Match Reports for Round 15 (Day 2)
Competition Tables
The table after Round 14, 22/02/2025) is:
- A1 (Cam #25) – 2nd (64 points)
- A2:
- Blue (Ryan) – 4th (52 points)
- Red (Todd) – 6th (26 points)
- B1:
- Red (Warren) – 2nd (58 points)
- Blue (Shomik) – 5th (48 points)
- C1 (Indranil) – 2nd (68 points)
- C2:
- Red (Aniket) – 4th (53 points)
- Blue (Hiresh) – 7th (51 points)
- C3 (Mick) – 4th (59 points)
- C4:
- White (Agniva) – 1st (69 points)
- Blue (Rob) – 3rd (66 points)
- Red (Ross S) – 6th (53 points)
- D1:
- Blue (Nirav) – 2nd (64 points)
- Red (Diggers) – 7th (49 points)
- D2 (Roger) – 4th (48 points)
Semi Finals – 1st & 8th March 2025
| Team | Opponent | Ground | Start time |
| A1 (Cameron #25) 2nd | Hornsby Green (3rd) | Turramurra | 11.00 am |
| A2 Blue (Birdcage) 4th | Kenthurst | The Glade | 11.00 |
| B1 Red (Warren) 2nd | Berowra (3rd) | Dural Park | 1.00 pm |
| C1 (Indranil) 3rd | Thornleigh (2nd) | Thornleigh Park | 1.00 pm |
| C2 Red (Aniket) 4th | Beecroft (1st) | Headen Park | 1.00 pm |
| C3 (Mick) 4th | Berowra (1st) | Warrina St | 1.00 pm |
| C4 White (Agniva) (1st) | Thornleigh (4th) | Greenway Park | 1.00 pm |
| C4 Blue (Rob) 3rd | Hornsby (2nd) | Mt Ku-ring-gai | 1.00 pm |
| D1 (Nirav) 2nd | Castle Hill (3rd) | Campbell Park | 1.00 pm |
| D2 (Roger) 4th | Casytle Hill (1st) | Northholm Grammar | 1.00 pm |
Match Reports
A1 Grade
WPHC (Cam #25) 7/156 defeated Berowra 155
Welcome readers – Berowra Oval greeted us with a wet pitch, despite the limited rain for the week.
Play was delayed by almost 2 hours, leafblowers were needed to get the umpires tick of approval. The road from last week was a lot softer this week.
2/13 overnight chasing 156, we begun to go to work thanks to a hard fought partnership between Wu and Harry Hando.
The past and the future combined to get us up to 80 odd, Wu succumbing for 46, his highest score in a decade.
Harry kept going, anchoring the innings throughout.
His composure crept us over 100 and inch by inch, we got closer and closer. Harry fell late in the day for 40 odd but with the support of the closers – Assman and Belly, we were able to surpass the total and win. A nice momentum push leading into the semi final against Hornsby Brown.
Photos: 1) Harry & Tom Hando, Cameron McBrien & Jack Hando at Berowra Oval – 22022025; 2) Cameron McBrien, James Makin, Jack Makin & Phil Wurth celebrating thw win back at the Sports Club – 22022025
A2 Grade
WPHC Blue (Ryan) 7/108 defeated Glenorie 107
Good afternoon players of the mighty A2 Blue, your mission should you choose to accept it is to infiltrate the fortress known as The Glade and acquire the 6 points needed to qualify for finals.
As always should any member of the team be dismissed cheaply or smashed for tons of runs the head of selectors Jamaican will disavow all knowledge of your actions….
A warm welcome to our regular readers of the 24/25 A2 Blue Match Reports so sit back and enjoy what could be our last report of the season and the last opportunity for the man with the power Ross “Censorship” Anderson to rip apart my match report again.
We arrived for the critical mission of finals qualification with a one-dayer to be played and we were met with major minefield in the middle
Covers debacles had left the glade somehow worse then ever and a soft as marshmallow wicket awaited us, the toss was the most important thing on planet earth.
Toss won for only the 2nd time all season and we will have a bowl….
Birdcage Loveridge has never said a more important phrase in his entire life and we were so ready to play and get into our mission.
A fiery opening spell by The Rik Magnet combined with great bowling from our dear Cougar Lover Hira and self-proclaimed Glade specialist Deano had Glenorie reeling and in all sorts at 7/42 after just 21.2 and our mission was going off with flying colours and surely nothing could go wrong from here….
You guessed wrong… The A2 Blues do absolutely nothing easy and proceeded to have the 8th wicket partnership go for 61 off 53 balls in some unbelievable ball striking, somehow Glenorie had signed Lynn and Gayle to bat down the order….wild stuff
Thankfully we took the last 3 wickets for 3 runs, Bakshi with 2 and Birdcage taking one himself we had knocked over Glenorie for 106 on a wicket that boarded on dangerous at times this was going to be no easy chase.
A few early wickets of the top left us once again playing from behind at 3/22…
However when you’ve got a man with great pipes in Shaany Baby and great beard vectors in Rohan you feel a sense of safety and the two men put on a 50+ partnership and made the chase creep under 30 and a comfortable win was back on the cards surely it was our time….
Think again we lost 3 for not many again and aspirations of a 4th place finish where slipping away once more but WAIT!! who’s that in the distance that can’t be who I think it is…..
Lara. Gilchrist. Sangakkara….. Northrop!!!!
Our great left hander and maybe the greatest lower order left hander in the history of WPHCCC A2 (Source – Iron Fist Anderson) Cam Northrop was back at his spiritual home and combined beautifully with our newest player to A2 Blue Brent Mckenzie (nee Larkham) and we had widdled down our runs needed to a messily 9
Every single run and ball was being counted down with clenched cheeks and gasped breaths….God cricket isn’t fun, when’s footy season again?
We got down to 3 needed… Then 2…. Then 1….. Nakulan “The Nuke” Ramamurthi was on strike he played a half flick half pull shot to leg side… YES was the call we run hard we got through for a single!!!! WE WON!!!!!
A famous victory and a finals clinching victory with our backs against the wall…. God how good is cricket, footy season can absolutely wait now!!
A regular season to remember with 5 Wins – 4 Losses and 6 games going to no result with all due to wet and wild conditions… But Finals has been secured for 24/25
A Few Mentions to Close Off:
- A special shout-out to whoever took the covers off and then somehow didn’t put them back on at the Glade… It was soft, damp and unsafe.. thanks to our 2 umpires who couldn’t have cared less about the strip we were subjected to
- A big congratulations to all finals bound teams for the mighty and glorious WPHCCC, it’s our time for a haul of premierships and the finals is go time for us all
- If anybody knows friends or family in the Port Macquarie region could they please help in the safe return of our opener Zac… We need him back asap and we are happy to give away Rick Turner as a sacrifice in a trade deal
What a season but it’s too continue… I look forward to at a minimum 2 more match reports to write and a subsequent 2 more match reports to be heavily censored by our Head of WPHCCC Propoganda Ross Anderson
Mission Accomplished! Finals Secured…….
and now!!!
This Match Report will self destruct in T-Minus 5 Seconds
Viva La Blue!!
WPHC Red (Todd) 116 lost to Kenthurst-Upper Hills 193
This season, we have had many heartbreakingly close defeats. This, however, was not one of them.
It should have been obvious from the very start when we could only field ten players, including our “twelfth man” Ben, who was dropped due to his inability to take wickets this season.
One of the slackers was Jude, who apparently had to deal with a “plumbing issue” – with excuses ranging from taking his brother to his game to exploding toilets, if I was A1 grade I definitely wouldn’t trust his accountability so we’ll keep him next season thanks.
After probably the most boring day of cricket most of us have ever played last week, Kenthurst came out this week with newfound urgency and were bowled out fairly quickly for 193, skipper Todd finishing with four wickets for the innings (“wicket farming”, in the words of some bloke he probably got out). This spell was highlighted by Ben letting a ball very slowly roll straight through his legs while wearing a Kings School coaching shirt, but luckily for his job security no one was filming.
So Lachie and Az opened up steadily, playing the Kenthurst openers (one of whom was a spinner) with respect albeit with some typically questionable running between the wickets. “Lachie looks on for a big one here”, said Ben. Lachie gets out next ball and we were 2-14.
Once again (A grade readers, turn away here), Jude was our sole saviour, scoring a very handy 55 to keep our faint hopes of a win alive for a lengthy period of time before he copped a jaffa (A grade readers, begin reading again here).
Aside from that, Volc with a side of Carlini provided handy support despite only being able to stand on one leg, so I think we can double his 17 to a 34. Off the field, Jack Makin joined the growing contingent of young WPHCCCCCCCC A2 Red players as members of the Awfully Hopeless Scorers’ Association. Welcome Jack.
In the end, we took it very late in the day before the game was soured by emotions and Jack Hutchinson’s rather strange dismissal. We shall not elaborate, but credit to Todd for sticking it out with eleven blokes under his nose for a long time. It’s a shame he doesn’t have the same composure at the toss.
Back at the Club, Willy failed to down more beers than runs he scored this season, which I will not specify for his sake. But he thought he had a genuine shot and unfortunately that’s enough for a match report worthy mention.
On that note, see you next year.
B1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Shomik) 109 lost to Berowra 125
Match Report not received.
WPHC Red (Warren) 9/136 dec defeated ARL 132
Good morning to our loyal WPHCCCCCCCC and Opposition readers.
Firstly I am absolutely thrilled that our friends at some opposition Club’s actually sometimes read our Reports but to quote the great Ross Anderson ‘even after 147 years on this planet you still see things that surprise you every now and again’. (Source Ross Anderson).
Now before getting into the greatest victory in Club history (source Ross Anderson) I would just like to extend my most sincere apology to my loyal readers.
The usual author of this match report has been missing in action over the last few weeks so in case anyone was wondering, no I was not suffering from a bout of idiotic syndrome – that was Club flop and resident idiot Adam Van Saarlooser. And last but not least I would like to address the elephant in the room – good morning Nicole Digby.
Okay now to the greatest win in WPHCCCCCC History (Source Ross Anderson).
After severely underperforming with the bat last week the boys had spent the week in a state of deep contemplation. We might actually lose a game of cricket. Not only was a loss looking extremely likely but at 0/82 we were grappling with the fact that we may lose to ARL by 10 wickets.
We came into the sheds for drinks having ARL 0/82, the message was boys we have most likely secured 2nd spot but let’s grab a few wickets, take some momentum into the semi final and most importantly protect our almighty quotient.
It was all looking extremely grim and looking like we were going to have one of those famous drives southbound on the M1 where you contemplate every single decision that led you to the point of reaching this very moment. But every now and again ladies and gentlemen you get kissed by greatness and today was one of those days. Simply put we banded together and said ‘not today.
We turned to spin with Rob ‘Ferrari’ Knapman and Matthew ‘the pinball wizard’ bowling with spin, drift, drop, bounce and natural variation to absolutely bamboozle the openers and remove them with two of the best balls of the day.
This made the score 2/107. Quotient looking a bit better. Then the openers got back to work with Nathaniel ‘Big Strawberry Blonde’ Chidgey chipping in with his first wicket after 15 overs of toiling away, 5 drop catches and 3 very close lbw shouts.
His brother Alex then chipped in with one at the other end. Surely this couldn’t be happening…. Wickets kept crashing, Matthew Schwartzel chipped in with a couple. It was pandemonium ladies and gentleman.
They had 3 wickets in hand and needed 10 runs to win.
Enter Matthew Digby.
Captain Warren Schwartzel left the new ball at home so it was spin to win.
One of the batsmen in could actually hit the ball and he was waiting for the right ball to hit off Matthew Digby and the game looked all but lost. He hit the full ones straight and hard and took ARL’s total closer.
They needed 4 runs to win. Then the pinball wizard got those supple wrists going and hit him with the top spinner. The ball got big on h trying to play a cross batted shot and the ball popped straight up into the air.
Cameron ‘silly sausage’ Bish then almost made an absolute meal of trying to catch it although he eventually got his composure back to take an excellent catch. 1 wicket and 4 runs to win.
At this stage I think we are still thinking it cannot be but losing by 1 wicket will be better than losing by 10.
Nathaniel ‘the best Chidgey’ Chidgey then steams in from around the wicket and he has his tail up ladies and gentlemen. He bends his back and hurls down the fastest ball he has bowled all season (84km/h Source Ross Anderson) to cut their number 10 in half and take the middle stump out of the ground. End of story. The End.
We will now go into Semi Finals next week having secured second place.
Other news:
- Ross Anderson finally gives back to community buying 2 bowls of wedges at the Club which brings his net bowls of wedges ratio to -55 from -57 (Source Ross Anderson)
- Nicholas Duck spotted with female for first time ever
C1 Grade
WPHC (Indranil) 4/203 dec defeated Normanhurst-Warrawee 104 & 8/100
Key performance:
- Ben Dunkerley 102 *(our 552nd ton)
- Nic Price 58
- 4th wicket partnership 97 runs between Nic Price and B Dunkerley
- Paul Vink 3/14
- WPH missed out on an outright win by 1 wicket and the opportunity to be minor premiers.
CHAIRS, CONTROVERSY & CRICKET: WPH EDGE OUT NORMO IN THRILLER
Cricket is a game of strategy, skill, and occasionally, creative furniture placement.
As West Pennant Hills (WPH) took the field against Normanhurst (Normo), the plan was simple—score quickly, put Normo back in, and push for an outright win. The execution, however, was a rollercoaster ride featuring a mix of brilliance, frustration, and a touch of drama worthy of a soap-opera.
Act 1: The Batting Blitz (Almost)
The WPH batting innings started with cautious optimism, but the early loss of wickets quickly replaced that with cautious panic. Dan Vink and Reyhan were promoted up the order to have a crack, but much like a Tinder date gone wrong, it just didn’t click.
Nic was cruising on 30-odd runs when Ben joined him at No. 5, and what followed was a pure masterclass in acceleration. Ben, channelling his inner Superman, raced to 50 first, followed closely by Nic’s well-crafted 58. The duo’s efforts had the scoreboard moving faster than Normo’s attempts to waste time later in the day.
Once Nic departed, Cam joined Ben for a high-octane session that saw them add another 60 runs in just five overs after the drinks break. With a lead of 100+ in the bag, WPH declared and threw down the gauntlet—come bat, Normo, if you dare.
Act 2: The Chair Strategy & The Battle for Wickets
Normo, predictably, took to time-wasting like a duck to water.
The walk from Greenway balcony to the middle was stretching longer than a Bollywood movie. WPH countered with a masterstroke—setting up chairs at the far end to ensure incoming batsmen were ready rather than enjoying a scenic stroll. This tactical genius should be studied in coaching manuals worldwide.
The bowling started with fire as Ben Waldron and Reyhan struck early to have Normo reeling at 2/6 before tea. After the break, however, the wicket-taking became as elusive as a good parking spot at a shopping mall on Christmas Eve.
Normo stubbornly chipped away at the deficit, and with 30 runs left, an unexpected subplot emerged—a heated debate between one of the umpires and our players. The timing of this “discussion” seemed more suspicious than a Wi-Fi connection dropping during a work Zoom call. But despite the ploy, WPH stayed focused.
Act 3: The Grand Finale—So Close, Yet So Far
With just 18 overs left, the hunt for wickets resumed. Paul and Dan Vink turned up the heat, breathing fire and reducing Normo to 7/92. The tension could be cut with a stump.
Then came the final over.
Nic Price was handed the ball with Normo needing just 2 runs to take the lead, and WPH needing just 2 wickets to secure the outright win. On the second ball—BANG!
A stunning close catch by Yasith had the team roaring. The equation was now painfully simple—four balls left, one wicket needed. But fate had other plans.
With Normo a batter short, all WPH needed was one final breakthrough. But it wasn’t to be. The last wicket stubbornly refused to fall, and Normo survived by the skin of their teeth.
The outright win slipped away, but WPH still walked away with a first-innings victory and a ticket to the semifinals.
Epilogue: On to the Big Dance
Despite Normo’s time-wasting antics and the frustrating finish, WPH did what they came to do—secure the win and march into the semis. A fantastic team effort, some incredible individual performances, and an unforgettable match that had everything: drama, heroics, and the genius deployment of chairs.
Next stop: the Semifinals. Let’s bring it home, WPH!
Photo: 1) Nic Price (58) & Ben Dunkerley (102 no and our 552nd ton) Vs Normanhurst-Warrawee @ Greenway Park. This is the 3rd time in the last 4 games that a player from C1 has scored a ton! – 22 February 2025; 2) Ben after his ton
C2 Grade
WPHC Blue (Hiresh) 54 & 178 lost on first innings to Castle Hill RSL 1/88 dec & 4/131
The day kicked off with the team in high spirits, all fired up to chase a second-innings win and get into the Semi-finals. We had a game plan—batter the bowlers into submission, and push for the win after setting them a difficult target to achieve in a small time frame.
Our batting innings resumed with Sparsh and Harshil frustrating the bowlers, taking singles and twos, while the outfield seemed to have an ongoing vendetta against us, with every shot slowly crawling toward the boundary.
Eventually, Sparsh got out, trying to take on the bowlers and increase the run rate.
Rishab joined Harshil, looking determined to make it through the session. After the drinks break, it was clear we were in for a thrilling 20 overs.
Unfortunately, Harshil, the warrior of the day, was cut down at 49, after playing an amazing innings adapting to the situation. Although he didn’t get a fifty, this innings is probably worth more than a 50. Rishab and Rudhra then upped the run rate, turning 1s into 2s and 2s into 3s. By the time tea rolled around, we had 5 overs to go for it, and despite losing a few wickets, we managed to hit 178—a lead of 144.
Sparsh ended up on 21, Harshil on 49, Rishab on 43 and Rudhra on 40, capping off a magnificent fightback from getting all out for 55.
Now, enter our bowlers: John and Mayank keeping the pressure tight at the start. The first wicket came with our strategic bowling change—Shanks. And then, in a moment of sheer brilliance, Meet gave us the catch of the day: a stunning one-handed grab in the close-in field.
For context, this is the same Meet who dropped an absolute sitter last week, standing under the ball for what felt like an eternity and the ball falling through his hands.
Shanks struck again, picking up a wicket at deep midwicket after Sparsh’s relentless trash talk finally got under the batter’s skin (this is what we call mental warfare). The game then dragged on a bit, but the energy on the field stayed electric, with the pressure building on Castle Hill.
John kept the heat on, taking crucial wickets toward the end. But unfortunately it was too little too late, with the equation being 13 from the last 6 balls and 6 wickets needed. We defended the total, drawing the second innings and missing out on a spot in the semi-finals.
A few missed chances, like some dropped catches and a stumping off a no-ball, could’ve been game-changers, but the fight and resilience shown by the team today were something to be proud of.
It was a great season with its share of ups and downs, but the fight we showed today reflects how the team has grown together. We can build on this experience and aim for a better result next season.
WPHC Red (Aniket) 8/130 (score to be confirmed) defeated Kissing Point 122 & 4/96
Day two of what could be our last match of the season—unless we could win outright and make it to the semi-finals.
With this in mind, the team was determined to finish the run chase quickly and send Kissing Point back to bat. Saurabh and Blake were ready for the challenge after our previous loss of three wickets. They focused on steadying the ship and building a solid partnership.
The pair put together a solid 32-run partnership, but soon after, Blake was dismissed. Saurabh followed shortly, falling just shy of his half-century. Despite some great efforts, we couldn’t form the big partnerships we needed, and wickets fell regularly, keeping everyone on edge throughout.
In the end, it was Chetan who stepped up alongside Mohan in the middle.
With a quick-fire knock, Chetan powered us through the remainder of the chase, securing the victory.
We then sent Kissing Point in to bat, with a minimum of 42 overs left to take all their wickets. Despite giving it our all, we only managed to claim 4 wickets in 32 overs. But it was enough to see us through to the semifinals.
Now, we’re looking forward to finishing the season on a high, keeping the winning streak alive for two more weekends.
C3 Grade
WPHC (Mick) 1/91 dec & 1/19 defeated outright Mt Colah 90 & score TBA
We are in the semis! I think… are we?
Pretty sure.
As a 1980’s Sheffield Shield conniseur I thought we could declare behind, win outright and get all the points. Thankfully, Skip Jnr set me straight.
As such – we batted to drinks today. Harry and Karl did exactly what was required. 67 and 40 not out respectively. Brilliant!
Declare.
1st over wicket.
2nd over wicket.
Happy days. Heady fires up the BBQ!
From there it was a grind. I think we probably bowled as well as we have all season, Mt Colah played and missed ad nauseum/nauseous. But credit to them, they fought hard all day with nothing to gain, so good on them.
Big Danno (see photo below) racked up his 2nd career/season 5fa and Will Devo bowled 10 overs of leg spin where the bat managed to edge the ball about 5 times.
We knocked em over – what was the damage? 19 needed from 3 overs. Haz, K and Danno got us home with an over to spare!
Out first ever outright win!
You beauty
Skip snr still thinks declaring overnight would have seen outright victory easier – longing for the 80’s.
Photo: Finals bound C3 Young Guns @ Howson Oval after the win – 22 February 2025.
C4 Grade
WPHC White (Agniva) 231 lost to Kissing Point 7/233
And just like that, the regular season has come to an end.
Defending 231, we knew we had to bowl well and keep things tight. Pritam and Vinod set the tone early with disciplined lines, but credit to Kissing Point’s openers, they dug in and saw through the new ball. A few missed chances in the field made things tricky, but we kept the pressure on.
Spin was the key weapon throughout the day, troubling the batters consistently, but luck wasn’t quite on our side. Despite our relentless efforts, Kissing Point managed to pass our total with three wickets in hand, taking advantage of the extra overs we had to bowl due to our quick over rate.
On the bowling front, Pritam led the attack with three wickets, while Praneel, Chintan, Agni, and Adi chipped in with one each. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but there’s a bigger picture here – we finish the season as Minor Premiers!
This team has fought through every challenge this season, and now, it all comes down to the knockouts.
The semis against Thornleigh await, and we are ready.
One mission, one goal -let’s bring it home.
Up the Whites!
WPHC Blue (Rob) 120 & 5/93 defeated WPHC Red (Ross S) 110
This was it. Final match before semis. All to play for.
Weather was fantastic with blue skies and some scattered clouds. The temperature peaking at 30 degrees, a great day for some amazing cricket.
Continuing from last week’s performance, Ross and Mridul needed a great start with some quick runs to pose a threat to the dominating Blues side – and that’s exactly what they did.
Mridul played some beautiful shots of the backfoot, scoring a couple of boundaries in the early overs despite some fast and accurate bowling from Arjan and not so fast nor accurate bowling from Lance on the other side. The Reds were steadily approaching the set total of 120, and it seemed hopeless for Rob’s Blues.
However, luck soon switched sides as Buzz emerged with some phenomenal spin, where Zia took an extremely difficult sitter at extra cover.
7-92.
Still needing roughly 30 runs to win, Jake came out with the intention to hit but was soon dismissed by another cracker delivery by Buzz.
8-98.
Tensions were high, as Anand approached the crease. Rob’s army was charging towards the end of the innings, the win looking ever so near.That’s when Blue’s star Ryan Manson took it upon himself to bowl the most unexpected yet perfect delivery to Mridul – a full toss. Unaware of the genius in this delivery, Mridul’s eyes lit up, just to watch it fall ever so slow back into Ryan’s hands, all planned of course.
9-101.
With only 20 Runs left for the Reds to win, Sandeep and Anand got to work quickly, getting to a quick partnership of 9 in 2 overs, before Rob called upon the best bowler in the team, the goat Zia. Immediately getting to work, Zia bowled the best ball by far in this innings, and took Sandeep’s wicket, ending a fantastic game played by both sides.
10-110.
With everyone still feeling the spirit of cricket, Ross and Rob collectively decided to continue playing a friendly match, with Ranuk and Steve opening the batting for the Blues. Deciding to show everyone why he’s the best, Ranuk got off to a great start, scoring 25 before Ram continued his phenomenal bowling performance and took Ranuk’s wicket.
This was followed by an incredible performance by Manu, scoring 46 before departing. A couple more wickets came and went before the match wrapped up, an end to a great game.
Photo: Brahadesh ‘Ram’ Ramamurthy celabrating his match figuures of 10/51 (7/21 & 3/30). This is just the 151st time a player has taken 7 wickets or better in an innings and the 56th time 10 wickets or better in a match has been taken.
D1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Nirav) 8/164 defeated Kissing Point 157
It was the second day of the match, and we had a clear target—158 to win.
With a confident mindset, we stepped in to chase down the total.
Our openers, Sahil and Vikrant, gave us the perfect start. They looked comfortable at the crease, blunting the attack. Their partnership laid the foundation, easing the pressure on the middle order.
However, as cricket often goes, we lost a couple of wickets in quick succession, making things interesting. That’s when Ravi stepped in at number five and played a crucial innings. Showing great composure, he built his innings patiently before accelerating at the right time. His unbeaten half-century was the backbone of our chase, anchoring us through the middle overs.
Ravi wasn’t alone in the effort—Daksh, Mihir, Jacques, and Amit all played their roles perfectly. Each of them chipped in with handy contributions, ensuring we didn’t lose momentum. In the final stretch, Amit came in and finished things off in style, guiding us to victory with calm precision. In the end, it was a well-rounded performance, with the top order setting things up and the middle order sealing the deal.
A brilliant chase, a well-fought win, and a match to remember!
This win will secure our position in the semifinals.
Photo: Ravi Gunna after top-scoring with 63
WPHC Red (Diggers) 102 lost to Castle Hill RSL 105
We arrived back at Fred Caterson 4 with Castle Hill on 2/21 chasing our previous week’s sub-par score of 102.
The first thing we noticed was the outfield had been mowed during week, but the outfield still looked slow and would restrict runs.
Manraj (0/22) and Nandit (3/33) opened the bowling and continued with their good lines and lengths from last week.
Nandit had a couple of dropped catches early and Manraj had Castle Hill’s top scorer edge for a caught-behind but not given out.
Despite the early disappointments, we started to take some wickets, and take them regularly.
Disco (6/30) joined Nandit and with Gus’ sensational keeping (taking 4 catches in the day), we had Castle Hill 8/81 at drinks at they were starting to panic.
Zac took a wicket (1/10) and Castle Hill were 9/100 needing only 3 runs.
Castle Hill’s Captain got the runs before Disco bowled their number 11 with Castle Hill narrowly winning a nail-biter all out for 105.
A huge shout-out to Ross Anderson (who took an amazing catch in Gully!!) and Steve ‘Quan’ Quanborough, both for filling-in at the last minute as we were 3 players down.
Although we didn’t make the finals this year, we had a lot of fun, played some good competitive cricket and thoroughly enjoyed the season.
Thanks again to Captain Diggers for all the time and effort you put in during the season!
Hopefully we’ll see everyone back again next season.
Photo: Dave Larkham (with ball) after taking 6/30.
D2 Grade
WPHC (Roger) 9/295 defeated ARL 38 & 4/128
WPHCCC having scored 9/295 last week we declared and then bowled ARL our for 38.
ARL were asked to follow on and scored 4 /128 in their second innings. The 6 points for this first innings win was enough for WPHCCC to overtake ARL and end the home and away season in 4th place and in the semifinal.
Our Bowling hero’s for this win were Daniel McEwen 4/6, Barla Raghuraman 3/10, Cory Brookhouse 1/5 and Tej Randhawa 1/10.