Seniors Match Report – Semi Finals (Day 2) – 7 March 2026

Competition Tables

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

PlayHQ link – Draw & Competition Table

• A1 (Cam #25) – 3^rd (52 points)
• A2 Blue (Warren) – 7^th (37 points)
• B1:
  • Prats – 4^th (52 points)
  • Red (Todd) – 2^nd (62 points)
• B2 (John K) – 1^st (55 points)
• C1 (Aniket) – 2^nd (60 points)
• C2:
  • (Indranil) – 5^th (50 points)
  • Blue (Chintan) –6^th (47 points)
• C3: Red (Karl) – 4^th (51 points)
• C4:
  • Blue (Rob) – =2^nd (57 points)
  • Red (Ravi) – =2^nd (57 points)
• D1: Note: 1-day competition (Round 9)
  • Blue (Roger) – 1^st (105 points)
  • Red (Diggers) – 5^th (67 points)
• D2 (Ross S) – 5^th (52 points)

SEMI FINALS

(Day 2 – 7/3/2026)

A1 Grade

WPHC (Cam #25) 135 lost to ARL 152

I would like to firstly address some allegations (all alleged) which were thrown at our friends from up north this week. I don’t usually defend them but I will today and say that I’ve been playing these guys for years so I know they would never throw water on the pitch.

If anything, history shows that they are VERY big on ensuring the footing is nothing but stable. After all we have a duty of care to make sure our big fast bowlers don’t slip over, particularly in Finals. 

Now we all know I love our home ground Kenthurst, but it was nice to be greeted with a consistent wicket up at Parklands. Full credit to the ground staff of Dangles, Lovegrope and NetanyaWu. 

Onto the cricket and we had 140 to get, 8 wickets in hand with KB De Villiers and Denchy at the crease. Billy played well but we unfortunately did not chase it down. So with that our season ends.

Now I could be narky but no one likes a sore loser so all I’ll says is that it’s a weird feeling to not playing any cricket on the final weekend of the season. That said, we’ll be back next year to claim what’s rightfully ours again in the granny. 

Thank you to K for all his thankless work in leading us this year as captain.

Thank you to Jamaican for not only helping to produce OL, but also for all his efforts behind the scenes at the club.

Thank you to all the boys for a great season. And a final thank you to all our loyal followers (particular the Handos) for all the support this year.  

Good luck to the other WPHCCC teams who have made it to the grand final.

Of you are free, please do your best to get around and support them next weekend.

B1 Grade

B1 Red (Todd) 128 & 1/62 defeated Beecroft 121

A warm welcome and hello to all long term and new readers of the famed B1 match report, sit back relax and enjoy the tales (potentially for the last time) of a big game Saturday

After last week’s performance it was a long waiting game, blokes went to work, blokes went to training, other blokes went on trips and most importantly blokes checked the weather at alarming frequency…

It was by the BOM’s estimations that Saturday would be under severe danger with storms, clouds, shitloads of rain and potentially cats and dogs falling from the sky…. thankfully the climate was wrong

We begun the day with a batters only meeting, this humble match reporter does not know what was said and it will stay that way – bowlers and batters must always stay apart, we must never let the 2 fields of craft mix together – all-rounders are fake news

Beginning the Day with Ronnie Hanich and Westpac Bliss with the 121 needed on the mind we looked to play aggressively, unfortunately it brought Blissy downfall 

Coming to the crease was the man who never responds nor arrives to the ground on time – Oli, together Ronnie and Pls Respond put on a game changing 54 run stand that sucked all momentum and life out of the opposition 

XL Cement Dunkerley was next in and looked to be aggressive and have the game over in a hurry until he toed a ball higher then the clouds themselves straight to short mid-wicket

At 3-76 needing another 45 we could have panicked and lost our ways but this was a completely different batting unit for the mighty Blues, we played with a mentality of party spoilers and we ruined the Beecroft day with Cashie Price and Pls Respond taking the game behind doubt past the 100 total and it was all academic from there surely??

Wrong again!! The Blues got to tea at 4-104 needing just 17 to win… Clouds loomed, rain was lurking and this match reporters ani was puckered right up with nerves

After a look at the BOM radar the decision was made to get rouge and finish the game off with haste… Stevey Ahmed was elevated to number 6 with his 200 strike rate in tow… He got the game within inches of the finish line with a quickfire 11 of 7

In came MT Mistry – determined to score more than his A1 older brother..he got 1 – he succeeded in his task until he left a straight one on off stump (apparently it spun a mile) this match reporter won’t comment but it looked straight to me, everybody in attendance and the millions around the world

Surely at 6-120 needing 1 singular run to win we couldn’t bottle this… We idn’t, Cashie Price came through to guide us home and silence the minor premiers and book our ticket to the BIG DANCE 

After 22 long weekends of competition cricket it’s all down to 1 weekend for all the chocolates… It’s now or never and to say this GF will be heated is an understatement 

Rosco is frothing and going off like a kid in a candy shop at the thought of what is to come – 1 of Sports great rivalries 

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Southampton vs Pompey

Roosters vs Souths

Blues vs Reds

B1 Sheep Station Grand Final

Be There or Be Square 

No legitimately be there, we expect the biggest crowd at a HKHDCA fixture ever

Till Next Weekend

Viva La Blue!!

WPHC Blue (Prats) 128 defeated Beecroft 120

Who doesn’t love cricket?

Once again, the magic of Greenway has struck again. Who would’ve thought that 128 was enough on the board, in a Semi Final no less?

St Ives certainly didn’t think it was.

At 2-15 after last weekend, they were (probably) thinking they could sit back and let their batters score the rest of the runs by tea and be out of there by the storm arrived, securing a spot in the final.

But for the 2183729^th time this season, Todd and Jack had different ideas.

Twenty minutes in, St Ives were 4-20. All of a sudden, the target of 129 was lightyears away.

Against the onslaught last weekend, though, St Ives had held a couple of their best bats back, including a bloke who was averaging over 100 or something ridiculous so far this season. We found this out soon enough as they began to whack us to all parts of Greenway. Golden Arm Keating had other ideas, though, and picked up one of them in his first over, St Ives 5-37 and a mountain to climb.

The next hour, however, would not go our way.

The bloke at the other end would get going, at one point nearly hitting Dan onto the baseball field. They had a 50-run partnership, and we were in desperate need of a wicket.

Then he made two mistakes.

The first was absolutely smoking Dan straight to Jack at long-on, who shelled the chance, earning him quite the fine despite the fact it was coming at him like a tracer bullet. Then, with about 35ish needed, he skied Dan straight to Arjun, the two youngsters combining for the most important wicket of our season.

That’s where Jack comes in.

Jack is a Hutchinson, which means he can get REALLY fired up. Like when he drops the opposition’s best bat in a close Semi-Final and then gets put on to bowl.

St Ives brought it close, but Jack, who in the meantime also dropped another tough chance for good measure, was too good. He took the final three wickets (St Ives only had ten players), tearing through their number nine with seven runs left to play with.

It was 3:30pm on a Saturday, we had won a thrilling game of cricket, were playing a Sheep Station Derby in the Final next weekend (this is BIG by the way) and we were going to make it back to the Sporto for happy hour. Life couldn’t get better.

And then they had to go and spoil it all and send us back into bat in a rather ambitious bid to completely roll through us.

In the end, it just proved batting practice for Crawls, Az and Arjun who saw us safely through the next hour, finishing at 1-62 before St Ives finally called it a day.

And onto the big dance and the other West Penno team next weekend. May the best team win.

Notes:

• Todd went down with a cramp mid-over with about three wickets left. Leading from the front, he continued to throw himself around in the field and led us to victory in true Captain’s style. Absolute legend.
• Jack took four wickets to Todd’s three, which apparently gives him a slender lead in the brothers’ race for the team bowling award. We’ve all lost count of how many they’ve actually taken.
• Red is a better colour than Blue

B2 Grade

WPHC (John K) 101 lost to Hornsby 4/102

Our B2 side’s season came to an end in the semi-final after a tough day in the field, but it doesn’t take away from what has been an outstanding year for the team.

Last week we set the tone by posting 101 with the bat, giving ourselves a total to defend heading into this week. We started brightly with the ball as Mikey struck in the very first over to put the pressure on early. Our bowlers continued to work hard throughout the innings, with wickets also coming from Shanks and others, and overall the bowling effort kept the contest alive.

Unfortunately, the difference on the day was in the field.

We put down six catches in the first session and eight in total, with one opposition batsman being dropped six times. Despite creating plenty of chances, those missed opportunities allowed the opposition to build partnerships and eventually chase the total down, finishing 6 wickets ahead.

While it was a disappointing way to finish, the season as a whole has been fantastic.

Finishing first and securing the minor premiership is a credit to the group, and every single player contributed at different moments throughout the year. A great effort from everyone involved.

C1 Grade

WPHC (Aniket) 6/195 defeated Castle Hill 193

After restricting Castle Hill to a relatively manageable total of 193 runs, the team was eager to show what we could do with the bat.

Saurabh and Vinod opened the innings for us, and from the very beginning both looked confident and composed. Vinod defended brilliantly against whatever the Castle Hill opening bowlers threw at him, while Saurabh punished the occasional loose delivery to keep the scoreboard ticking. We started cautiously but looked very comfortable at the crease.

Our first wicket finally fell on the last ball of the 29^th over, which I believe is one of the longest opening partnerships in terms of balls faced by our openers. Vinod was unfortunately caught behind after contributing to a solid 57-run opening partnership.

Saurabh then decided to put the Castle Hill bowlers under pressure by taking the attack to them. Unfortunately, we lost him soon after in the 32^nd over, just 5 runs short of a well-deserved half-century.

With two new batsmen at the crease, Ray and Lakshya handled the situation brilliantly. They played exactly as the situation demanded—defending the good balls and putting away the bad ones. Their youthful energy also helped them sneak in a few cheeky singles, which clearly frustrated the Castle Hill fielders.

Just when things were looking settled again, we lost Ray in a very unfortunate manner when a ball down the leg side clipped his toe and rolled back onto the stumps. That’s cricket for you.

Chetan then joined Lakshya at the crease and immediately looked comfortable. The pair built a brilliant 60-run partnership, with Chetan playing some outstanding pull shots that were an absolute treat to watch.

We lost Chetan in the 62nd over when we were about 55 runs away from victory. Mohan walked in and quickly lifted the tempo, almost as if he had decided to score the remaining runs himself. Him and Lakshya were quick between the wickets and the runs started flowing again. Unfortunately, Mohan’s innings ended with a spectacular direct hit from the boundary.

Mridul then joined Lakshya, and the pair calmly set out to finish the job. Lakshya completed a superb half-century, but just 3 runs short of victory he was dismissed while trying to seal the game.

Dan then walked in to complete the formalities, and we secured the win in the 72^nd over.

It was a fantastic team performance where everyone contributed and played with a calm and composed mindset.

The team did exceptionally well in all aspects of the game, even when the pressure moments arrived.

We are now determined to carry this form into one more game before taking a well-deserved winter break.

C3 Grade

WPHC Red (Karl) 169 drew with Mt Colah 9/150

Day 2  Mount Colah sitting on 2/8 needing 170. It was steaming hot out at Mount Ku-ring-gai oval. Not an ounce of wind on the field and a thousand percent humidity.

Karl and Mick opened the day. Very, very tight bowling. A few chances through the slips. We just weren’t able to capitalise the opportunities. 

Issac and Wil P gave Much and Karl a break at the opening of the second session.

Alex took a screamer at square leg to take out first wicket of the day of Wil’s bowling. Their captain took the long stroll to the Club house. Isaac took the next wicket. Not sure what was more impressive; the awesome on-target bowling drawing the LBW or the send-off to the grumpy old fella. 

The ball was then handed to Damo and Mick. Another tidy tight spell. Alex finished up the session. A nice change in pace to confound the batters. Mount Colah were 4/88 at Tea. 

Three balls into the third session Karl blew straight through the Mount Colah batter blasting the stumps fair out of the ground. Mick rejoined the attack and serving over of the session 2 saw a run out attempt go begging. 

Karl took another a couple of overs later, clipping the top of the stumps. Absolute pearler. 7/93. 

The game was starting to turn.  We looked like we were in with a real chance. 7/114 at drinks. 

The trio of Karl, Mick and Isaac continued to pound them in. So many overs between them. Karl got the break through with a catch through to Kristian’s gloves. The very next ball blasted the middle stump!

Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get the last wicket. Mount Colah cheering the eventual draw ending up at 9/150. They were off to the final. 

We left everything out there today. Couldn’t be more proud of the boys this season. 

C4 Grade

WPHC Blue (Rob) 125 lost to WPHC Red (Ravi) 187

The game was tantalisingly poised for the exciting day two which would determine the finalists. 

Blues were at 16/2 and right from ball 1, the intent was clear – they were going to have a crack at the win.

Drives, punches and flicks followed, but as the shots flowed, so were the chances. Waman couldn’t cling on to sharp catch at point, but Blues number 3 was soon out caught by keeper. Everyone knew the prized wicket was going to be Luke, and Sahil caught probably the most significant catch of this tournament yet, by diving to his non-dominant left side and holding on to a cut shot which was moving away from him.

Reds started believing, but there was still work to do.

Mudita survived a close stumping chance and was building partnership with Manu, until he nicked one off to keeper.

Andrew and Manu started rebuilding and played gritty defensive knocks to keep Reds at bay. They say Blues to Tea break with Ravi trying all different bowling options and the pair negotiating everything thrown at them.

Ravi called up Amith, which almost seemed like an afterthought. Amith was on the money from ball one and caught the nick off Manu to get him out caught down the leg. Two more wickets followed and Reds were right on top of the game.

Tushar came to bowl Zia and Praveg took the last wicket ending the dogged resistance of Andrew. 

It was a comprehensive and commanding win to Reds, but the way they achieved it was not without some toil and gritty hard work.

Special mention to Ravi who snared 4 wickets to get to the top of wicket table, Sahil who took a screamer of a catch to get their best batter out and Amith who came in to bowl and killed the chase. 

On to the next weekend which will be the Grand final against the winners of Hornsby vs Thornleigh SF.

Highlights 

• Amith – 3/3 (3-1-3-3)
• Ravi – 4/30
• Andrew -27
• Manu -28 

D1 Grade

1-Day game

WPHC Blue (Roger) ) 7/187 defeated St Ives 138

Overview

Despite challenging weather and intermittent drizzle, both teams were determined to play through and secure a result.

After winning the toss, skipper Roger elected to bat first, a decision that ultimately proved decisive as D1 Blues posted a competitive total before bowling out St Ives in fading light.

First Innings – D1 Blues Batting (181/7)

Steady Start

Openers Shehan Fernando and Daniel McEwan provided a solid foundation against disciplined bowling—particularly from St Ives’ leading wicket taker in the division.

They negotiated the first 8 overs without loss, focusing on strike rotation and wicket preservation.

Building the Platform

The top & middle order continued the disciplined approach with valuable contributions:

• Shehan Fernando – 31

• Malinda Dharmadasa – 25

• Vinoth Sambasivam – 34

These efforts set the stage for a late-innings assault with wickets in hand.

Niranjan’s Explosive Knock

From the 25^th over onwards, Niranjan Kumar Suruliappan took control, blasting:

• 57 runs, including 3 sixers and 6 fours

His innings transformed the end total from competitive to commanding.

Team-First Finish

In the closing overs, Navneet Singh and Tej Randhawa sacrificed their wickets pushing for sharp twos, ensuring every run counted as D1 Blues reached 181/7.

In reply – St Ives Wahroonga (138 all out)

Though the final margin was 33 runs, the match felt much tighter on the field.

Key Bowling Contributions

Under pressure from deteriorating light and looming rain, the Blues bowlers and fielders held their nerve:

• Niranjan Suruliappan – 2/14 (crucial death overs to add to his batting effort of 57 not out 

• Daniel McEwen – 2/21

– Tej Randhawa picking up the wicket of the higher rated dispensed batter

– Roger Friend picking up the wicket of the St Ives highest scorer of the season and centurion from 2 weeks ago with Vinoth Sambasivam completing the challenging catch 

– St Ives’ top scorer was run out on 44, a pivotal moment that swung momentum to the Blues with a sharp fielding effort from Malinda Dharmadasa combined with keeper Sandeep Pathak (WC).

Result

D1 Blues win by 33 runs and secure a place in the grand final against Hornsby next week.

The performance showcased discipline with the bat, heart with the ball, and composure under pressure — a complete team effort.

JOHN HAYNE CUP

WPHC 7/172 lost to CHRSL White 6/214

Ross Smith was off Umpiring today so Buzz was invited to Skipper, he asked for a consensus on what to do if he won the toss, then promptly lost it so we were batting – not the consensus by the way 🙂

We were looking a little bit shaky at 3/28 but Vikrant and Gihan put on a great partnership with Vikrant retiring at 30* and Gihan a very useful 20.

Then young guns and brothers Harjit and Vedha continued the run gathering, both looking stylish in defence and putting away loose deliveries – Harjit making 18 and Vedha 20. I have to note that Parin hit his first ball faced for 6! We ended up posting a pretty defendable 172 off our 35 overs.

Bhargav and Sarthik opened up the bowling with fast and menacing spells with Bhargav picking up the first wicket. Dharval was introduced and collected one as well. Vikrant and Sandeep kept us in the game with a wicket each and then Vedha grabbed one with his first delivery and a second shortly afterwards.

Everyone bowled well and we were right in the game most of the way, but unfortunately a few too many chances went begging and Castle Hill passed our score for the win.

Hopefully a fun day out for the last match of the season. Good luck to all the teams who have made the ‘Big Dance’ next week!