LJ’s Randy Petes Preview Round 13 vs Bankstown + Metro

A disrupted last round against Parramatta saw only 2^nd Grade able to claim victory, with extreme heat on day one and torrential rain on day two causing havoc across Sydney.

But the weather looks good to go for this weekend against Club Championship leaders Bankstown (touch wood) and the lads in all grades will be keen to get on the field and play some cricket.

Last season we managed two wins, two draws and just the one loss against this round’s opponents, and there is plenty to play for heading into the business end of the season.

Here’s a preview for Round 13. 

1st Grade is at Coogee Oval: 

The benchmark of the 2019/20 season will take on a formidable Bankstown side this weekend, with the Bulldogs sitting in 4^th spot on the ladder. However, the Randy Petes are boosted by the return of BBL star Daniel Sams after his highly-successful campaign with the Sydney Thunder.

Our overall record against this round’s opponents isn’t remarkable, producing just 7 wins from 18 clashes. But this season it is a different Randy Petes outfit, and the Coogee factor will no doubt play a massive part in a potential victory.

This weekend will mark the end of Daniel Bell-Drummond’s stint for the club this season before returning home to Kent for the County season. We are expecting DBD to want to go out with a bang. Everyone at Randwick Petersham thanks DBD for all his contributions on and off the field and wish him safe travels home and success with Kent CCC. A few more runs on the way out would be nice!

2nd Grade is at Bankstown Oval:

Rain stopped us from getting an outright victory against Parramatta last weekend, and it hurt our fading finals chances. But when there is life, there is hope and the lads will give it everything they’ve got in the last three rounds. The departure of Stephen Doheny (Ireland Wolves duty) means Ben Montedoro comes into the side at the top of the order.

The Randy Petes have won three straight against the Bulldogs in 2s, and we’re hoping to make it four – but it will be no easy task, with our opponents currently in 2^nd spot. The overall record is also in our favour, with 10 wins in this grade.

Tim Affleck broke through for his first century in Randy Petes colours last round against Parramatta, and will be hungry for more runs this weekend. He looms as a player to watch as 2s make a late-season surge.

3rd Grade is at Kensington Oval:

Third Grade looked a solid chance last round before getting called off for heat, and then cancelled for rain. They have a few changes here, with Alex Deller, Ross Elliot and Josh Segal returning to the side, and a new captain in Scott Sharma. 

Eight wins, two draws and six losses gives us a slight edge over the Bulldogs in 3s, but they did get the win over us last year. The Randy Petes have however won two of the past four encounters, and fingers are crossed for us to get the six points here at Kenso.

Ashley Burton has been in and out of 2s and 3s and will have a point to prove this weekend. He has a 98 under his belt this season, as well as plenty of solid contributions, and is the key man in 3^rd Grade this round.

4th Grade is at Grahame Thomas Oval:

Only batting last round before the wet weather set in, it was the first time we’ve been able to bat a full 80 overs all season – even if we batted very slow. This round we welcome Hamza Mahmood for the first time, while Will Hutchison and Dylan Powell return.

Two wins on the trot is a nice thing to see in the record books, but Bankstown are a massive threat to the title this season while we are struggling down in 18^th spot. We do have an overall positive record (9-6) against the Dogs, and hopefully we can improve that over the next fortnight.

Akhter Hussain is a fine cricketer when he is on and can provide plenty in all three aspects of the game. When ‘Hollywood’ turns up on time, and remembers his whites, he is one of 4s biggest keys with bat and ball.

5th Grade is at Marrickville Oval:

Fifth Grade have endured a pretty tough season, with a plethora of changes throughout the campaign and lots of inexperienced players in the line-up. But you can never doubt their effort, and Fabian Heaton will want to make sure they finish the season strong. 

We haven’t beaten the Bulldogs since 2014 when we claimed an outright, but our overall record makes for pleasant viewing. In 17 encounters, the Petes have claimed victory in 12 of those including an unbeaten run from 2001-2010. 

Haider Ali is a young spinner with plenty of potential, and has been plying his trade in both 5s and Green Shield. The teenager has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and will be hoping for a few poles in the coming weeks.

Metropolitan Cup Preview by Jeremy Jastrzab:

The Metropolitan Cup takes another week off, but not for the reasons of the last few… Green were saved by the rain with Mosman only 13 runs shy of taking the points last round, but this week’s downpours seemed to be bit heavier in the Hills, as Castlewood remains closed for the weekend. Opponents North West Sydney are the only things standing between Green and a finals berth, with the team needing two wins from their final two games to give themselves any chance of slipping into the top 6. It would be quite an achievement after some tough losses through out the season. Green will be bolstered next week with the inclusions of Anis Bugti and Simran Sandhu, who would be among the quickest and most skillful bowlers in the competition. Gold on the other hand, have notched up their third win of the season… following Gordon’s forfeiture during the week. The real shame is that youngsters such as Jackson Dodd, Harry Schultz and Atharv Ramakanth miss out on another opportunity to prove their mettle in men’s cricket.