Charlie Somerville loved his cricket. He joined the Gordon District Cricket Club near the end of its inaugural season in 1905-06 at the age of 21 and played 7 games. The next season however he picked up 47 wickets in third grade at an average of 11.66. Charlie was a storekeeper by trade and worked for his father’s produce store in Hornsby.

Charlie Somerville in his Gordon cap

With work taking precedence Charlie played as much cricket as he could and played most seasons between 1905 and 1914. Charlie played in both seconds and thirds and during that time took 118 wickets and scored nearly 1000 runs batting in the middle order.

As Charlie was 30 when the war came he wasn’t part of the early recruitment drive and would have listened in horror of the events of Gallipoli and the early battles on the Western Front.

The war became one that had to be grimly endured, and the first flush of enthusiasm for the war and the achievement at Gallipoli soon led to a more harsh and realistic attitude as over time, the death and casualty lists increased.

What would have Charlie thought when the time came to help our diminishing troops as the impact of Gallipoli and the Western Front were at their most devastating?

So at the age of 31, just before the start of the 1916 season Charlie enlisted and was shipped to England and then France in December 1916. The description of Charlie on his application form was “Florid complexion and red hair”.

After training Charlie was posted as a driver to a division of the 4th Australian Infantry known as the 4th Divisional Ammunitions Column. In May 1917 Charlie was “taken on strength” to France and it was Charlie’s job to get the ammunition, artillery and machine guns to the front line and constantly move among the troops during their attacks.

When Charlie joined the Division it had moved to Flanders and was in constant action through to November, supporting allied attacks on Messines, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, and then Passchendaele, as part of the Third Battle of Ypres. During this period, the brigade suffered its heaviest casualties of the war. Passchendaele of course was the battle where Gordon and NSW cricketer Doctor Gother Clarke was killed while attending to his patients in the field.

When the Germans launched their Spring Offensive in March 1918, the brigade supported the Australia Corps as it absorbed the German push. When the Germans broke through to Villers-Bretonneux the next month, the 4th consequently moved to the Somme. In August, when the Australian offensive began, the brigade supported the infantry, as the Australia Corps moved through Peronne, Mont St Quentin, Bellicourt, and the Hindenburg Line. Exhausted from combat and illness, the brigade was relieved on 18 October.

The Battle of Polygon Wood

The 4th Division including Charlie was moving through Peronne on 11 November when it received news of the Armistice. The brigade’s war diary recorded that the “news was taken quietly by the troops”.

Naturally exhausted, Charlie then returned to England and was granted leave for two months in Ireland to undertake a “study of horses” in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.

Charlie returned from the war in September 1919 and settled back in Hornsby at his father’s store.

During this time there was a young author by the name of James Bancks who had lived in Hornsby during his youth and had remembered the joys and tribulations of urban life: the joys of cricket and football, and in particular a red haired boy who worked at his father’s Produce store.

In 1921 James Bancks put his memory of that boy Charlie Somerville to print in a cartoon strip called “The adventures of Ginger Meggs” and as they say the rest is history. Ginger Meggs became and still is a legendary figure in Australian cartoon history.

Charlie married Gladys Mattingly after the war and they had 4 children who continued to live in Hornsby before some moving to the country.

A privately published book “A Taste of Ginger” was released in 2002 which was a story of a Hornsby Institution - the Old Produce Store, the Somervilles, Ginger Meggs and the many people and places that have made up history of Hornsby.

Charlie died in 1967 at the age of 82 and is buried in the Macquarie Park Cemetery in North Ryde.

It is at this time of year we remember the people that sacrificed so much to fight for our country. Charlie was one who came home and is now forever known as Gordon cricket’s Ginger Meggs.

The webmaster

On Anzac day last year I wrote a story about Harry Fry, a Gordon cricketer before the First World War who spent virtually the entire war in the Somme and returned to live till the age of 89 and died in Castle Hill in 1976. See link to story below.

Soon after posting the story I received an email from Paul Fry, Harry’s grandson who lived in London and had seen the article. Paul confirmed the detail of the events and was able to send to me a transcript from Harry’s diary during the period October to November 1916 which was soon after his actions at Polygon Wood where he was awarded the Military Cross.

Harry Fry during the First World War

Paul didn’t have many opportunities to visit his grandfather as he lived in London but was able to spend six months with him in 1976 shortly before he died. Similarly to many of his war buddies, Harry didn’t talk much about the war.

The period talks about his journey from Fleurbaix in France (near Armentiers) to the battle fields of Longueval via Amiens. In his words Harry tells of the horror of one of the most tragic periods of the war when the weather was at its worst, the Boche (disparaging term used for the Germans in WW1) were not moving anywhere and every attack seemed to only gain them metres of territory and at the massive cost of thousands of lives.

In an amazing coincidence the transcript describes in particular the days before and after an attack in Longueval in early November 1916 and actually refers to a party of infantry that were shelled on November 2 just when they had settled down after fighting in their “fatigues” all day to have a hot cup of tea and several were killed in the attack.

One of those killed was John Rule one of the six Gordon cricketers killed during the war. The story about John Rule can be found in the link below. I visited John’s grave site in 2008 during a visit to the Villers Bretonneux Anzac day ceremony.

Harry and John would have known each other as they played from 1913 to 1915 before coming to the war.

In Harry’s words he said he wrote the account trying neither to exaggerate nor underrate but to give a picture of what the Somme was actually like.

To whet your appetite for his story here are some of his words from the extract.

Quote:

“I shall always remember the picture of the march; a moonlight night, but the sky full of heavy fleeting clouds; the wind moaning dismally through the telegraph wires and the plod…plod… of the men along the slushy road for mile after mile. It just felt a night of mystery and tragedy”

“ On the road, such as it is a continual stream of motor lorries rocking about in the ruts and mud like ships at sea”

“On the right and a little forward we could see Flers. Of course all of these villages are names only; all that is left of any of them is a small area of shattered trees and stumps with a few low heaps of bricks and timber and the shell holes overlap everywhere”

“Well, after we had seen the conditions up here my heart seemed to sink at the thought of an attack. It seemed the impossible”

“ Strange to say, none of us got hit, but most of us should have been killed more than once. On two occasions my life was saved by shells failing to explode”

" The trenches are in a frightful condition all along the front, half full of water and mud, and the men just standing on any dry spot about, freezing cold, and looking the picture of misery; most of them have not even a place to sit down upon"

Unquote

As reported Harry came home with a British wife and lived till he was 88. For John Rule the shell did explode and he is buried on a hill overlooking Longueval at the Caterpillar Valley Cemetery where 5,568 men are buried or commemorated.

John Rule's gravesite in Longueval.

We will continue to remember them.

Download Harry Fry’s Diary Extract in full

Link to story about Harry on Anzac day last year.

Link to story about John Rule

The Gordon Cricket Club has won two premierships in the 2012-13 season winning both the third grade and fifths grade finals on Sunday. This is the fifth time we have achieved two premierships in the one year the others being in 1926, 1971, 1991 and 1992.  

The winning skippers Ed Howitt and Dave Monaghan

The thirds have won convincingly at Sydney University with Adair Durie taking a career best 8 for 56 off 35 unchanged overs from the one end (with weather breaks in between) while the Fifths have won with one of the greatest comebacks in Gordon history after St. George were 3 for 108 chasing our 139 and then were all out for 121 after losing four wickets for no runs with the score on 108. Matt Selby was the hero taking 5 for 18 including a three wicket maiden over. 

Adair Durie during the final

In addition to Adair and Matt the other heros were Damon Livermore with 63 not out in thirds, while Dave Monaghan completed a fantastic match by scoring 46 in the first innings and 62 in the second to lead his side to victory in fifths.

Third Grade

The thirds won the toss and sent in the students on a well prepared wicket for the final, however with undoubtedly some early life after four days under covers due to the rain in Sydney since Tuesday evening. Adair struck immediately with a wicket in his first over caught by Mark Atkinson at slip and set up his amazing spell where he continued from the one end for 35 overs. He was assisted by several rain breaks and scheduled breaks but the University bats will have nightmares thinking about the impact he had on the match. 

Damon Livermore during his 63 not out

The going was slow with the wicket making the bats concentrate hard, and it wasn’t long before the rain came and we were off for several hours. Wickets were coming regularly and by the end of the first day Uni were 4 for 73 off 40 overs.

The second day saw Adair straight back into the wicket action and other than a well-made 40 from former Gordon player Rob Edwards, the Uni bats were unable to handle his constant pressure and away swing taking 8 for 56.

It must be mentioned that James Kidd, Ed Howitt and Blaize Irving-Holiday also played their parts tying up the other end to maintain an excellent pressure over the students.

After 69 overs Uni were all out for 147soon after lunch.

Adair after the match was humble in his appraisal of his bowling saying that if you bowl 35 overs you should end up with 8 wickets, but he was significantly underestimating the role he played in not only taking wickets but keeping the pressure on in an excellent display of finals bowling.

It was now up the Gordon bats and Chris Spratt wasn’t going to let the Uni bowlers get on top and after cone over we already had 12 on the board with Chris on 11.

Chris Spratt during his 31

Damon Livermore soon got into the action as well and before long they had put 61 runs on the board and effectively put Uni out of the match. Chris was unfortunately dismissed continuing to attack, however Damon with the help of Ian Higgins and then Clem Bromwich took the score to 151 for 3 and a comprehensive victory. Damon was not out 63 at the close after a patient innings that showed all of his experience.

A great win to the thirds and well done to Ed and his team.

Third Grade Scores

Gordon 3 for 151 (Damon Livermore 63 not out, Chris Spratt 31, Clem Bromwich 23 defeated Sydney University 147 (Adair Durie 8 for 56, Ed Howitt 1 for 13, James Kidd 1 for 38

Fifth Grade

St George won the toss and inserted Gordon in overcast conditions on a good Pratten Park wicket. The outfield was excellent but lush and boundaries would prove hard to come by. After losing an early wicket, the Stags recovered to 1-67 with Dave Monaghan and Axel Cahlin batting very well. However, when Dave was dismissed for an excellent 46, two more wickets fell quickly before Nick Miller and Darren Jayasekera added 29 to take the score to 100. Again, wickets fell and, except for a hard-hitting 18 from Oz Dowler, the inning fell away and Gordon were dismissed for 139 – disappointing, but worth more considering the sluggish outfield which had yielded only two boundaries in the innings. 

Man of the Final Matt Selby with 5 for 18

Jack Richardson and Oz Dowler started the St George innings very well, beating the bat a number of times, and it wasn’t long before Jack struck, inducing an edge to the safe hands of Dave Monaghan. Oz took a wicket shortly after and, at 2-25, it was game on. Then the momentum shifted, with two experienced batsmen combining in a strong partnership. A few lucky shots followed but all bowlers were tried and were unsuccessful in removing them. Just when it looked like the Saints were going to go to stumps only two down and in a dominant position, Jack struck again in the final over, dismissing the more aggressive of the two. 3-66 and a definite sniff.  

Jack Richardson and Nick Miller at Pratten

Day Two started with much circumspect batting but no wickets. Nick Miller bowled a very good, tight spell but the score moved along slowly and St George were gradually getting on top. Then, at 3-108, with only 31 to win, the most extraordinary half an hour of the season began. First, Deva Nirthanakumaran bowled the very experienced Ridge, who had batted for over two hours, with a great inswinger. Next over, Matt Selby took 3-0 with some good, tight bowling and all of a sudden the score was 7-108 – interesting, to say the least! In his next over, Matt took another wicket – a brilliant diving catch at slip by Darren Jayasekera, followed by another in his next over and Saints had slumped to 9-121 at lunch. Deva was meanwhile keeping it tight at the other end and the pressure was immense – Gordon had taken 6-13 in absolutely no time!

The new ball was taken straight after lunch and, third ball, Jack hooped one through the no.11 and the Stags had completed an incredible fight back from nowhere. However, there were still more than 60 overs to go and a very fired-up St George side to combat.  

Dave Monaghan scored 46 and 62 in final

Dave Monaghan and Dom Thomson added 21 at a vital time but Dom’s dismissal was followed by two more and, at 3-37, things were shaky. Then, Dave and Nick Miller took the game completely away from the Saints. They added 82 for the 4th wicket, batting very sensibly, before Dave was dismissed for 62 – a fantastic double by the ever-reliable skipper. Nick’s 39 was also invaluable and, after a cameo 17 from Darren Jayasekera the game was finally called off.

Congratulations to Dave and the boys – back to back winners of the 5th Grade Competition! A brilliant result! Also to Matt Selby on winning the Player of the Final – an astounding spell!

Fifth Grade Scores

Gordon 139 (Dave Monaghan 46, Darren Jayasekera 20, Oz Dowler 18, Axel Cahlin 16, Nick Miller 11) and 6-146 (Dave Monaghan 62, Nick Miller 39, Darren Jayasekera 17) defeated St George 121 (Matt Selby 5-15, Jack Richardson 3-22).

The webmaster 

The Gordon District Cricket Club would like to congratulate the St. George Club on their First and Fourth Grade Premierships and Sydney University on their Second Grade Premiership. We would also like to sincerely thanks Sydney University and Western Suburbs for the exceptional job they both did in hosting the third and fifths grade finals.

With a draw sufficient for thirds to win the premiership, the rain played a major factor on the first day of the final with Sydney University sitting on 4 for 73 from 40 overs of very good seam bowling.

Adair Durie at Sydney Uni. No.1

In fifth grade, the stags were sent in on a wicket that was difficult to score on having been under the covers for four days and the grass taking on its winter length. After 68 overs of toil we were bowled out for 139, however have bowled well into the early evening and have Saints on 3 for 66 at stumps.

A full wrap will be prepared after the final on Sunday night.

The best performers of the day were Adair Durie who has picked up 3 for 29 off his 20 overs in thirds while skipper Dave Monaghan scored a patient 46 in fifths.

Third Grade Scores

Sydney University 4 for 73 (Adair Durie 3 for 29, James Kidd 1 for 23) vs Gordon

Fifth Grade Scores

Gordon 139 (Dave Monaghan 46, Darren Jayasekera 20) vd St, George 3 for 66 (Jack Richardson 2 for 16, Dave Monaghan 1 for 11)

Dave Monaghan takes a vital catch off Jack Richardson late on Saturday

Mark Atkinson about to take catch in first over off Adair Durie

Two exceptional photos by GDCC roving photograper Tony Wilson (must be the new lens)

The webmaster 

Weather permitting we have two Gordon teams playing in Finals this weekend. The following is a message from Tony Wilson on behalf of the selectors.

We are proud to have two teams in the Grand Finals for this coming Saturday and Sunday.

The Ed Howitt led Third Grade side take on Sydney Uni at Uni No 1 Oval from 10am Saturday and the selectors have made one change to last week, with Clem Bromwich now available and he replaces Chris Retallick. Ben Garratt has again agreed to act as 12th man, which is greatly appreciated by the team and the Club.

Will Ed Howitt Senior be celebrating this weekend?

Our side is the leading team for the Grand Final in the event of any wash-out and Sydney Uni have announced that parking will be free for Gordon supporters and officials, providing we do not park in the disabled or loading zones. If you cannot park in the Grandstand area, the best spots are in Western Av bays, or the underneath car park at St Andrews.

The David Monaghan led 5th Grade side take on the strong front runners St George at Pratten Park from 10am Sat. The selectors kept the side unchanged after an excellent semi win last weekend.

It is an exciting blend of youngsters and experienced players. Really talented current and past Greenies in Dom Thomson, Darren Jayasekera, Axel Cahlin and Nick Miller are the perfect blend for the experienced Matt Todd, David Monaghan and Andrew Coleman.

The weather is not looking that promising, however covers have been down since Tuesday night.

We sincerely hope that many grade players, ex players, officials and supporters will attend the grounds on the weekend. Remember Pratten Park and Uni No 1 are in close proximity of each other.

The teams are as follows:

3rd Grade	5th Grade
.v. Sydney Uni	.v. St George
Sydeny Uni 1	Pratten Park
Start 10:00 am	Start 10:00 am
Ed Howitt (c)	Dave Monaghan (c)
Mark Atkinson	Axel Cahlin
Clem Bromwich	Andrew Coleman
Adair Durie	Orion Dowler
Ian Higgins	Darren Jayasekera
Blaize Irving-Holliday	Nick Miller
James Kidd	Deva Nirthakumaran
Damon Livermore	Jack Richardson
Max Newman	Matt Selby
Chris Spratt	Dom Thomson
Tjaard Tait	Matt Todd
Match Report	Match Report
Max Newman	Deva Nirthakumaran

Cheers - Tony W - on behalf of the selectors.

The Gordon District Cricket Club is pleased to announce it will be holding an end of season Awards night on Friday 26th April at The Orchard from 6.30pm. The event is sponsored by Hickman and Ritchard who will be presenting the Player of the Year award.

Many of the awards that are generally presented at the AGM in July will be presented on this night as well as three special awards to long serving players for their achievements.

The evening will be formatted with a number of awards to start, then a break to order meals and drinks, further awards including the round by round results for the Player of the Year Award. There will be a further break for meals and then we will conclude with the final special awards.

The notice is shown below. This is an event especially put on for the players, so it is important to make an effort to support the club. A committee has been formed and they will be in contact. We will need to know numbers for seating purposes so if you are coming let your captain or one of the committee know asap.  

While it was unfortunate our young Colts team went down, we were able to secure wins in the Thirds and Fifths to set up two finals for next weekend with the thirds up against the strong Sydney Uni team who have scored a lot of runs in defeating Bankstown and Sutherland.

Tjaard Tait was not letting the Bankstown attack through at Chatswood

The final will be played at Sydney University No. 1 with the Gordon grounds unavailable due to the Rugby starting. While Gordon will play the final in the higher position, Sydney University are always very good hosts and will produce a very good wicket for the match. In fifths we likewise have a hill to climb with a final against St. George who have been the leading team all season and hence we finished second to them.

Our round 8 one day match however was very close with our boys scoring 9 for 168 and Saints getting them 8 wickets down in the final over. This final will be played at Pratten Park, the Wests First Grade home ground, which will be a first for all of our players with the exception of Matt Todd who I am sure has bowled many an over at Pratten.  

Blaize kept going all day at Chatswood

The top performers of the weekend were Blaize Irving-Holiday who had the amazing figures of 5 for 10 of 23 overs with 15 maidens. Tjaard Tait (52) and Max Newman (48no) played very patient cricket to get us a victory in thirds, while in fifths Dave Monaghan (59) and Dom Thompson (58) got us a great start in fifths. Dave Leiboff played a captains innings for 63 in Colts while Tim Van Zuylen also scored 52.

Third Grade

The thirds were at home again at Chatswood and facing the minor premiers Bankstown who had lost their qualifying final to Sydney University. A won toss for Hoppa generally means a bat first on what would be a good Chatswood wicket, but in what turned out to be the right decision sent in Bankstown on the basis that there might be early life and there was no doubt that the track would get easier as the weekend progressed. While we were holding our breath on Saturday night it proved the winning move.

I would like a dollar for every shot of Adair that I have taken that looks like this

With the outfield slow but well groomed, the plan was to pressure the Bankstown bats all day if we had to with line and length. While the first wicket didn’t come till about the 20th over, the scoring was slow and the total was on 27. After conceding some runs in the qualifying semi, Blaize Irving-Holiday was going to abide by his captains instruction at whatever cost and he started with 6 maidens in a row. I don’t think Hoppa expected that but he wasn’t complaining. The whole team was putting in a disciplined performance and as wickets started to fall, the pressure was maintained.

In the end Blaize bowled 23 overs of well-paced and well placed deliveries and finished with the figures of 5 for 10 off 23 overs. Do I need to repeat that?

To finish off Blaize bowled 5 maidens and with Adair chiming in with the second new ball Bankstown were bowled out for 133. The bowlers and fielders had toiled for 87 overs keeping the Dogs to 1.5 runs an over. James Kidd also bowled well and the plan now was to hold out till stumps.

Max Newman is on the move against Bankstown

One of the worries any captain has in this situation was whether the 87 overs in the field would have an effect on the batsman concentration and just what Hoppa was not looking for transpired. We lost three wickets for 37 before stumps and debutant Chris Spratt was off to hospital to have scans for a hit on his eye that somehow got through the grill on his helmet.

The good news in the morning was that the X-rays were negative for Chris and while he had a swollen eye socket, he was ready to get back onto the field.

On Sunday morning 100 runs were needed and resolute batting was paramount. A wicket straight away did nothing to lessen heart rates but then Tjaard Tait and Max Newman got together for the best partnership of the game. With very sensible, controlled batting, they added 92 for the fourth wicket and put Gordon right back on top. Tjaard, for the second week in a row, showed great concentration, playing very straight and hitting the loose ball, while Max looked excellent also.  

The partnership between Tjaard Tait and Maz Newman took the game away from the Doggies.

The former was most unfortunately out with only 4 runs needed and, just to keep the spectators interested, another wicket fell immediately. However, the skipper came in and smote the winning runs with a powerful straight drive. Just to put any possible rear-guard action by Bankstown to rest, Max and Ed added 46 to ensure an early finish. A great win in a really tough and tight semi-final.

Third Grade Scores

Bankstown 133 (Blaize Irving-Holiday 5 for 10, Adair Durie 3 for 41, James Kidd 1 for 36, Tjaard Tait 1 for 8) were defeated by Gordon 6 for 169 (Tjaard Tait 52, Max Newman 46 not out, Ed Howitt 31 not out)

Dave Monaghan hits out during his 59

Fifth Grade

Gordon batted first on an excellent Beauchamp wicket. Dave Monaghan and Dom Thomson played exceptionally well and the first wicket did not fall until after lunch with the score on 108. Both Dave and Dom scored half centuries and gave the Stags a great start. Two more wickets fell quickly but then Axel Cahlin and Nick Miller played extremely well in a crucial partnership.

They added 33 and then Nick continued on with Darren Jayasekera, adding 57 for the fifth wicket. All three made great contributions and a very sizeable score looked imminent. Unfortunately, the later order, most unusually, fell to the very steady Parramatta attack and the final score of 261, while most respectable, was perhaps a tad disappointing. 

Dom Thomson looked the goods at Beauchamp

Day 2 dawned and the Stags bowlers struck quickly and often. Parramatta slumped to 5-28 and it seemed that an early finish was on the cards. However, a fielding lapse was followed by some very aggressive batting and 79 runs were added briskly to swing the game around. Oz Dowler finally broke the partnership and then struck again to have Parramatta wobbling at 7-124. Once again they continued to fight hard and a further 47 were added before Matt Todd broke through. The last two wickets added 20 odd but Dave Monaghan took the tenth wicket to see Gordon through. 

The webmaster was able to catch two future stars with Green Shield team mates Axel Cahlin (left) and Nick Miller (right) showing their skills at Beauchamp in a very important partnership

The final winning margin of 66 runs looked fairly conclusive but there were certainly times in the afternoon when the Stags were put under great pressure. Nevertheless, a great win and another appointment in the Final next week. Well done!

Fifth Grade Scores

Gordon 261 (Dave Monaghan 59, Dom Thomson 58, Axel Cahlin 35, Darren Jayasekera 34, Nick Miller 33) defeated Parramatta 195 (Dave Monaghan 3-22, Oz Dowler 3-42, Matt Todd 2-52, Jack Richardson 1-20, Deva Nirthanakumaran 1-28).

Colts

The Colts lost early wickets however Tim Van Zuylen and skipper Dave Leiboff steadied the innings to get us to 5 for 110 at lunch. Dave continued after lunch, however lacked the support he needed and we were all out for 178 on a good wicket and fast outfield. We would have to bowl well to get to the final!

Tim Van Zuylen has a good weekend with 52 and 31

The bowlers started really well and with Norths at 4 for 20 we just needed to keep going and continue with the pressure. One of the advantages of course of having a Colts team is that we can play our young promising players to give them experience for their grade careers ahead, but one of the downfalls is that they can only bowl 6 overs before they then have to wait an hour for another bowl.

Dave Leiboff found it hard to rotate his bowlers with this obstacle and at stumps Norths had got to 5 for 149.

There was still hope in the morning and Rob Barker from our Green Shield team was bowling well and we had them 7 for 160 and a chance again to get them out before they reached 178. Unfortunately Rob had to come off again after his 6 overs and the momentum was lost and Norths eventually were all out for 231. Does that rule really work? 

Jason and Dave Leiboff were both in the runs at Tunks Park

Dave told his young players then to just see out the few overs before lunch and with 70 overs left in the day, maybe a result could be manufactured. The youngsters thought it was time to get the deficit knocked over quickly and in a wink of an eye we were 4 down when lunch was called. Let’s call it a learning experience as we were bowled out for 100 and Norths got the outright win with 0 for 51 in their second innings. Jason Leiboff and Tim Van Zuylen batted well in the second innings with 45 and 31 respectively.

Well done Colts on another great year and congratulations to dave Leiboff who lead the young side very well.

Colts scores

Gordon 178 (Dave Leiboff 63, Tim Van Zulyen 52) and 100 (Jason Leiboff 45, Tim Van Zuylen 31) were defeated by North Sydney 231 (Matthew Page 3 for 49, Taylor Carter-Sutton 3 for 64, Rob Barker 2 for 18, Shaun Chandiramani 1 for 33, Dave Leiboff 1 for 40)

The Webmaster 

The selectors have announced the teams for the Semi Finals to be played over both days of the weekend, on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31th March.

The 3rd grade side has to contend with a strong Bankstown side and after Chris Spratt returned last week, Clem Bromwich is unavailable and will be replaced by Chris Retallick. 

The Colts side is looking for more runs from Kapil Chhatbar this weekend 

We are looking for a strong performance from Blaize Irving-Holliday with the ball this weekend to support the experience of Adair Durie and the skipper, Ed Howitt. The side will continue to play down at ol' Chatswood Oval.

With 4th grade being defeated, and other losses of higher ranked sides, the remaining two sides in the finals are 5ths and Colts.

Fifths have continued to put together a blended team of youth and experience and will also continue to play at their home ground, Beauchamp Oval. There is one change to the 5th Grade side, with Amil being replaced by Darren Jayasekera after succumbing to injury. We are looking for a stronger batting performance by the top order, especially if they bat first on the Beauchamp deck.

The Colts side are playing against the 2nd placed side, North Sydney, after they lost last week. Having been beaten at Tunks earlier in the season, the Colts are returning to the scene of the crime after Killara Oval is unavailable this weekend. The side will need to step up this weekend to earn a place in the Grand Final and defend their premiership.

The teams are:  

3rd Grade
.v. Bankstown
Chatswood Oval
Start 10:00 am
Ed Howitt (c)
Mark Atkinson
Chris Retallick
Adair Durie
Ian Higgins
Blaize Irving-Holliday
James Kidd
Damon Livermore
Max Newman
Chris Spratt
Tjaard Tait
Match Report
Ed Howitt

 

5th Grade	Colts
.v. Parramatta	.v. North Sydney
Beauchamp Park	Tunks Park
Start 10:00 am	Start 10:00 am
Dave Monaghan (c)	Dave Leiboff (c)
Axel Cahlin	Richard Armour
Andrew Coleman	Rob Barker
Orion Dowler	Taylor Carter-Sutton
Nick Miller	Shaun Chandiramani
Deva Nirthakumaran	Kapil Chhatbar
Darren Jayasekera	Connor Jackson
Jack Richardson	Jason Leiboff
Matt Selby	Matthew Page
Dom Thomson	Michael Roberts
Matt Todd	Tim van Zuylen
	Arnesh Srivastava (12th)
Match Report	Match Report
Axel Cahlin	Kapil Chhatbar

Unavailable: Clem Bromwich, Tom Carruthers, Amil Premawardhana

While the weekend was overall a success with three teams (3rds, 5ths and Colts) progressing to the final four, it was probably the performance of the fourths that will be remembered for an example of not giving up and playing with great spirit and without complaint in trying conditions.

The best performances on the weekend were undoubtedly Adair Durie who collected an excellent 6 for 45 to help thirds bowl out Hawkesbury for 65 on a good Chatswood Oval wicket and Connor Jackson who scored a fine 83 for Colts at Killara.

Adair Durie shows his 6 wicket ball at Chatswood

Richard Armour 73, Michael Roberts 66 not out and Kapil Chhatbar 57 also batted well for Colts. Tjaard Tait played the perfect defensive innings with 59 in thirds while Jack Richardson also showed his all-round skills are developing with a fine 58 in fifths in partnership with Andrew Coleman who scored 57.

Third Grade

Day 1

The thirds lost the toss at Chatswood and the Hawks decided to bat on a hard Chatswood wicket, but a slow outfield due to the newly planted winter grass. The Hawks appeared in no trouble as they quickly got to 29, however after Adair Durie collected the first wicket on that score wickets just kept falling to some very good line and length bowling and the Hawks were dismissed for 65. James Kidd also bowled very well to collect 3 for 7. 

Adair, James Kidd and Chris Spratt at Chatswood

The Gordon bats set about securing a first innings lead and Chris Spratt and Damon Livermore got us to 48 before we lost Reg for 26. Chris Spratt continued with Ian Higgins however we then lost three quick wickets with Chris making a solid 36 and then losing both Ian Higgins and Mark Atkinson both run out. When Clem Bromwich lost his wicket with the score at 92, the Hawks were getting some momentum; however Max Newman and Tjaard Tait followed by Ed Howitt settled the innings down and at stumps were 6 for 168 and a lead of 103.

Day 2

A few decent partnerships from Gordon were always going to make it very difficult for Hawkesbury to get back into the game. Ed Howitt and Tjaard Tait continued on and very useful runs were added. Ed was dismissed and a couple more wickets fell but Tjaard continued to play an excellent, stabilising innings. He added 30 for the last wicket with Adair Durie and the Stags’ total closed at 232 – a lead of 167.

Tjaard Tait showed great composure in his 59

Tjaard’s 59 was invaluable and kept Gordon right on top.

Hawkesbury came out swinging in the second innings, hoping to score a quick 250 and put Gordon under pressure. At 2-80, things might have got a little interesting. However, James Kidd and Tjaard Tait ripped through the middle order and a halt was called at 6-101. Well done to the Thirds as they continue into the semis.

Third Grade scores

Hawkesbury 65 (Adair Durie 6 for 45, James Kidd 3 for 7) and 6-101 (James Kidd 4-49, Tjaard Tait 2-24) were defeated by Gordon 232 (Tjaard Tait 59, Chris Spratt 36, Max Newman 30, Ed Howitt 29, Damon Livermore 26)

Fourth Grade

I am sure if a decision was made to dig up Graham Thomas Oval Shayne Lin would be there in a flash with shovel in hand. It was only last season when the fourths played a Round 12 match against Bankstown When Gordon scored 278 off 48 overs and Bankstown played out the rest of that day and the next Saturday to be 8 for 268 off 110 overs with Mark Grant scoring 86 not out in 326 minutes.

Jack Skilbeck at Graham Thomas

Maybe it was this match Shayne had in mind when he decided to send in Bankstown after winning the toss to try and get what he could out of the wicket early and not have a repeat of last year.

With the score at 4 for 100 soon after lunch, the theory seemed to be working as the wicket was at least moving a little off the seam, but from there until late on day 2, the runs were unable to be stemmed and after 174 overs of toil, Bankstown declared at 9 for 510 leaving 40 overs of play to score the runs.

There is no problem with this tactic as the draw was all that was needed and with 3 players scoring centuries and a final wicket partnership of 150, the Bankstown team are to be congratulated for their performance.

To the great credit of Shayne and his team, there were some controversial decisions that appeared to not go Gordon’s way, but they didn’t complain, they kept at it and maintained the pride of the Gordon cap that has 109 years of history behind it.

With the Bankstown crowd building as the partnerships and scores grew, they would have felt very much on their own, but they decided the game should continue to the finish. 

Iqbal Ahmed, Charlie Bangs and Dan Stickland didn't stop trying

Jack Skilbeck bowled 37 overs to collect 4 for 103, Michael Perry bowled 35 overs to take 3 for 104. All of the other bowlers did everything they could, but nothing was going to go their way. At the end of the innings some of the bowlers could hardly walk.

The Gordon bats after being in the field for so long were unable to hold onto the their wickets and were bowled out for 187 in 35 overs. Chris Retallick did well with 52.

Well done fours, it is not always the win that counts but rather the way you play the game, and we will take the 11 of you anytime.

Fourth Grade scores

Bankstown 9 dec for 510 (Jack Skilbeck 4 for 103 (37), Michael Perry 3 for 104 (35), Dan Stickland 1 for 66 (28), Iqbal Ahmed 1 for 136 (36), Charlie Bangs 0 for 85 (32) def Gordon 187 (Chris Retallick 52, Shayne Lin 38, Mitch Kleem 25)

Fifth Grade

Day 1

The fives won the toss and decided to bat on a very good Beauchamp wicket, however the Fairfield bowlers started very well and before long we were 3 for 28. Andrew Coleman steadied the ship with the help of Nick Miller and Axel Cahlin, however with their departures we were 6 for 118 and in need of runs. Andrew made a fine 57 during that time.

Jack Richardson then came to the crease after scoring runs the last two matches and again did well to eventually be out for 58 and allowed us to score 208.

Andrew Coleman during his 58

With the oval getting its winter cover, this score is worth more and at stumps Fairfield are 2 for 37 in reply. It will be an intriguing battle on Sunday.

Day 2

Fairfield lost a quick wicket as they continued to bat very carefully. A couple of small partnerships ensued as they crept towards the Stags’ 208. Matt Todd, Jack Richardson, Oz Dowler and Nick Miller all bowled well and Gordon were well on top at 6-87. A handy partnership caused a few sweaty palms and, at 6-123, it was even money.  

Toddy is an appealing sort of bowler

A great caught and bowled by Matt Todd was followed by Nick Miller inducing a nick to the keeper. The second new ball was then introduced and Oz Dowler proved a little too brisk for the Fairfield tail. So, the innings closed at 146 – an excellent win to the Fifths as they march into the semis. Oz Dowler’s 4-18 off 17.1 overs and Jack Richardson’s 1-21 off 19 overs made great reading.

To quote leg spinning legend Tony Wilson after the match:

"Matt Todd is still an absolute class act as a leg spin bowler. None of today's leggies possess the sharp turn the loop and a genuine wrong-un that characterise Toddy's bowling. The younger players simply do not face genuine leggies nowadays and naturally do struggle"

Fifth Grade Scores

Gordon 208 (Jack Richardson 58, Andrew Coleman 57) defeated Fairfield 146 (Oz Dowler 4-18, Nick Miller 2-19, Matt Todd 3-38, Jack Richardson 1-21). 

Orion Dowler, Jack Richardson and Deva in action against Fairfield

Colts vs Balmain Inner Sydney Tigers

Day 1

Colts bowled first on a good Killara wicket. Matt Page struck early and that was followed by wickets from Dave Leiboff, Rob Barker, a run out and another to Matt. At 5-51, Balmain were in a fair bit of trouble.

Connor Jackson during his 83

However, a good, hard-hitting partnership took the score to 5-125 at tea and Gordon were struggling a little. Both batsmen were dismissed straight after tea and, with another two wickets; the Stags were back on top at 9-144. Jason Leiboff and Taylor Carter-Sutton made good contributions but the last two Balmain batsmen added 40 for the last wicket before Angus Kenelly struck and honours were about even.

Tim Van Zuylen and Matt Page added 26 for the opening partnership, weathering some good bowling, but both were dismissed close together and Gordon were 2-40. Then, Connor Jackson and Kapil Chhatbar came together and their partnership was crucial.

Connor attacked while Kapil played the sheet anchor and they took the score to 160 before Connor was dismissed for an excellent 83. He mixed solid defence with great stroke play in a fine innings. Kapil began to open his shoulders and at stumps was undefeated on 47*, a really important dig, as the Stags passed the Balmain total. Rob Barker was also 13* and looking good. So, the day concluded at 3-189 and Gordon looking forward to hopefully batting for a long time.

Day 2

The Colts needed to bat well in the first session to play Balmain out of the game. Kapil Chhatbar and Rob Barker started well but Rob was dismissed and Kapil followed a little while longer for a really important 57. Another wicket fell and there was a tiny glimmer of hope that the game might go the distance. However, Michael Roberts and Richard Armour slammed the door shut with a fantastic partnership of 132. Both batted particularly well and the game was called off with Richard’s dismissal for a punishing 73 on the stroke of lunch. Michael remained 66*, a very stylish innings.

Kapil Chhatbar during his 57 at KIllara

So, an excellent win and the Colts move on in their defence of the Metro Cup title.

Colts Scores

Gordon 7-363 (Connor Jackson 83, Richard Armour 73, Michael Roberts 66*, Kapil Chhatbar 57) defeated Balmain Inner Sydney Tigers 184 (Jason Leiboff 3-44, Matt Page 2-30, Angus Kenelly 1-1, Rob Barker 1-18, Dave Leiboff 1-25, Taylor Carter-Sutton 1-30).

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Both Third Grade and Colts have first innings leads in their qualifying semi finals, while fifths will be trying to defend 208 and Fourths will be hoping for early wickets to start to chase a big score at Bankstown.

The best performances on the day were undoubtedly Adair Durie who collected an excellent 6 for 45 to help thirds bowl out Hawkesbury for 65 on a good Chatswood Oval wicket and Connor Jackson who scored a fine 83 for Colts at Killara. Jack Richardson also showed his all-round skills are developing with a fine 58 in fifths in partnership with Andrew Coleman who scored 57.

Adair Durie celebrates his 6 wickets

This is only a quick wrap of the matches and their positions as they are completed on Sunday and a more detailed review will be done by Monday.

Third Grade

The thirds lost the toss at Chatswood and the Hawks decided to bat on a hard Chatswood wicket, but a slow outfield due to the newly planted winter grass. The Hawks appeared in no trouble as they quickly got to 29, however after Adair Durie collected the first wicket on that score wickets just kept falling to some very good line and length bowling and the Hawks were dismissed for 65. James Kidd also bowled very well to collect 3 for 7. 

James Kidd, CHris Spratt and Max Newman at Chatswood against the Hawks

The Gordon bats set about securing a first innings lead and Chris Spratt and Damon Livermore got us to 48 before we lost Reg for 26. Chris Spratt continued with Ian Higgins however we then lost three quick wickets with Chris making a solid 36 and then losing both Ian Higgins and Mark Atkinson both run out. When Clem Bromwich lost his wicket with the score at 92, the Hawks were getting some momentum; however Max Newman and Tjaard Tait followed by Ed Howitt settled the innings down and at stumps were 6 for 168 and a lead of 103.

Third Grade scores

Hawkesbury 65 (Adair Durie 6 for 45, James Kidd 3 for 7) vs. Gordon 6 for 168 (Chris Spratt 36, Max Newman 30, Damon Livermore 26 not out, Tjaard Tait 22 not out)

Fourth Grade

The fours travelled to Graham Thomas Oval at Bankstown and decided they would try and bowl out the Bankstown team on a wicket that looked good however would have some early movement.

Jack Skilbeck against Bankstown

While they had them 4 for 100 soon after lunch, they have been unable to stem the runs and at stumps Bankstown are 6 for 291. With Bankstown only needing a draw, we will have to collect some quick wickets on Sunday and then bat as well as we can.

Jack Skilbeck bowled well to collect 3 for 54 off 22 overs, while Michael Perry and Dan Stickland collected the other wickets.  

Iqbal Ahmed, Dan Stickland and Charlie Bangs at Bankstown

Fourth Grade scores

Bankstown 6 for 291 (Jack Skilbeck 3 for 56, Michael Perry 2 for 68, Dan Stickland 1 for 42)

Fifth Grade

The fives won the toss and decided to bat on a very good Beauchamp wicket, however the Fairfield bowlers started very well and before long we were 3 for 28. Andrew Coleman steadied the ship with the help of Nick Miller and Axel Cahlin, however with their departures we were 6 for 118 and in need of runs. Andrew made a fine 57 during that time.

Jack Richardson then came to the crease after scoring runs the last two matches and again did well to eventually be out for 58 and allowed us to score 208.

Jack Richardson at Beauchamp

With the oval getting its winter cover, this score is worth more and at stumps Fairfield are 2 for 37 in reply. It will be an intriguing battle on Sunday.

Fifth Grade Scores

Gordon 208 (Jack Richardson 58, Andrew Coleman 57) vs. Fairfield 2 for 37 (Orion Dowler 1 for 1, Jack Richardson 1 for 10)

Colts vs Balmain Inner Sydney Tigers

Colts bowled first on a good Killara wicket. Matt Page struck early and that was followed by wickets from Dave Leiboff, Rob Barker, a run out and another to Matt. At 5-51, Balmain were in a fair bit of trouble. However, a good, hard-hitting partnership took the score to 5-125 at tea and Gordon were struggling a little. Both batsmen were dismissed straight after tea and, with another two wickets, the Stags were back on top at 9-144. Jason Leiboff and Taylor Carter-Sutton made good contributions but the last two Balmain batsmen added 40 for the last wicket before Angus Kenelly struck and honours were about even.

Tim Van Zuylen and Matt Page added 26 for the opening partnership, weathering some good bowling, but both were dismissed close together and Gordon were 2-40. Then, Connor Jackson and Kapil Chhatbar came together and their partnership was crucial.

Connor Jackson hits out at KIllara

Connor attacked while Kapil played the sheet anchor and they took the score to 160 before Connor was dismissed for an excellent 83. He mixed solid defence with great stroke play in a fine innings. Kapil began to open his shoulders and at stumps was undefeated on 47*, a really important dig, as the Stags passed the Balmain total. Rob Barker was also 13* and looking good. So, the day concluded at 3-189 and Gordon looking forward to hopefully batting for a long time.

Colts Scores

Gordon 3-189 (Connor Jackson 83, Kapil Chhatbar 47*, Tim Van Zuylen 18, Matt Page 14, Rob Barker 13*) vs Balmain 184 (Jason Leiboff 3-44, Matt Page 2-30, Angus Kenelly 1-1, Rob Barker 1-18, Dave Leiboff 1-25, Taylor Carter-Sutton 1-30).

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