Wanderers Cricket - Round 11 Wrap

February 7th / 8th, 2026.

Another weekend of junior cricket in the books! We love reading these match reports every weekend, and we hope that our club community enjoys reading them too. Our coaches and managers seem to enjoy writing them too - win, lose (or tie!), there is always an element of fun and plenty of positivity written in to the weekly match reports ('short stories' if you will). We appreciate everyone putting their time and energy into these and we'll continue to champion our club's successes, highlights (and sometimes failures) week in and week out, for the benefit of the club - all in the name of friendly junior cricket!

A couple of points of housekeeping:

• Our junior presentation day is on Saturday 9th May - reminder to keep the afternoon & evening free (from around 5pm): this is our biggest event of the year!

• We've had some early queries on when rep cricket trials will be held - these dates are being finalised now and we will be sure to publish all information as soon as possible. Watch this space!

• Similarly, we are expecting details of the IWHJCA finals formats (per age group) to be published this week, to assist with weekend planning in March.

• Coaches & managers - we are arranging a ball re-stock for all teams for later this week and next week (we can also replace broken bails!). Communication will be shared via the C&M WhatsApp group and our club email.

Finally, thank you to everyone you came down to the clubhouse on Friday night for our summer BBQ. It was great to catch up with you all, we hope you enjoyed it. Your support goes a long way - thank you!

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Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports

Performance of the Round

Nikolaas Warmerdam (Senior D grade) - this week's performance of the round comes from our senior D grade side, with former LWCC junior scoring his first ton for the club, in his first full season of senior cricket. His impressive knock included 7x fours and 8x sixes, and puts him third on the overall run scorers list for the D grade competition! Honour Roll

Highlights

• Sofia Cavallaro (U13 Girls) - 2 for 14 (off 4)

• Karthika Polepalli (U13 Girls) - 1 for 3 (off 3); 2x catches

• Carmen Winter (S3 Girls) - 2 for 16 (off 2); 1x catch

• Franklin Jansen (U10 Black) - 3 for 8 (off 3); 2x catches, 1x run-out Honour Roll

• Luca Houston (U10 Black) - 2x run-outs, 1x stumping Honour Roll

• Luca Martin (U10 Red) - 3 for 3 (off 3)

• Archie Buckley (U11 Red) - 3 for 11 (off 3)

• Felix Hagen (U12 Black) - 2x run-outs, 1x catch Honour Roll

• Leonardo Lowe (U12 Red) - 3 for 13 (off 4)

• Eamon Russell (U13 White) - 3 for 38 (off 4)

• Oliver Stoddart (U13 White) - 38 (off 34), 6x fours, 1x six

• Oliver Stoddart (U13 Sabres) - 34 (off 53), 2x fours

• Hugh Thompson (U13 Black) - 3 for 14 (off 4)

• Jack Fitzpatrick (U15 White) - 2x catches, 1x stumping Honour Roll

• Harrison Laing (U15 White) - 33 (off 39), 4x fours

• Sam Spiller (U15 Black) - 30* (off 30), 5x fours

• Hardik Sethi (Senior B grade) - 102 Honour Roll

• James Starkie-Old (Senior B grade) - 67 Honour Roll

Match Reports

U11 Girls Black – LWCC (4-104) def. by Summer Hill (2-125)

The U11 Black girls team showed incredible skills development over the weekend despite being defeated by the Summer Hill team.

In very hot conditions down at Cohen Park, Leichhardt won the toss and elected to bowl first. This was the tightest bowling innings we have ever stitched together, with very few extras given away. Kudos to Bonnie, Audrey, Zinnia and Evelina for their bowling efforts and taking wickets. And great fielding on display from Ella with a fantastic run out.

Set the task of chasing 125 runs, Evelina and Annabel got to task quickly. Unfortunately the developing Summer Hill team offered a few too many unplayable extras which made it difficult to get clean shots. However Ella, Lucia and Elsie gave it their all running between wickets and getting us very close.

Well done girls! So much to be proud of.

U13 Girls – LWCC (7-37) def. by Summer Hill (5-85)

Our fist home game at Blackmore in some time, and the oval looked a treat. Emily win the toss and, despite the heat, decided to bowl. And our bowlers delivered! We had Summer Hill 4-17, with Sofia, Kathika, Lara and Adelaide all getting an early wicket. The heat took its tool and Summer Hill limped to 85. A wonderful bowling and catching effort. Mihrimah kept all 20 overs in the heat and was excellent.

Our batting struggled against a very high quality attack. Mihrimah topped scored but we lost regular wickets.

Some good signs for our girls and also some things to learn against a very good side.

Stage 3 Girls – LWCC (4-69) def. by Randwick Sixers (5-154)

It was a hot day for cricket and our team bowled first. Zoe B delivered the goods with an impressive 2-5, Carmen W with 2-16, an Ellen W had a welcome return to the team with 1-2 (1)! The rest of the team bowled and fielded well with some excellent catches from Charlotte W, Carmen W and a sky-high take from Ava T, with few extras, but the Randwick’s hard hitters meant they ended up with a very good total (but 50 runs less than the last time we played them).

After the break, Charlotte and Ellen got the team off to a good start with the bat. Suki and Harper were solid, both facing their 15 balls and retiring not out, Cate was looking to get another good score again but was bowled on 4 (13), Sofia R batted sensibly and also retired not out, but and Bella was the standout with a smashing 15 (12), including 2 fours.

Overall, this was a much improved effort from last week and we got to watch some great cricket. Our team spirit is still exceptional and is much admired. Well done.

U8 White – LWCC (132) def. Iron Cove Balmain Tigers Hazlewood (45)

Another hot and humid Saturday morning at Boronia Park for the U8 Wanderers (White) as they took on the ICB Tigers Hazlewood. The opposition won the toss and put the Wanderers in to bat, with opening pair Arjun and Austen notching up 19 runs each for their undefeated 38 run partnership - a terrific start, with the second pair of Alfie and Theo adding a further 10 to the run tally. The batting accolades for the day belonged to the third pair of Liam and Oliver. Liam found the middle of his bat early, with 5 sixes off his first 7 deliveries, as the pair kept the scorers busy with some of the quickest and cleverest running between the wickets we've seen this season. Liam finished with 7 sixes in total for his undefeated 48 runs, with the boys' partnership adding a combined 59 runs and taking the Wanderers total to 3-132.

After some cold water and a red frog at the halfway point, the boys took to the field with enthusiasm. The bowling was sharp, with two maiden overs for Liam (0-0), and wicket-maidens for Oliver (1-4) and Alfie (2-2), helped by a deadly direct hit run-out off of Liam's fielding. The boys' enthusiasm for fielding in our practices continues to translate to strong performances on Saturday, and is proving to be a great strength of the team in containing opposition batters. The Wanderers kept the Tigers' batting total to 30 runs, finishing 5-45. Let's Go Wanderers!

U9 Derby – LWCC Red (87) def. LWCC Black (65)

It was local derby day at the early 8am start at Blackmore Oval on Saturday with U9 Red playing U9 Black.

U9 Red won the toss and put U9 Black into bat. U9 Black played well and made it very difficult for Red to take any wickets, some good scoring shots were played by Black as well. In fact, only one wicket was taken by Red in the entire innings, courtesy of a run out championed by man of the match Sam who quickly threw the ball into Hudson to take the run out chance. Overall, though Red did well to restrict Black to 45 runs in their innings. Mateo conceded 3 off his one over, Teddy 7 off his two, Frankie 8 off his two, Sam 7 off his two, Hudson 10 off his two, Ollie 3 off his one, Bodhi 3 off his one and Drew 4 off his one, as well.

It was then Reds turned to bat, and again Black made it difficult for us to score with some excellent fielding chances taken including Billy taking two well taken catches in the outfield. Mateo scored 15 in his innings, Drew scored 5, Ollie another well timed 17, Bodhi a solid 20, Teddy and Sam both scoring 6 and Hudson with 11 and Frankie with 2.

In the end it was a close finish with Black taking 4 wickets and ending up with 65 to Red's 87, who now go to ten wins and one loss for the season overall.

Well done to Black for being so competitive with only five players and wishing you all the best for the rest of the season.

U9 White – LWCC (62) def. by Concord Briars Green (77)

Wanderers arrived bright and early on a hot and humid morning at Greenlees ready to take on Briars Green.

Our captain for the match, Freddy, won the toss, and after carefully consulting with the players, the coaching staff, the groundstaff, and all spectators in the near proximity, the decision was made to bowl first. It proved an astute call by the skipper as the Wanderers bowling unit were not in the mood to give away free runs. Eoghan, Conor, Tilly, Archie and Freddy all kept things very tight with the first five overs going only a single boundary!

Wanderers had bowled really well, but the wickets just weren’t coming. Asher just missed the stumps several times with some brilliant deliveries before the ball was handed to Rauiri. His bowling has gone to another level since the break, and he got his reward for pitching the ball up nice and full, when he found an edge, which was taken brilliantly in a juggling catch by Archie behind the wicket. Superb!

The final overs were also terrific…Benji was sensational again, conceding only 3 runs off his bowling. Eoghan and Conor also kept scoring to a absolute minimum before Archie bowled a maiden over to close the innings. It was a superb display of death bowling and the final four overs had gone for only 11 runs. Wanderers bowling was supported by some great fielding too, and Briars were restricted to 1-61.

The Beetson brothers got the chase off to a great start with Asher playing a super-classy flick for 4 off the very first ball! Benji soon joined him with a boundary this own and Wanderers were on the chase… Freddy and Tilly were solid as a rock in the middle overs, with Tilly in particular hitting some great shots.

Archie and Eoghan then came to the crease, excited for their first chance to bat together for the season. It was worth the wait as they shared a terrific partnership of 31 off their three overs. Archie received a tricky full toss on his first ball, which he dispatched over mid-wicket for the biggest 6 of the season! What a ripper…. Eoghan did nothing to dispel rumours that he is allergic to dot balls, and again he was super busy scoring off nearly every ball he faced, including reeling off three boundaries in his 9 balls. Great batting! Conor and Rauiri kept things going with a sensational partnership to finish the innings. Conor’s pull short earned him two boundaries… one of which was almost a six. An apology also to these two as an ‘umpires call’ of ‘run!’ from square leg resulted in a runout… sorry about that one fellas…

In a super-close chase, Wanderers finished on 3-57 to fall just short of the Briars total. There really was nothing it… Briars took a few more ones and twos than us today, and that is something we can work on together.

All Wanderers players should be very proud of their efforts in the match. It was another great performance, and we look forward to a home game at Blackmore next weekend! Well done Wanderers.

U10 Red – LWCC (4-145) def. Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Bandits (8-105)

It was an early start, but the U10 Red arrived switched on and ready to play. Captain Jude won the toss and sent the opposition in, and from the very first moments, the Reds were on fire!

Jack T got things rolling with a spectacular direct-hit run out that lifted the whole team. Not long after, Will snatched a sharp caught and bowled, the first of his two wickets, and suddenly the pressure was building. Jude and Jack T combined beautifully for a smart catch behind the stumps, while Henry and Lucy showed great skills to pull off run outs of their own.

One of the gutsiest efforts of the day came from Jack E, who battled through painful foot soreness to deliver three overs of fast bowling. He conceded just three extras and didn’t allow a single run off the bat, a seriously tough performance.

But the pick of the bowlers was Luca, who was simply unstoppable. His superb 3/3 helped power the Reds to an incredible 11 wickets for the innings, a fantastic team bowling display backed up by sharp fielding and great energy.

The run chase wasn’t easy, with wides, no-balls, and double-bouncers making it tricky for the batters to settle. But Jack E and Henry handled it well to get us started, with Henry continuing his impressive rise by reaching double figures for the first time this season, a huge achievement!

Lucy and Jude fought hard and refused to give their wickets away easily, showing patience and determination. Then came the late-innings charge, with Jack T and Will launching boundaries to swing the momentum firmly our way.

And just when the opposition thought things couldn’t get tougher, in walked Luca. Batting with confidence and power, he smashed four boundaries on his way to a brilliant 26, putting a full stop on a dominant team performance.

Unsurprisingly, Luca was awarded Player-of-the-Mach, and very well deserved after starring with both bat and ball.

This was a performance full of enthusiasm, resilience, and teamwork. Every player contributed as the Reds build toward finals.

Outstanding work team, well played!

U11 Gold – LWCC (4-93) def. by Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Treasures (3-130)

It was back to Westminster oval for this weekend’s match, to take on another Pirates team again, in sticky, humid conditions.

The Pirates, due to player issues asked us to bat first, with Gus CN getting us off to a great start with a boundary off the 5th ball of the game. Jack B also chimed in with a delicate leg side sweep to the boundary for 4 valuable runs. Well done Gus CN for some nice touches and not conceding a wicket, Jack B also made some nice shots but a mix up with the next batsman Harvey B, saw Jack dismissed off an unnecessary runout.

Harvey B and Captain Reef R combined nicely for some good shots and quick runs between the wickets, but Reef R unfortunately got bowled out three times. Time for a bigger bat Reef! Jonah P came to the crease for his second ever game of team cricket and made some nice shots in the sticky conditions. Time to confuse the scorers with Ben T and Ben H at the crease both made some handy runs and unfortunately Ben H got run out on a call of two that was only ever a single. Bad luck!

Rory P and Joe G rounded out our innings with some nice shot making and some strong drives for much needed boundaries, but unfortunately the number of wickets and missed scoring opportunities meant that we were unable to post a challenging total.

We did, however, get off to a superb start through the bowling off Joe G. Joe took a fantastic caught and bowled off his 4th delivery and then backed it up the next ball, to knock over middle stump. Unfortunately, Joe couldn’t manage the magical Hat-Trick, but I am sure Joe will achieve that soon enough. Well done Joe (this effort and his efforts with the bat, saw Joe awarded our player of the match award) Reef R, Rory P Harvey B and Ben H all bowled some tidy overs as did Gus CN and Jonah P, but it was until the 8th over when Jack B bamboozled the batsman and keeper Ben T did the rest for a nice run out!

Reef R led the way on the field, with a great catch at mid-on from the bowling of Rory R..Jack B again helped the Golds to another wicket when they chanced a run, off the deadly arm of Ben H, his direct hit had the batsman well short of his crease.

Special mention to Jonah P – in his second game he was handed the gloves for keeping duties for the last ten overs – looked like he’d be doing the job for years. Although we did not manage a win, hopefully the boys continue to learn and grow in self-confidence each week, from the mistakes and the opportunities that playing the game throws at them. Thank you to the parents for ensuring the boys were well hydrated this week, it was good to see the boys leave the game in good shape and not showing signs of dehydration and heat sickness.

Looking forward to next week - go Gold!

U12 Black – LWCC (8-41) def. by Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Black Beards (6-234)

Charlie was debut captain this week and was hoping to bat first if he won the toss, but it went the other way, so the bowlers had to deal with a damp seam and the sun shining straight in their eyes due to a quirky pitch position. Bowlers who had sunglasses kept them on and most kept their hats on too, with Louis even taking a wicket while bowling wearing his broad-brimmed hat, which may be a first - fingers crossed it doesn’t become a superstition for him.

The Pirates batted well, but even the best of their batters couldn’t beat our ‘sundries' total for top score with a whopping 60! The no-balls hurt in other ways too with both Charlie and Noah S hitting the stumps off no balls, denying them both their first wickets ever.

Highlights in the field were Caleb’s confident catch in the gully off Louis’ bowling (1-36) and taking two wickets himself (2-20) which won him player of the match honours. Noah L did it all himself with an athletic caught and bowled (1-20), Felix was excellent behind the stumps with a catch and 2 runouts and Dilhan bowled brilliantly again this week without luck (0-10 off 3 overs).

It was huge total to chase, and while there were signs of resistance, it proved too much to overcome. Dilhan top scored with a powerful 11, Angus hit the shot of the day with a thumping drive down the ground only to fall for 9 (which may or may not have been a bump ball). It was another brave performance from Noah S who faced some quick new ball bowling that had him jumping around, but he survived to carry his bat and retire not out. Caleb also returned to form, retiring not out with a watchful innings.

Despite the loss, the boys kept their cool on the field and were all smiles at the end of the game. Onwards and upwards!

U12 Red – LWCC (97) tied with Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Royals (8-97)

Won the toss and elected to bat.

After five straight losses it was great to get a point on the table, especially in the difficult conditions that the Cricket Gods dealt us. Losing four players to illness or otherwise we had to forfeit as we did not have the minimum 7 players needed. A late call-up by Oscars big sister Connie saved the day and allowed us to play. An excellent patient opening stand by Kiran C (13 runs) and Emmett H (19 runs) set us up. Sporting a few U11s and U12s rep bowlers we had to battle hard for runs. Connie R and Oscar R came out to bat in the 11th & 12th over. Connie was dismissed on 16 from 24 balls (including 2 boundaries) and Oscar was 19* not out from 31 balls (also with 2 boundaries). Only having seven batters we were dismissed 6-97.

Leo L put the gloves on for the first 15 and kept solidly, unlucky not to get a couple of knicks that did not carry. Emmett H not having many opportunities to bowl, had a wonderful spell of 4 overs 1 maiden 1 for 7. He was also in the act taking a catch off Henry R and his classic mystery ball. Connie R had a fine spell of 5 overs 1 maiden 1 wicket for 10. As a dad and cricketing tragic, the joy of witnessing caught Oscar bowled Connie and the loving embrace on the field I will never forget, especially considering they hate each other off the field (heeheehee). Bowler of the day was Leo L with 4 overs 3 wickets for 13.

Now it's exciting. Two overs to go and the Pirates needed 1 run to win and Leichhardt needed 1 wicket to tie. On strike there was an U12s rep player and he returned after opening the bat and retiring. The field all came into the ring; the ball was given to Oscar R to bowl the penultimate over. The batter hit the ball to extra cover where Henry R, panther-like, took the catch to tie the match. It was a win in our minds as we overcame adversity in spades. Special call out to Pirates coach Matt and his boys to give us two fielders for our entire innings. Without them we surely would have been defeated. A great game played with the highest level of sportsmanship. The players and parents will remember this game for a long time.

U13 Gold – LWCC (8-91) def. Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Swashbucklers (87)

Leichhardt U13 Gold produced their most impressive performance of the season on Saturday afternoon, holding their nerve in the closest and most nail biting match they have played all year to defeat a strong Pirates U13 Swashbucklers side by four runs at Westminster.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Leichhardt Gold set about building a competitive total through a series of committed and positive contributions. Zavier anchored the innings with calm assurance (10* from 25 balls), while Oscar played with typical aggression and swashbuckling (pun intended) intent for 15 runs off 17 balls including 2 fours and 1 six. Patrick added 15 valuable runs through the middle order. Zeb and James put together a solid partnership in the middle of the innings. Both made it through to retirement. It was good to have James back in the team after being out for several weeks with a fractured thumb. His 14 undefeated runs, delivered with courage and composure, was a significant boost for the team and played a key role in getting Leichhardt to a defendable total of 91.

When Leichhardt took the field, the intensity lifted again. The bowlers and fielders applied steady pressure from the outset, refusing to give the Swashbucklers any easy runs. The breakthrough came early with a run out by Archer, setting the tone for the innings. Middle order wickets then followed through disciplined bowling from Asher, Zavier, Finn and Patrick, with the fielders backing them up superbly. At this stage, Leichhardt looked firmly on top and in control of the contest.

However, the Swashbucklers showed why they are such an impressive side. A determined seventh wicket partnership swung momentum back their way and suddenly the target was within reach. With two wickets in hand and fewer than ten runs required, the match hung in the balance and every ball carried enormous tension.

In extraordinary circumstances, Leichhardt found a way. Oscar delivered a vital breakthrough to remove the second last batsman. Moments later, Zeb held his nerve to take the final wicket by having the batter nick the ball to Archer at wicket keeper. That last catch capped off a very fine afternoon for Archer behind the stumps.

That fall of that wicket sealed a remarkable four run victory and sparked scenes of great celebration across the team.

This win was a reward for the hard work the boys have put in all season and for the positive teamwork and attitude they have continued to bring, even through a challenging campaign. The belief and positivity shown over the past two weeks were fully rewarded against a high quality Swashbucklers team.

With a bye next weekend, Leichhardt Gold now find themselves in a strong position to build momentum as they push towards a possible semi finals berth, carrying confidence, belief and a renewed sense of what they are capable of as a team.

U13 Red – LWCC (85) def. by Concord Briars Gold (5-265)

Arthur Walker - Shelbyville's Revenge # 2

(Match report by Ted F).

Another Saturday and yet more satisfied Concord customers. After the relentless batting of Briars centurion Michael Biasi (congrats!) spirits were down but with some amazing fielding and bowling there was a glimmer of hope. Special credit to James’s one-handed catch in the deep, it was like a monkey swinging from a vine, breaking our streak of about 8 dropped catches.

Another special mention to Noah for reaching a tidy 12 off 34 and to the team for a special 5 run outs (against us)... More batting highlights were Leo and James aka the Bash Brothers who came in bringing up the tail. Congrats to Leo for top scoring 18* off 28 and Ollie S for a quick knock of 13 off 7.

The bowling was the key to our wickets though, with an unexpected sub-in for Morello, came Raphie. Taking two wickets and on a hat-trick he was definitely our star of the match. Also big congrats to Ollie B for taking another 2 wickets and dismissing both batters for a measly 2.

We are all looking forward to another Concord whacking next Saturday ;) See you there!

U13 White - LWCC (98) def. by Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Black Beards (6-237)

It was a tough day for the Whites.

Bowling first on a hot and humid afternoon was always going to be difficult against a very strong batting team. The boys gave it a shot, with stand-in player Harry, and new team member Oscar, amongst the best maintaining economy rates of 6 runs per over. Harry also got a wicket. Arjun - another stand-in player – was the most efficient and consistent, conceding only 4.3 runs per over. Arjun also owned the highlight of the innings which was a one-handed deflection into the air then a juggle then a catch to dismiss a well hit ball to mid-wicket. Noah also took an impressive catch.

Oliver was the only Whites batter who could manage against the high-quality seam bowling, minimise risk and score frequently, finishing with 38 off 34 balls. This included a hook shot for six. James L also showed their mettle to face 25 balls.

The Whites remain in the top four but will have to return to their good early-season form in the remaining rounds to make the finals.

U13 Sabres – LWCC (7-111) def. by Randwick JCC Hurricanes (8-127)

This week we took on the Randwick Hurricanes at their Maroubra home ground, deep in the heartland of the mighty Roosters.

Another 8:30am start on a miserable morning of constant drizzle proved a true test of alarm clocks, snooze buttons, and one’s love of cricket.

Randwick won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat. Unfortunately, our bowlers struggled to adjust to the difficult conditions, sending down 23 wides out of a total of 49 extras - Randwick’s total score was 127! On the plus side, wickets were shared around, with Eamon and Archer taking two each, while Oliver, Alfie and James L chipped in with one apiece.

The drizzle and rain at times, showed no mercy when it was our turn to bat, and neither did the scoreboard, as we slumped to a less-than-ideal start of 4 for 20. With still plenty of time to get the runs, a determined rear-guard effort was led superbly by Oliver (34) and James A (26), but despite their resistance we ultimately fell short by 17 runs.

As was the case last week, extras proved costly and were the difference in the end. The boys were again totally committed and the message was to work on their game at training and I’m confident the boys will bounce back as we turn our focus to next week’s (hopefully drier) match.

Special thanks to Ronav, who fielded injured and showed a tremendous amount of courage and commitment to the team.

U15 Black – LWCC (1-96) def. Concord Briars Gold (9-93)

Lost the toss. Again. We have to work on that. Happily bowled first!

I wouldn’t be speaking truthfully if I didn’t say that we absolutely loved playing our cricket at Callan Park, and hopefully we will for many years to come. The grass is beautiful as are the trees and natural foliage around the ground. Once again we got to play against the Concord Gold’s but should’ve provided us with a challenge on paper but ultimately ended up being a solid victory - quite easily.

The biggest challenge when playing against this team is dismissing the two top order of bats who have been known for destroying opposition attacks over and over again, but on this occasion they did not. We were too good. Both of them were dismissed quite cheaply (5 and 2) one by Linus - a tricky cross seamed ball that bounced a little more providing a mid-hit chip to mid-off, well caught 2-9 (5) and the other by Xavier 2-14 (5) - straight through the gate at off stump, reduced Concord to a score of 2-10 in the third over. This allowed us to rotate our bowlers as we liked as they not providing any real evidence of being able to score runs or do much else except stand there and consume overs. They could however, dispatch a half tracker long-hop to the fence for four without too much trouble. Perhaps we don’t bowl there again. Concord provided good resistance to getting out, which is always an essential component of a good match.

It was a hot day, quite frustrating, a few catches went down, but key call outs to Ronav, Austin and Nevaan for taking theirs. Linus affected a run-out. Other wickets Austin 2-10 (6), Ronav 2-13 (5). Nevaan was very economical and 0.75 runs per over but was unfortunately wicketless. George, Ryan and Lachlan all provided solid efforts with the ball. All done, 9 down for 93. They were probably about 150 runs too short of a decent total. I think we bowled well enough to keep those runs down, and that's a solid team effort because everybody (except our fabulous deputy keeper - Conor Truong) got to bowl. After a rather harsh inspiring chat by the coach at the 20 over break the fielding and catching became sharp and formidable. Also, Harish was umpiring - he has that effect on the game.

Opening the batting in fantastic style with Sam Spiller 30 (30) (who BTW, shouldn’t be running due to an injury) and Nevaan 25 (30) both putting them to the sword. Shots all over the ground, what a fantastic wagon wheel we would have! George consumed 10 balls for his score, until Xavier did his thing, 21 (15) and Austin given the chance to bat this week after he willingly stepped aside last week for another player to bat on (thanks Austin). It was practically all over before we started in a clinical effort to chase down these 93 runs in just 15 overs. Winning runs (4) smashed by Austin, giving us 1-96. Excellent work. Boys - keep up the energy in the entire innings, and you’ll all be fine.

Shout outs to Matt Kelly for stepping is as umpire for the (albeit short) batting innings, Nevaan’s family for the oven baked sweet potato fries and as always David Starkoff for a fantastic job keeping the score book the work of art that it is.

Best part is - these boys are a fabulous functioning team. They love their cricket and it shows over and over again.

Next week - Jolly Rogers at Morrison. This will be fun. Stay tuned.

U15 White – (LWCC (112) def. by Concord Briars Black (4-276)

Match report courtesy of the captain from Saturday's game, Bowie.

Conditions were challenging on Saturday afternoon at Edward Park, but the Wanderers turned up ready to play. The Concord Briars won the toss and elected to bat. The Wanderers showed great skill and energy in the field despite heat and humidity. They started off strong with Hartley bowling a maiden in the first over and Max F followed with a show of tight bowling. Max R took the first wicket of the game, bamboozling the batter in the sixth over and making space for Jack F to take the bails in an excellent stumping. Emily took the second wicket in the fourteenth, and Anton in the twenty second, both catches taken by Jack F, who was having a cracking day on the field. Jack F took the final reward, bowling a plum delivery in the twenty eighth to take their man for a duck.

At times the heat got to the Wanderers, but overall, the fielding was strong and the keeping by Jack F, Yoris and Charlie was excellent.

It had cooled down a little in the break. The Wanderers had decided to go for an “all or nothing” approach to chase down the massive 276 run total.

Bowie and Jack F opened the batting with six runs of the first over, Jack hit four of his first but was caught behind straight after. Max was next showing promise running between wickets with a pair of twos. Bowie's four boundaries kept the energy in the attack before being dismissed for 18. Emily and Jack H showed great stamina at the crease with Jack H also being rewarded with an amazing six. It was Harry who courageously stuck it out until the very end and who faced the most balls and delivered the Wanderers the top score of the day.

The Wanderers fell well short of the total required to win the day, but it was the effort of all players that was the highlight.

Senior D Grade – LWCC (147) def. by St Philip’s (5-151)

Result didn’t go our way today but certainly a memorable day out. We won the toss and chose to bat. Lachlan and Lior got us started nicely up top before we lost Lachlan. Lior and Nik then put on a good partnership to get our innings going. Lior fell for 17, but Nik kicked on and looked great out there. We certainly didn’t get any luck with a few calls that went against us but Nik batted brilliantly all innings bringing up his maiden ton with a huge six over mid wicket. Nik finished 102* hitting 7 fours and 8 Sixers. We were bowled out for 145.

They got off to a flier being 0-97 off 10 overs at the drinks break, where we all agreed we had nothing to lose and have a bit of fun. We picked up 5-35 off the next 10 overs with wickets going to Matt, Anthony, myself and Lachlan got 2. Matt picking up his first wicket for the Wanderers.

Three games left in the season, with top of table next week, but the last two games will certainly be winnable so would be great to finish off the year with two wins. Was great to see Nik convert all his starts this year, to a big maiden ton. Certainly won’t be his last.

Other match results:

U11 Girls Red – LWCC (3-71) def. by Randwick Belles (1-124)

U10 Black – LWCC (7-145) def. Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Scallywags (132)

U10 White – LWCC (7-91) def by. Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Pearls (2-139)

U11 Red – LWCC (6-111) def. Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Black beards (11-90)

U11 White – LWCC (5-112) def. Iron Cove (5-111)

U12 Gold – LWCC (6-27) def. by Iron Cove (8-189)

U12 White – LWCC (8-43) def. by Ryde Hunters Hill Pirates Galleons (8-163)

U13 Black – LWCC (78) def. by Sydney Coastal CC Seals (6-157)

U17 Black – Match Abandoned

U17 White – Match Abandoned

Senior B Grade – LWCC (6-258) def. Concord Briars (90)

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We are Leichhardt Wanderers Through and Through!