Seniors Match Report – Round 15 (Day 1) – 15 February 2025

Match Reports for Round 15 (Day 1)

Competition Tables

Match Reports

The table after Round 14 (08/02/2025) is:

A1 (Cam #25) – 2^nd (52 points)

• A2:
  • Blue (Ryan) – 4^th (45 points)
  • Red (Todd) – 6^th (24 points)
• B1:
  • Blue (Shomik) – =2^nd (46 points)
  • Red (Warren) – =2^nd (46 points)
• C1 (Indranil) – 2^nd (56 points)
• C2:
  • Blue (Hiresh) – 4^th (49 points)
  • Red (Aniket) – 6^th (41 points)
• C3 (Mick) – 4^th (49 points)
• C4:
  • Blue (Rob) – 3^rd (53 points)
  • White (Agniva) – 1^st (62 points)
  • Red (Ross S) – 5^th (51 points)
• D1:
  • Blue (Nirav) – 2^nd (57 points)
  • Red (Diggers) – 7^th (42 points)
• D2 (Roger) – 6^th (36 points)

Match Reports

A1 Grade

WPHC (Cam #25) 2/13 Vs Berowra 155

Welcome to Round 14, a match which was in doubt after some rain on Monday this week. Alas Berowra Oval greeted us slick outfields and a complete road. Captain K and his greasy hands went to toss. He lost. We were bowling.

As we donned the whites, the future Harry Hando noticed that he had forgotten his spikes. Rumours swirled over the way he asked Mary to go and retrieve them from home, Phill stepping in to teach Harry a lesson by telling him to go home himself to get them.

From here, I’d like to submit a prepared written apology from Harry to Mary, Harry creatively deciding to honour The Beatles and break out the acoustic to deliver in song format – but first the original version for the benefit of our younger readers who probably have never heard of The Beatles: http://Let it Be

I raised my voice, I wasn’t kind,

When I forgot my shoes behind.

I should’ve stayed calm, but I was mad,

And now I feel so bad, oh so bad.

(Chorus)

I’m sorry, I’m sorry,

For the words I didn’t mean.

Whisper words of wisdom,

And let it be, let it be.

Mother Mary, you’ve always been there,

I shouldn’t have spoken in despair.

I know it’s just shoes, a simple thing,

But I acted foolishly in everything.

(Chorus)

I’m sorry, I’m sorry,

For the words I didn’t mean.

Whisper words of wisdom,

And let it be, let it be.

I’ll do better next time, I swear,

And show you how much I care.

Whisper words of wisdom,

And let it be, let it be

With Harry halfway back to Cherrybrook, Tiz and Jack took the new ball. Jack relieved to not have Harry to critique his every move in the first spell. And the freedom worked – early wix to both the spearheads.

From here, the rest of the team bowled very well – Gandis, Lichaaa, Harry, Thomas Lav, Meiks, Preeds et al all bowled a disciplined line and length. We chipped away to knock of wickets in semi regular increments for most of the afternoon.

At the tea break, Wu couldn’t believe how spicy his Tandoori Chicken wrap was – he kept asking Tiz why it was so spicy. He came up with a new nickname for Assman – Anus. He boasted about having Hollywood over to his house. He then tasked Preeds to go and get beer and two bags of ice for drinks after play.

The afternoon session was all normal until we witnessed Preeds stumble a good couple of hundred metres with two bags of ice and full case in his hands. He struggled to open gates to get it back. It was a valiant effort.

Jack Hando was brilliant and finished off the tail, collecting a total of 4 wix for his troubles. Gas also great with a few – he really does lift against the old enemy. Berowra 155.

13 overs to face in the afternoon and K and Wu led the charge. Preeds was white as a ghost with fear on having to go in and miss out on next week. He infamously left a ball on middle from TA Love on the last ball of the day once. 

K and Wu were both fantastic to see through most of the session, K unfortunately falling victim to a full toss late in the day. And then it got worse with nightwatchman Meiks departing shortly after…. Preeds had to survive 9 balls….

And he did, thankfully  2/13 chasing 155 – all set up for a good finish next week.

A2 Grade

WPHC Blue (Ryan) Vs Glenorie

No play today at , you guessed it, The Glade Oval. We play a 1-Dayer next week.

WPHC Red (Todd) Vs Kenthurst-Upper Hills 7/152

First and foremost I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for missing last week’s match report, after Saturday’s game I went to my mates game night, drank a lot, and forgot all about it.

There weren’t too many highlights last week, Volc “the panther” banner, dropped a sitter off the bowling of Ben Burrows, only to take a worldie off Captain Todd’s. This, along with his 30 ball duck the week before had some calling for his retirement*.

Jack Hutchinson got a 5fer, this is unfortunately not good enough for him to score a trophy. Discussions were had about the ridiculousness of this rule, and we are starting a petition to give out trophies for 5fers again, OR, make it so you have to score 120 to get a batting trophy. Your choice wphcccccccc. 

Some of us also threatened to start a petition for our Captain to resign* as he would come into the last game of the season with a toss win rate of 27%, and a cricket win rate of about 0.03% for the season.

With unrest amongst his team, and a possible coup rising, Todd knew he had to go big or go home. He strutted out to the centre, met with a belter of a pitch at Kenthurst 1 (the first one there to be distinguishable from the outfield), and did the unthinkable. 

He won the toss.

“We’ll have a bowl thanks”

With the prospect of a dry week, and an even better batting deck for week 2, it seems a logical call, but we don’t care about logic here. #sackTodd.

Ben and Todd started off well but went wicketless, then Jacks Hutch and Makin continued well but also went wicketless. In the first 26 overs of the match we went wicketless, despite about 657 play and misses, 8 chipped shots just going over heads, and 2 abhorrent shouts for lbw. 

Finally, smelling a wicket, Todd brought himself back and got the batter driving on the up, smoked a meter to the right of James ‘the og’ Makin, who dives and sticks out the one mitt and pouches the catch of the season. A couple overs later, Todd got the other opener to sky one to Ben at mid on, who took an excellent mark. 

We then went wicketless for another extended period before Ben bowled a beautiful ball to trap the batter blocking the bail holder with the limbs below his balls.

Then after watching his mates block their way to 88 runs off 48 overs, and presumably chatting about how he would smack our attack all over the park, the Kenthurst number 5 got run out for a diamond duck, Kenthurst residents were coming out of the woodwork attracted by the smell of meats cooked out of doors on a rack over an open fire or on a special appliance (in layman’s terms; a BARBECUE 🍖). 

The rest of the day was pretty boring, Kenthurst made their way to 146 off their 70 overs, and are 7 down. Willy got reward for a good spell, bowling one of the premier Kenthurst batters with a Lyon esque delivery.  

Then, presumably after a bribe bigger than the one Asif received for no balling worse than me in the nets, Jude “Susan” Boyle came into the attack. 

Jude was allowed 1 over last season. It went for 3 runs, those 3 an edge through the vacant slip region. Trudey Judey meant business this time. Bowling overs of gas, and threatening to pull a Asif as his front foot kept slipping due to his lack of spikes. Until finally he found the inside edge onto the pad, from which the ball slowly trickled onto the stumps. The field erupted and the team swarmed him. He had done it. And now he’s probably entitled to some overs next season.

Lachy Edwards also bowled. After switching from offies to leggies in between his second over, he bowled a back foot no ball. This is unacceptable and we are very disappointed in him.

Ben came back with the second new ball and managed to bowl someone behind their legs (helps when they jump out of the way). And that was all she wrote. 

*The panther complained that the ground was too soft for him to hunt properly and he hurt his back. He may now have to retire due to injury, stay tuned for updates.

Coincidently, after I threatened to attack Captain Todd in the press, he decided to make me a week 1 only player. So unfortunately for you readers, next week’s match report will be written by Lachlan “Melman” Edwards. 

I wish you luck

B1 Grade

WPHC Blue (Shomik) 0/9 Vs Berowra 125

The weekly report is the great equalizer.

A chance for every WPH cricketer to sit down and pretend they’re writing the next bestseller. But let’s be honest—when the opposition is Berowra, there’s no need for any kind of literary genius. It is every full-blooded West Penno tragic’s God-given right to do the Report.

We welcomed back Shomik after his extended break, and he slotted straight back in. In true Test match style, he won the toss and chose to bowl. Now, some might have questioned the decision, but an inside scoop from the juniors suggested the grass was slow and spongey—so maybe, it wasn’t the worst call.

Patty and Mohsin stepped up massively, opening the bowling with a marathon 16-over partnership. They gave away just 18 runs and took two wickets, both knocking over the pegs. Patty even gave his wicket a proper send-off, though the batter only insists he said, “Well bowled.” Sure, sounds like the Siraj-Travis saga—except this batter was only on six.

The fielding effort was solid, despite a few dropped catches.

Alec “Can Only Ground Field” Silins pulling off a run-out at the non-striker’s end after Sagnik made the batsman stand in his crease for the first time this season (Source: Probably? Who knows?).

Berowra inched their way to 60 before Amit produced a moment of brilliance, bowling their Captain with a delivery identical to Nathan Lyon. If you want example I am referring to, look up “From the Vault: All 12 of Lyon’s wickets in the 2014 Adelaide Test”—about 10 seconds in.

We were a fielder short for a bit, but the bowling unit delivered. Sagnik took some sharp wicket-keeping catches, and Berowra folded for 125. A very chase-able target.

Patty and Mos took three wickets each, Amit grabbed two, and Shomik chipped in with one. A top-notch team effort.

We’re sitting at 0-9 overnight, and with any luck, the grass will get mowed before next week.

WPHC Red (Warren) 9/136 dec Vs ARL 0/19

Mt Ku-ring-gai Oval, home of some the great knocks in WPHCCCCCCC history, not including Birdcages 100 that definitely does not count nor exist. With plans to continue with that notion, captain Dickhead sent us into bat. Good toss to lose.

Some people batted and like only one of their guys actually bowled. We were really not sure why only that one guy bowled. All their other bowlers were pretty handy but this one guy bowled like 25 overs on the trot.

A nice performance by Mr ‘I love Japan for the culture’ Keating with the bat and was unlucky to not get his fifty. A classic collapse by a team full of collapsing. Decent contributions from Matt ‘Biceps’ Schwartzel and Nick ‘Aggressively enjoying ‘personal time’ on Valentines Day’ Duck. 

Despite a large expectation on his head for Adam ‘Sir Viv Richards’ van Saarloos, his confidence was shattered before he was even out in the middle by Rob ‘can see why he’s former captain’ Knapman. 

We ended 9/136 declared, deciding that sending Bobby out to bat was more likely to result in us ending up worse than with him batting, leaving Matthew ‘twinkle toes’ stranded, looking like he left a ton out there.

Having a crack at them in the last session was a great idea, Nathaniel ‘Outside the Line’ Chidgey and Daniel ‘don’t leave us’ Schwartzel bowling well, with us grabbing 2 LBWs and a catch in slips. Too bad that catch was actually dropped, (thanks Raf) and those LBWs were decided to be not out.

No shade to the umpire, he plays cricket for a rugby league club, how is he supposed to know the rules of the sport.

We come back next week to enjoy another week of cricket. In other news:

Bobby needs to be nicer to Adam

Brent and Sammy got married and it was beautiful. Everyone drank and partied responsibly.

Adam wears nail polish on his big toes

Ray went away with his girlfriend????? We are as shocked as you

C1 Grade

WPHC (Indranil) 1/51 Vs Normanhurst-Warrawee 104

Key Performance:

–          Inam Ahmed 6 wickets haul, having bowling stats of 12.4-6-15-6.

The team was comfortably placed in Top 2 till R12 and was looking for the last 2 rounds to get most players the opportunity in batting and bowling. But R13 has changed the mindset in this grade and the top 4 teams are looking to all push for outright in the last round. Not easily achievable but after end of Week 1, the last playhq update shows that 2 teams are in a chance to push for an outright and one of them is this side.

Captain won the toss and decided to bowl without hesitation and from Ball 1 the Normo showed all characteristics to slow down the game. The 1^st and 2^nd wicket batsmen arrived at the crease after 5 and 4 mins respectively, blaming the Greenway construction zone.

But the bowlers stuck to their task of bowling right line and length and if some close catches could have been taken earlier then the team could have bundled Normo before tea break. Nevertheless, the job was done though about 1 hour after tea, Normo all out 104 and leaving WPH with 18 overs till close of play.

Inam Ahmed was the top of the bowlers getting the team’s first 6-fer. Well supported by Rehyan, Ben W, Dan and Vishnu. A big shout out to Cam Bliss who came to support the side and fielded most of the day, and difficult to believe his flight touched down at 11 am, and he travelled all the way from South Korea. Looks like someone was really pumped up.

Aden and Nic Price started the innings steadily and played some good shots. Aden perished with a good start of 15 runs and Nic 27* and Dan Vink 7*saw through the day.

Next Saturday, with a full bowling and batting attack available, will be interesting to see if an outright is possible.

C2 Grade

WPHC Blue (Hiresh) 54 & 1/26 lost to Castle Hill RSL 1/88 dec

West Pennant Hills faced Castle Hill in a must-win match to secure a top-four spot.

With everything on the line, we stepped onto the field with strong intent, hoping to put up a competitive total. However, things quickly fell apart as wickets tumbled in quick succession. Every batter seemed to depart within overs of each other, leaving us in deep trouble.

Rudhra looked solid at the crease, trying to steady the innings, while Mayank provided a quick 18-run cameo that briefly lifted our hopes. But the relentless pressure from Castle Hill’s bowlers was too much, and we were bowled out for just 54 runs—a total that was never going to be enough.

Defending such a low score, we needed an exceptional bowling effort, but our struggles continued. Castle Hill’s openers played with ease, capitalising on loose deliveries and racing to the target without losing a wicket. Even after securing first-innings points, they continued to bat, looking to push for an outright victory. We finally managed to break the opening partnership, but by then, the damage was done. Castle Hill declared with a 30-run lead, leaving us with the task of surviving the final 20 overs of the day.

With the pressure on, Sparsh and Harshil dug in, showing resilience and determination.

They played cautiously, ensuring we didn’t suffer another collapse. By the end of the day, we were 1-26, still in the fight despite the tough start.

Though the first innings was lost, the match remains in the balance, and we will look to turn things around next week with the scores nearly level

WPHC Red (Aniket) 3/57 Vs Kissing Point 122

The stakes were high as Ani won the toss and opted to bowl, following the team’s game plan.

This was a crucial match, with a chance to move into the semi-finals if everything went according to plan. For the first time, we had 12 players available for both weeks, which added to the excitement. Mufi opened the bowling attack and struck early, claiming the first wicket in the very first over with a brilliant juggling catch by Brij.

However, Kissing Point quickly adopted a defensive approach. Despite excellent bowling from all our bowlers, wickets were hard to come by. We didn’t manage to take a wicket until the 15^th over, but then Brij took charge. He claimed two wickets in consecutive overs, keeping the momentum going. Unfortunately, we also suffered a blow when Lakshya rolled his ankle while trying to stop a ball, forcing him off the field.

Kissing Point started to build small partnerships, frustrating our bowlers as runs remained scarce but wickets elusive. Eamon, seizing the moment, decided to bowl and made an immediate impact. He dismissed their left-handed batsman, who had been a nuisance, with another stunning catch from one and only Brij.

This time, Brij was so disoriented from his position in the field that he wasn’t even sure where he was standing before the ball came straight to him.

As Kissing Point’s captain focused on defence, hoping to block everything, Mufi cracked the code and inspired Brij’s juggling catch Eamon took a stunner just to compete with him. Saurabh then made his mark with a superb yorker that knocked over the leg stump, giving us another breakthrough. Despite these efforts, we struggled to finish off Kissing Point’s lower order.

Blake, in a surprise move, asked to bowl for the first time this season, and he delivered in his very first over, taking a key wicket. And soon got the neck name “the man with the golden arm.” Brij, having already taken three wickets, focused all his energy on claiming more before Blake can wipe Kissing Point off. His perseverance paid off, and he took another wicket, reaching his fourth.

However, Blake was a bit greedy and finished the innings by knocking the middle stump of the last batsman before Brij could reach to his fivefer. Kissing Point was all out for 122 in the 51st over—more runs and more overs than we had anticipated, but we managed to finish the job. (Bowling figures: Brij 4-41, Blake 2-9, Mufi 2-15, Eamon 1-4 and Saurabh 1-18)

With a minimum of 17 overs left before stumps, Saurabh and Shakeel opened the batting. They started strong, racing to 33 runs in no time. However, we lost Shakeel in the 8^th over, which slowed our progress. Ani and Hari joined Saurabh and left soon after. By the 10^th over, we found ourselves at 3-45, with at least 7 overs still to go.

Blake joined Saurabh, and the two decided to dig in and ensure no further wickets fell before stumps. Over the next 8 overs, we only managed 12 runs but, most importantly, didn’t lose any more wickets. By the end of the day, we were 3-57, with both Saurabh and Blake showing excellent temperament and commitment.

We’ll resume next week, picking up where we left off, and aim to finish the game according to the plan we set out at the start.

C3 Grade

WPHC (Mick) 1/53 Vs Mt Colah 90

With the semi finals in touching distance, 2 teams below us who we have not lost to this season both pull off outright wins last week!

Thus it’s outright win or bust for the young guns.

At the end of the day we are still in with a fighting chance. Although if we hadn’t dropped 27 catches we may already be popping the zero alcohol champers.

Wil Palmer with a 4fa. If a young man ever deserved the 5fa glory it was Wil today. Bowled beautifully and had 4/5 dropped of his Terry Alderman outswingers.

Big Karlos put in a lion hearted effort picking up 3/16 off 13.

Along with the drops there were 2 brilliant snares – Keeper Kristian pulls off a low diving effort most games and he did it again today and James Day took a pearler at first slip off the wily off spin of Nick Deverson.

A daring declaration awaits!

C4 Grade

WPHC White (Agniva) 231 Vs Kissing Point

The Final Chapter Begins

And just like that, we find ourselves at the final game of the season.

A season filled with highs and lows, hard-fought battles, moments of brilliance, and most importantly, a team that stood together through it all. As we stepped onto Auluba Oval – our home for the round. It wasn’t just another match; it was one last chance to leave our mark before the finals.

Agni won the toss and chose to bat, setting the stage for what turned out to be yet another gritty team performance.

Chintan continued his dream run at the top, crafting a mature and classy 65. Anubhav provided stability with a well-made 25 after an early wicket, and though a few soft dismissals threatened to derail us, Suf and Pritam stepped up on a draining, humid afternoon. Their partnership frustrated Kissing Point, with Suf battling his way to 20 and Pritam unleashing some powerful strokes in his 38.

The innings was capped off beautifully by Agni and Praneel, who stitched together a crucial 46-run stand.

Praneel’s knock was a glimpse into his immense potential – just the kind of promise we want heading into the finals. With that, we posted a competitive 231, a total we know we can defend with the firepower in our bowling attack.

As we gear up for the final week of the regular season, there’s one thing that is clear – this has been more than just a season of cricket. It’s been a journey, a test of character, and a showcase of what we can achieve when we back each other up. One last push before the playoffs, one last chance to stand tall.

Let’s finish this the way we started as a team, as a family.

WPHC Blue (Rob) 120 Vs Red (Ross S) 6/60

Sheep station cup time.  Final round of the year.  Everything to play for before semis.  You could say we are playing for sheep stations!

Anyway we all rocked up to Dural park.  Weather was great, and once again council forgot what the lower settings on the lawnmower looked like.  So fast scoring was not going to happen today.

Ross, resplendant and dapper as always, walked onto the ground with Rob for the toss.  Toss number1 and the coin landed perpendicular in the long grass.  So Ross tossed again and it came down tails.  Ross with the decision to make, and he sent the Blue team in to bat.

Luke and Steve opened the batting and it was slow and steady early on.  Ram and Mridul were bowling nice and tight and keeping things well contained.  The first wicket fell at 33 and then quite quickly the second at 36.  Both wickets to Ram who was on today (more to come).  This brought Jake to the crease and he went about accumulating runs. 

The Blues were looking okay until Ram came back for his second spell.  Super tight bowling from Ram, and he was picking off each of Jakes partners one by one.  Nothing more than 7 runs from each of the remaining batters and the Blue team was all out for 120.  

Two clear stars. 

Firstly Ram with outstanding figures of 7/21 from 15 overs.  Simply brilliant!  And amazingly 6 of those wickets bowled.  Ram single handedly dismantled the batting order.  And secondly Jake who put together a fantastic innings of 61*.  It’s a shame his batting partners let him down and left him stranded.

So now the Red teams turn to bat and chase the 121 runs for the win.  Raynaldo “run machine” Howard and Darren strode to the crease.  Again things were tight at the beginning and first wicket fell in the first over.  Wickets started falling regularly and the Reds were 3/36 at drinks.   A final tight session with runs hard to get and the Reds ended the day on 6/60.  Good solid bowling across the board and a tidy 24 from Gihan in a low scoring match.

On to week 2 next Saturday with a match in the balance.

Photo: The C4 Grade Sheep Station Trophy in the Blues (Rob) Vs the Reds (Ross S) – Dural Park, 15 February 2025.

D1 Grade

WPHC Blue (Nirav) Vs Kissing Point – scores to be advised

Let’s start with the end of the day.

An over to go before play stops.

One wicket to get the opponent all out. Their lower order has proved sticky on a wicket that’s not doing much. The boundaries are small, and despite Tushar’s phenomenal 5 wickets, and Jacques’ 2 wickets so far, we are struggling with the lower order.

One of their batsmen, in particular, played some brilliant shots. Of course, this was also because their opener had anchored their innings like, well, an anchor.

Our decision to go for the new ball after 65 overs with the opposition nine wickets down proved how their lower order had batted. It might have been eight wickets, had Ravi not come in with a stunning run out. A single stump view. A direct throw.

But the last overs of the day were reminiscent of the first spell of the day, when their openers had almost seen through the new ball, until they hit arguably the best shot of the match, and Amit, going to his right, had nestled that bullet. (Amith 50^th catch) We needed similar magic for the last spell.

So now, back to the penultimate over of the day. Tushar’s been getting wickets, but the tail refuses to give in. As he streams in with the new ball, he knows he won’t get another over today. Couple of wides and leg glances have helped them further their score. And then, there’s that magic again!

He delivers a good length ball that shoots off the pitch and takes the edge! And Sahil, whose work behind the stumps was near flawless, takes a low catch falling to his right.

Excellent bowling by Tushar 6/19.  All in all a perfect end to a perfect day of cricket. That’s not to say it was without mistakes, but each time it looked like the game was getting away from us, someone stepped up and changed the momentum.

Now remains the small matter of actually chasing those runs.

WPHC Red (Diggers) 102 Vs Castle Hill RSL 2/27

After a good win against Berowra last game and then the bye, we were keen to finish the season on a high against 3rd placed Castle Hill.

Captain Diggers decided to sit out the match so Disco was promoted. 

We arrived at Fred Caterson Field 4 and saw that it was going to be a slow outfield with cut grass clippings lying around an outfield where the grass had grown back and was long.

Despite the outfield, Disco won the toss and elected to bat. 

Ross (2) and Cliff (14) opened the batting, but Castle Hill bowled very good lines and length (without express pace) and the runs were hard to come by with the slow outfield. After Ross’ early departure, Grant (9) joined Cliff and at drinks we were only 1/27 after 20 overs.

After drinks the runs continued to be hard to get and at Tea we were 4/59 after 37 overs with Gus (1), Nandit (12) also falling.

At this stage Peter Lees (22) had come to the crease and was playing very straight while the wickets fell around him.

Pete guided the tail and we were able to put on a below par score of only 102 off 59 overs and finished at afternoon drinks. 

Castle Hill were sent into bat after the break and Manraj & Nandit were thrown the new ball.

A couple of lucky shots saw Castle Hill get away to a flyer, but Manraj (0/17) and Nandit (1/11) straightened their attack and the runs started to dry up.

Disco chimed in with a wicket (1/2) and Grant (0/5) was unlucky not to get a wicket in his one over.

Castle Hill finished 2/27 off 11 overs.

Next week will take a great bowling effort to win the game.

D2 Grade

WPHC (Roger) 9/295 Vs ARL

Both teams in this tie are trying to get into the semi finals.

We need an outright win to guarantee our semi final spot although depending on other results a first innings win could get us there, while ARL only need a first innings win to get them into the semis.

ARL won the toss and asked us to bat.

We made 9/295 in the days allotted 70 overs on the small Greenup Park.

Our main scorers were Vinoth Sambasivam 83, Shehan Fernando 42, Malinda Dharmadase 38, Mahesh Shinde 33. 

good bowling performance next week will need to back up the excellent days batting .