 Fourth Grade Report v Parramatta
Week 1
Warm, hot, dry, oppressive heat……none of these elemental factors have greeted any cricketer in the greater Sydney district this summer for longer than half a day as the rain teemed down again all week.
The skipper feathers one through to the keeper - "it's in the scorebook champ"
Still the 4th grade team rocked up to what is possibly the quickest drying outfield in Sydney, if not the world (there probably should be some kind of disclaimer here as I haven’t actually played on all of the fields in the world).
We heard reports from the North Shore that 1’s, 3’s and 5’s were all washed out and already at the pub. This was at about 2 in the afternoon, just after it had been decided that we would start in roughly 1 hour and yep you guessed it I lost the toss for the 5th time in 7 games (which incidentally is the same number of games we have won). So the Stags were sent into bat on a dry-ish pitch.
Mitchell and Anthony started us off. Unfortunately Mitch wasn’t out there for long, he was replaced by Las (35), and with Ant (73), the score was pushed up to 112 after 31 overs. Everything was looking peachy, we had about an hour left to play and thoughts of really attacking the Parra bowlers next week with wickets in hand was prominent in the minds of the onlookers. However, cricket being the funny game that it is saw us lose 6 wickets for 24 runs in 10. Iqbal and Shenal then successfully negotiated the final overs to close out the day at 7-155 of 48 overs.
 With the score at 1-112, and the game due to finish an hour late - at 6:30 – the captain was asked by Millar if he could leave half an hour early – he was after all batting at a deserved No. 10 – to attend his sister’s 21st birthday party as the boat departed at 6:45 for a harbour cruise. This was agreed to by an understanding skipper. However, as Millar proceeded to get out of his whites and into his black and whites (tux), proper bow tie and all, he quickly found himself back in the changeroom and dressed in his cricket whites as his teammates conspired against him leaving early. Needless-to-say, the captain and Shenal ensured he wasn’t needed out in the middle.
Anthony was in the zone against the Eels
Week 2
One ball that’s all it takes, as Iqbal (9) found out, given out caught behind (I still maintain I didn’t hit it but “it’s in the scorebook champ”- team mates). Shenal and Cubbage (back from his stint in 3rd grade and the lower grades) then took the score to 197 when Shenal (18) tickled one to the keeper. Cubbage (27) was soon out to a full toss, I believe, to have us all out for 202. James Campbell left with red ink and telling anyone that listened that another hundred went begging.
Gordon then took the field with a skip in our stride as we knew 202 with a slow outfield was very defendable.
And it was. By 7 runs and 3 balls of the day to spare.
It was an innings that seesawed with an early wicket to Soper, then a good partnership only to be broken with two wickets falling quickly to Campbell who finished with 3-28. Two of those wickets were especially enjoyed by the Gordon players; one being an old Gordon player, Tim Fragogianas, trapped plumb in front, as well as the last wicket of the match in the final over of the day.
We then managed to take wickets consistently during the innings with Ant picking up a crucial one and Captain Agility picking up a bag (5-43) (Editor's note: Although he is too humble to mention it, Iqbal bowled beautifully - and justified his decision to take the ball in front of Cubbage-Wilson)
It has been said before that catches win matches, and it would be remiss of me not to mention the sensational catches of John Blake and Guy Hicks, without these it may have been a different story. Both behind the wicket and both truly sensational catches.
I should also mention the efforts of Anthony and then Jono Wigham with the gloves as they were filling in for the missing in action Las who was out. A very special thank you also to David Millar, who, when 5th grade was called off, came and fielded for the injured Las – mainly because the skipper knew he had keeping gear for the other players to use.
Iqbal (Captain Agility) | 
