Space Cadet

First – our latest theme music: Space Oddity

This is the first time in over 10 years that this prestigious Award has been given to a Team. This Team is special. They are back to back Premiers of D2 and this season they are our D1 Blue Team. The Space Cadet Award has been won after the game from Round 12.

After years of success, the boys are sitting in 9^th place on 30 points – 20 points adrift from the top 4. The D1 Red side is in 4^th spot – just 4 points ahead of the 5^th Team and in a must win game against the undefeated Competition leaders this weekend – a must win game. The 5^th placed Teams (2) are both playing Teams at the bottom of the table.

After losing on the 1^st innings the D1 Blue boys decided to go for an outright with just 1 hour of play left in the match. They set the opposition 16 overs to get 90 runs and for us to get 10 wickets in 1 hour – optimistic at best. This total was run down in just 13 overs for the loss of 2 wickets! This result has gifted another Team with 10 points and a genuine shot at going past the Reds.

While we never give our own Teams a rails run, gifting any Team a free pass into the Semi’s makes this a worthy Grand Finalist in the annual Space Cadet awards.

Living in hope

Last week, with one Round to go, we did a snapshot view of those Teams that were definitely in the Semi’s, those still a possibility and those Teams who can just have fun this weekend. Enter Peter Lees, our Club Finance Director and C3 Blue star bat with this exercise in retaining hope:

“…one outrageous addition to your finals hopefuls given the results from this week. If C3 Blue win outright against the undisputed C3 minor premiers in waiting (St Ives) and any of the Reds, Lions or Berowra lose on first innings then the Blues will sneak thru…. Either on points or quotient!!”

The result after Day 1 – the Opposition are all out 211.

Photo: Peter Lees (left) with John Rose C3 – Campbell Park 7 January 2023.

Pink Stumps Day

Last weekend, our Girls ran the incredibly successful ‘Festival of Cricket’ at Greenway Park where we play T20 games against Teams from North Shore JCA at John Purchase & Greenway Oval. In addition to lots of cricket the Teams raise funds for the McGrath Foundation and have fun with Awards handed out relating to the Spirit of Cricket. This season the Girls raised over $1,700.

Since we started Pink Stumps Day in 2010/11 our Club has raised $54,668 ranking us in the top 5 Clubs nationally as contributors to this great cause.

Photo: a photo from last week showing some of the fun from last weekend.

Personal achievements

PlayHQ transition has made tracking stats difficult but there is a tedious workaround and we have identified our top performers with the bat and ball:

Top 3 bats

1. Lachlan Edwards (C3 Blue) – 558 runs @ 50.7
2. Ashane De Silva (A1) – 516 @ 64.5
3. Arun Chaudhuri (D1 Blue) – 502 @ 35.8

Top 3 bowlers

1. Todd Hutchinson (B2) – 29 wickets @ 9.0
2. Michael Richards (A1) – 23 wickets @ 7.4
3. Craig Hutchinson (B2) – 19 wickets @ 11.3

With the Semis and GF figures included this is going to be a shootout worth following.

Photo: Craig (left) & Todd Hutchinson – January 2019.

One to watch

A couple of weeks ago we did a story on our U15 players Akith Ekanayake (118) & Ansh Pratheesh (100) after putting on a Club C2, 191 run partnership for the 4th wicket.

Last weekend, Akith continued the run scoring feast playing in the annual Ross Turner Cup – a Rep game played between our between our best Rep players across the Association, with 133*. To quote from the official Match Report:

“…the highlight of the innings was a powerful score of 133 no (3 x 6s and 15 x 4s) by Akith Ekanayake, who batted for 50 overs and scored the majority of his team’s total. This is a new record individual score in RTC history, passing Lachy Shaw’s score of 131 set in 2017-18.”

Akith has had a great season. So far this season he has scored 851 runs @40.5 in all games played – Juniors 7 Seniors.

Photo: Akith Ekanayake (118) & Ansh Pratheesh (100) after putting on a Club C2 record 191 run partnership for the 4th wicket.

First visit to Disneyland

While the B1 Red boys were struggling with the heat at NTRA, Matt Digby was enjoying his first visit to Disneyland. Worse still, the family left Ian at home to cope with all the pressures of domestic life and support his D1 Red Team in hot temperatures on Saturday.

Back to the B1 Red boys , we reckon that when Matt gets back from his World tour there will be a ‘get square’ as payback that he is having so much fun.

Photo: Matt at Disneyland and proudly wearing his ‘My First Visit’ Mickey Mouse ears.

The Mullet boys

A great photo of our emerging stars (B2) in a photo that only their parents would appreciate – sorry Kate, Jane & Julian. After their last unsuccessful efforts in setting new hair fashion standards the boys are having a second go at setting new standards in bad taste. Pictured is Connor Hindmarch and Dylan Bish. Let’s not forget Xander Vink (centre) who continues to set standards of being, well, normal.

We thought that after our last expose of this fashion trend that the boys may have learnt their lesson but not so – yet. To acknowledge Connor and Dylan’s commitment to the mullet cause the Billy Ray Cyrus song – I want my mullet back

What would you decision be?

The latest Cricket Laws question to test your knowledge. Here goes:

Question

An injured striker with a runner is on strike. The bowler delivers a full toss above waist height of the striker which is hit into the outfield. Immediately, the delivery is called and signalled “No ball” and all three batters commence running. The runner and the non-striker complete two runs before a fielder returns the ball to the wicket-keeper who breaks the wicket with the injured striker out of her ground. There is an appeal. What happens now?

Photo: C3 Premiership Winning Captain Steve Buzz Burrows with Umpires Peter Lee and Barry McDonald after winning the Grand Final – 24 March 2019.