2nd last round before finals for us and we had an easy win. Bowled the opposition out for just 38 in the 19th over. We passed them 1 down, however in this comp you can continue to bat and go for an outright result, even in one day matches. I went in after drinks and heard the skipper say that we weren’t going to stick them in again. So my goal was to first get off the mark then have some fun. Made a quick 19 (4 boundaries) before going for one too many and skied one straight up targeting the short square boundary and was caught (don’t know by who, I just ran and when I heard the celebration just kept heading towards the dressing room). It was pure junk time batting, in hindsight could’ve got a cheeky 30 or 40 red inks but that would’ve been selfish and playing for my average, which I’ve never done. We ended up 6/151 in around 30 overs before we called it off and started on the beers at around 4. Win secures finals, can’t finish and higher than 2nd but can’t drop below 3rd given we have a game and significant percentage break on 4th. Win next week and we get a home SF.
Massive win yesterday after staring down the barrel of defeat. Chasing 151 to win on a pitch that made Indore look like the Hume Hwy, we collapsed from 4/86 to 9/95 until our 10th wicket got us home with an over to spare. The win guarantees us 2nd spot on the ladder and a home final.
We are looking good after day one of our final. We batted first, lost a wicket by run out in the first over poor bloke got a diamond. After that we didn’t lose a wicket and after our 35 overs we are 1/135. I batted 3 and was really slow and am 23 not out.
After our bowling they are 4/80. Hopefully we can bat them out of the game in our 35 overs today.
Good luck BERT! How do you find the split innings format?
Disaster of a day yesterday and pretty much everything that could go wrong went wrong and basically lost the GF inside 2hrs.
Lost our gun batter/opening bowler to a work injury on Friday and he is easily the best player in the comp then our guys rocked up at the ground to be greeted by a green deck with some dew under the covers and an overcast day. Lost the toss and got sent in and the bowlers were unplayable. Collapsed to be all out 75 and had them in a bit of trouble at 5/40 but they chanced their arm in the final few overs and got a quick 20 to leave them only 18 behind. Need quick wickets today obviously and even if they pass us we can try to reverse the result but not looking promising
Being 46 the fact we don’t have to field for 70 overs is great. It’s better than I thought it would be. I’m not a fan of the bowlers only being able to bowl 7 overs in each 35 (14 per match)
I wouldn’t mind them trialling a two day game but with 50 overs instead of 70.
I had a semi-final between Spring Creek and Koroit up at Woolsthorpe yesterday. 40 overs a side.
Koroit batted first and lost early wickets, one to a screamer of a return catch…smashed back and one hander…I didn’t even see the catch from square leg, thinking it would go past the bowler. Gave the captain out LB second ball…plumb, to a left-arm inswing bowler who ended with 5/13 off his 8. Could have given the next guy out LB first ball too, but the bowler’s a Carlton supporter, and I understand that the fine print of the LBW rule says you can’t give those clowns 2 LB’s in a row. Anyway, that reprieve helped Spring Creek, as the survivor proceeded to pour petrol over Koroit’s best bat and set fire to him, and then get bowled next over. Anyhoo, 9/43 at drinks after 20 overs and everybody relaxed with the over rate, because…one wicket, right? There’s a penalty of 10 runs per over for slow over rate in finals. Last wicket then batted 10 overs and doubled the score, and with 10 overs to go, they had 22 minutes to bowl them, but the leg-spinner came on and took a caught and bowled 2 balls into the 31st.
Spring Creek took 23 overs and 1 wicket - off the only chance given and my money was on the ball.
One of the division one qualifying finals was abandoned after 3.4 overs due to a dangerous pitch. Mortlake 3/7 but go through to the semis next week. Wasn’t their doing, either, because it was a neutral ground but the curator had watered the deck Friday, even though it rained every day last week, and then put the covers on a wet track.
Top two divisions have a final 6, where the top 2 teams skip the first week, and the other 4 fight it out to move through. The other two divisions have a 2-week final series…1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3. Winners play the granny next week.
Going to court to get players to play in local cricket finals??
A local cricket semi-final has been postponed over an ongoing legal stoush.
The Victorian Turf Cricket Association delayed the Senior Division final between Haig Fawkner and Deer Park after Haig was given a court injunction to play suspended players.
The players were banned last month on charges of ball tampering
However, Haig Fawkner was granted a temporary injunction that would allow them to play until the matter went back before the court on Friday.
As a result the Senior Division match and Haig’s Second XI final against Aberfeldie were postponed.
In a letter sent to clubs, the association said Deer Park had asked for the game to be pushed back.
“The VTCA board of management have received correspondence from Deer Park Cricket Club expressing concern over the semi-final game of Haig Fawkner v Deer Park scheduled for today and tomorrow,” the letter said.
“Deer Park Cricket Club have asked that the game be postponed.
“Due to the current court matter between Haig v VTCA before the magistrates court an interim injunction has been granted to the five Haig Fawkner players for seven days until the matter be finalised next Friday.
“In light of fairness and equity it has been decided that the match scheduled for today be postponed until the matter is finalised next Friday before the court.”
As a result of the postponed semi-final, the Senior Division grand final will be held on March 25 and 26.
VTCA president Zoran Havranek said it was disappointing the issue had come to this point.
“Cricket is the loser in this,” he said.
“It’s disappointing and I know a lot of other clubs are disappointed in the situation.”
That’s the VTCA in a nutshell for you.
We won comfortably. We were 50 in front wher resuming today and they decided to hold back their better bowlers at the start so we got off to a flyer and got 30 off the first 4 overs. Our opener retired on 100 and I ended up on out for 51. We ended up 8/269 leaving them with 187 to get off 35 overs.
We ended up getting them all out for 170 and the guy who got a 100 also got a 5fa with his little mediums.
Onto next weekend.
Bloody hell grand finals are hard to win. We bowled first on Saturday and got off to a flyer. Had them 3/10 and that included a guy that had made 3 tons in a Roy for a duck. We then had them 8/40. I did a quad running for a catch. They fought back and after there 35 overs were 8/78.
We then collapsed while batting. We were 6/30 with 2 shocking umpiring decisions. I was given out LBW with a ball that hit me in the thigh pad and another was given out lbw when he smashed it to fine leg. We recovered and after our 35 overs we were 6/98.
Day 2 started and they went well. We took the final 2 wickets and needed 35 to win.
The 2 that batted really well yesterday continued on and got us within 6 runs. We then got another shocking decision and another quick wicket and we needed 6 to win with 2 wickets in hand. The skipper then hit the second ball he faced for 6 and we snuck over the line.
A great year for the club. Our firsts also won on the weekend and our one day side and girls also got the job done.
A massive couple of days of celebrations and a very sore head but it was worth it.
I had a granny that went to the last ball.
Spring Creek started slowly but got to 71 before the skipper holed out for 39. 18-yo and #3, name of Dingo, took it to about 140 odd with 5 overs to go. Ended at 3/188 off their 40 with the opener being 76*.
Russells Creek, undefeated all season, started badly losing 4/33, included the keeper whose average plummeted from 232 to 120, but the 56-yo retired cop kept plodding along. Young bloke who made 76* took the first couple, and they were 4/56 at 20 overs, including a caught down leg side. Easy call there though, bat well away from the body. Captain bowled first ball after drinks and another veteran joined the opener. Made 19 but brilliantly caught and bowled by the young bloke…took a screamer c&b last week too. They then lost 3 more quick wickets to be 8/112, but #10 survived another tough catch down leg side and the opener started to launch.
Got down to 12 off the last over, and there was a high fully no ball, and 6 off 2 balls. Opener brought up his ton, but nicked the 5th ball and was caught, again down leg side. Didn’t look as if the other ump was going to give it, but the batsman walked. Last guy was an utter blonk and missed a full bunger and was bowled.
What was dramatic was that if you don’t bowl your overs in time, you get penalised 10 runs per over short. The last over had to start by 5.25 (the first innings went 5 minutes under), but the opener needed a massage at one point so we added three minutes, and they started at 5.26.
Opener made 110, but we gave the MOTM to the young bloke for 76*, 3/41, a catch and a top notch fielding display…maybe last week contributed with 38* and a wicket. He’s got ability but probably needs to trim down a bit, maybe 10 kgs. Not sure how he’ll go if they get promoted and go to 2-day 80 over games.
Apologised to the opener who was retiring after the game. He’s made a swag of runs over the years. Apparently retired from the police force last year.
Had a couple of close run outs, neither direct hits, and both times I thought too close to call…although both sides clearly disagreed. I’d hate to decide a grand final on a call i was guessing on.
Top 2 divisions have their grand finals on the weekend…Nestles vs Russells Creek and Nestles vs Southern Titans (merger of East Warrnambool and Killarney). Russells Creek have won 5 of the last 6 Div 1 flags. Tim Ludeman playing for Nestles, but not keeping.
We ended up making the GF. Bowled first and rolled the opposition for 135. Passed them 4 down with around 10 overs left. Solid win. That’s me done for the season though. Was never going to be available if we made it through as it’s Mum’s 70th birthday party that Saturday, which had been planned for some time, so was never going to miss that for the sake of a game of cricket. All up around 300 runs at 20. Not bad but I know I can do much better than that. Good to get back playing after a season off and 1st year at the new club. Will take a few weeks away from it and then get back training. Heading off to England late May to play a few games. Should be fun!
Grand final day for the two turf divisions today, Div 1 at Warrnambool’s main arena, Reid Oval, which is a new turf wicket this season.
Russells Creek have won 4 of the last 5, and Nestles (whose home is the Reid) haven’t won in 20 years. The Williams brothers keynote each team, Cam for Creek, is the 3 bat and gun keeper, and Geoff (Wiz) stepped down as captain, opens the batting and bowls orthodox spin for Nestles. Both are left-handers. Ex-SA keeper, Tim Ludeman, is batting 4 for Nestles, his boyhood club.
Russells Creek batted first, and after early strife, made 6/208. Cam W 48 and one of their 3 Sri Lankans made just over 50. Nestles started off well, got to 2/67 before Wiz, a good Bomber fan, and Ludeman, put on 116 and left them well in sight of victory which they achieved at 3 down with 3 overs to spare…Wiz 115* and MOTM.
Div 2 was a tight one. Russells Creek made 5/198, Southern Titans fell a few runs short at 9/193. Early in Titans innings, they were 0/33 with one guy on 5, the other on 6, and 20 wides.
Probably 150 cars round the Reid, a real family occasion.
Funnily none of the four divisions were won by thetop side on the ladder.
Missed the action yesterday due to Mum’s 70th, but the boys played off in an epic GF and won by a solitary run! On a fairly juicy deck after the torrential early morning rain on Thursday, we were sent in and bowled out for 110. The opposition were 1/52, 3/80 and 6/103 but incredibly lost 4/6 to be all out 109. Absolutely delighted for the lads and dropped past the club last night where they were in buoyant mood!
You’re a good son. Not sure I would have scarified a grand final appearance for my mum’s birthday!
Hahaha yeah well she said if I really wanted to play I could, but there’s no way I could look her in the eye and know I missed a milestone birthday for a game of cricket. Especially given that all extended family that could be there were there. If her eldest son didn’t show, that’s a pretty poor reflection on me. Enjoyable day all the same!
I was chatting to my postie this morning, who is still playing cricket (and taking wickets as an opening bowler) at the age of 64 after appearing in his first game when aged 14.
Over the course of those 50 years, he has played in 37 Grand Finals and won 25 of them.
That’s some strike rate!