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November 2nd / 3rd, 2024
Well despite a fairly miserable day on Saturday, it looked like plenty of brave cricketers (and umpires!) were keen to keep the cricket moving and we got through all of our matches! The rain was relentless all day and certainly had it's impact on cricket balls, many of which turned into a cake of soap and made bowling a real challenge! Who'd want to be a spinner in those conditions?
Thank you to all coaches/managers who've provided match reports, highlights and photos again this week - keep them coming! We hope you enjoy reading them!
Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports
Performance(s) of the Round - this week we have two great performances to share the honours!
Cate Timpany (U13 Girls): 49 not out (42 balls)
Ethan Stout (U17 Black): 4 for 13 (4.4 overs)
Match Reports
U11 Girls: LWCC (69) def. by Ashfield CC (194)
U11 girls played a tough opposition in wet and slippery conditions at home. We bowled first and Lucia bowled nice and straight to get a good wicket early on. But Ashfield proved very strong posting 150. Everyone contributed with the bat, showing real improvement in running between the wickets. Mihrimah top scored, but we couldn’t chase down such a big total. There is a strong team spirit amongst our girls and they are improving each week.
U13 Girls: LWCC (5-118) def. by Randwick JCC Belles (3-133)
U13 Girls lost in a close affair vs Randwick. Cate Timpany top scored with 49* (42) - well done Cate! And our new recruit Sofia C bowled beautifully in her first match and took a key wicket. Well done girls!
U17: LWCC Black (147) def. Easts Piranas (130)
The U17 Black had another hugely satisfying afternoon in the Eastern Suburbs on Sunday. A flurry of early wickets meant that a lot of responsibility fell on this week’s lower order and captain Asher, Nick, Tom and Elijah played with patience and discipline, allowing top-scoring opener Max to return and the team to set a competitive score of 147.
The tight economy rate of Asher, Finn and Cameron, capably supported behind the wickets by Frazer and Max, kept us in touch in what was always a neck-and-neck game. But it was Ethan’s day to shine, a blinding boundary catch dismissed the star batsman, just short of his 50, and career best bowling figures of 4-13, including two in the final over, gave the Wanderers the win.
U17: LWCC White (5-169) def. Randwick JCC Ravens (168)
U17 White got their first win of the season vs Randwick, chasing 168. Arlo McNeil was player of the match with 54* and 2 wickets. And... although they are now playing U17s and their voices are a little deeper than they used to be, the boys still enjoy the victory song. All teams should sing it when we win! (Great advice! For newer club members who don't know it, videos available! - CH).
U11: LWCC Black (129) def. by LWCC Gold (169)
LW U11 Black lost the toss and were sent in to bat against the LW U11 Gold. Despite some overnight rain the conditions were mostly dry until late in the first innings where sleet blanketed the ground. After some brave batting last week Toby Maher was promoted to open with Rufus Shemmell. Despite an unfortunate runout, neither batter conceded their wicket to the LWCC Gold attack, who bowled some tight lines and lengths. Rufus managed to pump his first boundary of the season back down the ground which brought loud applause from the gallery in attendance.
In the end LWCC Gold were too strong, making good use of the dry conditions early to achieve the win. Despite the ball resembling a cake of soap, Dilhan Clark and Louis Lecoanet showed marvelous control with some spin. Deciding against a similar approach, Rufus came off the back fence and bowled some genuine gas as opposed to his usual tweakers. For this reason, and due to some strong fielding, Rufus received our match ball this week. Special mention to Caleb Rohanek who stopped a full blooded pull shot with his leg and stayed in the field for the last few balls. Excellent effort LW U11 Black.
U11: LWCC White (117) def. Concord Briars Gold (77)
Round 3 was a first for the U11 Whites - our first game against another club! Concord Briars were a worthy opposition but our boys were too good on the day recording our second win for the season. A great result for a group of boys who are almost all playing their first season of club cricket!
The morning saw another first, winning the bat flip and the boys finally getting their wish of bowling first with Benji and Milosh both taking their first ever wickets - well done boys! Shout out to Freddy Baker who is developing a fantastic leg spin action and also to Owen Sharkey for claiming 1-1 off 3 overs! Patrick McColough was exceptional behind the stumps for the fulll 20 overs. We did well to restrict Concord Briars to 77.
Batting on a larger than usual ground and slow outfield we wanted to make running between the wickets a focus, something we will continue to work on this season. A great team effort with notable contributions from Flynn, Jack and Benji all making double figures seeing us home with the score on 117.
A great morning of cricket by all players and in particular Alexander Shen who played through an eye injury.
U12: LWCC Red (8-143) def. Concord Briars Maroon (124)
U12 Red again played with purpose and ran out deserving winners against a tenacious Briars team at Callan Park.
Highlights with the bat were the middle order, with a rambunctious 42 off 38 balls from Ted and a disciplined 27 from Charlie, topped off with a thumping 19 from Leo coming in at no. 8. The boys all played good attacking cricket and combined with a competitive total of 143. Well done to Noah and Oliver B on their (self described) first 4s, both with impressive pull shots.
Our bowling kicked off with a bang, with Morello knocking back the middle stump on ball one of the innings. A match turning spectacular / ‘sigma’ sharp catch at square leg by Ollie B followed – off the bowling of Ollie S – (dubbed a ‘doubleOllie’ by the boys) followed and there was a real sense that win # 1 was on the cards. The Briars top order then got a grip but after a couple of retirements the wickets began to tumble again, with Noah in an impressive shift as keeper in the first 15 taking a memorable catch off Ollie B and Ollie S running out with 3-18. Briars’ retirees then returned and things were looking a little dicey after a few boundaries, but some confusion and a strong throw from the deep to Ollie S as keeper got us the run out and secured the win!
Well done to all, the vibe is good and great to see the team’s efforts rewarded with a W in the books.
U15: LWCC White (111) def. by RHH Pirates Black Beards (7-173)
The highs and lows of cricket sum up the first 3 rounds for the Saturday U15 White team. After round 1 was abandoned due to rain followed by a convincing win in round 2 we were up against the weather on Saturday and a big total from our opposition. Although the final result didn’t go our way the boys should be proud of pushing through tricky batting and fielding conditions to achieve some solid performances. Vinnie Gardiner (38) and Drew Karakaidos (25) added much needed runs with their big hitting 4s. Congratulations also goes to one of our new team members Jack Phillips for bowling his first wicket of the season, Hugo Hood’s 2-10 and Will Berkelmans who took 2 wickets for the 3rd week running. Below is a photo of the team after their round 2 win.
U12: LWCC Gold (62) def. by Iron Cove Tigers Bradman (1-66)
It was a tough outing for LWCC U12 Gold, suffering their first loss of the season in a challenging game against the Iron Cove Balmain Tigers. Batting first, LWCC Gold struggled from the outset, losing early wickets and finding it difficult to build any momentum. At one stage, they were in deep trouble at 6/34, with only two wickets remaining and a modest total seeming elusive.
A stoic innings from Archer Gannon, however, provided a glimmer of hope for the team. Archer displayed grit and determination, holding the innings together and top-scoring with 15* not out. Supporting him in a critical period were Harry Johnson, returning from injury, and Kasper Arnmark, both of whom showed solid defense and collectively batted for 21 balls to help hold up an end for Archer. Their efforts enabled LWCC Gold to push the score up from a precarious 6/34 to all out for 62, a respectable recovery in the circumstances.
Iron Cove's chase was marked by high-quality batting, with two of their batters standing out. Tom Hebblewhite retired after a well-constructed 24, while Jack Palfreyman played a dominant innings, finishing on 35* from 29 balls, including five boundaries and two sixes. Despite LWCC Gold’s efforts, Iron Cove reached the target comfortably at 1/66.
On the bowling front for LWCC Gold, Patrick Thornton impressed with figures of 1/12, taking the only wicket and displaying effective control. Will Barratt also contributed with economical bowling, conceding only six runs from his three overs, keeping the pressure on the Iron Cove batters.
It was a day of lessons for LWCC U12 Gold, as they look to bounce back in the next game and reclaim their winning form.
U13: LWCC White (8-141) def. by RHH Pirates Swashbucklers (4-142)
U13 Whites won the toss and elected to bat, hoping the early rain would stop and favour a second innings in the field, but the relentless rainfall persisted and things didn't go to plan. We posted a respectable 141 runs, after some blistering shot-making from our middle order batters, Conor (33), Anton (16*) and Yoris (14), whilst opener Darcy (27*) once again held our batting order together with his third not out performance of the season. The mid-innings break brought about a mini-collapse and ultimately we just lost too many wickets to go on with our strong start.
The conditions for our innings in the field were horrendous, as the slippery conditions challenged our bowling attack with a slippery ball and a slippery pitch. Nonetheless the boys worked hard without complaint and kept the run rate low early on, but ultimately we didn't have enough runs on the board to defend in those conditions. Two wickets to Conor completed his great day, including a brilliant caught behind by wicket keeper James S, whilst Harry's yorker dismissed another and Anton took the top of middle for a fourth.
More work to do for our boys but a win is coming!
U10: LWCC Black (169) def. Concord Briars Green (120)
Well done! A good win against a good team in mixed weather conditions. Equal top scorers were Frederick Werner-Gibbings & Emmett Hudson, both 19 runs without loss. Well done for Oscar Rawson, Dylan Corfield, Henry Radford & Zane Henderson for retiring not out. Great bowling from Ryan Petkovich 1 for 5 off 2 overs. Well done also to Oscar Rawson and John O’Connell for a wicket each and great economy rates. And Henry Radford, just can’t stay away from the action, with a catch and a runout.
Photos
A brush turkey on the field at Bremner Park for U13 White's match vs RHH Pirates - $5,000 fine and 5-year ban?
U13 Reds!
U10 Blacks - three wins from three games - why not celebrate with a team pyramid?
Reminder that we would love to receive highlights and brief match reports from coaches and managers after their matches, which we will publish in the weekly newsletter and on our News page here. (Please submit these by Monday each week to leichhardtcricket@gmail.com). 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!
As we get in to the rhythm of our cricket season, we have some exciting times ahead, so watch this space!