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Wanderers Cricket - Round 1 Wrap
- leichhardtcricket
- Oct 22
- 24 min read
October 18th / 19th, 2025.
Cricket is so back! What a bumper weekend of junior cricket across the Inner West! To match, we have an absolute bumper first issue of our weekend wrap for the 2025-26 season, with 22 match reports covering 24 junior teams. It sounds like (almost!) everyone enjoyed their first weekend of cricket.
The exciting theme running through this issue is the number of firsts: first games of cricket, first games for a new club, first games for a new team, first wickets & our first TIE for the season! We hope you enjoy reading!
Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports
Performance of the Round
Ted Fitzpatrick (U13 Red) - we always make the point that in junior cricket (indeed any cricket), you spend more time fielding than anything, and good fielding is often the difference! Well this week's performance of the round comes from our U13 Reds, with an outstanding performance in the field from Ted Fitzpatrick, who took 2x catches, affected 2x run-outs and a stumping! Ted also took 2 for 21 (off 4) with the ball. A worthy addition to the fielding honour roll for season 25/26.
Highlights
Ella Nixon (U11 Girls Black) - 25 (off 15), 6 x fours; 1x run-out
Bonnie Wilson (U11 Girls Black) - first wicket, on debut
Imogen Taylor (U11 Girls Red) - first wicket, on debut, with her second ball bowled
Nellie Wood (U11 Girls Red) - 18 (off 20), 3 x fours, first ever game of cricket
Mihrimah Clark (U13 Girls) - 31 (off 19), 5x fours, 1x six
Jake Woolsey (U10 Black) - 3 for 8 (off 3); 1x catch
Rohan Mahalingam (U11 Red) - 3 for 11 (off 3)
Finn Gadsby (U11 White) - 3 for 24 (off 3), 1x run-out, 24* (off 15), 4x fours
Noah Lane (U12 Black) - 43* (off 46), 6x fours, 1x catch
Dilhan Clarke (U12 Black) - 3 for 9 (off 2)
Oscar Rawson (U12 Red) - 42* (off 56), 5x fours; 1x catch
Flynn Sawers (U12 White) - 41 (off 18), 8x fours, 1x six; 1 for 17 (off 4)
Patrick McColough (U12 White) - 37 (off 25), 7x fours, 1x six; 1 for 7 (off 2.2)
Zavier Rodrigues (U13 Gold) - 3 for 23 (off 4)
James Martin (U13 Red) - 38* (off 30), 7x fours
Eamon Russell (U13 White) - 4 for 7 (off 3.2); 1x run-out *bowling honour roll*
Anton Martin (U15 White) - 33 (off 45), 5x fours
Xavier Rohanek (U15 Black) - 53* (off 29), 12x fours; 2x catches *batting honour roll*
Ronav Auti (U15 Black) - 50* (off 47), 9x fours *batting honour roll*
Match Reports
Stage 3 Girls Black: LWCC (6-84) def. by Summer Hill CC (5-125)
Late last week, our U15 and U17 Girls teams came together as one in the Stage 3 competition, but from the way they played, they looked as though they’d been together for a lot longer. In particular, welcome Aditi, Harper and Suki to LWCC!
Bella captained the team brilliantly, in word and by example, by taking the keeping gloves for the first 10 overs and letting the girls demonstrate their skills with the ball, both in bowling and fielding. We took some great wickets - Charlotte had the best figures of 2-8 (3), closely followed by Sofia with 1-11 (3). Connie, Harper, Moo, Zoe, Lila and Aditi bowled very well for no reward, but Lila did take a superb catch and Moo was solid behind the stumps. The narrow pitch meant there were quite a few no-balls and wides which really helped the Summer Hill total.
Bella and Lila opened our batting innings. Bella top scored with 21 (25), followed by Charlotte 17* (25) and Moo 10* (32) - her best score ever. All our other batters were solid, and some, like Connie and Aditi, were unlucky to be bowled by some very good balls from our opponents. Zoe was very enthusiastic with her running between the wickets to sneak some singles, and Harper, in her first ever game of cricket, played through her allocation of 15 balls to retire, but we ran out of overs for her to come back in and have another go.
The enthusiasm and spirit of the team was outstanding and their support for each other was exceptional, and we will get better each week as a team. Looking forward to next Saturday already.
U11 Girls Derby: LWCC Red (109) def. LWCC Black (101)
The U11 Girls teams began the season playing each other in an evenly matched contest at Blackmore Oval. Both teams consisting of half new girls and half who played last year.
Blacks won the toss and elected to bat. Some early tight bowling from the Reds restricted the scoring with debutant Imogen taking a wicket with only her second ball of cricket. The Blacks got going after that, with some lovely shots from Lucia and new girls Bonnie, Evelina and Annie all hitting boundaries. A sharp run out off her own bowling from Lyla and a wicket from Charlotte stemmed the flow for a while, but Ella batted beautifully in the last few overs to top score with 25 including six fours, taking the Blacks to a competitive total of 101.
The Reds set off chasing at a cracking pace, with Adelaide hitting four fours in the first three overs. Excellent support and great running from Lyla and Susie kept the score moving but the Reds were never in full control and were pegged back by some tight bowling and excellent fielding. Audrey was tidy behind the stumps and some quick work from Ella enacted a good run out. Bonnie snared a wicket on debut whilst Alexia, Elsie and Lucia bowled efficiently ensuring the match would go down to the wire. In the end, it was another debutant Nellie who stepped up, scoring 18 including three fours to take the Reds over the line and finish on 109.
U13 Girls: LWCC (3-168) def. by Ashfield CC Magpies (5-115)
We bowled first on a beautiful afternoon at Russell Park.
Sofia opened the bowling with Hannah and we made a solid start. Sofia hardly bowled a bad ball Emilie came on to bowl and got a wicket with her first ball and Juno took a sensational catch at square leg off Sofia’s bowling. Karthika grabbed an excellent caught and bowled, but we couldn’t get their opener out and Ashfield posted a good score.
Our batting was excellent. Against some very good bowling, Lara opened in her first game of cricket and was phenomenal. Emily and Mihrimah put on the best partnership of the game with Emily making 21 and Mihrimah 31. Karthika and Hannah batted well towards the end but we fell short of the Ashfield total.
A great effort by our girls in a high quality match. A very promising start with a few things to work on at training.
U8 Black: LWCC def. RHH Pirates Buccaneers
U8 Black had a great first game! Plenty of team spirit and leadership. Took the win this week!
U9 Black: LWCC def. Concord Briars Gold
The U9 Black played on Saturday, their first game as a team (and for nearly all the players their first actual game of cricket). They did a fantastic job as a brand new team, winning 2-146 to 11-39 against the Briars Gold. They’re looking forward to a great season playing together!
U9 Red: LWCC def. Concord Briars Green
The U9 Red team had a fantastic start to the season with a 148-54 win over Concord Briars Green. This was an all-round team effort today with two new team members playing their first game of cricket in Ollie and Frankie.
Drew won the toss and put the Briars into bat. U9 Red took 9 wickets for 44 runs. Player-of-the-match went to Bodhi with 33 runs off his 12 balls and a wicket bowling. Ollie scored 26 runs on debut and also took a well-earned wicket with his fast left arm bowling action. Mateo batted for 19 runs including 15 in one over, a six, took 3-5 and also took a wicket clean bowling a batter on the last ball of his final over. Frankie batted for 13 runs and also took a wicket in his first game of cricket. Hudson scored 22 runs and also took two wickets bowling. Drew also took a well-earned wicket bowling.
Overall, this was a fantastic team effort given the power play was not in action today, with the team scoring one six and 25 fours. Well done team, a fantastic team effort and start to the season.
U9 White: LWCC def. Concord Briars Gold
U9 White were a team of debutants, with all eight players making their first move from the backyard to a ‘real game’.
Benji and Conor opened for Wanderers and added 15 for the first partnership, to get the chase off to a great start. The middle overs belonged to Wanderers, with two great partnerships. Eoghan and Freddy were outstanding, with Eoghan hitting two powerplay ‘8s’ and some terrific running between the wickets from Freddy. Archie and Tilly also kept the scoreboard ticking over and put Wanderers in a good position with a great partnership. In the end it was up to two of our best fieldsmen (Ruairi and Asher) to finish the job with the bat. Two late run-outs caused some nerves… but Asher iced the finish for the team, with his pull shot through mid-on for two off the last ball, sealing a one run win.
It was great to see the players get to know each other and play with respect for each other and the opposition. Well done Wanderers.
U10 Black: LWCC (163) def. RHH Pirates Scallywags (114)
U10 Black kicked off their season emphatically with a 163–114 victory over the Hunters Hill Pirates. After losing the toss, the boys were sent in to bowl first - which suited them perfectly.
Evan H opened the bowling for the new season and made an immediate impact, taking a wicket with his very first ball and finishing the over with two scalps. That early bowling masterclass set the tone for the innings. The Pirates tried to steady things with some defensive batting and key partnerships, but Jake W broke through right after the drinks break, claiming a wicket in his first over back.
Frank J struck in the 14th over, before Rafael M produced a brilliant three-ball burst, taking a wicket and a run-out with his unplayable leg spin. Jake W wasn’t done either, taking two wickets in two balls and narrowly missing out on a hat-trick.
With the balling done, the boys put on a batting clinic to seal the win. Rafael M and Frank J opened strongly, scoring 16 and 12 runs respectively. Leon H and Sam L followed with intent, Leon making 15 and Sam top-scoring with 17. Aadhi P and Jake W then built a smart partnership, with Aadhi holding firm in defence while Jake continued to pile on the runs.
Finally, Evan H and Luca H finished the innings in style, showcasing brilliant running between the wickets - constantly looking for extra runs, even if it meant snapping a bat in half!
An all-round dominant performance from U10 Black, and one the boys should be incredibly proud of.
U10 White: LWCC (88) def. by RHH Pirates Pearls (134)
Tough start to the season for the team against a very strong Pirates outfit.
Going into bat first Fred and Reuben recovered from a rough start to make some great shots with Fred top scoring on 15. Andreas, Zane and Louis steadied the ship in the middle defending well, followed by Tommie and Jacob showing how to run between the wickets with quick singles. Huxley and Ryan finished the innings strongly, ending up with a respectable 67 runs.
Pirates showed their intent from the start with quick running between the wickets and defending their stumps to the good balls. This continued throughout their innings despite some accurate bowling from Tommie with a wicket, and Ryan, Fred and Rueben all unlucky not to get a wicket. Bas, Jake, Zane, Hux and Louie all bowled some great balls, with a bit more consistency needed. Two run-outs helped bring the scores back but the team learned a lot from the opposition.
Special shout out to Hux for his first ever game and showing loads of promise.
U10 Red: LWCC (107) def. Concord Briars Gold (79)
What a brilliant start to the season for U10 Red with a big win over the Briars!
Captain Jack E won the toss and chose to bowl, then opened the innings with a fast spell. In the very next over, Luca fired us up by taking our first wicket of the season! The whole team bowled beautifully with only eight wides and one no-ball all innings - amazing for round 1. First-time wicket keepers Jack T and Henry were both outstanding behind the stumps, letting through only six byes between them. Powered by a mysterious force known as “six-seven” (still no idea what this means, can someone please explain it to me??), we took six wickets!
Highlights included:
Jude prowling the covers while keeping the team’s chat up
Spencer with a direct hit run out from the fence
Wickets to Luca, Henry, Spencer, Will and Lucy (with her very first ball of the season!)
New recruit Krish conceding only two runs from his two overs
But the proudest moment of the match came from Will. After hitting a Briars first gamer with a fast delivery, he purposely bowled the next ball wide of off stump to make sure the boy could recover safely. True sportsmanship over wickets and Will was awarded our player-of the-Mach for putting care before competition. Well deserved!
Batting time! We were a bit rusty, but everyone showed their off-season improvements.
Spencer and Jack T (top scorer with 19) got us off to a flying start, including some hard-hitting boundaries.
Jude and Henry showed excellent technique and bravery, getting behind each ball and letting almost nothing get past.
Luca, Lucy, Jack E, Will, Jack T and Spencer all pushed hard between the wickets, stealing fast twos like professionals.
Krish showed great composure playing his first game for the team, working well with his new teammates.
A fantastic win and an even better team performance. Well played Red, bring on next week! Six-Seven!!
U11 Red: LWCC (160) def. RHH Pirates Jack Sparrows (122)
Odds on Top Four finish tumble after just one game….
U11 Reds welcomed two new players to the squad this season, Archie F and Spencer!
U11 Red started the game in the field and found strong opposition in the form of Sidhant Panvelkar from the Pirates, who top scored for the game with 25 runs. However, they soon found momentum, with Jeremy picking up a wicket with the last ball of his over, followed by Rohan getting a wicket with his first ball of his over! Rohan managed to follow up this, repeating the feat with the first ball of his second over too, taking 3 wickets overall on the day. The most pleasing aspect of the win was how it really was a TEAM effort, with wickets shared out across the board. Patrick C&B for his wicket, Archie F picking up his first wicket for his new team also with an impressive C&B, Sam a perfect throw for a run-out and Archie B two wickets (economy of just 1.33) and the need for a speed gun to measure the pace!
U11 Reds were a set a target of 102, so around par and if they could keep the wicket losses down stood a real chance. Jeremy opened the batting with a four off the first ball and to be honest it set the tone for an aggressive run rate for the team. Like fielding, contributions were seen from the whole team, and it bodes very well for the season, with the majority of players reaching double figures. Jeremy (13), Rohan (18), Archie B (20), Sam top-scored (22), Finn (10), Archie F (11). Some great running between the wickets from Spencer (6) and Patrick (9). U11 Reds finished with a total of 160 – surpassing all totals from the previous season!
I am not sure what the team have been eating or how much training was done in the off-season but they are that bit older and looking like a real team already!
U11 Gold: LWCC (97) def. by RHH Pirates Mariners (190)
Not the start to the season the U11 Gold were looking for, with the Pirates out enthusing us in the field and taking the win with 190 runs against our 97.
However, there were strong indications that this is a side ripe for improvement. After donating two of our players to the U11 White team - thank you Gus and Rory for volunteering - we got underway with our bowling attack and well-done Joe for taking our first wicket of the season. Reef also took a beautiful wicket in his first ever game - well done - keep 'em coming! Ben T was sharp in the field with a classic throwdown of the stumps for a nice run out. Captain Jack was solid at wicket keeper, as was Dorian. Jack was also a backing-up-machine in the field, saving valuable runs.
Our batting started sharpish with Dorian smashing out 25 runs for the game. Benny H was solid in his first game back after a season hiatus and looking forward to his continued improvement. Jack and Reef were steady in the middle order, as were Benny H and Ben T, with some solid stroke play. Angus was dashing in his stroke play with some big hits. Unfortunately, seven run-outs cost us dearly and other wickets gave the opposition a strong lead.
Onwards and upwards - go the mighty Golds!
U12 Red: LWCC (5-154) def. RHH Pirates Black Beards (8-96)
Lost the toss and sent in to have a bat. This was a great first up win. I am so happy for our new boys, who got to experience success in their first game with the mighty Wanderers. And congratulations to the boys from U10 premiers that wanted to make the leap to Stage 2 cricket. Coming out to bat it was impressive opening stand Oscar (42*) and Dylan (29) that set the tone for striker John to hit 28* with a strike rate in the 90s. Ben (24* off 29) was a magnificent debut for the Wanderers. With our number one keeper overseas, we had tremendous glove work from Leo and Oscar, both of whom got a caught behind. Dylan had a great spell of three overs 2-14. Although it was a good win, I can see the jump to Stage 2 cricket will be a terrific challenge for our boys. Well done new boys, especially Daniel, his first game of club cricket.
U12 White: LWCC (8-137) def. by Iron Cove Balmain Tigers (8-176)
Our U12 boys won the toss and elected to bowl.
The Tigers manager explained before the game they had a composite team of stars who could all bowl and bat. We would find out soon enough.
Their opening batters started fast, hitting boundary after boundary but just before the match got away from us, Freddie broke through with our first wicket to break their momentum. This followed by a quick run out by Xander from a great throw from the outfield by Lincoln. Then our newest member of the team, Sebastian chimed in and took his first wicket with great bowling. Three wickets for 46 runs. However, Xander (potentially) broke his thumb getting the run out. He struggled on for another five overs in the field before sitting out the rest of the fielding, bowling and wicket keeping leaving us one player down. They took advantage of the superior fielding numbers and started to pull away again with more good batting from their middle order. However, we never gave up and kept fighting as a team. We had seven bowlers take one wicket each: Freddie, Sebastian, Benji, Flynn, Lincoln, Milosh and Patrick.
Despite their great batters, we saw them all gone by the 26th over with great fielding & bowling. (Special mention for wicket keepers Paddy and Owen). Unfortunately, a few of their retired players got the chance to bat out the 30 overs ending with a formidable 176 runs from 30 overs.
Now it was our chance to answer with the bat. Flynn and Freddie opened the batting, with Flynn high scoring for the match with 41 runs off only18 balls, with a strike rate of 227.77. (eight fours and one six). We were back in the match until they got Freddie, Flynn, Benji & Milosh in quick succession with good bowling and fielding. We were now four wickets for 65 runs when Owen (16 off 18 balls) and Paddy partnered up. We were going well until the last ball before drinks - tragically Paddy was run out on his last ball. Paddy scored 37 runs off 25 balls with a strike rate of 148 (seven fours and one six). We were now six wickets for 122 runs in the 16th over. We fought hard to make up the runs with good batting by Sebastian and Lincoln. Xander even put on the pads and batted one-handed to try to save the game but he was bowled for a duck.
Large totals can be demoralising & difficult to chase down with quick wickets. Not today. We played as a team and fought to the last ball.
NB: Flynn and Paddy were standouts, however we named every player as they all made contributions. We fight as a team: win, lose or draw.
This was a rollercoaster of a game from start to finish and a wonderful game to watch despite the result. Both teams played with respect. We can't wait to play them again. Go Wanderers!
U12 Derby: LWCC Black (4-174) def. LWCC Gold (8-75)
Most of the team admitted to being nervous before the game, and those that didn't admit it probably still were as this was their first game of "when you're out, you're out." However, when Captain Rufus won the toss and elected to bat, Dilhan accepted the challenge of facing the first ball, then stood tall and calmly punched it through cover for four. The new season, and this new stage of their cricket development, was off and running.
Opening partner Noah batted confidently through his allotted balls and had the chance to come back at the end of the innings finishing on a game high 43*. A great reward for off season practice! There were too many highlights of the first innings to include them all, but have to mention the stylish stroke play of Felix who didn't look like getting out, Louis smashing his first six to the excitement of the crowd and Charlie, who on his cricket debut, held his ground bravely, taking several on the body without a word of complaint.
Finishing at 4-174 the boys seemed confident they could bowl themselves to victory and when Caleb (2-8) got a wicket in the first over energy in the field was up. Following Caleb's lead, all of the bowling was relentless. The other wicket takers were Dilhan who bowled some balls that were simply unplayable, ending with a superb 3-9 and Toby, whose focus on the stumps got him figures of 1-3.
It was a great team effort and the game was played in excellent spirits against our fellow Wanderers. Everyone is very happy cricket is back and all are looking forward to next week!
U13 Red: LWCC (5-154) def. by RHH Pirates Swashbucklers (8-156)
Eagerly anticipated, this first single of the U13 Reds season proved a modern classic. Band reformed with twin additions Charles and Ashton, the boys walked into a potent Swashbuckler batting line-up who ripped a solid 156 from 29 of their 30 overs in the Westminster sun. Highlights were an all round performance from Ted who had a hand in eight of the nine wickets as bowler, fielder and keeper, some stoic sprained ankle keeping and then boundary riding from Leo and of course the mercurial Noah jagging two wickets from four overs to bring us home. It felt an imposing target though with the Pirates were feeling good as we whacked the pads on.
Charles and Ashton stepped up against their old buccaneers teammates to open the batting and locked in with a solid opening partnership against a controlled and serious bowling attack. The required run rate was climbing though and after a bright start from Charlie came to an end with a runout and Ted out early it was hard not to feel trapped. Fear not! Ollie S emerged from the shadows with a particularly explosive 24 off 14. Not mucking around! Noah then dialed up his aura to 8.5 and swept spin and pace alike for a PB 24, retiring at 30 with bat in the air, leaving James at the crease as understudy, joined by Ollie B. James, who after years of disciplined batting practice with a toothpick in a darkened dojo picked up a proper sized bat and exploded with a devastating display of wristy Shaolin on-drives, slashing 38 off 30 with multiple fours bringing the crowd to its feet and within reach of an improbable win. Ollie B and Charles and then Noah all stood tall in a final chase to make 14 of 12 or so and fell just two runs short - 154. Agony but what an exciting game and what a cool team! See you all at training on Tuesday.
U13 Black: LWCC (4-59) def. Randwick JCC Crushers (8-58)
A great first up win for U13 Black in the Sunday Sixers Comp. Bowling first, the whole team chipped in with wickets catches and run-outs. A great positive team performance saw Randwick all out for 58. After a few unlucky early wickets, Flynn came in and smacked them to all corners for an unbeaten 28. Well supported by Lachlan with a strong not out knock. Well done boys. Upwards and onwards.
U13 Gold: LWCC (8-32) def. by Concord Briars Maroon (7-247)
It was a challenging start to the season for U13 Gold, coming up against an exceptionally strong Concord Briars Maroon side who showcased some outstanding batting. While the scoreboard showed a tough result for Leichhardt, the spirit, energy, and teamwork from the Wanderers never wavered.
Bowling and Fielding Effort
Leichhardt’s bowlers toiled hard against a powerful batting lineup, with several standout performances. Debutants Zeb and Asher made impressive starts to their Wanderers careers, sharing three wickets between them and looking dangerous throughout their spells. Innings best figured belonged to Xavier finishing with 3-23, a superb spell that showed control, pace, and real determination.
In the field, the Wanderers’ commitment and energy were evident across the innings. Grayson, Zeb and Asher each took excellent catches that lifted the team and demonstrated the group’s focus and fight despite the opposition’s dominance.
Batting Highlights
Chasing a big total was always going to be a challenge, and while runs were hard to come by, the Wanderers showed grit at the crease. Asher, in his debut match, impressed with a calm and confident 12 not out, anchoring the innings and showing great promise for the season ahead. His composure and technique were a bright spot on a tough day and a welcome addition to the team’s batting lineup.
Looking Ahead
While Concord Briars Maroon were outstanding and deserved their win, there were plenty of positives for Leichhardt to take forward. The debut performances, sharp fielding, and moments of individual brilliance reflected a team that will grow stronger and more cohesive. With continued effort and belief, the Wanderers will no doubt regroup and build momentum as they move through the season.
U13 White: LWCC (8-54) def. by Concord Briars Gold (8-86)
Losing the toss and bowling first began well. The fielding was tight, the bowling was on target, the catching was good, as was the ground fielding. The intensity was high as well. This was a team perfectly in sync with the game plan, bowling to the fields set. It was a polished effort. It had a strong Briars team at 3-11, 7-55, and eventually dismissed them for 86 in the 22nd over. Eamon (4), Archer (1), James A (1) and James L (1) snagged wickets. There was a run-out as well, resulting from fielding and bowling pressure, and some tidy keeping by Jacob.
The batting task was simple. Each batter was asked to try and face their 30 balls. If one or two could find a way to have a long innings then a win would result. Briar’s opening bowlers were on target. We slumped to 4-10. Kurtis then hit a few fours to top score (21), and Oliver, James L and Noah showed some resistance, giving the bowling the respect it deserved to face 12+ balls each, giving us some hope, but we were eventually dismissed for 54 in 11.2 overs.
Overall there was a lot of positive cricket on display, especially bowling and fielding, but the batting needs some extra focus.
U15 White: LWCC (8-93) def. by Concord Briars Black (3-96)
First match ever for this U15 White team and what a brilliant team effort. Despite the result not going the way the team would have hoped for it was a truly wonderful sight watching the team work together.
The first innings saw U15 White bat. Not sure how Max (4 runs off 12 balls) was feeling opening the batting when he looked through his grill to the opening bowler of Briars making his bowling mark. The parents on the outfield were definitely thinking, this could be pretty quick bowling! And so it was. Yet with Darcy (4 from 8), both openers did well to see off this initial threat and set the tone for the team. At number three was Anton, with 9 runs on the board, ably supported by Hartley (10 from 13) and Harrison (6 from 6), Anton put on the highest score of 33 runs from 45 balls, and a quality innings with 5 fours scored. This brought the score to 70 at the time of his dismissal. With Yoris (12 from 29), Jack H (5 from 13), Jack F (6 from 13), Bowie (1 from 12), Charles (1 from 4) and Max (1 from 8 not out), LWCC amassed 93 runs in 27.1 overs, including 12 boundaries.
The scene was set for a gripping second innings. And what a start to the innings it was. Jayden Jamil of Briars facing Hartley of Leichhardt. First ball, dot. Second ball, dot. Third ball, dot. Fourth ball bowled brilliantly and caught expertly and with all the calmness in the world by Jack H. Jamil out for a duck. Briars were on 1-0. Wanderers ecstatic. Game on. Next wicket taken (Miller, 9) was bowled superbly by Darcy and brilliantly caught with the steady and certain hands of Max. At 2-19 Briars were getting worried. Whilst the wickets slowed, there were some amazing performances and the pressure was constant. Then on the last ball of the 11th over, Amparo, Briar’s captain, was caught brilliantly by Hartley off a wonderful ball by Bowie.
Despite continued strong performance by everyone with shoulders never dropping and great team togetherness and the umpires being asked some very impressive appeals, sadly Briars scored the winning runs in the 18th over. Well done to all, including Emily coming back from injury, who gave a hand fielding and will hopefully be back to full strength soon. A call out must be made to Max’s captaincy. Impressively adjusting the field placings as the game took it turns. Also important to note everyone that batted scored. Well done. Roll on next week.
U15 Black: LWCC (7-275) def. Concord Briars Gold (8-97)
Welcome to round 1, where both teams were already three players down, so we played with a smaller squad.
Leichhardt won the toss - a beautiful day for cricket at Callan Park - so we chose to bat first. There were two consistent factors in this innings. Constant extras from the opposition (49 altogether), combining with the constant boundaries from our batters. An excellent display of merciless hitting all over the ground. Ronav (50* off 47), Austin (45 off 29) both hit their highest scores today. Xavier scored 53* off 29. Sam played some shot he can’t describe to get caught for 6 (13). Conor (new to our team, well done for your first match with us) scored 38 (28), Linus 15 (11), Ryan (also first game with us) 15 (11), George (his first ever cricket team - welcome George!) scored 3 (5), with a lovely cover drive to start his innings. Caleb (Xavier’s 10yo brother who filled in) unfortunately got ran out for a duck in the final over. A fantastic start to the season with 7-275, which included 41 fours, one six and 49 extras.
It was interesting to see how the other innings was going to go, chasing 275 required 9.3 an over. They started well, their opening batter was scoring quite freely off the opening bowlers to get to 41. This all ended with Xavier taking an excellent boundary catch off Austin’s bowling. Xavier also took another fabulous caught and bowled, hit like a bullet straight at him. Linus took a wicket - classic clean bowled. Once the opening batter was out, the game slowed down and we moved our field to a more attacking position. Wickets to George, Ryan, Caleb. Caleb’s highlight was taking 2 wickets - one caught by Sam, the other bowled. Ryan was the most economical, two overs, three runs, one wicket. Conor also snapped a nice catch off George's bowling. A commendable effort by this team to bowl Concord out for 97 in just 17 overs. We’ll work on the 31 extras.
U17 Black: LWCC (5-198) TIED with Marrickville CC (7-198)
It was a familiar story for the new look line up of the U17 Black, as they served up another last ball thriller and commenced their season with the rarest of results - a tie! Marrickville had been well ahead of the rate for almost the entirety of their run chase but some tight and disciplined bowling, from Gus, Bede, Will, Finn and Ethan, brought Leichhardt back within range, to the point that Marrickville still needed two runs from the final two balls of their innings to win. In a tumultuous finish, Ethan and Frazer combined to gain a caught behind wicket from the penultimate delivery, before a quickly taken bye from the last ball brought the final scores level.
Earlier, after being put into bat, the Wanderers top four built the ideal platform, led by Gus’s quickfire half century, with valuable support from Keshav, Frazer and Bede. The rest of the batters couldn’t quite accelerate, although an important unbeaten contribution from Finn brought the score up to a challenging 198. Marrickville’s dominant openers threatened to make quick work of the total but two excellent outfield catches, in the swirling wind, from Aabir and Ethan off Kai’s bowling, ended the partnership, and opened the opportunity for Leichhardt to set up the dramatic finish.
For all coaches & managers, we would love to receive highlights and brief match reports after your matches, which we will publish in the weekly newsletter and on our News page. (Please submit these by Monday night each week). We'd love to hear from all teams! We're particularly keen on hearing about special achievements, whether it's a standout performance, acts of sportsmanship or general good stories about your games of cricket!
The Honour Roll will also be celebrated for the season for individual achievements. This year, we have changed our requirement for junior bowlers to 4+ wickets in an innings (instead of 5+ wickets for last season). This is to reflect the more limited overs junior bowlers can bowl, plus the lower number of wickets available (in S2 & S3 formats).
50+ runs in an innings with the bat
4+ wickets in an innings with the ball, or a hat trick
3+ dismissals in the field: any combination of catches, run outs or stumpings
Please send details to us at leichhardtcricket@gmail.com highlighting any individual achievements that meet this criteria!
LWCC Cricket Hub
Our Cricket Hub page on the LWCC website is an important resource for all club members. Whether you're a coach, manager, scorer, umpire, parent/guardian or player, there is wide range of useful information and documents, which includes all of the rules & playing conditions for the different junior formats.
Please jump on to the Cricket Hub and check it out! Click the banner below.
We're so glad the cricket is back and we hope you've had an enjoyable first round with the mighty Leichhardt Wanderers. On to the next!
Chris Hudson
LWCC President
We are Leichhardt Wanderers Through and Through!
