From the Pavilion – Round 11 vs Manly-Warringah

Round 11 saw us pitted against fellow seaside club Manly-Warringah. Having have been one of the dominant side in the past couple of years, winning the Club Championship two years ago and currently sitting in 4th spot. In most Grades we were in similar positions, so it was always likely to be some tight games with plenty at stake for both sides. Metropolitan Cup were also in action against UNSW as they looked to continue their push towards the finals after the big Metro Derby was run and won last week by the Gold side. PGs were also in action for the final time this year as they made the dreaded trip out to Bensons Lane for their round 6 clash. Read below to see who starred in Round 11 as we looked to break into the Top 10 in the Club Championship.

Round 11 saw us pitted against fellow seaside club Manly-Warringah. Having have been one of the dominant side in the past couple of years, winning the Club Championship two years ago and currently sitting in 4th spot. In most Grades we were in similar positions, so it was always likely to be some tight games with plenty at stake for both sides. Metropolitan Cup were also in action against UNSW as they looked to continue their push towards the finals after the big Metro Derby was run and won last week by the Gold side. PGs were also in action for the final time this year as they made the dreaded trip out to Bensons Lane for their round 6 clash. Read below to see who starred in Round 11 as we looked to break into the Top 10 in the Club Championship.

 

Beastwear 1st Grade – Randwick Petersham (7th) v Manly-Warringah (10th) @ Coogee Oval

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

Result – Randwick Petersham 10/262 – 68.5 Overs (Price 112 n/o, A.Sams 41, Sangha 41) v Manly-Warringah 7/105 (D.Sams 4/23-7, Semple 2/35-6)

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2362259

First Grade were at home again this week, however back at our seaside base at Coogee Oval to take on a Manly side hot on our tail. After last week’s very narrow defeat we found ourselves back out of the Top 6 and needed a win to sneak back in. For the third straight round we were able to name an unchanged line up in a sign of the stability of the current side.

In what was a day of fluctuating fortunes, we ended play well on top with Manly reeling at 7/105 in reply to our moderate 262. Our lethal opening bowling pair of Daniel Sams (4/23-7) and Adam Semple ran roughshod through a strong Manly batting line up, containing the likes of Crosthwaite and Beadle. Both bowled a fantastic line at good pace, and a Manly side known for piling on the runs were instead on the hop. Sams is now the 3rd leading wicket taker in First Grade, with 29 scalps at 21, as he continues to knock down the door for higher honours. Semple is now 9th, with 24 wickets at 19, as he continues his reincarnation as an opening strike bowler.

Earlier in the day we witnessed a masterclass of batting from one of our veterans, Nathan Price (112n/o), who compiled his first century of the season. Price has been an absolute rock for First Grade at Number 3 for the past 4 or 5 seasons, and saved us here from a below par score to a handy one with his unbeaten innings. Price has had some monster seasons of late, however this year he has been getting plenty of starts without getting a big one. That all changed on Saturday as he belted twelve 4s in his 158-ball stay at the crease, as he eventually ran out of partners.

Price was really well supported by opener Anthony Sams (41) whose 41 took him past 650 runs for the season. Young gun Jason Sangha (41) has really responded well to his elevation in the batting order, and he looked neat and compact on his way to another good innings batting from Number 5.

Next week it is vital to firstly claim the 6 points and put ourselves back in the Top 6 with just four rounds to play. What will be interesting to see is how this game develops and whether, if we can get a massive first innings lead, we can push for outright points, which would effectively wipe out last week’s loss to Parramatta.

Frankie & Swiss 2nd Grade – Manly-Warringah (4th) v Randwick Petersham (11th) @ Manly Oval

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

Result – Randwick Petersham 10/139 – 50.4 Overs (Sharma 69, Everett 23, Eaton 23) and 1/34 – 11 Overs (Everett 24) v Manly-Warringah 0/144 (dec) – 31 Overs

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2366853

Second Grade are the hottest team in the Club at the moment, however they faced a stern test of their credentials against 4th placed Manly on their home deck at Manly Oval. The team were missing young gun Jack James, who had really impressed in his two games, however were able to call upon experienced all around Scott Sharma who was back from injury.

Unfortunately, this was to prove a dirty day for Second Grade as we conceded first innings points by 10 wickets before being sent back in to bat late in the day. Sent into bat on a wicket that was a little bit soft and nipping, it was always going to be difficult in the first session. However, a combination of some poor shots and some good bowling from the hosts reduced us to 7/63, with all looking lost. Everett (23) and Eaton (23) had made some solid starts, however failed to go on with the job. However, the returning Sharma (69) played a typically aggressive and cavalier innings coming in at Number 8. Sharma has been in sparkling form this season and belted six 4’s and four massive horns on his way to another brilliant half century. Sharma was eventually the last man out, however managed to get us to a respectable 139 and something to defend.

Taking to the field half way through the day we needed early wickets to really put the cat among the pigeons, however the wicket had flattened out and really hardened up as Manly filled their boots. Some good batting from the Manly openers, combined with some inconsistent bowling from our boys, meant they passed out score for the loss of no wickets, and then sent us into bat for the final 10 overs of the day.

At stumps, we scrambled to 1/34 with Matt Everett (23n/o) looking in good touch once again. Next week everything is still to play for essentially, as Manly have invited us back into the game and the chance of outright points is there for the taking. If our boys can push up towards 200, there is always a lot of pressure on the side batting in the 4th innings of a match.

 

Petersham RSL 3rd Grade – Randwick Petersham (15th) v Manly-Warringah (7th) @ Petersham Oval

Team – Ahmed (+), Stares (c), Calder, King, De Silva, Maloney, Ali, Nawaz, McKenzie, Loth, Tsalikidis

Result – Randwick Petersham 10/205 – 61 Overs (Stares 45, Calder 41, Maloney 38, De Silva 30) v Manly-Warringah 1/61 = 16 Overs

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2370361 

Third Grade were looking to rebound from a couple of rough weeks after a wash out and a heavy loss to Parramatta saw us slide to 15th on the ladder. With Manly sitting in 7th spot, this was a must win game back at Petersham Oval if we really wanted to have any hope of making the finals this season. There were some changes to the team with talismanic captain Rod Stafford unavailable, so up stepped the very respected and experienced Ben Stares to captain his first game for the Club. Ravin De Silva and Chris King made their Third Grade debut for the club, while Tom McKenzie was back from injury.

In what was an evenly contested day of cricket, Manly ended the day on 1/61 in reply to our 205. The wicket at Petersham Oval was on the green and hard side, and the visitors decided to insert us into bat. The skipper Ben Stares (45) really led from the front here, surviving an early onslaught before carving out a number of boundaries. Promoted Chris Hart (30) made a good fist of his first game in 3rd Grade, supporting the skipper and building a good platform for the rest of the innings.

Two of our young PG’s players in Matt Calder (41) and Jono Maloney (38) held things together in the middle order and, with the tail, helped us post a respectable total. Calder has taken on the extra responsibility of batting higher in the order in the absence of the experienced McLoughlin, and has made a great fist of it since Christmas. Maloney is starting to show his talents since returning from a long term injury. Maloney is a hard hitting all rounder and looks like a player of higher Grade potential, along with Calder.

While we pushed hard at the Manly batsmen, we could only manage the one breakthrough as they edged their way to stumps for the loss of just 1 wicket. The first hour of play will be crucial next week as we search for early wickets and also look to get in form leg spinner Kiri Tsilikidis into the game.

Sydney City Toyota 4th Grade – Manly-Warringah (6th) v Randwick Petersham (9th) @ Graham Reserve

Team – Eldridge, Schubert (+), Murdita, Mitchell, Mahoney-Brack, Graham Bourke (c), Wallis, Budwee, Jenkins, Sprowls

Result – Result – Manly Warringah 10/57 – 32 Overs (Wallis 6/26-14, Budwee 2/27-12, Jenkind 2/3-2) V Randwick Petersham 5/124 – 48 Overs (Eldridge 53n/o, Mitchell 21, Bourke 14n/o)

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2370977

Bourkey’s men can smell the finals for the first time in a few seasons and they headed into this match with Manly in 9th spot, and riding a wave of momentum. This was the biggest match 4th Grade have played in a couple of seasons, as they took on 6th placed Manly at Graham Reserve. The experienced David Mitchell was back in the line-up alongside Matt Wallis, as 4s looked as strong as they have for a long time.

At the end of the day we were in complete control at 5/124 having already secured first innings points after rolling Manly for 57. Bourkey swaggered out to the middle and won the toss and, in a very rare occurrence, decided to send the opposition in to bat. With Manly cruising at 0/43, the poor old skipper was sweating bullets thinking he had made the wrong call. However what happened next was unbelievable. Matt Wallis (6/26-14) just bulldozed his way right thought the Manly order in one of the great individual performances of the season. Wallis has played in a Premiership side in 4th Grade before under David Townsend, and he has lost none of his prized pace and bounce over the years. Gab Budwee (2/27-12) provided the perfect fit for Wallis at the other end, while Mac Jenkins (2/3-2) cleaned up the tail as Manly were skittled for 57.

In reply, Manly were able to call upon the services of First Grade opening bowler Nick McLaughlin, returning from injury, which made our job a hell of a lot more difficult. However, Jackson Eldridge (53n/o) was outstanding, carrying his bat for the rest of the day and making a very determined and patient half century. Eldridge has had a very good season and is a player who knows how to get tough runs, and I believe he has higher Grade potential. David Mitchell (21) made a typical classy contribution, while skipper Bourke (14n/o) held down the fort for the rest of the day, as we finished on 5/124, already 67 runs ahead on the the first innings, with the opportunity to push for outright points next week.

 

Adina 5th Grade – Randwick Petersham (6th) v Manly Warringah (10th) @ Kensington Oval

Team – Gracias Flor, Rushton, Powell, Mullins, Hilder, De Silva, Montedoro, Singh (c), Jones, Boyns, O’Laughlin

Result – Randwick Petersham 10/140 – 51.1 Overs (Standing 50, Hart 46, Powell 22) v Manly-Warringah 3/73 – 26 Overs

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2372899 

Flying Fives were looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats and preserve their place in the Top 6 as they took on 10th placed Manly at Kensington Oval. With experienced campaigners in captain Singh and Hilder in the line up, these are the sorts of guys who know what playing for final’s spots is about, so I expected a reaction from the boys this week.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on a slow but good wicket at Kensington, we got off to a really solid start being 1/70 and in control of the game. Chris Hart (46) has been very reliable at the top of the order in 5s this year, and it was no different against Manly as he negotiated the new ball and started to open his shoulders. Youngster Dylan Powell (22) dug in batting at Number 3, before another all too familiar collapse saw us teetering at 6/85.

That did not deter young Jack Standing (50) who blazed another trademark half century. Standing has been in outstanding form this year, hitting the ball sweetly and changing the momentum of several games. Standing now has over 300 runs for the season which is a very good effort for a lower Grade batsman at this point in the season. Standing helped get us to 140 and a total that gave us something to bowl at.

In reply our quality attack really made Manly graft for their runs as they finished on 3/73 from their 26 overs. Collapses have happened often in 5th Grade this year, so I think we are in with a real shot if we can pick up two early wickets on Day 2. Nigel Singh wanted to send a shout out to Kel Mullin who put his disappointment aside to do 12th man duties for the whole day. That is the sort of outstanding Club spirit and selfless act that good Clubs have in spades.

 

PGs – Hawkesbury (9th) v Randwick Petersham 19th @ Bensons Lane

Team – Everett (+), Graham, Hart, Psarakis (c), Critchley, Calder, Maloney, Nawaz, Magann Mckenzie, Jenkins

Result – Hawkesbury 9/259 – 50 Overs (Critchley 2/43-10, Nawaz 1/34-7, Maloney 2/62-8) v Randwick Petersham 6/252 – 50 Overs (Hart 65, Psarakis 60, Graham 29, Maloney 24 n/o, Everett 23)

http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2373466

The PG’s boys headed to Hawkesbury, playing for pride with our final chances long gone. It was never going to be an easy task with the Hawks right in the mix for a final’s spot in the last round of the competition. The long trip to Bensons Lane is hard enough at the best of times, let alone in these circumstances.

To the boys credit, they put on their best performance of the season with an extremely spirited display, as we fell just 7 runs short of what would have been a fantastic victory. This team has had absolutely no luck this season, and an exclamation point was put on that as we lost out 6th consecutive toss and were consigned to the field for the 6th straight time. The Hawks batted well to pile on an imposing 9/259 from their 50 overs. Matt Critchley (2/43-10) showed his class once again by controlling the middle overs and dragging the side back from a poor start. Both Rehann Nawaz (1/34-8) and Mac Jenkins (0-18-5) did a great job in slowing down the runs as the Hawks kept blazing away.

With the bat, we made a few changes to the batting line up and that paid off with makeshift opener Corey Graham (29) supporting regular opener Matt Everett (23) to get the the side off to a solid start. Joe Hart (65) was given a promotion to Number 3 after some really good contributions in the middle to lower order in 2nd Grade and PGs this year, and he responded with a disciplined and patient half century. The skipper Psarakis (60) came in and immediately put the foot down, scoring at a run a ball and dragging us back into the match that was slipping.

However, when he and Hart departed, the boys needed about 10 runs an over for the final nine overs which was always going to be a tall order. Jono Maloney (24n/o) had a late flurry, however the task proved too tall and we finished 7 runs short. While this was a tough year for the PG’s side, they are a young team and will be much better for the run next year.

 

Clovelly Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank RPC Green vs Blacktown @ Marrickville Park

Team: Papathansiou (+), House, Mullins, Sapariya, M Wall, Finkelstein, Andonopoulos, Mohan, Coovre (c), Bhavsar, Waugh, L O’Loughlin

Result: Blacktown 111 (Waugh 3/16, Coovre 2/8) v Randwick Petersham Green 0/43 (Papathansiou 20*, House 20*)

http://www.smcc.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?matchID=2458921 

The Green team won the toss and elected to bowl on a slightly soft, yet well prepared wicket. Opening bowlers, Waugh and Bhavsar, used the new rock to good effect, smashing the stumps and seeing chances taken at slip and by the keeper, to have Blacktown 3-23 in the 13th over. Change bowlers, Wall and Coovre continued the good work, picking up three wickets between them, and in the 24th over Blacktown were 6-45. O’Loughlin was introduced to the attack just before lunch, and would remain so, bowling with drift and dip into the wind.

A 61-run partnership for the 7th wicket, began to threaten, however. Waugh was re-introduced to the attack and ended the top scorer’s vigil at the crease. He quickly claimed another wicket, and effected a direct hit run-out in the 59th over. O’Loughlin then cleaned-bowled the number 11 batsman to have Blacktown all out for 111 in 62 overs. With 16 overs left in the day, openers House and Papathanasiou negotiated the Blacktown attack with clarity, seeing us through to stumps unscathed, the score at 43.

Alexis Coovre

 

Specsavers Marrickville RPC Gold vs UNSW @ David Phillips North

Team: Rushton, Dean, Crawford, Stewart (c), Sidney (+), Jastrzab, Fox, Lee, G Standing, Deller, Genner, Khoo

Result: UNSW 7/266 (Dean 3/50, Fox 2/36) v Randwick Petersham Gold

http://www.smcc.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?matchID=2458922 

Golds lost the toss and were sent into the field on a straw dry David Phillips wicket on a pleasant Sunday. Well, not so pleasant for the stodgy UNSW opener who struggled in the conditions and looked to pass out. Glen Standing made a welcome comeback to send down many probing overs, while Hayden Fox had an opening spell of 1/1. Green Shield player Kieran Dean (3/50) came on around drinks and chipped away with guileful and accurate left-arm spin to take three on the bounce and leave the students in a turn. The second leading wicket taker in metro last year, Oscar ‘G’ Howard, sent a few lusty blows but he too was cleaned up by Fox, leaving the students 5/108 at tea.

Even with the attritional play, the small boundaries and fast outfield compensate the batsman evenly for the slow pitch, meaning teams can make merry if they need to. After prising out two more wickets, including a first for Josh Genner, and UNSW were teetering on 7/148. Enter Tom Grieg, the son of the late Tony, and showed off all his illuminous pedigree to put the Golds to sword and share 118 runs with his skipper. The young Grieg took 91 of those runs, and both finished unbeaten to give the students 7/266 at stumps. While a formidable chase awaits, so do those short boundaries, the quick outfield and benign pitch.

Jeremy Jastrzab