Once again there is an optimistic feeling around '' The Credit Union Australia '' clubrooms at Big Hurly, for the start of the 2006/07 cricket season.

Most of the seasoned first eleven players are up and running and are ready to go according to the Roach, with a few still to get into top gear due to footy, family, work and study commitments.

Notable positives already with some of the one's is the physical transformation of the ''Coveman'', he is the ultimate six million dollar man and has been rebuilt into a finely tuned athlete with attitude to boot.

The ''Kuza'' is looking fitter this season as well, and should benefit with increased mobility and a new shorter haircut, I'm told that ''Fabio'' is backing himself for a big season on and off the field.

Some more early signs of excitement looms with Jimmy G, Stuey '' the mop ''

Bell, and ''the Chimp '' all in good nick, with the rest of the boys gaining touch by the day.

A couple of exciting selections for the first game is eminent, '' stay tuned ''

The seconds make-up may change dramatically from last season due to the retirement of a few players and the absence of others at this point in time, however with the return of ''The Bulldog'' Matthew Britten into the two day format after a few cameos in the hit and miss one day stuff, the inclusion of Veteran Paul Hack behind the stumps, the good early form of Brian Aitken combined with high expectations for ''The Barbs'', all of sudden Jason '' the equaliser '' Parsonage's side look formidable.

Its a different situation with General Imad's third eleven as prior engagements on the frontline has hindered their preparations, lets hope we see the army back at Hurly very soon.

On a positive for the 3's, the match committee's decision to promote two exciting 15 year olds into the army is exciting, youngsters Blair and Stoiko, will make their presence felt after being provided good opportunities in early games.

The fourths will struggle early and numbers are looking grim at this stage, however with some stalwarts like Julian '' the cruiser'' Marwick, the inclusion of David '' the dasher '' Wingfield, Adam Bonney and some kids, all is not lost and improvement will happen during the season.

Some notable changes around the ''CUE'' clubrooms is the appointment of ''

The Roidman '' who will be overseeing the fitness of all first and second players, he will punish them if they stray out of the circle.

Its good to see some new committee members appointed, and the ''Hurlmeister '' welcomes Andrew '' I'm having a shower '' Vaughn onto the social side of things, his first task is getting hot and cold water into perspective, and making everyone aware of the importance of keeping clean.

Upcoming events include a Mini Olympics with events planned to test the players ability to perform after the VB Challenge, early indications reveal that Roger Ramjet is openly backing himself to scoop the field, especially targeting Romajon in the 400 meters.

The Hurlmeister is excited about this one and will have the buckets ready for '' some big hurls ''

Stay tuned for more and remember to '' Have a Hurl at Hurly ''

Hurlmeister out.

With the completion of the first 2 rounds of cricket there have been some mixed results for all 11's with the 1sts, 0 & 2 after being in strong positions at various times of both games, but were unable to bring home the bacon.

Some notable highlights have been two good opening partnerships between Andrew '' I'm having another shower '' Vaughn, and Jimmy the '' G '' man, with Jimmy bringing up his first ton in the one's in the first game, ''

well done G man '' , with Vaughany hitting two half centuries.

The ''Roidman '' is probably a little too finely tuned , as he came to grips with the problems that elite athletes sometime have, his legs just decided to pack it in after 15 overs, he recovered well with some good treatment and nightime activities and bowled well for a ''4 for'' in the second game.

With youth being the operable word, two new young unionites were anointed and have fitted into the 1st 11 extremely well.

Ben ''I'm not as good as warne yet '' Coupe, and Michael '' Conan ''

Barberio have contributed in both games and will continue to improve throughout the season, with Coupey making a fine 50 odd, and Conan getting a 4 for.

Its plain to see that some unavailabilities, injuries, and work commitments early up have unsettled the 1's and 2's, however the 2's had a really good win against '' the sainters '' down at the nut farm in the first round, with some old campaigners leading the way.

What can we say about '' the tarantula '', ''legendary '' comes to mind, with his '' 6 for '' which was obviously the game breaking performance, with good support from young Robby Blair towards the end.

The win was helped by some great batting from Bulldog Britten and Hackmier, who's wealth of experience is of real value, probably 85 years worth.

Imad's army have yet to hit their targets, but showed a little bit more accuracy in the 2nd game with the ball, with new player Mimo bowling reasonably quick put in good performance, and will be an asset, the return to form with the bat from Nez was a highlight, it was a pity that some of the comrades could not stick with him.

The army will get better with game time, and lets hope they can pull out the artillery in the next few rounds.

The '' 4 s '' have been made up of some promising juniors mixed in with Julian '' the Cruiser '' Marwicks boys, they performed well in the first game with a highlight from young 14 yo Jordan Steele who '' tonned up'' in a brilliant display, they consequently bought home the bacon.

We will need to have a full list of players available in order to keep ''

the cruisers'' boys competitive, but when all the youth are available there should be some excitement ahead.

The ''one dayers '' have also started slowly, but its been good to see a couple of contributions from Jorgy and Romajon with the view of coming back into the two day stuff soon.

The eskies will perform better when the dry weather gets hotter, more fluids will keep them going.

On the ''Hurling'' scene, there has been plenty of Quality action on the new Table Tennis Table, with the seeded players getting some Quality practice sessions, Roidman and Roach going head to head whilst also taking the VB challenge, word around the CUE Clubrooms is that there may be a ''

dark horse '' that can actually play TT, where is Romajon?

Some significant repairs to the pool table has also been undertaken by numerous members of the Hurling club, Edward scissorhands has been active whilst keeping his pants on, although the urge to nude up was apparent last week during training, its a problem he has to deal with unfortunately, lets hope the treatment works.

The social calendar is up for all Hurlers to view, there is some exciting activities planned, starting with the International Poker Challenge this week, the arrival of some big time players is evident, hopefully the Gorilla and the Show will put on a performance, with '' the tarantula ''

keen to atone for his past performances on the table, lets hope he can get some cabbage back.

Keep Hurling

Hurlmeister

The unavailability in the 1's and 2's have continued to give the selectors some late night headaches, also some injuries to key personal hasn't helped, but full credit to the players who have persevered and grabbed their chances.

The 1's pulled off a remarkable victory in Rnd 3 against East Sandy and were deserving of praise they received from outside sources.

The bowlers did their bit the first week to restrict the Sandy boys for a gettable 258, the fielding was up there, and the boys were confident of a good showing.

Good performances from'' Ansell '' Vaughan, Kuza, Belly in a great supporting role with Captain Costa, the gorilla and with Roidman sticking at the end to help the boys get over the line, it was a remarkable victory gained in the last over with a ball to spare, full credit goes to the Costa for his magnificent skipper's innings of 74 no, we all know what he is capable of, lets hope it continues.

There was some great hurling after the match, which was described by some CMCA people as a '' classic ''.

An optimistic a approach was taken into the game in Rnd 4 against the boys from Victory Park, and again our bowlers toiled hard with a limited strike force.

The planning for this game was to unleash a secret inner belief by one player to prove to everybody that he is the ''complete package'' and what was to come was simply that, a compete package of swing and seam bowling combined with smarts, guile, and class, yes Jimmy G has silenced his critics especially some on the radio show who just don't know, and finished the day with 15 overs, 5 maidens, 4 for 37, and included in that were 3 scintillating catches, as Richie would say '' simply marvellous.

This game also saw two new Hurlers in the firsts eleven, with the Rasorman gaining a promotion '' its about time'' he would say, and new player Aaron '' I'll take the gloves'' Gregory both players set the standard with both the keeping and the ground fielding which we must maintain, well done boys.

Sometimes people do tend to have brain fazes and after getting into a winning position with some steady batting from ''the nude kiwi '', some cameo's from Kuza, Ansell, and a welcome addition back into the team in Jorgy, who just ran out of options in the end due to lack of partners, and they went down quite easily in the end for a disappointing result.

The two's went down to Wander around near the hospital and were pleased with the outcome on the first day, with some steady batting from ''Moonman'' the planets were aligned, and with some important contributions from Parso,Hackmeir, and what can we say about the '' shows'' performance with the bat, simply the best were terms used after the match as he slayed them with a brutal 70 odd.

How quickly things can change, full marks to the Wanderers as they passed the score relatively easy in the end, and also to the union boys for sticking it out with a limited number of bowling options.

Rnd 4 also bought some headaches for selectors in the two's, however the boys bought home the bacon against West Bentleigh in a fighting display, some good performances again from '' The Equaliser '', Hackmeir, Moonman again, who seems in rare touch at the moment and working hard to regain his status in the cricket world, Brian Aitken starting to get it together, and young Robbie Blair helping at the end with some good resistance similar to his dads body at the moment.

The Army, seem to be the only stable side at the moment and have been improving as the war goes on, they are now hitting their targets with the ball and also delivering some bombs with the bat.

Some steady performances from the captain Imado , Nezo, Mojo, Mimo, and Mazo have seen them bounce back into calculations with two strong performances in Rnd's 3 & 4.

The Army ''s unique training regime is starting to pay off with the soldiers all fresh and raring to continue on the frontline, however, questions will still remain on whether that's enough to first of all, gain them a finals berth, and secondly if they can actually win a final, time will tell, lets hope that this could finally be their year.

The '' Cruisers '' boys have been shellacked with the amount of unavailabilities in the higher 11's, but continue to represent the club well, blooding some players and providing games for some of the new players like Freddie Flintoff has been a bonus, also the cricket equivalent to ''Professor Julius Sumnermiller '' in the form of ''Fabulous Phillip Arnold'' who has whited up to help the boys which has been a highlight, ''

that was whited up ''.

The fabulous one took a 5 for in his first game and has let everyone know about it, but his foray with the bat is yet to be seen and hopefully he will be able to produce the mathematical statistics on his performances soon.

There's also been some good action in the CUE clubrooms with the BUCC inaugural poker championships taking place, what can we say about the quality of players on the night, simply blood thirsty for money and hungry for bragging rights.

The form of Kuz on the table was a highlight, we've heard he's good on the table, or where ever '' but he slipped under the radar of The Gorilla who was shunted out in straight sets, his last words being ''What the''.'

The other celebrities were in fine form as well, with Kam '' get the camera off me '' Imado the dealer, Hackmeir '' the tormentor'', the show, the Tarantula, moon man, and a special guest Big Beauby Adams all performed well, but it was '' the kid'' glamour, Kuzma who ended up with the gravy, well done to Jimmy G and The water saver Vaughany for running the night.

Some of the boys also fancy themselves in the front of the mirror, none more so than Roidman, however, the transformation of Riodman into '' Agent Orange'' in the 4th round was simply stunning and never been seen before in a game of cricket, it had some affect with the females in the crowd, some notable comments were, '' who's that spunk'', and ''couldn't you just lick him'', or '' lets just squeeze the juice out of him''.

With the return of a few quality players for the next couple of rounds, lets all dig in before the Xmas break, and help set up for the run home.

Keep Hurling

Hurlmeister

On the playing side of things, the firsts have the task ahead of them to establish themselves back to the level that is expected, and will be

working hard to do so. The boys are really keen to create some havoc against the opposition in the run home and will certainly have a say on who plays in the finals.

The 2nds are in a good spot to claim a finals berth for the 2nd year running, and providing that we can keep most of the players on the park, they should be able to gain a spot in the finals, although there are still 9 teams with a chance, the boys may have to win all 3 and rely on

percentage.

The Army are now poised to also gain a finals berth, however with 6 sides still in the hunt it remains to be seen if their recent trip to boot camp will help them get over the line, the good thing is that some of the Army are starting to get to training, so this is a positive for all concerned.

The cruisers team is sitting middle of the pack but with some encouraging performances from some of the younger players, could still cause some

damage along the way.

The ''Fridgies'' have consolidated in the top 4, but again, will have to keep winning as there is still 6 sides in the hunt.

Most of the junior teams are performing well, at this stage we should see some finals action as long as their form continues, hopefully some of the

senior boys can get along and offer them some support.

''On the Social scene'', their has been some great attempts at ''good hurling'' with some of the after dark members taking full advantage of the

beer of the month, some late night selections have added to their woes. There has been plenty of activity in the CUA clubrooms with some great

functions which included the players xmas break-up, this was reasonably attended and provided a casual end to the first half of the season with

players family and friends. The players night provided some mixed excitement with Scrimshaw visually excited and ready to jump at anything that moved in his direction, Budda also performed admirably, and at times was the centre of attention with his version of the '' hamburger '' and puppetry of the p...s ''. Our friend from England, Freddie Flintoff was educated on the night, he didn't flinch when under pressure and performed better than his

counterparts on the field.

Our recent players golf day also provided the usual laughs, it started with the Gorilla on the first tee after he got into his chariot and forgot to secure his bag of clubs which went straight off the back as he tried to drive away. Hackmeister was his usual confident self, but the plan of Sully to keep Hackmeister refreshed during the day worked, he fell victim to the VB challenge and failed to meet expectations.

Coupey looked a million dollars, but looks can be deceiving as we all know, and when the pressure was applied he failed, the obvious highlight for

Coupey was being picked up at the end of the day by a couple of lovely babes, but it looks as though he still has problems, he got into the back

seat instead of commanding a front seat, he has to get with the program. What can we say about Ansil Vaughan? fairdinkum he takes longer to address the ball than he does when taking a shower, we all know how he loves a shower, but it was good to see that he has found some love, this has obviously helped his cricket and his golf. The McNally's were steady throughout the day, but with Wingman blazing to all parts of the course, it became a little boring having to wait 20 minutes for a shot. Jimmy G picked up the award for one of the longest slaps of the day, he is

in good form in most facets of his sport these days, he also performed well at the'' wheelbarrow '' the other night, keep up the good form.

Scissor looked the goods with the new equipment, and when he produced the '' big doggie '' he proved that timing is everything and was a consistent

performer on the day.  All in all it was great to see the players enjoying themselves in a casual day, thanks to Ansil and the social boys, Sully for the refreshments, and all the people who attended.

A recent trip to the ''wheelbarrow '' highlighted the worrying trend of some of our younger blokes, their dress sense and the ability to pick up is

questionable, it must have worked for some of the lads as they were pursued for most of the night by a hyperactive young boy who just wanted some loving, he was giving free kisses to the boys where ever they went.

On a cricket note, its fair to say that some rules and decisions are hard to fathom, especially when interpretations are not defined into the rules of our competition, none the less, this has been recently highlighted with the decision to give ''Roger Ramjet'' a total of 4 games after he and the club accepted the set penalty and admitted guilt to the charge, his unblemished record meant nothing in the eyes of the tribunal, and it would appear that the umpire was not happy with the set penalty system.

Lets hope that after we go through the processes with the powers to be, that we come out the other end with an easier and more tolerant set of

rules for all players and clubs. As they say in that classic song of the 70's, ''Roger took on the law and the law won'', but the battle still continues.

Hurlmeister