Seniors Match Report – Round 14 (Day 2) – 21 February 2026

Competition Tables

Table after Round 14, (21/02/2026) is:

PlayHQ link – Draw & Competition Table

• A1 (Cam #25) – 3^rd (52 points)
• A2 Blue (Warren) – 7^th (37 points)
• B1:
  • Prats – 4^th (52 points)
  • Red (Todd) – 2^nd (62 points)
• B2 (John K) – 1^st (55 points)
• C1 (Aniket) – 2^nd (60 points)
• C2:
  • (Indranil) – 5^th (50 points)
  • Blue (Chintan) –6^th (47 points)
• C3: Red (Karl) – 4^th (51 points)
• C4:
  • Blue (Rob) – =2^nd (57 points)
  • Red (Ravi) – =2^nd (57 points)
• D1: Note: 1-day competition (Round 9)
  • Blue (Roger) – 1^st (99 points)
  • Red (Diggers) – 5^th (61 points)
• D2 (Ross S) – 5^th (52 points)

Match Reports

A1 Grade

WPHC (Cam #25) 40 lost on first innings to Berowra 112 & 4/91

Firstly, unlike some other Clubs, we are a very multicultural one, so it would be remiss of me to not say happy Ramadan and year of the Preeds to those who celebrate.

Secondly, a little around the grounds from last Sunday and following in his idol O’s footsteps, Wu took the ball in the final over and won his T20 Grand Final. He then proceeded to perform the greatest celebration of all time as he did the worm across Manly oval. Speaking of Wu, last Sunday the 2024/2025 A1 runners up played the Chinese development team to build some much-needed confidence ahead of the finals.

Ok now onto the cricket and we made what will be the final trip up to Kenthurst for the year. A special thank you to the Kenthurst team, for in the absence of a groundsman (Association please also sort this out), they have prepared more pitches than the games they’ve won

With a big promotion from nine, much to the disgust of his opening partner, Brad’s brother was opening. They batted for a bit, with the highlight of the day being the oldest wicket in WPHCCC A1 history, bowled Wu, caught Jamaican (100+ year combination). In the end any second innings efforts were futile as we called it early.

Regardless, as I always say, if you aren’t learning, you aren’t growing. So if I’ve learnt anything from this game it is:

1. That team from up North is good, but clearly has nothing on the 2000/01 Castle Hill team who rolled our A1 team for 31, 25 years ago.
2. Last time we got bowled out for a similar total (36 in 2011/12), we went on to win the first of 4 consecutive A1 grand finals led by number 22 Jamaican.

So I guess book your tickets now cause we’ll see you all on the 15^th of March as we go back-to-back and win ROFE from 3^rd

Anyway, before that we have the semis this weekend against ARL (likely at Parklands) and look forward to seeing all our loyal supporters there.

A2 Grade

A2 Blue (Warren) 108 & 8/105 lost to St Ives Wahroonga 115

A wise man once mused that “to live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering”.

No, it wasn’t Zac Turner after a few hits of the penjamin like you might be thinking but rather German philosopher Freidrich Nietzsche who said this. How wrong he was, because the suffering we all endured today was utterly meaningless.

We resumed with St Ives 6/48 chasing 108, and after playing last week on a Glade pitch which a Caucasian person might describe as being as spicy as a mayonnaise sandwich we were hopeful of pulling off a win to end our season with only 4 wickets to win. 

The team was hyped up as courageous leader Warren “FW de Klerk” Schwartzel was leading the push to segregate the remaining St Ives batters from their wickets, and Tanay “T Bagger” Hira struck with a caught behind early on to leave them 7-50 odd and it was game on.

The St Ives batsmen then proceeded to bat excellently for the next hour, seizing control of the game like Ross Anderson seized control of the board of the WPH sports club board, putting on a strong partnership to come within two runs of victory.

“Bobby Shmurda” Knapman struck twice late and Nathaniel “no evidence he visited Little St James” Chidgey took 1 to bring the St Ives innings to a close at 115, a lead of 7.

With the game over by 3pm, the team could finally go back to the Sorts Club in time for happy hour, right?

Wrong.

We were put back in to bat to punish us for beating St Ives in the granny last year (and to distract from several St Ives players reportedly being named in the Epstein files).

Matt “H” Schwartzel 17, Riken “better Hira” Hira 34 and Tanay 29* the pick of the batsmen, as we limped to 8-105 late in the day as the chances of getting those reduced price schooners at the Sporto faded away.

Our season comes to a close as St Ives advance to the finals – but we all get to spend our next two Saturdays not playing cricket, so who is the real winner here?  

B1 Grade

Sunday game. Match Report will be updated by Monday morning

B1 Red (Todd) 5/148 defeated ARL 95

We’ve recently been informed that players from other Clubs have been reading our match reports. So firstly — welcome. Glad to have you here. We hope you’re enjoying the literature.

It was the second week and, after ARL’s 95 off 70 overs, we had to head back out to take one final wicket.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long. The second ball of the day, a straight one from Jack, ARL’s captain, struck flush on the pad right in front. Finger up.

Job done.

After what felt like an eternity in the field, it was finally our turn to bat.

Crawley and Arjun’s favourite senior citizen, Volc, opened things up. They got us off to a flying start, with the run rate soaring to dizzying heights of three… possibly even four an over. Just when momentum was building, Volc selflessly lapped a full toss to square leg, ensuring the rest of the line-up would get valuable time in the middle before finals.

Arjun joined Crawley and the partnership ticked along nicely, until Crawls — clearly inspired by Volc’s generosity — also lapped one to a fielder. Runs saved for finals. Smart cricket.

In came Shomik, who decided to launch a beautiful six, with Arjun following suit, and suddenly the scoreboard was moving with purpose. A few dropped catches added to the entertainment before Shomik departed, and shortly after tea, we passed their total. Arjun, having completed the mission, was bowled the very next ball. Efficiency at its finest.

With Bishy and Sagnik at the crease, we continued batting for another hour. This appeared to cause some unrest in the field. Words like “intent” were mentioned. Which is an interesting topic of discussion from a side that scored at just over a run an over and played pretty defensive cricket from early on.

Sportsmanship was also referenced.

Although, oddly enough, not everyone felt like shaking hands at the end.

But that’s okay.

The main thing is we had fun and won’t play on a Sunday until we hopefully make it to the Grand Final.

Good luck to all else who are playing semis next week.

WPHC Blue (Prats) 8/196 dec lost to CHRSL 7/198

A warm welcome and hello to all long-term and new readers of the famed B1 match report, sit back relax and enjoy the tales of a Montreal Screwjob Sunday 

What’s the Spirit of Cricket? Does it exist and should it apply? That’s what I’m pondering after a topsy turvy Sunday with incorrect calls and umpires with limited understanding of cricketing laws… Reach Out MCC

We started right where we left off last week with Patty W picking up another wicket and leaving Castle Hill 4/12 and in dire trouble…

Unfortunately, that’s where the fun stops, like a lady of the evening we got filled-in after that and it wasn’t a pretty sight

2 x A2 fill-ins for Castle Hill made sure we had a long day in the field finding gaps and missing fielders for the better part of an hour…

Just as the breakthrough was thought to be made against a later centurion, he refused to walk after nailing it down legside to the keeper… Apparently, he was nowhere near it and it hit his pads…

In other unrelated news they are now manufacturing batting pads made out of premium English Willow, get them hot off the press whilst you can… Just as quickly as we get Snicko for local park cricket

R.I.P Spirit of Cricket Died 22nd Feb 2026

We plugged away all afternoon with efforts from Benny “M1 traffic” Waldron, Dean “Car Crash” Carlin (shout-out to dunks for a 1 handed screamer) and Shakeel “Ostrich” Mistry picking up 1 each to get us close to a victory….

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as said A2 fill-in tonned up controversially late on and steered our opposition to victory, much to the chagrin of this mighty fine B1 Blue Organisation, no handshakes or claps for rubbish 

A frustrating Sundays cricket against a Fill-In XI but we move on to the finals after qualifying in rounds previous and we look to matchup against Beecroft who we’ve beaten twice already so far this season

It’s the loss we needed to have and we will be back stronger – get your cliches hot out of the oven 

Till Next Week.

Viva La Blue!!

B2 Grade

WPHC (John K) 9/200 defeated Kenthurst 199

Continuing on from last week’s decent start, Manas and Vishaal looked to form a solid partnership on what was a hot day in Kenthurst Oval.

With Manas getting out early, Rudhra was forced into the action prematurely.

Despite an impressive knock from Vish, he was sent back after being bowled for 27, as the Iyer brothers looked to steady the ship in an up and down chase. Although the heat belted down on the brothers, they managed to maintain a solid partnership till Rishab was caught, perhaps quite fortunately.

Looking to find form before the finals, Mukund went in and was able to stubbornly block out the balls and see a solid partnership with Ratul form after Rudhra’s wicket was taken.

While Mukund persisted on one end, wickets fell around him as the angst to maintain top spot prior to the beginning of the finals loomed around the boys in the sheds.

Although, impressive cameos from Koleth and Mikey, as well as an anchoring Mukund saw things West Penno take the win and maintain their position as top dogs in what has proven to be close in the fight to lift the coveted trophy at the end of the season.

C1 Grade

WPHC (Aniket) 321 defeated Beecroft 133

Knowing that Beecroft had crossed the 200-run mark multiple times this season, Ani made it clear — we needed to play smart, play safe, and put ourselves in a commanding position.

The plan was simple: bat through to the first break, make full use of the 18 overs, accelerate smartly, and push our total close to 300.

Ram and Mohan resumed with a clear approach. They started cautiously, taking a few overs to settle in and assess the conditions. Once set, they shifted gears beautifully.

Mohan continued his sensational form, putting on a batting masterclass once again. Ram complemented him perfectly, selecting the right deliveries and punishing the Beecroft bowlers at regular intervals. In no time, the pair stitched together a quick 42-run partnership.

Mohan eventually departed after a brilliant 83 runs (11 fours and 1 six), an innings that set the tone for the day.

Ram and Ani kept the momentum going, adding another quick 43-run stand before Ani had to depart. Soon after, Ram also walked back, but not before scoring a valuable 37 runs.

We added 85 runs in just under 14 overs, taking our total to a massive 321 runs — a mammoth score and exactly the position we wanted to be in.

Bowler seal the deal

Anand opened the bowling and, just like in the previous game, struck in the very first over — dismissing their top scorer of the season without troubling the scorers. The perfect start.

He returned in his fifth over to grab another wicket, putting Beecroft immediately under pressure.

Then Ram joined the attack and ripped through their middle order, picking up three quick wickets. Suddenly, Beecroft were reeling at 5/43 — and we were firmly in control.

However, their Captain walked in and showed tremendous composure.

Despite the early damage, he held one end and resisted strongly. Dan provided another breakthrough, and Mridul chipped in with an important wicket to ease the pressure. Still, wickets weren’t coming as easily as we had hoped.

That’s when Lakshya decided to take matters into his own hands.

He bowled brilliantly and got the big breakthrough we were waiting for — Beecroft’s captain mistimed one straight to Mridul at mid-off. On the very first ball of his next over, Lakshya struck again, sending the off-stump cartwheeling.

He was on a hat-trick.

Unfortunately, he missed it by millimetres — the off stump just survived — but the damage had already been done.

Soon after, Dan wrapped up the innings in the 53^rd over, and we secured a commanding 188-run victory.

Bowling Figures

• Ram – 3/15
• Anand – 2/20
• Dan – 2/11
• Lakshya – 2/10
• Mridul – 1/18

Everyone has contributed. Everyone has stepped up. Everyone has owned their role.

This is the perfect way to enter the Semis — confidence high, form peaking, momentum on our side.

Now it’s time to fight with everything we’ve got, bring it home, and then enjoy a well-earned winter break.

Let’s go 🔥💪

C2 Grade

WPHC Red (Indranil) 9 dec 124 & 0/67 defeated on 1^st innings Berowra 90 & 131

Here is this week’s match report and a final sign-off for this season.

Star performers:

Kapil Sharma 6/37 (total 9/67 in the innings)

WPH went into Week 2 at the scenic Brooklyn Old Dairy Oval with plenty on the line: finish the job for a first‑innings win, push for an outright, and quietly hope the WPH Blue boys got a result of their own. Lots of ifs and buts, but the first job was simple—wipe off the 27‑run deficit.

Keshav and Sohan (43) got things moving before a couple of quick wickets slowed the momentum.

That brought skipper Indranil to the middle for his first hit in about two and a half months. What followed was… entertaining.

Balls were flying everywhere—not so much out of pure timing but more out of pure mis‑timing—but the quick‑fire 23 did its job, giving us a 30‑plus run lead before we declared.

Feeling upbeat, the boys came out firing with the ball. Ben Waldron struck in the first over with a sharp caught‑and‑bowled, setting the tone. The attack kept chipping away, and at tea Berowra were 3/40. The next session was going to decide everything, and Kapil made sure it went our way, rolling through from one end.

He finished with a brilliant 6‑for (part of his 9/67 across the match) and had great support from Ben (2 wickets), Vishnu and Prashant (1 wicket each). The fielding was top‑notch too—Oly, Vishnu, Pravin and Sohan took important catches in the deep and bravely stood close when needed.

Despite their own players urging him on, the Berowra skipper refused a sporting declaration, leaving WPH just 7 overs to chase around 90 runs. Still, the boys didn’t shy away from the challenge. The batting order was flipped to get the big hitters out early, and Ben Waldron (26*) and Prashant (35*) gave it a real shake. In the end we fell about 29 runs short, bringing the season to a close for WPH Red.

But what a turnaround.

From sitting 9^th on the ladder to finishing 5^th is something to be proud of. The team kept lifting when it mattered, especially after the holiday break. A huge thanks to the Captains—especially Prats and Aniket—for helping fill the gaps, and to the 41 players who contributed in some way over the season.

Rosco might need to check whether that’s some kind of record.

Best of luck to all the finalists—bring home some silverware.

With that, C2 WPH Red signs off for the season.

Bid adieu!

WPHC Blue (Chintan) 181 lost to Hornsby 204

We fought hard and lost by 24 runs but kudos to Hornsby on the win!

Now that the final game has been played and the season is officially over for us, I wanted to take a moment to send a massive thank you to every team mate and the Club.

Looking back at where we started and where we finished, I couldn’t be prouder to be leading this group.

We started this journey with a challenge, jumping a grade from C4 to C3, and we didn’t just participate, we made our mark. But the real test came mid-season when we were upgraded yet again to C2.

To be moved up twice in a single season is a massive testament to the quality of cricket we’ve been playing, but it also threw us into a much more intense and challenging environment. 

(Although, the Association needs to reconsider their approach here. If they already have a process for players ratings or team ratings, why not leave each league by themselves. Every league entry is predetermined with a process and that should be locked in. Many teams are at the suffering end but legacy isn’t being challenged. This approach proves that there are flaws in their process and instead should get captains to share their views on this).

What has impressed me most isn’t just the wickets or the runs, it’s the way we handled that step up with resilience, unity and determination.

It’s rare to find a group that works this hard for one another. Thank you for the commitment, the energy, and the belief you’ve shown throughout this wild ride of a season.

Enjoy the break you’ve more than earned it.

I’m already looking forward to seeing us carry this momentum into next year.

C3 Grade

WPHC Red (Karl) 141 defeated Beecroft 101

Warm day at Normanhurst Oval saw us in battle with Beecroft for the must win game for C3s.

At the end of play last week Beecroft were chasing a target of 142 sitting at 3/16. 

Wil P and Karl took the new ball. Boundary felt a bit quicker than last week and the score pushed to 31 before the first change in attack with Wil handing the ball to Mick. 

The 10th over of the day was action packed wicket maiden. First ball saw the wicket – bowled K Ermandis, caught K Ermandis (wk)- Followed by a run out chance on the next ball by Dom. 

Mick and Karl continued to apply the pressure. 

Karl came off for a break and Isaac started up. Another run-out opportunity – direct hit from Wil P. 

Mick then finished off his spell and Karl came back on. The renewed vigour brought the wicket – caught at square leg for Wil. 

5/81 at the end of first session – Karl taking all wickets so far!

Isaac and Karl turned after the break. Isaac doing really well with 7 maidens in 13 overs.  Karl finished off his spell then put in Mick.

Finally, Mick got his breakthrough! Large edge to Kristin. Finally! So well deserved. Then a couple of overs later picking up another-LBW.  He’ll be off taken off the custodial observations now. 

7/89 at tea. 

Wil P and Damon returned with the ball. Wil picked up two- one caught by Callum then other bowled via a foot. Then Damo picked up the last wicket, caught by Wil. All out for 101. 

That should take us through to the finals!

Let’s go boys!

C4 Grade

WPHC Blue (Rob) 223 drew with WPHC Red (Ravi) 8/130

Day 1:

After winning toss, Blues were sent to bat in cloudy and overcast conditions. The decision looked like a masterstroke as makeshift opening bowler Vishnu swung one ball in and uprooted leg stump of the opener.

Unfortunately that would be the last celebration Reds would have for almost 50 overs. Jake and Luke buckled down for Blues and played the patient waiting game to ensure there were no wickets lost, also having one eye on the quotient and results in the table. 

Run rate was always under control, Vishnu and Ravi bowled tight lines but with not much luck.

Both of them helped themselves to half centuries until Nirav broke the stand, thanks to a wonderful catch by Waman. Two more wickets followed and the day ended at Blues at 170/4 after 73 overs. 

Day 2:

Bouyed by the return of Praveg and Anant, Reds went in with an aggressive approach to make a game out of this situation.

Praveg picked up two wickets and delivered an excellent spell of 4/2 in 6 overs. Vishnu came to attack and kept things in control, but couldn’t add anymore wickets to his tally thanks to two dropped catches and a couple of edges escaping stumps.

Ananth and Siby were then introduced to attack and both of them delivered in quick time to wrap up Blues for 223 in 98 overs.

Special mention to Waman for his 3 sharp, timely catches.

Equation was straightforward for the Reds, with 224 required off 42 overs, but the path to it was anything but. Vishnu went in Jassi and was watchful in the initial overs. They wanted to see off the tricky 7 over period before tea break but Jassi was out getting caught at the short mid-wicket.

Waman and Vishnu scored quickly by running 2’s, stealing singles and 3’s but Waman got bowled to a straighter one.

Praveg and joined Vishnu and started playing some eye catching shots. The partnership looked very good by gaining some much-needed momentum, but Vishnu got out against the run of play by getting bowled to a straighter ball.

Reds went into defensive after that wicket and kept losing a few wickets.

However some discipline and common sense from Sahil, Siby and Amith ensured Reds didn’t get all out and the game ended in a draw.

It will be a copy-paste of a Semi-final fixture next week with another  WPHCCC derby and players will look to rest up and go hard and gone step further.

Highlights:

• Ravi bagged his 100^th wicket in 5 seasons

• Waman – 3 crucial catches 
• Praveg – 2/4 , Anant -2/27
• Kristian – 2/7, Direin – 2/19
• Vishnu -2/38

D1 Grade

1-Day games

WPHC Red (Diggers) 3/140 defeated  Thornleigh 9/136

Unfortunately, we needed a win last week to give us any chance of playing finals, but it wasn’t to be.

So playing for pride, the second-last game of the season was against Thornleigh at the home of cricket, Greenway Oval.

Despite the temperature forecast to hit low to mid-30’s, Captain Diggers was keen to win the toss and have a bowl. 

Surprisingly he won the toss!

Parin (4/11) bowled brilliantly across his spells.

Disco (2/20) chipped in for a couple of wickets and so did James (2/19). But the surprise packet of the day was Kiran (1/28) who bowled 7 good overs and took a wicket. However the main destroyer was Parin who bowled a great line and length.

The bowling unit restricted Thornleigh to 9/136 at the end of 35 overs.

Cliff and Pete opened the batting, but Thornleigh’s main bowler got them both out cheaply and there was a slight concern across the team when we were 2/12.

However, this brought Sarthak (48) and Munish (41*) to the crease and they combined brilliantly to put on a match-winning partnership of 100 runs.

Unfortunately, Sarthak fell 2 runs short of a half-century, but the bulk of the run chase had been done. 

Grant (17*) came in and finished the job with Munish, chasing down the score with 7 overs to go.

Our last game is against Kissing Point, which we’ll be keen to finish off the season on a high note.

WPHC Blue (Roger) 0/118 defeated Berowra 116

Berowra: 116 all out

Our bowling unit turned in another disciplined performance to roll Berowra for 116.

• Mahesh Kadaganchi: 3/9 – outstanding figures, ripping through the middle order

• Mahesh Shinde: 2/14 – controlled, accurate, and constantly threatening

• Tej Randhawa: 2/20 – continued his strong form with another reliable spell

• Niranjan Suruliappan 3 catches including a screamer at slip

The attack kept Berowra under pressure from the outset, never allowing partnerships to settle.

WPHCC: 118 (no wicket) in 17 overs*

A flawless chase from the openers sealed the result without any drama: 

• Shehan Fernando: 64* – elegant strokeplay, anchored the innings

• Daniel McEwan: 41* – positive intent, rotated strike beautifully

The pair coasted to the total in just 17 overs, showcasing composure and command.

Result

WPHCC win by 10 wickets and, with it, secure the Minor Premiership.

Remarkably, a side that struggled in one-dayers over the past two seasons has reinvented itself as genuine “white-ball” specialists, dominating the format with confidence and consistency.

The only real concern on the day was the looming thunderstorm, but the team wrapped up the contest well before the weather could intervene.

D2 Grade

WPHC (Ross S) Vs BYE

The boys just missed out with a result between the 1st placed and 7th placed Team not going our way.