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Wanderers Cricket - Grand Final Weekend Wrap
- leichhardtcricket
- Mar 25
- 15 min read
March 22nd / 23rd, 2025.
And that's a wrap for season 2024/25! A superb weekend of junior cricket saw LWCC earn two premiership trophies from our four grand finals, but plenty of thrilling cricket was played across the weekend - and in the right spirit - to finish up in style. As cliché as it sounds, cricket is the winner!
Please join us congratulating our club's premiers for 2024/25!
U10 Black
U15 White
Please also congratulate our club's runners up for 2024/25 - a fantastic achievement!
U13 Girls
U13 Black
For the final time this season, thank you for being part of the Wanderers cricket club and the Wanderers family. We hope it's been a positive experience for your kids and your families!
Read on for the GF match reports - they are crackers!
Tonight! Tuesday 25th March, 7:30pm @ Blackmore Clubhouse
Reminder, tonight we are hosting an open committee meeting at Blackmore to review the season, plan for next season and plan for our big end of season presentation event. Again, our club can't function without all the people who volunteer - even an hour or two of your time is valuable! Please join us!
Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports
Performance of the Round
Vinny Gardiner & Bede Russell (U15 White) - twin 50s to win the grand final, dominating a thrilling run chase vs Concord Briars Black! Vinny set the tone at three, with 50* (off 43 balls, 4x fours, 3x sixes), whilst Bede, at four, smashed 52* (off 46 balls, 1x four, 6x sixes!). Well done lads on a fine display of power hitting, amongst some lovely touch with the bat. Enjoy your premiership!
Highlights
Henry Radford (U10 Black) - 3 for 7 (2 overs)
John O'Connell (U10 Black) - 4 for 3 (3 overs)
Mihrimah Clark (U11 Girls Gold) - 22* (17 balls, 4x fours); 1 for 4 (2 overs)
Emily Moore (U11 Girls Gold) - 22* (17 balls, 3x fours); 1 for 16 (4 overs)
Emilie Benn (U11 Girls Gold) - 20* (17 balls, 3x fours)
Adelaide Done (U11 Girls Red) - 2 for 7 (4 overs); 1 run out
Sofia Robinson (U13 Girls) - 2 for 10 (2 overs)
Connie Rawson (U13 Girls) - 15* (26 balls, 2x fours)
Finn Macgillivray (U17 Black) - 2 for 14 (3 overs); 2 catches
Oli Lista (U17 Black) - 42* (28 balls, 4x fours, 2x sixes); 2 catches
Henry Wakeling (U17 Black) - 39 (28 balls, 7x fours)
U8 Black 9 first time cricketers. Won one match from nine before Christmas. and then four from eight after Christmas. Had great matches against Andrew’s team played in terrific spirit. All can now bowl and catch. And every boy wants to play again next season. Thanks to the club for the support it’s been a great season and well done to all of the other teams.
U8 Red season complete! Team were fantastic all can bowl properly and great team spirit the whole season!
U9 Red had a great season, won 11, and only lost 5 (two to other Leichhardt teams!). Won the last game without losing a wicket and scoring 110 runs off the bat! Best of all, a team that plays in the right spirit and enjoys each other's success. All are keen to graduate to a hard ball next year!
Match Reports
*Grand-Final* U10 Black: LWCC (129) def. RHH Pirates Jolly Rogers (77)
Congratulations U10 Black. Undefeated all season.
Magnificent sellout crowd at Campbell Park. It’s the largest crowd our boys have played in front of. Won the toss and sent the opposition into bat. Coach knew the first 10 overs would be tough as the Pirates have a strong top order. Our boys bowled well and kept the Pirates batters to low single digits except for one big hitting batter that played and missed twice as much as he hit fours. Henry Radford took the first wicket of the day not long before drinks caught by the safe hands of Fredrick Werner-Gibbings. Our boys and home supporters were a little nervous as we had a game on our hands. A grand final special with the Pirates only one wicket down for 43 runs at drinks.
After drinks, Fredrick Werner-Gibbings took the next wicket with a full-length delivery skittling the bails.
GAME ON!
Zane Henderson took the next wicket catching the edge of the bat to keeper, Emmett Hudson. Time for Henry Radford to take his second spell, and casting spells he did. First a ball that took a thick top edge for keeper, Emmett Hudson for the gloveman, second caught behind of the day. And the next ball from Henry was caught by John O'Connell diving forward millimetres off the ground with a full commando roll to the astonished crowd. Henry Radford is now on a hat trick but must carry that over to his first game in the 25/26 season. Henry’s spell was 2 overs 11 runs for 3 wickets and nil extras. His best performance of the season saved for Grand Final day. John O'Connell also saved his best bowling performance for Grand Final day. The Cricket Gods owe you a future hat trick as you were very unlucky not to be awarded one in this game. 3 overs 4 wickets for 3 runs - 3 he bowled, and one neat catch to Kiran Chandramouli. In the last over Oscar Rawson took the final wicket. Special mentions to Kiran Chandramouli, Emmett Hudson and Ryan Petkovich, each 2 overs for 2 runs and nil extras. Extraordinary our 10 overs after the drinks break yielded 9 wickets for 14 runs.
Coming out to bat our openers Dylan Corfield & Oscar Rawson were unusually nervous. And after two overly ambitious run outs, settled down to put on a 23-run partnership. Congratulations to Dylan for 14 runs off your 13 balls. Henry Radford & Zane Henderson carried their bat not out and concentrated well on the angry straight ball and dug them out with solid defence. John O'Connell, top scorer with 16 runs not out.
What a wonderful season. It has been a privilege to coach these fine lads and see their growth throughout the season. But nothing is more impressive than hearing from our opposition teams that we have a group of high spirited and respectful boys that play hard and fair. Enjoy the title of being Premiers 24/25.
“We are Leichhardt Wanderers through and through!"
*Grand-Final* U15 White: LWCC (3-148) def. Concord Briars Black (5-146)
This was the game we had been working towards all season. After a minor end of season dip that saw the team lose three games straight we turned things around in the semi-final and now had the opportunity to play in a final. Our opposition had been the team we struggled to beat all season. They were also the team that knocked us out of finals contention last year. And we were playing them on home turf at Edwards park – a ground known for its slow outfields – but one where we had enjoyed a reasonable amount of success this year.
In our last training session the night before our captain Bede Russell asked to address the team and reminded everyone to get at least eight hours sleep and not to spend the morning on their phones prior to the game “you’ll play better” he said “I don’t know why it just works!” Arriving at the ground 40 minutes before the game we were greeted by the sight of 5-6 of our team already there. The boys were clearly up for this one and no sign of the opposition as yet. Adrian Russell (Bede’s dad) was sweeping the sand off the pitch to make sure there would be no slipping for bowlers or batters. Knowing that Christian Paipetis needed to leave at 4pm for school commitments Bede made the decision we should bowl first. This was unusual as throughout the season if you won the toss you would choose to bat making the fielding team wilt in the afternoon heat. The toss was taken and bowling it was.
Briars came out to play with their openers scoring freely at 4-5 an over. At 0-48 after 8 overs there was a feeling that the game could slip away from us with Yuvidhu Kariapperuma taking advantage of any width on offer and both batsman pushing quick singles any chance they could get. Then the batsman went for one single too many and chose to run on a push to Vincent Gardiner on the off side. Vinny’s throw was fast and true to Drew Karakaidos who removed the bails to get our first wicket and 0-48 became 1-48. Bede Russell then delivered a beautifully angled ball to clean bowl the new batsman Kyle Carmada for a golden duck 1-48 was now 2-48. The run rate slowed and in the 12th over Bede produced a yorker to remove the set batsman Yuvi (35 runs of 36 balls) meaning we went into drinks with Briars 3-70 and honours just about even.
We knew Briars would be keen to lift the scoring rate and anything over 150 would be tough to chase. The second 15 overs saw runs continue to be scored at 4-5 an over with not many chances going to hand. James Garland who had bowled well all season without much luck came on in the 18th over with good pace and accuracy to remove Hamish Ellston (6 runs off 20 balls) and struck again in the 20th over to remove the dangerous Zac Marando for 27 runs (30 balls). These would be the only wickets to fall in the second spell as the Briars pairing of Matt Sarlas (29 off 41) and Seamus O’Connell (19 off 25) took the total to a competitive 5-146. Game on.
In the semi-final it was our tight ground fielding and bowling that really made the difference. In the final our batting and in particular the middle order would stand tall. Beau Williams who had a match winning performance in the semi-final was unlucky to be run out on 2 runs in the second over bringing Vincent Gardiner in to bat. As Vinny went out to bat he predicted that he was due for a big one. The bowling though was tight and after 4 overs were completed we had 5 runs and one wicket down. But from over 5 onwards Vinny started to find the middle of his bat with a number of boundaries starting to flow. In the 7th over with Zac Marando bowling and LWCC 1-11 Vinny proceeded to up the scoring taking 14 runs with 2 fours and a six in the over. After 10 overs we were 1-35. Vinny continued to score freely taking 8 runs off the 11th over. Jack Phillips retired in the 12th (5 runs off 30 balls) having seen off the new ball bowling attack which brought Bede Russell to the crease. Vinny continued to score freely and after 14 overs was on 48 runs. Then in the 15th over with LWCC still slightly behind the run rate at 1-60 Bede hit the first ball for four and the third for six adding 10 runs in the over to make it 1-70 and scores even. 15 overs done and wickets in hand. The belief was building.
First over after the break Vinny collected a couple of singles and retired on a well-deserved 50 runs (43 balls faced). This brought Drew Karakaidos to the crease who immediately got busy scoring at almost a run a ball before being bowled by Kyle Camarda for 6 runs (9 balls faced). Keshav Sachdev was the next batsman in. Meanwhile Bede was building an imposing innings clearing the boundary seemingly at will before retiring in the 24th over on 52 runs (46 balls) in an innings that included 6 sixes. We were 2-133, 6 overs remaining and 14 runs to win. With support from James Garland and Hugo Hood for the second week in a row Keshav hit the winning runs with a fine innings of 21 runs (19 balls) 8 of which were scored to close out the game in the 27th over.
LWCC were premiers.
Playing in a final is special. It doesn’t happen very often and a lot of players will go their whole career without playing in let alone winning one. And our strong individual performances came off the back of a strong team culture and belief. Nick Mabbott was a tireless cheer leader on and off the field (all season), Willem Nelson fielded strongly at mid-on, Archer Hudson and Eamon Russell from the U13s provided substitute fielding for our bowlers as we had a number of players who couldn’t make the final. It was great to see Will Berkelmans turn up to support the team after breaking his arm mid-way through the second half of our season. Bryn Hall also couldn’t be there due to school commitments but was very much a key part of the team throughout the season showing great bravery behind the stumps. We also had Gus Cassim contribute some fine cameos.
Well done boys you are well on the way to becoming fine young men.
*Grand-Final* U13 Girls: LWCC (4-78) def. by Summer Hill (6-79)
We made it to the grand final and played against the only team to have beaten us in the Summer comp. It’s always a competitive match – these girls have been playing against each other for a few seasons now, and some play reps together - so at least it was a friendly affair.
The boundaries of the field were set to men’s first grade size (or at least it looked like that) so fours were difficult to come by. Their bowling was good and fast, but it didn’t stop Connie from her solid 15* (26), ably supported by Cate 7* (12), Sharanya 6* (24), Charlotte 6 (7), and Sofia C and Carmen both with 4* (12), along with 2 other retired not out batters from our starting eleven.
When it came to bowling, we started off slowly, but we eventually got into the swing of things. Zoe and Carmen did a solid job behind the stumps, Cate took an amazing catch, and there were two good run outs also. Charlotte ended with 1-11 (2), Cate 1-9 (2). Both Olivia 0-1 (1) and Eva’s 0-2 (1) bowling was excellent. Sofia R bowled two batters in one over, finishing with 2-10 (2), getting us close to a win, but it wasn’t enough in the end, Summer Hill chasing down our total with 18 balls to spare.
Thank you to Ben for your wisdom and coaching, along with your good humour, enthusiasm and fairness; to Adam, Anthony, Mike and Rob for umpiring and training, to Jen, Jill, Themi, Ross, Anthony and Christine for scoring; to all the parents for ensuring their girls were at training and at the games, supporting and encouraging each and every player; and also to the team – you have come a long way with your cricket, in both your skills and your love for the game. Long may this continue.
Many of the girls and parents enjoyed an end of season drink at Briars Club after the game. We’re delighted that this team was brought together through sport, but stays together because of a shared passion for cricket and the genuine friendships that have been made. We look forward to most of the girls moving to U15s next season.
*Grand-Final* U13 Black: LWCC (8-89) def. by RHH Pirates Jolly Rogers (1-91)
Congratulations to the U13 Black side for being Minor Premiers, and making it to the Finals where we had to face up to our long time rival, the Jolly Rogers.
We lost the toss, which was OK. Batting first is quite a good outcome. We decided to give every player a shot and played with 12 (still with 8 wickets). Sadly it wasn’t our greatest batting performance, maybe nerves got the better of us, or the desire to just bat well resulted in the opposite effect. (See Newton’s law - where everything falls down under gravity). Just a quick glance at the scorecard gives us a whole pile of single digits. 4, 5, 4, 20, 4, 0, 3, 11, 2, 3, 0, 5. Special mentions to Xavier 20* (20), Linus 11* (20), Sam Spiller 4* (21), and Noah Kelly 2* (23). The rest of the batters were out, possible in ways that could have been avoided - but anyway. And would you believe they gifted us 28 extras. That’s really ordinary. We lasted 25 overs, which in itself is OK.
We had 89 to defend. Oh well I’ll cut to it, we didn’t do it. They smashed them in 13 overs for the loss of one wicket. Bit like how we destroyed Concord two weeks prior. What goes around comes around! The only wicket was a run out, from some good fielding, and we only gave them, 15 extras - but that’s the end of the good news. I think it’s important that we focus on what we achieved this season, and that was some excellent cricket, solid wins, decent improvements in many players and a bunch of kids who still love playing cricket. This team will hopefully move into the 15s and grow further.
Remember - WE BEAT EVERY OTHER TEAM this season. We won more games than these guys did. We just didn’t do it today. That’s something to keep in mind.
Big thanks to the parents who stuck with this team and helped out along the way with scoring, setting up, driving around, listening to the coaches mutterings, and counselled their kids through some tough days.
We were beaten by a better side, but as you know - cricket can turn on its head very quickly. Who knows how these games will go in later years as the players develop and the conditions of play change. We have some solid cricketers in our side who will probably see a few Reps games next season, and continue to start paying rent to the nets at Blackmore Oval before too long.
Excellent cricket boys - bad luck we didn’t get up this week, we’ll keep coming back for more and that’s the stuff champions are made of.
See you all at Presentation Night!
U11 Girls Gold: LWCC (134) def. Marrickville (125)
We won the toss and decided to bowl on a beautiful afternoon down by the Bay Run at Timbrell Park. We didn’t have our best bowling performance, but Emily and Mihrimah and Juno were the pick of the bowlers. Emily’s wicket was a leg stump yorker that was unplayable.
Marrickville batted well with aggressive running between the wickets to post a competitive 90 odd from their 20 overs.
But out batting performance was outstanding. While all the girls pitched in, Mihrimah, Emily and Emilie all scored above 20 with some fine strokeplay. Izzy was rock solid and Juno (10 runs) ran aggressively towards the end to make sure we got home by 9 runs.
We always have great, close and fun games vs Marrickville and today was another classic game.
U17 Black: LWCC (6-126) def. Balmain South Sydney CC Sabres (121)
Leichhardt U17 Black finished on a high with a 3 v 4 victory over Balmain in a sometimes ragged end-of-season encounter. In a game with little at stake, both teams mixed up their usual preferred batting and bowling orders, and Nick marked his new role as opening bowler with two early wickets. Finn showed the most focus, with two wickets in his first two balls, as well as two catches. Captain Oli set his casual fielders into an aggressive cordon and they then all contributed to the total of four dropped catches, allowing Balmain to set a target of 122, that was about 20 runs more than it could have been.
All season, Wanderers have depended on a small number of batsmen for runs so it was predictable, but still enjoyable, to see Henry, then Oli, make quick work of the total. Cam hit his first six of 2025, Nick showed some resilience before the season ended with another big Oli six. It’s fair to say that this talented team under-achieved in 24/25 but it has been fun, always played in the right spirit and we’re all very grateful to the hard work and commitment of coach Tony.
U13 Gold: LWCC (4-122) def. Randwick CC Hurricanes (7-30)
The last game of the season, third versus fourth, took place on a drizzly morning at Campbell Park. The outfield was in top condition but the pitch was wet all game. The players from both teams were unfazed by the wet, completing a game in the right spirit, with the Wanderers being too strong with bat and ball.
In a shortened game, a maximum of 26 overs per side, the Wanderers batted first and batted well all down the order. Kurtis and Max were again strong at the top, each retiring (9* (28) and 16* (25), respectively), and got the run rate to about 3 per over. Max in particular cracked some very nice shots and saw the ball roll to the 45m boundary. The middle order were also strong, with useful contributions all round (Jacob 15* (25), Archer 12* (25), Conor 8 (10), Linus 14* (20), James 4 (8)). The finishers Felix and Eamon upped the tempo at the end with some risky play, finishing with 11 (20) and 5* (7), respectively.
The final run rate was an excellent 4.7 per over – very competitive on a pitch in which the ball was skidding and keeping low.
The bowling plan was simple: keep it straight and hit the stumps. Eamon and Jacob delivered, each getting a wicket by knocking the stumps over. Felix did the same in his spell, and Kurtis also bagged one although via a catch by Eamon. Linus and Archer also hit the stumps with their straightness and fastness, and Archer caused a run out by a direct hit too.
The victory was comprehensive. The Wanderers won six of their eight games in this Summer comp.
But the most pleasing part of the season was the formation of this high-quality team, from three other Wanderers teams who play Saturdays. The kids were a delight to coach. They clearly love playing the game and will continue to do so in a Wanderers shirt for many years to come.
A big thank you goes to Nicky for being a fantastic manager, David for all of his scoring, and all the parents for ferrying the kids around and help out with umpiring and providing snacks.
Signing off for Summer 2024/25, Adrian (coach).
We hope you enjoy a well-earned break from summer cricket and hope to see you at our presentation event on May 3rd to celebrate with the club!
Chris Hudson
LWCC President
We are Leichhardt Wanderers Through and Through!
