LJ’s Round 2 Preview vs UNSW + Metro
This Preview is brought to you by our great sponsor O’Neills.
O’Neills Irish International Sports Company Ltd. was established in 1918. It is the largest manufacturer of sportswear in Ireland and has manufacturing plants in Dublin and Strabane. They have developed long-standing relationship with Irish Rugby, Football and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
Additionally, O’Neills are the kit supplier to Cricket Ireland and were showcased at Coogee Oval in February 2015 and during the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia.
O’Neills Sportswear – the Choice of Champions and now Randwick Petersham Cricket.
It was a mixed bag of results in round one of the 2018/19 season for the Randy Petes, with wins in First and Second Grade, as well as wins in both Metro Cup games. Unfortunately, Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade came up short but there is plenty of room to grow and it’s only early days for all teams.
This round, we take on longtime rivals UNSW in all grades over the next two weekends, kicking off the two-day format of our season. It will be a tough test as it always is against the Bees, but there is plenty of potential in the Randy Petes lineup in all grades and a plethora of familiar faces in the opposition lineups will make for some interesting match-ups.
Centuries from both Dave Warner and Matt Calder in round one led both their respective sides to victories, and they will look to build on that in the coming weeks for both 1’s and 2’s.
EDITOR’S NOTE 2: PLEASE SEND ANY IMAGES (HIGH RES) FOR MATCH REPORT USE TO RODNEY.STAFFORD@METCASH.COM OR VIA FACEBOOK MESSENGER – ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO SCORE RUNS OR TAKE POLES.
1st Grade is at Coogee Oval:
An impressive final ball victory last week at Coogee against the Saints was a fantastic day where we saw the return of Dave Warner, who steered the side to victory with an impressive 155 not out. Daya Singh was on debut for the club took three wickets, and the second week of this fixture will see the return of NSW star Daniel Sams to the team.
Our record against UNSW in First Grade over the years is pretty strong, with 21 clashes providing 13 wins, two draws and just the six losses, and with the side we have lining up over the next two weeks it would come as no surprise if the Randy Petes were to come away with the victory after the momentum from last week.
Matt Everett looms as a player to watch this round, after a solid start last week with 23 and as his outstanding form showed last season, he is certainly a player capable of piling on the runs and boosting the side to a victory.
Daya Singh had a great debut for RPC with 3/38 off 10
Hopefully some more magic this week from Dave Warner, and from Peter Bannigan too, great shot!
Watching the ball.
2nd Grade is at David Phillips South:
An 8-run victory in round one over the Saints was a fantastic way to start the season for our highly-talented 2’s team, and this talent was highlighted by a beautiful century from the hard-hitting Matt Calder.
Our record against UNSW in Second Grade over the years is not the best, with 16 matches against them only giving us just seven wins and nine losses, but in the first round we came away with the win while UNSW were beaten convincingly by Campbelltown-Camden so the momentum is certainly in our favour.
One player to watch in our side is the returning Jamie Hemphrey, who missed the first round last week but comes in with plenty of steam behind him after taking 26 wickets last season for the Randy Petes and earned himself a First Grade debut towards the back end of last season – the Pommy quick will be out for poles in his first game of the season!
Big Quick Jamie Hemphrey in action
3rd Grade is at Petersham Oval:
A tough loss to start the season last week will not worry Ben Stares and his men as they look to bounce back and get their season started properly in round two. 2017/18 season MVP Hayden Fox joins the side in his Third Grade debut after an impressive campaign in 4’s last year, and his work ethic and talent has paid off here as he continues to grow as a player.
Our record against the Bee’s is fantastic in recent years, winning our last four matches against the rivals, while overall we have played them 15 times for nine wins and six losses. UNSW suffered a loss in round one as well, so both sides will be out to get the win here in what should be a great contest at Petersham.
Jack Lyle will be a key player for the green and gold mob, as once he gets going he is incredibly hard to stop and after finishing the 2017/18 season in form in 2nd Grade, he will be out with a point to prove and his class may prove too much for the opposition bowlers.
This guy! Hayden Fox with his old man Gavin after winning the MVP – 3rd Grade Debut!
4th Grade is at David Phillips North:
Last week was definitely one to forget for the Randy Petes in 4’s, suffering a massive loss against the Saints. Being bowled out for just 85 runs, it was a start to the season which they will look to move forward from quickly. Mitchell O’Loughlin joins the side after missing the first round with injury, and youngster Josh Segal comes in to the side after playing 5’s in the first round.
In our 15 matches against the Bees in 4’s, we have the small edge with eight wins and seven losses, including five out of the last seven games!
Self-proclaimed ‘circuiting royalty’ Ben Montedoro was one of the few shining lights in round one, scoring 41 at the top of the order, and will definitely be one of the keys to victory if we are to get the win against a side that features former Randy Petes player Damian Sidney.
Mitch O’Loughlin returns
5th Grade is at Kensington Oval:
Despite falling short of a round victory over the Saints, we showed plenty of ticker to fight back and make a game out of it after their opponents got to 3/154 and were bowled out for just 181. The batting couldn’t quite get the Randy Petes over the line, but skipper Fabian Heaton will take confidence from the performance no doubt.
This week we see the well-travelled Nick Saady return to the team, as well as veteran batsman Neale ‘Cindy’ Crawford who is hot off a strong round one performance in Metro Cup. Our record against the Bees is strong, with 15 matches producing 11 wins and just the four losses.
Pommy Sam Boyns leads the pace attack and he will only improve on his solid start last round here, and he will be a major factor if we are to get the chocolates in round two.
Metro Cup Preview by Jeremy Jastrzab:
After a rip-roaring start to the season with two big wins, it’s up to both Metropolitan Cup teams to continue the momentum. Whereas the premier cricket teams head into a string of two dayers, Metro instead has a pair of one dayers across the next two weeks. John’s Golden boys occupy Marrickville Oval this Saturday against Eastern Suburbs, who play their first game of the competition following a scheduling anomaly last week. The Gold team toiled in the field last week but made use of ideal batting conditions to chase down 269 with 7 wickets to spare. They’ll be bolstered by the return of some injured and junior rep players, on a wicket that will likely have a bit of life in it early before settling and becoming slow but steady for batting. Jeza’s Green machine head down the M5 to take on the first of two Georges River teams in the competition this season at the excitingly named Bland Oval. The Georges River Stingrays are supposedly the ‘older’ team for the club, and had a difficult time on a bowling friendly Graham Reserve last week. If the damp and cool conditions stay around, the Green pace battery that performed so admirably last week will be licking their lips with anticipation.
In the following round, Green will return to Marrickville to take on the other team from the west, Blacktown. While the Gold team will head to chic Alexandria Park to take on the sole UNSW in the competition this season.
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