Brighton
Union are very happy to have the following players join our quest for success
in 2007:
Welcome back life member Alex Gerdan “Big Al” as Senior Coach and one of the leading run makers in the Clubs history, his discipline and straight shooting will certainly help Club Captain Con Pothitos this year.
2006 - 2007 CMCA Team of the year player Ivan Delac has decided he wants to part of BUCC restructuring and has settled in beautifully with team bonding, his Dominating Batting and bowling at the senior level gives more strength to an already star studded batting line up.
The Peninsula may produce good wine but also good cricketer’s of which we are sure Justin King will prove coming from Rye after a stint as Captain Coach last year. He is a true all-rounder with a lethal arm in the field. People with the right attitude are hard to fine and we have lucked into Justin deciding that Union will benefit from his ability this year.
“Happy” Drew Styles was drawn to the club by Big Al’s Leadership qualities after playing with him at Elwood last year and trained the house down during preseason. His bowling could help be the difference in the Firsts winning more of the close games.
Kuz & Rommie have helped with introducing James Haupt to the club. His natural bowling style and the ease of which he go’s about it adds to our once depleted bowling stocks which now look strong. We are encouraged with his attitude to prove he could make the different at the top level opening the bowling.
Mocca Jones a Club Stalwart has produced many good innings with the bat and ball over the years but also has this year brought his son to the Club to strengthen our longer list than normal talent this year. We welcome Wayne Jones in 2007.
Embracing 2007 and coming back to play this year are 5 quality clubmen and have gifted ability, some when playing cricket!! Patty Youens is a promising young man with ability, Jason Rahily has played at the top level, Maurie “Mocca” Jones with a wealth of experience, Luke Haddon a promising Junior who’s ballooned out but a great guy and Club Secretary is back as Captain of our 4ths, Phil Arnold is going to prove he can do what he tells everyone else what they should do.
Welcome 2 fathers with sons playing in the under age sides both Brian Mc Donough and David Martin we hope you enjoy the success with are striving for this year boys.
A very strong list BUCC have to select from this year that will only get stronger once gun players like Darian Kuzma, James Gaynor, James Jorgensen and Damien Rayson all recover from off season injuries. We wish them speedy recoveries and to put the pressure on the current playing group, which no doubt they will!
1st XI
Round 1 kicked off with a big game at Hurlingham Park against Washington Park. After a huge pre-season recruiting drive on and off the field, we unveiled new players Ivan Delac from Omega, Justin King from Rye and Drew Styles from Elwood. We also welcomed back Life Member Alex Gerdan as player and coach. Although still missing James Gaynor & Darien Kuzma through injury, expectations were high.
The day started well with Con Pothitos winning the toss and electing to bat. A solid start by makeshift opener Stuart Bell and Andrew Vaughan giving us a solid 49 run partnership before Andrew Vaughan was dismissed for 30. This brought “Moose” Delac to the crease who knocked up a very good 36 on debut for Union before he was dismissed. The score was 2/115 in the 36th over and this set up a great platform for the middle order. Next in was Justin King who saw Belly dismissed shortly afterwards for a well compiled 59 before going on to make 56 himself on debut. At the other end was captain Con Pothitos who steadily built his score including a 52 run partnership was coach Alex Gerdan. The Champ came and went, Alex contributed a useful 19. Aaron Gregory and Covey had little to offer the scoreboard. After 72 overs Con remained 72 not out with Drew Styles at the other end on 6 not out and we had compiled 8 for 292.
The next Saturday saw our boys go about defending their big total. At 1-0 the boys were on top early with Covey knocking the stumps out of the ground in the first over. Unfortunately the next wicket didn’t come until the 31st over when Kingy dismissed Gareth Finney with the score at 149. It was very quickly 3/149 when Belly broke through and we were back in it. Then a 91 run partnership for the 4th wicket put Wash-ups in the driver’s seat with still 19 overs remaining. They ended up cruising to the target in the 62nd over with 6 wickets down with Craig Naidu ending up 171 not out to almost win the game single handled for Washington Park. The boys were left ruing dropping him early. Covey ending up with 2/43 and Drew Styles 2/46. The other wickets taken by Justin King 1/52 and Stuart Bell 1/32. A very disappointing start to the season, but a lot of positives will be taken from the game.
2nd XI
Over at Shark Park the seconds were also playing Washington Park. We also won the toss and elected to bat on a very slow outfield and a very “weird” pitch. They welcomed new player James Haupt and welcomed back Jason Rahilly after a year away. A slow start by the boys and at 3/44 after 16 overs it was looking like a tough day in the office. Brian Aitken 10, Romy Nayagam 5 and Jeremy Clark 27 were all back in the pavilion. Cyril Campbell and Jason Parsonage then worked hard on an outrageously slow outfield to grind out a 55 run partnership before Cyril was dismissed for 24 with the score on 99 in the 30th over. Out strode the skipper Matthew Britten to join Jason to take us up to tea at 4/101 off 32 overs. Shortly after tea Jason was dismissed for 45. Robbie Blair was tragically run out and then Jason Rahilly made a quick fire 18 to take the score up to 7/151 in the 44th over. Mario came and went and Doggy was joined by newcomer James Haupt for the ninth wicket. They batted beautifully to compile a 68 run partnership before James was dismissed for 35 in the 62nd over. Big Nez Daou batting at 11 helped Doggy get the score to 9/245 at the end of the allotted overs leaving him 69 not out. This seemed like enough runs to defend on a very slow ground.
The next Saturday saw the opposite to the Longmuir game. Washington Park’s boys did not even attempt to make the runs and in one of the worse days of cricket witnessed, they batted the whole day to finally be bowled out in the 64th over for a paltry 115. The fact that they scored 1 boundary in 64 Overs sums up the day. James Haupt took 4/36 off 22 overs on debut and impressed some of the old heads playing in the game. Jason Rahilly also bowled well to take 4/20. Mario Vucko took 1/21 off 16 overs and deserved more wickets. A great start to the season for last year’s preliminary finalists.
3rd XI
Last year’s E Grade premiers debuted in D Grade against Moorabbin West at Widdop Crescent. Another toss won by the captain led to our boys batting first. The side included the returning Patrick Youens. With some second XI players joining 6 of last year’s premiership team, the boys were very confident going into the game. Young Nick Travers was also playing his first game in the 3rds. At 6/92 in the 39th over it looked like the boys were coming down to earth with a thump! The only resistance came from Saul Siritzky who made 39 who opened and was the 6th wicket to fall. Kamal Daou 9, Morwan Amro 3 and Paul Hack 0 all came and went very quickly. Mimo Dimachki 16 and Imad Amro 13 showed some resistance in the middle order. The scoreboard was revived by Anthony Stojko who coming at number 7, batted out the innings to be last wicket dismissed in the 59th over for well made 56. Richard Lewis, who made 27, put on 45 for the ninth wicket with Stojks to add some respectability to the scoreboard. Nick Travers made 9 and Mazen Amro 4 and Patty Youens remained 2 not out. We ended up with 183 and had to bowl 3 overs to Moorabbin West who ended up 0/3 at the end of the day.
The next week saw Moorabbin West put on a clinic to be 0/103 in the 44th over and seemingly cruising to victory. Then Stojks got the breakthrough to start a run of 4 wickets for 23 runs in the next 5 overs. Some great fielding including 3 run outs and two stumpings by Hacky led to a steady flow of wickets leading to a nail biting finish to the game. Moorabbin West needed 4 runs in the last over with 1 wicket in hand and ultimately fell 1 run short when Damien Rayson ran out their last batsman with the score at 182. Mazen Amro 2/52 off 22 overs, Morwan Amro 2/43 off 19 overs, and Anthony Stojko 2/25 were the best of the bowlers. A great win and more importantly a reality check for last season’s all conquering 3rd XI.
4th XI
Won on Walkover
5th XI
With the walkover in G grade the 4th XI played in H Grade with new skipper Phil Arnold at the helm. A side scattered with experience hosted Moorabbin West at Elsternwick Park. We also welcome a couple of parents who have bolstered our playing stocks, Brian Mc Donough & David Martin. Again we won the toss and elected to bat. Mocca Jones and Col Taranto opened the batting and got off to a solid start with a 37 run partnership off 13 overs before Mocca was dismissed for 16, Col quickly followed for 12 and the score was 2/40. Mocca’s son Wayne came in at number 3 and scored a fantastic 78. He had a 67 run partnership with Ashley Rose of which Rosey only made 4!! A massive collapse in the middle order saw us lose 4/12. Paul Foster 2, Brian Mc Donough 0 and David Blair 0 all came and went with Wayne Jones still at the other end. When he was dismissed the score was 7/145 in the 45th over. Our lower order offered very little resistance as we capitulated to be all out for 156 in the 52nd over. This left 10 overs to be bowled on day 1. The Westers were 0/18 at the end of the day.
The next Saturday saw an easy victory for Moorabbin West, who only took 33 overs to knock off the target 4 wickets down. Maurie Jones 2/18 was the best of the bowlers. The other wickets were taken by Col Taranto 1/28 and Ashley Rose 1/33. Eight different bowlers were used and the boys tried real hard.
One Day XI
The One-Dayers started with a game against Omega at Bricker Reserve. It was the same old crew with 3rd XI Premiership players Damien Rayson & Jeremiah Coughlan starting their seasons off with the boys. Nester Nezeritis and Luke Haddon also returned to the club to have a run. Again we batted first and at 4/49 we lost too many early wickets especially with 18 overs gone. Simon Haddon 17, Rob Oliphant 10, Scott Morgan 11 and Brendan Symons 4 were all dismissed early. A good partnership of 43 in 7 overs, between Peter McConville 25 and Bullfrog Coughlan 39, took the score to 92. The remaining 5 wickets yielded 42 runs to end our innings at 134. Sully 5, Raysor 3, Warren Byrne 1 and Luke Haddon 5 all failed to impress. Nester remained not out 0 and didn’t have much of a chance. Was this going to be enough?
When the boys went out to field they had to get early wickets and at 0/52 in the 12th over, their plans were looking pear shaped. Then Bullfrog took 3 wickets within 15 runs and we were back in it. Then an amazing spell by Matty O’Sullivan (5/11 in 6 overs) and with support from Damien Rayson and a run out by Scotty Morgan saw the boys take the last 7 wickets for 19 runs. A great win and a good start to the season against a good side. Sully 5/11, Coughlan 3/27 and Rayson 1/9 did all the damage.
1st XI
After last week’s disappointment the boys came up against the rampaging Elwood, on their home ground, who had a good win in Round 1. The impressive James Haupt came in for Drew Styles who was suffering from a wrist injury. Again we won the toss and chose to bat on a very quick outfield. A poor start saw both our openers in the pavilion with the score at 17 in the 10th over. Stuart Bell 1 and Andrew Vaughan 5 could not repeat their good performances from round 1. With Ivan Delac and Justin King at the crease, we set about restoring our innings and after a well compiled 61 Kingy was dismissed at 3/107. With back to back half centuries, he has had a great start to the season. Captain Con Pothitos joined Ivan in the middle and in a 29 over partnership they amassed 146 runs when Moose was finally dismissed for an amazing 119. The Champ came in for a quick fire 41 in 27 minutes before Alex Gerdan joined Con Pothitos to see out the 72 overs and guide us to a score of 5/358. Alex finished on 11 not out and Con 103 not out. A very significant innings for the skipper and with his 72 not out in the round 1, augurs well for a great season. The challenge was ahead of the boys to defend another big score.
The defence started OK with Elwood at 2/44 in the 16th over. Then Elwood started to get on top when Ano Apostoloupoulos started to dominate the bowlers with Pat Reilly and Marshall Bunting and before we knew it they had moved to 5/321 in the 67th over and they had a sniff. All of a sudden Paul Edwards picked up 4 wickets in 2 overs, including 3 in the last over and it was game over. Elwood all out for 333 in the 70th over. Paul finished with 5/42 and announced his retirement to the other players in a massive shock straight after the game. A good win to the boys in the end and a big relief to get on the board. The side is 1-1 in a very even start to the Longmuir Shield Season.
2nd XI
After a great start to the season in round 1, the Magoos hosted Elwood at Hurlingham Park. Paul Hack, Richard Lewis & Patty Youens returned to bolster the side. It was a controversial decision to drop Big Nez and bring Hacky back to keep wickets. The innings was kicked off by a good start from Matty Britten and Romy Nayagam as our boys cruised to 93 without loss in the 29th over. If you went to the bar and came back you would have missed both openers being dismissed on that score. Doggy scoring his second consecutive half century when he was dismissed for 50, Romy supported him well with 40. A couple of Kiwis then steadied the innings until tea and went on with it after tea to put together a 67 run partnership for the third wicket, as a nation New Zealand have been disappointing lately, but Brian Aitken & Cyril Campbell did BUCC proud before Cyril was dismissed for 32. Jason Parsonage joined Brian but was only able to compile 12 before being dismissed with the score at 4/172. Paul Hack suffering under the pressure of being brought back into the team did not last long compiling 6 runs before losing his wicket. Brian was the next to go after reaching half century and ended up with 56. The score was 6/206 after 50 overs and with some big hitters to come the platform was set. Enter Dicky Lewis and Angry Man Rahilly to destroy the bowling in the next 14 overs as they put together a 120 run partnership before Jason was dismissed for 61. Dicky remained not out on 62 and Patty Youens not out 1 after Mario came and went without bothering the scorers. The final score of 8/328 was a great reward for an even batting performance.
The next Saturday saw our boys eager to defend their big score. Mario opened the bowling with Robbie Blair and wound back the clock by bowling 21 overs and taking 6/37. Only 3 of the Elwood players getting to double figures indicated the dominance of our team. The game was over in the 50th over and the score was only 105. Robbie Blair ended up with 1/14 and Patty Youens 2/16 as we again witnessed a great team effort by the boys with the bat, ball and in the field. A 2-0 start is just what the doctor ordered.
3rd XI
The thirds welcomed back premiership players Nez Daou, Damien Rayson & Jeremiah Coughlan. Also new players Leigh Hadden & Jonathan Boggy Zdrazil debuted for BUCC. With 8 of the grand final team the boys were confident of putting East Sandy in their box down at Elsternwick Park. The opposition won the toss and sent us in to bat, which seemed a very strange decision on a perfect day for batting. Young Nick Travers opened the innings with Nez Daou and after a brisk 40 run partnership in 8 overs, Nick holed out for 20. Morwan Amro joined Bignez at the crease and they proceeded to pile on a 86 run partnership before Nez was dismissed for 58 in the last over before tea. The score was 2/126 off only 29 overs. Damien Rayson strode out to the crease with The Vandal (Nez’s bat) and proceeded to destroy a sub standard attack on his way to his maiden century. Along the way we lost Morwan who spooned one back to the bowler after making a fantastic 83 in a supporting role to Raysor in a 152 run partnership for the 3rd wicket. Imad then came out to the crease and helped Raysor get to his first ton and beyond. When he finally got bowled on 139 and the score was 4/345 and we still had 13 overs to go. Jeremiah Coughlan was promoted in the order to number 6 and continued the punishment by scoring 48 in just 7 overs out of a partnership of 90!!! Stojks came and went for only 3 and Kam Daou came out to support Imszy in the last 4 overs. The end result was 6/489 off our 65 overs and Imad was not out on 88 and Kam not out 16. An amazing effort which we think is the second highest score in the club’s history. Needless to say the boys were confident that they could defend the total the next week.
The run chase started poorly for East Sandy as they lost their first two wickets for 16 runs in the ninth over. On a lightning quick outfield this was an indication of how good the bowling from Maz Amro & Boggy was. After being 2/35 in the 14th over, the opposition collapsed to be all out for 38 in the 19th over. Maz ended up with 4/16, Boggy on debut finished with 3/19 and Morwan Amro chipped in with 1/0 off 1 over at the end. The opposition were shattered as they were asked to pad up again and Imszy pulled out a new pill and handed it back to Boggy who really terrorised the batsman in the first innings. We had 43 overs to bowl them out again and their innings started tragically with a cheeky run out in the first over by the skipper. At 3/15 in their second innings and still not tea, the result looked inevitable. After tea there was a mini revival from East Sandy as they got their score up to 63 before losing their fourth wicket when Raysor broke the partnership by destroying the top scorer’s stumps. Although more resilient in the second innings the bowlers were again fantastic as they dismissed a poor East Sandy team for 84, giving them a resounding outright victory by an innings and 367 runs and the full 10 points. Boggy 3/13, Raysor 2/22, Morwan Amro 2/14 and Maz 1/32 were the wicket takers. A good start to 3rd XI with a 2-0 record in a higher grade.
4th XI
Won on Walkover (again!!)
2-0 without taking the field.
5th XI
Another walkover meant the 4th XI played in H Grade again. Phil again led a mixed bag of juniors, old guys and in betweens out to battle. They wandered off the Cheltenham to play Le Page Park. After losing the toss they took the field and after a reasonable opening stand of 36 Le Page lost their first wicket. A steady flow of wickets saw them reeling at 6/100. Col Taranto 3/45 and Cailin Campbell 2/38 taking out the top order. Another highlight was a masterful stumping by Julian Marwick off the Tarantula. A massive 7th wicket partnership saw the score advance to 241 before Phil managed to break to partnership. Eventually they ended up with all out for 268 in the 61st over and a daunting task lay ahead for the boys to chase them down. The other wicket takers were Phil Arnold with 2/35, Brian Mc Donough 1/36 and Azim Pir 1/1. Nine bowlers were used and it was good to see the skipper give everyone a go. We faced one over without incident to end the day.
The next week saw us go in one short with young Azim Pir unable to make it. We lost Col early for 10 and Ashley Rose for 18 and we were struggling at 2/41 after 21 overs. Brian Mc Donough joined Uncle Phil at the crease and they managed to guide the team to tea at 2/116. Brian was dismissed shortly after tea for 64. In came “Nick’s Travers’s Dad” and joined Phil for a 36 run partnership before Phil was dismissed for 44 in the 47th over!!!! The score was 169 and we still needed 100 runs off 18 overs. Unfortunately Mr Travers was run out for 28, Nick Jewell made 18 (thank for the Bushrangers to allow him to play…lol), Maurie Jones made16, David Martin 2 and Cailin Campbell 0 which meant that the boys fell 36 runs short with overs in the bank. Another brave effort but alas the boys are 0-2 to start the year.
One Day XI
The One Day boys hosted their arch rivals Cluden (in the drinking department, that is!!) at Little Hurly. Cluden won the toss and decided to bat. After Luke Haddon picked an early wicket, they steadily went about compiling a respectable score. Pistol also picked up the second wicket to have the visitors at 2/35 in the 9th over. Peter McConville picked up the 3rd wicket shortly afterwards and 3/43 we were looking good. A huge 73 run gap elapsed before the 4th wicket fell. In the meantime Johnny Bennett made 50 and retired. Two quick wickets from Sully saw us gain the advantage again at 5/116. The next wicket fell at 135 when Krzyer took his only wicket. The score advanced passed 180 when another 50 from Carl Baldock saw him retire as well with 5 overs to go. The remaining overs only conceded 36 runs as Cluden clawed their way to 9/216 with Beany the last wicket to fall after returning to the crease. Luke Haddon 2/24, Peter McConville 3/57 and Matt O’Sullivan 2/35 being the main wicket takers. Jorgy and Krzyer chipped in with a wicket each.
After a short break the boys set about chasing down a very gettable target. Rob Oliphant opened with newcomer Denny Karamoshos and they put a fantastic 60 run stand in 11 overs before both fell together on the same score. This meant James Jorgenson & Krzyer set about getting us back on track and the next wicket didn’t fall until the score was on 151 when Jorgy fell for 46. Krzyer went on to make 50 and had to retire shortly afterwards and the next man out was Sully who went cheaply for 9 but the score had moved on to 195 and we were cruising. Peter McConville guided us through to victory with the help of Fossie 7 and Luke Haddon 18 not out. Macca finished up 27 not out and the final score when the game was called off had got to 6/233. Another good win by the guys means a 2-0 start to the season.
1st XI
The 1st XI travelled to newly promoted Le Page Park for their Round 3 clash. Buoyed by their good win in Round 2 and with Cyril Campbell coming in to replace the retired Paul Edwards, the boys were confident of winning this crucial game with their strengthened batting line-up. The day started well with BUCC winning the toss and choosing to bat first.
At 2/16 in the 14th over it seemed like it was going to be a tough day. Andrew Vaughan fell for 9 and then Moose Delac without scoring. Ding Dong Bell(16) & Con Pothitos(2) were the next 2 to be dismissed and the score was a horrible 4/42 in the 23rd over. Kingy’s run out for 19 seemed unnecessary at the time and came at a vital time in the innings with Union reeling at 5/63. In came The Champ and in his usual manner bludgeoned 27 in even time, but was dismissed 5 minutes before tea. The score was 6/87 off 36 Overs and we were in deep doo doo. Straight after tea Big Al fell for 11 and Aaron Gregory lasted 3 balls before being dismissed for 0. At 8/87 Aaron was heading back to the pavilion to put the Wicket-Keeping straight on as we seemed to be capitulating. Then a fantastic 9th Wicket partnership between Cyril Campbell & Michael Cove, lasted 20 Overs and yielded 50 runs to help the boys post a respectable target. Cyril ended up with 37 and Covey was eventually the last man dismissed for 14. The final score was 143 in the 57th Over. This left the boys 12 Overs at Le Page on Day 1.
To cut a long story short Le Page were 4/21 at stumps after James Haupt & Kingy ripped the top order to shreds taking 2 wickets each.The important wicket of Steve McConchie falling at 4/10 in the 6th over.
Day 2 saw a similar story with Moose being the main destroyer as Le Page were dismissed for 58 in the 14th over of the day. Evidence of the good bowling was the fact that 5 of the inning’s dismissals were bowled and 2 were caught behind. The bowling was dominated by Moose Delac with 4/14. James Haupt 3/15 & Justin King 3/21 were also outstanding.
Without hesitation, Con asked Le Page to have another bat and although we picked up an early wicket, the opposition dug in and the game was called off after 35 overs in the second innings at 1/86. James Haupt collected the only wicket to fall. A good win and puts us in equal 3rd place on the ladder at 2-1.
2nd XI
The undefeated 2nd XI were up against Le Page at Big Hurly. With Patty Youens, Mario Vucko and Angry Man Rahilly all missing along with the promoted Cyril Campbell, the boys welcomed the Amro brothers Maz & Morwan, along with Damien Rayson & Jeremiah Coughlan all coming up from the 3rd XI. Again we won the toss and elected to bat.
Matthew Britten was gone second ball of the innings for 0 which bought Brian Aitken to the wicket to effectively open the innings with Romy. The took the score to 23 before Brian was Run Out for 13. Jason Parsonage joined Romy and scored 9 before he was dismissed with the score on 40 in the 18th Over. Another very slow outfield was not assisting the boys on the wide expanses of Big Hurly. A fantastic 4th wicket stand by Romy and Morwan Amro saw the score advance to 92 as Romy was dismissed straight after tea for a well compiled 37. Mo Town was then joined by fellow premiership player Damien Rayson for another 50 run stand before Raysor was bowled for 25 with the score on 5/143 in the 46th over. Dicky Lewis came and went for 6 and then at 7/170 Morwan was finally dismissed for 65 after an innings saving knock of 65. Maz shortly followed his brother without bothering the scorers. The score was 8/180 with Coggers strolling out to the crease. He made 18 in 5 overs including 4 boundaries and helped get the score over 200. The final wicket saw another 32 runs added as Robbie Blair (9 not out) helped the veteran Paul Hack get the score to 237 in the 63rd over to end our innings. Hacky who is struggling to keep his spot as a keeper put together a fantastic 34 before he was the last man out. This score would be hard to chase down on a slow Big Hurly.
The next week saw Le Page turn up with one man down. This made the job a little easier knowing the we only needed 9 wickets. Robbie Blair opened the bowling with Maz Amro and Robbie broke through in the 3rd over to claim the first wicket at 9. After his mandatory change after 6 overs the whole match changed. Dicky Lewis came on and ripped the heart out of their batting line up 6 overs of magic from his end. With Maz Amro picking up 2/20 in 10 overs at the other end, Dicky took 5/6 in 6 overs. Robbie Blair 1/22 and Coggers 1/2 were the other wicket takers. All out for 55 in the 24th over. Just like the 1st XI, there was no hesitation in putting the opposition back in for a second dig. Another good start saw Le Page at 4/38 in the 20th over. With still 21 overs to go, it was looking good for maximum points. Le Page showed more resilience though and ended up surviving the rest of the overs 7 wickets down. Although falling 2 wickets short, it was a dominating effort by the team. The wickets were spread in the second innings with Dicky Lewis 2/13 being the main wicket taker again. Robbie Blair, Morwan Amro, Coggers, Matthew Britten and Maz Amro all took one wicket. The 2nd XI remains undefeated and on top of the C Grade ladder.
3rd XI
With several changes the 3rd XI headed to Keysborough to play Shamrock. We welcomed Jeremy Clark, for his final game at BUCC, as well as the return of Darien Kuzma from injury, Julian Waras Carstensen, Brian Mc Donough and Col Taranto. For some unknown reason Shamrock won the toss and asked us to bat.
When Clarky was dismissed for 0 in the second over, it seemed like a good decision. Bignez and Kuzzy put on 21 for the 2nd wicket before the Big Lebbo skied a ball and was caught for 14. Kuzzy followed straight away for 12. In came Stojks and left just as quick for 1. We had slumped to be 4/31 in the 10th over. A good 30 run partnership between Kam Daou and Imad steadied the ship before Kam was dismissed for a solid 12, a big score is not far away for the young man. Brain McDonough who has been showing good form in the 4th’s joined Imad and they put on 51 before Brian was dismissed for fantastic 23. The score was 6/112 in the 38th over on a horrendously slow outfield. Leigh Hadden (4) was the next wicket to fall as he tried to protect his middle stump with his pads. The opposition were amazed as he walked on an LBW appeal!!! Imad was the next to go for 42 after a great captain’s knock. The score was 8/122 with plenty of overs to go. Julian Alphabet and Boggy Zdrazil put on a quickfire 24 for the 9th wicket before Boggy decided he was bored and ran himself out for 6. Jules was the last to go for 15. The Tarantula remained not out on 2. All out for 142 in the 46th over. This left 16 overs to bowl at the opposition on day 1.
The boys started well taking 2/6 in 5 overs. Both wickets taken by Boggy who was terrorising the batsman with his bald head and his pace. Jules picked up the 3rd wicket at 24 with 2 overs to go. Shamrock were 3/26 at stumps.
Week 2 saw Shamrock come out with all guns blazing. A combination of poor bowling and some swash buckling hitting saw them move to 56 in just 4 overs before Col took a vital wicket. Another 23 runs were added in quick time before Jules knocked over the danger man who had just hit him for 3 consecutive boundaries over mid on. The score was 5/79 with plenty of time left. It was quickly 7/84 with Jules and Col picking up one wicket each. A little flurry again saw Jules go for 3 boundaries in 4 balls through slips and the score advanced to 98. Finally the batsman edged one to the Tarantula at first slip and it was 8/98. Shamrock who were also one short left it all to their star Chris Ainger who decided to do it in Sixes. He despatched one over mid on from the bowling of Col, but next ball was beaten and Bignez whipped the bails off to end the match. All out for 104 and a comfortable win in the end. Julian Waras Carstensen ended up with 4/33, Col Taranto 3/25 and Jonathan Zdrazil 2/34. The 3rd XI remain undefeated and are second on the ladder at 3-0.
4th XI
The 4th XI hosted Bentleigh ANA at Elsternwick Park with a side made up some young players and some old campaigners from the One Day squad. Again we won the toss and chose to bat.
A positive start by Paul Foster saw the score advance to 28 in the 6th over before Fozzie was dismissed for 18. Ash Rose followed shortly after for 6 and the score was 2/33. James Travers came and went for 2 and at 3/36 the boys were in trouble. Nick Travers joined Wayne Jones for a good 30 run partnership before Nick was dismissed for 8. 13 runs after his Dad, Maurie, joined him, Wayne was dismissed for a well compiled 37. Matt O’Sullivan knocked up 15 including 2 sixes before he was dismissed with the score at 6/95. Skipper Phil Arnold did not bother the scorers and was out shortly afterwards. Nick Jewell scored 3, Brendan Symons 0 and when Maurie Jones fell we were all out for 146. He ended up with a great innings of 53. Julian Marwick ended up with 2 not out. This left 15 overs to bowl at ANA and hopefully make some in roads into their 10 wickets.
Paul Foster picked up a wicket in the first over and we started well to have them 1/1. A 50 run partnership for the second wicket, saw ANA go to stumps at 2/54. Uncle Phil breaking the partnership just before stumps.
Week 2 saw the boys again pick up a very early wicket courtesy of Fozzie and at 3/54 they had a sniff. Another wicket saw ANA 4/64 and Fozzie was running riot with the ball after another wicket. His 4th and 5th wickets saw ANA slump to 6/95 and it was game on. That was where our joy ended. ANA passed our score without losing another wicket and a consolation wicket to Nick Jewell was the only joy for the rest of the day. A loss to the boys, but they are 2-1 after a bye and a walkover in the first 2 rounds.
5th XI
Lost on Walkover
They are 0-3 but look forward to fielding a strong team next week.
One Day XI
Won on Walkover. They are also undefeated and top of the ladder.
1st XI
This week we hosted Bentleigh ANA is a vital clash for both clubs. Jason Rahilly & Drew Styles came in to replace the missing James Haupt & Michael Cove.
The ANA skipper started the day well by winning the toss and choosing to bat. They started steadily until they lost their first wicket at 31 in the 10th over when Con Pothitos broke through in his first over of the day. The second wicket came at 54 when Con claimed his second victim with the score on 54 in the 16th over. Another bowling change in the 24th over saw Belly trap Chris Fulco LBW with the score at 3/88 in 24th over. The next wicket fell quickly when Belly dismissed the ANA skipper 17 minutes later with the score at 4/103 in the 28th over. Another bowling change had an instant impact in the 33rd over when Jason Rahilly picked up the fifth wicket with the score at 5/110. The next 23 overs saw ANA steady the ship and reach 175 before 2 wickets fall in one over off Con, one of them from a direct hit run out by Kingy. Con quickly picked up his 4th wicket and at 8/180 we were back on top. The last 2 wickets proved valuable for ANA as they managed to get to 233 before being bowled out in the last over. Angry Man and Kingy picking up the last 2 wickets. The final bowling figures were Con 4/49, Stuart Bell 2/26, Jason Rahilly 2/35 and Kingy 1/44. A huge run chase was to come in what was a classic 12 point game.
The next week saw a poor start when both Belly & Vaughany back in the pavilion with the score on 41. Both got starts but both were caught behind for 13 and 17 respectively. Moose and Kingy got the score to 93 before Moose was dismissed for 36 in the 42nd over. The scoring was slow but purposeful and we were on target to chase down the total. The skipper came and went for 2 and took off to a wedding and then Kingy was dismissed for a well compiled 53. The score was 5/129 in the 52nd over. With 105 runs required in the last 20 overs. The Egan Shield was up for grabs and the game was evenly poised with a host of Life Members looking on. A good little partnership between the coach and Cyril Campbell lifted the score to 158 before Big Al gave Adam Mikkelson his third catch and was on his way for 20. The equation became more difficult when Aaron Gregory was judged LBW and out for 2 shortly afterwards. The score was 7/172 in the 61st over. The run rate had climbed to 6 an over and the Champ joined Cyril for the 8th wicket. With his hand all taped after after an accident, the Champ proceeded to bludgeon the attack to all parts of the ground. Cyril batted beautifully to rotate the strike and after 2 massive sixes from the Champ the score had advanced to 231. Cyril was dismissed in the 69th over for 35 but his job was done. Jason Rahilly came to the crease and survived the over. The second ball of the 70th over saw Champ despatch the ball to the boundary to give us the win with 2 overs to spare. He finished on 48 not out and once again proved his worth to the club. A fantastic win, which sets us up at 3-1, to have a much improved season. It was great to see the Egan Shield stay with BUCC for the first time since it’s inception 3 years ago.
2nd XI
With the unavailability of Matty Britten and Richard Lewis, we saw 2 changes in the Magoos. Super Mario Vucko returned as well as Darien Kuzma coming up from the 3rds in another step in his comeback. The boys travelled down to the Peanut Farm for a tough game against last year’s premiers, St Kilda City. Once again Sarge won the toss and elected to bat. A good start by Romy and Jason saw the score get to 66 before Romy was cleaned up for 22 and the score was 1/66 in the 16th over. Brian Aitken and Kuzzy failed to impress after being dismissed for 8 and 9 respectively and the score was 3/93 after 21 overs. Paul Hack was promoted in the batting line up and played a fantastic supporting role as his skipper dominated the bowling at the other end. Their partnership yielded 81 before Hacky was dismissed for 26 in the 39th over. The next over a shattered Sarge was dismissed for 97 and score was all of a sudden 5/174. Morwan Amro and Damien Raysor added nearly 40 before Mo Town was run out for 5. Bullfrog Coughlan then joined his mate Raysor before departing just as quick for 11 including 2 fours. Raysor was out one run later and at 8/230 it wasn’t looking good especially with 12 overs remaining. The last 2 partnerships added 61 runs and with an excellent 20 from Maz Amro (just ask him), 22 not out from Robbie Blair and 18 not out from Mario the boys managed to bat the 65 overs and finish at 9/291. A formidable target and a great chance to keep their unbeaten run going.
The next week saw St Kilda City start their chase by losing 3/17 in the 7th over. Blairy with one wicket and Mario the other 2.After a mini revival Maz Amro came on and picked the next 2 wickets and at 5/64 this game was just about over. The opposition steadied the ship and the score reached 120 when a bowling change saw Bullfrog break the partnership when he clean bowled the 6th wicket at 120. A steady flow of wickets saw the game wrapped up within 55 overs. Morwan Amro picked up 7 & 8 and Raysor picked up the final wicket at 9/163 as St Kilda City were forced to bat short. The bowling figures were Mario 2/49(19 overs), Maz Amro 2/36, Morwan Amro 2/21, Jeremiah Coughlan 1/17 and Damien Rayson 1/12. Another comprehensive win by the boys, see them 4-0 and top of ladder in C Grade.
3rd XI
BUCC’s glamour team hosted Edithvale Aspendale RSL at Elsternwick Park with the intention of keeping their unblemished start to the season intact. With the return of Kivanc Cevik, Pat Youens, James Gaynor & Saul Siritzky the side was strengthened in the batting department. For the third time in a row, we lost the toss and we were asked to bat…..what is going on? Jimmy Gaynor opened the innings with Nez and after a solid start Jimmy lost his wicket at 29 with the score at 1/62 in the 19th over. Krunchy came and went for a lusty 18 including 3 fours and a six before playing a poor shot and losing his stumps. 2/92 after 25 overs. Nez fell 10 minutes before tea for 42 and the score was 3/100. A fantastic 4th wicket partnership saw the rejuvenated Saul Siritzky and Skipper Imad dominate the attack and guide the team to a strong position before Saul was finally dismissed for a well compiled 73. The score was 4/222 with 12 overs to go. Once Imad passed 50 he went crazy and with the support of Kam Daou they put on a 48 run 5th wicket partnership. He was finally dismissed for 86 and continues his amazing form this year. Kam was tragically run out for 9 after a straight drive deflected off Jules at the non striker’s end and ended up in the bowler’s hands. Julius Waras Carstensen came and went for 5. The last wicket fell on the last ball of the day when Patty Youens was dismissed for a handy 22. Leigh Hadden remained 14 not out and the final score was 8/318. A formidable task for the boys from Aspendale.
The next week saw perfect fielding conditions and the boys got off to a good start picking up an early wicket when the score was 12. Patty Youens deceiving their opening bat and knocking over his castle. They progressed steadily and lost wickets at 42 and 61. Jules and Leigh Hadden picking up these wickets. When the score got to 75 Col Taranto came on into the breeze and the game changed. With wickets at 81, 82, 95 and 96 he had the marvellous figures 4/12 off 8 overs. Jules came back to take the last 3 wickets and earn the nickname “Sorbent” the way he cleaned up the tail. He had a great day with 2 catches as well. The final wicket fell at 107 but with 40 overs already bowled, we saved the club $50 by not putting them in again. Jules finished up with 4/14, Patty Youens 1/26 and Leigh Hadden bowled really well for 1/34 off 12 overs. Another good win and it takes us to 4-0 and in 2nd place on the ladder.
4th XI
The boys travelled to the MCG like Coatesville Primary School (not!!) to play Mackie. We welcomed newcomer Khan Ozyurt to BUCC as well as Anthony Stojko who was only available for the first week. We lost the toss and Mackie decided to bat first. With former Longmuir Shield player opening the batting for Mackie, it was always going to be a challenge for the boys to restrict Mackie to a modest score. With all players given a ball except Keeper Julian Marwick we were only able to take 6 wickets for the day and Mackie scored 6/435 off their 65 overs. An indication of their domination was that all six wickets fell to catches. The wickets were taken by Wayne Jones 2/32, Ash Rose 2/55, Phil Arnold 1/26 and Luke Haddon 1/68. A forgettable day and big job ahead of the boys in week 2.
With 2 players short the job wasn’t made easier in week 2. Khan was the first dismissed for just 4 when the score was 17. Wayne Jones came and went quickly for 0. Rosey showed some resistance with 4 boundaries but fell for 18 with the score at 3/27 in the 15th over. Nick Jewell and James Travers (who copped a dubious decision) were both dismissed with the score on 35 (Nick made 4 and James 0).Phil Arnold killed cricket by batting for 35 overs for 12 runs before being dismissed for the seventh wicket. Maurie Jones made a welled compiled 27, Julian Marwick 4 and Luke Haddon remained 14 not out. In the end a disappointing 103 runs but the saving grace was we consumed 43 overs which avoided any chance of an outright loss. The boys are now 2-2 and with plenty of players back in the higher grades this week, they are looking good for Round 5.
5th XI
The new look 5th XI took the field for the first time this round and boasted 5 father son combinations. They won the toss and chose to field first against Southside East Caulfield on Little Hurly. They did very well to have the top team reeling at 4/32 in the 10th over. With two fathers Andrew Harris and David Martin taking two wickets each. The opposition steadied the ship and the next two partnerships yielded 55 and 67 for them to advance their score up to 6/154 in the 40th over. These partnerships were broken by two sons Ben Harris and Jackson McDonough. The boys did very well wrapping up the last four wickets for 25 runs and restricting Southside for 179 with plenty of overs to go in day 1. The bowling figures were Andrew Harris 2/22, David Martin 2/26, Jackson McDonough 2/22, Steven Fletcher 2/9, Brian McDonogh 1/40 and Ben Harris 1/43. A even performance by the guys and a very gettable target. With 14 overs to face, the guys planned on making inroads on day 1.
We started off badly losing 2 wickets with score on 13. Both Juniors, Tim Hickox and Ben Harris were dismissed for 0. Another 2 wickets prior to stumps put the pressure right on our boys. John Oxlade fell for 21 and James Martin for 3, leaving us 4/34 at the end of the day.
Week 2 started positively 2 fathers Chris Fletcher (an ex district player) and Andrew Harris putting a great partnership 91 before Chris was dismissed for a magnificent 57. A steady flow of wickets followed with David Martin(9) falling at 137 and Steven Fletcher(0) at 139. Andrew Harris helped get the score to 153 before he lost his wicket for a well compiled 37 and with 2 wickets in hand we only need 27 runs to win with plenty of overs left. With Brian and Jackson McDonough at the crease they got the score to 160 before Jackson was caught for 5 and all of a sudden a nail biter was in the air. It was all up to Brian and young Jack Oxlade. The score advanced to 169 in one over and with 11 to get the boys were confident. Unfortunately Jack got bowled for 4 and we fell 10 runs short. Skipper Brian remained 13 not out and a courageous effort against the top side went unrewarded. The guys are still winless but the club fully supports the father-son concept and they will win a few games before the season is over.
One Day XI
The guys had to play on Sunday this Round and travelled to Bentleigh ANA for the battle for top spot. Both sides were previously undefeated and with ex Longmuir players in both teams it was always going to be a classic battle. We won the toss and elected to bat. With Banger out early for 2 and Simon Hargraves following him quickly for 0 we slumped early to be 2/8. With Denny Karamoshos at the other witnessing their departure. Scott Morgan stuck around for a while was dismissed for 7 with the score on 31. Kryzzer was next to come and go for 5 and at 4/48 the only bright light was Denny at the other end. Kieran Lynch and Warren Byrne also failed to impress both only making 3 and at 6/72 we were in dire straights. Big Paul Edwards strode to the crease and helped get the score to 105 when he was dismissed for a great 17. Unfortunately Robbie Oliphant didn’t bother the scorers and 7/105 quickly became 8/105. The last man to be dismissed was Smelly Paul Foster for 29 and the score had reached 154. Symo remained 23 not out with Denny scoring an unbeaten 51. We ended up at a respectable 9/156 off the 34 overs. A great effort in the end to ensure they batted the full compliment of overs.
After a short break we took the field to defend our score. Paul Edwards picked up an early wicket to dismiss Tim Caterson. Scott Morgan picked up the next 2 wickets to have them reeling at 3/30. They steadied their innings before Fossie picked up the fourth wicket at 64 and then another at 81 to have them back in trouble at 5/81. Kryzzer then came into the attack and dismissed the stubborn Owen Lewis with the score at 113. The next wicket fell at 134 as a result of a run out. With 3 wickets in hand and plenty of time they still required 23 runs. Kryzzer bowled an inspired spell to take the last 3 wickets and ANA fell one run short. He ended up with 4/24. The other wickets were taken by Paul Foster 2/29, Scott Morgan 2/26 and Paul Edwards 1/29. A great win which leaves the boys 4-0 on top of the ladder.
1st XI
The first XI travelled to Carnegie South with an unchanged line up. Although Carnegie South were winless, on their small ground, anything could happen. We won the toss and elected to bat on a perfect day for it. The Coach was moved up to open the innings with Andrew Vaughan and with the score at 31, he was the first to be dismissed for 10 with the score at 31 in the 9th over. A good partnership in quick time between Vaughany and Moose Delac saw us reach 96 in the 21st over before Vaughany fell for 55, which was his highest score for the season. Moose was still at the crease and scoring most of the runs when Kingy came and went for 6 and Con Pothitos for 5. The score was 4/137 in the 31st over. A 95 run 5th wicket partnership between Moose and Cyril Campbell, saw us advance to 5/222 in the 49th over with a great platform to amass a huge score. Cyril made 39 in what a fantastic sheet anchor role. Moose brought up his ton shortly afterwards when The Champ joined him at the crease. They proceeded to bludgeon the attack for the next 14 overs, scoring an amazing 105 runs for the 6th wicket before Goro was dismissed for 65 in 56 mins. The score then quickly changed to 7/330 when Moose was stumped for a magnificent 127 in 3 ½ hours of batting. Belly and Aaron Gregory continued the momentum and put on 73 for the eight wicket in 9 overs of lusty batting and when they both fell in the last over we had reached 9/413. Aaron finished with 51 and Belly 22. Jason Rahilly finished 7 not out with a six in the last over. A huge disaster required for the boys to lose from here.
Week 2 saw Carnegie South get off to a very steady start and in fact score a century opening stand. The breakthrough came in the 37th over when Jason Rahilly picked up the opening wicket at 111. With the run rate required at nearly 10 an over, we were still in a great position. Jason Rahilly was also involved in the second wicket when he ran out the number 3 batsmen and the score was 2/ 128. Drew Styles picked up the next wicket with the score at 3/183 with 22 overs to go. So although they needed more than 10 an over, the skipper and coach were disappointed with the fielding, which had been woeful. A steady flow of wickets followed and although they scored at 8 runs per over for the last 20 overs, Carnegie South fell 70 runs short. All the bowlers toiled away with the final figures being: Drew Styles 2/46, Jason Rahilly 2/60, Kingy 1/62, Con Pothitos 1/40, Ivan Delac 1/46 and Cyril Campbell 1/20 off 2 overs. A win, but a lot of work to do for the boys to be competitive at the business end of the season. At 4-1 we have moved into the top 4 with one match remaining against East Sandy before Christmas.
2nd XI
The seconds hosted Carnegie South at Big Hurly to try and maintain their unbeaten run. Club Champion James Gaynor, Matty Britten and Richard Lewis returned for the clash. For the 5th time this season, the guys batted first after winning the toss. Jimmy Gaynor wished he was back in the thirds after he chased the first ball of the innings and was caught at second slip. His first Golden Duck of his career. Kuzzy and Romy steadied the innings temporarily until Kuz was bowled for 18 with the score at 2/28. Brian Aitken was unable to hang around for too long and was out for 1 and at 3/33 we looked in all sorts of trouble. The experienced Paul Hack strolled to crease and with Romy put on 80 for the fourth wicket when Romy was dismissed for an important 51 runs. Matty Britten didn’t trouble the scorers and fell 8 runs later for 0. Two more quick wickets saw the boys slump to 7/133 in the 46th over. Hacky caught at Mid On for an innings saving 45 and Jason Parsonage for a scratchy 11. Damien Rayson and Dicky Lewis took the score to 161 before being bowled for 18. Robbie Blair scored 3 and Mario 1 as we finally got dismissed for 191 in the 60th over. Dicky Lewis ended up with 33 not out. A poor and undisciplined batting performance put us in danger of losing our first game. With 2 overs to bowl, Carnegie South ended up at 0/0 overnight.
Carnegie South to get out of the blocks when they lost their first 3 wickets for 30 runs in the 14th over. Blairy picking up 2 wickets and Mario 1 wicket. Kuzzy picked up the 4th wicket in his 1st over when the score was 48. With the score on 71 Matty Britten took 2 wickets in his first over and Carnegie South slumped to be 6/71. Richard Lewis and Robbie Blair came back for their second spells and picked up a wicket each the have the opposition reeling at 8/110. Mario came back on to dismiss their top scorer and Damien Rayson took the last wicket to have them all out for 138. The bowling figures were: Robbie Blair 3/28, Matty Britten 2/7, Mario Vucko 2/26, Dick Lewis 1/24, Kuzzy 1/33 and Raysor 1/2. We started a second innings to give the boys some batting practice and at stumps we were 0/104 off 14 overs. Kuzzy 51 not out and Jimmy Gaynor finished 44 not out. A great bowling performance sees the seconds 5-0 and on top of the ladder in C grade. A big game coming up against Cluden before Christmas.
3rd XI
The thirds travelled to Kingston Heath to play in the battle for top spot. Both sides were undefeated and were set for a huge game. With Maz and Morwan Amro returning along with Jeremiah Coughlan this seemingly strengthened the team. The game started poorly with Imszy losing his fourth toss in a row and the opposition electing to bat. We grabbed an early wicket with the score on 25 when Boggy found the edge. The second wicket came shortly afterwards when Jules had the batsman fending a ball off his head and being caught at slip. At 2/37 it was a good start. The next wicket didn’t fall until 184 as their skipper along with their keeper, batted very sensibly and apart from a couple of near run outs it was chanceless. The breakthrough finally came in the 49th over when a great bit of fielding from Krunchy on the boundary saw the opening bat finally run out. The next 3 wickets fell quickly with Maz Amro and Boggy ripping apart their middle order including their captain who was out for 95. Wickets 7 and 8 fell in consecutive balls when Morwan Amro got 2 LBW’s. The 9th wicket fell after another great run out in the deep from Coggers and at the end of 65 overs they were 9/266. The wicket takers were: Boggy 2/51, Maz Amro 2/64, Mo Amro 2/46 and Jules 1/29. A good fight back after it looked we would be chasing 350 when the score was 2/184. A huge run chase was ahead with the boys very confident of chasing them down.
Week store saw perfect batting condition presented and after a horrible LBW decision by the CMCA umpire Krunchy was back in the pavilion for 7. An even worse decision saw Bignez given out LBW for 23 when the score was 2/41 in the 20th over. The 3rd wicket partnership saw the score get to 108 before Sauly was out to a bad shot with his score on 34. Morwan Amro was the next to go when the score was 125 after he made a fantastic 46. Patty Youens (8) and Coggers (11) struggled when asked to bat higher and they were dismissed with the score at 6/143. A very ill Imszy came in a 7 and batted well with Jules until a mix up saw Jules run out in the 56th over and the score on 186. Maz Amro, Boggy and Col Taranto all scored ducks as we collapsed to be all out for 202. A brave Imad finished 42 not out. Our first lost for the year sees us slip to 4-1 and 4th on the ladder in D Grade. Only a minor hiccup but a very important game next week coming up against Melbourne Wanderers.
4th XI
The fourths hosted McKinnon at Elsternwick Park. With some good players lining up including Kam Daou, James Jorgenson and Michael Cove the side looked very strong. Uncle Phil won the toss and elected to bat. 2 quick wickets saw Phil and Rosey back under the tree at 2/29. This saw Jorgy and Covey at the crease and they stayed together until Jorgy retire for 106 and the score on 216. Covey was the next wicket to fall after a 101 run partnership with Kam Daou. He was dismissed for a fantastic 131 and the score was 317. Kam was the next to go after he scored his maiden half century and his 57 may be good enough to get him back in the thirds. The last few wickets feel rapidly as the lower order offered little resistance. Khan scored 9, Wayne Jones 1, Maurie Jones 4 and Julian Marwick 0. Nick Jewell finished 12 not out. We ended up with 354 and a massive challenge for a young McKinnon team to chase down.
The next week saw a good batting performance from McKinnon that saw them steadily score runs all day with periodic wickets from our boys to ensure that they were never in a position to challenge. They ended up at 7/256 off their 65 overs and lost by 98 runs. The wicket takers were Wayne Jones 2/27, Nick Jewell 2/26, Jorgy 1/26, Rosey 1/71 and Phil Arnold 1/23. Interesting to note that Uncle Phil has taken a wicket every time he has bowled this year. That takes the boys to 3-2 and one game out of the top 4. A big game this week against East Bentleigh Central could launch their season.
5th XI
The Father/Son XI hosted Hampton Central at Little Hurly and lost the toss and were forced to field. They welcomed new player Mark Corrigan and the ageless David Blair. Team Martin opened the bowling with no success and the breakthrough came when Brian McDonough got the first wicket at 53. The next wicket fell at 67 when Andrew Harris trapped the batsman LBW. Shortly after David Blair took his first wicket and they were 3/84 in the 33rd over. The next 10 overs saw us take 2 wickets and restrict them 51 overs as they moved on to 5/135 after 43 overs. Ben Harris and Blairy collecting the wickets. A huge partnership saw Hampton Central put on 98 runs for the 6th wicket until Jackson McDonough broke through. He also collected the 7th and last wicket with the score on 251. They ended up with 7/262 after their 65 overs and a very chasable target for the boys.
Week 2 saw Team Martin also open the batting. Son James (5) was the first to go with the score on 22. Jackson McDonough helped David Martin get the score to 61 before he fell for 9. David Martin fell shortly after for 31 and the score was 3/63 off 19 overs. Mark Corrigan joined Brian McDonough at the crease to get the score up to 130 before Brain fell for 42. Tim Hickox came and went for 0 and at 5/133 the game was in the balance. Chris Fletcher (11) & Steven Fletcher (10) were the next two batsman to go under very different circumstances. Chris was involved in a 43 run partnership with Mark Corrigan and unbelievably Steven made 10 out of 100 run partnership with Mark which saw us coast to victory in the 48th over. Mark was next dismissed with the score at 314. He scored a fantastic 155 in his first game for the club. Blairy chipped in with 29 before retiring to give the Harris’ a chance to bat together. Ben Harris was the last man to go for 17 and the score was 351. Andrew Harris remained 12 not out and although there were still 10 overs to go, the mercy rule was invoked and stumps were pulled. A great win by the boys to break their duck. They are now 1-4 and have climbed off the bottom of the ladder.
One Day XI
The undefeated One-Dayers travelled to Caulfield Park to play East Sandy??????
They lost the toss and were asked to bat. Robbie Oliphant was to first to be dismissed for 31 with the score at 74 off 17 overs. The next wicket didn’t fall until 139 when Kryzzer was sent back for 23. During that time Denny Karamoshos also retired for 50. Andrew Marriott was the next out for 21 shortly afterwards when the score was 3/144 in the 29th over. Sully came in and bludgeoned the batting to score 46 including 6 sixes before he was dismissed at 4/209 in the last over. Peter McConville remained 15 not out with Paul Foster 1 not out. We ended up at 212 off the 34 overs and a very defendable score.
After a good start by East Sandy the breakthrough came when Hoggy picked up the first wicket with the score on 53 after 9 overs. Peter McConville picked up the second wicket shortly afterwards with the score on 63. Sully was next to breakthrough when the 3rd wicket fell on 86 in the 19th over. They were falling behind the run rate rapidly and the next 6 wickets fell for 33 runs. Sully and Fossie ripping through the middle order. A bit of last wicket resistance saw the score advance to 154 before Luke Haddon took the last wicket. A solid 58 run win sees the boys still undefeated and on top of the ladder. The final bowling figures were: Sully 3/23, Fossie 3/33 Luke Haddon 1/20, Hoggy 1/32 and Macca 1/27. The last game before Chrissy says them play Cluden at home and will look to go to the beak undefeated.
Due to the washout on Sat 15th Dec, all senior matches became One-day matches 38 overs per side
1st XI v East Sandringham Boys Club at Big Hurly
East Sandy called correctly and sent Union in, knowing the forecast was for rain later in the afternoon.
Moose Delac and Jimmy Gaynor (24) put on 59 for the first wicket before Delac went for 32 in the 15th over. Jimmy went shortly afterwards but boom recruit Justin King (32) and Con Pothitos combined to take the score to 142 before King was caught. The Champ (3), Kuz (5) and Aaron Gregory (0) all went cheaply before Pothitos and Big Al combined to steer the side to 6/204 at the end of 38 overs, with Pothitos compiling a masterful 84 no and continuing his recent run of success against our traditional rivals.
East Sandy got off to a sound start before Kingy removed Mark Deveraux with the score at 47. Unfortunately Pitt and Phelan got well on top of the attack until both were dismissed in quick succession by direct hit run-outs to see East 3/122 off 26 overs. Increasingly heavy rain severely hampered our bowlers, and despite a fine effort by Michael Cove (3/33), East Sandy were able to get the 8 runs needed for victory off the 4th ball of the last over to win a close encounter and reclaim the Pitt-Gorozidis trophy. The 1st XI go to Xmas 4-2.
2nd XI v Cluden at William St
The unbeaten 2nds took on Cluden in the local derby, but after winning the toss little else went right as the boys were bundled out in only 30.1 overs for 110. Skipper Jason Parsonage (39) led from the front but apart from Jas “Angry Man” Rahilly (20) and Hackie (19), the rest of the batting was rather disappointing. In reply Cluden soon slumped to 3/34 off 17 overs before heavy rain arrived and washed out the match, Drew Styles (1/5 off 6 overs) and Mario Vucko (1/17 off 8) proving a handful for the Cluden batsmen. The 2nd XI thus remain unbeaten with 5 wins and a draw at Xmas.
3rd XI v Melbourne Wanderers at Elsternwick Park
After their 15 game winning steak was ended in Rd 5, the 3rds faced up to Melbourne Wanderers 2nd XI. Union won the toss and batted first but lost Big Nez, Mo Amro and Saulie cheaply to be in real bother at 3/28 after 13 overs. Bryan Aitken (34), Damien Rayson (17) and Imad (33) provided some resistance but the rest succumbed meekly to a disciplined attack to be bowled out in 35 overs for 125.
Maz Amro gave the home side some early hope by capturing an early wicket with the score at 9, but thereafter a succession of useful partnerships saw Wanderers cruise to 3/101 off 30 overs before Jules Waras-Carstensen (4/17 off 6 overs) blasted out their middle order to give them some anxious moments. The lower order bats did enough to get Wanderers over the line at 7/130 when the overs ran out. Maz Amro (2/30 off 9) also put in a good performance with the ball, but we simply lacked enough runs on a pretty fast ground. The 3rds are 4-2 at Xmas.
4th XI v East Bentleigh Central at King George Reserve
The 4ths took on unbeaten East Bentleigh Central who were sitting on top of the ladder. The 4ths were strengthened by some handy inclusions and were not unhappy to bowl first after losing the toss. Kaan Ozyurt (1/15) took an early wicket, while Col Taranto (0/17 off 9) mesmerised the top order bats with his crafty flight and drift. Patty Youens used the strong cross breeze to swing the ball prodigiously, ending up with 4/22. The arrival of rain made bowling difficult but Paul Foster (3/40) and talented U16 player Sebastian Lindner (2/42) stuck to the task well to see Centrals bowled out for 163. Andrew Kryzwniak was excellent with the gloves. Fozzie opened the batting and slapped away for a quick 17 before falling to a good catch. New recruits Kaan Ozyurt (55) and Richard Houston (32) both impressed with strong hitting before falling to runouts. Intermittent heavy rain caused us anxiety, but Pat Youens (22 no) and Seb Lindner (17 no, including a big 6 into a neighbouring house) were untroubled to get us to 4/170. The 4ths are 4-2 at Xmas, an unknown luxury in recent years.
5th XI v Hampton at Spring St Reserve
Brian McDonough’s father-son team were sent in but got off to a bright start with Chris Fletcher (39) and Dave Martin (11) posting 51 off 12 overs. 3 quick wickets saw them 3/62 however Rd 5 hero Mark Corrigan (34) and Brian McDonough (38) ensured a decent total to bowl at, but apart from a quick 12 by personal trainer Sam Woods had little support. The kids batting at the end fell cheaply to see us all out for 177, however this was a handy score on a large ground. Early successes to Dave Martin (2/18) and Brian McDonough (1/10) had Hampton struggling at 4/49, however Hampton recovered to be 4/106 in the 26th over and in the box seat to win the match. Sam Woods unusual bouncy leg-spinners turned the game, snaffling 3/36 in the wet as Hampton crumbled to be all out for 128, losing their last 3 wickets to runouts. The 5ths are 2-4 at Xmas, but have won their last 2 matches.
One-Day XI v Cluden
The match was washed out on Sat 15th and the CMCA declined to reschedule the match, so the One-Dayers had to settle for a draw. They are unbeaten with 5 wins and a draw at Xmas.
Junior Teams Wrap at Xmas
U16A – 5 wins and 1 draw
U14B – 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses
U14C – 1 win, 1 tie, 1 win and 3 losses
U12B – 4 wins and 2 losses
U12D – 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses
U12E – 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses
1st XI
The first of 3 one-dayers after Christmas saw the 1st XI travel to Bricker Reserve to play Omega. Omega won the toss and chose to bat. We were missing Con Goro who was asked to take a week off by the CMCA, Jason Parsonage came up from the seconds to replace him. Cyril Campbell was also replaced in the side by James Jorgensen.
Michael Cove got us off to an amazing start when he dismissed Tim Malane second ball of the day and they were 1-0. The fourth over saw Covey take a catch off Kingy to have them at 2-7. Next over saw 2 more wickets with Covey taking his second and run out by James Gaynor and Omega were staggering at 4-12. More wickets fell at 29, 37 and 59 which saw Omega collapse to 7/59 in the 18th over. Sawaya and Yanni then put on 41 for the 8th wicket before Kingy broke the partnership in the 23rd over. Belly picked up the 9th wicket in the next over and at 9/100, we could smell an early finish to the day with 14 scheduled overs remaining for Omega to bat. A 10th wicket partnership of 59 saw Omega absorb another 10 overs and end up at 159 in the 34th over. The best of the bowlers were Michael Cove 3/32, Stuart Bell 3/37, Justin King 2/35 and Ivan Delac 1/18. This left us with 42 overs to score 160 for victory.
The run chase started steadily until James Gaynor was dismissed for 8 after 20 minutes. The score was 22. Justin King was the next to go shortly afterwards with the score on 39, he made 14. A great partnership between Moose Delac and Con Pothitos took the score to 74 before Moose was dismissed for 29 (including 5 boundaries). Kuzzy didn’t bother the scorers and 4/82 things were looking a little shaky. The Coach and Con took the score to 125 before Alex was dismissed for 15. Shortly afterwards Con was the 6th man out for 51 with the score on 126. Jason Parsonage and Jorgy guided home with a sensible partnership that guided us to a 4 wicket victory in the 39th over. Jason was 17no and Jorgy 18no. A good win in the end with a huge game against Hampton United coming up. The win put us 3rd on the ladder at 5-2.
2nd XI
The 2nd XI hosted Omega at Big Hurly and started the day well by winning the toss and electing to bat.
Romy Nayagam and Andrew Vaughan opened the batting and proceeded to put on a century opening stand. Romy was the first to be dismissed when he was bowled for 21 when the score was 107. There was a steady flow of wickets fall until the 27th over when the score was 6/158. Along the way we lost Vaughany for a fantastic 87, Cyril for 3, Hacky for 6, Raysor for 5 and rock steady Saul Siritzky for 29. Julius Waras Carstensen and Jason Rahilly then took the score to 197 before Jules was out for 12. Angry Man Rahilly was next out for a quick fire 38 and score was 8/220 with 3 overs to go. Drew Styles made a valuable 16 and was next out with the score at 9/225. Mario and Robbie Blair both contributed boundaries before Mario was dismissed for 4 in the 37th over. Robbie remained 4 not out. The total ended up at 233 and was going to be tough to chase down.
An experienced Omega line up got off to a steady start putting on 50 for the opening stand before Jules broke through in the 11th over. Mario then removed the other opener and Jules picked up his second wicket as Omega crashed from 0/50 to 3/67. Another solid partnership resurrected Omega’s chances before Robbie Blair picked up a wicket and was involved in a run out which had Omega reeling at 5/117 after 22 overs. Shortly afterwards Drew Styles picked up his first wicket when the score was 6/136. After consolidating for the next 7 overs Omega lost their 7th wicket at 181 when Hacky pulled off a Stumping off Mario’s bowling. A direct throw out by Jules saw the 8th wicket fall soon after at 183. With 7 overs to go Omega were still in with a chance but eventually fell 19 runs short at 9/214. Jules picked up his 3rd wicket during that time. The bowling figures were Julius Waras Carstensen 3/28, Mario Vucko 2/46, Robbie Blair 1/25 and Drew Styles 1/34. Another win which leaves our guys still undefeated after 7 rounds with 6 wins and a draw.
3rd XI
After two losses in a row prior to Christmas, the thirds hosted second placed Chelsea Heights at Elsternwick Park. We started well by winning the toss and electing to bat. For some the reason the umpire thought we should play 42 overs each instead of 38???
We started poorly losing 3/33 by the 12th over. Krunchy out for 0, Nez for 18 and Morwan Amro for 5. This brought skipper Imad and Mazen Amro together. They steadied the ship for the next 20 overs and put on a fantastic 94 run partnership before Imad was dismissed for exactly 50. Maz followed shortly afterwards for 44. The score was 5/131. Promoted Khan Ozyurt and Kam Daou took the score to 170 before Khan was caught behind for 19. Kam followed 3 runs later for 20 and we were 7/173. Coggers came and went for 3 and Patty Youens out for 1. We ended up at 9/180 off the 42 overs. Anthony Stojko 3 no and Boggy Zdrazil 1 no. A very defendable target but Chelsea Heights boasted a strong batting lineup and we had to bowl and field very well.
The run chase started steadily for Chelsea but they lost their first wicket at 32 in the 13th over when Morwan Amro knocked down the opener’s castle. The prize wicket of Brad Lockhart followed shortly afterwards for only 12, when he was well caught off the bowling of Patty Youens. The score was 2/54 in the 20th over. Although they were batting slowly they always had the target in sight. Wickets fell at 99, 147, 172 and 178. We were just unable to dismiss the other opener, he carried his bat and hit the winning runs in the second last over. Maz Amro finished with 2/30, Morwan Amro 1/24, Patty Youens 1/36, Boggy Zdrazil 1/29 and Jeremiah Coughlan 1/30. Just not enough runs in the end, but a reasonable effort against a side that had been demolishing other teams in the grade. The loss puts the thirds at 4-3 and out of the top four for the first time this season.
4th XI
The 4th XI travelled out to Chelsea Heights in a must win game, if they want to keep their finals hopes alive. We won the toss and chose to bat.
A slow and steady start saw Col Taranto and Ash Rose batted for 15 overs and took the score to 37. Rosey was the first to be dismissed for 11. The Prez was next out for 35 when the score was 57. M Simmons was the next man out without bothering the scorers, then Andrew Marriott for 12 and then Nick Jewell for 0. This resulted in us sliding from 1/57 to 5/57. J Williams also came and went for only 2. A good partnership between Richard Houston and B Simmons saw the score move onto 99 before Richard was out for 30. Julian Marwick came out next to take us through to the 38 overs with B Simmons. The score ended up at 7/118. B Simmons on 12 no and Julian on 2 no. This was never going to be enough runs and was going to take an extreme effort to defend.
Col Taranto opened the bowling and had the home team in trouble at 2/26. This was where the resistance ended and Chelsea Heights cruised home with 6 overs to spare. Phil Arnold picked up the only other wicket to fall. Col finished with 2/20 off his 9 overs and Phil 1/18. A disappointing result and the boys are 4-3 and in 8th place.
5th XI
The new glamour side of the club travelled to Cheltenham Park to play on their postage stamp. We lost the toss and were asked to bat.
We lost our first wicket at 33 when Mark Corrigan was dismissed for 8. A procession of wickets then followed with, David Martin 4, James Martin 4, Jason McDonough 5, Jarrod Stenhouse 4 and Sam Woods 8 were all dismissed at a steady rate. Brian McDonough remained at the other end steady as a rock. The score was 6/104 in the 21st over. David Blair joined Brian and they put on a partnership of 64 before Gorilla was out for 14 and the score was 7/168. Andrew Harris joined Brian and they batted beautifully and added 46 runs in a fantastic partnership. Brian finished up with a fantastic 117. Ben Harris then joined his dad for a great final wicket partnership of 42 runs in quick time. Andrew finished 52 no and Ben 6 no. The total ended up at 7/256 of 38 overs. There was going to be a battle to defnd it but it was great score in the end.
The defence started well having Chelt Park 2/22 with Sam Woods taking both wickets. The game changed dramatically when the 3rd wicket took the score 189 before an amazing spell from Mark Corrigan destroyed their middle order. He ended up taking 6 of the last 8 wickets with Sam Woods taking the other 2. The wickets fell at 189, 197, 212, 217, 218, 219, 223 & 223. A fantastic effort from the boys to take the last eight wickets for 24 runs in less than 8 overs……AMAZING. A 33 run win and takes their winning streak to 3. Final bowling figures were Sam Woods 4/8 and Mark Corrigan 6/19 off 5 overs.
One Day XI
The boys had no game this round.
1st XI
Con Goro returned for the clash against Hampton Central at Big Hurly. He replaced James Jorgensen in the team. We won the toss and elected to bat on a drizzly day.
A solid start saw the score get to 65 in the 15th over when James Gaynor was trapped in front for 21. Kingy lasted for 8 minutes before he was bowled for 1 and the score still on 69. The Moose who opened was finally dismissed in the 23rd over for 45. The score had reached 3/92 at a reasonable run rate. The two Cons batted together briefly until The Champ was trapped LBW for 3 and the score was 118. This brought Captain and Vice Captain together in the middle. A short but productive partnership took the score to 155 in the 32nd over when Kuzzy was the 3rd LBW victim of the day for 21.
The coach and the captain batted out the 38 overs and took the score to 5/206. Con fished with 71 no and Alex 27 no. A solid score on Big Hurly and would take some chasing.
The run chase started badly for Hampton Central when they lost Devola in the second over off the bowling of Kingy with the score on 1. The 5th over saw Covey pick up the dangerous Amoore for 7 and the score was 2/16. They then steadied with a 78 run second wicket partnership before Stuart Bell broke it with the score on 3/94 in the 13th over. Shortly afterwards Alex picked up the 4th wicket and we were back in the game at 4/114 in the 18th over. The next wicket fell in the next over when Covehy returned into the attack and picked up his second wicket. It was 6/141 when Kingy picked up Ex-BUCC player Julian Waisberg. Steve May was out straight away when Kingy got him Caught & Bowled. Aaron Gregory then picked up his 3rd catch off Moose, when the 8th wicket fell at 165. That was the end of the joy for our boys as Centrals cruised to victory with 3 overs to spare. The bowling figures were: Kingy 3/47, Covey 2/39, Ivan Delac 1/36, Stuart Bell 1/31 and Alex Gerdan 1/31. A disappointing loss to the boys but they hang on to 4th place with a 5-3 record.
2nd XI
The Magoos travelled down to Simpson Reserve to play the lowly Hampton Centrals. Centrals won the toss and elected to bat in the second one-dayer of the new year.
At 2/26 they were probably regretting their decision. Robbie Blair taking both wickets within the first 8 overs. Thet steadied to put on 50 for the third wicket before Jules ripped their middle order to pieces taking 3 wickets in 5 runs. The score went from 2/75 to 5/80 in the 24th over. Robbie Blair then returned into the attack in the 32nd over to take his 3rd wicket after Centrals rallied to reach 121. Sorbent Mario Vucko then returned and collected the last 3 wickets to restrict them 9/141 after their 38 overs. The bowling figures were Mario 3/24, Robbie Blair 3/31 and Jules 3/15. A great effort by the boys and a very gettable target of 142 was set for victory. The highlight being the fielding of Julius Waras Cartensen collecting the maximum fielding votes for 2 matches in a row.
The chase started badly when the hero of last week Andrew Vaughan was dismissed for 2, with the score 1/3 in the first over. Romy and Sauly steadied the ship and took the score to 41 before Romy was out for 14 in the 10th over. Cyril Campbell then joined Saul to take the score to 78 before Saul was dismissed for a well compiled 46. Hacky came and went for 6 with the score at 4/87 with 13 overs left. The equation was still in our favour as Dicky Lewis strode to the wicket to join Cyril. They took the score past the target in the 34th over when we pulled the plug finishing at 4/145. Cyril was unbeaten on 34 and Dicky Lewis a magnificent 40 not out. Another comfortable win for the boys who remain undefeated with 7 wins and a draw and we sit second on the ladder.
3rd XI
After 3 consecutive losses the 3rd XI needed to win this game against an in form Elwood at Elwood. A late start due to drizzle meant the game was reduced to 36 overs. Elwood won the toss and elected to bat.
Jeremiah Coughlan opened the bowling with Maz Amro as we started 2 short. Bullfrog got the early breakthrough with the ball swinging everywhere in the first over of the day and the score was 1/2. The 7th over saw an unnecessary run out and we took advantage of it to have them reeling at 2/24 and still two short in the field. The run out did see Coggers not only run out the batsman, but also run into Nez who was waiting for the lob over the bails…..funny stuff…..NOT! We finally had 11 players when Boggy and Patty Youens rocked up in the 11th over. First over of their return saw Coggers get his second wicket and Elwood slump to 3/40. This soon became 4/41 when Maz took his first wicket. Coggers then took his third in his last over, when the score was 5/54 in the 17th over. A steady flow of wickets followed all the way to the 35th over, thanks mainly to Morwan Amro & Boggy with all five wickets between them. Elwood were finally bowled out for 116. Wickets fell at 78, 87, 99, 104 and 116. It was a fantastic bowling and fielding performance on a very small ground with a wet ball. The bowling figures were Coggers 3/25, Morwan Amro 3/21, Boggy 2/35 and Maz Amro 1/24.
What should have been a walk in the park was made very difficult by a swinging ball. Brothers Nez and Kam Daou opened and Nez was out LBW for 1 and the score was 1/10. Morwan Amro in and out for 2 and the score was 2/26. Kam was next to go at 3/29, he made 13. A rare failure by Imad saw him dismissed for 7 and we had slumped to be 4/42. Krunchy also failed to be dismissed for 7 and at 5/48 our fourth consecutive loss was on the cards. Maz Amro then fell for 6 and we were in dire straits at 6/60. We didn’t have to panic though, Anthony Stojko and Patty Youens guided us to victory in the 33rd over with the score at 6/122. Anthony was 39 not out and Patty was 21 not out. Both guys showed a lot of maturity and played very sensibly to help us chase down the target. A good win in the end in very difficult conditions. The wins puts us back in 4th place with a 5-3 record.
4th XI
This week the boys hosted Elwood at Elsternwick Park. Elwood won the toss and chose to bat. Rain meant the game was shortened to 35 overs.
Big Mimo Dimachki opened the bowling and took out both openers to have them 2/35. The next wicket didn’t fall until 105 when Phil Arnold got the breakthrough. He also got the next two wickets but the problem was they got there score up to 226 off a reduced 35 overs. Mimo finished with 2/34 and Phil Arnold 3/44. The cause was not helped by the fact we were 2 players short.
Richard Houston opened the batting with Col Taranto and he was the first to go with the score on 16. Big Mimo came in and destroyed the attack and with Col got the score up to 88 before he was finally dismissed for 62 in the 13th over. This is where the innings seemed to stall. Wayne Jones fell for 0, J Williams for 0, Col for 16, Nick Jewell for 0, Maurie Jones for 12 and finally Julian Marwick for 6. Phil remained not out 4 and we had slumped to be all out for 125. (2 batsmen short). Another disappointing effort and the guys are now out of the finals race at 4-4.
5th XI
The 5th XI were chasing their fourth win in a row when they hosted Washington Park on Little Hurly. We won the toss and asked them to bat in drizzly conditions.
At 3/28 they were soon in trouble with Jackson McDonough taking all the wickets. They then consolidated and recovered to be 4/121 when Blairy broke through. Some quick wickets taken by Ben Harris, David Martin and a run out saw them back in trouble at 7/145 in the 32nd over. The last 3 wickets fell for 42 runs. Sam Woods took two wickets and David Martin the other. We were able to restrict them to 187 in the 37th over. The final bowling figures were Jackson McDonough 3/20, David Martin 2/16, Sam Woods 2/34, David Blair 1/22 and Ben Harris 1/41. A very gettable target on Little Hurly for the boys.
A bad start saw the boys at 1/0 when Ben Harris was out in the second over for 0. Mark Corrigan was next to go with the score on 2/33. He made 21 including 2 fours and 2 sixes. Andrew Harris 15, Sam Woods 5, John Oxlade 15, David Martin 4, David Blair 11 and James Martin 2 all came and went from one end. AT the other end was the skipper Brian McDonough it what turned out to be a one-man show. He guided the boys to victory with a fantastic 93 not out as we passed them in the 37th over. Another amazing win considering the score got as bad 7/97 at one stage. Four wins in a row and this makes the boys 4-4 and in 6th place.
One Day XI
The One Day boys resumed their season with a game against Brighton District on Sunday at Dendy Park. They won the toss and decided to have a bat.
A bad start with Banger out for 2 with the score at 1/5. Robbie Oliphant followed shortly afterwards for 6 with the score on 20. Jorgy playing well below his level contributed 12 before being stumped with the score on 32. A slow start was not being assisted by losing wickets. Simon Haddon then joined Kryza at the crease for a 31 run partnership before Hoggy was out for 16 and the score 4/63. A steady flow of wickets followed with everyone getting a start but no-one going on with it. Kryza made 24 and top scored but was out at 5/73. Sully made 17 and was out at 6/92. Andrew Marriott made 7 and was out at 7/101. Fossie 20 and Scott Morgan 19 offered some resistance, but once Kieran Lynch was out for 5 we were all out for 145. Brendan Symons remained 3 not out. A defendale but smallish target set by the boys.
AT 1/7 we made a great start with Jorgy breaking through in his second over. With 3 more wickets after a small rally we had them reeling at 4/36. Jorgy with three of them and Hoggy the other. The fifth wicket fell at 64, quickly followed by the sixth at 68. These were taken by Sully and Morgs. Again a small recovery then all of a sudden 8/108 with 2 run outs both involving Kryza. With one player short we only needed one more wicket and they still needed 38 runs. They had plenty of overs and ultimately got the winning runs in the last over before Fossie picked up the last wicket with the last ball of the day. Close but no cigar and the boys cop their first loss of the year. With 5 wins 1 draw and 1 loss the boys are still in the top four and should see finals action this season again.
1st XI
We hosted Bentleigh Uniting at Big Hurly in this clash between two top four sides. This was the final scheduled one-day match of the season and was very important for the shape of the ladder. After winning the toss we sent the opposition in.
We started well with an early breakthrough by Covey. This was followed by a run out by skipper Con Pothitos and the visiting team were in trouble early. They steadily built there score with Bret Turner being the rock at one end for them. Stuart Bell came on and took three wickets in the middle order to assist us in restricting Uniting to 5/208 off their 38 overs. The final bowling figures were Belly 3/34 and Covey 1/57.
The run chase started disastrously losing the early wickets of Gaynor (0), Pothitos (0) and Vaughany (4). A good partnership, got the run chase up and running, between Moose Delac and Justin King. Kingy was eventually bowled for 35. Champ came and went for 8. Kuzzy joined Moose for a good partnership before he was run out for 16. This brought the coach out to the middle with Moose. With one of the best innings seen at Big Hurly in progress, Moose showed why he was recruited by the club as he bludgeoned the Uniting attack. One of Sixes had to be fetched from Nepean Highway as well as a couple from Little Hurly. With 17 needed off the last 2 overs, Moose decided to do it in one over and the last over was not required. A fantastic effort by the boys, especially Big Al, who supported Moose with some intelligent batting and running in the closing stages. He finished up with 21 not out and Moose a sensational 117 not out. A great win for the boys which puts them in 3rd place at 6-3.
2nd XI
The 2nd XI travelled to Centenary Park to play the top side Bentleigh Uniting who had not lost a game all year. They won the toss and elected to bat.
They got off to a great start putting on 65 before 4th change bowler Jason Rahilly broke through. This was quickly followed by the opener being caught behind off Robbie Blair with the score still on 65. After a small partnership, Angry Man decided to rip their middle order apart. He took the next four wickets to have Uniting reeling at 6/101. They then steadily built their score up to 144 before the returning opening bowler Drew Styles picked up a wicket then another with the score on 8/144. Mario picked up the last wicket to fall with the score on 176. Uniting added another 10 runs to end up 9/176 off their 38 overs. The bowling figures were: Jason Rahilly 5/35, Drew Styles 2/37, Mario Vucko 1/37 and Robbie Blair 1/26. Hacky took 3 catches and Jason Rahilly two to cap a fantastic day where he was involved in 7 out of 9 dismissals. A solid fielding effort meant the boys had a gettable target to chase.
The chase got off to a great start with Sauly and Romy putting on 78 before Saul was dismissed for 45. Jorgy didn’t bother the scorers and was out for 0 on the same score. At 2/78 the game had changed quickly. Romy was then out for a good 46 as the score had progressed to 3/110. Cyril also failed to score and once again the score quickly became 4/110. We seemed to be losing wickets in pairs. Some good partnerships in the middle order saw Richard Lewis out for 18, Hacky for 10 and Jason Rahilly for a well compiled 39 including four 4’s and two 6’s. When Hacky got out we were 7/163 and the game was still in the balance. Julius Waras Cartensen was the next out for 10 and the score was 8/171. This was going to be a photo finish with Drew Styles and Mario Vucko at the crease. We didn’t have to worry as the boys guided us to victory in the last over 8 wickets down. The seconds are now back on top of the ladder with 8 wins and a draw and are yet to lose a game.
3rd XI
After getting back on the winning list last week, the 3rd XI travelled to Cheltenham Park against their struggling 2nd XI. Imszy finally won a toss and elected to bat.
The new opening combination of Krunchy and Anthony Stojko got off to a great start getting the score to 84 before Anthony got out for 27. The returning Raysor joined Krunchy and they only added 19 runs before Krunchy was out for 68, his highest score since last season’s Grand Final. Morwan Amro then put on 63 with Raysor before being caught behind for 8, definitely a supporting role as Raysor destroyed the bowling. The score was 3/166 and we were on our way to a big total. Raysor was next to go for a fantastic 61. Then Imszy and Coggers added 37 before Imszy was dismissed for 21. Kam Daou scored his 23 in quick time before being yorked. The score had moved on to 6/257. Last week’s hero Patty Youens joined Coggers to push the score up to 288 before he was out with 2 balls to go in the innings. Maz Amro went out without pads to score 1 not out. Coggers finished up 63 not out and the final score of 7/290 was going to be tough to mow down in 38 overs.
Cheltenham Park got off to a great start, getting to 81 before a magnificent reflex catch by Boggy saw the first wicket fall off the bowling of Coggers. The score then progressed to 114 and two consecutive wickets by Raysor, both caught by Big Nez, saw them collapse to 3/114. Next over saw Morwan Amro also take wickets in consecutive balls to see the opposition capitulate to 5/115. Maz Amro collected the next wicket shortly afterwards and at 6/118 the game was almost over. A little bit of resistance by ex-AFL player Brett Voss saw the score advance to 131 before Sorbent Maz Amro and Damien Rayson took the last 3 wickets with no addition to the score. (They batted one short). All out for 131 with 7 overs to go. The final bowling figures were Maz Amro 3/45, Morwan Amro 2/30, Coggers 1/25 & Raysor 3/9. The win takes us to 6-3 and 4th on the ladder.
4th XI
The 4th XI hosted Hampton United at Elsternwick Park. We lost the toss and Hampton United decided to bat first.
Col Taranto opened the bowling with Fossie and got an early breakthrough. With plenty of bowling changes and 8 bowlers used we managed to restrict them to 8/189 off a shortened 35 overs. Col Taranto ended up with 2/46, Fossie 1/38, Ash Rose 1/22, Phil Arnold 1/14, Nick Jewell 1/12 and Robbie Oliphant 1/8. A very gettable target on a quick outfield.
The chase ended up being close with our boys getting the runs in the last over. Ash Rose made 10, Richard Houston 0, Fossie a quick 35, James Morris 36 and the highest scorer was Robbie Oliphant who made a great 82 which was the match winning knock. ColTaranto was 5 not out along with Nick Jewell who was 4 not out. A good win for the boys which takes them to 5-4 and 8th on the ladder.
5th XI
The 5th XI hosted Bentleigh ANA at Little Hurly and won the toss and sent them in.
Skipper Brian McDonough took the first 2 wickets to have them at 2/58. A big partnership followed before Ben Harris broke the partnership with the score at 3/138. David Blair and Mark Corrigan took the next two wickets to have them at 5/176. Another good partnership got the score to 210 before Blairy broke through again. Another 3 wickets before the end of the innings saw us restrict them to 9/229 off a reduced 37 overs. The bowling figures were Brian McDonough 2/35, Mark Corrigan 2/38, David Blair a fantastic 3/29 and Ben Harris 1/23. A good score but very gettable on Little Hurly.
A 97 run opening partnership saw us get off to a good start before new player Mark Selby was out for 42. Andrew Harris was next out for 64 and the score had advanced to 2/161. A magnificent 90 not out saw Mark Corrigan bring the team home with Jackson Mc Donough who made 5. A good well timed chase saw us get over the line. This makes 5 wins in a row and sees the boys go to 5-4 and 6th on the ladder. We are only 4 points out of the top four and are still a chance for finals action.
One Day XI
The One Day XI didn’t play this week.
1st XI
The boys hosted
An average start saw Andrew Vaughan make 21 and Ivan Delac score a rare failure after being dismissed for 0. Kingy racked up 19. James Gaynor looking in nice touch, as he accumulated a great 70 runs. The Skipper also made a valuable 75 to continue his great season. The boys were accumulating a solid score. Con Goro 9 and Alex Gerdan 12 came and went in the middle order. The anchor of the innings was Kuzzy who remained not out on 67. At the conclusion of the 72 overs we had put together a very solid 7/290, which was going to take a lot of beating.
The following week saw
2nd XI
The undefeated 2nd XI travelled to
At 1/0 is wasn’t a good start when Romy was out without scoring. Saul was next out when he was run out for 13 after putting on 51 with the skipper. Jorgy then joined Sarge and they compiled 61 runs before Jorgy was cleaned bowled for 36. The runs were coming at a quick rate on a batsman friendly ground. Another great partnership saw Cyril and Sarge take the score to 179 when Sarge was out for a very well compiled 104. A fantastic Captain’s knock. Drew Styles elevated in the order was out for 1 with the score on 194. Cyril followed shortly afterwards for 49, the score was on 6/204. Jason Rahilly 3, Jules 5 and Hacky 27 were the next 3 to go. At 9/250 we were in danger of not batting out the overs. Mario was the last out for 1 and the score was 256. Robby Blair remained 6 not out. With 12 overs to go this was very disappointing. We were unable to take a wicket in the 9 overs left in the day. It was going to be a difficult task to defend that score on a very small quick ground.
The next week saw
8-1-1.
3rd XI
The 3rd XI hosted Bentleigh Uniting at
After losing Bignez early to a dodgy umpiring decision, we were always on the back foot. Again the middle order struggled with Krunchy 19, Raysor 4 and Mo Amro 12. A steady flow of wickets didn’t allow us to get momentum in the innings. Imad showed some resistance with a well made 28 before another mini collapse sa