Round 6 – 25 November 2023 (Day 2)
Match Reports
Competition – Round 6 (Day 2)
(Saturday 18th & 25th November 2023)
A1 Grade
WPHC (Cameron) 8/291 drew with St Ives Wahroonga
Wet weather ruined our chances of a probable comprehensive win but on to next week. Next week we play Berowra Maroon @ Parklands Oval.
A2 Grade
WPHC (Campbell) Vs Bye
Next game is on 2nd December Vs Hornsby @ The Glade
B1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Todd) 3/95 drew with Colah 144
No play on the centre wicket but the boys did get a game of ‘backyard cricket’ in despite the rain.
‘Backyard cricket’ – the big game during the wet weather
Rocking up to the home of cricket for week two of our blockbuster clash with Mount Colah, opposition members would clearly have been intimidated to watch Dylan Bish pinging balls onto Connor’s orange slip catch ramp thingo (we all know what I’m talking about right?), with half a dozen first grade athletes eager to boast their simply extraordinary reflexes by catching everything that came their way. Classy.
Anyway, on to the cricket. Under the wet conditions, Connor and Jude rather controversially opened up, successfully dealing with relentless bouncers before Connor forgot to run on a defensive prod and found himself stranded as the throw took out all three stumps. With the ball doing bits off the pitch and through the air, no one was really able to hang around for a while. It’s all a bit of a blur to be perfectly honest, but there were certainly a fair few dodgy umpiring decisions so an investigation into our own teammates is probably warranted at this stage.
Having been rolled, the boys were pretty eager in the field, striking early with a spectacular run out to kickstart proceedings – the first of about three or four at the very minimum. Bishy and Willy – bringing out the long run up for a while before remembering why he switched to spin as a 13 year old – were particularly dangerous, but unfortunately with the wet ball Ben simply could not find the purchase he usually does. Instead, it was Lachie who proved the destroyer, picking up four wickets including an absolutely plumb LBW (five lightyears down leg) with his vicious off breaks (they turn even less than Willy’s – it’s why that, on the rare occasion when he does bowl he opts to at least try to turn them the other way).
Feeling sorry for their batters, Prats decided to give them a chance by bowling from about five metres behind the crease line but still found a way to take wickets with his line and length, just letting the air and pitch do the rest.
Most of their runs came from byes when Ben decided he wanted to don the gloves – this lasted about three balls before everyone rightly had enough.
In our second innings, early wickets tumbled again before Sam and Lachie brought out the classic cricket shots, showing everyone after the loss of about 25 wickets how to bat on this pitch before, amidst complaints that both were disrespecting the game from the fielders and the clubhouse, got themselves out to give others a go. However, it would be fruitless as Ben and Willy were still out there when the rain came in, calling the game off early.
All in all, a good game of backyard cricket and a more than suitable substitute for proper cricket. Should do it more often.
WPHC Red (Shomik) Vs Bye
Next game is on 2nd December Vs Glenorie @ Dural Park
B2 Grade
WPHC (Warren) 2/70 drew with St Ives Wahroonga 216
Match report Despite Adam’s best efforts to deny St Ives an opportunity to witness how surprisingly dry the home of cricket was after 110mm of rain (source: Ross Anderson) we found ourselves standing in the “summer rain” at Dural Park at 12:30 on the dot.
Funnily enough our Captain (Warren) was the last one there in light of the fact that he made it very clear we should be there at 12:30. Poor form Waz.
Let’s cut a long story short, we played out an inevitable draw.
Highlights include:
- Ray’s half century (40 odd)
- Adam’s gritty 30 (13 n.o.)
- Ray being goddamn filthy cheat (source: Ross Anderson)
In lieu of an actual match report this week, we bring to ou an exposé on the one and only, A grade keeper batsmen….. you know who.
By now, you have all come to know Billy Gaunt. Over the last 2 years we have dived deep on Billy off field exploits, but I’m sorry to say we have neglected to mention his on field efforts. To solidify this point, we are treating the loyal readers to a WPHCCCCCCCC exclusive scoop.
As we all know club legend and older/superior brother of Ryan “Gunny Junior” Gunn, Michael “Gunny” Gunn, recently married his “lovely” wife Alyssa.
To our surprise Billy was part of the bridal party (Gunny has no friends (source: Ross Anderson).
Gunny unveiled a shocking truth to the writer of this match report. Despite Gunny paying for everything required to be sort of the bridal party, Billy failed to congratulate him on his beautiful betrothal with Alyssa by failing to give a gift for the wedding.
As a side note, Billy’s parents managed to post a gift to the bride and groom despite not being invited to the wedding.
C1 Grade
WPHC (Indranil) 125 lost to Glenorie 6/154
No play Day 2 due to a washout.
C2 Grade
WPHC Red (Arun) 5/183 defeated WPHC Blue (Mat) 178
A few weeks ago, they said La Nina left Australia, and El Nino would bring hot and dry weather.
But guess what? The Rain God didn’t care about those news stories. On game day, the red team thought the match would be cancelled because of bad weather. Surprisingly, Mat Marsden and his team, along with the Red team, fixed up the field, and the game started as planned.
After a successful bowling session last week, the WPHCC Red team was confident that 178 was a reachable score. As Red lost two good batsmen, Harri and Happy, Arun sent Saurabh and Vinod to open the innings with the intention of spreading out the batting lineup.
In addition, Saurabh has played some very good innings in the last few games. On this rainy day, Vinod and Saurabh took over where we left off last week (6 runs on the board) with some confident shots from both of them.
John Rose and the Blues’ other opening bowlers were doing some tremendous tight bowling. John Rose’s fantastic yorker took Vinod’s wicket, but Saurabh looked promising. Then captain Arun came to the crease and probably played the worst innings of his life, scoring a magnificent 0 before playing on. Saurabh kept going with his excellent selection of shots and some of his unique “dead defends” of the bowl until now.
Then Rishab went to the pitch, and we began to evaluate a good partnership formed by Rishab and Saurabh. We all know how talented Rishab is as a batsman, and he has begun to play mature innings with some nice-looking boundaries. Saurabh was still playing his innings, mixing defence with some good shots.
The rain paused the game for 30 minutes, but both teams were determined to get back on the cricket field despite the heavy rain. Rishab played well but got out in his 30s. Meanwhile, Arun had a quick talk with
Aniket about going out there and scoring some quick runs before the next round of rain interrupted the game. Aniket came in and started hitting the ball all over, scoring a quick 25 runs before getting out. Saurabh, on the other end, remained strong even after reaching a fantastic 50 runs. His innings ended in the 70s after an outstanding performance. Saurabh hit some great strokes around the park, but his cover drive was the highlight of the day.
In the end, John Koleth and Brij wrapped up the innings smoothly, securing the victory for the Red’s.
Well done, team – From here onward and upward.
Special Mention
Saurabh Kapoor| Congratulations, and well done on your fantastic knock. On the pitch, you demonstrated resilience, patience, and determination.
C3 Grade
WPHC Red (Fieds) 6/68 drew with Beecroft 136
No play Day 2 due to a washout.
WPHC Blue (Rob) 201 drew with WPHC Red 0/8
No play Day 2 with the match abandoned.
C4 Grade
WPHC Blue (Hiresh) 1/31 drew with Mt Colah 132
The refrain of “Rain, Rain, go away, come again another day!” echoed in our minds as we descended upon the soaked Howson Oval.
After extensive efforts to prepare the pitch, involving futile attempts at blowing and brooming, the captains finally concurred to commence the game at 1:20 PM. Both Hiresh and Mukund resumed their innings from the previous week, both not out and requiring 99 for victory.
The opening duo showcased resilience and skill, launching a robust offensive that saw them accumulate a swift 50-plus runs in just 14 overs. However, this promising start proved to be the high point for the blue team. The rain intensified, forcing the Captain’s to suspend play.
The Blue team found themselves in a position of strength, needing only 50 runs with 9 wickets in hand, but the inclement weather had the final say.
The premature conclusion left Hiresh undefeated at an impressive 38*, with Mukund holding a solid 17*.
Although the match ended in a draw due to the weather, the Blue team can draw positives from their performance.
Looking ahead to the next challenge against the lions, the team aims to regain their winning momentum and build on the encouraging aspects displayed in this rain-interrupted encounter.
C4 Red (Ross S) Vs Bye
Next game is Vs Beecroft Blue @ Campbell Park 2nd December
D1 Grade
WPHC Blue (Agniva) 1/49 drew with Beecroft 182
Challenges in the Rain: An Unfinished Battle
Day 2 dawned with overcast conditions and moisture hanging in the air, setting the stage for a challenging encounter against Beecroft. With the intention to capitalize on the success of our strike bowlers from the previous week, Ravi and Pritam took the ball.
Bowling Brilliance Despite Moisture:
In the face of a ball resembling no more than a bar of soap due to the moisture, Ravi and Pritam showcased their class. After a few watchful overs, they struck, with Ravi and Pritam both claiming a wicket each. Beecroft, declaring at 9-182, was a testament to the remarkable effort of our bowlers under challenging conditions. Ravi led the pack with 4 wickets, closely followed by Pritam with 2.
183-Run Target and Rain Delays
With a target of 183 and a minimum of 55 overs remaining in the day’s play, our batting strategy was simple – weather out Beecroft’s key opening bowlers and then build from there. However, the unpredictable nature of weather intervened.
Rain-Interrupted Batting Display
Despite the rain delays, Sufyan and Anubhav showed resilience and built a solid partnership. Sufyan remained unbeaten on 22, and Anubhav not out on 21. Multiple rain interruptions and only 19 overs bowled in our innings made the conditions challenging for both sides.
Match Called Off
Around 4 PM, as the weather conditions took a downturn, and with limited overs left to play, the captains decided to call off the match. The untimely rain disrupted what promised to be an intriguing chase.
While the match didn’t reach its conclusion, the efforts of the team were commendable, both with the ball and the bat. The spirit and determination displayed in the face of unpredictable weather bode well for the challenges ahead.
As we look forward, the experience gained from this rain-affected clash will undoubtedly strengthen our resolve. Our focus shifts to the upcoming matches, where we aim to build on the positives and continue our quest for success.
WPHC Red (Diggers) 186 defeated Kissing Point 96
After a few days of rain we arrived at George Christie Oval and found the pitch and outfield to be surprisingly pretty good.
Harry and his Dad, Ben, brought out the blower and brooms and started working on the pitch before the game to make sure it was as dry as possible.
At the end of Day 1 last week, KP finished at 4/59 with us requiring 6 wickets for a win and KP needing 130 runs for a win, so the game was evenly balanced and both teams were keen to play.
Diggers talked about bowling straight lines and attacking the stumps. Nandit and Disco opened the bowling and were able to take 3 wickets between them in their opening spell (2 to Nandit and 1 to Disco) which left KP at 7/75.
A bowling change brought Harry and Daanish into the attack.
Following on from Nandit & Disco, Harry and Daanish attacked the stumps and took the final 3 wickets between them (2 to Daanish and 1 to Harry) which saw KP bowled out for 96.
Of the 10 wickets taken, there were 7 bowled and 1 LBW.
It was a great bowling display from Nandit 4/31, Disco 3/39, Daanish 2/17 and Harry 1/4.
It only took 80 mins to take the final 6 wickets and our lead was still 90 runs. At this stage the rain was still holding off, so Diggers and Roscoe checked the rules and we decided to ask KP to bat again after confirming the minimum lead needed for a follow-on was 75.
However during the short break before KP commenced their 2nd innings, the rain started to come down and Diggers decided to call the game with much needed first innings points.
D2 Grade
WPHC (Roger) 0/17 drew with Thornleigh 9/286
Match at Thornleigh Oval abandoned due to wet weather.