From the Pavilion – Round 3 Randwick Petersham v Northern Districts (2 Day Match)
In Round 3 attention turned to the more traditional 2-day fixtures for the first time in season 2016/17 with Northern Districts hosting us in three grades. The Rangers had made a dominant start to the season topping the Club Championship after winning 9 from their opening 10 matches. On a fine day, batsmen filled their boots across much of Sydney and that was no different in the higher grade matches at Waitara and Coogee which turned into run fests. It was a different story in lower grade matches where all 3 matches are evenly poised after compelling contest battle between bat and ball throughout the day. See below for all the team changes and which players took flight in Round 3 as we looked to continue our strong start to the season and have a “winning” round against a team currently at the top of the Club Championship.
Round 3 Match Report Randwick Petersham (6th Club Championship) v Northern Districts (1st Club Championship)
In Round 3 attention turned to the more traditional 2-day fixtures for the first time in season 2016/17 with Northern Districts hosting us in three grades. The Rangers had made a dominant start to the season topping the Club Championship after winning 9 from their opening 10 matches. On a fine day, batsmen filled their boots across much of Sydney and that was no different in the higher grade matches at Waitara and Coogee which turned into run fests. It was a different story in lower grade matches where all 3 matches are evenly poised after compelling contest battle between bat and ball throughout the day. See below for all the team changes and which players took flight in Round 3 as we looked to continue our strong start to the season and have a “winning” round against a team currently at the top of the Club Championship.
Beastwear 1st Grade – Northern Districts (1st) v Randwick Petersham (7th) @ Waitara
Team – Kemp (c), A.Sams (+), Price, Scicluna, D.Sams, Psarakis, Balbirnie, Semple, Chibber, Nesser, West
Result – Randwick Petersham 6/431 Declared (Psarakis 110n/o, A.Sams 79, Scicluna 73, Kemp, 63, Price 40) v Northern Districts 0/11
Two undefeated sides met in an early blockbuster here as our boys faced their first road game of the year against high flying Northern Districts. We continued our dominant start to the season by racking up a huge score at Waitara Oval, putting down a marker that when on song our batting line-up might just be the strongest in Sydney. With Sean Eaton unavailable and Sam Doggett departing, it paved the way for Andrew Balbirnie to make his first grade debut and Francois Nesser to be recalled to the side for the first time this season.
Our side’s top order has been in imperious form since the pre-season and they marched on here by flaying the Rangers’ bowlers to all parts on our way to 6/431 declared. Alex Kemp (63) and Anthony Sams (79) would have to be close to the most imposing and dominant opening partnership in the competition, this time putting on 146 while barely raising a sweat. With 22 boundaries between them, there wasn’t too much running to be done as they laid the foundations for a fill your boots type day. Nathan Price (40) scored at better than a run-a-ball, before Jake Scicluna (73) continued his fine form as the score ticked over 300 for the loss of only 4 wickets. Scicluna scored just as quickly as our opening pair, however was a little more circumspect scoring 8 boundaries and taking the singles on offer. However the star of the show was well hidden until late in the day. It was James Psarakis (110 n/o) who was the batsman that capitalised most with a brutal century in near even time. “Jimmy” is a very talented batsman who has had to bide his time and be patient with opportunities in First Grade to date. What is so impressive for mine about Psarakis is that he is a great thinker and is old school in the way he just puts his head down and lets his bat do the talking. I think there is plenty more to come from “Jimmy” with two First Grade hundreds already under his belt so early in his career. With Balbirnie (23) looking in great touch before being run out, “Kempy” eventually brought the boys in to have a late crack at the Rangers before stumps.
While chasing 431 might be a tall order for the Rangers, by the same token it will be real grind for our boys to take 10 wickets next week on a flat surface. We need to avoid those “dominant draws” that plagued the team from taking maximum points last year and Saturday is a great opportunity to buck that trend.
Frankie & Swiss 2nd Grade – Randwick Petersham (15th) v Northern Districts (8th) @ Coogee
Team – Moran, Everett (+), Mackay, Hassan, Holland (c), Lyle, Ram, Hart, McGann, Wood, Tyson
Result – Northern Districts 8/427 (Ram 3/104-23) Declared – 88 Overs v Randwick Petersham 1/23 – 6 Overs
It was a long day of toil for 2nd Grade on a highway at Coogee as the Rangers piled on the runs under a baking sun. With Pat McGann back from injury the bowling stocks were boosted, while Jack Lyle was rewarded for his strong start to the season with a promotion from 3rd grade.
Losing another toss it was always going to be a tough slog for our boys as the Rangers contained an experienced and talented batting line up. After a hefty opening stand the Rangers also surged late in the day to reach a dominant position of 8/427 declared in 88 overs. Coogee Oval has long been considered one of the top few batting venues in Sydney with its flat wicket, fast outfield and short straight boundaries and the Rangers won a good toss here on a day tailor-made for batting. It was a day of huge scores across the higher grades in Sydney and, despite our boys toiling away, they will be in for an almighty run chase if they want to register their first victory of season 2016/2017. Pat McGann (1/31-11) was the best of the bowlers before succumbing to a recurring injury which left us a bowler short after tea. With the spinners unable to make an impact on a deck not offering any assistance, it was up to James Tyson (1/84-17), Sam Wood (1/114-23) and Kushal Ram (3/104-23) to bowl 63 overs between them in a marathon effort. It’s the most overs “Woody” and “Kush” would have bowled in a day and would have been a good learning experience. “Kush” has really taken his opportunity in 2’s this year and is starting to put together consistent performances required to be a force in higher grade cricket.
It is always an opener’s worst nightmare having to go in and survive the final embers of the day and the Rangers struck an early blow to leave us 1/23 at stumps. While 427 might seem a long way away, is a great opportunity for some of our batsmen to play themselves into form and kickstart their seasons. If we can get to tea with only 2 or 3 wickets down anything is possible, particularly at Coogee against a tiring bowling attack.
Petersham RSL 3rd Grade – Northern Districts (2nd) v Randwick Petersham (7th) @ Asquith
Team – Stares, Schubert (c), Ahmed, McLoughlin, James, Burton, Nawaz, Ali, Stafford (c), Wallis, Mckenzie
Result – Northern Districts 8/262 (Stafford 4/63-21, Mckenzie 3/60-21) – 80 Overs v Randwick Petersham
Rod Stafford stormed off the field with a face like thunder after losing another toss as 3rd grade were sent into the field for the 3rd week running. 3rd Grade faced their first road trip of the season making the long journey out to Asquith Oval to take on the undefeated Rangers. With Koser Ahmed promoted in the side after a strong start to the year in 4th Grade, Stafford’s men were looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat to local rivals Wests last week.
On a day where the momentum ebbed and flowed, we were able to restrict the Rangers to 8/262 from 80 overs, a respectable effort on a day when bowlers suffered across most parts of Sydney. A new opening bowling partnership of Matt Wallis (1/58-17) and Omair Ali (0-27-10) were unlucky not to make more early inroads as they both bowled with good control and aggression. However it was Tom Mckenzie (3/60-21) and Stafford (4/63-21) who were the main wicket takers, pegging back the Rangers when they looked set for 300 plus earlier in the day. “Macca” has a lot of raw talent as a bowler, and when his confidence is up he can bowl with good pace and intent. More displays like this and I have no doubt “Macca” will be back knocking on the door of 2nd grade in the near future. Stafford’s experience was on show as he showed all his little subtleties in another fine display. Even in the twilight of his career, Stafford has always had “zip” on his leggies which some other young tweakers just don’t have. You can hear the “fizz” as a batsman. This makes him really hard for a batsman to dominate from out of his crease, and with a wicked flipper in his back pocket has made for a lethal combination over the years.
Third Grade will be hoping for the fine weather to hold true during the week, and on a ground with a fast outfield and small boundaries will fancy their chances of chasing down the runs and securing 2 victories from their opening 3 encounters. With a batting line up that has huge strength and depth I am sure we can get the chocolates if we have wickets in hand heading into the final session.
Sydney City Toyota 4th Grade – Randwick Petersham (6th) v Northern Districts (1st) @ Petersham
Team – De Silva, King, Kakkireni, Gracious Flor, Calder, Bourke (c), Bailey, Murdita, Sprowls, Loth, Tsalikidis
Result – Randwick Petersham 10/225 (Calder 83, Bourke 70n/o) – 65.3 Overs v Northern Districts 2/46 – 14 Overs
It was a matter of not getting caught up in their own hype as 4th Grade finally got back to home comforts at Petersham Oval after back-to-back road wins to start their season. “Bourkeys” boys have made decent starts to the season previously before falling in a bit of a hole, and this game was an early litmus test against a club renowned for having strong depth in the lower grades. A welcome addition to the side was exciting young wicket keeper Tyzac Jordan playing his first game for the season. Tyzac is a high quality Rugby player who has been offered a scholarship with Randwick Rugby. So whilst his cricket appearances will be limited, we are extremely fortunate to still have him as we thought we had lost him in the off-season. Also promoted from 5th Grade was youngster Himanshu Kakkireni after he put together an impressive innings last week.
“Bourkey” lives by the old theory that you bat first 9 times out of 10 and think about bowling the other time, before deciding to bat. However he would have been scrambling for a burner as we lost 3 for 3 in a shocking little period after a solid start from openers De Silva (8) and King (25). Teetering at 4/44 it was up to the young upstart Matt Calder (83) and the old warhorse in Bourke (70 n/o) to right the ship and that they did in style. Against a probing Rangers’ attack full of young talent and seasoned campaigners, this was no simple counter attacking mission, as the boys were forced to graft and survive before applying the blowtorch after tea. A 141-run partnership turned the momentum of the game with Calder showing that he is a really bright prospect with a terrific innings under pressure. Calder possesses lightning feet and bat speed and whilst he might not be the prettiest batsman, he is extremely effective and for mine I have no doubt he will be a higher grade cricketer in the near future. The veteran captain applied his usual mix of “whippage” crafty drives and savage cuts as he carried his bat to finish not out. As he told me on the phone he was “stranded off a certain ton” at his spiritual home with the boys bowled out for a competitive 225.
Early strikes to Doug Loth (1/20-5) and Andrew Sprowls (1/10-5) left the game tantalisingly poised as the Rangers staggered to stumps at 2/46. With runs on the board I would probably have the game as 60/40 in our favour at the halfway mark, however a few early wickets will be required to set the tempo on Day 2 as the boys look to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Adina Hotel Apartment Coogee 5th Grade – Northern Districts (4th) v Randwick Petersham (7th) @ Storey Park
Team – Eldridge, Saini, Powell, Montedoro, Hilder, House (+), Graham, Singh (c), Boyns, Fowler, Waugh
Result – Randwick Petersham 10/171 (Singh 50, Graham 32, Saini 32) – 54.4 Overs v Northern Districts 3/62 – 24 Overs
http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2372815
The fighting 5’s hit the road for the first time in 2016/17 heading to Storey Park to take on the undefeated Rangers after back-to-back home victories to start the season. One of our off-season recruits Ben Montedoro made his debut for the club after coming across from Saints in the off-season. “Monte” is a promising young batsman looking to establish himself after his father played 1st Grade cricket for Randwick back many years ago. Mac Waugh was also introduced to the side after he made the transition from Sydney Shires club Balmain-South Sydney. Waugh is a young, tall, left-arm fast-medium bowler who, like Mondetoro, could be a PG’s player of the future.
In one of the few low scoring struggles of the day, the game was tantalisingly poised at stumps with the Rangers 3/62 in reply to our 171. After being inserted to bat, our opening pair of Saini (32) and Eldridge (17) negotiated a difficult opening period with a tinge of green in the wicket before a terrible collapse saw us lose 6 for 14 to slump to 6/60. Enter captain Nigel Singh (50). Singh has always been a reliable and tough tail-ender in higher grades over the years. Here he showcased when given an opportunity a bit higher up the order what he is capable of putting together a fighting half century under pressure. Together with the in-form Corey Graham (34) they combined for a crucial 64-run 7th-wicket partnership to halt the slide. Sam Boyns (14) continued the lower order fightback as we scrambled our way to a mediocre but competitive 171.
In reply, the Rangers chipped away reaching 3/62 at stumps to perhaps keep their noses ever so slightly in front in a game that is sure to go right down to the wire. The first hour of Day 2 now holds the key to the result with both teams holding ambitions of securing a vital 6 points.
Specsavers Marrickville RPC Gold vs Penrith @ Kensington Oval
Team – Mullins, Rushton, Sapariya, Andonopoulos, Sidney (+), Fox, Khoo, Stewart, C De Silva, L O’Loughlin, Deller
Result – Randwick Petersham Gold v Penrith 9/289 – 80 overs
Penrith won the toss on a brand spranking new wicket and took first use of it. The new opening bowling combination of Fox (4/49) & Deller (2/36) bowled Gold into a great position with Penrith 5/131 at tea.
Following tea Foxy knocked over the top scoring Coad for 94 but this led to Gold losing the advantage as the wicket flattened and fielding became sloppy.
Pingu bowled well first change ending with 1/43 and the skipper also brought on Damo Sidney (1/37) for a roll which broke a fruitful partnership.
Penrith ended the day 9/289 & Gold are fired for the run chase.
Clovelly Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank RPC Green vs Eastern Suburbs @ Snape Park
Team – Papathansiou (+), Crawford, Marsden, Jastrzab, Bhavsar, Lee, Warisi, Kashyap, Coovre (c), Murphy, Kaushal
Result – Randwick Petersham Green 3/31 – 22 overs v Eastern Suburbs 133 – 55.5 overs
Skipper Alexis Coovre won the toss and sent in the Metropolitan Cup newcomers on a typically docile and stubborn Snape Park wicket. After a lightning start from the openers, an Adam Lee inducker and two good catches off Abbey Bhavsar put the ‘visitors’ on the back foot.
Some astute game awareness from Bhavsar got the team a fortunate run-out, before Coovre chipped in with a wicket have the dolphins at 5/58. After a comeback had frustrated the Greens, PK got reward for an accurate spell to get the sixth, and Omar bowled beautifully to stitch the Easts top scorer. The last three wickets fell to some calamitous match awareness to wrap up a score of 133.
On a slow and low wicket, such a score was hardly going to be easy. Despite the batsman’s caution, they suffered 3 triggers to the unusual presence of an umpire in a metro match. Twice before the bowler could turn around, and once on a second appeal. Suffice to say, the match remains delicately poised at 3/31, leaving the Greens 103 to claim 1st innings points next Sunday.
Poideven Grey Shield vs Penrith @ Howell Oval
Team – Moran, Everett, Psarakis (c), Sangha, James, Calder, Hart, Nawaz, Wood, Burton, McKenzie
Result – Randwick Petersham 182 (49.5) v Penrith 8/183 (44.1) – Loss by 2 wickets
The Randy Petes PGs season kicked off last Sunday with the boys taking on Penrith at Howell Oval.
Captain James Psarakis won the toss and elected to bat on deck that had been used the day before, but still contained a nice tinge of green.
The Penrith bowling attack bowled well from the outset to have RPC in trouble early, with the first 5 wickets all falling to catches behind the wicket inside the first 11 overs with only 42 runs on the board. Joe Hart and Matt Calder set about resurrecting the innings, putting on a partnership of 50 before Hart was run out for 30. Calder continued his great form over the weekend posting 51 and looking assured at the crease. The lower order was able to kick in with some cheeky runs, including a 21 to Ash Burton, and RPC were able to scramble to 182.
With a small total to defend early wickets would be key, and the RPC bowling unit came out firing to blow away the Panthers top order. Burton continued his wicket taking form with two wickets, while Sam Wood was able to claim three, including a magnificent legside stumping to keeper Matt Everett. The Panthers had crumbled to 5-44 after 12 overs, and another strike to Tom McKenzie saw RPC right on top with the scoreboard reading 6-49 after 14 overs. However, the Panthers lower order combined for an 87 run partnership until a brilliant bit of fielding by Psarakis got RPC back in the game courtesy of a run out off his own bowling. Jason Sangha bowled really well and was reworded with a wicket courtesy of a well judged catch by sub fielder Savio Gracias-Flor at mid on.
Despite the boys best efforts, the Panthers were able to sneak home, passing the total 8 down in the 45th overs.
The Randy Petes next take on Gordon at Petersham Oval on Sunday 6th November, hope to see you all there.
Special thanks to Bill Anderson for coaching the team today, David James for scoring and to the Randy Petes friends and families who came along to support the team.
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