RD 6 MATCH REPORTS V MANLY-WARRINGAH & RD 3 V FAIRFIELD-LIVERPOOL
& METRO CUP v BLACKTOWN & NORTH WEST SYDNEY
In a unique weekend the Randy Petes faced no less than 5 teams across all grades and plenty of players racked up plenty of kms.
In 2 Day cricket 1s faced Manly-Warringah at Manly with 3 debutants in the side while 2s hosted the same opposition at Coogee. 3s, 4s and 5s faced off in one dayers v Fairfield-Liverpool with Reuben Sachs scoring his maiden Premier ton at Petersham and 4s bounced back from their heavy defeat to Penrith. RP Green travelled to and defeated Blacktown. While on Sunday RP Gold continued their good opening form defeating North West Sydney away and PGs went down to Gordon at Chatswood.
Lefand Group 1st Grade @ Manly Oval – Day 1
In Progress: Randwick Petersham 98 (42.4 overs) R Ayre 47 v Manly-Warringah 5-230 (51 overs) M O’Loughlin 2-24, D Singh 2-42
Suttons City Rosebery 2nd Grade @ Coogee Oval – Day 1
In Progress: Manly-Warringah 9-346 (96 overs) S Sharma 4-60, A Burton 2-36
Randwick Petersham lost the toss and was forced to bowl. The morning session was a well-fought battle with the senior members Jamie Hemphrey (1-75), James Mahony-Brack (1-41) and Ashley Burton (2-36) putting in the hard work to keep the pressure on. Ben Montedoro followed-up the quicks with a great spell of spin bowling for the middle session. Throughout the day the boys toiled away in the field and kept the energy up on a warm day and on a flat deck. Scott Sharma (4-60) came back on for a second spell later in the day along with the quicks and managed to keep the opposition to a fair total.
In summary, it was an even contest with the ball and the bat. Unfortunately, the Randy Petes was unable to take advantage of a number of catching opportunities that may have had the opposition 50 runs less at the end of the day. To win the day next week, Randwick will need to bat the 96 overs to secure the victory which is no far feat given our performances in recent times with the bat. Training hard this week will go a long way to helping get us the win next week.
Scott Sharma (c)
Petersham RSL 3rd Grade @ Petersham Oval
Result: Randwick Petersham 8-230 (50 overs) R Sachs 108 def by Fairfield-Liverpool 3-233 (40 overs) V Mahajan 1-45
RPC 3rd grade arrived at Petersham to another great cricket wicket with plenty for the bowlers and batsmen alike. A debut from promising quick Jack Horseman and a host of players back from injury and up from 4s, there were quite a few changes to the side from last week, but we were confident nonetheless, winning the toss and electing to bat. A similar issue to last week was the throwing away of wickets at regular intervals so no real partnerships could be developed, however the stalwart of the innings was Reuben Sachs with a brilliant run-a-ball 108. Classy manipulation of the field to keep the score ticking over mixed with smart big-hitting when the ball was there; it was a great innings from a very promising youngster in the club. I have no doubt he’ll be pushing higher grades soon. Some great lower order running between wickets got us to a par score of 230.
Our bowling and fielding innings, however, was a disaster. Bowling two sides of the wicket, 18 extras bowled and lazy fielding resulting in 8 or 9 easy catches put down gave Fairfield all the momentum with their openers doing major damage in the early overs. We fought back with some late wickets, but too little too late. Was a very disappointing finish to the game after the great batting performance from Reuben earlier in the day and against a side we really should have beaten. Plenty of work to be done on all facets of our respective games at training as we look to bounce back against Manly. Roll on next week.
Tom Holland (c)
Mellick Wealth Management 4th Grade @ Fairfield Oval
Result: Randwick Petersham 5-105 (28.4 overs) D Hackney 31 def Fairfield-Liverpool 104 (34.1 overs) A Deller 3-20, L O’Loughlin 2-8
After a disappointing result in round two, it was time to bounce back on the road against Fairfield. Everyone was on time, ready to rip in for a 10am start…but that didn’t exactly go to plan. The covers had mysteriously ‘blown off’ on Friday, and left wet patches all over the pitch and putting the game in jeopardy. Eventually, we got on at 1.20pm for a 39-over per side game.
And it was certainly worth the wait, as Alex Deller (3-20 off 8) and Will Deller (0/25 off 5) started things off nicely, with the younger brother unlucky not to get a wicket or two. Mitch Winslade (2-16 off 4.1) came on first change and kept the momentum going, before spinners Haider Ali (2-32 off 8) and Liam O’Loughlin (2-8 off 8) kept it tight through the middle overs as Fairfield struggled for runs. Wickets continued to fall and despite a small tail wag, we were able to roll our opponents for just 104 runs.
Small chases often prove challenging, especially after a poor performance with the bat a week prior. This week however, we kept our composure and the experience of Dale Hackney (31) in the top-order proved vital. He was well-supported by Ryan Connolly (14*) and Connor O’Riordan (14) in the middle-order, as we chased down their total for the loss of five wickets.
Next weekend, it will be a much tougher task against Manly, but if the boys come with the same effort and intensity in the field, we will be every chance.
Liam O’Loughlin (c)
Clovelly Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank 5th Grade @ Kensington Oval
Result: Randwick Petersham 9-145 S Suresh 62 (50 overs) def by Fairfield-Liverpool 6-149 (43.2 overs) P Kashyap 3-47, S Stirling 2-35
RPCC lost the toss and were asked to bat on a deck that looked hard on the surface but would get slower as the day progressed. One side of the boundary was less than 50m and the outfield looked slow. Therefore, running between the wickets would be crucial.
The batting plan for the Randy Petes was to have a right and left batting combination as much as possible in the middle especially with the top order. Also, our plan was that at the 1st drinks break we would be 50 for no loss. Double that at the next drink break with at least 5 wickets in the shed. Then the last 15 over we could take the total close to 200.
But, when RPCC batted the slow outfield and the Fairfield bowlers kept the ball just back of a length and gave little width to cut had us in trouble at 1 for 33 in 20 overs. Sriram Suresh (62) and Freddy Whalebone (20) gutsed it out and tried their best to pick up the tempo but with the wicket slowing up strokeplay became more difficult and Freddy was out in the 30th over with the score at 67. With 9 wickets in hand and plenty of wickets Sriram and Max Robinson (13) were asked to up the ante and got the the team to 99 in the 40th over.
With 10 overs to go and 8 wickets in hand it was really blast off time and RPCC were looking to get at least 165 to 170 with some big hitters still to go in. But, full credit to the Fairfield-Liverpool young bowlers who stuck to their plans and, amidst dropped catches still managed to restrict us to 145 for 9.
The RPCC bowlers were fired up to take the field and the advice was to build pressure by bowling dots and in the channel. It was a wicket where once the shine was gone from the ball our spinners could get right on top as the wicket was slow and difficult for strokeplay. But, the key was for the medium pacers to restrict the runs and grab a few wickets along the way so our spinners still had some freedom to bowl with some runs in the bank.
Medium pacers Alan Mathews (0-14 of 6), Adam Coombs (0 -9 of 6 with 3 maidens on the run), Scott Stirling (2 – 35 of 8) and Freddy (0 -16 of 6) did a great job restricting Fairfield to 2-34 off 17 overs. Freddy was asked not to buy a lottery as he was really unlucky not to claim 2 wickets. This could have got us to 4 wickets in 20 overs.
Our spinners PK (3-47 off 10 and Sriram (1-26 off 8) started off well and the batsmen were always in two minds whether to play forward or go back to the ball. With the ball holding up PK was enjoying flighting the ball and the batsman struggled to settle in and unfortunately few more catches were spilled when the batmen began to hit out. At the other end Sriram, after a valuable knock with the bat, was in top gear and giving absolutely nothing away.
With pressure building one of the senior Lions batsman decided to take on our spinners to score 39 runs off the next 5 overs. If we had another 15 or 20 runs and taken some of the early catches it would have been another story.
In the field there was a bit of brilliance with Angus Beaumont pulling off a sensational one-handed catch at midwicket to get rid of the Fairfield middle order batsman.
Looking forward to our luck to change next week as the team had a good chat about lifting the intensity in the field and also when batting to have more intent and rotation of strike. Also, fielding is the key and we need to hold onto those straight forward catches.
Big big thanks to Jez for helping run the fielding drills for us both in the morning before start of play and when warming up to field. Also, thanks again to Luke Takacs for showing up to support the team and like Jez helped us all day with scoring, giving us some pointers during the team meeting and doing the covers as well. Cannot wait for you to get fit soon Luke. Such an awesome team man with great character.
Fabian Heaton (c)
Investment Collective Poidevin Gray @ Chatswood Oval
Result: Randwick Petersham 6-225 P Gaur 115 L Bird 51* def by Gordon 0-226 (40.5 overs)
With a defendable total on the board we look to take wickets early through Mitch O’Loughlin and Caelan Maladay, unfortunately there were some costly missed opportunities to remove both opening batsmen, which saw them get off to a good start. Fortunately tight bowling by Vivek Mahajan and Puru Gaur reduced their scoring rate and built up some pressure, this was followed by a good spell from both Jack Horseman and Mandar Mariguddi. However with a steady run rate the game kept slipping away from us, because of this Kel Mullins was called upon to see if he could burgle a wicket but had no luck. Josh Mellick was thrown the ball to see if he could create an opportunity, which he was able to do but the ball landed short or just wide of fielders. Disappointingly the game slipped away from us and Gordon were able to chase our score down none down.
Notable mentions, Vivek Mahajan 0-38 off 10, Puru Gaur – 0-28 off 6 and Mitch O’Loughlin 0-10 off 3.
Titan Fitness Metro Gold @ Kanebridge Oval
Result: Randwick Petersham 5-202 (50 overs) A Xu 47 N Crawford 39 A Bhat 30* def North West Sydney 166 (45.4 overs) G Chandar 3-24 J Dodd 2-7 B Thomas 2-22
Gold were on the long road for the second time in three rounds with a late venue change sending the team deep into the Hills to the picturesque but imposing Kanebridge Oval. Despite the pitch having been ripped up a few weeks ago and used the day before, it looked flat and hard, while the players appreciated having a dressing room with ample room to socially distance. With temperatures forecast to soar in the afternoon, it was a good toss to lose and have North West Sydney send us into bat. Neale Crawford (39) and Marley Besgrove (13) opened the batting against some solid bowling and did well to keep their wickets in hand and make use of the loose deliveries. Neale in particular played himself back into some fine fiddle once he finally got off the mark for the season. Marley fell on the stroke of drinks to bring a determined Alan Xu to the crease in a new position.
Neale hit out after drinks to make use of his momentum before eventually falling to one stroke too many, bringing an in-form Yogesh Wanzare to the crease. The temperatures rose, and the shoulders dropped in the field, but the batting remained composed – Xuey and Yogi making all the running and timing their acceleration to perfection, as the overs and the temperatures passed 35. Yogi (33) was run out going for quick runs, but Ashish Bhat (30*) made sure that the momentum continued with some lusty hitting. Even as he recovered on his haunches between singles, Xuey played for the team and was eventually out hitting his highest score for the Randy Petes – 47. It would have been easy to go for 50, but Xuey made sure the team came first. With that, the fresh Jackson Dodd helped get the score to an imposing 5-202. Having struggled with the bat in the last two games, the batting plans were executed as required in this game and 200 wasn’t going to be easy to chase on a dying pitch, huge outfield and sweltering afternoon.
As good as the batting was, the bowling was still required to back it up. North West Sydney sent their heavy artillery upfront – the young prodigy and club President. The latter has plundered attacks with his unique axeman style and was going to be a crucial wicket. Ben Thomas (2-22) started off a testing spell and managed to strangle the prodigy down the leg side. Ben and El Presidente had a fascinating duel, before Ben came out on top by outfoxing the old bull with a beautiful slower ball – expertly delivered at the last moment to counter Presidente giving himself too much room. A few lulled overs took place before Metro veteran Charith De Silva created another piece of history – a rank chip to mid wicket for an easy catch by fellow veteran Neale gave Chaz the wicket he needed to become the highest wicket taker for both Randwick Petersham and in the history of the Metropolitan Cup. Well bowled Chaz!
The Hurricanes were 3-43 but games aren’t decided at 2:30pm. Ben and Chaz left the field with injury and exhaustion, and we’re thankful that E-Young ‘Pingu’ Khoo showed up with his whites. The 4th wicket partnership was proving a thorn, as edges went nowhere, toed-slogs landed safely and the heat was draining the fielders. But it also drained the batsmen, who begun turning 3s into 2s and 2s into 1s. The quicks operated in short spells, before spinners Thanush Gowda and Guru Chandar bowled excellent lines on a slow, dying wicket offering very little turn. Guru finally got the breakthrough as the opposition skipper chipped a rank ball to square leg. Not to be denied, Thanush took out the opposition keeper with a smart caught and bowled, Ashish took a sharp catch at cover to depose of the top scorer. At 6-127 at the second drinks, we would have been more comfortable had the Hurricanes not had an experienced hand waiting at 7.
The number 7 showed class and technique above his peers. But maybe the heat got to him and he naively hauled out to Doddy at long on in Thanush’s last over to give him a well-deserved second wicket (2-37). 8 and 9 then battled to keep the Hurricanes in the game as the overs dragged out and the run rate began to spiral. Number 9 finally had enough of defending against Guru and tried to slog the last ball of his spell, only to have the top of middle disturbed (3-24). The spinners had done an excellent job to bowl their full quotas on the trot and strangle the remaining life from the opposition. At 8 down, Doddy was brought back on and duly delivered the last rites with two full reverse-swinging deliveries to disturb the stumps and grant the Golds at gutsy and hard-fought 36 run victory.
Cartwright Insurance Metro Green @ Whalan Oval
Result: Randwick Petersham 6-160 (44.2 overs) J Braithwaite 29* J Stewart 23 M Lambert 23 def Blacktown 8-158 (50 overs) J Braithwaite 2-20 V Dharman 2-20
Jay Patel led a mixed team of youth and experience on the roadtrip to Whalan. Winning the toss he had no hesitation in bowling to get the youngsters and debutant Charlie ‘Fridge’ Goodsir straight into the action. Within the first 10 overs both sides looked to find their feet as Warwick Preston and Goodsir bowled soundly but extras were an issue.
Vijay Dharman (2-20 off 10) and Valmik ‘Rockets’ Ahire (1-13 off 10) made scoring difficult and wickets steadily fell. Jack Braithwaite (2-20 off 6) bowled quick and claimed a wicket in his first over and the Warriors were limping at 3-48.
To compliment the bowling, the fielding was on point including a fine direct hit runout from point by Milan Lambert removing the non-strikers’ middle stump and, a few overs later Fridge and Braithwaite combined to capitalise on a suicidal call leading to another run out with both batsmen stranded at the same end.
But in the last 15 overs the bowling and fielding lagged as the day became hotter and the Warriors capitalised on misfields and began taking quick singles. By the end of 50 overs Jay was pleased we had restricted the Warriors to 158.
The chase was off to a steady start with Lambert (23) and Danny Saeed (10) pushing the score to 24. John Stewart (23) and Lambert batted sensibly to put on 41 for the 2nd wicket before taking on the 2nd and 3rd change bowlers. Asif Rasheed fell early trying to up the tempo followed closely by Stewart run out leaving the chase evenly poised at 4-79 but with plenty of batting in the sheds. There was an air of calm amongst the Greens as only 2 more wickets fell as Braithwaite (29*) and Parth Patel (2*) saw off the winning runs in the 43rd over.
A strong team effort and a good win following a wash out and bye. Congratulations to Jay Patel on his first win as skipper at the Randy Petes.
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