From The Pavilion – Round 9 vs Hawkesbury, PGs & Metro
Match Reports
1st to 5th Grade – Round 9 – 50-Over 1-Day Matches v Hawkesbury
PGs – Round 8 – 50 Over Match v Fairfield Liverpool @ Petersham Oval
Metropolitan Cup vs Blacktown and Penrith
The Randy Petes were back in action after the three week Christmas break with a daunting trip to Hawkesbury on a searing Sydney day. First, Third and Fifth Grades were all set for early 9am kickoffs as the mercury rose above 40 degrees in the fly infested surrounds of Bensons Lane. Second and Fourth Grades were counting their lucky stars, however Petersham and Coogee couldn’t escape the heat either. It proved a frustrating day for the Club in the end, with two very narrow defeats and only Third Grade managing to keep their massive roll going by getting the chocolates. PG’s were also back in action on a sweltering Sunday with their match against the Hawks also kicking off early at 9am. Find out who starred with bat and ball after the Christmas break in the team match reports below.
1st Grade – Hawkesbury v Randwick Petersham @ Owen Earle Oval
Team – A. Sams (c+), Kemp, Hughes, Everett, Bohannon, Eaton, Ayre, Semple, Neser, Ram, West
Result – Randwick Petersham 7/182 – 50 Overs (Everett 65, Ayre 38 n/o, Semple 33, Bohannon 29) Defeated by Hawkesbury 3/183 -38.3 Overs (Semple 1/25-9, West 1/25-6)
http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2623980
First Grade resumed after Christmas looking to solidify a final’s spot having finished the first half of the season in fourth position. The team included a couple of changes, as both Daniel Sams and Soumil Chhibber were unavailable on Sydney Sixers’ duty. Matt Everett was called up after his outstanding Second Grade form, and paceman Greg West now fit for his first appearance of the season.
This wasn’t our best performance, with the Hawks putting on a pretty dominant display in front of their home fans with a 7-wicket victory achieved with more than ten overs to spare. We had the Hawks under pressure at 3/56 still requiring 127 runs in the run chase, however a good fourth wicket partnership, and some luck going the host’s way, saw the game slip away from us late in the afternoon.
Greg West (1/25-6) made a really solid return from injury, bowling with good pace, as well as picking up an early wicket, whilst Adam Semple (1/25-9) was the best of the bowlers, once again going at less than three runs per over and working tirelessly in the searing conditions.
With the bat we got off to a nightmare start being 4/14, making it a good rebuilding mission to get to 182 from there. Matt Everett (65) would have been desperate to take his chance at Number 4 and he did so, in fine style, coming in with wickets tumbling around him, building a mature and determined innings from 111 balls. Everett has now scored a remarkable 344 runs in his last four innings averaging 115 in the process. Riley Ayre (38n/o) and Adam Semple (33) put on 63 for the seventh wicket, with Ayre proving to be a very reliable all rounder this season, averaging 40 with over 230 runs.
The result leaves us outside the Top 6 for the first time this season, sitting in eighth place, just two points behind sixth placed Bankstown. Next weekend now proves a very crucial game with a Saturday/Sunday two-day game at Glenn McGrath Oval against second placed Sutherland.
2nd Grade – Randwick Petersham v Hawkesbury @ Petersham Oval
Team – Mahony-Brack, Tector, James, Edwards, Calder, De Silva, Holland (C), Mullins+, Standing, Jenkins, Magann
Result – Hawkesbury 10/264 – 49.2 Overs (Edwards 4/39-10, Mahony-Brack 3/60-9.2) Defeated Randwick Petersham 10/171 – 27.4 Overs (Calder 52n/o, Mahony-Brack 29)
http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2627760
Second Grade were hoping to make a charge for a Top 6 final’s berth after Christmas as they looked to improve on their tenth place position at the Christmas break. Kel Mullins was rewarded for some outstanding Third Grade performances making his Second Grade debut, whilst left arm quick Pat Magann was fit for his first game of the season after returning from a long-term injury.
Unfortunately, the boys put in one of their poorer performances for a fair while, going down by 93 runs. The Hawks score of 264 looked a sizeable one, however considering we batted just 27 overs, and scored at over 6 runs per over, there was a feeling of what might have been if we had kept wickets in hand throughout the afternoon. Matt Calder (52 n/o) has been in super touch lately and that continued here with a sparkling unbeaten half century, including seven 4’s. Sadly, Calder was left stranded at the end, with only new opening batsman James Mahony-Brack (29) scoring over 20 in the innings.
With the ball it was hard work on a hot morning against a strong Hawks’ team that batted deep. Mitchell Edwards (4/39) has made a big impact in Second Grade since his mid-season signing, and he was by far the pick of the bowlers here with his accurate left arm spinners. Edwards picked up four of the top six batsmen, and bowled at a time when the Hawks were going at full throttle. James Mahony-Brack (3/60-9.2) also picked up a few wickets, whilst Mac Jenkins was the tightest of all bowlers going at just three runs per over through his ten overs.
Seconds now drop down to twelfth place with the loss, however remain just twelve points behind sixth placed Sydney. Next weekend now becomes a must-win game in a 50-over contest against winless Sutherland at Petersham Oval.
Young Gun Matt Calder
3rd Grade – Hawkesbury v Randwick Petersham @ Bensons Lane 2
Team – Powell, Eldridge, B Stares (C), Lyle, Hart, Burton, Graham, N Stares, McKenzie, N. Singh, Loth
Result – Hawkesbury 9/168 – 50-Overs (Hart 3/26-6, N. Singh 2/11-10 McKenzie 2/24-10) Defeated by Randwick Petersham 3/169 – 40.3 Overs (Lyle 91n/o, Hart 27n/o, B. Stares 21)
http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2628389
Third Grade didn’t really want the Christmas break, having won four from their past five before the break to surge into sixth position after a tough start to the season. The team featured the strong core that had helped them to some thrilling victories over the past five rounds, plus a couple of new faces. Dylan Powell took the gloves, whilst paceman Doug Loth, back from injury, was a further boost to a strong bowling attack.
Ben Stares’ men continued where they left off with perhaps there most dominant win of the season, crushing the Hawks by seven wickets with just under ten overs to spare. On a hot morning, the bowlers all toiled manfully to restrict the home side to just 168, before peeling off the runs in clinical fashion.
Jack Lyle (91n/o) has always looked a classy player, so it was good to see him cashing in on some good form with a dominant innings, only falling short of a century due to the Hawks’ lack of runs on the board. Lyle is a stylish player with plenty of time and technique that wouldn’t look out of place in First Grade, and now has 297 runs in Third Grade this season at an average over 40. Lyle was well supported by Ben Stares (21) and Joe Hart (27n/o) as the Hawks struggled for answers with the ball.
Earlier in the day Hart (3/26-6) showed his all-round abilities by chipping in with three wickets with his aggressive leg spinners, after all the seamers had kept the clamps on the home side. Nigel Singh (2/11-10) bowled another sensational spell showing that, at his miserly best, he remains a great frontline bowler in any Grade. Tom McKenzie (2/24) continued his great form with the ball, bowling with good pace in the hot temperatures.
Captain Stares mentioned he was happy with the win but his side will need to tidy up a few areas to beat some of the better sides. The win was our fifth in six games, and sees the team in the season-high position of fourth spot as we look to get back into the finals for the first time in two years. Next weekend is a danger game as we hit the road to Sutherland Oval for a game against last placed Sutherland.
4th Grade – Randwick Petersham v Hawkesbury @ Coogee Oval
Team – Gracias Flor, Sidney+, Murdita, Montedoro, Radford, Bourke (c), Stafford, Kenzie, Budwee, Stirling, Flanagan
Result – Hawkesbury 7/152 – 50 Overs (Montedoro 3/26-6, Radford 2/28-8, Stirling 2/15-7) Defeated Randwick Petersham 10/151 – 49.2 Overs (Gracias Flor 32, Kenzie 32)
http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2629187
Fourth Grade resumed from Christmas sitting pretty in fourth position, having claimed five wins before the Christmas break. The side had an air of strength about it with Bourke, Stafford and Radford providing an experienced core to what is a side on the rise. Damien Sidney was rewarded for his outstanding form in Fifth Grade with a Fourth Grade debut, taking the gloves from Dylan Powell who was up in Third Grade.
It was a heartbreaking defeat for Fourth Grade, going down by one run in the final over of the match, in a fixture that could prove costly at the end of the season. We looked dead in the water at 8/115 chasing 153 for victory, however the lower order put together a great rear-guard fight, only for Bailey Kenzie (32) to fall to a top edged pull in the final over, after he had done a great job to drag us back from the brink.
Kenzie has had an outstanding AWGS with the ball, but his batting under pressure was outstanding here for a young kid, in a run chase in what was a very low scoring game. Budwee (16) and Flanagan (15) both did a great job supporting Kenzie, frustrating the Hawks. The middle order collapsed in this game as we went from 2/59 to 7/80 in what was a disappointing display. Opener Savio Gracias Flor (32) had got the side off to a blistering start, hammering three 4’s and a six in typical Gracias Flor style before holing out.
With the ball everyone pitched in, with the new “death banker” Ben Montedoro continuing his outstanding latter overs bowling form, claiming three wickets and going at just over 4 runs per over. Luke Radford really started to crank things up, showing his class with a couple of fiery spells, whilst Scott Sterling took two wickets and went at just over 2 runs per over.
The loss drops the side from fourth to eighth, but just two points behind fourth placed Penrith. Next week now becomes a huge game against ninth placed Sutherland as we look to break the Coogee curse, where Fourth Grade have an awful record over the past few years.
5th Grade – Hawkesbury v Randwick Petersham @ Bensons Lane
Team – House (+c), Clarke, Hodges, Frith, Andonopoulous, Fox, Lopes, Deller, M. O’Loughlin, L. O’Loughlin, Tsalikidis
Result – Randwick Petersham 10/141 – 46 Overs – (Lopes 27, Clark 27, Fox 24, M. O’Loughlin 24) Defeated by Hawkesbury 9/142 – 47.2 Overs (L. O’Loughlin 2/26-10, Tsalikidis 2/27-7.2, M. O’Loughlin 2/25-6)
http://www.premier.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?locx=MATCH&matchID=2632497
Fifth Grade were looking to break through for a first victory of the season when they headed to Hawkesbury with a stronger team that they rolled out for much of the first half of the season. The side contained no less than seven players that had played Fourth Grade at some point this season, so the wheels were well and truly in motion to get off the bottom of the table after a testing first half of the season.
The day ended in sheer heartbreak for the boys, going down by one wicket as our first victory of the season was cruelly snatched away from us. The boys looked to be heading for the 6 points having the Hawks at 8/98 chasing out 9/142. However the home side’s lower order dug in and rode their luck, to scrape home nine wickets down, with just over two overs to spare.
It was a great effort with the ball and in the field by our young side, with Mitchell and Liam O’Loughlin both taking two wickets apiece, whilst leg spinner Kiri Tsalikidis returned to form with two wickets, ripping his leg breaks and bowling with confidence.
Earlier in the day we had battled our way to a competitive target thanks to some starts from some of our younger players. Angus Clark is a classy young player who has been restricted in the number of games he could play because of his school commitments at Trinity; however he equal top scored again here, continuing his strong form. Luca Lopes (27) played a gutsy innings in the middle order, whilst Hayden Fox (24) continued his solid form with his strong ball striking, elevating our total late, alongside the much improve Mitchell O’Loughlin who is developing his batting nicely.
PGs Round 8 – Randwick Petersham v Fairfield Liverpool @ Petersham Oval
Team – Tector, Eldridge, James, Calder, Mahony-Brack, De Silva, Hart, Mullins+, Larance, Jenkins, Standing
Result – Fairfield Liverpool 8/285 – 50 Overs (Hart 3/66-9, Calder 2/50-10) Defeated Randwick Petersham 10/205 – 39.1 Overs (Mahony-Brack 74, Calder 34)
PG’s were looking to finish the season with a couple of victories, sitting in 17th spot, as they headed into their second last game of the season against Fairfield Liverpool at a baking hot Petersham Oval. Promising young AWGS Country batsman Brock Larance made his debut in what is a team full of youngsters that will go from strength to strength over the next couple of years.
In an action packed game, it wasn’t to be our day as Fairfield Liverpool walked away 80-run winners in a high scoring game. On a day where temperatures hovered around 40 degrees on the coast, it was a credit to all cricketers for getting through the day and putting in their best effort for their Club, in our boys’ case with nothing but pride to play for, with no shot of making the finals.
The Lions racked up an imposing score of 8/285 before we made a fair fist of it, scoring quickly but losing regular wickets on our way to 205 all out in the 40th over. All rounder, James Mahony-Brack, made a swashbuckling 74 batting at Number 4 as he continues to show huge potential this season in both Second Grade and PG’s. Matt Calder (34) supported Mahony-Brack well in a good partnership, but things quickly went south when those boys were dismissed.
Earlier in the day, it was hard graft in the field with Joe Hart (3/66-9) and Matt Calder (2/50-10) picking up 5 wickets between them on a baking wicket and a lightning fast outfield. The boys are now in 19th spot on the table and play their final match of the season against 13th placed Western Suburbs at Petersham Oval on 21 January.
Metropolitan Cup – Randwick Petersham Gold v Blacktown @ Whalan No. 2
Team – Stewart (c), Siddall, N Crawford, M Wall, Wanzare, G Small, Kashyap, Trindall, J Hookey, Melukote, Jastrzab (+), Sherriff
Result – Blacktown 9-226 – 50 Overs (Kashyap 4/24, Wall 2/26) defeated Randwick Petersham Gold 155 – 38 Overs (Crawford 50, Trindall 39, Kashyap 25*)
http://www.smcc.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?matchID=2779143&entityID=2318
The Golden Boys got up at the crack of dawn to schlep it out to Whalan for a 9am start against Blacktown. Electing to bowl in the hope of avoiding the heat, a dropped catch at second slip in the first over was an auspicious start to the day. The Blacktown umpires had a rather tough interpretation on the wide law, but it was the catching that was letting the team down. It was let to the team’s youngest member, Gus Small, to show how it’s done to help with the first wicket. Blacktown’s opener was looking to use all his luck for the year in the first weekend, as catches went down, edges avoided the stumps and fielders and the field seemed to scoot the ball just that little bit quicker for him.
Enter Pratulya ‘Cuddles’ Kashyap, who constricted the scoring with 10 overs of tight off-spin bowling, full of subtle changes in flight, revs and speed to cut a swathe through Blacktown’s middle order. His spell of 4/24 included the top scorer, and two wickets in his final over. Had the fielding back up his bowling effort, lunch would have been taken much earlier. Mark Wall’s metro cameo showed his experience as his cutters deceived the batsmen looking to hit out, and included a one-handed screamer off his own bowling. The last wicket stand took the Blacktown total to 226, which was a lot more than it should have been.
Just as nothing went the way for the Golden boys in the field, Blacktown made all the running in the scorching sun. As the temperatures tipped 40 degrees, the Blacktown bowlers got their lines right and all the catches stuck to leave a regular fall of wickets. Neale Crawford bravely battled the heat with power-packed driving to make a gutsy 50. Jason Trindall (39) provided the highlight of the innings though, with a six that cleared the water tank on the western side of the ground – an effort that probably eclipsed 100m and one that D Sams would have been proud of. Kashyap capped off a fine match with an unbeaten 25, but the Golds ended up well short of the target. Had an umpire been present, Blacktown would have been well short of the overrate, as they completed 38 overs in 3.5 hours. But as the old adage goes, catches win matches, and the boys will have to hold onto their chances if they’re to compete in their upcoming games. At least a return to Kensington should be a bit cooler…
Metropolitan Cup – Randwick Petersham Green v Penrith @ Kensington
Team – Coovre (c), Ganesh, Geraghty, Mohan, Genner, Bhavsar, W Deller, O Sachs, Whalebone, Robertson, Miller, C De Silva
Result – Penrith 6-203 50 Overs (Coovre 2/41, O Sachs 2/42) defeated Randwick Petersham Green 87 – 30.4 Overs
http://www.smcc.nsw.cricket.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/match.aspx?matchID=2779145&entityID=2318
RPCC Green won the toss, and elected to bowl on a wicket with a green tinge and just enough grass to keep the bowler interested. Left-arm speedster, Oscar Sachs, roared-in getting both openers caught behind for ducks. A 78-run partnership for the third wicket then ensued, before Alexis Coovre knocked-out both batsmen in the same over (23rd). Josh Genner tossed them up, spun them left and right, and eventually got the number six chipping to mid-off. Thirty runs later Charith De Silva had the number seven holing-out, but numbers five and eight put on a 72-run partnership to get their side to 203, after 50 overs.
When it was time for the Greens to bat, the pitch had flattened-out nicely, and had turned a nice straw-colour. It was now or never for a team with a bolstered batting line-up. The young Penrith team bowled with purpose, and the wickets came a-tumblin’ – batsmen playing too far in front of their bodies, or around the ball. Coovre (26) stuck around, but was losing partners fast. He managed to get some momentum going with the technically correct Will Deller, but eventually they fell, as well as the others, save for Oscar Sachs who showed that he is not just a bowler, stroking the ball nicely, including a beautiful six, to be 16 not out, in an otherwise disappointing run chase for the Green batsmen, who are better than what they showed.
Alexis Coovre
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!