Competition Tables
Dertails as at the end of Round 3
- A1 (Cam #25) – 2nd (15 points)
- A2 (Todd) – 5th (8 points)
- B1:
- Prats(Blue) – =6th (8 points)
- Red (Warren) – 8th (3 points)
- B2 (Sparsh) – =1st (15 points)
- C1 (Aniket):
- Blue (Aniket) – =3rd (12 points)
- Red (Roger Francis) – =5th (10 points)
- C2 (Chintan) – =6th (8 points)
- C4 (Ravi) – 4th (12 points)
- D1 (Diggers) – 1st (18 points)
Seniors One-Day Competition
- WPHC Red (Pras) – not yet available
- WPHC Blue (Roger Friend) – as above
- WPHC Green (Rob) – as above
- WPHC White (Parin) – as above
Match Reports
A1 Grade
WPHC (Cam #25) 152 lost to CHRSL 226
Welcome, welcome, welcome, back to that oval up north for week 2 against Castle Hill.
With availability issues and player number rules we were unfortunately playing with 10 this weekend and not meeting our quotas for the first time in a long while (sorry T).
Belly was out with his third favourite job – a nose job, and Billy who got us off to a good start last week was out at a wedding and as such was timed out so we started the day effectively 2 down.
I say it every year, but who has a wedding during cricket season?
I have already told my girlfriend that we won’t be.
She didn’t listen or agree and said we’ll be having it whenever she decides. But hey at least I told her and I apologise to my captain and selectors 5 years in advance
Anyway, speaking of weddings, a big congratulations to an old team member of ours in Thomaslav who got engaged recently to his lovely partner. Also another big congratulations to new team member Edna on his engagement. However, it is unconfirmed whether he asked Jim for his blessing and if so whether it was given or not.
Anyway, onto the cricket now and we had another 200 runs to make. We started well with DA making a nice 50. However, after a slight rain delay, momentum halted and it was all downhill from there as we proceeded to be all out for 150 odd.
A couple positives from the day other than DA was that it was nice to see Jim and Ollie be able to bat together and Cam back in his spiritual home batting last. It was also great to see both Ledwards and Faggy in their first A grade games.
A week is a long time in cricket, so like a goldfish we now move onto next week as we looked forward to going up against the old foes from up the highway in what is likely to be a grand final preview.
A2 Grade
WPHC (Todd) 260 lost to Berowra 9/263
We’ve once again been informed that people from other Clubs are keeping up with our match reports.
Firstly, welcome back. Always nice to know our journalism is reaching a wider audience. Hopefully the opposition are taking notes.
Zac got us off to a solid start with a handy 43, giving us a good platform to build on.
KT also briefly threatened to steal the show, launching a massive six before unfortunately departing the very next ball. Clearly decided one six was enough entertainment for the afternoon.
Shomik then came in and put together a fantastic innings of 83, making batting look considerably easier than the rest of us managed. A brilliant knock and a great contribution to the scoreboard.
Ray followed up with an absolute blinder, scoring 65 before unfortunately being run-out. A cruel way to end a brilliant innings, but at least there’s some good news to come out of it. Having filled in for us this week, Ray has officially earned himself a promotion into our A2s side!
I managed to contribute 18 runs before Tanay and I both fell victim to some rather impressive one-handed catches.
Unfortunately, despite some fantastic individual performances, we fell agonisingly short, losing by just 3 runs.
All in all, some great individual performances, a new addition to the A2s side and another reminder that cricket really is a cruel sport.
And finally, to our loyal readers from other clubs: thanks for continuing to follow along. It’s nice to know our reports are reaching a wider audience.
Until next week.
B1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Prats) 171 lost to Mt Colah 187
A warm welcome and hello to all long term and new readers of the famed B1 match report, sit back relax and enjoy the trials & tribulations of a batting Saturday
We had an injury scandal strike the Blues midweek – Captain Prats was struck down by an ankle injury and was unavailable to play, whether that decision was made by a medical professional or a certain Mrs Prats….. This humble match reporter won’t speculate but I have my theories #whipped
We started the day off with Cash King Price & Old Man Carlin at the crease, both men didn’t last past the 1st hour & didn’t trouble the scorebook much
Now came the partnership that would dictate the match, WestPak Bliss & Pls Respond Oli came together at a tricky 3-36 and combined for a fantastic 96 run partnership
Both men found the boundary with ease and rotated the strike constantly on a large Dural Park surface…
As both men had taken chunks out for the Mt Colah bowling attack it was time they turned to a part timer right before the tea break and this is where disaster struck
Oli was trapped absolutely stone-dead plum in front and with a small hesitation was adjudged LBW, no trigger fingers this week!!!
At 4-135 at the Tea Break we were within touching distance of the total…. What proceeded to happen after that is best left largely unsaid
Losing 5-36 was the tale of the tape and unfortunately, we found ourselves 16 runs short and down a man with 10 batters it was time to shake hands and call it a day.
A very honourable mention to Blissy with 64, not bad for a bloke who got dropped in the order & Oli with a gritty 36 when the situation dictated.
A frustrating result given the position we put ourselves in but this is the true scope of seniors cricket, no matter how good you feel you will always come crashing back down to earth no matter what
Now this humble match reporter will bid you a goodbye and a short farewell…
Due to Injury & Holiday Time Captain Prats is going to miss the next 2 rounds of cricket so this match report writer will be taking the helm of the Mighty Blues and will be immediately delegating match report duties to my favourite bloke
Come on Down G-Man
So, it’s goodbye for now but not goodbye forever
Viva La Blue
Till Next Time!!
WPHC Red (Warren) 120 & 8/87 lost to Sydney Lions 222
Good morning all and welcome back to the B1 match report (although maybe for not much longer the way the last few weeks have gone!).
Firstly, a big congratulations to former captain of various WPHC Seniors teams Stu Fiedler on getting married this weekend. While we are all very happy for Stu and Maddy, this left us short a few players (although the absence of Ray Khamis did save us from him writing paragraph after paragraph about the inevitable 20 odd he would have made in the match report).
We resumed at 2/22 chasing 222, and a couple of quick wickets early left us reeling before Nick “Buckets” Duck and Jake “the snake” Condon came together to try and steady the ship. While physically back from holidays, Buckets was clearly still mentally making it rain at the gentleman’s club in Vegas as he missed a straight one to be bowled for 15. Maybe if we get dropped to B2s he will finally be a chance of making a decent score for once (source: Dean Carlin).
Ryan “Nawaqanitawase” Manson, using a new bat after his previous one was savagely assaulted by the Dural Park pitch last game, batted well with Jake to keep the scoreboard ticking, quite literally as Sydney lions had a scoreboard to be updated on the sideline (nobody give Prats any more ideas) before ultimately both being dismissed, Jake for 31 and Ryan 20.
All out 120. There are better sports out there, better ways to spend your Saturday.
We were also asked to bat again and finished 8/87. Jake 27 and fill in from A grade Shaan “B1 merchant” Bakshi 30 the pick of the bats in the second inning, as we played all the way through to 6:15 pm and missed the chance to do any trick or treating for Halloween.
Join us again next week.
B2 Grade
WPHC (Sparsh) 9/133 defeated Glenorie 132
A thrilling one-wicket win capped off our two-day clash after we bowled the opposition out for 133 in week one.
Resuming at 4/40, captain Manas and Renesh batted beautifully to put the chase back on track, with Manas striking the ball confidently on his way to a well-earned 50. Both fell in quick succession, leaving Vishnu and Manav to steady the innings.
Another twist saw three wickets fall in just two overs, leaving us needing two runs with one wicket in hand. Our last batter Shanks showed tremendous composure to defend a full over before Vishnu sealed the win with a beautiful cover drive.
A tense finish and a terrific team effort to get over the line!
C1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Aniket) 319 drew with Hornsby (HTSC) 8/117
# Cricket Match Report – A Day of Two Very Different Batting Philosophies!
We started the day with the rather unwelcome news that two of our players had fallen sick and wouldn’t be making it.
With just 9 players, our strategy had to be adjusted. The thinking was simple: bat a few extra overs, put a decent total on the board, and give ourselves some breathing room. Little did we know just how much breathing room we’d end up needing!
Mohit picked up right where he left off last week, continuing his good form. Isaac, unfortunately, misjudged a short ball and found the cover fielder. Amit walked in and wasted no time getting into the groove, injecting some much-needed momentum with a few lusty blows. Mohit eventually holed out to deep mid-wicket, and Amit followed shortly after. HTS were left with a target of 319 to chase.
**And then came the chase. Or should we say, the anti-chase!**
To everyone’s astonishment, HTS came out with what can only be described as a masterclass in defensive batting.
Given we were two players short, this was arguably their best opportunity to attack, make us chase leather, and push for a win. Instead, they appeared to have mistaken the cricket ground for a batting endurance examination.
From ball one, the objective was crystal clear: draw the game.
Dead bat, dead bat, and more-dead bat.
Singles?
Apparently, those were prohibited too! It was genuinely bemusing. At times, we wondered whether they were protecting their wickets or simply trying to see how many overs they could survive without disturbing the scoreboard.
Thankfully, Isaac had other plans.
After barely half an attempt at playing a shot, their opener was trapped plumb in front. And that was just the beginning of the **Isaac Taylor show!**
Fiery pace, plenty of swing, and batsmen looking increasingly unsure of what was coming next. Isaac quickly dismantled two more batters, sending their stumps cartwheeling. He then added an LBW with a full, swinging delivery that the batsman generously decided to shoulder arms to. A rather generous invitation for the umpire to raise his finger!
Unfortunately, that’s where the game essentially came to a standstill. We struggled to prise out more wickets, while HTS seemed equally determined not to score any runs. It was becoming less of a cricket match and more of a staring contest between bat and ball.
Thankfully, Ravi from C4 joined us to lend a hand and, more importantly, some much-needed moral support.
The captain rotated through just about every bowling option available. Lakshaya came closest to inducing an edge, but unfortunately, the opportunity went begging.
Then, in the final hour, one of their batsmen apparently decided he’d had enough of the defensive masterclass.
He unleashed four enormous sixes, with one disappearing into the bushes of Les Shore, never to be seen again. We may need to send out an archaeological expedition to recover that ball!
Having briefly discovered the joys of attacking cricket, he went one shot too many and was dismissed by a sharp running catch from Mohit.
Isaac returned to the attack and, predictably, went back to doing what he does best: rearranging furniture at the striker’s end. He picked up his sixth wicket, completing a superb six-for. All six dismissals came without assistance from the fielders – either bowled or LBW. A thoroughly self-sufficient wicket-taking operation!
And just when we thought the day couldn’t get any more dramatic, Mohit beat the opener’s defence on the final ball of the day and trapped him in front. A fitting finish to what had been a rather unusual day’s cricket.
Despite the frustratingly negative approach from the opposition, it was a tremendous collective effort from our boys. Everyone kept encouraging each other, stayed switched on, and continued looking for opportunities even when the game threatened to put the entire team to sleep.
**A special mention to our captain, Aniket!**
Marshalling his troops with two fewer soldiers in the ranks, he pulled out all the tactical stops to bring us tantalisingly close to the cusp of a win. Bowling changes, field placements, tactical reshuffles – he threw just about everything at the opposition. There were several moments when the rules themselves came under interrogation, but Aniket seemed to have an answer ready every single time. At this rate, he may need to carry a copy of the rulebook along with the team sheet next week!
A terrific effort in keeping nine players organised, motivated and fighting right until the final ball.
**A special mention to the HTS opener** for the extraordinary patience he displayed.
With 200+ balls faced and a score of 20, he must surely be in contention for one of the slowest strike rates in recorded cricket history. Somewhere, Geoffrey Boycott would be smiling with pride!
And a big thank you to Ravi for turning up and helping us in the field. His arrival certainly coincided with a late flurry of wickets. Unfortunately, even his presence couldn’t quite turn the draw into a win.
### Bowling Highlights
– **Isaac Taylor:** 6 for 45 off 19 overs – a one-man demolition crew!
– **Mohit Chadha:** 1 for 14 off 11 overs – economical as ever.
– **Mridul Das:** 1 for 23 off 8 overs – doing his bit to keep things tight.
### Final Thoughts
A day where nine players showed the heart of eleven, one bowler produced a masterclass, one captain nearly outmanoeuvred an entire opposition, one opener tested the limits of human patience, and one cricket ball is possibly still living happily in the bushes of Les Shore.
We may not have got the win, but we certainly gave them something to remember. And hopefully, next time, we’ll get an opposition that remembers cricket is also about scoring runs!
**Well played, boys!**
WPHC Red (Roger Francis) 4/232 defeated Oakhill College 9/223
It was a day of runs, personal milestones and a few celebrations as WPHCCC put together a strong batting performance
There were plenty of stories throughout the innings, starting with Hiresh, who got things moving with a handy 15. Rahul was next to make a statement, and after the disappointment of a golden duck last game, he made sure there would be no repeat performance.
He responded in style with a brilliant 60, showing that last week’s scorecard was well and truly behind him.
Aryan chipped in with a solid 32, while Ratul and the others looked to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
But the real headline of the day belonged to Atharva, who played an outstanding innings of 87.
Continuing his impressive batting streak, he looked completely at home at the crease and gave the opposition plenty to think about. Another quality performance from a player who is quickly making a habit of these contributions.
There was also a special moment for Roger, who recorded his highest-ever score. The boys from B2 were in attendance to witness the occasion, making sure the milestone didn’t go unnoticed. It’s not every day you get a personal best, and Roger certainly had the support of the crowd behind him.
At one stage, Meet had already padded up and was mentally preparing himself for a grandstand finish.
The plan was clearly to walk out, channel his inner MS Dhoni and finish things off in style.
Unfortunately for Meet, Atharva had other ideas. With the innings progressing nicely, there simply wasn’t enough time left for the Dhoni masterclass. Meet was left padded up, waiting patiently for his moment that never quite arrived.
All in all, a strong batting effort, a few personal milestones and plenty of reasons to celebrate. Rahul put the previous week’s duck behind him, Roger walked away with a career-best, and Atharva continued his rich vein of form. A good day for WPHCCC, and we hope to continue the good form and strong team spirit.
C2 Grade
WPHC (Chintan) 91 & 8/200 lost to Hornsby 239
The job for Pennos was simple: get Hornsby out for as little as possible and avoid handing them an outright win.
This 2- day game was a tale of two halves, while Hornsby bossed day 1, Pennos fought with grit and came up trumps on day 2.
Unfortunately, Pennos’s first innings was too poor, forcing them to concede the lead.
Coming into the day, Chintan and Ram kicked off proceedings and were accurate from ball 1. Ram bowled with a lot of heat but wickets remained elusive. Chintan, meanwhile, showed his bag of tricks from the other end and kept chipping away with wickets.
Anand also bagged a wicket with disciplined bowling, and Hornsby lost the remaining 4 wickets for 20 runs.
With a huge lead of 148 runs and with 52 overs left in the day Hornsby was licking its lips to roll us out and get an outright win. They had their tails up from the beginning, but Arun and Vicky started cautiously.
First wicket fell on 21 and Arun soon departed when the team score was 30. Vishnu and Anubhav steadied the ship with a solid 84 runs stand with Anubhav falling for 35.
A few more wickets followed, leaving Pennos at 147/6.
Vishnu remained strong at one end as wickets fell and soon joined Chintan to see us through without further damage.
A massive effort from Chintan with an immaculate 6-wicket haul and Vishnu fought at one with an unbeaten 92* to take the much-needed momentum forward for next game.
Whilst Hornsby had to bowl 18 overs in the last hour, they called it off after 15 overs, despite the request to finish the 3 overs and let our batsmen achieve their much hard-earned 100.
It’s a shame!
C4 Grade
WPHC (Ravi) Vs Kissing Point 200
Day 2 is on SUNDAY 31/10 at Auluba Oval starting at 1.00 pm.
D1 Grade
WPHC (Diggers) 4/105 defeated ARL 104
We arrived back at Tom Richmond Oval for Day 2 against ARL needing only 67 runs to win.
The weather forecast didn’t look great, but there was still sun shining when we arrived in Brooklyn.
Tim (20) and Gus (3) returned to the crease as the clouds started to roll in.
Tim and Gus continued on from last week playing each ball carefully before Gus was bowled by ARL’s left-arm seamer, who was bowling a great line and length.
Nandit (32*) came to the crease to join Tim, and shortly afterwards the rain started. We continued to play on, but became too heavy and we decided to take a break to let the showers pass.
We had about 20 mins off the field before blue skies started to appear and we only lost 4 overs.
Tim was batting with a lot of intent however was unlucky to get the faintest of edges off ARL’s left-armer, and Disco had to give him out.
Pete (12*) joined Nandit and together they put on a great 35 run partnership to pass ARL’s score.
Another great win by the team.
Senior Mixed One-Day Competition
WPHC Red (Pras) 6/212 defeated Berowra (D2) 8/150
What a classic day of cloudy classic cricket!
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Will Deverson set the tone with a classy 32 at the top, before Kristian unleashed absolute carnage for a blazing 57. Samuel then dug in deep into the innings with a gritty 37*, along with James Day (35) returning for his first game of the season… to drag us to 6/212.
Berowra started with a solid opening stance (67), and they needed just 7 runs an over to win with 9 wickets in hand. It was the change after the break, with tight bowling from Karl (1/7) off 5 overs breaking the opening partnership, followed by Pras getting his opposite skipper and bagging his first-ever HAT-TRICK (3/15)!
This is just the 55th hat-trick in our Club history!
Will Deverson continued with the ball, turning on his magic to claim a career-best 3/4 off three overs and cleaning up the tail to restrict Berowra down to 150.
Defending it?… That was pure tactical genius from veterans Karl and Paul, guiding Captain Pras and the team to a clinical WIN!
WPHC Green (Rob) 136 defeated St Ives-Wahroonga 9/127
Match report not received
WPHC Blue (Roger Friend) 7/220 defeated Berowra (C4) 155
Berowra won the toss and elected to field on a turf wicket.
After scoring 220 last week, it was a very different challenge this time around.
Runs were hard to come by and we finished on 123/8 from our allotted 35 overs, one of our lowest totals in the last couple of years.
Mahesh Shinde led the scoring with 19, followed by Pankaj Gawande with 18, Malinda Dharmadasa with 14 and Vinoth Sambasivam with 13. With no batter able to get past 20, it was a tough day at the crease.
Berowra reached the target in 30.4 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Bowling honours went to Niranjan Kumar Suruliappan with 2/27, while Roger Friend continued his march towards the 300-wicket milestone in style, picking up a wicket with his first ball.
WPHC White (Parin) 88 lost to Berowra Maroon (C4) 7/234
Match Report not received
It was a challenging afternoon for WPHCCC White as Berowra C4 Maroon proved too strong, claiming a convincing 146-run victory in our latest Senior Mixed One-Day clash.
After taking to the field first, White made an encouraging start, with Flynn Di Pietro striking early to remove Jonty Dell for a duck, thanks to a sharp catch from Ross Smith.
Flynn continued to trouble the opposition, picking up his second wicket by dismissing Ryan O’Connor for 23. Lachlan McNamara also got amongst the wickets, while skipper Parin Pillamarri and Jacques Visser chipped in with important breakthroughs.
Things were looking reasonably promising, but Berowra had other ideas.
Despite some good spells from our bowling attack, Berowra managed to build momentum through the middle and late overs, eventually finishing on 234/7 from their 35 overs.
Flynn Di Pietro led the bowling figures with an impressive 2/33 from seven overs, including three maidens. Parin Pillamarri (1/16 from 5) delivered an economical spell, while Lachlan McNamara, Sachin Dixit, Jacques Visser and Jake Smith also picked up wickets.
There were contributions in the field too, with catches from Ross Smith, Kiran Sathiaraj, Sachin Dixit and Parin Pillamarri helping keep the pressure on.
Chasing 235 for victory, White needed a strong start and a few substantial partnerships. Unfortunately, Berowra’s bowlers had other plans.
Ramil De Silva fell early for 5, and Samridh Bahety was dismissed for 6. Things went from difficult to downright uncomfortable as wickets continued to tumble.
Sachin Dixit, Parin Pillamarri and Jacques Visser all fell with the score stuck at 35, leaving White in serious trouble at 5 wickets down.
Sanjeewa Karunatilake attempted to provide some resistance with a handy 13, while Lachlan McNamara top-scored with 17 from 41 deliveries, showing some patience as wickets continued to fall around him.
Lachlan James contributed 4 before retiring not out, while the lower order struggled to get going against a disciplined Berowra attack.
White were eventually dismissed for 88 in 32.2 overs, falling 146 runs short.
It certainly wasn’t the result we were after, but there are still positives to take away. Flynn’s opening spell, Parin’s economical bowling, and some good fielding contributions showed what the side is capable of.
There is plenty to work on, particularly with the bat. We need to build partnerships, value our wickets and give ourselves a better platform to chase competitive totals.
The good news? There’s another game around the corner, and plenty of opportunity to put things right.
Onwards and upwards, White!