1.11.23
And don’t 2 day games bring out the best of our batters – take a look at the honour board of 50s and Centuries below! Last season we had a glut of 5 wicket haul trophies, and just 2 centuries for the entire season. This season is the complete opposite – perhaps we should have a word to the curators of our pitches to make the contest between bat and ball a bit more even.
I saw some pictures of teams with their new playing shirts – and I’m really pleased how they have turned out. For all future matches, please wear your new playing shirt only. Your team captain will have a shirt for you for this weekends games, if you don’t yet have one. Please let them know your size if you haven’t done so already. Thank you to our sponsors Aussie Home Loans Dulwich Hill and CMNL Magpies Club Croydon Park for their generous support.
Picture - Asher, Phil and Leo Tarbox
Another Round of 2 day matches get’s under way this weekend for all Grades – best of luck to all teams.
Cricket World Cup Tipping and Fantasy
Thanks to Jay Karim, Captain of 3rd Division for organising a Tipping and Fantasy Competition for the Cricket World Cup. It’s not too late to join.
Predictor/Tipping:
Fantasy – Nominate the best performing batters, all rounders, and bowlers for each match
Tipping Leaderboard
Dilir12 19
T4 18
Jkarim 18
Sachin Pandey 17
Umer 17
Dr Phil 15
Kavitparekh 10
Dharmin85 0
Fantasy Leaderboard
Jkarim 874.5
T4 722
Umer 702.5
Dr Phil 531
Ben-Rawat 528
Imperator108294 169.50
Batting and Bowling highlights
Batting
136 Pulok Rema Div 8 Gold
119 Tarek Rahman Div 3
101 Mads Bandara Div 3
95* Kavit Parekh Div 6
81 Luca Agius Div 8 Blue
68 Sidhant Nidimoru Div 8 Blue
67 * Jud Agius Div 8 Blue
59 Tanzim Alam Div 3
58* Harrison Kirkwood Div 2
53 Andy Manchester Div 6
52 Mark Gibson Div 8 Blue
Bowling:
And still no 5 for’s!
Milestones:
Games
50 Rafael Bruzzese Div 3
50 Mark Gibson Div 8 Blue
Runs
2,000 Luca Agius Div 8 Blue
2,000 Phil Tarbox Div 8 Blue
1,500 Dan Jeffrey Div 6
1,000 Tarek Rahman Div 3
1,000 Tanzim Alam Div 3
500 Rayham Islam Div 8 Blue
Wickets
100 PJ Rosenberger Div 8 Gold
Training
When: Every Thursday
Where: Lees Park - Harmony St, Ashbury (Park in Crieff St & walk down the 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
2nd Division
Match Report: Mark Nicholas
Round 2: Summer Hill 3/133 dec def Deccan CC 131 & 3/176
Ladies and gentlemen, Roberts Park in the heart of Greenacre bore witness to a thrilling encounter between Summer Hill 2nd Div and Deccan, and it was a match that shall be etched into the annals of local cricketing lore.
On the first day of this two-day affair, the toss favoured Deccan, and they opted to bat to the disappointment of Summer Hill who had been eager to bat first after chasing in 90% of the games to date. Deccan's initial resilience was met with some probing deliveries, leading to a couple of quick wickets before the drinks break. This set the tone for the remainder of their innings as Summer Hill showcased their bowling prowess with all bowlers sharing the wickets, backed by impeccable fielding. Deccan was bundled out for a modest 131, leaving plenty of time on the clock.
With 17 overs left in the day, Summer Hill commenced their reply, amassing 65 runs while losing three top order wickets in the process.
Day two brought about a different narrative, as Summer Hill had intentions of scoring quickly to set up a declaration and garner bonus points. However, what unfolded was truly astonishing. H. Kirkwood (58*) and R. Nawaz (38*) unleashed a flurry of blistering strokes, maintaining an astonishing run rate of almost 10 an over. They raced to the target only 6 overs into day 2, prompting a bold declaration to maximise their bonus points haul.
Without delving too deeply into Deccan's second innings, it is evident that some umpiring decisions raised eyebrows. Despite this, Summer Hill persevered and secured the necessary three wickets for an additional bonus point.
The awards for this memorable encounter go to the standout performers.
Best Batsman: H. Kirkwood, the enigmatic batsman, who entered day 1 as a night watchmen scoring a breathtaking 58* at an astonishing pace. Congratulations on your first 50 for Summer Hill.
Best Bowler accolades are shared by A. Nawaz (3 wickets for 20 runs off 7 overs in the 1st innings) and D.Greenhalgh (2 wickets for 30 runs off 7 overs in the 2nd innings), who displayed exceptional bowling skills, setting the stage for Summer Hill's victory in this enthralling contest at Roberts Park.
Best Batting
58* Harrison Kirkwood
38* Rehaan Nawaz
Best Bowling
1st Innings
3/20 Armaan Nawaz
2/19 Daniel Lopes
2/30 Tom Corben
2nd Innings
2/30 David Greenhalgh
3rd Division
Match Report: Shute Chen
Summer Hill 5/363 def Magpies 8/261
After a pretty poor batting performance last game characterised by some shot selection as loose as my front left tyre after hitting the curb one too many times while parking, thirds were looking to bounce back with a determined performance against Magpies at Waterworth Park.
With the first 2 day game of the season and after winning the toss and electing to bat, there was the usual talk of “take your time to settle in” and “defend the good balls and cash in on the bad balls” which was very timely advice especially after last games performance
Out come openers Tanzim and Tarek and boy did they cash in. Some outstanding stroke play from both kept the scoreboard ticking along until finally Tanzim fell with 3rds on 150 for a very well made 59 (69 balls) made up of some magical lofted drives. Out comes Madushan and it’s back to usual programming with Tarek and Madushan keeping the runs coming at a rate of knots. A massive cheer from the bench that drowned out all the annoying planes above us (especially annoying Qantas planes) was heard when Tarek brought up his 100, the massive applause recognition for not only an outstanding innings but also all of Tareks hard work training the house down. Tarek departed shortly after for an awesome 119 (129 balls) made up of some of the most elegant back foot shots you’ll ever see. The boys continued to pile on the runs with Madushan also making an outstanding chance-less hundred scoring 101 off 84 balls . After a magnificent day with the bat, thirds eventually finished on 5-363 after 55 overs with some powerful late hitting from Arup 30 (32) and Dean 28 not out off 16 to post a mountainous total to cap out day 1
Day 2
There was big chat of going for outright prior to 3rds walking out to field on day 2. With 3rds full of confidence defending a big total there was plenty of encouragement for the bowlers to start. A few dropped catches let the openers off the hook with a big shoutout to Wassi who opened the bowling and bowled for the first time this season showing great courage in getting over a painful shoulder injury. The fairytale comeback story was so close to happening with Wassi very unlucky to not get wickets in his first over (for those wondering Wassi did get a happy ending in this story though with Wassi castling a Magpie with a beauty later on.) Despite an awesome opening spell of bowling full credit must go to the Magpies openers who displayed immense grit in keeping their wicket and making chances of an outright win slowly slip away. With Magpies batting fairly slowly and a mammoth target to chase, with each tidy delivery defended by the batsmen 3rds likelihood of winning kept increasing. Spin was the name of the game with Jay picking up the first wicket after building plenty of pressure from accurate bowling. The other opener fell shortly after with Madushan bowling a magic ball floating one up that spun the other way taking the top of middle stump.
There was a bit of consolidation from the Magpies batsmen but enter the Italian stallion Raf. A frightening display of rapid short pitched bowling picking up the next 2 wickets caught behind leaving many of the thirds in the field breathing a sigh of relief that they don’t have to face Raf’s lightning bolts (not at least until training). With the game all but won with almost no chance of Magpies getting the runs, wickets continued to fall slowly. 3rds however did bemoan not capitalising on the opportunity to get all 10 wickets and letting magpies get away a bit towards the end. Big shoutout again to youngster Brady for continuing his tidy work behind the stumps including a very efficient stumping off spinner Madushan.
Best Batting
119 Tarek Rahman
101 Madushan Bandara
59 Tanzim Alam
30 Arup Saha
28* Dean Cassar
Best Bowling
3/50 Rafael Bruzzese
2/28 Madushan Bandara
6th Division
Match Report: Tushar Gupta
Round 5: Summer Hill 128 def by Panania East Hills RSL Hunt 6/222
It was a great day to play cricket. We started with losing the toss and being asked to bowl. We had a good start with Dan grabbing a wicket in the 6th Over with a great catch by Nash at cover. We were then smashed by a young left hand opener everywhere and there were no more wickets before drinks. We managed to slow down their scoring in the last 8 overs but by that time it was too late and they ended up scoring 222.
It never looked like our day, losing our first wicket in second over with 10 runs on board. Dan & Roland tried to stabilise the batting taking the score to 36 but their bowlers were too good, and we kept losing wickets.
Gaurav, Sachin & Nash tried to hit some quick runs taking us to 128 – not bad, but not enough.
The team is looking to bounce back in the next game after a few losses.
Best Batting
31 Dan Jeffrey
Best Bowling
3/20 Dan Jeffrey
2/51 Andy Manchester
7th Division
Match Report: Dharmin Thakkar
Round 6: Summer Hill 148 def by Belmore Rovers 196 & 9/127
The eagerly anticipated two-day clash of the current summer season brought forth a rollercoaster of experiences for our team. Winning the toss, we opted to field first, confident in our formidable bowling lineup. However, we faced an initial setback with only five fielders due to unforeseen delays from some players, resulting in Belmore's swift accumulation of runs in the first nine overs.
The opposition had notched almost 100 runs within the first 18 overs, having lost only two wickets. Nevertheless, once we had our full team, we mounted a spirited fightback. Gourav claimed 2 and Ben claimed 3 quick wickets, while Shreesha contributed with a brief yet impactful cameo, snaring one wicket and executing a sharp run-out in just four balls. Ultimately, we restricted Belmore to a total of 196 runs.
Our batting innings began with the quick dismissals of the usually reliable very much in-form Dharmin, Anthony, and Gourav. By the end of the day's play, we were 3/39. At the start of Day 2, we lost two more early wickets, including Chetan, who inadvertently struck the non-striker, Rafi, with a straight drive. Rafi's unfortunate deflection resulted in an easy catch for the bowler.
We attempted to build partnerships but faltered, losing three more wickets in just five runs, leaving us at 9 for 88. At this juncture, our primary focus shifted towards avoiding the follow-on, which was achieved at 98 runs.
In a valiant effort, Prabhu, partnered with Aman, entertained us with some magnificent sixes and very calm and composed knock. Together, they lifted our score to 147, kindling hopes of a remarkable victory within 49 runs. Unfortunately, Prabhu's dismissal, as he went too deep in the crease and losing his balance and struck his foot to the stump, while attempting a boundary, brought an end to our first innings.
Belmore showed no enthusiasm for continuing the match, offering to end it prematurely. However, we decided to pursue maximum points by taking all of their wickets. This task was compounded by the limited time—just 90 minutes. Our bowling attack initially struggled, conceding 46 runs in just 7 overs, but Ben, perfectly suited for such conditions, ultimately secured four wickets, with Prabhu and Muniraj each claiming one.
With only 20 minutes remaining, Dharmin's spin bowling yielded three rapid wickets, taking our total wicket count to nine and earning us three valuable bonus points.
Throughout the match, we identified several areas where we could improve our batting partnerships. Given the undeniable potential of each player in our team, we remain resolute in our commitment to bounce back stronger in the future.
Best Batting
25* Amanjot Gill
23 Prabhu Rajendran
Best Bowling
1st Innings
3/14 Ben Rawat
2/23 Prabhu Rajendran
2/33 Gourav Tripathi
2nd Innings
4/34 Ben Rawat
3/10 Dharmin Thakkar
8th Division
Gold Match Report: Pat Cullen
Round 6: Summer Hill Gold 310 def Ashfield 182 & 3/70
A colossal win for the Goldies, grabbing not only an emphatic first innings victory but also snaring a bonus point and keeping ACC without one - just! ACC won the toss and bizarrely elected to bowl on a Lees deck synonymous with its short boundaries and quick runs. The Goldies, starting to believe in themselves a touch after some strong batting performances of late - didn't get off to a flyer.
Metry dismissed after two balls, Kaustav went for 3, and it was left to Dave Ward (24) and Ken Campbell (12) to steady the middle order. After they departed, Wardy particularly getting out to an absolute peach, Rob and Zeeshan were also both dismissed for not many, and the Goldies were teetering. Enter Pulok Rema, henceforth known as ReMaxwell (thanks Jitendra).
Rema scored an absolutely colossal 136 including 20 fours and 6 sixes!! Yes, you read that right - Twenty, 2-0 fours!! Rem was immense he hit straight drives that flew flat over the boundary, nearly taking out small children in the playground. One pulled six towards the houses was only stopped from breaking a second-story window by a lucky branch of a eucalyptus that hadn't been hit that hard since this area was a lumber yard. They may have dropped him five times but nothing can take away from the sheer brilliance of an incredible innings.
He also found willing and able partners in Sarfaraz (31, 5 fours), Leo Cirillo (32, 5 fours) and Jimmy Bandas (14, 1 four) as well as near 50 runs in extras from some demoralized bowling from ACC that got the Goldies to a whopping 310 all out. It was a sight to behold.
As for Ashfield? Well, they tried their best folks but against our bowlers they were always going to struggle. The middle order of Millward, Ruff and Brennan each put on 30 odd, and they're number 11, Charlie, in his second-ever game of cricket really pushed the scoring getting 28 of his own (exceptionally frustrating) runs. With the ball? You guessed it - Jimmy Bandas got 3/41 off his 13 overs, Zeeshan was rapid, accurate and miserly taking 4/38 off 14 overs, his second 4 for of the campaign and Dave Ward added to his all-rounder credentials with 2/33 to have them all out for 182.
The highlight of the fielding innings was David Bailey-Mckay's 4 catches! Including one absolutely absurd one to dismiss Millward at midwicket, belted above his head, eyes closed DBM stuck the mits up - someone check his palms for velcro - it stuck!! Sensational stuff.
With runs on the board and half an hour to play, The Goldies went for the bonus point and nabbed it! Jimmy Bandas picking up 2 and DBM grabbing the third, Rema's final over just denying Ashfield the bonus point by 5 runs in a massive victory for the Goldies.
Best Batting
136 Pulok ReMaxwell
32 Leo Cirillo 32
31 Sarfaraz Nangyal
24 Dave Ward
Best Bowling
4/38 Zeeshan Khan
3/41 Jim Bandas
2/23 Dave Ward
8th Division Blue
Match Report : Jud Agius
Round 6: Summer Hill Blue 9/374 def Summer Hill Seniors 8/206
A lovely sunny day for cricket saw the Blues saunter down to Beaman to take on Summer Hill Seniors in a 2 dayer. In the first round the Blues won convincingly by 100 runs so expectations were high for another big win. Seniors won the toss and batted but might regret using small boundaries.
The first wicket fell cheaply to a beauty from Rohan (1/23) that was edged to the safest first slip in the district to ‘you know who’ Phil Tarbox. After that batting was solid and effective with some good partnerships though never fast so the score did not get away from us. We toiled to get the 2nd wicket when finally a well flighted leggy from Owen produced a false shot and a sharp edge to keeper Simon Davies.
Good partnerships were broken twice again by Owen (3/24) who was the pick of the bowlers, with Jasper Cohen (2/23) and Liam Hester taking his first wicket in seniors (1/10) chipping in to break the back of their innings. Blue had Seniors 7/150 by the third break needing only 9 wickets to finish them off. It’s at these moments there is perhaps the most to learn for our youngish team. We let a chance for an outright slip away as their tail enders sliced and diced another 50 runs for loss of only 1 wicket to push the score over 200.
Seniors don’t have the most threatening attack and sensible batting would win us Day 2. Gibbo was joined by Sidhandt and the pair had an opening stand of 119 laying the platform for the win to be sown up by tea. Gibbo (52) has found a rich vein of form with a second half century in a row, and Sid (68) was exuberant playing several cracking pull shots to post his first ever 50 after a previous highest score of only 17.
Luca joined Sid and kept piling on the runs. Once Sid was out Phil came in and the score raced past their total before Luca, pushing for the strike, ran out Phil (22). To be fair Luca (81) was about to retire having obliterated the bowling with 4 sixes and too many boundaries to count, only to bizarrely slice a catch to point. In the best interest of the team, Phil decided to bat on to give the lower order time in the middle against friendly bowling rather than push for bonus points as we knew Seniors would shut up shop.
It was well worth it, watching Rayhan Islam hitting a rapid 19 with 2 fours and a six and 15 year old Liam (12) hitting one over the long on boundary as well. More entertainment was to come with a memorable innings from Jud (67 no) scoring his first half century in the seniors, ably partnered by Jasper with a well played 10 not out.
It’s fair to say this game showed we are in a different league to Summer Hill Seniors in all facets of the game, but we expect a much tougher 2 dayer next week against St Christopher’s.
Best Batting
81 Luca Agius 81
68 Sidhant Nidimoru
67* Jud Agius 67*
52 Mark Gibson
Best Bowling
3/34 Owen Gibson
2/23 Jasper Cohen