A season you will tell your kids about

The Association started in 1926/27. Not since the Competition was cancelled for 3 years during WWII between 1942-45, has anyone experienced a couple of seasons like the current generation of players has experienced. In the last 3 years we have now come through drought, a terrible fire season, record high temperatures a pandemic that is into its 2^nd year and now a La Nina weather pattern delivering record rain and many washouts. To still have so many players getting out and playing cricket is amazing. To have so many Teams make the finals is even more staggering. So even though we have 16 of our Teams (Juniors & Seniors) make it through to the Semi’s the real achievement worth celebrating is the resilience of every player who took the field and who can look back as being part of an extraordinary time in our history.

Photo: Campbell Park after the massive storms on 15 December 2018

Chasing Finals glory

For our Juniors, congratulations to our 8 x Teams that made it through to the Semi’s. We are represented by a Team in every Age Division with an amazing 3 x Teams in the U16s and 2 x Teams in the U15s. Details are in the News section.

For the Seniors it has been another special season with 8 of our 12 Teams making it through to the Semi’s. Each of these Teams has the opportunity to write their own piece of history. Our last Premiership wins by Grade are:

• A1 (Wurthy) – 2014-15 season
• A2 (Andrew) – 2014-15
• B2 (Shomik) – 2020-21
• C2 (Buzz) – 2018-19
• C3 (Rob) – 2019-20
• D1 Grade:
  • Blue (Ross S) – 2020-21
  • Red (Diggers) – 2020-21
• D2 (Nirav) – 2020-21

Good luck next weekend.

Our part in International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a special day for all of us – our Women and Girls especially – here

CNSW is planning a series of interviews with 5 people at various stages along the cricket pathway. They are going to publish the stories about the involvement of women in cricket and support them on social media with images / graphics.

We have so many amazing women Leaders in our Club it is inspiring. Our Girls co-Director (Suz Colburt) and Club Executive Committee Member Jane Bish are just 2 of our inspirational leaders. CNSW has identified another of our outstanding Leaders to be interviewed to figure as one of 6 x women in NSW to star in their celebration of International Women’s Day – Kirsty Newbury. To quote CNSW Head of Communications:

“I would love to interview you as a volunteer who has set up a Women’s Leadership Program and made such a selfless contribution to cricket.”

Kirsty has developed and delivered an amazing Leadership Program for our Stage 3 Girls that aims to develop all the Girls self-confidence.

What better musical celebration of the wonderful women in our Club and also Kirsty for her contribution in developing leadership and self-confidence programs for our Stage 3 Girls – I am Woman

Photo: Kirsty with Daniel Anderson (CNSW) receiving another recognition for her many achievements.

4^th time unlucky

Going into the last Round, Steve ‘Buzz’ Burrows (C2 Blue Skipper) was just 1 game short of captaining 4 x teams to consecutive minor premierships (C2 & C3 Grades). The C2 Blue boys finished 2^nd and were playing the 1^st placed side. Had they played and won they would have drawn equal with the minor Premier and have been placed 1^st on quotient. As it finished, they have now won 3 out of 4 attempts.

Winning 3 out of 4 consecutive Minor Premierships is such a rare achievement it ranks equal with James Makin’s great A1 sides (2011-12 to 2014-15) and the B1/B2 sides of Jim Fuggle in the 1980’s. For the record, James’ sides won all 4 premierships, Jim won 1 out of the 4 and Buzz has won 2 out of the 3 so far with the 4^th attempt just 3 weeks away.

Photo: Buzz winning the C3 Premiership in 2018/19

The best of the best

With the standard competition is now finished for this season it is worth seeing the Champion Player points. We don’t include Juniors in this as many play both Juniors and Seniors that skews results. Points are awarded for all forms of contribution – e.g.; runs scored) 0.1 point / run), wickets taken 2 points), 100’s (10 points), assisted wickets (1 point) and so on. So our top 10 players this season are:

1. Lachlan Edwards (D1 Red) – 123.2 points
2. Dylan Bish (C2 Blue) – 86.1
3. Arun Chaudhuri (D2) – 80.7
4. Vikas Goel (D1 Blue) – 73.4
5. Cameron Bish (C2 Red) – 70.6
6. Happy Rana (D1 Blue) – 67.2
7. Ravi Gunna (D2) – 63.2
8. Steve Rochow (A2) – 62.0
9. John Rose (C3 Red) – 57.9
10. Vedant Virmani (C3 Red) – 54.2

Well done to our outstanding performers this season.

Photo: Dylan Bish (centre) with Alex Silins and Danielle Chivers – 22 January 2020.

A short story on our Champion Player

Congratulations to Lachlan Edwards – our Champion Player for 2021-22. Lachie’s batting has been a revelation. This season he finished with 582 runs @ 58.2 – a great performance and the top ranked player of our 800 registered players! Since coming into Seniors from Juniors in 2019-20 his record has been:

• 2019-20 – 142 runs @ 14.2 (11 games)
• 2020-21 – 172 runs @ 24.6 (11 games)
• 2021-22 – 582 runs @ 58.2 (14 games)

This means that Lachie scored 314 runs in aggregate in his first 2 seasons of Senior cricket. This season he has scored almost double (1.8 x) his combined aggregate for the previous 2 seasons. With Finals to come he could well pass the magical double his last 2 x seasons aggregate. Wow! If he can continue this trajectory who knows where this will finish.

By the way, he isn’t a bad leggy either taking 17 wickets @ 16.4 with a best of 5/6 and when he gets bored he wicket keeps just as well.

Photo: Lachlan Edwards with his dad after scoring 95 this season – 6 November 2021