Season Program & Results

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After losing the toss and being sent out into the field, Denty and Nicko both struck in their first spell and left Flinders Park struggling at 4/32. Flinders Park then, thanks to a few good partnerships towards the end of the innings made a defendable score of 7/157. JD took two wickets but the pick of the bowlers was David Brown who took 2/32 off his 8 overs bowling at the back end of the innings.

Our batting innings started well with the new opening pair of VD and Latchy getting to 58 before VD was runout. A good partnership from Richo and Latchy had us cruising at 2/119 before Latchy lost his wicket. A collapse of wickets saw the A grade get rolled for 145 and start the season with a disappointing loss. Latchy and Richo made the paper, both making 35.

Not a great start, however a trip to Para Hills would be a good opportunity to bounce back.

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Latchy finally won the toss on a wet day up at Para Hills and we sent them in. The Para Hills batters clearly came to play surviving Nicko's firey first spell and cruised to 1 for 131 before they lost their second wicket. Para Hills showed the importance of wickets in hand at the end of the innings scoring as they powered to 6/232 off their 40 overs. Nicko was the best of the bowlers taking 4/39 off his 8 overs.

We began the chase well again with our newly formed opening pair getting us to 35 before VD missed a straight one. Latchy and Richo again combined for a handy partnership getting us to 116 before Richo was caught. Latchy batted superbly and kept us in the game with his knock of 120 before he was caught trying to up the run rate. A consistent flow of wickets saw the run rate to slow and required Colonel to hit a 6 on the last ball for the tie. A sneaky inside edge saw the Reds fall 2 runs short.

0 and 2 is not the start we were after but a trip down to Marion could raise our spirits.

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Latchy again won the toss but this time chose to bat. Latchy and Robbo opened up and put on 56 before the first wicket. This innings reflected our batting for the start of the season with blokes playing themselves in and then throwing their wicket away. Latchford was the only one to make the paper with his 36 as we were bowled out for 180 in 64 overs.

After a rev up from the skipper Nicko nicked off their opener with his first ball and struck again before the end of play to have them 2 down overnight.

Needing 8 wickets to win the match, Nicko was on fire. He took consistent wickets throughout the innings and with the help of JD bowled Marion out for 69 off 28 overs. Banger finished with 8/36 off 15 overs and Jack took 2/32 off 15 overs. We then chose to send them back in and took 6 wickets from the remaining 42 overs.

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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Latchy lost the toss and we were sent in at SPOC. Latchy and VD opened the batting and we lost VD in the 3rd over. Viv and Latchy then put on 50 before Latchy was caught for 36. AS the rain started falling so did our wickets. We lost 4 for 50 odd before the umpires believed it was raining heavily enough for us to come off. Overnight we were 6 for 124 with 20 or so overs left to bat. Unfortunately the second day didn't begin how we would have like with Viv chasing a wide one second ball and snicking off. Some handy batting from Nicko at the end got us to 176 before being bowled out. Notable contributions were Viv with 67, Banger with 38* and Latchy with 36.

A poor batting performance unfortunately put a lot of pressure on the bowlers and JD and Nicko started well. They took early poles and we had SPOC in trouble at 4/47. However, some loose bowling and fielding let their middle order get set and really attack our bowling. With SPOC at 5/137 and cruising, Eddy Greeves came on and dismissed their set batsmen and then dismissed two of their lower order players to have them 9 down requiring 7 runs. Unfortunately, their number 11 whacked a few and we fell one wicket short. Notable performers with the ball were Nicko taking 3/65 off 15 overs and Eddy finishing with figures of 3 for 52 off 19.3 overs

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Latchy won the toss and we batted first on the Front Oval at PAC. Richo and VD started well and got us to 47 before richo was run out. We lost VD soon after but a 100 run partnership between Latchy and new recruit Luke Smith got us into a great position. We lost Luke with the score at 150 but unfortunately for the Walkerville bowlers the runs kept flowing. Gas came in and hit 44 off 34 to get us to a very good 6/282 off our 40 overs. Latchy was the star with the bat making 93 and was well supported by Luke Smith who finished with 67. Gas (44) and Richo (36) also made the paper.

Our bowling innings started well with JD striking twice in his opening spell to have the Walkerville boys in trouble at 2/13. However a handy partnership got them back in the game before Styles removed their opener. A tight line and consistent wickets by our bowlers ensured we stayed on top of the run rate and kept Walkerville to 8/178. Styles was the pick of the bowlers taking 4/22 off his 9 overs.

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Round 7 saw the A-Grade travel south to take on Old Scotch. Latchy lost the toss and we were asked to field. Nicko didn't take long to make an impact striking with the first ball of the match. A tight line and consistent wickets from our bowlers saw us bowl Scotch out for 120. Nicko was the pick off the bowlers taking 3/24. Matty Georgiadis also deserves mention for taking his first A-Grade wicket for the club. We lost Latchy but were still in an okay position to tackle the chase on the second day.

Van Dissel lost his front pad early as we made slow start in the chase. Consistent wickets saw us fall to 6/90 needing 30 to win. Nicko and Robbo got us over the line and we decided to bat the rest of the day. Viv 36, Robbo 34 and Styles 30 were the only ones to make the paper.

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Latchy finally won a toss as we returned to Park 9 to take on the farmers. Our performance with the bat was consistent with our season as we were rolled for 100. No one made over 30 with Viv top scoring on 28. Nicko again struck early removing one of their openers. Eddy also took a pole before the close of play.

We started the second day well with Nicko and Eddy taking consistent wickets and giving us a chance. Denty struck twice to have the farmers in a bit of trouble at 8/95 needing 6 runs to win. Unfortunately they were able to withstand our attack and get over the line. They batted on and made an extra 130 runs before being bowled out for 233. We then batted again for 15 overs.

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The first day of Round 9 was washed out and we played a one-dayer on the second Saturday.

We lost the toss and were asked to bat. We started well with Latchy and Richo putting on 81 before Latchy lost his wicket. Viv didn't last long and we desperately needed a partnership to post a defendable score. Richo and Gas put on 50 odd which got us up to about 160. Some hitting from the lower order got us to a very defendable 6/186. Richo was the star making 87 off 116 balls.

We started poorly as the Grange openers were positive against the new ball. Unfortunately, we couldn't get their left-handed opener out and he anchored the innings for Grange and basically won them the game. The pick of the bowlers was probably Browny taking 1/34 off 9 overs.

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We headed North to Trinity and dished up the same rubbish with the bat as we had all season. We were bowled out in 48 overs for 125. Viv and Gas were the only two to face over 30 balls. We needed something ridiculous with the ball and Nicko provided. He removed the comp leading run scorer with his second ball and he was on. He took two more in quick succession to have trinity in trouble at 3/16. A tight line by the bowling group saw Trinity make it to stumps being 9/60ish.

The second day saw Trinity requiring 60 odd runs and us just 1 wicket. We didn't start as we would have hoped with the number 9 from trinity smacking us all around the park and making a decent 50. Fortunately, with the score at 104 Browny came on and took the last wicket. Nicko finished with 4/47 and Browny took 3/15.

We were then required to bat another 66 overs to see the rest of the day out. Our top three didn't trouble the scorers too much but it was our new number 4 who batted superbly. Nicko came out and showed the batters how to bat. He was patient and put away the bad balls to peel off a brilliant hundred. He batted the day out and finished on 104* off 177 balls.

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The last round of the season saw us back at home against Reynella. Latchy again won the toss and we batted first. We started poorly again with our top order failing. We needed an old head to consolidate. Styles came in and did that job. He hit 41 off 90 balls and combined with Nicko for a much needed 60 run partnership. Pritchy then came in and hit a well made 59 off 94 balls to get us to a total of 195.

Unfortunately a wet week saw the second day get rained out and the match was abandoned.

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Match abandoned due to rain

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Winning the toss and batting, the reds got off to a slow but steady start with The Captain and Harry guiding us through the first 15 overs. Unfortunately, from there a couple of quick wickets were followed by regular departures as the PAOC batsmen continually felt the need to push the run rate in this one-day fixture. In the end we never really got going, with 21 runs for the 7th wicket the largest partnership after the opening stand. Bowled out for 119, we only faced 33 of the allotted 40 overs.

With the ball it was clear to see this was our first game since way back in March. Brighton were untroubled by the Reds bowlers, moving to 1/85 and looking in total control. Will Cowling was brought on and changed the game, bowling his 9 overs straight and picking up 2/22. All of a sudden there was run rate pressure on the Bombers batsmen and we picked up a couple more wickets. Unfortunately for PAOC, we bowled 17 wides and these proved costly, not just with the runs conceded, but also the extra deliveries we had to bowl, with Brighton just getting over the line by 1 run, finishing 6/120 off the full 40 overs.

Not the start we wanted but a good wakeup call that we will need to play well if we wanted to repeat last year's efforts.

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Winning the toss and batting, Marion got off to a good start at park 9, moving to 1/45 shortly after the first drinks break. The reds spoke about patience and locked in on a good line and length, looking to build some pressure, and it worked, with Marion crumbling to be 4/58 at the tea. After the break we lapsed in our concentration and the Marion #7 pounced, smashing hist first 80 runs in just 11 overs after tea. Acting captain Richard Hockney flicked through the 6 pace bowlers in the side for no result, finally turning to Clev to take the pace off the ball. Setting defensive fields, we got the hitter off strike and slowly regained control, despite him moving past 100. Clev bowled 17 overs on the trot, picking up both set batsmen and finishing with 3/51 (all three caught by VD). Otters came back and cleaned up the tail and we bowled Marion out for 248 in the 80th over.

Similar to last round, we got off to a steady start with the Hockney lads opening up, however 1/50 became 4/60 and we were well behind the game again. Lexi (76) and Greber looked to build a partnership however when both fell we were in all sorts at 7/150, needing another 99 to win. Gary Branford (45*) and Will Linke (26) gave it a good shake, however it wasn't to be and we were bowled out 32 runs short of the total.

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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With rain forecast overnight and into Saturday, the covers were applied with little hope of getting to use the deck the curator had prepared for us. To our surprise, Saturday morning rolled around, the rain gauge was empty and play kicked off right on 1pm. SPOC won the toss and batted.

Patient was the word of the day and the Reds delivered both with the ball and in the field, restricting SPOC at every opportunity and tightening the screws over by over. Alex Marantos was extremely miserly picking up 1/12 off of 10 overs, while Max Burford enjoyed a longer spell, claiming 2/21 from 12 overs. 3/85 off 39 overs had the game evenly poised at the day one tea break, before the rain finally arrived and stumps were called.

Back on week two and SPOC had 19 overs to push the run rate forward. Will Linke the pick of the day two bowlers collecting 2/17 from his five overs and James Risby picked up the big wicket of self-proclaimed "250 A-grade game veteran" Luke Harrington. Special mention to Max Burford for his direct hit run out made even better by the fact he told the batsman one over prior he was going to run him out. SPOC finished 7/190 from their 58 overs and it was now our turn to bat.

Hockney and Shayan kicked our innings off and at 0/18 it was a steady, albeit unorthodox start from seven overs. Unfortunately, a good ball made its way through Harry and from there we were bogged down, adding just 9 runs in the next 14 overs, losing four wickets in the process. Singleton used his feet and had the scoreboard ticking again however when he went back to the spinner and was adjudged LBW, we were in all sorts of trouble at 5/42. Kildea commenced his innings with a six over midwicket and together with Marshall, they got us through to the final drinks break. 5/80 with 22 overs to go.

Regrettably, Charlie fell shortly after the break for a well-made 39, and while Linke (20 off 19) and Burford (10 off 7) were keen to have a dip, there was just too much work to do with limited wickets in hand. The last three wickets fell for just four runs and we were bowled out 55 runs short with 10 overs left unfaced.

Once again, the B-grade showed patches that were good enough but ultimately have not been able to play consistent cricket for a full match. Perhaps next week will bring better fortune as we travel away from Park 9 for the first time this season.

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With a side full of batting options, this week's captain RHockney had no hesitation in electing to bat. It was a slow outfield however a true deck more than made up for it and at 2/60 after 15 overs there was talk starting to grow, would today be the day we managed to bat out our overs. A flurry of quick wickets answered that question and at 6/76 we were now wondering if we'd even make it to triple figures. RHockney and Marshall did their best to drag us back into it, however another flurry of wickets meant we were bowled out for just 134, after just 33.3 overs. Clev made 24 while Wides were next best contribution with 21.

Walkerville got off to a good start with the bat, and other than an LBW to Otters, they controlled the game, making it to the drinks break at 1/90, needing just another 45 from the remaining 20 overs. Marantos made the breakthrough, removing their main batsmen, and together with Marshall, we started to build some pressure through dot balls well supported with some great fielding from Keeves and Singleton. Lexi finished his allotment of overs so we kept the pace off the ball and Clev came on, picking up 3 for 5 from 5 overs and all of a sudden, we made it to the last over with Walkerville still trailing at 6/132. Unfortunately, we couldn't close it out, and Walkerville took the points, emphasised with a towering six over long on to finish the game.

Winless at the break, there will be plenty of batsmen hoping Father Christmas leaves some form for them under the tree this year!!!

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Batting first on the Front Oval, the B-Grade found themselves in the similar position of early trouble, this time with the score at 4/60. Singleton and Francesca dug in and faced more than 50 overs and kept old scotch in the field. At 4/135 with 15 overs to go it was time to accelerate and Branford's run a ball 25 and Cowling's 48* off 27 balls provided most of the uptick in the run rate. Francesca finished 53* off of 164 balls. We declared at 7/239 off 79.5 overs giving ourselves 5 overs to bowl that night. Burf taking the new ball and striking, to have the game evenly poised at 1/12 overnight.

Day 2 unfortunately didn't go to plan, Old Scotch batted well, losing just two wickets in the day's first 50 overs and moving the along to 3/200. We remained positive and our ground fielding was good, just our hands weren't and a lot of opportunities hit the deck. Once we finally held a catch, our bowlers were then able to do their work and we eventually bowled Old Scotch out for 320. Risby and Burf each collected 2 wickets from long spells.

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Traveling to Fulham on a 39 degree day is never fun, made even worse when you lose the toss and have to field.

Burf and Georgie took the new ball and despite repeated deliveries conforming with the MCC's laws of cricket, specifically law 36, the Fulham boys refused to raise the finger. As the afternoon wore on there was a real chance the wheels could have fallen off, however we didn't let this happen. Sid bowled a great spell for little reward and Linke charged in all afternoon to collect his maiden 5 fa for the club, finishing with 5/23 from 11 overs.
Our fielding was much better this week, capped off with a one handed catch to close out the innings at 222.

Week 2 rolls round and we quickly fall to 2/15, Tyler walks in at #4 and the team are praying he can score the bulk of the runs. Unfortunately he doesn't and before we know it we are 9/74. Risby batting at his favorite ground pogo's 25 at number 11 to finish with the top score ahead of Francesca's 24 and Clev's 22. We are bowled out for 120, just short of the follow on.

Fulham refuse to entertain setting up a match and boringly enforce the follow on, so Linke opens the batting and belts them around for a quick 40 off 30 balls. Tyler at 3 finishes 33* while Cowling also joins the party with 36* from 20 balls. Another loss and we are winless after 8 rounds.

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Back at home and nothing to play for, the B-Grade could only try and stuff up other team's finals hopes, and this round's opponents in Grange were one such team.

Following a day 1 wash out, we won the toss and sent Grange in. Gopal opened the bowling and claimed the early scalps (3/27 off 9) and Linke cleaned up the middle order to finish with 3/8 off 6. Grange bowled out for 105.

Pritchy locked himself in at number 3 and despite the team slumping to be 4/45, Pritchy ground it out, finding an ally in Rajagopal the pair moved the score to 4/88. Pritchy then fell for a composed 49, and the wobbles hit, 5/88, 6/93, 7/100 and 8/104, perhaps our first win of the season will slip through our fingers again.

We still needed 2 runs to win, thankfully Clev was still in, but it was Burf who was on strike with 5 balls to go in the over, and only Ris in the sheds behind him. Burf fell 2nd ball..... but thankfully he'd smashed the winning runs over long on first rock! The B's finally have a win, albeit a narrow one.

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Another home game, another batting failure. Sargent ran through us this time, collecting 5/11 from 14 overs. Clev hung around for 99 balls but at 8/43 there wasn't much to talk about. Burf targeted their left arm spinner and was left stranded on 47* from 38 balls as we were bowled out for 106. The Goodwood openers did their job and made it to stump none down and with 72 on the board, the game was as good as over.

Day 2 came round and for the Reds it was about hitting good areas and seeing what could happen. The Roos played a patient game and just waited for the odd loose delivery. It took nearly 20 for them to get the remaining 35 runs but they did, passing the score 4 down. Needing points to move up the ladder, Goodwood immediately declared and had another crack at our batting order. Not ones to backdown, the Reds saw the opportunity to take control of the game and not just survive, but potentially set a total and look to jump off bottom spot with a reverse outright.

Marshall fell in the first over however Harry and Clev took on the swinging new ball and with an 80 run stand. Harry fell for 24 off 44 and Clev followed shortly thereafter for a run a ball 52. The rest of the order didn't really get going with only one boundary so we pulled the pin and declared with a lead of 127 and gave Goodwood a generous 26 overs to chase it down.

Things started perfectly with Clev snaring a one handed catch at leg gully off a Burf bouncer, however the wickets didn't tumble from there. Goodwood moved to 4/100 so Clev was brought into the attack and he turned the game again, claiming 3 quick wickets to put the pressure back on the Roos. For some reason Goodwood were concerned about giving us 5 points despite being no threat to their ladder position, so the blocked out the last 3 overs rather than trying to score the 10 runs they needed for victory. Weird.

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Final game of the season and we travel to Reynella. Risby, Georgie and Sanders roll through the Wineflies' batsmen, well, all bar one who finishes 88*. We roll them for 120 with the wickets shared, Risby claiming the number 9 and 10 to draw level on the bowling trophy. 121 runs needed for victory and 30 overs to bat. With rain forecast next week there was talk of trying to secure the win on day 1. Richard 3* off 87 ensured that wasn't the case. Harry's 7 off 26 our most expansive innings while Shayan was unusually tied down for 2 off his 31 balls. So we finished 2/14 off 30 overs and had the game set up for a nice chase next week.

22mm between 2am and 11am Saturday morning ended any hopes of getting on and the game was called without even driving to the ground. Our premiership defence finished fittingly on a cold and soggy afternoon that reflected the glum season the B-Grade had just endured.

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Match abandoned due to rain

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The C-Grade finally kicked off their 20/21 season in Round 3 halfway through November due to being rained out Round 1 and a having a bye Round 2.

The boys travelled out to Cabra with a good mix of regular faces and new players to the club, Goodwood won the toss and bowled. Goodwood got off to a flyer putting on 78 for the first wicket, it was a tough day in the field the Reds with Goodwood's hard-hitting batsmen getting on top of the bowling unit. Goodwood were bowled out for 239. Pick of the bowlers M.Clarke 4/19, Y.Thakur 3/54.

The top order didn't have the start we were looking for with none of the top 5 making it pass 15. When J. Bean was dismissed for 30 the Reds were languishing at 6/113 but a determined partnership from C-Grade regulars R. Gopal and M Dickson turned the momentum. The pair put on 82 for the 7th wicket until M. Dickson was dismissed for a classy 30 (78) and left the Reds 8-209 needing 30 to win.

Unfortunately, we were all out for 220. Pick of the batsmen R. Gopal 48, M. Dickson 30, J. Bean 30.

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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First home game of the season saw the C-Grade take on Hectorville. The Reds won the toss and bowled first on a juicy uneven Park 15 deck. Consistent line and length bowling meant wickets came at regular intervals with only one Hectorville batsman getting the better of the bowlers and passing 30. 23 byes were the second top scorer. Hectorville were dismissed in the 57 over for 168. Pick of the bowlers M. Clarke 5/35, C. Craige 2/7.

Only one batsmen C. Craige 28 (83) dug in and made it past 15 in a another frustrating output from the top and middle order. It was left to the tail-enders again and they answered the call with R. Gopal making 27 (50) at 9 and M. Clarke 23* (43) at 10 but unfortunately when Gopal was dismissed the reds were 9/143 and still needing 25. Pick of the batsmen C.Craige 28, R.Gopal 27, M.Clarke 23.

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The last game before the break Christmas, saw the C-Grade travel out to Gepps Cross for 40 over one day match. Stand in skipper R. Gopal won the toss and batted first. A very solid opening stand of 45 between G. Jones and B. Francesca was exactly what the doctor ordered after a poor start to the season from the top order. New player to the club this season C. Porter came in at 4 and showed his strong skill set with some elegant stroke play and put the Reds in command. A late 33 off 16 ball cameo by M. Georgiadis saw the boys finish their 40 overs 6/169. Pick of the batsmen B. Francesca 47, C. Porter 42, M. Georgiadis 33.

The bowlers M. Georgiadis, N. Brown, Y. Thakur and D. Kieu took regular wickets throughout the innings and Gepps Cross never were a chance of chasing the total down and finished all out for 111. Pick of the bowlers N. Brown 4/22, M. Georgiadis 2/18, Y. Thakur 2/19, D. Kieu 2/23.

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The C-Grade had a rare home game at Park 9, with regular captain still holidaying. R. Gopal took over the captaincy for the second straight game and won the toss and batted. Unfortunately, I think everyone was still in holiday mode and the boys were rolled for 69 in 44 overs. C-Grade specialist L. Halton the only batsmen to show the grit with a fighting 27 off 122 balls.

The bowlers put in a bloody good effort and almost pulled off a miracle with Payneham at one stage being 8/66 but some late order hitting saw Payneham finish up all out for 112. Easily the pick of the bowlers was S.Rajagopal with 5/51 he perhaps deserved more with 4 dropped catches coming off his bowling also. M. Clarke came back from his holiday and bowled a tight spell of 9 overs 2/14.

Second innings was the complete opposite of the first, looking for quick runs Y. Thakur opened the batting and made his maiden 50 for the club, C. Porter continued his strong start to the season with a classy 34* (52). The Reds declared 1-112 finished Y.Thakur 57*, setting Payneham a small chase. Despite 2 early wickets from M. Clarke, Payneham comfortably reached the target.

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The C-Grade travelled out to Park 10 on absolute scorcher of a day with temperatures reaching the 40's. The toss was crucial and unfortunately the coin dropped the wrong way and we were bowling. It was the one of the toughest days I have experienced in my cricketing career, to Uni's credit they battered superbly tiring down the bowlers early and cashing in later in the day. All up 9 bowlers were used and Uni finished their 72 overs on a whopping 6-316.

The batting was once again let down by early top order wickets at regular intervals. C-Grade specialist L Halton made a solid 23 off 80 balls but apart from skipper Clarke's late 35* (88) we were never a chance of getting near Uni massive total. Uni sent us back in looking for the outright, but once again Clarke and Halton saw out 11 overs and Uni called time on a match the C grade would much rather forget.

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A rare one-day game for the C-Grade saw us come up against an inform Athelstone on a green top at the home of cricket Park 15. Athelstone won the toss and put us in. Same old story for the C-Grade with early wickets falling to leave us 3 for 40 at drinks. Current year 12 student Zac Vivian making his debut for the C-Grade made an eye catching 22 off 67 to help get our innings back on track, after a few weeks out Josh Bean came in at 5 and made an entertaining 45 off 48 to help us finish our 40 overs on a competitive 8 for 124.

Athelstone started their innings slowly but didn't lose any wickets until the 16th over when Ed Thomas was handed the ball. Ed started his first over with a wicket and getting hit for a 6 and 4. Ed took regular wickets attacking the batsmen with his short pitch bowling, unfortunately the boys just fell short with the visitors chasing the score down with one over to spare. Easily the pick of the bowlers was Ed with eye catching figures of 5 for 46 off his 9 overs.

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An unprecedented 9 changes for this game against the top of the table Goodwood was always going to be a test for the C-Grade. Winning the toss and sending us in on a very green Park 15 wicket was always going to be tough. Current year 12 student Jaxon Schell opened the batting and showed us he's a player for the future with classy but gritty 48 off 98 shame he couldn't get to 50 on debut. There were solid contributors all throughout the innings with Charlie Keeves making 22 and skipper Max Clarke chiming in for 32. For the first time this season the C-Grade batted the entire 72 overs and finished up 9 for 168.

The bowling was hit hard during the week with S Ottanelli having a health scare during the week ruling him out to bowl. Goodwood showed why they were top with some very disciplined batting and finished up their 72 overs 8 for 293. Jaxon Schell proved he's no one trick pony with 2-43 off 17 overs - 1 over to many for someone his age (blame the skipper for that one, he was easily the pick of the bowlers). Damien Heath after 29 years out of the game, 'yes that right 29 years' took his first wicket for the club and finished with figures of 2 for 55 off his 9 overs and a sore body on Sunday.

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The last round of the season saw the mighty C-Grade travel out to Athelstone with 10 players to hopefully finish off the season in a winning fashion. Winning a rare toss and with a few blokes still yet arrive the skipper put us in to bat. The innings started in typical style for the C-Grade with early wickets finishing regularly leaving us 4 for 50 at drinks. The C-Grade regulars got the team back on track with C Craige 19, L Halton 22, M Clarke 25 and star all-rounder E Thomas 35* helping the C-Grade post a competitive score of 9 for 136.

Unfortunately, with heavy rain day two, that was all she wrote for season 20/21 for the C-Grade.

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A wet start to the first round has become familiar territory for the lads over the past few seasons. But with Dan Mosey winning the toss, we were off to a good start. We elected to bowl and soon had a few break throughs, including H. "Bertie" McDonald taking his first wicket for the club, followed by his second an over later. Tight bowling from J. Nicolacopoulos and R. Kesavan restricted the visitors to 8/108.

Chasing a low total, we lost a few key wickets early, but a stellar partnership from J. Gould (89) and D. Mosey (17) steadied the ship and saw the team pass the required runs and go on to post more valuable runs and points for a good start to the season.

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Winning the toss again we this time elected to bat and after loosing C. Aust to an early duck we made good start ticking over the scoreboard. A brilliant anchoring knock by L. Halton (40) batting through most of the day, allowed others to hit off around him including a few 20's and an impressive 30 from J. Clarke off only 15 balls, set up an impressive total of 8/197.

Great bowling and fielding snared a few valuable wickets early on and we were able to stay on top of Goodwood for their entire innings. Special mention must go to R. Gopal taking 3/24 off his 9 and was unlucky not to get a few more. A well-rounded effort from the lads saw the D-Grade go two from two.

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Losing the toss on the first relatively warm day of the season was not the ideal start. On a small ground we were soon chasing leather to all parts of the ground. A great spell of fast bowling from T.Taylor 2/47 kept us in the match. Shortly after tea we lost our keeper to a suspected broken finger and loosing a key member in the field opened up gaps that Marion could exploit. Tight bowling from J. Gould (3/30) restricted some late runs and a brilliant run-out from A Grade sub R.Robinson closed the innings.

With 7 overs left in the day it was all about survival. Unfortunately losing a wicket before the close of play, put the Reds on the back foot. At the recommencement of our first innings wickets fell at regular intervals and we showed lack of stickability and will to put value on our wicket. With a chance at redemption in our second innings after Marion enforced the follow on, the lads made a gallant 7/187 50's to both Taylor and Gould, showed if applied we could have made a real game of this.

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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Losing the toss on a wet day wasn't an ideal start and Ingle Farm through us in on a poppy and damp deck. However, the boys applied themselves after a thumping the prior round. A dashing display by opener N. Brown (39) and supported well by J. Bean (10) got us off to a good start. Coming to the crease at number 3 our skipper found the going a little tougher facing a fill-in bowler from Ingle Farm's A-Grade making the going tough and was on only 39 at the close of the first days play off 120 plus deliveries, alongside him was an eager D. Kieu as play was called off due to rain at 7/104.

Come the next week we recommenced our innings with 16 overs left to face. Sadlier accelerating his score to 61 off no more than 4 overs, fell. The stage was set for one of the great innings from D. Kieu (37*) plundering the ball to all parts of the oval and setting up a very defendable 9/183 with his sidekick and club legend VR Lingmapally (0*).

Tight bowing from the openers proved to much for the Ingle Farm batters, giving the Reds regular break throughs whilst strangling Ingle Farm. N. Brown 3/7 off seven and D. Mosey 3/48 off nine proved unplayable, when backed up by great field, including a modern screamer from D. Mosey to dismiss their captain and seal the victory.

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Probably the D-Grade's best bowling line up all season proved to strong for Brighton, who won the toss and elected to bat, the cricket gods must have been listening when their skipper said let's get this over and get to the cricket. A. Brabham 4/8 off his 9 and D.Mosey 4/20 of his 9 were just to much for a shell shocked Brighton and at drinks we had them reeling at 7/36, wrapping up the tail shortly after.

Not our most convincing battling display followed with only D.Heath (28) getting close to 30, but with a fighting innings from B. Lobban at the other end we went past Brighton's score and passed 100. We left some runs out there this game, but continuing our strong form and finishing Christmas sitting on top of the ladder was a just reward from our efforts to this time in the season.

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Starting the second half of the season well was key for the D-Grade's push towards finals, we had a starkly different side to the one we had played Brighton with before Christmas and so did they.

Brighton won the toss and elected to bat. We lacked the bowling attack to bully Brighton like last round and had D. Mosey bowling the bulk of the overs, 22 in the day. Unfortunately, we lacked the ability to keep the pressure on them and at tea they were 1/76, after tea Brighton opened up and no one was spared. Tight bowling from P.Sadlier 1/24 off his 10 helped restrict Brighton, but the damage was done and at the close of play Brighton had amassed 8/296.

We knew we needed to get off to a good start if we had a chance to win this game but losing a player to dubious circumstances before the days commencement didn't put us in the best frame of mind. Regular wickets to irresponsible shots cost us dearly. Losing wicket after wicket we showed an embarrassing amount of fight. Only B. Lobban looking to put true value on his wicket in both innings saved us from even graver figures. Whilst losing a player hurt us on the scoreboard this effected the D-Grade's mantra, which they had worked hard to instil through this season, but like any good story, we'll be back!

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After a disappointing Round 7 result, sweeping changes were made in a key battle for finals contention. With possibly the strongest line up the D Grade had had on the park all season; we knew we were in with a decent shot of taking down Grange and securing our finals campaign.

On what can only be described as a stifling hot day, Mosey won a crucial toss and we elected to bat, early on the heat was taking its toll on the opposition, but tight bowling from Grange restricted us to only 161 runs off 52 overs, with the best of the batters being C. Aust with 38 accompanied by handy late order hitting from L. Rippon blasting 25. With 16 overs left in the day, Branford and Brabham opened up keeping in tight, they had Grange two down at the close of play.

Day 2 was starkly different, a comfortable 24 degrees and cloud cover meant it was a lot easier from ball one in the field. Branford bowled well in his opening spell, but Grange started to get a partnership going and at 4/101 we looked in trouble. A great second spell from Branford again proved to be the difference taking 2 for none in consecutive balls and bring the balance of the game back in our favour. A miraculous catch from Heath snared their skipper and brought us back on top and as the overs went by chances kept coming. Again, the momentum swung to Grange putting together a late partnership getting to 8/159, again Branford stepping up this time in the field scoring a direct hit run out, only balls later Brabham bowling the last batsman again two wickets for no score, we won in what can only be described as one of the D-Grade's best wins for a long time, if not all time. The pick of the bowlers was Branford 6/60, class act!

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With day one washed out by rain, we headed down south for day two. Reynella won the toss and elected to bat, a well-rounded performance by the bowlers restricted Reynella to only 117 for the loss of eight wickets, the pick of the bowlers was T. Taylor 3/32.

Our batting was a mixed story with most going on to make starts but not push on with scoring, except B. Lobban, making a commanding 58 not out to steer our ship to victory. It was probably our most lacklustre victory for the season, but as always points on the board are always important.

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Having only played Grange two rounds prior we knew it was going to be a tough game. We won the toss and elected to bat. Loosing both openers cheaply we were against it from the start but a great partnership from C. Aust and D. Kieu steadied the ship, whilst only making 9 off 115 balls, Don showed great maturity in seeing off the knew rock and allowing our late order hitting to shine. A great cameo from J. Clarke 28 off not many more balls set up J. Gould the finisher piling off an effortless 53 to set us up with a respectable 157.

We knew with 157 on the board it would be a tough match, but early break throughs from G. Branford finishing with 3/9 off 11 set us up. The wickets were shared around and our ability to keep taking wickets regularly halted Grange's ability to get meaningful partnerships and thus runs. N. Brown late in to the attack cleaned up the tail with ease, taking 3/10. A comprehensive victory over a finals bound opponent who had given us a real run for our money earlier in the season.

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With a depleted bowling line up in our last minor round match, we knew it would be tough, however we believed if we took our chances this was definitely match, we could win cementing a top two position. Our bowlers worked tirelessly, but nine dropped catches wasted valuable chances and added over 100 runs to a tally we would need to chase. But special mention has to go to D. Mosey taking 5/67 (first 5 for) and A. Branham 4/62, despite the let downs in the field, these two played exceptionally well.

Knowing we would need to bat well the second week; it was with some elation that the whole round was washed out. Whilst this meant one of our players couldn't chase down the ATCA C2 batting trophy as just rewards for his season's efforts, it meant a top two position was locked in and we were finals bound.

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Arriving at the superb Park 9 ground, the D grade won the toss and elected to have a bat. Patrick Sadlier (12) and Ben Lobban (15) both did their best to protect their wickets, with both batsmen facing in excess of 80 balls. Cameos from Charles Aust (18 off 22) and John Gould (24 off 31) endeavoured to put the pressure back onto the Brighton bowlers. However, PAC continued to struggle to build solid partnerships, losing regular wickets to fall 7-95. Daniel Mosey (13 off 60) was able to steady the innings with the help of Nick Brown (15) to guide PAC to 127, a defendable total given their bowling attack.

The following day, Gary Branford was able to steam in and had Brighton 3-7, and was bowling some serious heat for C2 cricket. Brighton were then able to build a strong partnership of 70, with several missed chances from PAC in the field during this time. The breakthrough came in the form of cramping opening bowler, Gary Branford, who switched to leggies during his spell, only to trap their best batsman LBW with that first ball. Brighton were able to work from 4/78 to 5/108 and were in control. Some untidy fielding throughout the day was coming back to haunt PAC. Captain Daniel Mosey decided to bring himself back on for a bowl at the death, only to take 2 quick wickets and a sharp catch off a skied ball from Branford to bring Brighton 7/119, 8 runs short of victory. Another LBW off Mosey in the 63rd over had the Brighton tail end very nervous, being 8-126, 2 required to win. However, Brighton were able to secure these 2 runs in the form of extras.

A gutsy battle from the D grade all the way until the very end. Well done to Gary Branford for his 5fa, finishing 5-45 (24), and Daniel Mosey 3-26 (11). Further thanks to any one who came out to support over the 2 days, and also Raj and Venkat for their superb culinary work on Sunday.

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We travelled to Flinders Uni to play their A-grade. 3 of our players had made it to the ground by the time the FUCCs lads had finished a 35 minute warm up.

They won the toss and batted, we bowled and fielded like a team that hadn't started preseason. 8 dropped catches in 40 overs as Flanders Uni posted a mammoth 229. Philly picked up 3 wickets and Heito was the only bowler to finish with an economy rate under 4.

With the bat we lost a wicket early, and were pushed further onto the back foot when the TTG A-Grade bowler marked out the longest run-up ever seen in ATCA cricket. ARicho enjoyed the pace on the ball with a brisk 26 off 22, but not many others could handle it, and we started to fall behind the required rate.

Yogi was elevated up the order and started to drag us back into the contest. At 4/150 with 12 overs to go, we needed just over a run a ball, we were in the hunt, but when yogi fell for 43 from 29 balls, the rest of the boys followed suit fairly quickly and we were bowled out for 174. Clev made 52 and Weed 29 the only other scores of note.

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Round 2 - What better way to spend a Saturday than rolling out onto the hallowed turf of the Front Oval to take on Alex Chapman (Kensington)?

The big stage was set and Weed won the toss and backed us in with the bat. Richo punished the opening bowler for a handful of entertaining boundaries before riding his luck too far and losing his stumps. A good start, but unfinished business was the case for a handful of our batters (Weed 28, Francesca 29, Jones 16), only to be worsened by a middle order collapse. A batters paradise of a pitch and lightening fast outfield wasn't enough to help us as we limped to a moderate total of 141 All Out.

The challenge and pressure was now firmly on the bowlers, but unfortunately Kensi's lineup was just too strong and they meandered to a victory. Crossing our total 2 down with 4 overs remaining to win by 8 wickets. The one shining moment in the field was another 'hip' high full toss wicket to Andrew Heitmann dismiss Chappie. A delivery usually boundary bound has become a weapon this year for the wiley veteran as he places another prized top order bat into his deep pockets. But all in all a bit of a disappointing day for the Reds.

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The Ebeneezer Goode's made their season debut at the Spiritual Home of PAOC Cricket against Adelaide Lutheran. Having played the previous game on the Front Oval dry zone, it was a welcome change for the E's to play at Park 15 in the shade of the Magic Faraway Tree, knowing that post-match beers could be consumed.

The popular Co-Captain, Thomas Phillips, won the toss and elected to bat first.

Whilst every player contributed in some form, this game was the "Sanders Show". In years gone by the Sanders name has featured at Park 15, generally attributed to Greg "Colonel" or Tim "Baz" Sanders. This time it was Sam G Sanders, who was making a guest appearance down from the A's.

At 2/32 Sanders strode to the crease and dominated the Lutheran's A Grade attack, notching up his debut century for the Club, scoring 117 runs off 76 balls, which included 13 x 4's and 8 x 6's. A superb knock that helped the E's post 226 runs off their allotted 40 overs.

During the break, player Heitmann introduced Matthew Georgiadis to his Vice President player sponsor, former Club Secretary, Fred Fairhead. This was a timely introduction, as Georgiadis trapped their opener LBW with the first ball of the innings while Fred was looking on.

The opposition's poor start continued, this time at the hands of Sanders, who took a fine one handed catch down low at first slip, giving player Heitmann his first career wicket from a legitimate outswinger.

Sanders impact on the game continued when he came on first change and proceeded to tear through the middle order in a incredible spell of quick bowling. He finished his allotment of 9 overs with 3/35.

A great first win for the season for the E's in LO1 and Sanders was rewarded with that accolade all Turf cricketers strive for - a Double Mail.

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The LO1 troops returned to the great Park 15 to play against Adelaide Rockets, hoping to continue on their good form from the previous week. Although the star from last week, Sam Sanders, was unavailable, the PAOC lineup looked strong on paper.

PAOC went in to bat first, with Swale and Angus Marshall both looking good from the outset. However knowing the depth of the batting lineup - in pushing for quick runs, both holed out trying to aerial. Captain Weidenhofer and Charlie Marshall then continued the innings, with both looking comfortable.

Once the slow bowlers started, it suddenly became a lot more difficult out in the middle. As the runs dried up, we started losing wickets quickly, with 2/40 becoming 7/55. Jones and Phillips attempted to knuckle down to see the innings through, with some excellent late hitting from both Philly (31) and Georgiadis (28) bringing the total to 10/126 in the 39th over.

We started brightly with the ball, with Heitmann taking a scalp in his first over. Wickets continued to fall regularly keeping us well and truly in the game, including a Tim-Paine-esquestumping from Keeves off Georgiadis' bowling. With the batsmen wandering around the crease after a play and miss, Keeves threw the stumps down catching the bloke short!

At 6/60 straight after drinks things were still very close, but from there the Rockets ran away with it, finishing the chase in the 33rd over, still 6 wickets down. Heito finished with 2 wickets, with 1 each for Georgiadis, Phillips and Dalwood.

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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The PAC Back Oval was the venue for our Round 7 clash against the Adelaide Rockets.

Captain Phillips sent the Rockets in and they despite an early wicket to Georgiadis, they were off to a flier reaching 1/60 off 10 and 1/136 off 20. From there, it didn't get any prettier with Harvey continuing to launch balls onto the school roof. He hit a total of 14 fours and 9 sixes which resulted in 4 lost balls. By the time he was finished, he had 149 to his name - the highest ever individual score for the Adelaide Rockets. All bowlers copped it, particularly Phillips (0/66 off 6) and Francesca (0/52 off 5). Smith was the most economical and pick of the bowlers, taking 2/33 off 6 overs. Rockets finishing on a very impressive 6/302 off 40.

In reply, Goergiadis was out early, LBW to March. Hurburgh and Swale set about chasing down the large Rockets score, with Hurburgh reaching 25* off 16 balls before the rain came, washing out proceedings. We finished the day on 1/33 off 6 overs, vowing to never play another LO1 game on the Back Oval!

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After losing the toss against MSCC and being sent in to bowl, we put on a professional performance with a stacked bowling line up. Sanders and Georgiadis combined for 8 wickets, with Sanders claiming his first 5 wicket haul as well as a run out in what was a spectacular performance. Riley Robinson bowled very well in a tight spell as well as we rolled MSCC for 133.

In response, MSCC struck early with the big wicket of Sam Tyler, however Sam Hurburgh guided the team to victory with a classy 72*. Riley Robinson chipped in with 32 runs for an overall well-rounded performance.

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Gepps Cross won the toss and after some deliberation, elected to bat. Heito got us off to a flier, picking up 3 wickets in the first 8 overs. Gepps Cross steadied but Brad Pedler, on PAOC debut, kept things tight. Gepps Cross turned for half way at 4/71. After the break, we continued to tighten the screws and after further wickets to Pedler and two to Connor Craigie, Gepps Cross were on the back foot at 7/100. Pedler, in his first game of cricket for over 10 years, finished with the excellent figures of 9 overs 2/25. Unfortunately we couldn't land a knock out blow and with Sanders unable to bowl his final 3 overs, Gepps got away a bit towards the end, posting 8/181.

In reply, we lost Jones, Weidenhofer and Z. Richards early but Tamblyn and Sanders looked to have the game in hand, reaching 2/93 off 20 overs, needing 88 off the last 20 overs. Unfortunately when Sanders was out for a quick fire 34 (3 sixes and 2 fours), we lost a couple of quick wickets to be 6/125. Tamblyn continued to anchor the innings and just needed someone to help him get home. Pedler made 20 off 20 balls but at 8/157, we still needed 24. Tamblyn got us within 9 but was run out for a well made 61. That left Heitmann and Brabbahm to make the final 9 runs. Brabham was twice dropped on the boundary but Heitmann wasn't lucky a third time, holing out 7 runs short of the Gepps Cross score.

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In Round 10 PAOC LO1's took on the reigning premiers Flinders University.

With their wicketkeeper, we were hopeful for a spirited and fair game and most of all to knock them of their perch. Flinders batted first and we got off to a good start with an early couple of wickets. The first 20 we kept things tidy and went into the drinks break with promise of a reasonable total to chase. Flinders proceeded to belt us around the park for the remaining 20 to post a significant total of 247 with only 5 down. The pick of the bowlers was Crazy with figures of 1/36 off 9, Tom Phillips going at 10 an over managed to pick up 3, great bowling Tom.

Chasing down 247 was always going to be a challenge however with Sam Hurburgh and Harry Hockney opening we thought we had a good shot. They got us off to a brilliant start with Hurburgh making a near run a ball 61. With the fall of the two openers and we were 2/81 this is when our day went from bad to worse. Our mighty captain deciding to run out A Richards at the no strikers end after giving the bowler a caught and bowled opportunity for it only to be dropped and clip the bails, shit luck. All I can say it wasn't a duck or a diamond duck like others have experienced in this LO1's this fateful year. From here we thought Weed would settle in after ruining is teammates afternoon to get us across the line all he could manage was a College 30 to make the paper. There was a little resistance from Ghumman and Jones to chew some overs up however we were all out for 174 in the 37 overs well short of the required target.

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We returned to Park 15, looking for revenge following a narrow loss to Gepps Cross two weeks earlier.

Weidenhofer won the toss and elected to bat first, opening up with fellow co-captain, Phillips. They got the Reds off to a steady start, before Weidenhofer holed out for 31 in the 10th over (1/44). Our steady start continued with Phillips the only casualty between overs 10-20, reaching 2/74 at half way. With Greber and Ghumman at the crease, we were well placed to up the run rate. However, the next 10 overs were a disaster, losing 4/14 to be in big trouble at 6/89. Veterans King and Smith set about resurrecting the innings with some sensible batting, putting on 49 for the 7th wicket. King made 22 and Smith 27 as we finished our 40 overs on 8/142.

In reply, Gepps Cross made relatively light work of our total chasing them down in 28.2 overs, for the loss of just 4 wickets. Greber was the only multiple wicket taker, taking 3 of the 4 wickets to fall (3/35 off 8). Culshaw made a rare appearance at the bowling crease, finishing with the figures of 0.2 overs, 0/6 (1 six).

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Round 12 saw us take on Goodwood at Park 15. Michael Clarke made his season debut after a long lay-off from injury, with Chris Spencer also down from the A-Grade.

Goodwood won their first toss for the year and weren't sure what to do. After some deliberation, they elected to bowl first on a nice looking Park 15 pitch. Spence and Weed joined forces once again at the top of the order and made a solid start before Spencer departed with the score on 22. Soon after, we suffered a mini collapse and were soon left reeling at 6 for 45. Jones and Clarke set about resurrecting the innnings and compiled a solid 37 run partnership. However there was little resistance after that and we were bundled out for 97 off just 32.1 overs. Clarke the main stay with a very polished 25.

With only 97 on the board, early wickets were key and although Otters snagged one, Goodwood's leading batsmen Potts and Wood made light work of our total, with the only delay a lost ball in the Dequetteville Terrace drain! Goodwood home with 8 wickets and 21.1 overs to spare, with beers being consumed by 4:30pm!

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Match abandoned due to rain

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Waite Oval was a treat for our Round 14 clash against Mercedes OC. Mercedes won the toss and elected to bat but Heitmann claimed yet another early wicket. From there, we bowled well without much luck and Mercedes crawled their way to 1/55 at half way. Mercedes started to up the ante somewhat, before Phillips struck, with the score on 80 in the 26th over. From that point on, Phillips and the ever green Ben Allen took over. Allen had the ball on a string, taking 3/15 off 8.2 overs, as did Phillips (3/23 off 9 overs). Mercedes slumping to 9/101 and eventually all out for 120 after Greber copped some late tap.

In reply, we had the run chase relatively well under control, managing to chase the Mercedes total down in 27.4 overs for the loss of just 3 wickets. Tamblyn was pick of the batters with a controlled 39*, Ned Pontifex (on loan from LO6) made 27 and Josh Greber made a very nice 21.

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The captain was struggling to get a team together for the relegation battle against MSCC, but with a few players making their LO1 debut and a Thumper cameo we just got there.

We won the toss and strangely chose to bowl despite having only two recognised bowlers. Clarke opened and bowled his 9 overs straight, for the tremendous figures of 4/18. He bowled with excellent control, and really gave us a chance from his blistering opening spell. The highlight wicket from a dropped catch from Coop which deflected to Ed Thomas. Smith then tried to turn back the clock with some very slow pace to varying success. Ed Thomas then also came off the long run, and his first ball half tracker was caught by his brother at mid on (learning from his identical drop earlier). Weidenhofer then tried his turn at pace bowling and was very economical with a few wickets off his 6 overs until old age soreness struck. Heitmann came back into the attack which produced one of the rarest sights on a cricket field... Venkat taking a catch at gully! In the end we bowled them out for 142 which was a pleasing result given the makeshift bowling lineup.

Unfortunately our batting was not up to the challenge on the day. Thumper opened the batting and top scored with a well made 25, before succumbing to the usual LBW. We had some quality batting though in the middle order, but their first change bowler ripped through with some excellent pace for 4 quick wickets. The remaining batters tried hard but we always just looked a little behind the run chase. In a pleasing/unpleasing note despite falling short of the run chase we were not actually bowled all out, when Ed Thomas decided blocking the last over for red ink was more important.

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Round 16 brought us to glorious Parkinson Oval while Kensington's district sides sat out a bye on a day that couldn't have been better for cricket. After losing the bat flip but winning the coin toss, Tom Phillips decided to bat on a cracker of a pitch. A class-filled innings of exactly 69 from Tyler was well supported with some handy contributions from Spencer (15) and Weidenhofer (28), which allowed Phillips (28) and Clarke (21) to hit some boundaries at the end to get us to 200.

Kensington chased very strongly but regular wickets from Greber (2/45), Tyler (2/31) and Clarke (2/59) kept the balance of the game teetering throughout. Some of the older heads from Kensington stayed calm and poked their noses in front with 2 balls and 2 wickets to spare in a game played to a high standard and in the right spirit.

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With relegation to LO2 a certainty, the Reds entered the game looking for either a miracle win or early beers. Sadly, neither were to be.

The Blacks won the toss and opted to bat first. The Reds looked in ok position going into drinks, however Warner then set aim for the Magic Far Away Tree. Warner went on to launch 11 sixes on his way to 97 before hauling out Heito (special mention to Heito for the safest pair of hands at PAOCCC). Blacks ended up 6/234 off the 40 overs.

Needing 6 an over to pull off a miracle, Richo (62) got the Reds off to a quick start with support from Weed (33). Richo got the slog sweep into gear putting a number of balls into the Magic Far Away Tree. With Trent Smith and Dave Gerner at the crease, the Reds were in with a chance to pull off a miracle win. With Trent departing for 45 and Dave for 42, it was time for Siciliano to bring the Reds home - something he has done many times over the years. It was not to be this time for Sic, who was run out for a diamond duck, providing the most laughs I have ever witnessed in a cricket match so tight. Sadly the Reds finished up 8/226, 8 runs short.

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Match abandoned due to rain

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The scramble for players was standard fare for mid October, and the XI was only finalized the morning of the match. We won the toss and sent the Brigade in on a very soft, sticky wicket. Sure enough Benny Allen and Raj Gopal got the ball to stick and dart around, with Raj getting some early wickets. They had one good player who was tough to get out, and was doing all the scoring. Nonetheless we ground out his partners with some impressive catching at this level, including an absolute one handed blinder by middle-aged newcomer Peter Harris. Young Henry Pontifex bowled controlled leg spin to get 3 wickets including their best batsman, and Raj managed an outstanding 5/14 off his 9 overs.

We were chasing 92 and had good depth in the lineup. Wickets came with early season rust and difficulty with the slow pitch, but thankfully so did a heap of wides from the opposition. Olly held firm to hold on going into the break on 3 well fought runs, and the team on 3/31. The ante went up as runs were being scored at a better rate, but wickets were also falling despite the need to turn down dozens of outrageous appeals. The tension was building as co-captain Allen entered at 8-78 but departed as he smoked a ball straight to cover meaning we only had one wicket left and 8 runs to get. Enter Venkat. Some very smart batting and with Olly carrying his bat for an excellent 31* got us over the line with 2 balls to spare. A very satisfying win and hopefully bodes well for the rest of the season.

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Just a lazy 10 changes to the team from Round 1 saw us take on last year's premiers Pembroke away at KFC Park 17.

Batting first, a steady flow of wickets with no solid partnerships develop saw us 6 for 57 in the 19th, when opener Rohit Gopalan fell for 33. Old timers Jack Brabham and Ben Allen, captaining his first game in decades, took us to 7-86 with our biggest partnership, then all out 103. Allen 23.
Brabham removed their opener first ball, Jack Emmett castled the other opener for a duck. 2-2 then became 5-29 with the Reds right on top. Some middle order runs took them to 9-63 with an early finish within reach. Some nervous moments followed as their last pair rode their luck and took them to within 5 runs, when Rajasekar Kesavan did the business with an LBW to finish the match with another tight finish.

Brabham 4-23, Emmett 2-17, Kesavan 3-24, Allen 1-7.

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The PAC Back Oval hosted this top of the table clash against Adelaide Lions.

Some more consistency this week, with just the 7 changes from Round 2. The Lions brought us back down to earth, knocking up 5-221 off their 40 overs.
We used 7 bowlers, none really getting on top. Gopalan picked up 2-49, new club man Nelson Ellis toiled manfully against the tide for his 1 wicket at under 4 an over, and Allen was reduced to shuffling in with a tweaked hammy, but also managed to jag 1-21 off his 9.

Our run chase started slowly but surely against some tight bowling. Openers Paddy England and Jonny Coop saw off the new ball to take us to 1-32 in the 18th. It was always going to be a struggle to chase their big total, and despite some lusty hitting from Ellis and Gopalan, we were rolled for 111. Venkat left stranded on 11, with 2 boundaries.

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You know when MyCricket takes you to a ground that is hosting a half finished game from the suburban league, that it might be a long afternoon. This is on the back of a few days of desperately finding anyone who could complete our XI. We eventually found the other Park 21 hard wicket on the other side, and I put my 8 cones out and tried to get the stumps to stay up in the loose dirt. A narrow wicket to say the least, and one that most of us hadn't played on since primary school.

We lost the toss, and after a number of introductions and a quick roll call for who thought they could bowl, we were ready. Nelson Ellis and Wolverine toiled hard and grabbed a few wickets each, and newcomer Lochie Glazbrook bowled well but without reward. Unfortunately their skipper tonned up and they made 7/237. Highlights were not one, but two elite throw down runouts by the great Venkat.
A steady start and a quick 25 by Damo Heath gave us a sniff, but steady wickets destroyed any chance we may have had. We were all out for 130 with an unbeaten 55 from Pontifex.

A COVID break will hopefully give us a chance to regroup and get back in the winners circle after consecutive losses.

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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Match abandoned as a consequence of COVID-19

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A big hike north on a cold, windy and eventually wet afternoon saw us meet Modbury. The first 20 on a sticky wicket are never easy, but we got there only 1 down for 50 odd and with a good platform. We accelerated in the back half with plenty of wickets in the sheds with Olsson 32, Pontifex 31, Dickson a run-a-ball 20, and with BA and Butler scoring late to get us to 142.

Their innings begun as the front came through - delaying the start but their skipper seemed more than happy to kick on, and even happier to umpire and fire out most of his top order. BA was bowling beautifully mind you, despite the cold wind that had me in my cable weave jumper for the second time in the 20 years I've owned it. Olly had a ripping day when on a whim he wandered into a second gully position - apparently he had a feeling in his old bones, and sure enough that very over he took a sharp catch to his left. He deservingly celebrated hard and wailed whilst still lying on the turf how much he 'loved this f#@king game!'. Benny ended up with 3/12 and Alexander managed 4/22. Johnny Coop should also be mentioned for two fine catches fielding in the ring, and Manideep Katkuri took his first wicket for the club.

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The first time we played these guys, we got smoked. Today was unfortunately no different. As the Australian team was bowling India out for 36, we were slowly compiling a total to work with. The big Park 9 boundaries were causing problems for old blokes running threes. Only two players made double figures with Pontifex 43 and Rawlinson 17, on our way to 9/110 which was a big ask to defend against one of the top sides.

Their predominantly Indian team seemed keen to get to the Oval as they went very hard at our bowlers, reaching their target in the 16th over. Young Mason O'Callaghan took two wickets in his first game for the club, and Ben Allen reminded us all to not take any crap from the opposition as he demanded their square leg umpire to take that position rather than doing it from point. A pretty heated argument kicked off, and this was really our only win for the day as their captain removed this umpire from the ground and graciously apologised. A big loss, but we managed to get in the last hour of the Test as the Aussies wrapped it up inside 3 days.

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Our first game for 2021 bought a Christmas miracle in the form of 'Sugar' Kain Noack playing his first game since winning a flag with us 7 years earlier. And what a treat it was. We won the toss and batted first. Taking some liberty, I opened with my 15yo son Henry which was the first time I had ever batted in a game with him. We got off to a good start getting to 58 before I was removed, and then in walked Kain. A few hours and 236 runs later, the opposition were well and truly on their knees. Noack was eventually out for 113, giving Paddy England a look at a few balls at the end. Henry Pontifex scored 129 not out in a total of 2/306. The 236 run partnership between Noack and Pontifex recorded the 2nd highest LO partnership and the 5th highest on record for the club.

Their innings was only ever batting practice, and Raj Kesavan tightened the noose with 4/17 and Clement Ting taking 2/22. A big day and an important win to get us back in the winner's column.

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After last week's demolition of Woodville Rechabites, we had the return bout at Findon High.
This week's father son combo was Josh and Scott Greber. Centurion Henry and father captain Ned Pontifex had the week off.

The 'Wreckers had some temporary recruits from higher grades this week, and it showed. Opener Kain Noack couldn't quite find the same touch as last week, and was first man out with the score on 25.
Richard Hockney and Josh Greber put on a solid 56 for the 2nd wicket, but after that it was all downhill. We lost 9-36 to be all out for 117. Less than Henry Pontifex made for us against the same side last week.

We thought our bowling lineup could be good enough to defend that total, but it wasn't to be. Josh Greber (2fer), Kesavan and Allen (2fer) all bowled their 9 overs cheaply, but Woodville got the total 4 down in the 38th over.

An unexpected loss against one of the bottom sides. It's a funny game.

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Scratching around for an 11th player the morning of the game rarely inspires much confidence for the group, but this time it felt different as it was the lion-hearted Simon Butler agreeing to play with a broken finger. We won the toss and batted playing steady cricket right through the innings with Pontifex 39, Kesavan 22 and a few solid 17 not outs from Ben Allen and Clement Ting (including a big 6 down the ground on the last ball) at the end. A good team effort got us to 166 and we felt this should be enough.

A run out in the first over and wickets from our openers Allen and Kesavan had them 3/5. The fielding was spectacular - a one-handed screamer from Lachlan Pontifex, two (not one, but two) catches from 'busted pinky' Butler, and a one-handed left glove catch behind the stumps to help Kesavan reach the handy figures of 6/21 off 8 overs. They did have a few batters in the middle of their innings who gave us a scare, but we had done enough to get the win. Singh took his first wicket for the club, and we were lucky to play in the game that finally anointed Sir Lachlan Pontifex to complete his 27-year journey to life membership of our great club.

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After a good win, we had some momentum coming into our game against the undefeated Adelaide Lions, who had touched us up earlier in the season. We took a head count at 12.40, and we were still one short.

One of our lads was a late scratching, but we managed to track down Andrew Olsson in the fertiliser aisle at Bunnings Kent Town, who said he could get there by 1.45, so he was in, listed to bat at #6. Lucky we did, as batting first, it was only really opener Patrick Singleton with an impressive 63, and Olly with 36, who kept the scoreboard ticking over. The late call up must have rattled Olly's usual pre game routine, as he hit 2 fours, a rare 5, and an even rarer 6 in his middle order contribution, at almost a run every 2 balls. Note to selectors and captains. Having scrambled to 7-147, we have given ourselves a chance.

A couple of early wickets to Kesavan and Allen had them 2-20, which leaked to 2-58 at the half way mark. Then a flurry of wickets saw the Lions slipping from 2-83 to 7-104, then 8-123, the Reds with their tails up. Unfortunately their numbers 8 and 10 started to connect, and got the runs with 2 overs to spare. We certainly had our chances, and a narrow loss against the undefeated Lions at least gave us a confidence boost coming in to the serious end of the season
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One each to Kesavan, Singleton and Marshall, and 5-21 for Allen not quite enough to see us home.

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Match abandoned due to rain

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Still a chance for finals when we arrived at KFC Park to play the second placed side. With Sam Pontifex as a special guest spectator, I must say speaking as a fan my spring in the step received a boost.

Winning the toss and batting saw an early wicket with Paddy England bowled which brought Noack to the crease. Lucky to have such a class player in the side, and the only way they could get him out was by him flicking his leg back to kick a leg side ball back onto his own stumps. Ollie got the shine off the ball before snicking off, and then Pontifex (39) and Alex Brown (35) shared a 52-run partnership to get to 113 and in a strong position with plenty of wickets and overs in hand. Unfortunately, we then lost 6 wickets for 32 in the last 11 overs to reach 145, but still confident we could get it done.

The first 6 overs of the Pembroke innings bumbled along, before Benny 'Career best form at 50' Allen (3/9 off 9) took an LBW and a first and second ball bowleds in the 7th over to smash through their top order in the space of 4 balls. The second placed side would always fight back, and unfortunately we dropped a few catches off Pete Harris who bowled for the first time in 31 years - 4 good overs for 0/11. They formed a good partnership to get them to 3/100 with 10 overs to go and our chances looking unlikely. The Red spirit then kicked in with Toddy Alexander (2/26) finding a way to feed me a stumping, and then 3 outstanding run outs including a 1 stump direct hit from none other than Paddy England. It was particularly satisfying to see such brilliant fielding efforts in such pressure situations. Kesavan cleaned up the tail late and we bowled them out for 133 giving us the win we needed to kick forward into the last two games with a finals berth a genuine chance.

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2 rounds to play, and we are in the 4.

The last 2 scheduled matches are against Glenunga, at Glenunga. They sit 3rd, and we knew a win would secure a spot in the finals. Winning the toss and batting, all goes to script. Olsson soaks up dots against the new ball, while Kain Noack again passed 50. Ned Pontifex at #3 did his bit with a solid 42.
1-66 at drinks. Andrew Olsson did a hamstring lunging forward to a spinner, then lost his wicket swinging hard. Then Josh Greber, 40 years Olly's junior, also jagged a hammy taking off for a sharp single and limped off retired hurt. His first hamstring - a proud moment.

The innings also limped along, taking us to what we hoped would be a very defendable 6-160. Noack 63. Coop 0*. Innings footnote - Some minor controversy when the Glenunga captain and players were taught a new Law of the game in the back foot no ball by the eternally vigilant umpire Allen. 3 times. In one over. They scrambled to find the Laws of Cricket at the tea break Also of note 0.0 wides called against the Glenunga bowlers. Watch this space, readers.

Without the bowling services of Josh Greber, but with 4 other seamers and Clement Ting to bowl his tweakers, we were still hopeful of a vital win.
Glenunga batted sensibly from the start, and showed why they were ahead of us on the ladder. Our bowlers failed to make early inroads, 1-36 became 2-51, then 2-87 at the halfway mark, when we still felt in the game. A couple of quick ones after drinks gave us a sniff at 4-102. Then at 6-137 with 24 runs still to get, we could sense a finals berth within reach. Their #3 batsman was however still standing in our way. Glenunga passed our total 6 down, in the 36th over.

Kesavan 2-35, Mason O'Callaghan 1-39, Allen 1-29.
Our cause was not helped by our bowlers conceding 31 wides. And having learned the Laws of the game, their umpires also got into the swing of things by calling back foot no-balls against our bowlers too. Knowledge is power. We heard after the game that 5th placed Flinders Uni had upset top side Adelaide Lions, meaning we dropped back to 5th, and Glenunga went top. That's cricket.

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Match abandoned due to rain