From The Pavilion – Rd 15 vs Easts

Before recapping all of the weekend’s action I wanted to pay tribute to three departing senior members and long serving players of Randwick Petersham Cricket Club. In James Tyson, Karl (Kleenex) Schubert and Matthew Wallis we will be losing not only three fantastic, experienced cricketers, but three good blokes who have served our Club well for a number of years. James and Karl have been ever present over the past decade for the Club and, not only have they contributed to several winning teams, they have done a huge amount of work for the Club off the field. Matt returned after a few years away from the Grade Cricket scene and immediately elevated our Third and Fourth Grade sides with his experience and quality. All Grade Clubs are propelled by loyal, long serving players, and it leaves a huge gap in terms of filling these holes next season. It is my hope that James, Karl, and Matthew stay involved with the Club in some capacity, and may in fact decide to put the boots on again sometime in the future. From all at Randwick Petersham, we thank them for their efforts and wish them all the best in the future.

Before recapping all of the weekend’s action I wanted to pay tribute to three departing senior members and long serving players of Randwick Petersham Cricket Club. In James Tyson, Karl (Kleenex) Schubert and Matthew Wallis we will be losing not only three fantastic, experienced cricketers, but three good blokes who have served our Club well for a number of years. James and Karl have been ever present over the past decade for the Club and, not only have they contributed to several winning teams, they have done a huge amount of work for the Club off the field. Matt returned after a few years away from the Grade Cricket scene and immediately elevated our Third and Fourth Grade sides with his experience and quality. All Grade Clubs are propelled by loyal, long serving players, and it leaves a huge gap in terms of filling these holes next season. It is my hope that James, Karl, and Matthew stay involved with the Club in some capacity, and may in fact decide to put the boots on again sometime in the future. From all at Randwick Petersham, we thank them for their efforts and wish them all the best in the future.

EDITOR’S NOTE: WITH ONLY FINALS TO COME IT’S A GREAT TIME TO THANK EDDIE OTTO FOR AN OUTSTANDING JOB WRITING THE RPC MATCH REPORTS THIS SEASON.  FOR ALL YOU SPORTS FANS YOU CAN FIND AND FOLLOW ED’S VIEWS VIA FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ON CRICKET, RUGBY LEAGUE, NFL & EPL VIA WRITTEN AND AUDIO.  HIS KNOWLEDGE IS TOP NOTCH, HE DOES HIS RESEARCH AND HIS SITE IS PERFECT FOR YOR DAILY COMMUTE.

1st Grade to 5th Grade – 50 Over Matches v Eastern Suburbs

Metropolitan Cup v Mosman and Blacktown

Round 15 and the final round of the regular season was finally upon us after months and months of toil. This wasn’t any ordinary Round 15, however, coming up against our local rivalries in Eastern Suburbs and, with finals places at stake for both Clubs, the scene was set for an explosive final Saturday. After a couple of weeks of rain, Sydney’s skies finally cleared and our 1st Grade and 4th Grade sides were set to put it all on the line with the chance to push into the Top 6 with a win, and if other results went their way. Fifth Grade and Metro Gold had already secured their places in the semi-finals and were looking for another victory to potentially grab a home quarter final. Metro Gold faced Mosman in a game that would determine where they would be playing finals next week, whilst Metro Green were looking to end the year on a high with a win. Second Grade and Third Grade have certainly had their moments this year, and they were both playing for pride and to finish the year on a high. In the end this ended up being an outstanding final round for the Club with 4 victories and a tie, making it as close to a “green wash” as possible against our local rivals. Find out below which players starred in this pivotal final round.

1st Grade – Eastern Suburbs (9th) v Randwick Petersham (8th) @ Waverly Oval

Team – A.Sams (+), Kemp(c), Price, Scicluna, Sangha, Psarakis, D.Sams, Semple, Magann, Warren

Result – Randwick Petersham 7/318 (Price 128, Kemp 55, Sangha 47, A. Sams 30) Defeated Eastern Suburbs 10/181 – 40.5 Overs (D.Sams 3/37-8, Sangha 2/32-7, Warren 2/11-6, Semple 2-57-9.5)

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First Grade arrived at Waverley Oval for a big showdown with Eastern Suburbs, with both Clubs on the outside of the finals desperately hoping to sneak in. With English import Matt Critchley having headed home after making wonderful contribution to First Grade this year, it was another youngster’s chance to debut in Pat Magaan. Magaan has achieved strong results in Second Grade and PG’s this year and is a left arm quick bowler with a lot of potential.

In the end it was a day of mixed emotions as we managed to thump Easts, but learnt results had not gone our way, leaving us in 7th spot for the second straight season. Nathan Price (128) has been in sensational form post-Christmas and once again he was the star here with a wonderful century. Price’s weight of runs and quality of performances over the past five seasons would surely have been rewarded with a State Contract in any other State, however he has continued to go about his business with a minimum of fuss. Price ends the season with 774 runs at 48, and at amazing strike rate of 87. Anthony Sams (30) finished the season with 821 runs at 48 leaving both boys inside the Top 7 run scorers in the competition. Captain Alex Kemp (55) finished off with a powerful half-century as he finished with 598 runs at an average of 40. Youngster Jason Sangha (47) is surely the man to take over the mantle from these senior players over the next few seasons and he once again showed promise here with his classy knock.

Amassing a score of 7/318 was a great way to end a season where we really dominated at times with the bat and proved far too much for Easts as we bundled them out for 181 to win by 137 runs. With the ball, once again it was spearhead Daniel Sams (3/37-8) who led the way with 3 wickets to finish the year with 36 wickets at an average of 22 to be the 4th leading wicket taker in the competition. Like Price, and his brother Anthony, Daniel is on the verge of State cricket as he put in outstanding performances week in, week out. Veteran fast bowler Nick Warren (2/11-6) showed he has lost none of his class and guile with the ball, having Easts strong top order all at sea. Adam Semple (2/57-9.5) chipped in with 2 wickets to finish the season with 35 wickets at 19, to be the 7th leading wicket taker in the competition. And in a great sign for the future, Pat Magann (1/24-7) showed no sign of nerves with the ball, bowling with discipline and skill.

Amazingly, only the leading team on the ladder, Sydney University, lost fewer games (2) than us (3) this season, showing once again it was a number of unlucky or dominant draws which proved the difference. I have no doubt our boys were in the top few teams in this competition as some Clubs with double the amount of losses managed to sneak in ahead of us. All we can do is use it as more motivation heading into next season. Captain Alex Kemp has done a wonderful job in his first year as captain and I’m sure he will be backing up again next year as the boys looks to look one step further.

2nd Grade – Randwick Petersham (16th) v Eastern Suburbs (8th) @ Coogee Oval

Team – Everett (+), Mackay, Hassan, Calder, Holland (c) Sharma, Maloney, Ram, Hart, Tyson, Wood

Result – Randwick Petersham 10/238 (Calder 52, Mackay 45, Maloney 33, Everett 30, Ram 25n/o) – 49.4 Overs Tied with Eastern Suburbs 8/238 – 50 Overs (Wood 2/26-9, Maloney 2/39-10, Tyson 1/46-9)

Second Grade had gone three straight weeks without any cricket having had their whole Round 14 match against Campbelltown abandoned without a ball being bowled. Arriving at Coogee Oval for this final game against our local rivals, it was a great chance for Tom Holland’s men to end the year on a high. It was great to see Sam Wood back in 2nd Grade after a few weeks in the lower grades getting his body back ready for bowling. It was also great to see promising young batsman, Matt Calder, rewarded with a 2nd Grade debut after some strong performances in 3rd Grade and PG’s throughout the season.

In the end, it was a thrilling end to the season with a dramatic tie in a high quality game of cricket which ebbed and flowed throughout the day. On a slow pitch and a painfully slow outfield, both sides batted extremely well to get to 238 in a game which came down to the final delivery.

On debut, it was Matt Calder (52) who shone brightest with the bat with a gritty half century. I have no doubt Calder is a higher Grade batsman of the future. He has his own technique, backs himself with his lightning quick feet and hands, and he can use this innings to really propel himself into another strong pre-season. He was well supported by Sam Mackay (45) who was a really consistent and gritty batsman in 2s this year. Often with collapses happening around him, he retained a cool head under pressure and really valued his wicket. Jono Maloney (33) once again provided some brutal hitting in the middle order whilst Kushaal Ram (25n/o) capped off an outstanding all round season with a hard hitting innings. Matt Everett (30) was our rock at the top of the order all season and finished the year with 542 runs at 36, to be the 4th highest run scorer in the 2nd Grade competition.

With the ball we had Easts on the ropes at 5/95 in chase of our 238 and looked to be heading for a victory to finish the season. However, some lusty middle order hitting from the visitors turned the game. We managed three run outs and some tight bowling in the final few overs which saw us tie the game and walk away with some points to show from a strong performance. Sam Wood (2/26-9) and Jono Maloney (2/39-10) both bowled outstandingly well to keep pegging back the visitors.

In the end we finished 15th in a season where there were plenty of learning experiences for younger players. I wanted to give a special shout out to Captain Tom Holland who had to deal with a lot of new players this season, and plenty of changes, and handled it all with class and dignity. Seconds is never an easy Grade to Captain, and Tom, as one of our longest serving players, did a great job to hold the team together after a rocky start.

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The retiring left arm quick (at least from 2s) James Tyson. 200+ wickets but this photo continues to haunt.

 

 

3rd Grade – Eastern Suburbs (10th) v Randwick Petersham (14th) @ Raby 2

Team – Ahmed (+), Stares (c), King, Calder, Lyle, Burton, De Silva, Stafford, (c) Nawaz, McKenzie, Loth

Result – Eastern Suburbs 10/124 (Loth 5/26-10, Mckenzie 2/22-10, Nawaz 2/23-6) Defeated by Randwick Petersham 6/125 – 24 Overs (Stares 28, Ahmed 25n/o, Lyle 21)

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Third Grade arrived at Trumper Park looking to put one over our arch rivals after a frustrating year of close losses and near misses. With Easts sitting just 3 points above us on the competition ladder, it was also a chance to jump them and push ourselves up a few places on the ladder toward a Top 10 finish.

In the end we finished with a dominant bonus point victory, putting together a near complete performance. On a wicket that offered plenty of tricks and variable bounce, our faster men in Doug Loth (5/26-10) and Tom McKenzie (2/22-10) both hit the right lengths and were duly rewarded. Loth, in his first season for the Club, has been outstanding in both 3rd Grade and 4th Grade, finishing the season with 27 wickets at an average of 16. Reehan Nawaz (2/23-6) also finished the year on a high, chipping in with another couple of wickets to complete a fantastic second half of the season for him, especially with the ball.

In reply to Easts meagre but competitive score of 124 on a dicey wicket, there was to be no mucking around as we went in search of quick runs and a bonus point. Ben Stares (28) got the chase off to a great start, playing in typically aggressive manner, whilst Jack Lyle (21) held things together when a couple of wickets started to tumble. In the end “Rocky” Ahmed (25n/o) managed to get us over the line combining for a 23-run seventh wicket partnership with the Captain, Rodney Stafford (13n/o).

The win meant we finished the season with 6 wins and 7 losses to finish in 11th spot in the competition ladder. The boys suffered at least 4 very narrow defeats which was probably the difference between finishing 11th or finishing inside the finals with momentum on their side. Well done to veteran leader Rodney Stafford who once agin led from the front this year with a number of stellar performances. We hope to see him back taking the reigns again next year!

4th Grade – Randwick Petersham (8th) v Eastern Suburbs (7th) @ Petersham Oval

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

Result – Eastern Suburbs 9/204 – 50 Overs (Wallis 3/16-10, Bourke 3/15-3, Tsalikidis 2/46-10) Defeated By Randwick Petersham 9/205 – 50 Overs (Mitchell 67, Bourke 42n/o)

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Bourkey’s men were looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats against Sydney University and Campbelltown when their hosted Easts at Petersham Oval. With Easts sitting just a few points above us on the competition ladder, everything was on the line here for both sides with a final’s position still possible. For us, we really needed a bonus point victory so the mind set coming into this game was to insert the opposition and try and get the runs inside 30 overs.

On a day of high drama we managed to secure a thrilling 1-wicket victory on the final ball, however were left a little flat as we missed the finals on percentage. After Easts managed a decent score of 9/204 we went hard early in chase of a bonus point, with several batsmen selflessly throwing caution to the wind and losing their wicket in the process. However, in the end it was the old warhorse Captain David Bourke (42n/o) alongside Kiri Tsalikidis (6/no) who got us over the line in an epic victory to finish a real season of achievement and progress in 4th Grade. At one point in the run chase we looked half a chance of securing that bonus point victory when David Mitchell (67) blazed away, scoring at better than a run a ball in another innings of high class.

Earlier in the day it was departing veteran Matt Wallis (3/16-10) who went out on a high with another brilliant display of fast and hostile bowling. Not only has Wallis not lost much pace over the year, he has retained his accuracy, and his absence will leave a huge void in 3rd and 4th Grade in the coming years. The evergreen skipper Bourke (3/15-3) has had something of a renaissance with the ball this season, and that continued as he claimed another 3 wickets in this game. Kiri Tsalikidis (2/46-10) had another year of real progress with the ball and I expect him to push for a higher Grade position next season.

I think personally that 4th Grade has done an amazing job this year to finish in 7th spot, after a few straight seasons in the bottom 4. I give huge credit to David Bourke, the Captain, for never losing faith and continuing to persevere and lead at times when he has not had the cattle to compete at a high level every week. I believe that this season Bourke played some really crucial innings and once again brought through another batch of younger players in the only style he know how. I’m sure the skipper will be backing up again next season!

5th Grade – Randwick Petersham (4th) v Eastern Suburbs (17th) @ Snape Park

Team – Gracias Flor, Standing, Powell, Saini, Hilder, Mullins, Montedoro, Singh (c), Sprowls, Boyns, Waugh

Result – Randwick Petersham 8/213 – 50 Overs (Hart 97, Montedoro 37) Defeated Eastern Suburbs 10/57 – 28.4 Overs (Montedoro 4/14-5.4, Sprowls 2/10-7, Waugh 2/12-6)

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Fifth Grade was looking for four straight victories and to push as high up the Top 6 as possible as they entered their final round clash against Easts. Interestingly, this was an away game as Easts home ground is Snape, however we know that ground like the back of our hand being our training headquarters since the start of the joint venture between Randwick and Petersham. Sitting in 4th spot, another victory would give us an outside chance of hosting a home quarter final next weekend.

In what was a great sign for the finals series ahead, the boys put together an emphatic victory, winning by a crushing margin of 156 runs. With the bat, Chris Hart (97), in his first season at the Club, has been one of our most consistent batsmen, and he stood up here with plenty at stake with his best innings of the season. Hart played with real authority and was desperately unlucky to miss out on a century, falling agonisingly just 3 runs short. He was well supported by Ben Montedoro (37) who, after a tough start to the season, has been one of our most consistent run scorers since Christmas, chipping in with more than handy contributions on a number of occasions.

With the ball, the boys came out firing, and it was all one way traffic as we steamrolled Easts for 57. Montedoro (4/14-5.4), riding a wave of confidence, ripping the heart out of Easts’ lower order with his off spinners. Getting through his overs quickly and bowling accurately, Montedoro didn’t give away any cheap runs, and it’s also handy in a team having a dart spinner that can build pressure from one end. Fast bowling pair Andrew Sprowls (2/10-7) and youngster Mac Waugh (2/12-6) both got the early breakthrough, as our quicks go into the finals in tip top form.

Fifth Grade ended the regular season as our only finalists alongside Metro Gold. It’s a credit to Captain Nigel Singh who has poured all his energy into bringing on these youngsters this year, as well as using his experience, and that of Matt Hilder, to mould a formidable side. Whilst it was disappointing to miss a home quarter final by just percentages, we travel to Penrith this week on a 4-game winning streak and confident of progressing to the semi-finals.

 

Chris Hart departing the field of play after a typically aggressive 97.

Specsavers Marrickville RPC Gold vs Mosman @ Kensington Oval

Team: House, Crawford, McDonagh, Stewart (c), Lee, Sidney (+), Jastrzab, Fox, L O’Loughlin, G Standing, M O’Loughlin 

Result: Randwick Petersham Gold 125 in 46 overs (Jastrzab 29, McDonagh 25) defeated Mosman 97 in 24.5 overs (G Standing 3/17, M O’Loughlin 3/33, Fox 3/23) 

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Gold arrived at Kensington with the knowledge that a win against Mosman and a loss to Easts would guarantee consecutive semi finals berth. Throughout the week the team trained well and arrived Saturday ready to play. Another lost toss sent Gold into bat with House (22) and Crawford (14) putting on 45, the best partnership of the innings. As the wicket slowed and the Whales’ spinners slowed the scoring rate Jastrzab (29) anchored the innings, employing the sweep to great effect. The lower order struggled to penetrate the field and were all out for 125. 

In the rooms the mood was upbeat and after the break the Whales’ openers were on the back foot against the line and pace of Fox (3/23) and M O’Loughlin (3/33). O’Loughlin was the chief destroyer bowling all his victims while Fox provided a great foil at the other end. Standing and Lee backed up the openers and were met with some resistance as the middle order hit out but two sharp catches and backward square leg and slip ended the resistance. Mosman’s evergreen skipper Jay Patel’s premeditated forward defence provided stubborn resistance until he glided Fox to gully handing Gold a good win. 

Many thanks again to Irishman Dale McDonough for stepping into the Gold’s once again. Last season we thought we wouldn’t see him back but again his batting at the top and cricket brain were greatly appreciated by Gold. Catch you in the summer mate. Cheers mate. Also congratulations to Singhy and 5s on your Finals berth and all the best in your quest for the Sherwood Cup.

John Stewart

Clovelly Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank RPC Green vs Blacktown @ Whalan Oval #2

Team: Papathansiou (+), Genner, Sapariya, Finkelstein, M Wall, Coovre (c), A Deller, W Deller, R Wall, Brandy, C De Silva

Result: Mosman 9/218 in 50 overs (Deller 3/31, C De Silva 3/35) drew Randwick Petersham Green 1/73 (Genner 33*) in 9.2 overs

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Sunny skies greeted the Green team as they headed out to Blacktown for their final game of the season.Losing the toss, Green bowled first on a wicket that looked like it might have something in it early on. Max Brandy, back from self-imposed exile, got the first breakthrough in the eighth over, the opener shouldering arms to a ball that was much too straight. Wall then cleaned-up the number three with a pearler in the 14th over, before the Blacktown batsmen regrouped for a 68-run partnership. In the 35th, Coovre eventually ended the top scorer’s vigil at the crease with a pull-shot that top-edged to the moon and back, Genner coming around nicely at mid-wicket to take it. Blacktown never got going after that with wickets going to Sapariya(Papathanasiou effecting a nice stumping), Genner (two poles including a bowled with his wily left arm chinamans) and Deller (two leg befores in quick time), and after 50 overs they were eight down for 179.

The sharp end of the order, Papathanasiou and Genner, then marched out to the centre ready to track the 180 runs that would bring victory. Things were going along nicely before a mix-up in the eighth over left Papathanasiou short of his ground. Alex Deller, coming in at number three then snicked off for a globe to make it 2/34 in the 9th over. Genner and Wall then steadied the ship on a slowish pitch, before Wall hit one in the air in the 18th over, the score 3/57. Finkelstein came out and put his head down, putting together a 58-run partnership with Genner.

Genner was the next man to fall, trapped in front for a concentrative 34, the score 4/112. Sapariya joined his old war buddy at the crease, but their partnership was short lived, Finkelstein edging to slip for a well put together 39. Coovre came and went, snicking behind, the score a slightly concerning 6/128 in the 34th over. Enter 11-year old Will Deller, brother of Alex. The young man showed a good technique and cool head beyond his years to give the well-set Sapariya much needed support. The pair put on a 57-run partnership to restore hope and bring us very close to the target. But nine runs from victory, Sapariya was fired-out leg before for a fine rear-guard of 38. Brandy was then fired out LBW by the same bowler, and it was drama aplenty in the final moments. Riley Wall, who hadn’t picked up a bat for a while came out and kept his head, allowing his ‘senior’ partner to calmly pick off the runs that would give the green team victory by two wickets, with no fewer than two overs to go . . . 

Alexis Coovre