debutante Bromwich (17 off 10) and a late innings cameo from Fleming (38 off 14), including 3 sixes in a row, got us to the very satisfactory total of 200. Thornborough (10 off 15) also deserves some credit for holding the team together while wickets fell around him, ensuring we batted out the 20 overs.

The author of this report, resting a sore ankle, wasn't able to field and thus can't comment in specific detail as to the energy and application in the field.  It is safe to say, however, that we went from being very confident to very worried, very quickly, as is the way with T20s.  The Hawks came out of the blocks flying and were over 80 after 7 overs and 2/100 off less than 10 overs. After a few economical overs, we were able to peg the Hawks back a bit, but it was very tight all the way - 30 off 3 overs, 17 off 2, 13 off 1 with 3 wickets remaining. 

Howitt stepped up to take the last over. Watching from the sidelines, I knew the next batsman in was a left hander, who would have easy access to the short boundary and, in a strange way, I was hoping a wicket didn't fall! The first two balls both went for 2 runs and then Hoppa snuck one through to clean bowl the batsman and the left hander walked to the crease. 3 balls left, 9 to win, 2 wickets in hand, left hander on strike. 

Ed Howitt, man for any situation, impersonates a flamingo during all the hustle and bustle of a T20 match

As dreaded, the next ball angled in to the pads and was slogged for 6 over the short boundary. Suddenly it was 3 off 2 and the Hawks were in the box seat.  Howitt though is the right man for a tight situation and crucially managed a dot ball off the next ball, which was hit straight back to him, meaning a single off the last would still result in a Stags victory.  This proved to be the case as the ball was hit into the batsman's pads and rolled a short distance away on the off side. An amazing win by the smallest of margins!

Credit must also go to Adam Cubbage (1/21 off 3) who bowled some tight leg spin when the Hawks were threatening to race away and Adam Fleming (4 overs for 20 runs) who was the most economical of the bowlers, including keeping the penultimate over to only 6 runs. Thanks also to Jack Colley and Ben Armstrong for their assistance in the field.

Right, enough of this crazy cricket, back to the real stuff.

Nick Dowsley

T20! What’s all the fuss about?

It really isn’t that hard. Don’t bowl a JK length, play some normal cricket shots and thump the ones in your area. The thirsty thirds showed exactly how it’s done on Saturday.

Adam Cubbage celebrtaes a wicket on Saturday

The toss was lost yet again and we were given first chance to make the most of the early life on a typical Killara pitch. At 1/21 off the first 3 overs, it was looking though we might be chasing a large total but Adam “Lines bowls faster” Fleming continued his good form with the ball bowling his 4 straight for a miserly 10 runs and picking up 3 good wickets.

From that point on,  all the bowlers kept it tight with Harry “Hooch” Turner and Will “Moose” Sweeny picking up one each and spinners Adam “Bear” Cubbage and Tjaard “I bowl now that Hopper isn’t captain” Tait cleaning up the tail with two each.

Special mention must go to Justin “Superstar” Avendano and Damon “Smashes 20’s” Livermore in the field with both taking great catches in what was a clinical fielding performance. In the end, ND’s were all out for a below par 115, probably not enough on a good wicket but hey, it is T20 and anything can happen. When you think about it, it’s only 6 an over for 20 overs .

The next 14.1 overs were a master class in aggressive, power hitting from the Superstar, smashing the ND’s bowling to all parts of Killara oval and especially harsh on anything vaguely short.

 

Adam Cubbage, Harry Turner and Justin Avendano in action against ND's 

Harry and Justin put on 112 for the first wicket, with Harry playing the perfect foil innings ending 49 not out. Justin’s great innings ended on 65 with the skip finishing off proceedings.

A great way to finish the first half of the season and head into the Christmas break on a very positive note.  Hopefully that momentum can be taken into the second half providing the turkey and ham doesn’t get the best of us

Happy Christmas everyone 

Adam Cubbage 

Third Grade journeyed to Cook Park to take on Penrith in Round 7.

Wet creases at both ends of the pitch were a cause of concern for the delivery stride of the bowlers, however, the Stags were keen for a game, considering the RTA profited around $200 in tolls from us. Dylan was the only person pleased about this. Cheers Dyl.

Senior and Missy greeted each other with their usual friendly exchange. After a three hour delay, the ground was fit to play, and both sides would contest for the six points with 42 overs each.

It was strange not having Hoppa skipper the side, however, Damon is a more than competent replacement. Often when there is a long delay prior to a match, it’s hard to keep focused. Reg mentally prepared the team in a positive frame of mind to play cricket, and stamped his authority in regular fashion by stating: “the days of static stretching are over.” Apparently static stretching can be more harm than good, as it causes the muscle to tighten rather than relax. Can someone pass this onto Marcus?

We unfortunately lost a toss that had a major influence on the outcome of the game. Nonetheless, we were sent in on a wicket that had a bit of life to it. Kris “I’m tougher than Steve AND Jack” Colley was impressive. His technique and patience were clearly up to the bowling and conditions that were in front of him. Kris ended up with 14 after batting for 52 minutes, but this was not a true reflection of his contribution. Higgins was subject to yet another great decision. Don’t think he would have reviewed it anyway. Maybe check the no-ball?

At 4-32, we were in a bit of danger. Taity was joined by Cubbage at the crease, who were both well aware of the situation at hand. They managed to deflate the chests of Lalor and Gott (good blokes) to ‘get’ us back into a decent position through some sensible batting, and some hard fought runs. Tjaard “I played school cricket against Vernon Philander” Tait finished with a well made 25. Cubby was run out soon after on 23, however provided a solid platform in the course of those middle overs, so the lower order could accumulate some vital runs with wickets in hand. We finished on 9-116 off our 42 overs. The slow and large outfield at Cook meant this total was more respectable than it looked, and definitely something to defend.

Jules took the new rock and was threatening until he pulled up a bit tight at the end of his third. James “I got an extra 5 litres of petrol” Kidd put the ball in the right areas, but was unlucky to go wicketless with a couple of decisions not in his favour. At 0-50 we were behind the 8-ball, but we continued to toil away and apply pressure to the Penrith batting line-up. Pat “I can name 10 players in the NRL that wear headgear” Effeney continued where he left off from his second spell against Wests. Pat has been in some good form recently, and is consistently swinging the ball. His figures were 2-18 off 8.

Reg then decided to take the pace off the ball by calling upon Adam “I vote on the Vodafone viewers choice” Cubbage. From his first set, we all new Cubby was on song. 3-100 soon became 7-109. Cubby was backed up by some classy fielding to assist him in taking 4 wickets. Chris “I bat in a long sleeve because I lost my short sleeve in round 1” Retallick was a magnet to the ball, and snared 2 catches. Livermore then took a full stretch cracker at square leg. That’s right everybody. I haven’t seen Reg move this fast since the last time free samples were given out at Lane Cove Fitness First. Julian “take me off your text list” Stephenson then followed suit with a screamer in first slip diving low to his left. At 7-109 the pressure was well and truly on, but we couldn’t manage to finish them off, despite the risky shots from the Panthers lower order. Our total off 116 was passed with 6 overs to spare. The third grade stags found themselves on the wrong side of some decisions, and although we came away with no points, there were plenty of positives to take out of that fixture. Thanks to Senior and Paul Stephenson for scoring and managing the team.

Tom Beverley

4th Grade won the toss and bowled as they needed a bonus point at Killara.

We were all keyed up to put in a strong performance against the Bears and the bowlers came out firing, bowling good lines and restricting North Sydney to just 140 at Killara.

Adam Cubbage in action for the last time this season before heading back to play cricket in Ditchling, England

Back in the sheds over lunch, we knew what we needed to do. 5 runs an over would get us home within 30 overs and with a bonus point. Nothing too difficult at Killara, despite a slow outfield. After the break, things quickly took a turn for the worse, as Gordon went into bat with an attitude to get the score perhaps more quickly than required. They soon found themselves 8-26 and a very early exit in our final game for the season. 

Some lower order resistance nearly tripled our score before the Bears were handed the win after we were bowled for about 70. A disappointing end to a very inconsistent season where the batsmen failed to fire on too many occasions.

Jack Colley (reporting on location from Maitland)

Alex Jackson and Michael Perry had a great first season with the Stags

Cubby’s 4ths arrived at Allan Border oval with nothing but an outright victory in mind. There was a sense of confidence amongst the side, and on a fairly good batting wicket, Shayne called “north” and won the bail toss. 

Adam "Shayne" Cubbage takes charge of the team, leading from the front with the bat 

It’s hard to believe no-one had a coin. Bowling first would provide us with out best chance at an outright win and the Stags took to the field.

Beau Saddler provided an early break through as the Mosman bats struggled against some tight bowling. The platform was set for Big Alex Lines, who took a wicket with his very first ball. Before long, Linsey had 4 wickets in 2 overs. He proved too fast and awkward for the Whales who looked like fish out of water at the crease. 

He continued to take wickets consistently while the Stags remained on the job in the field knowing that anything short of 20 wickets would not be good enough. 

Eventually Mosman were all out for 70, with Linsey finishing with the remarkable figures of 7 for 19. We were obviously very happy with our bowling performance, but keen to replicate it with the bat. The plan was to get the 70 runs, then build a first innings lead as quickly as possible and aim to have 10 or so overs at the Whales later in the afternoon. 
Mitch Kleem (52) and Michael Perry (46) provided us with the perfect platform and before long, we had reached and then passed the Mosman total. This effectively gave the incoming batsmen a license and with a very short boundary on one side the total climbed rapidly. 

Chris Retallick (52) showed his class, while Cubby (46), Shayne and Beau attacked the Mosman bowlers. After 35 overs the Stage were 7 for 237 and had a lead of 167. Shayne declared with 10 overs left to make inroads in to Mosman’s second innings. An edge found the gloves of Rinny and the Whales had lost their 11th wicket of the day. 

Alex Lines caught 7 of the Whales fishing outside off. What a day out! 

At the end of the first day, Mosman in their second innings had a deficit of 132 runs with 9 wickets in hand. We had executed our plan and felt confident that we could achieve an outright win on day 2.

Unfortunately a deluge of rain not helped by an uncovered square throughout the week meant that day 2 was washed out. With 6 points secured and most other games also suffering from wet weather, we find ourselves at the mercy of a couple of other results and a win for us against North Sydney. An outside chance at playing finals, but still a chance.

Charlie Bangs

Gordon 4th Grade travelled to Bankstown to take on the Bulldogs in what was to be a battle of seventh versus eighth and a possible birth in the top six for finals contention.

Tom Gooch strives for the extract yard of pace

Despite the rain deluge that came the week before, we were greeted with a wicket that was a little moist but definitely fit for a game. Openers Mitchell Kleem and Michael Perry got off to an explosive start with blows right across the ground. ‘Chilli’ Perry was dismissed at mid off trying to sky one in the air.

Alex ‘Motor mouth’ Jackson was sent in by our captain, Shayne Lin, to absorb some time in the middle, spend some time away from the boys and to let the pitch dry a little further. Unfortunately for all, he was caught behind shortly after a brief stint at the crease.

Kris Colley was looking positive after retrieving his drivers’ licence from an ATM near Greenwood the week, before but gloved one early, giving an easy catch to those waiting behind the stumps. Colley will be looking for a big one soon which he has done plenty of times before. He has, though, apparently landed a big one away from the game.

A man of few words, we will be looking to his brother Jack to let us all in on his love life.

Speaking of which, Jack continued from where he left off the week before scoring another 50. Both brothers are keen to play their shots and are looking to hit the ball. Obviously every cricketer is striving for that right balance between aggression and not giving their wicket away.

Kleem was dismissed for 56.

Chris Retallick was given out to an LBW decision and felt rather aggrieved with the judgement. However, whilst we felt that we definitely didn’t get the rub of the green in this game, I’ve been around the game long enough to know that there are swings and roundabouts when it comes to these things.

In this game, however, if a couple of decisions went our way instead of theirs, the outcome could have been quite different.
Shayne Lin made a quick-fire 29, making striking some massive blows through third man and down the ground. But the star of the show was none other than Tom Carruthers who scored 95 in an innings that was calculated and poised.

Charlie Bangs tries to extract a bit extra from the flattening deck

The rest of the lower order all made handy contributions with a total of 277 realised with 29 overs left in the day.

Three wickets were obtained in this period for 44 runs and the Stags were on top for a big day in the field the following day.

What transpired the following day could only be described as unimaginative and boring. With 109 overs to get the runs we got in 50, the Bulldogs fell 10 runs short of the required total with 2 wickets to spare.

There are many ways to look at this. Yes, it is admirable to see a player grind away a hard fought innings in trying times, but when does this in interfere with the spirit of the game?

I remember I was at school when Mark Waugh, Phil Emery and Wayne Holdsworth conducted a coaching clinic. I was there blocking away and Waugh yelled out to me at 12 years of age ‘Hey mate play some shots’. This was coming from one of Bankstown’s favourite sons.

Something is wrong when you are bowled half volleys on what was quickly becoming a road and you are blocking it back to the bowler. The points structure for grade cricket has been set by the administration to encourage vibrant play. With zero points being attributed for a loss or a draw, there is a huge incentive to play for a result.

Getting off my soapbox now, I still feel we should have been able to take the ten wickets. In the words of Malcolm Marshall to David Boon on debut ‘Are you going to get out or am I going to have to come around the wicket and kill you.’

Our bowlers performed admirably given the conditions.

Mitchell Kleem

The rain had been pelting down for three and a bit hours; the ground was soaked; puddles covered the outfield; it was 1:30; not a ball had even thought about being bowled and I was ready and packed to head home.

Thanks to the relentlessly positive attitude from both skippers, however, Gordon and Campbelltown 4th grade managed to squeeze a match in on the day, and not a bad match at that.

Colley looks down the ground for early runs

The morning and early afternoon proved to be one of those typical wet cricket days. The covers were on from 9:45am until 2pm, and most of us thought that the weather had defeated us. There was the usual back and forth between players, captains and umpires. Will we or won’t we?

Having snuck a warm up in, sans touch I couldn’t help but notice, the rain started and came down steadily for most of the day. Mick “Radar” Perry had the smartphone out and was giving us regular updates. “There’s one patch of rain, and it hasn’t moved from this spot in about two hours.” Apparently the clouds had decided that they liked Killara, as they tend to do, and remained over Bert Oldfield oval as long as they possibly could.

The umpires weren’t particularly positive, even at 2 o’clock, about the possibility of play, because of the large puddles that surrounded the wicket. Despite the lack of hessian under the covers, when we peeled back the tarpaulin we discovered that the pitch had managed to remain remarkably dry. Both skippers decided it was better to make a fist of it and try to play than go home having sat around all day.

We were cut down to a 25 over-a-side fixture, and Captain Lin promptly won the toss and sent the Ghosts in on a wicket that looked fine, played fine and generally was absolutely fine. What was very fine for the Stags and not so fine for the Ghosts was the first delivery, sent down by Alex Lines. Big fast bowler steams in, bowls a half volley on middle, batsman struck on pad, umpire raises the finger, batsman on his way. It was a nice way to kickstart a day that had hitherto been rather uneventful.

Mitch Kleem, concentrating on Mark O'Neil's recent coaching, looks to squeeze the knees together

Linesy looked very good in his first mini-spell of two overs. He was the pick of the Staggies bowlers, picking up two wickets in his first two overs and he finished with the figures of 2-15 off 4. Having not played for a month, Big Al looked to have picked up a yard for mine.

The Ghosts batsmen tried hard, but in the end the Gordon side picked up wickets at regular intervals, stifling the batsmen and slowing the scoring. A partnership for the fifth wicket of 48 had the stags on the back foot. The Ghosts wicketkeeper took a liking to some flighted deliveries from Alex “Motormouth” Jackson and to a lesser degree Tom “BouncersGo46” Gooch and “Radar” Perry. Once Goochy and Radar tightened up, however, runs proved harder to come by, and runouts eventuated.
There were three run outs in the innings, each one more spectacular than the last. Two were affected by Kris Colley in one over as part of a team hat-trick.

A couple of dots from yours truly built the pressure, the batsmen clipped one straight to square leg, and Colley swooped in after the unwise call of “yes” to knock back the middle stump. Pinpoint.

Next delivery, a rather nervous looking number 9 came in, was promptly struck on the pad in front of middle and was on his way, quick as you like.

Next ball, another clipped to mid-wicket. This time Colley bolts from square leg, picks up one handed and hits the middle stump at the bowlers end. Kris did end up making the song, these two runouts combining with his useful 19 runs to make up a good days work for Colley K.

Another LBW and a caught behind later and the Ghosts were dismissed for 147, and they would have been disappointed seeing as they were 6-135 with five overs remaining.

The Gordon innings was dominated by Colley the Younger, with Jack playing a very mature and well paced knock to chase down the Campbelltown score comfortably, with eight balls to spare and six wickets down. Sherman and Perry fell early, but Kleem stayed at the wicket with Kris Colley for a decent amount of time and started to build a platform.

The author, Pat Effeney, charges in on his way to 3 wickets 

Once Kleem was dismissed, Colley and Colley joined forces and took it upon themselves to chase down the score. Slowly but surely they chipped away at the Ghosts’ total. Some overs were bigger than others, but they made the score 71 before Kris was dismissed, somewhat controversially, LBW for 19.

Jack kept the score ticking along, with some lovely hitting and regular singles and twos. Chris ‘Retro’ and Lines both played useful hands but were dismissed hitting out (Lines trying to hit a glory maximum to end the game), and Alex Jackson went out with six runs to get off two-an-a-bit overs and four wickets remaining.

Jack did the sensible thing to knock a two, then a single at the end of the over, and another at the start of the next. Two runs to get, the man who doesn’t stop talking on strike. Thankfully, Jackson abandoned conversation long enough to hit a two straight back past the bowler with eight deliveries remaining to secure the victory for the Stags.

A man seldom mentioned in this report has been the captain, Shayne Lin. He took a good catch to dismiss the number six batsmen (the last man out). That was about it.

Otherwise, a real team effort was good enough to get the W on the day. A big thanks goes to Dave Millar who filled in fielding for the injured Anthony Sherman, and also lended his booming vocals to the victory song. I’d also like to thank the girl who was going to walk her dog on the field during play but didn’t at my request.

Cheers.

How good’s winning?

Patrick Effeney

They say you learn more from a loss than you do from a win. The Gordon 4th grade side decided to put this theory to the test before Christmas, losing four straight.

A vintage "Pic" Sherman flick through the leg side 

After a strong win in the 20/20 contest against Hawkesbury to get our season back on track, we headed out to Whalan Reserve to take on the lowly placed Blacktown side.

At the back of each team member’s mind was that winning becomes a habit which has been something that has been a regular occurrence over the past few years.

One of the more peculiar arrangements at this ground is a pole situated in the middle of the gate on entry and exit from the field.

Small things, small minds. (Editor’s note: This is to stop motorbikes etc from entering the playing field and ripping up the grass.)

One of the great appeals of grade cricket is seeing former team mates and friends around the traps. Low and behold Stuart Slocombe former personal trainer and Gordon lower grader was now turning out for the Warriors. Yes that’s right all 150 kilograms of him. Stuart was quick to point out that he’d given away the personal training thing and was living around the corner these days at Kings Langley.

Back to the cricket and Captain Shayne Lin elected to bat with the hope of putting runs on the board. Sherman and Kleem went out to bat keen to get the side off to a solid start.

Kleem back from sabbatical continued his disappointing start to the season was first to go for seven. ‘Pic’ Sherman and Michael “Chil” Perry progressed things nicely until Shermsy was out for 29. Jack Colley chipped in for a handy 28.

Kris Colley was at the crease for a brief period but will be looking for big score in the coming weeks. Chil was dismissed for a handy 20 cameo but the star of the show was Chris Retallick with a very fine 70 not out.

The oval was very slow and sluggish with plenty of two’s and three’s on offer. I suppose this really emphasises the importance of fitness. Likewise Killara has been a little on the slow side too.

Anthony Sherman, Jack Colley & Michael Perry apply their trade against the Warriors

Retallick was well supported by captain Shayne Lin with a couple of big zacs and the lower order players all chipped in, including Ben Armstrong, Tom Gooch. Did I miss anybody? A total of 222 was defendable.
Turning 34 on February 17, Kleem has realised how out of touch he is with what interests the youngsters these days on TV. Nowadays the younger generation aren’t interested in watching Discovery and National Geographic.

Kleem asked the younger brigade if they’ve seen manhunt. This show is about an Australian man who joins tribes from Africa on hunting expeditions. The blowpipe is used. This is where a poisionous arrow is used in a hollow piece of bamboo to shoot down monkeys and birds in trees. Quite fascinating.

A newcomer to the side Charlie Stobo, and son of the great Richard Stobo, proved a real handful with the opposition batsman. He is a real competitor and seems to have plenty of ticker.

Yours truly was responsible for a truly magnificent run out where one stump was thrown down from side on. Kleem will be looking to consolidate his position at mid on and hence giving him the title of the Allan Border of the side.

Wickets fell very quickly in the innings and the Stags were well on top from the start. Young Wack Jacko (Alex Jackson - a good little Grammar boy) is building with confidence with each game and is starting to really understand the importance of flight and getting the ball above the batsman’s eyeline.

With continued application and consistent rhythm hopefully he should keep improving. Another space cadet in the field he joins Kleem on the quest for discovering new planets in the solar system in between balls.

All the bowlers performed well with Charlie Stobo 2/30, Ben Armstrong 2/14, Tom Gooch 2/24 and Jacko 1/24 .

A niggling partnership from Blacktown ensued and some dropped catches. It was then decided enough was enough and dismissed Blacktown for 119 14 under the 133 mark, giving the side a bonus point.

Mitchell Kleem

We arrived at Killara hoping to turn around the start of the season. Despite the rain throughout the week and overcast conditions, captain Shane Lin won the toss and elected to bat. Openers Mitch Kleem and Anthony Sherman played posiively, dispatching the loose ball to the boundary. Mitch kleem (20) was the first to fall at 1-45 after setting up a good foundation. When Anthony Sherman (25) lost his wicket at 2-57 it seemed as if the team was in a good position.

MItch Kleem hits a four thyrough covers

However the middle order having kept their form from the previous games built a collapse which soon saw the score at 7-67. The pitch did give some assistance to the bowling side, although there was no excuse for for such a collapse. Someone needed to steady the ship and this was done by some good aggresive batting by Shane Lin (39) and Adam Fleming (10) keeping the scoreboard ticking over at the other end. Their partnership of (51) was vital as the score was now looking respectable at 118. With Gordon soon all out for 123 we knew that it was going to take some good bowling to knock over the Penrith side.

Penrith got off to a good start with one of their openers showing some good intent and scoring some quick runs. Charlie Bangs (1-51) bowled very sharp with the ball hitting some good areas shaping away from the batsmen. With the score at 1-43, the total of 123 did not look that far away. The wicket at 2-63 brought upon by some rapid, accurate bowling by Alex Fleming (4-24) and Alex Lines, (2-26) lead to a cluster of wickets bringing the score to (5-77). Fleming and Lines were both desperately trying to show they could bowl faster than one another. May it also be mentioned that none of these wickets could of been possible without pic's work in the slip cordon, as he was seeing the ball as good as ever grabbing four catches in total. 

The bowlers failed to maintain the pressure on Penrith as they passed the total with three wickets in hand. With another thirty or forty runs on the board the game would have been completely different. Hopefully the batsmen can do some work over the week and find some form in the last game before the Christmas break, which will be a T20 against Northern Districts. 

Tom Carruthers

Fourth Grade returned to Killara in a rain enforced one day game, looking to improve on what was a disastrous performance the week before at Sutherland.  Welcoming back some key players, the mood was light until Captain Rin obviously lost the toss to send us into the field.

Despite an early wicket, some ill disciplined bowling allowed Wests to score freely at all times during the innings creating numerous partnerships and always scoring freely.

Mitch Kleem back in action

Flemball was the pick of the bowlers, constantly catching out the batsman with his lack of pace and subtle variations.  Goochie also chimed in with 3 cheeky poles.  

277 for victory was always going to be a tough ask, but has been the case during the year, the middle order failed to deliver after a solid, but unsubstantial opening partnership.  Unfortunately, we are not going to win games of cricket collapsing from 0/45 to 7/64 every single week.   Chappo batted calmly for his 29 being the last man out, but there needs to be more value on wickets especially when starting an innings. 

We need to improve in all aspects before Christmas in order to push towards finals; however we know we have the ability to become a top 4 side by season’s end.

Alex Lines

Compliancy is the only word that can be used to describe the game against Sutherland. We thought we had the game won within the first 15 over’s which technically we had but it is never over till its over.

Julian Stephenson happy to be taking more wickets in 4th grade

This is something I have learnt from watching one of the greatest sporting nations to exist and I don’t mean Australia, I mean New Zealand, the Kiwis whatever you want to call us. We do hold the rugby world cup, the rugby league world cup and any other cup that is played for - apart from the four nations now after a somewhat remarkable win to Australia over England Sunday morning. So I think I do know what I’m talking about. It’s that you have to keep fighting till the end. Never give up, never expect it just to happen no matter what the score or who the opposition are as things can happen, and happen they did.

Let’s get to the game.

For me it was a very early wake up at 6.30am as Sutherland is about as far away as Sydney is from the land of the long white cloud. I don’t know if I took a wrong turn leaving Castle hill but it ended up being a 70km trip to Sutherland oval where I just managed to arrive before 9am. With the inspection of the pitch done before warm up it was noted that Shane really needed to win a toss otherwise we would find ourselves batting on a pitch that the groundsman’s was still preparing up until play. It was green, not too soft but would be more difficult to bat on now than later in the day when the sun dried it out. We welcomed 6 people into 4th grade this week with many players being out either doing a uni exam or winning poker tournaments in the Philippines, then deciding to spend the cash there and find a bride. The new players we welcomed in or back into the team were Mitch, Iqbal, Max Newman, Paul our English import, flemmo@bowlolgist (Adam Fleming) and Tom Gooch.

Warm up started with a game of touch with a small pink rugby ball and a field that included dog poo in the middle as we couldn’t be bothered moving the field. As usual any out markers are just a guideline to Shane so when his team run out by 10m its still play on as they are just there as a guidance. Shane’s team won which is a sad thing to say.

Tom Gooch watches his ball

With that over there was a solid warm up in the already sweltering heat. Shane was called to the middle to do the toss which he again lost, however the coin did land on the side rope of the pitch and for some reason the umpires called a re toss which ended up with Shane winning it and us sending them in .The plan was to bowl full and swing the ball to make the most of what was in the pitch. What happened next happened so fast, some thoughts turned to who we should go and watch once we won or maybe the team lunch at sizzler was on again.

Jules Stephenson coming off 5fa against St George again did the job for the Stags claiming a wicket an over for the first 4 over’s before he got a brace the next and was on another hat-rick that was again denied. Jules bowled the perfect line his whole ten over’s for a very well deserved 6/16 off 10 straight overs. It must be noted that once Jules saw the pitch in the morning he decided that his knee would hold up to bowling after deciding during the week that he would just play as a bat. He was well supported by flemmo@bowlologist who bowled some good lines and earned himself a wicket thanks to a leaping Max Newman at midwicket who timed his jump to perfection and got some great hang time to take a mark overhead. Gooch replaced flemmo@bowlogist and brought instant reward with a wicket to a catching short cover.

At 8/81 it was all the stags. However it was noted that we had to stay up for the challenge as anyone could put on a partnership and that’s what happened as we ended up relaxing a bit too much as we tried to finish them off.

'Chilli' Perry in the delivery stride

Conversation turned to why Shane’s company Channel 9 was not sponsoring 4th grade as they could cover every game and beam it live around Sydney on Channel 9 each Saturday. 

Michael 'Chilli' Perry and flemmo@bowlologist then combined to try and take the last 2 wickets quickly. Flemmo had the remaining batsmen running for their helmets as he sent down some sizzling balls at pace. Word going around grade clubs is that he is faster than Alex lines.

Sutherland ended up all out for 87.

How do I talk about what happened next.

We lost Mitch early to a run out, 1 for 4. Michael ‘Mickey D’ Dalrymple and Michael ‘Chilli’ Perry then combined to try continue their good form in the middle and take 4s home. Until Chilli was fooled by a slower one to be bowled. 2/40. Mickey D was joined by Max Newman before both of them followed each other in quick succession, as well as the Englishman Paul. At 5/57 it was tight and game on.

Enter our captain, our leader, the inspiration, tactician. First ball bang 4. it must be difficult for Shane to bat in a shirt as he loves to stalk the picket fence shirtless, looking for any eyes that may wonder his way whether it be from a nice woman or man passing by who knows. Andrew Crosland looked to support Shane with the odd boundary and a few singles before Shane lost his wicket, who must of thought he was facing Alex Lines or Andrew Chapman, wanting to dominate the bowlers to the end. 6/79.

The author watches his ball through point

Then it was all over on 86. One run short.

A very disappointing finish to what should have been a good win against one of the teams in the top 6. It must be said though we have been playing very well so it was disappointing to come to such a halt but we will bounce back. Overall there were too many lose shots, and not enough patience on a track that had quickened up but was still doing enough. We need to stand up now take some pride in our game, pride in the Gordon club and come out bloody hungry next week against Wests.

Michael ‘Chilli’ Perry

The Gordon fourth graders travelled out to St George this week to take on the ladder leaders. The day started with the usual rubbish banter. This week’s topic was Andrew Chapman murdering 50 beers and 80 rums, losing his phone and blacking out, a standard weekend for Chappo. The topic then quickly moved on with the boys eager to learn about my heritage and the Chinese culture, Alex “Linsey” Lines has suggested an end of season trip to the Great Wall to gain a deeper understanding and respect for other cultures.

Adam Cubbage does some damage with the ball in hand 

On to the game. The wicket was very flat and the weather was hot, perfect day to get out in the field. Kris Colley was nominated by the team to bring the sun cream each week but decided not to show, ensuring the whole team would be burnt; Linsey does not like Kris very much anymore.

After losing the toss we got our wishes and had first crack at the St George batsmen. Jules Stephenson, making his comeback after a couple of years out of the game, started up with Pat Effeney. Pat had the early success with two wickets in his first over caught behind and then to Cubby at 1st slip. As the day continued on, the St George batsmen went into their shells. Before the break Jules made the breakthrough claiming the Saints skipper and then a wicket the very next ball to be on a hatrick, the first attempt for the day. At drinks we were in a good position taking 5 wickets for not many runs.

After the break a long partnership set in. We were unable to make a breakthrough for 20 odd overs; however it cost us little with St George only scoring at 1.5 an over. It also must be noted during this time Chapman was as useless in the field as his banter off the field. At tea we had St George 5/100. The plan after tea was to go hard to ensure we could break the partnership and get stuck into the tail.

Straight after tea Jules struck twice in two balls to be on another hatrick. Again another failed attempt but two very important wickets. The St George number 3 decided after batting for 50 overs it was time to get a move on taking a liking to Linsey smashing us around.

The proof?? Or more confusion?? Was there a dropped catch from the hat-trick ball? 

Linsey now hates cricket and has decided to take a mid season break to the Philippines to make some money and find Taity that special someone.

Cubbage was the next to break through and it was his turn to be on a hatrick. Despite all the rubbish that has been going on twitter, a catch was never dropped with the ball falling short of Pic Sherman at first slip. Pic would have probably dropped it anyway. The lesson learnt here is that whatever the 4th graders tweet is not true unless it’s about #murderingmanyrumz.

Anyway the last wicket fell the ball after with Saints out for 180. Jules was the pick of the bowlers taking 5, Cubbage with 3 and Effeney toiling hard for 2. For Paddy’s efforts, the team has decided to chip for a new pair of sunglasses; if you have seen the current pair you will understand.

We went out to bat for the remaining 14 overs with the goal of batting through to stumps. Micky Dalrymple and Pic opened up starting well, until Pic was dismissed. It was this time, at about 5:15, I couldn’t handle Chapman’s face and decided it was time to leave. The arguments began over who would captain the side for the last 15 mins. At stumps we finished the day at 2/69 and in a strong position to take the points.

Day 2 banter was all about the trip into Balmain. The two Barker boys in the team, “Retro” Retalick and “Crosy” Crosland bantered about the exam they had to study for on Monday, Cubbage kept pushing for a promotion up the order, Chapman continued to talk rubbish and Michael “Chilli” Perry was making us all laugh about his tales of the Kiwis beating the Kangaroos in the Four Nations.

The Kiwis ended up losing to the Poms so we may not see Chilli this week at training with the depression of losing the rugby league grand final, the getting knocked out of the Four Nations and on top of that he is still a kiwi. Poor guy.

Mike "Micky Ds" Dalrymple looks to go straight down the ground 

On to the cricket. Jules and Micky “D” started solidly. Micky was out caught for 42 getting some good time in the middle before heading off to the mines in a couple of weeks for Uni. Retro joined Jules and a partnersip grew. We were looking comfortable at 3/150 when Jules was dismissed followed by Crosy.

The discussion then turned from the team lunch at Sizzler to the fact that Chappo averages 6 this year and we may be in some trouble. Chapman walked to the crease and blocked every ball until the target was reached. Retro was dismissed after the total was passed for a well made 50, the dismissal was an interesting one; the less said the better.

In the end it was a very comfortable win against strong opposition, putting ourselves in a good position after 4 rounds with 3 good wins. The talk after the game was to stay focused and not let complacency creep into our games. It a big 6 weeks until the break and its crucial to perform well in the first half of the year. The boys can now look forward to watching Cam Eccles #kickone in the 20/20 game.

Next week we have another tough game against the Sharks with many players unavailable so its time to step and give it a good crack and repeat last years 5/5 against them.

Shayne Lin

#Murda
#KingAwesome

Saturday morning started normally with my standard 10am wake up, however the strong beam of light that protruded into my bedroom got me thinking, I do not want to field today. Upon arriving at the ground my thoughts were mirrored by the rest of the team, with numerous insults and threats being thrown at Captain Shayne “Rin” Lin.

Adam Fleming bowls a 'steady' line whilst Shayne "Rin" Lin waits for the catch

With that in mind Shayne decided that he would again lose the toss for the 3rd time straight this year, after having a year of Rinny winning ever toss, losing the toss has been a hard thing for the team to swallow. With his head down Rinny had to inform us all that he had indeed lost the loss and we would be fielding, as the 4th grade team is a hard team to impress, Rin was subjected to some concentrated ‘banter’ for the next half an hour.

However with that behind us all and the jokes aside, we came out onto the ground in the usual high spirits expecting early wickets that we had seen from Killara this year. With that in mind Lines after 2 weeks of watching Pat Effeney and James Kidd take the wickets, decided that he himself would take 5 this week.

Having Easts 4/10 of 8 overs was the desired start with Linesy having figures of 3/10 and ‘steady’ bowling from Fleming of 1/0 of his 4 overs.

However seeing the new batsman Chapman walking out for Easts I feared that the innings was far from over, knowing the damage that a Chapman can do to a bowling team.

The only way to combat a Chapman is to bring another one on to bowl. This was one of the standout moves of Rinny’s captaincy this year. Tom Gooch and I managed to stem the run flow with Goochy picking up a wicket. Some loose fielding allowed a partnership of about 30 runs in 25 overs. However, some quick wickets from Cubbage before tea allowed ourselves to proceed to tea with Easts 8 down for 80 odd, from 45 overs.

After tea everybody was well and truly over watching Easts bat, we came out switched on and upbeat to finish this innings off quickly. Lines, being easily subjected to peer pressure, was subject to some choice ‘banter’ from myself and Fleming from mid off and mid on. This got Lines as fired up as possible for him, and he proceeded to clean up the last 2 wickets with Easts bowled out for 87 from 50 overs.

As Colley and Mike padded up for chase down this low total, Rinny stressed the fact that if we bat our natural way we would chase the total down and have 6 points by the end of the day. While on the way to a decent start Mike was fired out LBW. This bought another mini collapse to our struggling top and middle order as we slumped to 5/40, however Kris Colley, being the rock of the innings, was still out there scoring at an Easts’ run rate.

With the hopes of the team resting on Shayne, you could say that the dressing room was a little on edge, considering that it wasn’t after Christmas and it being common knowledge that Shayne doesn’t score runs until after Christmas.

Andrew Chapman displaying good form with the ball in the early season

However with his team needing him and numerous hash tags of #cubbageforcaptain circulating on twitter, Shayne stepped up and blasted 65 from 40 odd balls including some huge 6’s onto the top of the pavilion and even ruining the tennis game of some old ladies, as the constant call of heads was shouted out in their direction.

Kris even managed to hit some clean balls and end up at 47 not out, proving that he may be of some use in the T20’s. With the 6 points secured and a declaration overnight in mind Shayne was caught on the boundary ending his entertaining innings, Cubbage headed out with direct orders to go for it, so in try Cubby style he blocked and left the remaining balls of the day. Day 1 finished with Gordon hitting 6/167 from 29 overs and an 80 run lead.

With the declaration made overnight before the beginning of Day 2, Easts came out to bat facing a modest 80 run deficit, however we became instantly worried when Chapman came out to open for Easts. This move highlighted Easts strategy for the day, which was to edge anything on the stumps and play and miss at everything just outside off.

In a day of cricket which many of us will want to forget, Fleming and Linesy again started brilliantly has we had Easts 3/20, however steady slow partnerships and few wickets in clumps didn’t allow us to bowl Easts out until 4:52pm. Even Cubbage had economical figures of 3/58 from 25 overs, along with the standard steady figures from Flem of 1-9 from 9 overs and Linesy and Goochy bowling very well for 2 and 3 wickets respectively.

With 28 minutes to chase down 80 “Rin” and Sherman opened up to do some damage, however Rin ran Pic out and then followed shortly after – along with Crossland – leaving the game now well and truly out of our grasp. The game was called off and the hot topic for most of the afternoon GDCC poker was less than 2 hours away.

The general consensus at the end of the game was to drink the memory of Day 2 away and everyone delivered that night, especially Moth coming up with the idea of the night for Taylor. As soon as beer entered Rin’s mouth he was straight onto twitter to #thefirststupidsayingthatcameintohishead, as after the poker night we headed off to the Crowie. To quote Cubby’s “check in”, we were all murdering a fair few rums.

And what was a great night for team and club bonding took place and was then re-capped on Twitter the next day, along with the 4th Grade plus Taity’s standard hash tag of #cubbageforcaptain. Of course this bonding was let down by the Barker contingent of the team who, just as at school, failed to keep up with the dominant Knox component of the team.

Andrew ‘MB/MVD’ Chapman

Although the road to finals was a long 16 rounds (2 losses, 3 draws, 10 wins, 1 outright win), the Gordon 5th Grade team came away with the Minor Premiership. 

A fantastic effort with important contributions from the 36 players below throughout the season:

I’m sure those lucky enough to play finals cricket would agree it is an experience. It can take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, bring out the best and worst in performances, and lead you to either loving or even hating the game. 

After the disappointing 1 wicket loss to Randwick in the quarters, we bounced back strongly with a 118-run win against Sutherland – great momentum leading into a grand final.

Tom Carruthers snares one of many in the finals series

Just to make a grand final is an achievement in itself. Many of the team had either never played in a grade grand final, or if they did, had suppressed memories of a loss, which can be difficult to overcome. Of note was Matt Todd, who reminded the youngsters how lucky they were to be in this situation as it has taken him 20 years to have the opportunity to win a grand final.

Day 1, we were not getting ahead of ourselves, particularly, as we had not played Sydney University all season due to rain affecting our round 1 match. Our approach was simple, to play like any other match with the same 3x P’s; plans, patience and pressure. We were confident in the team and the ability we possessed to win (echoing the words of Geoff Hickman).

Losing the toss, we were forced to bowl on what seemed like a good batting deck with a lightning outfield. The other important decision, from which end to open, was left to chance with Tom Bangs choosing the hand I held the bail in.

An edge goes through 3rd slip

I cannot help but think, what-if Tom choose my end because he had the ball on a string; devastating in line, length and movement and was justly rewarded. Removing Sydney University’s best batsmen Skinner (4) and Cowan (0) who placed number two and four on most runs scored in 5th grade, Tom lead us to a commanding position of 6-38 (with 5 of his own! and one to Tom Carruthers).

A 7-wicket run partnership of 36 from Sydney University attempted to pull back some of the momentum but was stifled by an efficient close to the innings (109 runs in 37.2 overs) with Toddy and myself picking up two wickets each. With the exception of an 18-run over to forget (sorry TC!), the first innings performance, not just bowling but also the fielding (2x catches to Carruthers, 1x Klemt, 1x Kinghorne) was everything skipper Tom Cockburn and the team could hope for.

With plenty of overs left in the day and a small total to chase, Tom Cockburn and Saahil Turki went out with purpose and application. Seeing off both opening bowlers and building the score to 43 without loss, you could say ‘they did their job’! From what little momentum Sydney University had left after their first innings, we took it in our stride.

As in most final matches, there will be a twist and unfortunately we could not avoid ours. 4 wickets fell in quick succession (3 of them LBWs). There were flashbacks to our round 13 match against Randwick; chasing 99, trotting along at 1-38, we were bowled out for 85. Safe to say there were heightened nerves and heart rates.

The responsibility of consolidating the innings then fell heavily on Tom Carruthers and Tristan Cooper’s shoulders. No easy task but the focus and patience applied by both TC’s wrestled the impetus back in our favour with a 68-run partnership, taking us past Uni’s total.

The ever faithful 5th Grade supporters

This great stand provided the lower order with a little less stress and a tad more confidence to go out and play our strokes but with a mindset that there was plenty more overs left to play.

Carruthers’ innings ended on a top score of 43, Cooper 31, Cockburn 26, Turki 12, and Klemt added a classy 35. Myself, Bangs and Toddy enjoyed our lead and advanced the score to 224 (off 68.1 overs).

A lead of 115 and an awkward 7-over period to end day 1, the Stags were keen to continue our momentous rollercoaster ride. With two big in-swingers to start the 2nd innings, I then threw in an out-swinger which drawing an error and a great grab in the slips by Carruthers – what a start and the end to day one!

Day 2, and Sydney University had a mountain to climb. Again, we simply needed to apply the 3x P’s – “just another day at the cricket”.

Not as dominant as Tom Bangs in his first innings spell by virtue he was taking polls and LBWs, I found myself with three more quick wickets; safe catches by Toddy and Cooper. Bangs was also in the action again taking the prize wicket of Skinner, taking the score to 7-41.

Dave Monaghan accepts his Man of the Match award

Another lower order fight back saw Sydney University approach a total that would make us bat again. However, Dan Richtor had other ideas providing the break through with Toddy reminding me how to catch.

Matt Todd went on and picked up 5th-grade-wicket number 59 for the season, a record breaking achievement that has been the backbone of the team’s success all season.

Tom Cockburn although relatively young has a mature head on his shoulders and has led the team to this successful position. All season he has had a knack of when to change bowlers and field placings to produce a wicket(s). Having four wickets in the bag, he wanted me to partner with Toddy from the other end and grab a ‘5fer’. Thinking the rollercoaster had reached its peak … edge … Carl Kinghorne takes a diving catch behind the wicket – OH YEAH, WE WON THE FINAL!!!!!

A great result for the team, the club, the selectors, and the supporters.

A worthy mention must go to Max Newman, who unfortunately could not play the final but was instrumental with bat and gloves all season. He topped the charts for 5th grade batting with 545 runs.

After a disappointing end to season 2010-11 going down to Manly in the semi final, to win the double header of minor premiership and premiership, and to win so convincingly in the final (by an innings and 23 runs), it’s great reward for all involved.

For those buoyed to go on next year and defend our title, all the best, and those moving on to bigger and better things good luck and up Gordon, get fah you bah!!

David Monaghan

In the biggest game of the season to date, Gordon made the trek out to Blacktown to take on the Sutherland Sharks in a must win semi final. An absolute picture of a ground awaited us, as the Sharks won the toss and elected apply the pressure early with the new ball.

Andrew Crosland comes of age with the ball during the finals series 

A shaky start saw Saahil (4) snick one off early to a good catch in the slips, followed by Tom ‘The Burner’ Cockburn (12) missing a straight one leaving us in trouble at 2-17. As has been the case in more games than not this season, the revival was lead by Max Newman (45). Playing straight and putting away the loose ball, Max and Tommy Carruthers (13) saw us to 47 before the bowlers struck again. Andrew Crosland (18) and Max then saw the side to lunch at 3-87.

After the interval, the bowlers struck, removing Crosy and leaving the Stags in trouble at 4-90. Tristan Cooper (4) came and went, as the ever reliable Max continued on his way. Dan Richtor (28) and Max then saw the score to 128 before a good piece of bowling removed Max, caught and bowled. Dan quickly followed to a brilliantly bowled waist high full toss, as Gordon stumbled to 7-150, far short of what was desired. Carl Kinghorne (26) then combined with the most underrated player in the club as Dave Monaghan, calm as ever, strolled out to the wicket. 

The pair batted supremely well to put on a vital 60 runs to push the Stags over the 200 mental barrier. 

A loss in concentration saw Kinghorne dismissed with Gordon on 211. A flashy cover drive from Tom Bangs (3) was one of the highlights of the innings but his stay was short lived. The stage was now set for the player of the year to continue his new found form with the willow. 

Max Newman plays the role of the glue within the Gordon innings 

Toddy (40 n.o) and Monaghs (79) then set about demoralising the Sutherland attack. Boundaries were flowing to all parts of the ground as the Sharks’ heads dropped. 

All their early hard work was being erased by some brilliant tail end batting. Monaghs eventually fell, but not after the damage had been done. The pair put on 80 runs for the final wicket, catapulting Gordon to a massive score of 297. 

With 9 overs to bowl at the end of the first day, Gordon toiled hard but failed to find a break through. Sutherland 0-30 at the close of Day One. As it turns out, the same runs were made by the Colts and their opponents, Sydney University, were in a very similar position!

Day 2 saw Sutherland off to the brighter start with both openers hitting boundaries and keeping the scoring rate ticking over. With the score on 62, Bangs (2-69) snuck one through the gate, removing the opener and getting the breakthrough Gordon needed to start their day. 

A brief partnership ensued, but it didn’t last long as Tommy C (2-30) claimed the other opener with the score on 90. This sparked a collapse as tight lines from Crosy (2-28) and Monaghs (0-21 off 13) combined with solid fielding saw Sutherland collapse to 5-105 as Toddy claimed his first (4-23). 

Tommy Bangs continues to put in great performances for the 5s 

Sutherland never recovered losing wickets in regular intervals as Toddy did what he does best. The last wicket fell with Sutherland on 179, still 118 in arrears.

Arguably Gordon’s best performance of the season, especially the rear-guard action, as they move within one game of the coveted Sherwood Trophy.

Andrew Crosland

Fifth Grade unlucky to lose, but still in the hunt for the David Sherwood Cup.

The majority of the 5s have never played finals cricket before, but you could tell upon arriving at Chatswood Oval that everyone was fired up for a big game. 

Unfortunately the weather was horrible as per usual but upon uncovering the pitch we saw a deck that couldn’t have been any better given the conditions. It was decided that play would commence at 12.30 and 73 overs were to be bowled in the day.

Saahil Turki looked good until one got through the gate.

Tom ‘Shaft’ Cockburn lost the toss and we were sent in against an attack that had rolled us for 80 odd in January but one that we knew we could dominate. The openers started strongly with Shaft scoring freely through the off-side, while Saahil ‘Gobs’ Turki accumulated runs at the other end. The score progressed to 30 before Randwick struck, with Shaft leaving a ball that jagged back and would’ve taken out middle. Gobs departed soon after and was followed by Tom Carruthers with the score on 40 and the innings in the balance.

Crossy has been in form lately, and a big score is just around the corner!

Andrew Crosland strolled out to the crease carefree and immediately started finding the middle. He got to 30 in short time, with Max Newman playing a controlled, smart innings, feeding him the strike at the other end. Another rain delay took the momentum out of our innings and the newly juiced up deck saw a big off cutter take out Crossy’s off-stump at the resumption of play. From there we regained control of the innings, with Newman picking up where Crosland left, displaying an array of glorious shots around the ground despite the added movement off the pitch the rain had given. With Max scoring runs at will, I was able to just survive at the other end and turn over the strike, which worked well as the score was taken to 4/145 before Randwick struck again. 

This saw a monumental collapse occur that was reminiscent of our regular season match with the opposition, as our final wickets fell rapidly to see our total stall at 168. Newman finished with 62 to top score for the innings.

With our batting the weak point this year, our bowling attack is used to defending low totals, so we knew that 168 would be enough provided we bowled to our plans and held our catches. The innings started perfectly with Monaghan clipping the bails on his 4^th ball to have the score at 1/0. Edges were beaten and pads were struck but no more wickets were taken on Saturday evening as Randwick finished at 1/10.

Toddy back in action down ol' Chatswood way.

We started strongly the next morning, bowling controlled lines to halt RP’s scoring before the wickets started to fall. The first went to Tom Bangs with a fine edge going straight to Max, before Crossy struck twice and Tom Carruthers once, to have the opposition in trouble at 5/30. With their captain realizing he needed to switch the momentum, he came out blazing and made a quickfire 36 in a partnership that saw the score progress to 100. We felt we had the batsman at the other end out with the score on about 50 when he edged a ball to Max and started walking before stopping, with the umpire mysteriously not raising the finger – but hey, that’s cricket!

With Matt Todd not yet having taken a wicket to add to his 50 for the year, it was only time before he struck, claiming the next three wickets when Randwick looked to be getting on top, to see the score progress to 9/153. The final overs were nerve-wracking for both sides, as tight bowling and cautious batting ensued. One lush swing by the no.11 saw Randwick take the win for the second time this season, this time even closer than the 10 run win they had over us a few months ago. Credit must go to the opposition however as they were more clutch in the moments where both sides really needed to dig deep and grind it out.

Tom Bangs, Tom Carruthers and Matt Todd will all be essential against Sutherland in the semi final.

Fortunately for the boys there are many positives we can take out of this match.

1. We had control of this match on a difficult first day batting track and without a few mental lapses a big score was there for the taking.
2. We bowled to our plans extremely well for the majority of the second day, with only a few balls straying onto the pads letting the batsmen off the hook on a short Chatswood boundary.
3. Our fielding was top notch and some of the best it’s been all season.
4. We don’t have to do covers next week!

With many experiencing finals cricket for the first time, I know the boys will be up for the challenge more than ever this week. From a personal experience those left in 5s from last year are 0/2 in finals the last 2 seasons and I know how much everyone wants to win. With a bowling attack that is consistently strong in all facets, and a batting lineup that is still yet to click but feels as though it is getting closer and closer to doing so, we know that we can dominate this week and book a place in the grand final. Next week we will be playing Sutherland at Blacktown International Sports Park no. 2.

Tristan Cooper

Tony Wilson's photo of the year - The grippers celebrate as Dave Monaghan bowls the Randy Pete's opener with 6 overs left in the day.

A close up shows the ball in between the stumps and the bails falling off!

We arrived at Tunks Park for the last round of the season against the Bears, knowing that this was to be a vital game as a minor premiership was in our sight. Despite the rain during the week the groundsman had done an excellent job in preparing a flat wicket. The outfield was always going to be difficult getting value for shots so time spent at the crease and building an innings was required. 

Max Newman flicks one off his pads 

The Stags won the toss and made the easy choice of electing to bat. The aim for the first half of the innings was to keep wickets in hand and set up an attack for the later part of the overs. With an early wicket to the bears Gordon needed to steady the ship. This was done by the captain Tom Cockburn and Max Newman. Cockburn played a well constructed innings looking in fine form for (49). Cockburn built a partnership with Max Newman who is also in fine form just coming off the back of a big hundred against Mosman in the previous week. Newman showed his strokeplay to all parts of the ground before falling for (35). As this wicket fell, we were still in a positive position in the match.

However, the run rate needed improving. Matthew Todd decided he was the right man for the job, promoting himself to second drop in an attempt to score quick runs. With player of the year points in hand Toddy proved himself dispatching the Bears attack, scoring a quick (38). The middle order continued to tick the scoreboard over with a handy (21) from Andrew Crosland. The lower order batsmen, Dan Richtor (24) and Dave Monaghan (13), finished of the innings bringing the total to a very defendable 216. This was worth a lot more considering the outfield was damp and difficult to score runs.

It was the Bears turn to bat on a good wicket, with the outfield drying up and we knew early wickets and building pressure would be the key. Dave Monaghan opened up the bowling, continuing his good form, and ability to make a fool of the batsmen by shaping the ball both ways. Monaghan picked up the first wicket swinging the ball through bat and pad of the opening bat. Tom Bangs built the pressure from the other end, by bowling tight lines. 

Tom Cockburn trusts the bounce at Tunks Park and plays of the back foot 

Credit goes to all of the Gordon bowlers who consistently built the pressure, sticking to the game plan, which resulted in slow scoring by Norths. Tom Carruthers and Matthew Todd followed up the openers by bowling in partnerships and picking up a few wickets each to slowly collapse the Bears top and middle order.

One of the Bears' batsmen was showing a strong intent to score despite the wickets continuing to fall around him. This batsman looked threatening, by putting away the loose balls, although a quick bowling change by the skipper bringing on Tom Gooch saw his wicket fall. The Stags were now well and truely on top, with a bonus point and minor premiership in sight, there was plenty to play for. The Bears were struggling at 9 down for 80 odd. 

Toddy finished off the tail, and ended up with 3 wickets which puts him in good stead for player of the year. The Bears were all out for 87 and the Stags had obtained the bonus point.

Player of the Year, Matt Todd deceives the Bears' batmen, before Max Newman whips the bails off 

An excellent win to the 5th grade boys means that they have achieved a minor premiership and were in fine form for the finals in the coming week. A great performance overall, resulting in an exciting oppurtunity to play a home final at Chatswood Oval.

Get to training this week to prepare for a 5th grade premiership!

Tom Carruthers

The Stags elected to bat on what was a very good Beauchamp deck. Knowing the rate at which runs are scored after tea, the aim was to be only 1 or 2 down at the break. This unfortunately wasn’t the case with Mosman bowling good line and length to get the most out of the wicket, making it difficult for our top order to get settled and we headed to tea at 5/89. 

Max Newman - top scorer in the whole 5th Grade competition - celebrates his century 

It should be noted that the baking wars continue between Newman and Monaghan, with this round going to Max for his for his freshly baked cookies. This off-field form continued on-field for Max who returned from the break looking even more determined to make a big score. Andrew Crosland and Dave Monaghan chipped in with valuable knocks of 23 and 22 respectively, but the story of the day was undoubtedly Max’s century. He gave very few chances in his innings of 108 and looked steady at the crease. 

We were eventually dismissed for 201, losing our last 4 wickets for zero. Nevertheless, 201 was a very defendable total on a slow Beauchamp outfield with a bowling line up boasting the one and only Matthew Todd. With only 7 overs left in the day, Toddy managed to find the edge and the Whales looked beached at 1 for 17.

Despite the boys best efforts to get the ground playable on Saturday, not a ball was bowled and the game was abandoned at 1:30. This makes the North Sydney fixture a crucial one if a home final is to be secured for the mighty fifths so fingers crossed the rain holds off.

Tom Bangs 

Parramatta won the toss and put us in on a damp deck that was seaming all over the place and cover drives were hard to get hold of. Turkey (Saahil Turki) and I opened up and got off to a slow but watchful start. Turkey was the first one to go, playing across the line to a full ball and got trapped in front after lots of hard work.

Pepsi Max (Max Newman) was the next to come in and got off to a flying start with two cover drives that reached the fence; however, a fielder at square leg got the better of Max when he took off for a risky single and was caught short.

Tristan Cooper driving through the covers

Shafty (Tom Cockburn) came out next and was caught playing a drive that he popped up to mid-off. As a result, we were 3/30 odd just after drinks. I got a couple more before being caught off a slower ball which I kindly lofted back to the bowler for 17 and we found ourselves struggling at 4/40. Tom Carruthers and ‘Upright’ aka Tristan Cooper we're now in and pushed the ball around and played some sensible shots against the spinner. Then the boundarys started flowing and we were starting to get back on top of it. 

‘Upright’ was finding the rope consistently against the spinner. Carruthers then got trapped in front and we were now 5/71. Dan Richtor was the next to come in and started well pushing the singles around and got us to tea without further loss of wickets. The pair put on a few more before Upright was caught behind. We were still losing quick wickets. Richtor batted well for 23 before being trapped in front. 

Now at the crease Ronnie Mc D (Ben Armstrong) and Crozzy (Crosland) who added a very valuable partnership worth 42 before Ben popped one up to short mid wicket. Crozzy fell the next over also getting caught after a great knock of 37 to get us up to 9-157.

Tom Carruthers playing sensibly and straight

Shaft opened the bowling with Toddy and Dan (Sticky) Stickland and finished the first day with Parramatta in trouble at 5-36 with both bowlers bowling great areas and giving nothing away.

The next morning the deck was playing the same - surprisingly after a day in the sun. Parramatta weren't just going to give up and came out positively, playing their shots and putting a bit of pressure back on the bowlers.

Some great fielding and tidy bowling dried the runs up and the wickets started to come. They got within 30 runs of our total but Ronnie Mc D got a run out at the bowler’s end from square leg which finished up their innings.

A great display of leg spin bowling had Toddy end up with figures of 6/60 and a well fought victory for the boys!!

Carl Kinghorne

A familiar scene for the summer saw the first day of the two day match against Bankstown rained out, with Lake Beauchamp living up to all expectations. This forced a revised second day’s play with a scheduled 120 overs to be bowled out. Having lost the previous game, the 5’s were looking for a quick bounce back to continue their charge into the finals.

Ben Armstrong continues to perform for his skipper

The revised early start time was always going to catch someone out, with Tristan Cooper rolling up late to the cry that his internet alarm clock failed to go off. Though based on our fielding in the early overs, you’d have thought the whole team was struggling with the early rise. Three catches went down before the first was held, though with neither of the Bankstown openers showing any intent and good lines from 'Joel' Monaghan (3-29 off 11.1) and Tom 'or Charlie' Bangs (1-15 off 11) the run rate remained below 2.

It took a good catch from Saahil Turki to remove the first bat, gobbling a skied ball at mid on (first of 2 solid catches from Saahil). And from there the wickets came at regular intervals with Benny Armstrong (1-20 off 8) and Toddy (0-10 off 12) strangling the life out of Bankstown as they continued to put the spectators to sleep.

Coop’s also managed to steal a couple of poles (2-20 off 5) before completely forgetting how to bowl forcing a change; Carl Kinghorne was thrown the ball. Bowling his first ever spell for the 5’s, he managed to end Bankstown’s misery. Bowling great areas and taking 2 poles (2-9 off 7) with him to the dressing room.

Bankstown had managed just 106 all out off 56 overs, Gordon doing extremely well to stay awake in the field. A special mention should also be made to Dom Thomson who fielded like an animal, completing a great catch as well as a full stretch diving run out removing Bankstown’s solid opener.

Max Newman chases down the runs in double quick time

Tails in the air after that fielding performance, the Staggies run chase got off to a poor start with Sunhil out for 4, bringing the in-form Max Newman to the crease to join Carl Kinghorne. The two set about making light work of the Bankstown attack, steering us ever closer to the target of 107 for the win. However, with Carl on 30, the partnership was broken bringing Reagan Klemt to the crease.

Reagan (25 n.o) obviously had somewhere else he’d rather be as both he and Max (58) knocked off the remaining runs in no time at all, giving Gordon a good win and setting us up for the charge for finals cricket.

Andrew Crosland

Gordon 5th grade headed out Raby 3 looking to keep their winning streak going. We lost the toss and were sent in on what looked to be an ok wicket. Corbs and Sahil started well both scoring freely and getting us off to a great start.

However, with the introduction of spin and some rain on the pitch, scoring became a lot harder.

The Ginger Ninga, Ben Armstrong, takes a bagfull of wickets for his side

A sticky wicket combined with poor shot selection led to a middle order collapse. Tom Carruthers (41), backing up from his 50 last week and the newly nicknamed Prem aka T. Cooper (please ask Tiddles for all clarification on this nickname) set about resurrecting the innings but in the end we struggled to a below par 154.

With the ball we started well but didn’t make as many in roads early as we would have liked. Ben Armstrong then came into the attack and took 3 wickets in his first over to put us back in the game. Ben has been Mr .consistent with his line and length all season and is a great asset to this bowling attack. At 6 for 130 odd the game looked over but as is the 5th grade way we kept persisting and some good catching combined with tight bowling from Matt Todd, Charlie Bangs and Prem saw the score reach 9/140 odd. Their number 11 came out swinging and it paid off with the Ghosts passing our total 9 down.

In the end we paid the price for not batting our 50 overs, it was bitter pill to swallow as our first loss of the season was inflicted but we will re-group and take on Bankstown in a two day game this weekend where we will look to take 1st spot back on the 5th grade table.

Dan Richtor

The day began overcast with a slight chance of rain. The lads were very proactive with sightscreens and covers while I got the drinks ready. I summoned Max Newman to run the warmup while I filled in the teamsheet & went out to toss. The result was us being sent in on a greenish but firm wicket.

Tom Carruthers on his way to 70*

‘Supaturk’ Turki & Corbin got us away to a terrific start scoring at about 5 per over for the first 10 before Corbin departed. ‘Corbs’ has been a great find for the club and is a really talented player & an even better bloke. He played some great shots in his innings including some great drives. ‘Supaturk’ also displayed a more positive role this week which I would like to see more of, particularly in the shorter forms.

Daniel Richtor came and went pretty quickly, the victim of a decision which he, as always, took very well. Good fortune is just around the corner for Daniel. Max & Turks then continued with good shotmaking a running before Turks was out for a well made 40.

Tommy Caruthers then came to the crease & he and Max produced another good partnership before Max fell for 46. Tommy batted very well as other blokes came and went at regular intervals and finished on a very handy 70no. At the end of 50 overs we had 236 to defend which I was more than happy with, especially considering the strength of our bowling.

And… to the bowling…..

Alex ‘Linesy’ Lines and Charlie ‘CBanger’ Bangs took the new rock in a new look pace attack for the 5s - as they were victims of the new selection policy adopted by the committee. Linesy bowled with aggression, pace and absolutely no luck as he saw multiple catches spilt in the slips (welcome to 5s mate!). Banger on the other hand had a case of the yips which can happen to us all from time to time. I am sure however he will turn it around this week.

With dropped catches and aggressive strokeplay, Blacktown actually got off to a pretty good start. Linesy turned it, however, by bowling the opener & sending the other opener off retired hurt after a painful blow to his left testicle. We later heard it had blown up to the size of a coconut and the poor lad had gone to North Shore hospital for further treatment.

Matt Todd "somehow" bowls a Warrior around his legs

After about 18 overs, Balcktown were cruising at 1 for around 80 when I decided to have a trundle. Somehow I bowled the bloke around his legs first rock & continued to get wickets at regular intervals. This big unit then strolled out as pinch hitter & I have got to say he had me a tad worried.

He was belting 4s & 6’s at will with even miss hits racing to the fence. I thought it was time to bring Linesy back and he made the crucial breakthrough to get the big rig out (a good high catch taken by Supaturk).

After this the Townies lost their momentum and were bowled out without even so much as a whimper.

Another good win for 5s a keeping the momentum going.

Matt ‘Fester’ Todd

Following on from a marathon of runs in 3rd grade on what seemed a fairly flat Killara deck, 5th Grade, especially Toddy, were as pumped as ever to have a crack at the Hawks.

Reagan Klemt plays a pivotal role with the bat, guiding the Stags home

It all started with Toddy losing the toss and the Stags were sent out to have a shot at knocking the opposition over for a cheap total which judging by the previous game, there was still confidence to chase down 200.

The Hawks however seemed to come out with the same sort of confidence and all guns blazing. Although Ricko made the early breakthrough and with Charlie bowled tight lines, the batsman took a hint from their 3rd grade counterparts and went hard at the ball early and ended up hitting boundaries to all areas of the ground through some rather cheeky slog shots.

After an 82 run 2nd wicket stand which left the Hawks at 1-93 in the 10th, enter Toddy who immediately ripped through both of the batsman at the crease whilst conceeding no runs to put the Stags right back in the mix. He bowled brilliantly throughout his spell to end up with 3-9 off his 4 overs, not a bad feat in a T20 match.

From then, Gordon started to gain momentum in the final overs through some accurate bowling by Monaghan, Armstrong, and Carruthers. Despite a few missed chances in the field, Regan managed to hold on to his third chance in his fingertips to put an end to the Hawk’s innings. It was a solid comeback from the home side, particularly as we came back to take the final 9 wickets for just 42 extra, leaving us with the total of 135 to claim in our 20 overs.

This total wasn’t looking too promising for the Hawks with Corbin and Jack both opening the batting brilliantly to immediately put Gordon right on top. Jack’s powerful hitting and Corbin’s elegant stroke play pushed the Stags to reach 50 in the 4th over. Things at this time were pretty relaxed in the sheds, however this was short lived with Gordon losing their next 5 wickets for only 26 more runs on the board to sit at 6-82. However when things seemed to turn slightly in favour of the away side, Regan Klemt came in hoping to perform a bit better with the bat than in the field, if he could hold onto it off course…

Matt Todd, in trademark Stags' cap, takes 3/9 (4) - an amazing effort!!

Luckily for us, it was the Hawks who started to loose grip, and Regan batted brilliantly and was joined by Tom Beverley to add a crucial 30 run partnership to make the game interesting again. Despite losing Tom, Regan powered on and combined with Charlie who together added another 21 runs onto the total to make for what would be a frantic last couple of overs. With 9 to win and 7 balls left, Reagan let loose and sent the ball flying over the trees to put the Stags in the box seat - 3 to win from the final over. Unfortunately second ball of the over Charlie fell to an excellent catch, then Armstrong came and went for a quacker- 3 balls, 3 runs, 1 wicket in hand.

Despite Toddy pulling out the quote of the day when he admitted “I’ll be happy with a tie”, flashing his shiny unused bat around he managed to glove a full toss to midwicket for a quick single - 2 off 2 required. The Hawks bowler felt the pressure and sprayed the ball down the leg side and gave us a wide, plus a bye! Too easy!

A special mention should go to Regan, who managed to come in in a difficult situation and bat quickly but sensibly to guide the Stags home with a solid 30 not out. His effort along with the rest of the team allowed 5th Grade to maintain position at top of the table and go into the following one dayers with a great confidence to take out the competition.

Ben Armstrong

Gordon Colts get back-to-back Metropolitan Cup premierships 

We rocked up to the home of Gordon cricket for our second week in a row, getting use to the large change room and all the history posted on the walls. 

Iqbal Ahmed celebrates retaining the Metropolitan Cup 

After our ground staff (and starting XI) packed the covers away we were told we were going to be chasing leather all day. I knew it was going to be a painful day when I heard the sound of a cougar coming from the bushes followed by a big “cooommmmmeeee onnnnn Peeeennnnnrrrrriiiiiiffffffffffffffffffffffffff” looking up I saw this sound coming from a Penrith player’s mother. This noise was heard at least once an over for the entirety for the day. 

A few early drives by the Penrith openers (And some YEEHAAS by the supporters) showed how good the deck was and should have been a day to cash in for all batsman! Tight lines from Dave “the favourite son” Leiboff (2/3 from 9 overs including 7 maidens) and Deva “The Mumbai Millionaire” Nirthanakumaranaranranaran (0/12 from 7) saw us get a couple of early poles and Penrith 2/10. ‘The Boff’ once again getting reward for bowling in the right areas. 

We had talked about bowling in partnerships in the sheds and this was a clear example of it. This was backed up in the field with everyone pulling their weight, special mentions to Tim “the VuVu” Van Zylen and Ben “the ball magnet” Armstrong.

The team goes up after Coleman takes off the bails - the final wicket and victory was ours 

Following up from the openers Captain Millar and Daniel “Partridge Junior” Stickland kept the pressure on. Stickland was rewarded with 3 wickets and a bump on the head. (3/8 from 8). After a diving catch from Andy Coleman, he proceeded to throw the ball in the air which caught Sticky just above the eye as he ran through to celebrate. 

Millar is not a man to be kept waiting as a Penrith batsmen found out, taking a bit longer between overs. He made it a point to make him have a restful day knocking his castle over on the next ball. At this point Penrith were 6/not to many before lunch on day 1. ‘Ronald McDonald’ Armstrong kept the pressure on with Adam “never trust a bloke with two first names” Aarons just before lunch, which came at a handy time, with the Penrith number 7 looking dangerous and playing a few big strokes. 

6/48 at lunch.

Dave Leiboff, Dave Millar and Mark Fonseka make hay on a great batting deck 

Lunch was good, I’m quite happy with the Subway provided during times when we are fielding, but I’m still craving the Fogo chicken burger. 

Back onto the field a loud cheer went up as Iqbal “the people’s champion” Ahmed. He bowled okay. Getting extra bounce on this Chatswood track. Excited by this extra bounce, Iqbal attempted to bounce the batsman with a vicious ball that got up to his shoulder…very very slowly. The people’s champion picked up the wicket of the hard hitting Penrith number 7 with a sharp catch by Jason Leiboff at first slip. Adam Aarons then bowled a batsman who didn’t offer a shot and we were 2 wickets away from cleaning up Penrith cheaply. 

We stayed patient and were rewarded with the two last wickets Iqbal claiming both. I must mention a sharp catch at second slip from Dave Millar off Iqbal to remove the last batsman. I must mention it because if I don’t, Dave will remind me about it about 50 times before next season! Penrith finishing up with 97 runs and an equal number of cougar noises.

Adam Aarons takes a key wicket, Dan Stickland bags a few and Iqbal Ahmed cleans up the tail 

With 40 minutes before tea, Tim and I were given instructions to bat till tea. Clearly I didn’t pay attention and neither did Coleman and we were 2/20 after not long. Vu Vu and Ronald stuck around and were building a good partnership before Vu Vu was judged LBW of a non-turning spinner. The number one son, Dave Leiboff, and Benjamin Armstrong steadied the ship until tea. The partnership grew after tea and until Ben was looking to clear the fence and was bowled. 

Let’s not talk about Iqbal’s ball, or Adam’s leave (which meant he was involved in both wickets where a shot was not offered).

The number two brother entered and joined the first and put together a very decent partnership which helped us pass the total. Dave playing some powerful pulls and some delicate “Fonzy’s- you know that shot behind point” and Jason following his form from last week driving the ball comfortably. 

Jason lost his wicket in the pursuit of runs with about 10 overs left. Skipper Millar joined Dave at the crease and saw out the reminding overs. 7/115 at the end of the day’s play.

We knew that with a lead of 20 runs that the first hour was so important. Survive that, capitalise in the second hour, then we would be home and on the way to the Orchard to celebrate a premiership. If we failed, Penrith, and its cougar noise, would throw everything at us in a bid for quick runs and then apply the pressure again with the ball.

Dave and Dave started off decently before Millar cut a ball hard to second slip. This brought our no.10 to the crease Daniel Stickland. He stuck around with Dave Leiboff and had a very handy 40 run partnership. Dave continued to strike the ball well on his way to 69. Sticky (11) has come up with the goods with the bat in the last two digs and built partnerships with whoever he is batting with. When Sticky got out we were 9/162 with plenty of time left in the day. Deva was all geared up for a big innings and felt in form after his decent knock last week.

The team celebrate a man-of-the-match performance by Dave Leiboff - a great all-round display 

Unfortunately Dave got out soon after, a well played innings but he would have definitely wanted more. With plenty of time still left in the day Penrith knew if they came out and batted aggressively they could be in for something later on.

The Slumdog Millionaire had other ideas (3/31) picking up the first 3 wickets. Dave Leiboff bowled steadily again without reward and the Penrith side began to mount a rear-guard attack, pushing to 100 for the loss of 3 wickets at the mid-point of the day.

To be honest, our fielding was a bit sloppy, but the pressure remained and we knew that it would continue to build on the Penrith side as the overs ticked away and they weren’t getting as many runs as they would have liked.

The peoples champion had been tossed the ball just before the drinks break, but it was just after that he began to weave his magic, firstly with an LBW, then bowling a bloke, enticing a lofted stroke for a catch and then finishing off the innings with a stumping. 4wickets. Standard.

However, the moment of the game was just after Iqbal struck first, breaking the decent partnership. 

Dave Millar leads the song after clinching another premiership as captain 

The following over the ball was played to Dave Millar and the batsman set of for a run. Well kind of. The new batsman sold his in-form partner a dummy, as the skipper pounced, still on the ground and threw down the stumps. Side on. Just the one stump to aim at. Gus Logie, eat your heart out!

Two new batsman were in and that was pretty much the game.

Chasing 64 for victory, a nasty little target, the Vu Vu had casually mentioned he was going to score 63 and let Fonzy get 1. He started off with the right mentality punishing the ball to all parts and before long we were 27 after 4 overs. Vu Vu 26, Fonzy on 1. Fonzy had only faced one ball. The Vu Vu fell on 26. Coleman and Fonseka finished off the chased and eased to a 9 wicket victory in front of the victorious 5th Grade side and many club officials and supporters.

Back-to-back premiers for the Colts boys.

The song was sung, with a changeroom full of supporters and beers were consumed - with the opposition and our supporters.

Thanks to everyone from Gordon who came down and supported us over the last weeks and throughout the season; there are countless names to mention. However, I would especially like to thank Jim Cattlin and Michael Michael for their assistance over the past couple of weeks.

A special mention to Mrs Leiboff for making my day after Dave Millar took a catch. She just wanted to clarify whether it was Iqbal who took the catch? Admittedly a mistake anyone could have made.

Finally, a quick mention to Ed Howitt Snr, who has now scored the Colts to 3 of their 4 premierships in recent years. Thanks good sir!

Until the next drink is consumed from the Metropolitan Cup… Up Gordon, Get Fah You Bah.

Mark Fonseka

The winning side - Deva, Ben Dave, Jason, Mark, Iqbal, Ed Snr (Scorer)

Adam, Dan, Dave (c), Andrew, Tim

The Stags teach the Students a lesson 

The team in Colts is filled with some of the best blokes in the club, giving the team a great camaraderie which, when it comes to finals cricket, is often the telling factor - especially as after Sydney University’s shock loss to North Sydney, the mighty Colts found themselves in a one verse two match up down ol’ Chatswood way. 

Iqbal Ahmed continues to contribute to the success of the side 

The grass was damp and the pitch promised some early life, so having lost the toss and been sent into bat the Colts would have been excused for some pre-match jitters.

Luckily for Gordon, the boys in the Gordon Colts don’t do fear, even after losing last week’s hero Tim Van Zuylan second ball. Some conservative batting (by their standards) saw Gordon move strongly to 1-44 off the first 13 overs before first Andrew Coleman and then Mark Fonseka threw away good starts to leave the Stags in some trouble at 3-52.

Now, those who don’t know James Dedman might be excused for thinking that a year off from the sport would leave a bit of rust. They of course would be wrong – but you can’t hold that against them. After a year away, James graciously decided to help out his old team in the semi-finals (“its not worth playing unless there is a trophy on the line”) and proceeded to start exactly where he left off with some lovely drives and the students were left reeling. James was ably supported by the rest of the middle order and his 80 formed the bedrock of the innings.

After the loss of James, David Leiboff (22), Iqbal Ahmed (19) and Ben Armstrong (0) the Colts were looking at reaching what I had proudly proclaimed was par, a score of 200 being fair on the slower than usual Chatswood outfield. 

Thankfully my prophesying wasn’t put to the test as Jason Leiboff (33) and the captain David Millar (49) had other ideas, leaving the Stags at a respectable 9/270.

With Dan “James Junior” Stickland and Deva “Jemal” Nirthanakumaran at the crease it was time to put the whites on. The students seemed to have the same idea and were left cursing when the two tail-enders consistently “left” anything wide of, over, and possibly even through, the stumps. After a number of picturesque cover drives a foot wide of the ball, Dan and Deva got their eyes in and put on a magnificent 27 for the last wicket, leaving the Stags jubilant and the students heartbroken as they finally walked off the field with 297 to chase.

Eleven overs were left on day one and the Stags set about attempting to claim an early wicket. The students’ openers (the ‘brothers’ Barwick) put up a good fight and managed to move the score along to 0/29 at the close of play. While it would have been great to get a wicket at the end of day one, the Stags knew that the first hour at Chatswood on day two would be the real clincher as the deck found some life again.

Day two loomed and the match was evenly poised. The Stags took the field, so did the umpires. The crowd took their seats… and waited. 

Unfortunately the batsmen didn’t seem to get the memo and when they finally did decide to play some cricket they were greeted with a muted cheer (and perhaps some sledging).

Deva Nirthanakumaran keeps the students in the field for much longer than they wished 

Now it must be said that even playing on the closest pitch, the walk from the stands to the field at Chatswood can feel like a long one. For the University openers it must have felt like a mile as the students’ season top scorer decided to guide a wide second ball to the waiting cover fieldsman. Jemal had struck and the Stags were fired up but still cautious – after all, the number three had put on quite a few runs and had made a match winning 70 last time the two sides had met.

First ball was a lovely delivery from Deva that jagged back and was watched carefully through to the keeper. So was the second, except this time the off stump got in the way. 2/29 in the first over back and it was game on.

Some tight bowling from the “speed demon” David Leiboff kept the batsman guessing and soon the Students were in serious trouble at 6 for very few at the first drinks break. That first hour at Chatswood offers some life for the bowlers and the Students had no answer to the great lines bowled.

They were beaten already and they knew it (even if the Stags didn’t). Clearly playing for the draw, the Students’ captain put up a commendable fight and along with the number 8 managed to last out the next hour without loss… or runs: only about 15 scored in the 20 overs bowled between drinks and lunch.

After lunch the wickets began to fall again, with Jason Leiboff and Iqbal Ahmed claiming the final scalps. Great bowling from the stags leaving the students flunking, all out for less than half the total with the “Peoples Champion” claiming 3, Jemal 3 and the Speed Demon 3 more on what, to be fair, was a beautiful wicket.

On to the final and the chance to defend the Metro Cup!

Andrew Coleman 

On an early Saturday morning, a fairly standard Sydney summer day for the start of the Qualifying Finals, there wasn’t quite the need to bolt down to Beauchamp with plenty of rain falling down overnight. Although the ground was completely covered in puddles, which the players worked hard on all day (only to have to re-do a couple of times!), the pitch was as hard as ever. 

Deva Nirthanakumaran puts in a great spell to restrict the Wests' batsmen 

With the pitch bound to stay as flat as it’s been all year, and the field only getting drier, it made sense for the Stags to send Wests into bat, knowing they had to bowl us out to win.

This was short lived however, with the prediction of heavy rain to come by the umpires we were called off after only a few overs of play into what would be a long day hanging around watching the opposition take turns on the super-soper, mopping up the field. The day was not to go without controversy however.

When on the way to the shops, Mark Fonseka assured us how good all Sri Lankan’s are at driving. Despite this assurance, he wasn’t the greatest ambassador for this, managing to roll into the back of a Lexus in the Westfield car park. Although there were initially a few arms and other things raised at Fonz in the middle of a packed car park, a pat on the back later, they both drove off having made a new mate.

Play finally got started again in the afternoon with Deva and Adam Aarons taking the first day scalps, leaving Wests at a very slow 2-57 off 35 overs overnight, with a big day ahead of them after some rather conservative batting.

The next day was set to be a big day of cricket with both sides needing to get off to a good start to set a base to work from. It turned out that, after some tight bowling and very long spells from Leiboff and Deva, as well as a run out (that although the ball went through four pairs of hands, Fonsey was happy to claim), the Stags were on top with Wests at 5-95.

Despite some persistent lower order batting, Iqbal helped clean up the tail along with a few more woeful run outs to leave us 194 to chase with plenty of time left in the day, and Wests needing to bowl us out to progress.

Tim van Zuylen muscles the ball back down the ground 

Gordon didn’t get off to the greatest start, with Mark still clearly shaken up by the incident the day prior, falling early. This brought Tim and Andrew ‘2nd placed’ Coleman to the crease, whom together had previously scored over 300 runs in two games against Wests.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for Elton, which most likely would’ve put a false hope in their bowlers’ eyes. Pity for them it was Tim’s turn to make a big one, smacking a few early pull shots until he started to get onto his cover drive which he happily sat on for the next 80 odd runs. Tim was striking the ball as clean as many had seen, and he and Carl made sure to put us in the best position for a semi with a strong partnership of 119, of which Carl made 33 and extras following close behind.

Unfortunately the loss of 2 quick wickets close to finish saw Iqbal to the crease, and although he “looked like he was sitting on his bat when he ran” (Anonymous), he managed to get dropped by the poor bloke who had already missed a previous five chances to win us the game and put us into the semi with a good win behind us.

Celebrating a crisp century, Tim van Zuylen raises his bat 

Tim’s innings deserves a good note, he batted brilliantly and saw us through to the end with a very entertaining 109* to boost that average a little bit higher than Coleman’s. Andy’s contribution to the covers should also be noted. Cheers for making new friends with the opposition mate!

As we came off the field, we were greeted with the news that North Sydney had upset Sydney Uni, handing us top spot going into the semi-finals.

Let’s roll through these finals gents.

GET FAH YOU BAH!!

Ben Armstrong

So this is it, last round of the season. The reserve Stags where in high spirits as we had enjoyed a good season and were now eyeing off being possible Minor Premiers. A win would help, but we knew that the game we forfeited would come back to haunt us.

Benny Armstrong - Iqbal 'The People's Champion' Ahmed's favourite 

Skipper Coleman lost the toss and we were sent in on what looked like a good wicket, as it turns out it wasn’t and it was an uphill struggle for all of the batsmen. Special mention to Carl “bats a bit like Brad Haddin” Kinghorne as he edged his way to top score for the Stags. 

The other worthy of a mention is Ben Armstrong, not because of his long flowing red hair but by the way he goes about his cricket. Always enthusiastic and plays with a smile on his face……..Well I guess he has to with the colour of his hair!!!!

Anyway we posted 169 off our allotted overs and then managed to keep the lads from Parramatta to 119. Largely because of me. Let’s not sugar coat it. I took 5 wickets and bowled superbly. 

A lot of people have a problem with talking about themselves or talking themselves up, I don’t and neither does my mate Ian Higgins…….if you haven’t already heard he now has a podcast, it would be strange if you didn’t know this!!!!!

Dave Leiboff looks to paste the bowlers across the line

Oh and Benny also took 5 catches in the field……well done!

So we came second by 1 point. Nevermind. Now to the real stuff.

Congratulations to Matt Todd for helping lead the 5th grade side to Minor Premiers as well as picking up the player of the year award, no Stag has ever deserved it more.

Also congratulations to the other grades that have made it to the play off rounds, I am sure we will all still be in the mix till the end.

NEXT……

Iqbal Ahmed

In 2005, Tim Flannery predicted that Sydney’s dams would never be full again. With the current state of the weather, it looks like he has some explaining to do. The Colts arrived at Snape Park on a bright day, eager to score a victory (hopefully even outright) and continue the charge for the minor premiership. Sitting only 2 points behind Sydney Uni, we knew that a win for us could mean just that. The deck looked the exact opposite from the last time we played, completely flat and hard, a genuine highway, and it was no surprise that Randy-Petes elected to have a bat.

Mark Fonseka on his way out to the middle to open our innings 

Dave Leiboff was his usual metronomic self, angling the ball in before swinging and decking it away late, much to the dismay of the Randwick number one, who nicked off to David “Hands” Millar (the first of four batsmen) in the first over. Dan “James Partridge” Stickland, claiming his new haircut provided him with less wind resistance and therefore allowed him to bowl quicker, seemed to prove his theory correct, troubling the openers with a series of pacy short balls, before uprooting middle stump. 

Dan’s excellent form continued, and soon Randy-Petes were teetering at 4/40. Aiming to capitalise on our momentum, the skipper kept up the pace bowlers, with Adam “I like to run” Aarons and Deva “It’s the long one on the team sheet” Nirthanakumaran keeping things tight. Unfortunately, one of the Randwick batsmen managed to get his eye in, sticking around for an eternity. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but credit to the guy for walking after being given not out caught behind. 

The Stags kept at it, with Iqbal “Goooooo Stags” Ahmed filling his second quota with 3 wickets, giving skipper Millar a couple more slips catches to go with his one wicket, including some especially good low ones. After a good inning filled with tight bowling and some excellent fielding, Gordon bowled Randwick Petersham out for 132, leaving 15 overs to bat.

In reply, Tim van Zuylan and Mark “Chandimal” Fonseka showed how flat the pitch truly was, smashing 70 off the 15 overs, slowing down to give a few maidens and protect their wickets at the end. Both batsmen played superbly, with no chances given and boundaries flayed to all parts of the ground. With Gordon 0/70 at the end of the day, only 63 short of first innings points, a potential outright win seemed on the cards.

Enter the weather, with the disappointing news on Friday that Snape was flooded and the game was off. Despite the obvious disappointment at being unable to gain any well-deserved points, there were very encouraging signs for the Stags heading into the upcoming finals series. A win next week against Parramatta and a loss for Sydney Uni would see the Colts take out the minor premiership for the second year running.

Up Gordon, Get far ya Bah!

Adam Aarons

Colts scores
Randwick Petersham 132 (Dan Stickland 4 for 11, Iqbal Ahmed 3 for 55, Dave Leiboff 1 for 10, Dave Millar 1 for 14, Deva Nirthanakumaran 1 for 14) vs Gordon 0 for 70 (Mark Fonseka 33*, Tim van Zuylen 30*)

Just three rounds out from the finals and the Colts were looking forward to fine-tuning their skills against some good opponents in the final rounds. However, injuries and other commitments meant that we were struggling to field a side for our second match against Wests. Jack Skilbeck and Hugh Selby answered the call for help. As well as Adam Aarons' mate Ziggy Middendorf. However, the cameras turned up to snap Michael Falk turning out once again for the Stags.

One of the many photographers in the area on this occasion submitted this photo amongst hundreds of others for the honour of having their photo of Michael Falk publishd  

We won the toss and sent them in. Deva Nirthanakumaran and Dave Monaghan, who was playing Colts as he was unable to play with 5th Grade on the Sunday, opened the bowling and kept it nice and tight. Deva and Jack Skilbeck snagged a couple of wickets before the Wests' batsmen began to get on top.

Enter Iqbal Ahmed and, more importantly, Michael Falk. 

It was hard for Iqbal to take a back seat. Listening to him in the sheds on a regular basis, you would be given a strong impression that the multitudes of crowds only turn up to see Iqbal play. So with everyone there waving Falk flags, it was an even better performance from Iqbal given the circumstances. 

Fittingly, however, he was upstaged by the non-spinning senior, with Falky bowling his 10 overs for 17 runs and taking 2 wickets. Iqbal ended with the highly commendable figures of 10 overs 2/23. These two put the breaks on the Wests' batsmen, with Dave Monaghan coming back and cleaning up the most of the tail before the 50 overs finished with Wests stumbling to 164.

Monaghan caused the Wests' tail plenty of trouble 

After the break, Van Zuylen and Coleman set about chasing down the target in quick time, taking the willow to anything wide or short. Coleman was particularly savage, finding space down the ground to put us in a great position to pick up two bonus points.

After punishing the Wests bowling to breaking point, the scores were level after 24.5 overs. Coleman needed a single off the final ball of the over to secure the victory and the Wests players were not aware they were about to leak extra bonus points. The scene set, Coleman charged down the deck, looking for glory, and... was caught in the deep.

It was a shame on a team and personal level. Coleman had played so well to get us into that position and it would have been fantastic to see him get us home and him finishing with 'red ink'. 

The batsmen having crossed, Middendorf's maiden runs for the GDCC secured the victory at the beginning of the next over. 

Another good win to the Stags!!

Dave Millar 

Falky leaving the field after a fantastic spell of bowling, and soon after maintaining the pitch during the break

Arriving at Beauchamp Park with a prediction of rain in the forecast the Stags were hoping for a chance to have a bowl first. Captain Dave Millar came up with the goods by winning the toss and electing to bowl. Tight bowling at the beginning by D.Leiboff and D.Nirthanakumaran put immediate pressure on, resulting in a wicket to D.Leiboff in his second over.

Iqbal Ahmed is looking the goods after Christmas 

The Stags were on top and looking good for a repeat of the previous encounter with the Balmain boys. However, some missed chances in the field denied the Stags a quick run through of the Balmain batting order. The Balmain batsmen seemed to getting set at the crease with run chase getting bigger and bigger. Until, I.Ahmed was thrown the ball and took charge taking 6/57 off 10 overs. Wickets from D. Leiboff -1/22, D. Nirthanakumaran - 1/22, D. Millar -1/25, A. Aarons -1/24, I. Ahmed - 6/57

The Stags were in high spirits heading into bat. They needed 4 runs an over to pull off a win and secure six points. A solid opening partnership from S.Turki (29*) and M.Fonseka (42) was in the making. 

Unfortunately, the game was called to a halt due to rain. 

Folks from another world help clear the drains so we can get back on the field.

Once the field was dry and the covers put away the Stags continued the chase, which had now been shortened to 100 off 26 overs. Good bowling from the Balmain side lead the wicket of M.Foneska. The wickets then began to fall quickly and the pressure was on the Stags. A.Aarons then came to the crease and worked nicely with S.Turki to bring us home with powerful shots over the top and quick singles. The Stags had won with one over to spare securing six valuable points.

Well done Stags!

Runs from: M. Foneska - 42, S. Turki -29*, A. Aarons -12*

James Partridge

Editor's Note: Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the sporting nature of the Balmain captain, who brought his team back onto the field, when the odds against them winning were very slim. Secondly, I would like to draw your attention to the author's glaring oversight in his article. After an intensive weights session for rugby, the author arrived to the ground taped up like a mummy having torn a bunch of small muscles in his arms and shoulders. He couldn't move at all around the field, let alone throw!! What a goose!

My promise to you all is that this report will be short and factual. After the entertaining efforts of Dan Stickland's last match report, detailing a day of no play, and our designated author being a late inclusion in the 5th Grade side, no-one else put their hand up to write a report for our match against the second Randwick-Petersham side. 

Dave Leiboff works one to the leg side on his way to 12 

After forfeiting against the other Randwick-Petersham side, we were behind the 8-ball coming into the second half of the season and wanted to take as many points as we could from the other Randwick side.

We won the toss and sent them in, hoping to bowl them out cheaply. However, they had other plans, capitalising on some slightly wayward bowling from Leiboff and Stickland. It wasn't until Millar, Ahmed and Nirthanakumaran had the ball in hand the the Randwick innings came crashing down, bowling them out for 100 at a very sedate pace in just over 40 overs.

Fonseka started the innings well, but Partridge and Coleman departed early, before Mart, Leiboff, Aarons and Brendan Gray - filling in for us - put a few runs on the board in quick succession before all departing quickly and leaving us at 7/85.

Enter Ahmed and Millar. 8 balls later and the side was home, within 21 overs and taking 2 bonus points back old Chatswood way.

Dave Millar

Waking up to overcast conditions, I was not too worried about not being able to play, until I drove 200m down the road and it began to rain. “Oh well” I thought “I’m in Hornsby, could be all right in Chatswood.” Unfortunately I couldn’t have been more wrong...

A wet Beauchamp Park

Arriving at Beauchamp Park, I noticed the sight screens were up and a number of people gathered around the wicket, hope of a match remained... Despite intermittent sprinklings of rain the covers were removed to reveal a green deck, which promised some movement for the bowlers, if the ball didn’t get too wet from what was, at best, a damp outfield.

Dave Millar sent us for a warm up and possibly one of the most intense games of fielding soccer I have witnessed. Dom Thomson’s sliding tackle on Adam Aarons was a highlight…

Unfortunately that was the most exercise we got as the rain decided to come down in bucket loads. With the covers back on and the rain pounding the rooftop we were confined to the change-rooms until conditions improved.

They never did and at 12:30, after removing the covers to inspect the deck, the decision was mutually reached to declare the match as a washout. A great disappointment for all involved.

That wasn’t to say that the Gordon boys couldn’t make the most of things. A game of change-room cricket was just what the doctor ordered to cure the craving the boys had for a game of cricket. Despite Reagan Klemt’s ridiculous one-hand-one bounce rule, which brought upon the demise of many batsmen within their first 6 balls, there were flashes of brilliance: Dom Thomson occupied the crease for a long time, smashing anything full which made the game particularly perilous for those fielding in close.

Dan Stickland watches on before considering how to take each of the boys to the cleaners

Carl Kinghorne’s reverse leaves and Aussie batsmen impressions were exquisite and showed us all how to bat like a clown, yet stay alive! Needless to say, we made the most of what was a pretty grim and frustrating situation, and good times were had by all…except for those who got cleaned out during our poker game (sorry boys!)

So whilst this may be a useless report, as no real cricket was played, I figured I should write something as all the boys in the change-room made the day something, when we all could’ve just sat around staring at the rain or our shoelaces. And besides, it’s better than reading an Andrew Coleman report!

It’s great to be Gordon down Chatswood way….

Dan Stickland

Having played a very strong Blacktown side earlier in the year - providing the skipper with his first ever loss as the Colts captain - this round was a perfect opportunity for the skipper to return to his side to right the wrongs of Round 2. Knowing the rest of the club was playing Blacktown as well, it provided the whole team with the impetus to perform strongly and come away with wins in all grades. 

Adam Aarons continues his mid-season form with the ball 

Losing the toss, we were told we'd be in the field. The massive field that is Whalan 2. Even a half lap warm up would have exhausted most of the team, let alone Iqbal and myself.

Leaving the changerooms at 9:45, we just made it to the middle for the start time at 10am. It is the worst ground to get a first-baller. Such a long walk back.

Stickland and Deva opened the attack and were miserly with the runs, with a couple of chances going down leaving their spells unrewarded. It wasn't until Bangs (4 wickets) and Aarons (2 wickets) came on that we made significant inroads into the Warriors batting line up.

At 7-70, after Iqbal 'Terry' Ahmed (1 wicket) settled into perhaps his most consistent spell this season, the Warriors were looking in deep trouble and might not even reach 100. Leiboff (of the Jason variety) and Millar took 1 each, before the Warriors no. 4 & 11 batted sensibly to get them to 118. We are still puzzled what the no. 11 batsman had done to deserve his spot at the bottom of the order.

After Fonseka dropped a simple skied chance, he made up for it in the next over with a good piece of fielding and a sharp throw over the stumps to affect a runout to end their innings.

Tommy Bangs puts the pressure on the Blacktown batsmen early in their innings 

Lunch followed and then the man of the moment, Fonseka, and James Partridge strode to the crease and immediately began to dominate. The Blacktown bowlers had trouble with their lines and the batsman took full advantage of it, with Fonseka pushing balls into gaps and forcing his partner to run 3s (his small frame just couldn't find the boundary on such a large ground). Whilst the scorebook does show one Fonseka '4', this reporter would like everyone to know that Partridge was forced to run all 4 of these runs.

In fact, with Partridge was dismissed in the 30s (with the only two true 4s of the match), he had run every one of Fonseka's 50-odd runs.

However, it was 'Pup' Fonseka who played the match winning innings, mixing his delicate cuts behind point with a couple of rarely seen drives down the ground. It is easy to tell when he is in form, as runs come in front of the wicket. A great innings, with some red ink to boot!

Although Coleman came and went quickly, the Colts, through Dom Thomson, got home within 25 overs and picked up the 2 bonus points under the old system which the Metropolitan Cup has reverted back to after last season.

After the team song, we stuck around to watch 4th Grade strangle the life out of a Blacktown side that was made up of most of their 6th Grade side from earlier in the year.

I can finish this report without mentioning a short story from Benny Armstrong's old man, who relayed to us how he was watching "Charlie Stobo's dad" (Yes, former 1st Grader, Richard Stobo is now just "Charlie Stobo's dad") hitting golf balls around Whalan Reserve. The crows would circle and swoop down and steal the golf balls before dropping them some distance way. An amusing sight it must have been to see "Charlie's Dad" chasing the crows across the fields - made all the more amusing by our match winning batsman pondering out loud how the crows could possibly fly with golf clubs in their mouths... upstairs for thinking Fonz!

Dave Millar

P.S. I would like to use this match report to thank the club coach, Ed Howitt, for the work that he has done with Adam Aarons in re-constructing his bowling action. The results of Ed and Adam's work speak for themselves with the number of wickets Adam has taken this season. Thanks Ed "recently engaged" Howitt.

PG's chalk up a win vs Sydney at Chatswood

After getting through the first 5 games of the PG’s season without posting a win, the younger stags were keen to head into the Christmas break on a high, and with the opposing Sydney team having only posted one win through their 5 games there was a good feeling within the team that we would indeed be able to take the points.

Justin Avendano during his century

The day started as usual with a relaxed warm up and the elder Colley losing the toss. As such the stags were in the field first. Scott Heany and Dan Smith opened up and bowled well without gaining a break through, though they ensured that the run rate never got away from the stags and with that pressure it allowed the like of Alex Jackson, Chad Soper and Henry Carmichael to bowl a number of tight overs at their middle order, and also pick up wickets along the way, restricting Sydney to only 8-190 of their 50 overs.  Special mention must also be given to Steve Colley, who did indeed bowl a very useful spell, much to the amazement of his team mates. Giving the ball plenty of air and even spinning a couple, although I’m not sure if his figures would have been the same if it were not for some interesting shot selections by the Sydney bats, and also the fact that Steve ensured he bowled from the end that meant the batsmen had to hit the ball around 80 meters on the leg side for a boundary not 40. But none the less well bowled Col.

After seeing the scores of the 1^st grade game the day before the young stags were confident in their abilities to chase down the score that was judged ‘below par’ by some. Colley enterprises opened the innings but it was not long before they were broken up with Kris falling LBW. This brought Dick Huey’s favourite avocado to the crease, and Justin obviously still thought he was playing in the 20/20 game from Saturday as he duly smoked his first ball for four through cover.  

Chad Soper, Alex Jackson and Justin during the PG's game at Chatswood

Justin was given a life before he had reached 10 and he was determined to make the Sydney bowlers pay, and that he did. Justin and Steve added 80 before Steve was out, bringing Logan Weston to the crease, he and Justin batted tremendously, knocking around singles on occasions but ensuring that any bowler who missed their mark slightly was punished. As the Stags raced towards the Sydney total Justin continued to belt anything and everything on his way to a magnificent 126 N.O. of only 97 balls which included 14 4’s and 5 6’s. This was a great innings by Justin and hopefully he can take this form into the New Year and continue on scoring runs. Logan finished on a stylish 26 N.O which gave the stags an 8 wicket win in only the 31^st over.

Overall it was very pleasing to finally play at a level somewhere near the team’s potential, giving not only the club but each player cause to look forward to the final game against Bankstown next year and hopefully finishing on a high. 

Henry Carmichael

We were back playing at Chatswood this week in a one day match against a strong Parramatta side.After some bad performances in the T20s we were ready to post our 1st win for the season.

Dan Smith in action

We lost the toss and were sent in to bowl on what looked like to be a flat Chatswood wicket. Our Opening bowlers started off great with Scott Heaney (0 for 61 off 10) was very unlucky not to pick up an early wicket.

Alex Jackson (1 for 35 off 10) playing in his 1st PGs game for the stags bowled excellent. Alex built up a lot of pressure on the batsman and they found him very hard to get away, which brought about his 1st wicket of Sean Abbott with a great caught and bowled.

Alex celebrating his first PGs wicket

Steve’s job had never been so easy, and after the 30 over mark Parramatta had scored 104 runs. We had a real chance of keeping them to a score below 210. The problem was Parramatta had two set batsman at the crease and with some good hitting and some bad bowling the score started to increase rapidly. Both Batsman reached their hundreds, one of them in 70 odd balls. Dan smith bowled a very well controlled final spell of bowling targeting the stumps. Parramatta reached 291 after their 50 over’s.

With a big target to chase the innings didn’t start to well losing both Colley’s early on. Jordan (29) and Justin (85) stuck around for a while building a good partnership of 70. We were going at a strong run rate and things were looking good before Jordan got bowled off the spinner. 2 over’s later Dan (1) also fell victim to the off spinner. Logan (8) will be disappointed with the shot he got out on after looking very positive. Losing 3 quick wickets really put us on the back foot. Henry (29*) found it hard to get set early on and found the best way to get back in touch was to hit 6s over mid off. With bad weather staying around Gordon finished on 6/179. With Parramatta getting the win with the Duckworth Lewis method.

Justin Avendano

Justin driving through the covers whilst Scott Heaney is about to release the ball

Gordon decided to have a bat on a flat wicket with a lightning fast out field. The batting was started by Twenty20 specialists Henry "I only play Twenty20's" (17) and Kris Colley who put an opening partnership stand of 27. This left the Colley brothers in the middle who continued to build on the good start made by the openers running, well between the wickets turning over the strike whilst putting the pressure back on the UNSW fielders. 

Kris Colley punches the ball through the covers

Unfortunately Kris "it hit my wrist" was caught behind to leave the score at 59. 

After this wicket the stags failed to rebuild and rotate the strike, losing wickets constantly not allowing any momentum to build. After the 20 overs were up we had finished 6/123 which was well under par. With a bit more shape in the batting and more turning over of the strike, 150+ runs would of been a bare minimum for this talented batting line up.

To defend the modest score of 123 the plan was to bowl one side of the wicket with men inside the 30 yard circle to build up the pressure and as we seen in this format before it is very hard to chase runs! We bowled and fielded with the odd ball drifting down the leg side which led to the UNSW batsmen taking full toll of the lose bowling.

Henry Carmichael 'rolling' the arm over for PG's

In trying to defend this runs we were always just behind the 8 ball but is was pleasing to see the fight by the boys right to the end. Henry "Im just going to bowl slow" Carmichael bowled well to the plan with figures of 3.2 overs going for 15 with three wides in the last over to be under speculation of match fixing and Tom Carruthers 3 overs for 18 both the boys bowled one side of the wicket.

Unfortunately we just didn't have enough runs and they reached our score 5 down in the 18th over. this could of been a different result if we had "found a way" to score another 15 to 20 runs. A special mention to Max Newman for an excellent game behind the stumps and helping out the captain with the men inside the circle when the captain goes to sleep.

So far for the PG's boys it has been a very disappointing start for a side way to talented to be 0 from 3 but i feel the boys are learning from these experiences and are ready for the 50 over format to start this Sunday against Parramatta back at Chatswood.

Steve "The Buck" Colley

The author hooks the ball while Logan Weston dances down the wicket.

The Gordon PGs side arrived at Manly oval determined to put in a good performance after a convincing defeat at the hands of Fairfield-Liverpool in round one of the 2011/12 season. It was sure to be a tough contest against one of the Stags traditional rivals.

Skipper Steve Colley lost the toss and the hosts elected to bat first. On a pretty good wicket it was always going to be difficult for the Stags to contain a strong manly batting line-up, the innings started quite rapidly but with a strong showing from all bowlers we managed to contain Manly (also known as Logans mates) to 143 off their 20 over's, a special mention must go to Steve 'Buck' Colley who bowled a particularly tight 4 over spell really leading his team taking 1 for 26, and also James Kidd who bowled an excellent spell finishing with 1 for just 22 runs off his 4 overs.

James Kidd continues his early season form.

The fielding was overall very good, before the game our coach Ian 'Bevo' Beverly set our fielding goal at 1 run out, as it turned out Dan, Steve and Chad all got direct hit run outs, all with one stump to aim at - an outstanding effort.

I would also like to give a special mention to young Tommy Carruthers who threw himself around the field saving several runs throughout the course of the innings with some terrific diving saves.

There was a definite belief in the change room (despite the inconveniently placed brick wall through the middle of it) at the change of innings which was not present last week, after losing an early wicket Henry 'H' Carmichael was promoted to number 3 and he and Kris Colley put together on a superb partnership. Both showed excellent power and control. Henry dispatching the ball over the fence 4 times as we know he can do, Henry was dismissed for an excellent 30 off just 15 balls, this brought the two eldest Colley boys to the crease and together they looked very good and victory looked imminent, however such is the nature of T20 when Kris was dismissed for an excellent top score of 39 off just 24 balls showing he can do it in all forms of the game. After this the innings began to collapse with Logan showing some good form against his mates manly. In the end the stags fell just 8 runs short.

Henry Carmichael cutting during his 30 off 15 balls.

It was a difficult loss to take after being in such a strong positon, However I know all the boys will take a lot of T20 experience out of this game, and continue to grow stronger as a unit. I believe as a result of team manager Rob Carruthers request, next game will bring more team banter, and also an even stronger performance from the Stags.

Jordan Liddle

Scott Heaney approaches the crease while Kris Colley leans into a drive.

The Gordon PGs side for 2011/2012 had their first outing against Fairfield-Liverpool in a 20/20. Having had a good session with 1st grade coach Mark O’Neil during the week, the hopes were high for the younger brigade of Stags that they would be able to kick of the season with a win.

James Kidd charges in against the Lions

Unfortunately though the day did not quite go to plan, Skipper Colley lost the toss and we were in the field. Scott Heany and Dan Smith opened the bowling and along with Chad Soper and James Kidd bowled good lines to keep the Fairfield bats to a reasonable run rate. Though during the middle over, to their credit, the Fairfield bats really upped the run rate, with wickets in hand they were able to take some chances, hammering ball to all parts of the ground (most of which the Staggies fielders retrieved from either just inside or outside the fence).

After grabbing the key wicket of Luke Doran, the Stags came together and were asked to really put in a big effort from Captain Col, and the team obliged restricting Fairfield to a score of 177 of their allotted 20 overs. This was a good score and would take some chasing down but the Stags batsmen did not think it was out of reach and knew that 2 good partnerships would give us a chance.

Logan Weston takes a great catch, under the watchful eye of our roving cameraman

Unfortunately these partnerships never eventuated; Fairfield’s bowling was tight and gave nothing away forcing the Stags batsmen into some lose shots resulting in a steady loss of wickets, which never allowed the stags to put on a solid partnership as we had spoken about before the innings.

The one shining light for the Stags in the run chase was Kris Colley’s innings; he showed that 20/20 is not all about hitting the big shots but also about picking up 1ns and 2s and rotating the strike. Kris scored an impressive 33 looking good and falling late in the innings trying to get the team close to the target.

Kris Colley swings from the hip, trying to get his side close

Eventually the Stags finished 45 runs short of the target, obviously not the desired result although there were some good things to come out of the game. If we can fix up the areas we struggled in during this game then I’m sure there will be some good results in the not too distant future for this young team.

Henry Carmichael

Match Report vs UNSW by Lachlan Borg

We rocked up to a must win qualifying final against UNSW and, after having a thrilling win against them earlier in the season, we came in to the game knowing what we had to do. We inspected the deck and Jack assured me that we should bat first, luckily Bruce had other plans.

Will Calov in action against UNSW

So we elected to bowl on what was a bit of a grassy deck, with moisture about and clouds lingering. It was Harry who took the first ball of the finals, fighting shin splints. It was an awesome effort just getting out there, let alone bowl a great over with lots of plays and misses and managing to get it to cut off the deck. Then entered Will Calov, who had to fight a very strong wind, but had an awesome spell of 4 overs and managed to pick up 3 vital wickets with the assistance of a very good catch by Jack Colley.

Seany Campbell then took the ball down wind, and although battling a torn muscle in his lower back, he fought on and picked up a key wicket, which swung the momentum to us. 4-39 at this stage, and we were in a commanding position. The batsmen began to forge a meaningful partnership, until we managed to snare a wicket to stop the run flow. Jordan Farrell then came on to bowl, and really tightened things up by bowling great line and length, and getting a bit of turn as well. The batsmen played and missed continually and finally Jordan captured a well-deserved scalp.

Will Calov came back on for a short spell taking another wicket, which brought us to lunch. Resuming after lunch UNSW were 7-103, they slowly began to get away from us. Our intensity began to drop a little, and the batsmen were making the most of it. But then James Partridge came on and instantly took a wicket which got us going again.

Soon after Erickson for UNSW brought up his ton, and they finished all out on the last ball for a total of 233. James Partridge (3-50 off 9), Harry Middlebrook (0-30 off 7), Will Calov (4-56 off 10), Sean Campbell (1-23 off 8), Rohan Siva (0-34 off 9), Lachlan Borg (1-15 off 7), Jordan Farrell (1-24 off 10).
It was Connor and Chris who strode out to start to reduce the total, two men on a mission. UNSW’s bowlers came steaming in and unfortunately Connor fell second ball for a duck. Which brought the menacing Jack Colley to the crease, instantly making his presence felt. Chris got off the mark, and smoked a glorious pull shot for four. Looking very good, that same shot managed to bring him unstuck for 12. Jack, after playing a great straight drive and pull shot fell to the left arm quick.

Saahil then fell to the same bowler for 3. James Partridge and Lachlan Borg then began to build a solid partnership to get the innings back on track, with James hitting some glorious shots straight and square of the wicket off the spinners and providing some entertainment for the crowd. Unfortunately, he fell to the offie for 15. Lachlan Borg followed for 32 after a good stand with Jordan Farrell.

A great stumping by Max Papworth, Jordan Farrell hits out and Sean Campbell steams in

Farrell was smoking them for his 30 and we started to look a chance again, with him hanging around at the crease. Once he fell for 30, things began to get away from us. With Max and Harry falling in fairly quick succession, the score drifted to 9-136.

Sean and Rohan hung around and gave their admirers in the stand a lot to laugh about, but also batting very well at the same time. It seemed a big ask, as we needed about 80 off 10 overs, but they fought it out. Rohan casual as always, requesting new gloves as his had worn out in somehow. In the end it was all too much and we were bowled out for 168. We walked off the pitch with a smile on our faces thanks to Sean and Rohan.

We all had a great season, but it was a bit sad to finish the way we did.

Happy Birthday Max!

Thanks very much to the Gordon Cricket club and Andrew Falk, Michael Falk, Tony Wilson, Peter Horwitz, and Paul Stephenson in particular. We wouldn't be out there without your support and assistance in organising gear, photos and grounds.

Thanks to all the scorers throughout the season. You made everyone else’s jobs a lot easier, and it was all very neat I might add!

Special thanks to Bruce and Corbin Edgar. We all had a great season with you and it was an honour to have Bruce return as coach this year, even though Corbin was not playing.

Also a big thanks to Derek Borg for his fantastic managing during the season. Your organising was exceptional.

Good luck next year Stags!

Lachlan Borg

An amazing win for the Green Shield - Match Report by Sean Campbell

The Gordon boys were back in action with a great victory over Parramatta to put them through to the finals. Skipper Borgy went to the centre to do the toss and came back with a loss of the call and the stags were sent to bowl.

Chris Spratt hits out against Parramatta

We were interested in how the bowling attack would hold with having injuries to two of the quick bowlers Lachie Borg and Sean Campbell making them both unable to bowl and leaving the stags with limited bowlers.

Harry 'Ginger' 'Mulls' Middlebrook and Will 'Choir Boy' Calov were asked to open the bowling and did a fantastic job at it limiting the runs and also picking up early wickets which was vital for the innings. Rohan Siva and James Partridge followed the opening bowling attack and did well with their lines and length limiting the runs against two good batsmen at the crease. The innings went on and we were running short of bowlers so Borgy decided to let the batsmen have a bowl with Connor Jackson,  Sahil 'the gobler' Turkhi and Chris Spratt all making appearances in the bowling attack.

The batsmen bowled well and kept the run rate limited again but a few loose overs towards the end of the innings let Parramatta get to 8 for 268. This was easily a getable target with the batting attack we had lined up.

It was our time to be sent to the crease. When the batsmen saw the score their eyes lit up realising they could all make solid scores here against the Parramatta bowling attack. Spratty and Connor opened the batting for Gordon and put on a solid performance showing their techniques and hard hitting of the ball. Spratty used his hard hitting to get him some quick runs and to keep the bowlers under pressure. Unfortunately he was dismissed for 49 :(. Big Jack Colley was called to the crease looking as solid as always.

The boys in the top order did a great job in keeping the run rate similar to theirs with Connor getting 54 in a great knock, Jack getting 41, Borgy 24 and 'The Gobler' (Saahil) getting 30. We were falling behind the run rate in the later stage of the innings but luckily James Partridge and Saahil kept us going and looking solid until both were dismissed. Max Papworth and Rohan Siva were at the crease battling out the final over keeping us on track and making it look like we could win the game! Some great hitting from both boys found us at 1 run with 2 balls and 2 wickets left.

Saahil Turki, Jack Colley and Rohan Siva in action against Parramatta

Rohan was dismissed and the Choir boy was sent to the middle. 1 ball, 1 run, 1 wicket left. The nerves were building for both teams watching Papworth face up to the last ball. A single was hit and the Staggies had won! The Gordon boys went up in joy and raced to congratulate the boys at the crease. The Stags finished with 9 for 269.

Great win for the Stags putting them 5th on the table and through to the final knock out rounds. Yew!

Sean Campbell

Gordon go down to Manly to put us on edge for semi finals 

We started the match well with captain Borg winning the toss and electing to bat, but to no avail losing two quick wickets being 2-0 and then Lachie himself shortly after due to good quality swing bowling from the openers. Spratt made a quick fire 40 smashing the bowlers over their heads with ease and grace before being dismissed by the new arrival spin bowler. From there was some consolidation from Farrell and Papworth till drinks.

James Partridge during his innings.

The second ball after drinks Farrell played a loose cover drive to put Cordon five down and in need of a solid partnership. Right on queue Papworth and Partridge ground out a nicely crafted partnership that involved a balance in power and finesse till lunch. After lunch both pushed hard for more runs till Papworth fell and brought Turki to the wicket which was beneficial till Turki got run out in a case of sharp follow up fielding from a misfield. This brought Middlebrook to the crease crushing some majestic drives meanwhile Partridge made his way to forty-nine and pulled a ball  firmly but unfortunately holed out on the boundary for an easy catch. This brought out Campbell joining his fellow Barker counterpart and quickly getting a few handy boundaries before the tail eventually collapsed.

It was a beautiful day for playing cricket in Manly but unfortunately batting first and only making a 175 off 54 overs was always going to be hard to protect. Could we do it?

Chris Spratt, Max Papworth and Will Calov in action at Manly

We were in need of early wicketson a flat track and Borg started  tremendously taking a sharp reflex caught and bowled that put early pressure right back on Manly. The other opening batsmen had his luck early edging a couple of almost perfect deliveries by Borg and Middlebrook, until his luck finally ran out getting clean bowled by Middlebrook and letting the scoreboard operators know it with constant friendly banter at fine leg before this wicket. We kept the pressure on with tight fielding and rotating the bowlers accordingly with Calov, Partridge, Colley and Mactier.

Lachie Mactier, Lachie Borg and Harry Middlebrook try their hardest at Manly

Afternoon tea was shortly around the corner and we were in need of a wicket but as we finished afternoon tea the Manly pair with dogged hitting boundaries found their way to fifty each that put doubts in our minds our chance of winning. We hung in there with Campbell clean bowling one while Middlebrook collected the other scalp with a caught and bowled much like Borgs. Unfortunately for us it was too little too late and they comfortably got home at 4/176.

Scores

Report by Jordan Farrell

We knew it was a good day for Gordon when captain Lachlan Borg decided to win the toss and chose to bat on a good batting wicket.

Chris Spratt and Connor Jackson were both full of confidence from their recent innings and started positively. However Chris was soon dismissed for 8 by a good caught and bowled.

Lachlan Borg during his century.

This bought Jack Colley to the crease and was quickly entertained by some serious sledging that was being aimed at Connor after numerous decent deliveries. Not long after Connor went for 16 after a ball snuck through the gates. At this stage Uni NSW thought they were home when a bowler came to the middle at number four. However the bowler Lachlan Borg had other ideas and stuck his head down which turned out to be a classy captains knock.

Colley and Borg put on a good partnership until Jack went for 54 to a crap shot. Borgy and Max then batted superbly, with lots of quick running and hard hitting. Max then went for 35. Good support was given with all batsmen and resulted in Lachlan Borg bringing up his century in the last over which will be a strong memory for the bowler for many years to come. Lachlan Borg did tell me before his innings that he had a dream the night before that he made a hundred.

Gordon then came out to bowl trying to defend the score of 248 and looked dangerous however luck didn’t go our way and found ourselves at tea with the score at 0-100 after 20 overs. After tea the Gordon came out with a strict game plan to bowl to field and slow the runs. This plan worked efficiently and wickets fell as the runs slowed. With us running out of bowlers injured Lachlan thought he would come on to be captain courageous in which turned out to be a match winning spell taking the prize wicket.

Harry Middlebrook, Lachlan Borg and Rohan Siva in action against UNSW

Uni NSW then found them selves at 8-213 needing 5 runs an over to take victory. A run out then saw them at 9-220 this was after Jack Colley got bombed for a 6 over mid off. Harry then came on (the man with the red mullet) got the last wicket.

An excellent win for the boys.

Jack Colley

The Legend Chris Spratt reports from Grahame Thomas Oval Bankstown

The Gordon boys arrived early out at Bankstown under cloudy skies, captain Lachy Borg was true to form and lost another toss and Bankstown chose to bat. Bankstown got off to a brisk start but Gordon fought back taking 2 early wickets going to Sean Campbell and Harry Middlebrook.

Chris Spratt hits a six over mid wicket.

Soon after we were forced off due to wet weather. An hour of play was lost and the game was reduced to 56 overs a side. The pumped up Gordon boys returned to the field bowling good line and length, placing the pressure back on the opposition. Seany Campbell was soon rewarded with a wicket courtesy of an athletic diving catch by Max Papworth the wicket keeper.

Seanny and Harry were replaced by Rohan Siva and Will Calov who kept the pressure on the opposition and the scoring rate continued to slow.

The fielding effort from the Gordon boys was splendid as wickets continued to tumble. We knocked Bankstown over for 149 after 50 overs with Will, Seany and Harry all taking 3 wickets. Lachie Mactier and James Partridge keeping the run rate to a minimum and Chris Spratt (legend) bagging 4 catches and Max Papworth taking 3. Unfortunately Lachy Borg could not bowl due to a knee problem to everyone’s disappointment.

Chris Spratt and Connor Jackson opened the batting just before tea, determined to get on with the game. Connor took strike and got off the mark with an elegant cover drive that raced to the boundary for 4 off the first ball. At the tea break Gordon were 0-28 off 6 overs.

Rohan Siva and Sean Campbell in action while Harry Middlebrook disturbs the stumps- again!!

We returned to the crease after tea with both batsmen looking to attack the bowling of Bankstown. Spratt brought up his half century with a 6 over midwicket and continued the attack until he was bowled attempting to clear the pickets again for 76. Jack Colley came to the crease looking solid and worked the ball around to ensure Connor Jackson achieved his half century, which he did by hitting 2 consecutive 4's as we passed the total 1 wicket down.

It was a good all round performance with the ball, the bat and very sharp fielding. Congrats Gordon for 3 out of 4 wins.

By Chris Spratt (legend)

Green Shield has close loss to strong Fairfield team at Rosedale

Gordon’s 3^rd round fixture against Fairfield- Liverpool started well with skipper Lachie Borg winning his first toss of the season and electing to send Fairfield-Liverpool into bat with ominous weather looming, knowing it would play a big part in the match. Gordon’s first innings started very well with opening bowlers Rohan and Sean restricting the opposition to 1/20 after 8 and a bit overs before a lengthy rain delay of several hours halted the match.

After the rain had finally cleared, the match was reduced to a 36 over match. Gordon continued their good start with the ball with all the fast bowlers (Rohan, Harry, Will Sean, Lachie and James) bowling in good partnerships and keeping Fairfield- Liverpool’s run rate to about 3 an over along with picking up several key wickets however they were unlucky not to take more wickets before the tea break.

Fairfield-Liverpool resumed at 3/92 after 28 overs and they looked to score quickly to post a decent target expertly using local knowledge to work the ball into the gaps and run hard and challenge the fieldsman’s throw, putting pressure on the fielding side. This resulted in Fairfield- Liverpool reaching 8/139 after their 36 overs. A bit more than we would’ve like to be chasing but still an easily reachable total given our batting line up.

Our batting innings started well with Saahil and Spratty setting a good platform for our run chase going just under 3 an over for the first 10 overs. However after the dismissal of Jack, who had been looking good at the crease, and with the absence of Connor we struggled through the next block of 10 overs on the back of some good bowling and fielding from the opposition.

This left a lot of work left for our middle and lower order, although it was nothing we couldn’t handle. Good contributions from James, Lachie, Harry and Max towards the end of our innings saw that we were still in the match only needing 6-7 runs an over. Unfortunately with such a big ground our approach of trying to hit boundaries meant our target was not achieved and we fell an agonising 9 runs short of the target we were set, finishing with 9/130 after 36 overs.

Scores

Fairfield 8 for 139 (Sean Campbell 3 for 22, Rohan Silva 1 for 20, James Partridge 1 for 17, Lachie Mactier 1 for 35 defeated Gordon 8 for 131 (Chris Spratt 26, Harrison Middlebrook 26)

Report by Lachie Mactier

Batting on soft track doesn't stop Green SHield from posting good win

The boys arrived to see Jack (Jack Colley) coming especially early for his spot on the lounge, and with the warm ups out of the way, led by assistant coach Corbin Edgar, the Stags were ready for Mosman after beating Sydney in the previous round. With Killara receiving a lot of rain the prior two days, the deck was soft with a green tinge, perfectly set up for our bowling attack.

However, Borgy (Lachlan Borg) lost the toss, leaving him 0/2, and we were sent in to bat on a slow, seaming deck. We were soon in trouble being at 1/6 with the Mosman bowlers letting the pitch do the work for them. Connor Jackson (22) and Jack (16) batted well, pouncing on anything short or full, yet poor discipline and freakish catching left us reeling at 5/75. With partnerships needed, the skipper played sensibly by putting on 25 with some big hitting. A late cameo from Pap (16) (Max Papworth) was not enough to meet our target of 180, being bowled out for 145, due to a lack of solid partnerships.

The Stags believed that this was a competitive total on a tough deck, but we would have to bowl good areas to restrict the Whales. We started off extremely well, with Mosman being at 3/19 at one stage due to a good opening partnership between Borgy (1/26 off 12 ) and Sean Campbell ( 2/12 off 10). They never recovered after that start due to our tight and economical bowling (which meant we had 5 slips and a gully in place at one stage), with Will Calov picking up 2/17 off 6 and Jordy and Jimmy (James Partridge) chipping in with a wicket each. Pap was solid behind the stumps, grabbing 3 catches.  Lachie Mactier finished the tail off picking up 2 quick wickets, and the Whales were all out for 92 with good bowling and fielding pressure. This gave the mighty greenies good momentum going into the next day’s game against the Lions.

Gordon 145 (Lachie Borg 25, Saahil Turki 24, Connor Jackson 22, Max Papworth 16, Jack Colley 16, Rohan Siva 11, Jordan Farrell 11) defeated Mosman 92 (Sean Campbell 2-12, Lachie Mactier 2-10, Will Calov 2-17, James Partridge 1-6, Jordan Farrell 1-9, Lachie Borg 1-26).

Saahil Turki

Gordon kicked off their green shield campaign on Sunday with an emphatic win over Sydney.

The match began with newly appointed skipper Lachy Borg losing the toss and Gordon having to bowl on a flat track at Killara. We started well despite not getting a wicket, with our opening bowler’s Borgy and Big Red, (Harrison Millbrook) not leaking too many runs. As the innings progressed it looked as though we might’ve been in a bit of strife at Sydney with the score 0-55 off 16.  

Chris Spratt, Jack Colley and Lachlan Borg in action against Sydney

 Sean Campbell came on to bowl and got the wickets we needed throwing in a few fast bouncers which turned the momentum in our favour. After a slow period in the middle some great outswing bowling from Jimmy Partridge picked up a couple of wickets, breaking a key partnership. To close off the innings we saw some great bowling at the death from Sean Campbell and Borgy, to restrict Sydney’s total to 9-204.

Rohan Silva, Saahil Turki and Connor Jackson in action at Killara

It seemed the top order bats Spratty and Jack wanted to get the runs in a maximum of 30 overs with some electrifying hitting. Spratty showing no regard for their opening bowler by smashing two onto the road at Killara in his first over but unfortunately fell caught behind on 31. Saahil Turki (the gobbler) is not known as a big hitter of the ball but went out and worked the singles getting some of the more free flowing stroke players on strike. After spratty was removed it seemed Jack wanted to continue in the same vein (goin’ dingers) hitting 3 or 4 well over the road at Killara. He eventually departed after making 46 off 42. Despite most of the top 7 looking well in control every time it seemed we had the match in the bag we would through away another wicket leaving the lower order to finish off the job.

Scores

Sydney 9 for 204 (Sean Campbell 3-19, James Partridge 2-24) were defeated by Gordon 7 for 205 (Jack Colley 46,Connor Jackson-34, Chris Spratt 31, Lachlan Borg 29, Saahil Turki-28)

Match Report by Connor Jackson

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 

(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 g