Mutiny

Loyalty is now questionable for our C3 side with Amit Sen (3rd right in photo) lobbying behind the scenes to take over the Captaincy from Indranil Mukherjee (2nd left).

With Indranil away last match, Amit Sen is claiming, quiet rightly, that he is a much better choice for Captain of C3s than Indranil and he has a point. Last match, Amit was able to manufacture an outright win with no effort what so ever. The team didn’t raise a sweat nor bowl a ball in a forfeit.

Indranil is busy trying to secure numbers in the C3 By-election as Indranil just found out that he is also part of the C2 team squad whch could make him ineligible – along the same lines as Citizenship in Canberra. Sreeni (4th right) is busy passing out flyers.

“A Man for all Seasons”

On Saturday 9 December 2017, Steve Quanborough (D1 Grade and pictured left with Robbie Knapman) became the first player in our History to play in all Grades, excluding T20, SPL and Colts Competitions when he filled in for B2:

• A1 – 2012/13 (debut match)
• A2 – 2001/02
• B1 – 1999/2000
• B2 – 2017/18
• C1 – 2002/03
• C2 – 2004/05
• C3 – 2003/04
• C4 – 2015/16
• D1 – 1998/99
• D2 – 2012/13

To put this in context, there have been 6,987 senior players play for us since 1930 so to be number 1 in this category is a great achievement and a testimony to perseverance.

Apart from Steve, only 7 players (listed below) in our history have played in every Grade (available to play in at the time), during their playing career with West Penno. These folk mainly played during the 1970 to 1990s. This was in the days before the Sunday Competition (started in 2010/11), C3 Grade (started 2001/02), C4 (started 2014/15) and Colts Competition.

• David Whitting (1979/80 to 90/91) – all Grades except C3
• David Carey (1979/80 to 2001/02) – all Grades except C3
• Greg Cameron (1984/85 to 1997/98) – all Grades except C3
• Andrew Thomas (1992/93 to 2001/02) – all Grades except C3
• Andrew Fiedler (1986/87 – current) – all Grades except D2
• Bill Peterkin (1992/93 to current) – all Grades except C3

“…but I am the best bowler in the Team”

Rommel Pandey (C3 – pictured 3rd from left) set a new Club C3 Grade record of 30 runs off an over. This broke the previous record of 24 shared by Indranil Murherjee (Vs Kenthurst 7/10/2017) and Russel Ingram (Vs CHRSL 17/1/2009).

At the end of the over the Opposition bowler was a bit cheesed off and said to Rommel “…but I am the best bowler in the Team”. Well done Rommel.

The records are:

• 34 runs off an over scored by Matt Scoular (A2) – 27/1/2008 (Storey Park)
• 31 runs by Ray Khamis (C4) – 9/1/2016 (George Christie Oval)
• 30 runs by Ian Paterson & Roger Friend – 17/1/2004 (Arcadia Oval)

Goat Track

Annangrove Oval is a reasonable oval but has been referred to as a Goat Track at times. This was taken to an extreme on the weekend. During the B2 game, a herd of 5 goats found their way to the ground and started to wander across the Oval. Enter skipper, Robbie Knapman who showed his true Leadership and herded the goats back to their enclosure – or so he thought. It turns out that Robbie put them in the wrong yard and the owner then released them again.

Goats being goats  they found their way back to the ground. They then found themselves back at the Oval and started foraging through kit bags until they eventually went off to annoy some other unsuspecting people.

Space Cadets

It must be a full moon this week as we have too many nominees to call out individually, so here goes:

Zac Turner (B2 Blue)

Always well prepared, Zac (pictured left with dad Rick and Alex) rocked up to the game against the Lankan Islanders without his cricket pants. Unfortunately Zac was due to open the batting and we were batting first! After going home to get them he came in at number 3 and then spanked 113*.

“Yeah I can bat”

A2 Blue Skipper Rick Turner asks Jack Hando if he can bat. The response:

“Yeah I can bat.

The Skipper: What side of the bat do you stand on?

Jack: The right, no wait, hang on, the left……”

Protecting the Average

Julian Raffel (A2 Blue) managed to badly injure himself by rupturing his Achilles tendon batting. Pushing the ball passed gully and pushing off for a single a pop was heard as Julian Achilles gave way. Ever the professional and conscious of his batting average Julian decided to complete a single by hopping the run. Spare a thought for his batting partner Rowan ‘Keats’ Keating who wanted to call Julian through for a second run despite him lying on the ground at the non-strikers end in obvious pain.

“Tough Crowd”

Poor Tom Hando (A2 Blue) was copping it from all sides today after having his younger brother drafted into the A2 Blue team. After announcing Jack to the team:

“Bailey Miedler – thank god he can take over bowling from Tom.

Chris Williamson – he’s better looking than Tom too.

Alex Turner – Tom’s the second best Hando in this team.”

“There’s a hole in my bucket”

This nomination goes to most of the C1 side. Somehow, the boys managed to get into a discussion about where the hole in the KFC bucket actually is. After 30 minutes debating this earth shattering problem was still unresolved with disagreement if the top of the KFC container is actually a hole. If things couldn’t get any worse the discussion then went on to how many holes there are in a straw.

The space cadets in these earth shattering debates – Stu Fiedler, Matt Watts and the many players around them.

Ross Anderson

After posting regular updates in TeamApp including the fact that we had scored 6/179 and had bowled Castle Hill out for 59 and declaring a team win our own Ross Anderson asks “Any Updates”. The response “Yes Ross we won”.

Raghu Chary – the True Rocket Scientist

One of our players is at least a real Rocket Scientist – Raghu Chary from B2. Raghu and his wife are expecting their 2^nd baby very soon. With perfect planning the bay is expected between 17 December and 5^th January 2018. How about this for brilliant planning – the season goes into a break between 16^th December and 6^th January.