LJ’s Round 8 Preview v Parramatta + Metro

Randy Petes Round 8 vs Parramatta Preview + Metro

The Randy Petes are going into the Christmas break in pretty strong positions in the top three grades – and the lads will be looking to add more scalps over the next two Saturdays against the always competitive Parramatta.

Over the last couple of games, there have been some incredible highlights and milestones for a few Randy Petes players:

o Veteran and CEO John Stewart brought up the outstanding milestone of 200 games for the Randy Petes
o Third Grade Captain Ben Stares, 5th Grader Adam Lee and Metro Cup veteran Jeremy Jastrzab played their 100th games for the club
o Matt Calder, Jack James and Brock Larance all competed in the U/19 National Championships – Calder was a part of the NSW/ACT Country side that won the tournament
o Calder also brought up his third century of the season a few weeks back against Hawkesbury – try and find a more in form batsmen than the ‘door snake’ right now! 
o Luca Lopes scored his maiden Grade ton with 102 against Gordon in 4s at Coogee Oval last weekend

It’s an action packed two weeks coming up before the players go away, recharge the batteries with a few beers and plenty of food before coming back to win some premierships in 2019!

First Grade is at Petersham Oval:

A huge outright win last weekend against Gordon sees the Randy Petes move up to 3rd place on the ladder – just one point behind highly-fancied Penrith and two points behind bitter rivals UNSW who sit atop the First Grade standings. This round, the side welcomes Matt Calder and Dylan Hunter into the side – two men who have been in form in 2s all season and will look to take their opportunity in 1s with both hands.

Our record against Parramatta is only fair with six wins, four draws and five losses from our 15 clashes with them over the years. However a victory last year, as well as four out of the last six, means the Randy Petes will go in with the advantage.

The player to watch this round is Jason Ralston – the quick was on fire in last weekend’s T20 semi final against St George and will look to carry that form into the longer format and take some poles with him into the break.

Jason Ralston getting them through

Second Grade is at Old Kings:

A speed-bump last weekend against the Stags wont be enough to keep the 3rd-placed Randy Petes down, and they will look to bounce back this round with a big win over Parra who sit just behind in 4th spot. Dylan Powell comes into the side this week to replace regular keeper and skipper Mitch Calder, while Jack James returns from U/19s duties.

A decent record over the years of seven wins from 12 clashes with our opponents, as well as three out of the last four, gives us the edge over them heading in – but the closeness of the two sides on this year’s ladder will make certain that this is a clash to watch over the next two Saturdays.

Kush Ram (featured image) this weekend plays his last game for the club before moving to QLD with his partner, and will be looking to go out with a bang for the Randy Petes. Kush has been a fantastic asset both on and off the field over many years, and while we will all miss him we wish him the best of luck for the future!

Third Grade is at Coogee Oval:

A win in round 7 against Gordon moves the lads into 7th spot, with just two points separating us from 4th place and a win this weekend would move us into the finals picture with our opponents sitting in 6th spot on quotient. This round we welcome back Nathan Stares, Bailey Kenzie and Hayden Fox and all three will be looking to claim a few Parramatta scalps.

In recent years Parra have had the wood over us, winning the last four matches against us in 3rd Grade – our last win in this grade came back in 2010/11 as part of a Greenwash! However, the boys are fired up and ready to go into the festive season with at least six points to their name.

Rav de Silva has had a lean start to the season by his standards, and nobody will be quicker to admit this than the man himself. Watching this bloke stick them in the nets though, you’d think he is scoring runs for fun, so a big score cant be too far away and I’m backing Ravi in for a return to form this round.

Rav de Silva

Fourth Grade is at Merrylands Oval:

A heartbreaking final over loss last weekend at Coogee sees us in 16th spot – and it wont get any easier this round with a clash against the third-placed Parramatta. There is plenty to be excited about though, with super-talented quick Jack Standing coming into the side and Mitch O’Loughlin making his return from Schoolies.

In the Randy Petes 12 fixtures with Parramatta, we have produced a nice return of 8 wins, two draws and just the two losses. Recent history is also in our favour, with a win last year adding to make it four of the last six against them.

Reuben Sachs is the player to watch this round in 4s – a young man who exerts plenty of confidence and possesses loads of talent. He was in good touch last week with a nice 30-odd but will look to improve on that this weekend with a big score and plays a vital role in the chances of a win.

Fifth Grade is at Kensington Oval:

After surviving against the Stags last weekend in a tough draw chasing 300, the side are now in 10th spot and a win here will push us that little bit closer to finals contention. Reid McNamara, Emmanuel Grogan and Nick Saady join the side.

Both our overall and recent record against Parramatta is pretty poor, with just five wins coming in total and the last of these coming as part of the Greenwash in 2010/11. However, our opponents are well behind us this year in 17th spot so it is our season to grab a win.

Chintan Sapariya is a player who always looks good when he bats, and a big score is something that will only help him grow as a player. If he can get through the early stages of his innings, look for him to play a vital role in helping the Randy Petes to victory.

Metro Cup Preview by Jeremy Jastrzab:

Leading into Christmas, both teams face their biggest challenges yet… and that’s not just to get on the field following torrential storms. Having brushed aside Blacktown last week, 5th placed Gold will head to the northern beaches to take on a Warringah side that has been gathering momentum for the last four rounds and sits at 3rd place on the ladder. Gold will have a secret weapon in tow for week one, so will look to make the best use of it at Mike Pawley, which has been known to be bowler friendly in damp conditions. Green will be playing a game of water polo after being moved to Marrickville swimming pool, but if it drains enough they’ll back their bowling attack to take on 2nd placed Sydney University. The students also started the season slowly, but have begun to match their Premier Cricket counterparts and rocket up the table, with the highlight being an outright victory over Balmain last round.