Round 4 Day 2 – Match Reports Randwick Petersham (13th Club Championship) v Blacktown (19th Club Championship)

Heading into Day 2 of Week 4 we found ourselves on the back foot in a number of Grades against the Blacktown Warriors. Despite some good individual displays on Day 2, we were unable to claw back a number of propositions in games with only 1st Grade claiming victory and the rest of the Grades going down. It completed a disappointing couple of Rounds with just 1 victory, 2 draws and 7 losses from our opening two 2-day fixtures against the Rangers and Warriors. The results proved damaging in the Club Championship dropping us to 14th place, although you could throw a blanket over a number of teams.

Heading into Day 2 of Week 4 we found ourselves on the back foot in a number of Grades against the Blacktown Warriors. Despite some good individual displays on Day 2, we were unable to claw back a number of propositions in games with only 1st Grade claiming victory and the rest of the Grades going down. It completed a disappointing couple of Rounds with just 1 victory, 2 draws and 7 losses from our opening two 2-day fixtures against the Rangers and Warriors. The results proved damaging in the Club Championship dropping us to 14th place, although you could throw a blanket over a number of teams.

Also kicking off on the weekend was the Kingsgrove Sport T20 First grade competition. The T20 competition has been overwhelmingly dominated by our First Grade side since it was introduced to NSW Premier Cricket. With three of the last five Titles under our belt, and many of the same names on the scorecard, we had plenty to look forward to heading into Sunday. The T20 format suits our line up to a tee, with our huge array of all rounders, power hitters and good athletes.

Read below about how the matches unfolded on Day 2 as well as our opening T20 matches against Mosman.

Beastwear 1st Grade – Blacktown (10th) v Randwick Petersham (7th) @ Joe McAleer Oval
Team – Kemp (c), A.Sams (+), Price, Scicluna, D.Sams, Psarakis, Sangha, Critchley, Semple, Nesser, West

Result – Blacktown 9/373 (DEC) – – 94 Overs (D.Sams 3/63-14, Price 2/20-6, Semple 1/11-8, Neser 1/67-15) Defeated By Randwick Petersham 5/378 – 71 Overs (A.Kemp 122, A.Sams 121, D.Sams 45, N.Price 44)

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FIrst Grade continued their fine start to the season with a dominant 5-wicket victory over Blacktown at Joe McAleer Oval on Saturday. Despite having to chase a relatively imposing 373, the boys were in control the whole day to make it 3 victories out of 4 games to start the season and 5th spot back inside the all important Top 6.

It probably was no surprise that Blacktown elected to bat on overnight given the brilliant form of our batsmen in the opening month of the competition. The Warriors took the opportunity to add another 10 runs to their overnight score before declaring on 9/373.

However Sydney’s most in-form opening partnership quickly made the total look pretty meagre by piling on a stunning 254 run partnership to all but take the Warriors out of the game. Captain Alex Kemp (122) is starting to show his pure class as a batsman. After nearly 18 months at the Club, he is showing the sort of form that won him six First Class games for Queensland a few years ago. Kemp pounded the Warriors’ attack with his booming array of drives, and he was equally savage on anything short. Kemp cleared the pickets four times and added 16 fours in his 260-minute stay at the crease. Anthony Sams (121) is, along with Josh Clarke, clearly the in-form batsman of Sydney Grade Cricket and must be banging the door down for higher honours. Sams toyed with the Warriors attack, bringing up his second century of the season to take his aggregate to a remarkable 447 runs at an average of 111. Sams was a middle order batsman for most of his time at Bankstown and Randy Petes, however has been a revelation as an opening batsman, coming off a fine season last year before his blitzkrieg this year.

When both openers fell there was little panic in the ranks, however a looming storm meant the boys knew they might have to get the runs in less than the allotted time. Both Nathan Price (44) and Daniel Sams (45) kept the tempo rolling, scoring at better than a run a ball. Despite a delay for lightning, and the loss of both Price and D Sams, we managed to get back out there with James Psarakis and Jason Sangha finishing the job with a minimum of fuss. The boys return to Petersham Oval next week for a 2-day match against a strong Penrith outfit.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – Alex Kemp

2 – Anthony Sams

1 – Daniel Sams

Frankie & Swiss 2nd Grade – Randwick Petersham (17th) v Blacktown (18th) @ Coogee

Team – Moran, Everett (+), Balbirnie, Eaton, Hassan, Holland (c), Ram, Hart, Magann, Wood, Tyson

Result – Blacktown 10/253 – 64 Overs (Ram 4/67-13, Tyson 3/24-8, Magann 2/10-9) Defeated Randwick Petersham 10/215 (J.Hart 55, S. Eaton 40, S.Mackay 28, J.Tyson 22 n/o)

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Second Grade suffered a disappointing 38-run loss to Blacktown at Coogee Oval, with much of the damage having been done in the final embers of Day 1. It was always going to be a difficult rearguard mission to recover from 4/57 in a chase of 253, and so it proved, despite some fighting partnerships taking us within reach of victory.

It’s been a highly frustrating start to the season for 2nd Grade, being competitive in all their losses including this one. The key man to fall was Sean Eaton (40) who, resuming on 16n/o looked in fine touch early on Day 2 before being dismissed. Sam Mackay (28) established himself with a gritty innings, and along with Joe Hart (55), started to build another promising partnership. Just when things were starting to look up, Mackay was dismissed which triggered another mini collapse. Joe Hart has proved a very reliable number 7 or number 8 in his short time at the Club, the youngster refusing to throw in the towel easily here. All looked lost at 9/149, however Hart and Tyson (22n/o) started to make the Warriors wait a bit.

What started as a slight nuisance for the Warriors became full blown panic stations as the boys’ last wicket partnership went past 50 with Hart seeing them like beachballs and Tyson growing in confidence. The partnership reached 65. However it was not to be as former West Indian fast bowler Corey Colleymore introduced himself back into the attack and completed his 5-wicket haul, giving Blacktown the 6 points.

With no other result possible an early stumps was called as the boys rued what might have been. Next week it’s another trip out to the wild west with a date against Penrith at Howell Oval as we go in search of our first victory of the season.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – Joe Hart

2 – Kushaal Ram

1 – James Tyson

Petersham RSL 3rd Grade – Blacktown (19th) v Randwick Petersham (10th) @ Whalan Park

Team – Stares, Schubert (c), Mackay, Lyle, McLoughlin, Burton, Calder, Stafford (c) Nawaz, Ali, McKenzie

Result – Randwick Petersham 10/129 – 50 overs (Stafford 43 n/o, Stares 20) Defeated by Blacktown 7/201 – 66 Overs (McLoughlin 3/26-15, Ali 2/30-14, McKenzie 2/79-23)

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Third Grade went down by 7 wickets to Blacktown at Whalan Park after a Day 1 batting collapse left us with very little to work with on Day 2. The toss proved crucial in this game, with fine skies and a much flatter wicket greeting the sides on Day 2 after we had been sent in on a rainy, murky Day 1 as the ball nipped around and we were dismissed for 128.

The Warriors, resuming on 3/76, made little fuss in reaching our target doing so without loss of a further wicket. Strike opening bowling pair Omar Ali (2/30-14) and Tom McKenzie (2/79-23) went hard at Blacktown early, but to their credit they refused to buckle as they have in the past.

With captain Rod Stafford sorely missed with the ball due to a hamstring injury suffered the previous week, the side found a very unlikely weapon for the rest of the season in John McLoughlin (3/26-15). “J Mac” has been an outstanding batsman since the club first merged back in 2000/01, however, on this day he made the ball talk. Whilst his medium pacers are on the slow side, he knows how to swing the ball, and bowling to a field of 3 slips, a gully and 2 short covers, he proved near unplayable throughout his spell. “J Mac” has been a reluctant bowler throughout his career, however it will be interesting to see if he starts rolling over a few more as the season progresses.

With the points safely in the bag the Warriors batted on until tea to reach 7/201 giving us some extra time in the field to find some rhythm with the ball and some confidence heading into Round 5. The boys have now suffered 3 straight defeats and host Penrith back at Coogee Oval next week as they look to get their season up and going.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – John McLoughlin

2 – Rod Stafford

1 – Ben Stares

Sydney City Toyota 4th Grade – Randwick Petersham (8th) v Blacktown (16th) @ Petersham

Team – Ahmed, King, Mitchell, Gracias Flor, Bourke (c), Jordan (+), Murdita, Graham, Sprowls, Boyns, Tsalikidis

Result – Blacktown 7/328 – 80 Overs (Tsalikidis 4/110-25, Sprowls 1/53-17, Graham 1/48-13) Defeated Randwick Petersham 10/215 – 49 Overs (Graham 96, Murdita 31, Gracious Flor 24, Bourke 20)

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Fourth Grade suffered their first biggest loss of the season, going down by 113 runs to the Warriors at Petersham Oval on Saturday. After a great start to the season with 2 victories and a very narrow loss against a strong Rangers side, this was our first poor display of the season as the Warriors dominated the game from start to finish.

After piling on an impressive 7/328 on Day 1, the Warriors declared overnight knowing that it was going to be a hard grind to take 10 wickets on a flat Petersham Oval surface and a baking hot day. Opening batsmen De Silva and King were dismissed early before Gracias Flor (24) took to the crease. Gracias Flor is a player who likes to play his shots, and he took on the new ball. But just when he looked set, he was dismissed. Captain David Bourke (20) was unable to repeat his heroics of last week and when he fell all looked well and truly lost at 6/134.

However Corey Graham (96) and Jaya Murdita (31) had other ideas as they started to flay the bowlers to all parts. Murdita is I feel a batsman capable of becoming a top order batsman, with fast hands and a good technique, and he looked in fine form here as a flurry of boundaries gave us some fleeting hope. Corey Graham had started the year well in 5th Grade, having scored runs and taken some wickets, and he nailed his opportunity here with a fantastic innings. Sadly, Corey fell just 4 runs short of what would have been a memorable century, as he destroyed the Warriors’ attack, scoring at well better than a run a ball. More performances like this will see Graham knocking right on the door of the PG’s side and higher Grades.

The Warriors mopped up the rest of the tail as the game finished shortly after tea. Our boys now face a long road trip to Cook Park where they will take on a Panthers side that has started the season in good form themselves.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – Corey Graham

2 – Kyri Tsalikidis

1 – Savio Gracias Flor

Adina Hotel Apartment Coogee 5th Grade – Blacktown (14th) v Randwick Petersham (9th) @ Whalan Park

 Team – De Silva, Saini, Eldridge Powell, Kakkereni, Montedoro, Hilder, House (+), Singh (c), Budwee, Waugh

Result – Blacktown 10/220 – 65 Overs Defeated Randwick Petersham 10/126 – 58 Overs (Powell 34, Kakkireni 24, Saini 20, Hilder 18)

It was not a happy day for our 5th Grade side being bundled out for just 126 in chase of Blacktown’s 220. Heading into Day 2 this game looked evenly poised, however it was a relatively one sided second day as we suffered an unfortunate batting collapse to leave us with 2 wins from our opening 4 matches.

Resuming on 1/25, the game was evenly poised. However the early loss of opener Saini (20) proved a telling blow. Saini had looked in great touch on Day 1, however was undone early here by the new ball Warriors’ attack. Powell (34) and Kakkereni (24) both looked in good touch and went about building a nice partnership as we reached 3/68 with no sign of the impending collapse that was to come. Powell is a promising young player that I think is capable of having a big season for our Green Shield side. The Homebush Boys’ product has a good technique and is particularly savage against the short ball and will be one to look out for in the future.

As both Powell and Kakkereni failed to capitalise on their starts, it was all downhill from there as we were bundled out shortly after tea. The only resistance came in the form of veteran RPCC all rounder Matthew Hilder (18) who is starting to regain full fitness after a year out with a badly injured knee. The side will benefit from a player of Hilder’s experience, as with a host of youngsters you’re not always going to get consistent performances.

Despite the heavy loss, the opportunity to bounce straight back presents itself this Saturday as we take on Penrith at Kensington Oval. The boys have a great record at Kensington having won several games there last season, as well as our first two fixtures there this season.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – Nigel Singh

2 – Gabe Budwee

1 – Dylan Powell

Beastwear 1st Grade T20 Round 1 – Randwick Petersham v Mosman @ Coogee Oval

Team – Semple, Price, A.Sams (+), Kemp, D.Sams, Psarakis, Scicluna, Sangha, Chibber, Critchley, Neser

Result – Mosman 5/184 – 20 Overs (D. Sams 3/12-4, Critchley 1/12-2, Semple 1/33-4) Defeated Randwick Petersham 9/151 – 20 Overs (Semple 43, Neser 26no, D.Sams 20)

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2360362

Unfortunately, our 2016/17 T20 campaign didn’t get off to the brightest start with Mosman causing a bit of an upset in the Sunday Morning game, winning by 33 runs at Coogee Oval. Asked to bat first, the Whales made the most of the nice batting conditions with Scott Rodgie plundering 95 as the Whales amassed a sizeable 5/184 from their 20 overs. Daniel Sams (3/12-4) was absolutely outstanding with the ball, going for just 12 runs and picking up 3 wickets despite bowling in the power play and at the death.

 

D Sams (Photo Courtesy P Bannigan)

With the bat the chase failed to get off to a great start with Mosman picking up 3 key wickets early. Semple (43) and Daniel Sams (20) resurrected things and at 3/60 we were edging our way back into the game. Semple has the ability to flatten bowlers square of the wicket with his square drives and pull shots and he looked in fine form here. However, when he and Sams departed, hopes of a win went with them. To emphasise just how deep our batting is in this competition we had Francois Neser (26n/o) coming in at “sticks” . “Frankie” would probably get a start in the middle order in most teams and he launched into a few sixes shortly after arriving at the crease.

Despite the late flurry we finished on 9/151 which was well short of Mosman’s total. Despite the loss there was precious little time to lick our wounds as we hosted Illawarra in the Afternoon Game.

Beastwear 1st Grade T20 Round 2 – Randwick Petersham v Illawarra

Team – Semple, Price, A.Sams (+), Kemp, D.Sams, Psarakis, Scicluna, Sangha, Chibber, Critchley, Neser

Result – Randwick Petersham 8/216 – 20 Overs (Price 69, Semple 41, Kemp 28, A.Sams 22, D.Sams 21, Paarakis 20) Defeated Illawarra 5/152 – 20 Overs (Chibber 3/9-4, D.Sams 2/34-4)

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On to the second game of the afternoon at a pristine looking Coogee Oval and our 1st Grade side were looking to bounce back against one of the newer sides in the competition in Illawarra. Captaining Illawarra was a former Randy-Pete in Tim Laws. Laws was an exceptionally hard hitting batsman who starred in 1st and 2nd Grades during his time with the Club with his power hitting.

 

A Kemp (Photo Courtesy P Bannigan)

This game was never in doubt from the first few overs as, after racking up a big score, we eased our way to a 64-run win to finish the day with 1 win and 1 loss and well and truly alive in the competition. This time, electing to bat first, we plundered a massive 8/216 off our 20-overs, giving very little hope to the Illawarra outfit. Our trusty T20 opening partnership of Nathan Price (69) and Adam Semple (41) got the side off to an electric start with a 103-run opening partnership. Price is an example of a classical batsman who just plays cricket shots and can dominate at T20 Level. Despite not being the most devastating player on the surface, Price has been the key figure in our Title wins over the years at the top of the order. It’s like when people thought a Kallis, or Brad Hodge, would struggle at T20 level. Good players find ways to adapt their game.

After both openers fell we continued the momentum with Anthony Sams (22), James Psarakis (20), Daniel Sams (21) and Alex Kemp (28) all looking in very good knick, particularly the skipper who belted 28 from just 11 balls to finish the innings in style. Whilst Illawarra put up a decent effort in reply, they were never in the hunt of chasing down the score finishing on 5/152. This time the star of the show was Soumil Chibber (3/9-4) who is an outstanding T20 bowler. Two years ago Chibber made the change from bowling off spin to leg spin, and that change has seen him rewarded with a place in the Sydney Sixes contracted players group. Chibber has great variations out the front of the hand, and with his “skiddy” pace is a nightmare to try and hit across the line. Chibber finished with remarkable figures here and will be a weapon in the competition going forward.

Specsavers Marrickville RPC Gold vs Mosman @ Snape Park

Team: Gonguntla, Rushton, Crawford, Marsden, Sidney (+), Jastrzab, H Fox, Lee, Kashyap, L O’Loughlin, G Fox

Result: Randwick Petersham Gold 9/302 (dec) (Gonguntla 84, Rushton 63) defeated Mosman 225 (H. Fox 3/38, A Lee 3/27)

 http://www.smcc.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?matchID=2455192&entityID=2318

By Liam O’Loughlin

Randy Petes Metro Gold took on Mosman in a two-day clash this round in a high-scoring affair at Snape. The side got off to a good start with the bat with Sean Rushton (63) and Sreeni Gonuguntla (84) leading the charge in a huge opening stand. Crawford (37) and Hayden Fox (30) also chipped in with strong displays with the bat to take us to 9/302. Mosman were left a tough 10 overs before the close of play on day one, and an early H.Fox pole gave the Randy Petes the upper hand overnight.

On day two, Fox left off where he began the previous week and ended up with some more good figures (3-38 off 21) to continue on with his superb start to the season. Things were looking really good as Lee (3-27 off 16) and O’Loughlin (2-70 off 16) took charge, but an injury to Gonuguntla hurt the momentum for the Randy Petes. The side rallied home and got over the line, bowling Mosman out for 225. Despite a tough day in the field where the boys were down a man for a period before tea and a pitch that was offering minimal, the win was all that mattered. Special mention to Damien Sidney who kept tremendously well after an unlucky decision batting on day one, and the returning Gavin Fox for filling in and keeping the chat up in the field when the going got tough on day two.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – Sreeni Gonguntla

2 – Hayden Fox

1 – Adam Lee

Clovelly Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank RPC Green vs Penrith @ Rance Oval

Team: Papathansiou (+), M Wall, Bhavsar, Warisi, Andonopoulos, Deller, Finkelstein, Sapariya, Coovre (c), Murphy, Kaushal

Result: Randwick Petersham Green 196 (Sapariya 47) defeated by Penrith 205 (M Wall 4/45)

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Slightly more than 162 hours later, RPCC Green resumed their innings at 5/93. Chintan seemed unfused about the week-long layoff, leaning into drives with crisp timing.
Finkelstein was more watchful, trying to find the groove that had served him so well the previous week. The score began to creep-up towards the target of 205, but with excitement growing around the camp, Finkelstein was out leg before for a methodical 36, the score now 142.

Deller again showed his skill with the blade, featuring in a 30 run-partnership with Chintan, before the latter was yorked for a well-compiled 47. With the score at 190, Deller was next to go being beaten for flight and bowled by the resident leg-spinner for 12. Coovre (17) found a few boundaries to bring the score up to 196, but in the end miscued one to midwicket. Regrettably the final wicket partnership was unable to add to the score, a gentle catch being offered to short mid-off, Penrith winning by nine runs.

JC Travel Professional MVP Award Points

3 – Chintan Sapariya

2 – Mark Wall

1 – Adam Finkelstein