Record Minor Premiership wins

Last week we mentioned that Steve ‘Buzz’ Burrows (C2 Blue) had Captained his side to a 3^rd successive Minor Premiership.

A bit more digging into the records shows that this is a Club Seniors record for successive wins. While James Makin (A1) won a record 4 successive A1 Premierships, his best effort was 2 successive Minor Premierships (2011/12 & 2012/13).

Going back to 1986/87, the great Jim Fuggle (B1) Captained his side to 2 successive Minor Premierships but lost both Grand Finals.

Something to look forward to is the record number of Premierships in a season for Seniors – 4 achieved in 2012/13 (A1, C2, D1 & SPL), 2013/14 (A1, B1, C1, C3), and 2014/15 (A1, A2, B2, SPL). With 9 Semi Finalists we are in the running to set a new bar.

The overall Club record is held by our U11s (1990/91) to U16s (1996/97) that won every Age Minor Premiership and Premiership – 6 in a row. To make this even more amazing, they skipped the U14s and then won the U15s (playing a year up) and the U16s twice!

Yesterday

We have had some great songs written by our Club Members with none better that Bryce Morley (2002/03 to 2012/13) who had a classic about his B2 side that lost every game in the season despite scoring over 300 on 3 occasions.

Now we can go one better. Eric Junkkari (B1 Blue), and one of our greatest ever players (490 wickets & 5,800 runs) has written a song about one of his Team mates – Tanay Hiray. The song is sung to the music of The Beatles, ‘Yesterday’. What a great excuse to give a lead in to this song with the original by The Beatles from 1966– here

As background, the B2 boys copped a hammering in Round 11 Vs Kenthurst with one player scoring 261 out of a total of 7/383 in 58 overs! All the bowlers went for big runs with Tanay also going big – 15 overs 2/83 (2 maidens).

YES-TANAY

Yes-Tanay You’re our best bowler far and away

Just grab that ball and blow them away

Oh we believe, in our Tanay

Then suddenly

He’s not half the man we thought he’d be

The ball now lives out near the boundary

From Hero to Hira, came mortality

Why’d Rob take him off, I don’t know, he wouldn’t say

He was just a little off, but we believe, in our Tanay

Yes-Tanay

Cricket was such an easy game to play

It gets harder as you move up the grades

But we still believe, in our Tanay

Yes-Tanay One, two, three wickets come quickly

This could be the collapse of the century

Our man is back, that’s our Tanay

Yes-Tanay You’re bowling is what the opposition fear

They walk on happy, but plod off in tears You’re the best, our Tanay

mmmmmmmmmm

You’er our Tanay

Written by Eric Junkkari. Copyright 2021 Mobile 0411-429670 Season 2020 / 2021 West Pennant Hills Red

Blowfly Cricket support

Blowfly Cricket is a fantastic initiative that provides an opportunity for young people with autism, special needs &/or disabilities the chance to play organised sport. Last week we had our Local Federal Member (Julian Leeser pictured left, with Bill Peterkin) come along to Blowfly along with his son and parents to be part of this great experience – a massive effort from someone who is committed day and night.

Damien Tudehope (NSW Minister for Finance & Small Business) has also been down to Blowfly a couple of times.

It is great to see our local Community Leaders come along to Blowfly and it is also good to reflect for a moment on why they not only come along but also play with the Blowfly cricketers. It is because of the accepting community feel and that Blowfly Cricket is a unique and up-lifting experience for everyone involved.

The photo show Julian receiving a West Penno Cap from Club Legend, Bill Peterkin while wearing his West Penno Blowfly playing shirt.

Reelin in the years

First up, our theme music for this section – here

What an amazing season – COVID-19 affected through a later start and shutdown before Christmas. To finish the season with 20 Teams (9 x Seniors, 10 x Juniors and 1 x Girls) in the Semi’s is mid blowing!

In the Juniors we have 3 of the 4 x Semi Finalists playing in the U12s and U17s – another Club & Association record for Semi Finals participation. The record for a single Grade though goes back to 2011/12 when we had all 4 teams in the Semi Final. The Final was played between our White & Red sides at Parklands Oval on 11 March 2012.

The match went down to the wire and this photo is a classic. Some of the current players, recent and well known players who were playing in this game are:

Standing: Alex Chidgey (far left – C2); Alex Turner (4^th left – B1); Nick Duck (9^th left – C2); Adam van Saarloos (10^th left – C2); Jack Kinchington (11^th left – D1) John Anderson (12^th left and next to trophy – Northern District 1^st & 2^nd Grade); Harry Miedler (7^th right and behind Nathan Tilbury – B1); Calvin Breytenbach (4^th right – A2);

Kneeling: Cameron McBrien (2^nd left – A1); Nathaniel Chidgey (3^rd left – C2); Justin Edwards (A2); Michael Gunn (2^nd right – A2 Captain).

The Coach of the Reds was Rick Turner – our Seniors Director and B1 Captain.

One tough player – a postscript

Last week we did a story on Jake Smith (D1 Blue) who suffered a compound fracture of a finger while attempting a catch. This didn’t stop Jake updating Team App whilst in Emergency at Westmead and then updating MyCricket on Sunday morning with one hand.

Fast forward to later in the week and Jake is back at Hospital to have a plate and screws inserted into his finger. But….Jake was back at the ground to support the boys in their Semi and join everyone back at the Club with his impressive cast.

Cherrybrook Community Centre – an insight

A number of our Club Executive were given a walk-through of the new Community Centre before the Official opening next Sunday (21^st March). It is everything it has been made out to be plus more. Checkout the Photo Gallery, ‘Miscellaneous’ photos to see some photos on the new building. A few highlights:

• The building cost $1.7m ($1.2m building & $500k civil)
• The main room fits 350 people seated
• The viewing balcony is brilliant
• Apart from a main meeting area, there is a bar and fully equipped professional kitchen
• The main wall has 2 giant HD TV screens with the best being a roof mounted super HD video projection unit (worth $55k) that projects onto the wall. Next season the balcony will have a HD camera allowing live streaming of the game while player’s lounge inside with air conditioned comfort
• There will also be Trophy cabinets where each Sporting Group will be able to display major awards
• In the Meeting Room there is a large wall where each Club will be able to display Special achievements – Life Members, Highest run scorers and wicket takers and so on

Outside the building, they are completing a 3 tier concrete seating structure. There will also be storage facilities and change rooms built.

The Community Centre is being run by the main sporting groups – Cricket, AFL, Rugby League, Baseball & Little A’s and this collective will administer all the operations.

We have our Junior Presentation at the Centre on Saturday 27^th March and this will be the first major function at the new centre.

From next season, we will have access to the building for Junior and Senior games and this will be the best overall ground / facilities in the Association.

Brother Vs Brother

Skipper Vs Skipper

In the C2 Semi Final our Blues (1^st) were playing the Reds (4^th). We had games within the game that always adds a bit of added interest. First up there was Cameron Bish (Reds) batting against his brother (Dylan). Cameron scored his 50 and the next over was cleaned up by Dylan.

Occurring at the same time was Stu Fiedler taking one end against the Blues Skipper (Buzz).  Soon after Cameron was out Buzz got Stu out. So here we had Brother Vs Brother and Skipper Vs Skipper.

Like father like son

The photo shows Craig Hutchinson (left) with his son (Jack) enjoying a Subway while watching the C2 Semi Final (the Red’s Vs the Blues). The only problem is that the boys should have been playing but both were recovering from hamstring injuries – the same injury on the same right leg. Both players are up there with the best players in the Comp.

The sequel to this is that after Jack withdrew late Friday, Stu was on the phone trying to get a last minute replacement – none other than C3 star bat Vinod Kumar who made the massive call to leave his wife to look after running his daughter’s 16^th birthday party. To add to Stu’s woe’s Vinod was out in the first over but he did manage to avoid the birthday party.