As we enter the final stretch of the season, several teams have plenty to play for, with Finals just around the corner. We’ve had a few players stand up with the bat and the ball over the last few weeks – and some crucial late innings knocks getting teams competitive totals, or getting the last few runs to secure a victory.
And of course, all runs count – and that includes runs saved in the field too. Regardless of how you have gone, there is always something you can be doing to help your team on the field.
We’ve had our first tie in the Summer Season for quite some time – read on below about what could be a season defining win against a top team, and Dave Ward’s epic performance in Div 7. In what was an eventful match, Dave top scored and had the best bowling figures – taking him past 2,000 runs and 50 wickets for Summer Hill – well done Dave – and all in Rob Sanderson’s 250th match for Summer Hill.
Training is on this Thursday – we had the bowling machine out last week, and will make that a regular fixture again. A big shout out to Neil Gordon who has replaced the wheels, and has installed a replacement motor, supplied by Ausport Superstore for the cost of shipping – around $30. Check them out at ausport.com.au – and head to training to come and check out the bowling machine too.
Batting and Bowling highlights
Batting:
87 Arup Saha Div 2
51 Phil Tarbox Div 5
Bowling
4/6 Dave Ward Div 7
4/26 Ibrahim Kabbout Div 1
4/26 Prabhu Rajendran Div 6 Blue
Club Milestones
Matches
250 Rob Sanderson Div 7
50 Rahul Prabhu Div 6 Blue
50 Salman Kalam Div 2
Runs
2,000 David Ward Div 7
500 Tushar Gupta Div 6 Gold
Wickets
100 Luca Agius Div 5
50 Dave Ward Div 7
50 Gourav Tripathi Div 6 Blue
Wicket Keeper Dismissals
100 Zameer Bhinde Div 6 Gold
Training
When: Every Thursday
Where: Lees Park - Harmony St, Ashbury (Park in Crieff St, access via alley)
When: From 5:30pm until dusk – and there may be a few there earlier too
Enjoy your Cricket!
Phil
Phil – President
m 0417 234 761
5th Division Match Report
Simon Davies
Round 11: Summer Hill 7/113 def by Panania East Hills (Hunt) – 5/114
The boys were keen to rip in following a big loss immediately before the Australia Day break. We knew we would have a challenge ahead of us facing a top 3 side….made worse by the presence of the competition’s top run scorer and centurion from our first outing against this opposition.
SHCC won the toss and elected to bat. The new opening partnership of Luca Agius and Rayhan Islam started positively at 0/37 from the first 7 overs as we took advantage of the pace and wayward bowling on offer from the opening bowlers. Unfortunately, a bowling change resulted in the loss of Rayhan (9) and Luca (27) in quick succession and the drying up of runs as Panania resorted to their tried and tested tactic of line and length bowling.
Very few boundary balls were on offer. Phil entered the fray at 1st drop and provided a backbone for the SHCC innings with a solid 34 as we attempted to cobble together a defendable score against the frugal bowling. The loss of regular wickets didn’t help the cause, and we finished 7 down for 113 from the allotted 35 overs.
Given the low score and powerful Panania batting line up we knew the keys to victory would be tight fielding and early wickets. Alas we were only able to deliver on one of the key requirements, tight fielding, as wickets eluded us with chances going into gaps or the ball missing the stumps by a bee’s appendage. Panania were 1/60 at drinks, only 7 runs ahead of our score at the equivalent time. After drinks the 5th division’s leading run scorer kicked into gear and started lacing boundaries against anything loose, rapidly moving the score to 104 from 26 overs. Panania needed a paltry 10 runs from the remaining 9 overs with 9 wickets in hand. One would expect being so close to defeat would have resulted in the dropping of heads and kicking of stones but the opposite occurred as the SHCC boys lifted and pressure shifted to Panania. Despite only 10 runs being required for victory, SHCC managed to take 4 further wickets, bowl regular maidens and push the game well into the 34th over. The winning runs coming from a wild edge which only just eluded the diving keeper’s outstretched hand.
Unfortunately, another disappointing loss in a game we could so easily have won with a few more runs to work with.
Best Batting
34 Phil Tarbox
27 Luca Agius
Best Bowling
2/16 Lachie Schreuder
6th Division Blue Match Report
Dharmin Thakkar
Round 11: Summer Hill 9/164 tied with St Christophers 9/164
SHCC Blue 6th Division Draws Against Christopher Maroon in a Thriller
As we enter the crucial phase of the season, every match carries immense importance, with teams closely contesting for a spot in the semi-finals. This clash against St Christopher Maroon, who were just one point behind us, was a must-win encounter—especially knowing they had already defeated two of the best teams, Marrickville and Belmore.
Batting Performance
After losing the toss, we were sent in to bat first—a scenario we haven't encountered often this season. Gourav fell early, but Shaik, in red-hot form, counter-attacked with an aggressive mindset, smashing boundaries all over the ground. His 37-run stand with Dharmin provided a solid start before the latter was dismissed.
The new batter on the crease Rahul played a calm and composed knock, while Chetan produced his best innings of the season, scoring a rapid 42, packed with boundaries and a six. Muniraj continued his great form, contributing a valuable 22 runs, while Umer and Tarun played crucial lower-order cameos, adding 20 runs to take our total to 164.
Bowling Performance
Defending 164, we started strongly, putting immense pressure on the opposition. Muniraj and Prabhu struck early, dismantling their top order. Prabhu delivered his best spell of the season, finishing with 4/26, while Gourav continued his fine form, claiming 3/40 with crucial breakthroughs.
Making his 6th Division debut, Tarun bowled impressively, picking up 1 wicket. But the highlight of his spell came in the final over—with the opposition needing 7 runs from 6 balls, he held his nerve and bowled a sensational over, denying them victory and securing a hard-fought draw.
Final Thoughts
While it was disappointing to share points despite a complete team effort, restricting them to 164 was a remarkable achievement. The match showcased tremendous fight from all departments, proving our resilience against one of the strongest teams this season.
Best Batting
42 Chetan Kondur
32 Shaik Abdullah
Best Bowling
4/26 Prabhu Rajendran
3/40 Gourav Tripathi
7th Division Match Report
Rob Sanderson
Round 11: Summer Hill 7/105 def Summer Hill Seniors 95
Despite our best efforts, we won a thrilling and hard-fought game by the narrowest of margins.
Summer Hill managed 105 runs in challenging long grass conditions. Wardie starred with the bat, scoring 38, even though the Seniors had pegged 105 as an easy target. They started aggressively, reaching 3 for 53 at the break. While we did drop a few catches left, right, and centre, our bowlers eventually tightened the screws—reducing the opposition to 8 for 74 by the 28th over. Ward’s bowling was exceptional, finishing with 4 for 6 off 7 overs.
A near-moment of panic came when we tried to sneak an extra over from Neil. In that over, Mansini exploded with two sixes, a four, and a single, pushing the Seniors ahead of the required run rate. Fortunately, sanity returned: Jim clipped Mansini’s off stump, Micah collected a mishit, and a brilliant catch from Wardie (who was having a spectacular match) sealed the final wicket.
Breakthroughs & Key Moments:
Declan’s Clever Adjustment: After Wheeler hit two fours in his second over, the Rob-Neil Brains Trust devised a plan for Declan to bowl around the wicket. The plan worked perfectly—four dot balls followed by a flurry of dismissed batsmen as the top middle received some serious “kinetic love.”
Dave’s Hat-Trick Heroics: Dave, on the verge of a hat-trick, claimed three wickets for just one run in seven deliveries.
Mansini’s Electric Moment: Mansini had his “Dylan has gone electric!” moment by hitting two sixes, a four, and a single in one over, leaving the match teetering on the edge at 8-93. Jim then worked his magic, gently massaging Mansini’s off stump into submission as gravity took over.
Fielding Brilliance:
Michael Metry took a sharp edge up to the stumps off Dave.
Don made a diving forward catch off Dave at second slip, then backpedalled to take another catch on the very next delivery—putting Dave on a hat-trick.
Micah secured a low catch off Neil.
Rob jumped to take an impressive catch over his head off PJ.
And not to forget, Dave also contributed with a vital catch.
The Final Wicket Drama: The final wicket almost mirrored a Bancroft-Sams collision. Dave was backpedalling, eyes fixed on the ball, when suddenly Don veered in like an orca chasing a seal snack. Fortunately, Dave was oblivious to the commotion and managed to hold on to his catch before falling backwards onto the turf.
Despite a few dropped catches (which, to be fair, might have given PJ and Neil even better figures), our fielding ultimately triumphed.
Special Thanks: A huge shout-out to Don’s Father in Law for operating the scoreboard. His help was invaluable in those tense closing moments—without him, we might have lost track at a crucial time.
Final Thoughts: It was a famous win—snatched by the fingertips! Congratulations to Rob on reaching the milestone of 250 Mycricket/Playcricket recorded games. Neil did promise Phil a speech, so while he might have kept it short, please know that it truly was an enjoyable game. Sometimes, even when things seem to be going sideways, a bit of perseverance and teamwork can pull off a memorable win.
Best Batting
38 Dave Ward
Best Bowling
4/6 Dave Ward
