Match Reports for Round 14 (Day 2)
Competition Tables
The table after Round 14 (8/2/2025) is:
- A1 (Cam #25) – 2nd (58 points)
- A2:
- Blue (Ryan) – 4th (46 points)
- Red (Todd) – 6th (25 points)
- B1:
- Blue (Shomik) – 3rd (47 points)
- Red (Warren) – 2nd (52 points)
- C1 (Indranil) – 3rd (62 points)
- C2:
- Blue (Hiresh) – 4th (50 points)
- Red (Aniket) – 5th (47 points)
- C3 (Mick) – 6th (49 points)
- C4:
- White (Agniva) – 1st (68 points)
- Blue (Rob) – 3rd (60 points)
- Red (Ross S) – 6th (52 points)
- D1:
- Blue (Nirav) – 2nd (58 points)
- Red (Diggers) – 7th (48 points)
- D2 (Roger) – 5th (42 points)
Match Reports
A1 Grade
WPHC (Cam #25) 9 dec 101 defeated Hornsby Gold 80
Match Report not received.
A2 Grade
WPHC Blue (Birdcage) 89 & 4/81 lost to Berowra 7/193 dec
A warm welcome and hello to all long term readers of the A2 Blue Match Report
Cricket hey!? What a sport, sometimes you love it and it’s all consuming and other days you wonder why you ever picked up a bat and ball as a child and signed up for a lifetime of wasted Saturday’s in the middle of woop woop to the sound on leather and willow.
We arrived at Storey Park for Day 2 to a completely different pitch to what we had to bat on on Day 1 – It was a road!!!
Needing to take 7 wickets for just 24 runs to get a result on first innings it had to be a fantastic start and it indeed it was with Riken “Skinny” Hira claiming a scalp with a great catch KT one- handed low at his toes and a brilliant grab
Unfortunately Berowra passed our score of 89 with ease and begun flying along to try and set an outright target, loose bowling led to them raining a few boundaries and we needed a breakthrough
Never Fear Cougar Lover is here, Tanay bowled a fantastic spell of tight one day death claiming 2 scalps and restricting Berowra to a few quiet overs
In Tandem Skipper Rohan bowled well claiming a good LBW at the other end and should have had a handy second wicket until……
Safe Hands Townsend decided to forget all basic juniors training and drop a catch that rivals Birdcage and his embarrassing blunder from round 9, Two of the worst drops ever seen on a WPHCCC field – Source Ross Anderson
Declaration occurred and we had a minimum of 46 overs to bat and being 100+ behind the message was clear – Play Smart Cricket and Don’t throw away wickets… Message Failed!!
We lost 3 for not many off the top involving a shocking BBQ run out where 2 batsmen ended up at the one end – that’s not supposed to happen (Source – Seagull Anderson)
Thankfully we managed to fight through all temptations and desires that comes with playing for A2 Blue which is to piss away wickets and do the unthinkable and unimaginable every single week
A solid and long partnership from Shaan “Weber” Bakshi and Rohan “Silverwater” Asija chipped enough runs away and time that Berowra had managed to all but throw in the towel on an outright but not before another run out for the Blues.
Grillmaster Bakshi was involved again and many murmurs and whispers are going around that his reputation is now very much proceeding him and he’s becoming a notorious BBQ’er at the crease
This humble match reporter has been involved with the Grillmaster before and simply has this to say on his reputation… NO RUN!!
Thankfully just after 4:45pm local time the captains shook hands with a result locked in and no outright possible thank God get us to the Sporto please!!
A difficult round to say the least with the pitch only being tricky to bat on for the 3 hours we had to bat on it before it become an absolute road that could have easily masqueraded as part of the M1 Highway
A few mentions before we hit the road –
- Congrats to our Favourite Larkham Disco Dave on being the father to the groom at a wedding this weekend, what an honour and it must really be nice to have a Saturday off to spend with loved ones….oh and I guess Congratulations Brent
- We want to give our best to Tanay as he begins his newest Weight Watchers program… He weighs no more than 77kg ringing wet but apparently is viewed by others as too fat!! Lakshan take note buddy
Next week is a must win in our final game of the regular season if we are to slide into 4th position on the ladder, a matchup with Glenorie for the 1st time this season at our natural home – The Glade
Early Warning Birdcage – call correctly, Win the Toss and Bowl First
Till Next Week in our Blue World!
WPHC Red (Todd) 97 & 4/98 lost to Glenorie 123
Match Report not received
B1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Shomik) 130 lost to St Ives-Wahroonga 295
Ladies and gentlemen today you’re being treated to a bit of different gravy.
This match report has come at great mental toll with the first conundrum being whether or not assume anonymity in the process of the report, to which I’ve decided to against revealing the new persona of said report. So sit back and relax and enjoy what could be the worst report of the season.
On a Saturday afternoon we made our way to the home of cricket…Greenway Park.
Now its prestige has been in a reduced capacity as the previous week we’d broken the key to unlock the once dynamic and sophisticated clubhouse on the hill. Enough of that, knew we’d likely being bowling for about half an hour to an hour as they played the St Ives version of “Bazball”. And it played out really how you’d expect, they batted for about ten overs losing the remaining three wickets while scoring at a decent click taking their total to 295 after 80 overs. Pat took two wickets, while ‘Moss’ (not to be confused with Randy) took the other.
So the task at hand was 296 in 57 overs for a win or don’t get all out and we get a draw and while both of these being the most attractive options, you’d be surprised with how we finished.
Our batting innings begun with ‘Preet’ and Sir Bhalla opening up for us. A wild start as the first four overs only going for five runs to which the following over went for sixteen, with the total jumping to 0-21. The chat around the team while off to a mixed start surrounded the origins of last names with the opening bowlers last name being Baker.
As we know in old English times last names used to indicate what services you provided for an income, so questions were raised when J.Husband opened up the other end. We lost our first wicket in the eighth (Not Joey Johns) over where Bhalla dismissed with admittingly a well taken caught and bowled.
Mr Agarwal arrived at the crease at first drop and proceeded to ‘get about his work’ now what that means is up to reader interpretation.
Over the course of the next three overs we witnessed ‘Preet’ continue on, and Mr Agarwal played a supporting role. Now this brings us to the incident of the week, todays park (wheelie-bins for stumps shit) cricket incident involved multiple abusive four letter words all beginning with ‘c’.
A ‘not-out’ call given by Amit with Mr Agarwal being the suspect resulted in what is probably the most childish and immature move in park cricket, asking for an umpire change.
Because abusing someone and forcing them off the field is really going to ensure more favourable decision making your way in 50/50 calls.
Regardless we move on, Mr Agarwal eventually was dismissed for six brining out one of our more in form batsmen Alec. Our resident Indian-Australian played an aggressive-anchor role, playing his shots yet staying in for a substantial time. ‘Preet’ left the crease after being caught meaning Jihaan joined Alec in what provided our most stable partnership of the innings.
Jihaan and Sagnik departed while trying to continue to build with Alec but were unsuccessful leaving us 5 for 103. While a draw still in the mix catastrophe loomed large with the loss of Alec then Mr Mana departing in quick succession brining juniors teammates Pat and Jack to the crease.
The pair often associated with bowling partnerships and late order batting found themselves as they once had already this season trying to draw a game. Four balls later Pat gets run out on what was a highly contentious call which many disagreed with (The writer is Pat, I was going to make a million today…I average under 10 this season).
With myself departing all was lost (‘Win-Viz’ actually spiked) Amit walked into the middle and contributed an extra run after being bowled by his name sake. ‘
Moss’ and Jack remained the last hope which was short-lived as Jack copped an absolute pearler (might be some mayo on that) which caught the top of the bat ending our innings and handing us another loss.
If I was to sum up the days play in a sentence. “Horror show tantrum from St Ives captain and Co overshadow explosive day of Club cricket”.
WPHC Red (Warren) 9/93 defeated Berowra 86
Good morning to our Loyal West Pennant Hills B1 Red supporters to the second day of play against Berowra on their home ground.
To win we were required to score 17 more runs to chase down the 86 run target that Berowra had set. Berowra needed 4 more wickets to win the game (they only needed 3 wickets in practise as our number 10 batsmen didn’t show up to the game).
Buzz batted for time, sticking it out there and keeping Nick on strike to score the runs. The scores were all tied up and Berowra took a wicket. They needed only 2 more wickets whilst defending 1 run.
For 3 overs the scores were all level. Then in a dramatic fashion Jake (our fill in player) was dropped by the keeper to score the winning runs. Our boys batted it out there for a few more overs mainly to suck up time and prevent a second innings from taking place.
With 49 overs left in the day’s play and with happy hour impending, the game was officially called.
Our place at 2nd on the ladder is now fixed in stone. With one more game before the Semi-finals, this is the time to follow this great team.
C1 Grade
WPHC (Indranil) 6/230 dec defeated Sydney Lions 189 & 1/31
Key performers:
Aden Hanich 123 (personal best).
After a solid bowling effort last week that saw us dismiss Sydney Lions for 189, we resumed play on Day 2 needing 190 to win. With the sun baking down and temperatures only going up, our openers Aden and Vishnu walked out to begin the chase.
The start was slow as both batsmen took their time to settle, carefully navigating the early movement and ensuring a solid foundation. However, once they got set, the runs began to flow freely. Aden, in particular, was in ridiculous form, smashing the bowling attack all over the place, dispatching anything loose to the boundary. The way he was seeing the ball, even a golf ball could’ve gone the distance, everything being middled over the field to bring up an incredible 50.
Vishnu played the opposite of Aden’s innings, anchoring the score with a solid approach while ensuring the runs kept flowing. While Aden was smacking the ball everywhere reaching 50 in no time, Vishnu at the non strikers end was on a very solid 11. The scoring didn’t really change much with Aden still destroying that Kookaburra ball to every part of the ground while runs were ticking along from the other end as well. Together, the partnership reached 128 before Vishnu got bowled for a well made 27.
Aden, however, continued his onslaught, showcasing a batting masterclass for the ages. Without giving the bowlers even a hint of a chance, he powered his way to an incredible century. He eventually fell for an incredible 123 off just 97 balls, His highest career score.
Then the middle order provided important contributions to see us past the target and beyond. Will played a handy knock of 26, while Yasith chipped in with 19, allowing us to extend our lead. By the time our innings concluded, we had posted a strong total of *6/230*, securing a convincing first-innings victory.
At this point we had thought that we had wrapped up for the day after a solid win on first innings with the Sydney Lions players starting to take the cones off but we decided to have one last go at them with the ball (I have no clue as to why) to try and get an outright win.
Things started great with Reyhan picking up a wicket in his second over. Maybe a miracle was on and we had a chance to get a outright win…
Unfortunately we didn’t pick up a wicket after that but what did pick up was the rain with both captains agreeing to call of the match at that point.
This meant that we ended the game securing a first innings win, giving us a qualification to the semi finals in a few weeks time.
Bring it on.
Photos: 1). Aden Hanich after scoring 123 (our 551st ton) Vs Lions @ Annangrove
2). Aden & Vishnu Raman (23 runs) who put on 128 for the 1st wicket
C2 Grade
WPHC Blue (Hiresh) 112 and TBA lost to Berowra 5/155 dec
This is one of those games where it felt like not much happened.
Berowra needed 60 runs to get with 9 wickets in the shed. Michael and Mayank bowled well for no reward, but Berowra kept on ticking the scoreboard. Eventually a wicket did happen when they needed like 40 to get.
Mayank claimed the wicket after a diving catch at wicket. But Berowra held steady despite some great bowling. I mean the real highlight was Sparsh telling one of the batters that reminded him of Sam Konstas nearly leading to wicket.
There really wasn’t much happening at all.
It got humid and yeah, nothing really happened. They weren’t even going for it really quickly. They went past our score with three wickets lost and then declared at 5/155. The wicket takers were Meet (2 wickets), Mayank (1), Michael (1), and Shanks (1).
Needing to survive like 40 overs minimum, Hiresh and Harshil batted and got us off to a good start. But then Harshil got out. Mukund came in and decided to do the simple things (which is really effective apparently. I wouldn’t know) like blocking and hitting the really bad balls for runs.
Hiresh did well until he got out caught by a diving catch from the skipper, but he helped ensure that we weren’t stuffed for the rest of the innings.
Rudhra joined Mukund and basically killed the game by seeing the game out as well as taking runs when they could. Berowra basically gave up and decided to bowl the players that don’t really bowl much cause vibes. The game was called at 5:20pm after a batter (who will go nameless – JK it was Mukund) got caught at second slip off the bowling of the wicketkeeper (it was pretty funny).
Nonetheless, he batted well scoring 20 in a marathon innings. Rudhra did an amazing job as well, scoring 24 not out ensuring that their chance for outright was dead.
A win next game will hopefully guarantee a slot into the semis and it should be fun.
Looking forward to it!
WPHC Red (Aniket) 176 defeated Hornsby 127
The game plan was clear.
Bat for another 15 overs and score around 50 more runs to push the total toward 200. Mufi and Saurabh took to the crease with great confidence, and Saurabh wasted no time, hitting a few boundaries off the opening bowler, who had bowled 13 overs last week and only conceded 6 runs.
However, today was a different story, as Saurabh and Mufi managed to score 19 runs off his 4 overs.
Unfortunately, we lost Saurabh for 35 runs, and shortly after, Mufi followed him back to the pavilion, leaving us with a total of 176 runs. While we fell about 30 runs short of our target, the score was still defendable.
Ani and Mufi took the new ball and started with tight lines and lengths. There was an early setback when we dropped a simple catch in the third over, but Mufi quickly bounced back and dismissed the opening batsman in the fourth over.
The pressure was building on the Hornsby batsmen, and our bowlers, including Shakeel, Mufi, Saurabh, Amitava and Brijesh, were on target and kept taking wickets at regular intervals.(Bowling figures: Saurabh 3-11, Mufi 2-19, Shakeel 2-23, Brij 1-1, Amitava 1-30)
Hornsby’s batting line-up crumbled under the pressure, and with a collective effort from the bowlers, we managed to bowl them out for just 127 runs, winning the match by 52 runs.
The team is now focused on maintaining this winning streak and aiming for a spot in the semi-finals.
C3 Grade
WPHC (Mick) 62 &74 lost outright to Berowra 153
Tough match for the C3 young guns.
Going into the 2nd week Berowra led by 11 with 3 wickets in hand.
A wicket in the first over had the team dreaming of an outright….the 9th went down with the lead at 40. Unfortunately an excellent 10th wicket partnership of 50 put us out of winning contention
We fought hard all arvo and prayed for rain. With 10 overs left it looked like we would hold on for a draw. Then the skipper BBQ’d Will Deverson who had batted superbly.
That was all she wrote.
Highlight was Danno picking up his first 5fa (photo attached).
And you will notice Travis Head in the background who popped down to lend some support.
Photo: Daniel Fagg after his 5 wicket haul.
C4 Grade
WPHC Red (Ross S) 8/257 dec lost to Beecroft 7/268
Back to week 2 at Campbell. Unfortunately the ground had been mown during the week and all the grass clippings that slowed us down week 1 now clear.
Must win for us to get into 4th spot else we slip down the table. Beecroft starting 1/13.
Our bowlers toiled for 20 overs without luck, a couple of chances going down. An LBW to Paul, right on drinks . Beecroft 2/63 (26) slow going with little intent.
Another wicket to Paul cleaning up the stumps after a slog goes wrong. Beecroft 3/67, us finally in the game. No more success for the next 12 overs. Again missed chances and some lazy fielding sees the Beecroft run rate increase before Muthindra puts a wide ball out side off, a slash, a huge snick taken by Ross 4/129 at the 48 over mark.
For the next 26 overs we just could not get it right at any level. Multiple bowling changes to try buy a wicket, catches dropped and we could not seem to apply any pressure, with 1 or 2 bad balls being put away as well. At the 5 pm drinks break 70 overs down. Beecroft 4/213.
New ball taken after 70 overs and frustratingly 30 taken off the first 4 overs…..then a double wicket over to Manraj (from Diggers D1 Reds) and another in the following over to Gihan, a one hander in the gully by Raymond, gave us some hope. But in the end Beecroft passes us after 80 overs bowled. Having the batting and bowling card out by 13 was a nuisance though.
Bowling …Manraj 2/44(14), Paul 2/9(5), Gihan 2/59(16), Muthindra 1/43(17). Catches to Ross, Raymond, Alex.
A disappointing loss without 4 of our main bowlers, and unfortunately this week we were not good enough. Big thanks to Manraj filling in for us today from Diggers side and taking a couple of late wickets with the second new ball..
Our final game next week against the Blues at Dural with some of our guys returning. So hoping for a second sheep station win after beating the whites earlier in the season.
Whilst its still mathematically possible to make the 4 if we win, it is dependent on 2 of the sides above us also being beaten, and us improving our quotient a little.
A big ask.
WPHC White 249 defeated Berowra 199
With rain in the forecast for later in the day, our plan for Day 2 was straightforward—let Sayan and Pritam bat for a few overs, push the total up, and then give our bowlers as much time as possible to dismantle Berowra. But cricket, as always, had its surprises. Sayan ran himself out in the very first over, cutting our innings short at 249. However, not before Pritam made a statement, crunching the first ball of the day for a solid boundary.
Defending 249 on a tricky wicket, we knew tight bowling would be key.
Pritam and Mridul started strong, with Pritam striking early to clean bowl one of the openers. Mridul kept things tight at the other end, and by the first drinks break, Berowra was struggling at 2/38—well below the required rate.
After drinks, Berowra’s batters tried to shift momentum, sneaking singles and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Their opener looked solid, and by tea, they had pulled things back, adding nearly 80 runs without losing a wicket. It was time to change gears.
Post-tea, we focused less on saving runs and more on attacking. Chintan and Sayan applied pressure with tight lines, and Zach Gerber—filling in from D1—was a machine, keeping things miserly and bowling absolute peaches. The breakthrough came when we started chipping away at their middle order, but their opener was still a thorn in our side, marching towards a potential match-winning knock.
With 75 runs needed off the last 18 overs, Berowra had no choice but to go for it. And that’s when we took the game back. Pritam, having already made his mark with the bat, struck again with the ball. A stunning catch from Praneel off his bowling sent the set opener back for 93, breaking the game wide open. With Berowra’s batting depth exposed, we wrapped things up clinically—sharp fielding, relentless bowling, and a united team effort sealing a hard-fought 50-run victory.
A special shout-out to Zach and Gus Greenhalgh for stepping up from D1. Zach was an absolute workhorse in the field and bowled superbly, while Gus was a brick wall behind the stumps, letting nothing through.
And to cap it all off, the incredible support from Cam and his A1 squad, who came down to cheer us on, gave the team that extra push to finish the job.
Key Performances
- Pritam Dhamija – 66* (batting at No. 11) and 4 wickets
- Sayantan Sen – 58, holding the innings together
- Pritam & Sayan – 83-run 11th wicket partnership
- Pritam’s all-round brilliance – 66* & 4 wickets
A classy gesture from the Berowra skipper saw match balls presented to the best players from each side—Pritam for WPHC (66* & 4 wickets) and Thomas Steele for Berowra (93 runs & 2 wickets).
An all-round team effort, a thrilling contest, and another W in the bag! On to the next one!
Photo: Match balls presented by Agniva (WPHC) to Pritam Dhamija (WPHC) & Berowra players reciprocating.
WPHC Blue (Rob) 157 lost to ARL 8/163
Match Report not received.
D1 Grade
WPHC Red (Diggers) Vs BYE
No game this week with our next and last game of the season Vs Castle Hill RSL
WPHC Blue (Nirav) 118 lost to St Ives-Wahroonga 195
It was a challenging day for our team, WPHCCC Blue, as we faced St Ives in tough conditions.
The hot weather made it difficult for the ball to swing early on, but our bowlers fought hard and managed to take a couple of early wickets to put St Ives under pressure.
Mihir struck first, while Ravi (1 wickets) and Jacques (1 wicket) followed up with important contributions to keep us in the contest.
Despite our efforts, St Ives batted themselves into a winning position thanks to an outstanding knock from one of their players who scored an unbeaten 132 runs. His innings was the difference on the day, as St Ives posted a total of 195.
While our fielding was not at its best, our bowling attack showed great promise and resilience, giving us plenty of positives to build on.
This match is a reminder of the importance of fine-tuning our fielding and capitalizing on key moments, and we’re determined to bounce back stronger. With one game left in the season, a spot in the semi-finals is well within reach, and we’re confident that our team has the talent and spirit to make it happen.
We’re ready to regroup, learn from this match, and finish the season on a high note.
D2 Grade
WPHC (Roger) Vs BYE.
Our next game is against ARL