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Wanderers Cricket - Round 4 Wrap
- leichhardtcricket
- Nov 11
- 24 min read
November 8th / 9th, 2025.
We hope everyone enjoyed their cricket on the weekend (regardless of results!).
Reminder that before we all take a break for the holidays, the cricket club is hosting its annual "Red & Black Friday" event at the Blackmore clubhouse. This is a great chance to get together as a club & community to reflect on the first half of the cricket season AND support your club by purchasing some dinner and drinks.
The best part is, the Ashes will be played on our big screens in the clubhouse! The event coincides with Day 2 of the Brisbane Test - and, being a day-night match, the cricket will be on late and we will be showing it LIVE!
We really encourage all players and their families to attend and support the club. We only hold a handful of events each cricket season, so really need all of your support not only to raise funds for the club but also to support our cricketing community and create a fantastic atmosphere on the night! We still have a few weeks but please encourage all your team mates to come along and join the fun!
Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports
Performance of the Round
Eamon Russell (U13 Black) - Eamon scored his first career half-century on Sunday, with a blistering 62 runs off 52 balls - not out - including 8x fours. Throw in a catch, to round out our LW Performance of the Round! Honour Roll
Highlights
Adelaide Done (U11 Girls Red) - 24* (off 18), 2x fours; 1x run-out
Luca Martin (U10 Red) - 3 for 3 (2)
Thomas Platen (U10 White) - 3 for 3 (off 2)
Fred Werner-Gibbings (U10 White) - 21* (off 15), 2x fours; 2 for 1 (off 2); 1x run-out
Finn Gadsby (U11 White) - 2x catches, 2x run-outs; 35 (off 20), 7x fours; 1 for 15 (off 2) Honour Roll
Joe Gallagher (U11 Gold) - 3 for 6 (off 2)
Jack Bastick (U11 Gold) - 2x run-outs, 1x stumping; 21 (off 15), 4x fours Honour Roll
Curtis Jenkins (U12 Gold) - 3 for 1 (off 2)
Flynn Sawers (U12 White) - 3 for 25 (off 4), 1x catch, 24 (off 25), 5x fours
Charlie Forbes (U13 Red) - 30* (28), 6x fours
Kurtis Mead (U13 White) - 42 (off 47), 7x fours
Archer Hudson (U13 White) - 30* (off 30), 6x fours
James Ayre (U13 Black) - 53 (off 50), 6x fours; 1 for 1 (off 2) Honour Roll
Charles Done (U13 Black) - 42* (off 39), 8x fours; 1 for 11 (off 4)
Max Foale (U15 White) - 37* (off 60), 5x fours
Gus Blackley (U17 Black) - 75 (off 42), 9x fours, 5x sixes; 1 for 8 (off 2); 1x stumping Honour Roll
Quinlan Burke (U17 White) - 33* (off 29), 4x fours, 1x six
Rick Scully (B-Grade) - 5 for 11 (off 4); 1x catch Honour Roll
Match Reports
U13 Girls - LWCC (72) def. by Randwick JCC Belles (74)
We lost the toss and were sent in to bat by a very strong Randwick Belles team who sit comfortably at the top of the ladder.
While the Randwick bowling was first class our girls showed real spirit to nearly last the full 20 overs. Hannah and Juno showed their strength of character. Both getting hit in the arm and hands by the quickest girl in the competition. In the end only three of ours girls were out to the bowlers. Sofia and Lara were the top scorers. But, once again, we succumbed to three run-outs from some exceptional fielding. This really highlights how crucial good fielding can be in a game of cricket.
We tried our best with the ball with Sophia and Emily opening the bowling. The Randwick openers were very strong and we could not get an early breakthrough. All the girls bowled well with Karthika showing some nice out swing and Juno throwing up great leg spinners.
We lost the game, but our girls never wavered in the field and were full of voice for their team mates.
S3 Girls - LWCC (8-62) def. by Summer Hill CC (2-63)
It was a hot afternoon for cricket. We won the toss and chose to bat, with Carmen hitting an electric four in the first over before losing some early wickets to a strong bowling attack with a fast left-armer. Sofia and Suki managed to settle into an innings, and they were ably followed by Zoe (7), Harper, Cate (13) and Charlotte.
Our bowlers worked hard too, with Connie 1-7 (1) and Sofia 1-8 (1) supported by some good bowling (Moo and Aditi were stand-outs), great work behind the stumps by Bella, and a terrific catch from Harper at mid-off. We dropped a few difficult catches and our low total meant an early finish to the match.
The enthusiasm and support shown by the girls was outstanding on a tough afternoon, both weather and cricket-wise.
We may not be winning games but we are playing some really good cricket. Keep up the good work.
U11 Girls Black - LWCC (74) def. by Randwick JCC Belles (133)
Round four saw the U11 Girls Black team back on the road to Booralee for their clash versus Randwick JCC. Missing Bonnie this week and Ella (for the first innings), the girls elected to bowl first to give Ella time to arrive.
With solid bowling efforts from Lucia and Evelina, the Black team kept the opposition to what was thought to be a gettable target below100 runs. Great support in the field from Alexia with a run-out and Annabel and Audrey alike.
Little did we know, Randwick were a well drilled fielding team. Their field placements and throwing over the stumps was impeccable. The keeper could do no wrong! This put pressure on our batters as runs were hard to come by without taking significant risk.
Elsie, with the weight of the world on her shoulders led by example once again, trying her hardest to force some runs. She showed great intent and tactical nous, though with some good support and hitting from Lucia and Ella, the target became unattainable.
It was a great learning experience for the girls, and going into a bye round next week gives us plenty of opportunity to work on some of the things that we know we can improve on.
U11 Girls Red - LWCC (112) def. Summer Hill CC Gold (74)
Top-of-the-table Summer Hill won the toss and chose to bat on what was a steaming hot afternoon. Then girls bowled tightly and effectively against a team with a couple of very strong batters, with both Lexi and Susie taking wickets. Crucially the team also nailed three run-outs, all of which combined to keep Summer Hill to a modest 74. Special call out for Lyla who stepped into keep wicket when our regular keeper was struggling with heat stroke, pulling off a run out on just her second delivery behind the stumps.
The team then batted confidently to knock the total off quickly, finishing on 112. Lyla opened strongly with 10 followed by solid contributions from Imi and Charlotte. Early calls and confident running meant the scoreboard kept ticking over, before Adelaide hit a powerful 24 to bring the innings home.
U17 Black - LWCC (107) def. by Concord Briars Black (4-111)
For the third time in three games, the outstanding Gus passed 50 runs; his 75 from 42 balls, including 14 boundaries, yet another example of Gus’s trademark big hitting. Captain Frazer also contributed a third watchful, sensible innings, playing the bowling on its merits. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do enough to save LW U17 Black from the batting horror show that was unfolding. No one in the rest of the team reached double figures, with five of the batsmen failing to score at all. The only small consolation was featuring in a moment of cricket history, as Concord spinner Thenuk took a triple hat-trick (five wickets in five balls) to rip the heart out of the team.
A score of 107 was never going to be easy to defend but the bowlers weren’t helped by fielding that was a bit below the usual high standards. Will was particularly unlucky to see two chances dropped from his bowling; his two wickets should have been four. Ethan’s spectacular late direct hit run-out gave us a glimpse of what could have been but, ultimately, the game was a lesson that this team need to playing at the top of their game to be successful in the competition.
U13 Black - LWCC (7-242) def. South Sydney JCC Copperheads (5-110)
A strong batting performance set the U13 Black up for a strong win on a very windy Sunday morning out in Botany.
Winning the toss and batting, Black made an imposing 7-247 from their 30 overs - our highest team score. The highlight being the first career half centuries for Eamon (62*) and new recruit James (53) with Alfie (42*) also going close to the milestone. Congratulations on great innings to all three of you.
While the opposition put up a solid fight to bat through their 30 overs (finishing at 5-110) it was a comprehensive performance with bat and ball - though maybe some catching practice this week at training!
Now onto what looks like a top of the table clash next week…
U9 Derby - LWCC White (91) def. by LWCC Red (97)
White
Bill Mitchell oval was a beautiful setting for a game of cricket… on this case an epic local derby between two wanderers teams. Freddy won the toss for Wanderers White, and elected to have a bowl.
White started in great fashion with Eoghan reeling in a catch in the second over to give Archie a wicket. Eoghan then took a wicket himself with a great yorker that rattled the base of the stumps. All bowlers did a great job with the ball to keep things tight. The fielding from all White players was simply brilliant… such a great improvement. Conor, Tilly and Asher, in particular, stopped multiple boundaries with some great ground fielding.
Red batted really well and went their last nine overs without conceding a wicket, and ended up with a strong total of 97 off the bat.
It was then time for Wanderers White to ‘face the music’ and take on the famous Wanderers Red bowling attack.
Asher and Rauiri started the innings well and did not lose a wicket against some seriously fast and accurate bowling. Rauiri picked up an 8 off the tee, keeping his head down over the ball and blasting down the ground. The heat was then on Benji and Freddy. Benji showed a top piece of batting to squeeze out a screaming yorker right off his toes, followed by a nice straight drive for 8. Freddy again defended a few great deliveries right off the stumps.
The last two pairings were given a ‘license to thrill’ in the final overs. Tilly and Archie had a great partnership of 26 without loss, which included a cover drive for a ‘powerplay 12’ of Archie off his first ball. Conor and Eoghan also batted very well. Eoghan played some sensational shots, the pick of the bunch being a mighty pull shot for six. Conor had his best innings of the season with a first ball boundary and superb running between wickets, and it was awesome to hear some nice loud calls to his partner.
In the end, White finished the innings with 81 runs, without losing a wicket, to give us a total of 91… just short of the target of 97. All White players were outstanding, especially facing the best bowling we have seen this season.
Thanks to Wanderers Red for a great game. Hearing your players saying ‘good luck’ to the new pairs as they came in to bat was a great show of sportsmanship... well done, and all the best for your upcoming games.
Red
Great game from the team today in the LWCC derby match against LWCC U9 White. Really balanced team play with all the guys making runs, plus sensational bowling. The other team and coach all commented on how great the bowling was. The boys missed the stumps by millimetres on multiple occasions! We had a commanding lead up until the last pair who batted like guns and scored almost as much as the three previous pairs to make it closer, but our team were alive in the field.
Player of the match was Drew who was channeling his inner Geoff Thompson and slinging them in, plus was great in the field and batting for a score of 26. Ollie once again contributed well with the bat scoring a solid 22, as did Teddy with 14, Frankie with 14 and Sam with 10. Bodhi also did well scoring 11 .We focused on lots of clapping, cheering and encouraging each other which was fun! Overall, a close match in the end but LWCC U9 Red came home with a close fought win 97-91.
U11 Derby - LWCC Gold (177) def. LWCC White (142)
Gold
It was a hot and humid Saturday morning at the 'Spiritual Home of Cricket' - Blackmore Oval, where two LWCC U11s teams were both vying to get that first season's win on the board.
Whites won the toss and sent the Gold's into bat - a clever tactic as opener Ben T spooned his first ball back to the bowler to have the team 1-0. Ben redeemed himself with a our first six of this season, and nearly concussing our back-up scorer in the process. Dorian was also strong with the bat hitting two fours for his 15 balls faced.
A few wickets started to fall, and things looked very even until Jack B steadied the ship, hitting four fours to top score for the side with 21 runs (not out) of his 15 balls faced. Harvey contributed with the bat and notched up his first four in U11s - well done Harvey, keep it up!
Reef and Rory continued to keep the score board ticking over, with Reef belting two fours and Rory smacking three more fours to add to our total.
The hot conditions made it tough in the field and an enthusiastic wicket keeper, kept the stumpings coming and pressure on the batsman to stay grounded in their crease.
Joe (captain for the game) and Gus (in his first game for Golds this season) kept the runs coming, with three more fours from Joe and two belting fours from Gus.
This focus on batting and looking for extra runs helped us to a respectable, half-time total, but a few clumsy wickets meant that this would go down to the wire….
Whites came into bat looking very solid and determined.
However, Dorian took the first wicket (bowled) off his fourth delivery. Dorian’s efforts with the bat, his wicket keeping and taking two wickets with his bowling, earned him the ‘player of the match’ award from Captain Joe G.
Ben T took the next wicket and finished with two wickets in total, off some very tidy bowling. Good wicket keeping from Jack B, saw a sneaky stumping and after a few more attempts, it was decided for pace of play, that the bails be removed..as it wasn’t getting any cooler.
Special mention to Jack, his excellent fielding, backing up at the stumps on each play and keeping up the chatter amongst his team mates is really building pressure on the opposition and a great example to his teammates. Keep it up Jack!
Reef had a great day with the ball in hand taking two caught and bowled for the match from his three overs.
Gus’s bowling was tidy for his first game back into the Gold team and Rory also chimed in with a wicket after focusing in on the batsman’s stumps... great effort boys. However, the star with the ball was Captain Joe G, taking three wickets in one over - he is now sitting on a hat-trick for his first ball of his next match - good luck Joe!
All in all, it was a competitive and enjoyable match, disappointing that we had to beat another LWCC team to notch up our first win for the 2025/26 season…
We wish Coach Breno and the Whites all the very best and will look to supporting the Whites with players where and when we can.
Finally, a special well done to the U11s Gold, a team that has struggled (didn’t win a match last season) lost four players and have taken on three new ones - the effort and determination in training and not giving up on game day is starting to come good - keep up the hard work boys! Go Gold!
U12 Black - LWCC (28) def. by Concord Briars Black (5-208)
Captain Louis won the toss and sent the Briars in to bat on a pitch that was still damp from the overnight rain. He and Caleb opened the bowling and restricted the Briars with an excellent opening spell. Being one player down, until Rufus returns from injury, the Briars lent us a player in the field and sure enough, when a ball was skied off a delivery from Toby, it went straight to the substitute who was good enough to take the catch - the spirit of cricket on full display!
The Briars batted strongly and the runs were flowing steadily, but the Wanderers hung in there as the heat started coming into the day. Felix got a run-out with a direct hit from keeper and later when bowling, hit middle stump with a sneaky off cutter (1-17). Angus took a great high catch off Caleb's pace bowling (1-43) and Louis (1-29) rattled the stumps with his good length. Noah and Angus bowled really well without success and Charlie continues to improve, bowling a couple of balls that were quite awkward for the batsmen. Dilhan too bowled well without luck, having the ball spinning in both directions and often bamboozling the batter.
If we thought the Briars were impressive with the bat, they were even better with ball and in the field. They bowled maiden after maiden, refusing to give away any easy runs and the wickets started to flow steadily. Felix (12*), remained not out again this week in a very impressive batting display against quality opposition.
All in all, it was a comprehensive defeat but the team kept their heads up and after the game focused on things to work on at training this week - an excellent attitude and one that will serve them we'll later in the season.
U15 White - LWCC (6-108) def. by Concord Briars White (4-293)
Briars won the toss and sent us out to bowl in the blazing sun of a 33° afternoon.
Despite some great tenacity and effort from the Whites, the Briars’ openers put on a masterclass of drives, cuts and pulls to rack up a huge 97 for their first wicket.
The breakthrough came from Harrison forcing the batter to play-on to his stumps. But it wasn’t until the Briars had tallied up 217 runs that Max R bamboozled his opponent into a looping top edge - ably snapped up by Anton.
Jack F picked up a well deserved wicket, knocking over the stumps and Harrison had the last word against their number seven thanks to a great catch from Max F.
Despite the heat and the torrent of runs and boundaries, the Whites never gave up. We saw one handed stops on the boundary, long chases and great backing each other up in the field. As their scorer said “they’ve had such great spirit right through the innings”.
And so, with a massive 297 to chase, the coach's invitation to each player was to survive and build an innings with the full 60 balls on offer before retirement.
Darcy and Max F opened beautifully, putting on a patient and hard-fought 31 for the first wicket before Darcy fell to a short delivery. Bowie came in number three and together he and Max put on a beutiful partnership of 37 runs. Max retired 37 not out — off all 60 balls — an exceptional effort in the heat and facing a strong Briars attack.
Jack F played well alongside Max adding 12 to the total. Jack H, Anton and Yoris played well but struggled to get the ball past the fielders and it was left to Harrison (9*) and Hartley (4*) to play out the remaining overs.
The Whites had accomplished much against their formidable opponents - our first total over 100 runs, batting out the full 30 overs and the longest partnership this season.
So much to be proud of. Keep it up Whites!
U13 Red - LWCC (155) def. by Concord Briars Gold (5-271)
Episode 4 - Red Hot in the City
In stinking hot conditions with storms and lightning forecast, the mighty Reds assembled on high above the Croatian Club at Arthur Walker (Concord’s Jebediah Springfield) to take on a Briars Gold team bristling with reps, test playing progeny and a hunger for winning the toss, batting first and making mountains of runs.
Our bowling was pretty good for the most part and the whopping score more a product of the heat and an absolute blinder of an innings from Rohan (68 off 30 or so). The effort was there from all the bowlers and Leo was great behind the stumps, it’s just hard not to get a bit punch-drunk fielding in that heat and after losing the ball four times. The good oil was that Noah’s streak continues with another sharp caught-and-bowled followed by a heat stroke / talking in tongues (and a Calippo - top shelf!) episode which saw him leave the field and Charlie continue his over and selflessly snag Noah a second wicket.
Reds batting kicked off with a real chance there would there be thunder and lightning (very frightening) that could save us, but alas. And we didn’t need saving. Leo, with an audience turned showman and pulled off the first genuine reverse sweep against Concord’s opening spinner (ala Deepak Patel) for two runs and the crowd went mad. Following that Leo repeated the shot for four, and confirmed that it was intentional (‘yeah I meant it’), a first in game conditions but that had been attempted once at training. I’m pleased with this and encourage all opening batsmen to ramp / switch hit next time we’re chasing 250+.
Brothers Le Bash then joined forces and kept the ball moving with some initially sensible but then progressively more aggressive batting, some one-armed flicks and powerful square drives hitting the boundary before Charles was bowled, Noah crashed out to the spin and then Ashton, with just two to go until retirement was unlucky in popping one up after 29 runs. From there highlights were Ollie B’s down the track four to the spinner, Ted with some sweetly timed drives and flicks before a tough C&B and Ollie S hoiking anything vaguely short before a Clouseau-esque run-out. The boundaries were starting to make a dent and some dints in Concord’s paintwork were starting to show, which was nice :)
Next, ready for redemption with the Croatian crooning swirling around us was the Charlie and James show. Starting a little cautiously after only three ducks in a row, Charlie was happy to be back, dusting off the trademark 'compact' pull shot and really pumping the spin when they dropped shot ending with a very solid 30*.
155 is a good team total at any time so well done to the boys (and their outstanding parents). Next weekend is another Shelbyville grudge match, so see you all at training. I’ll talk to the powers that be re: getting some nets but if it’s centre wicket again it’ll be even better ;)
U12 Red - LWCC (105) def. by Concord Briars Yellow (3-106)
Winning the toss and electing to bat, we found it tough going. Last year’s U10 premiers, can now feel the jump to stage 2 cricket is next level when playing Concord. Emmett H top-scored with 25 and a brilliant 23 off 18 by Leo L were the highlights. Kiran C toughed it out to carry his bat 9*.
Gloveman Emmett H took a neat caught behind, off Ben S in the 11th. Strength to Dylan C being ill came out to field and was rewarded with a catch off John O. It really was not our day with Dan F suffering an injury and not able to come out to field.
With six of our batters bowled, we need to keep working on shot selection when the ball is in the middle. I'm confident we can improve that over the next weeks, especially if the boys practice this with family. Special call out to Kiran C’s mum Nell. Kiran told me that his mum took him down the nets for 30 minutes and under armed balls to him to get him to come forward and play straight. The result was evident with him getting his first runs for the season and getting himself to retirement. FYI Nell is Italian and although Italians are not known for the cricketing prowess, you can still help their development and confidence with this simple drill. See you at training.
U10 Red - LWCC (147) def. by Ryde HH Pirates Bandits (75)
Another Great Win for the U10 Red!
Skipper Henry won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that proved spot on. Jack T struck early, taking the first of his two wickets with just the third ball of the match. Jude followed with an absolute peach of an inswinger first up in the third over, bowling the batsman neck and crop.
The pressure stayed high right through the innings. Krish claimed a sharp caught and bowled, Jack E showed blistering pace to grab two scalps, and Spencer chimed in with two wickets of his own and could easily have had more. The standout figures went to Luca, who was simply too quick for the opposition, finishing with an outstanding 3-3 from two overs. In the field, Henry and Jack T both added to the wicket tally with smart run outs. Lucy and Will also bowled beautifully, regularly beating the bat and keeping the pressure on.
Our batting was again solid, though many players were left a little frustrated by the number of wides and no-balls that limited scoring opportunities. Jack E and Lucy opened confidently, mixing straight hitting with sharp running between the wickets. The middle order of Krish, Henry, and Will kept the momentum going, Will in particular finding the boundary twice despite the long grass. Luca (top score with 15) and Jack T (13) batted with great intent and aggressive running to push the total higher.
The Player-of-the-Mach went to Jude, who combined his wicket-taking brilliance with a determined, disciplined batting performance. After plenty of work in the nets, he showed real progress, staying behind the ball, defending with confidence, and completing his first wicketless innings of the season. A well-deserved reward for his focus and improvement!
All up, it was another comprehensive team performance, a comfortable win that keeps U10 Red to second on the ladder and sets up a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash with the Pirate Buccaneers next week.
U10 Red 9-147 def. Ryde Hunters Hill Bandits 13-75. Well played, team!
U13 White - LWCC (5-152) def. by Ryde HH Pirates Black Beards (205)
Facing a strong Pirates team at Westminster Park has been a daunting task for our Wanderers over the past couple of seasons. This round we brought some nervous optimism to test how our recent good form would go against a team of Div 1 rep players on a hot afternoon at this small ground. Both teams had only eight players, including a younger sibling filling in on each side, ensuring plenty of gaps in the field!
The Pirates batted first and came out blasting, getting to 4-135 off 15 overs and then 205-all-out after 23.3 overs. All our bowlers were hit around but kept on with the task. Eamon removed two of the top order in his opening spell. Noah was at his bowling best snagging his first wicket for the season and helping reduce the high run rate. James A bagged two wickets while Jake had the best economy of 6 runs per over, and both took great catches. Emmett, our treasured fill-in player and only an U11, was awesome behind the stumps showing his tremendous skill stopping some high-pace bowling.
To chase down this total we needed 7 runs per over. Kurtis and Jake set us up well and each retired after 30 balls, then Archer and James L continued the error-free display to reach 0-75 after 15 overs. Archer and James eventually retired, and Noah faced 30 balls too, which was excellent to see. Batting long, and building an innings, is what the coach has been asking the players to do and they delivered, seeing out the full 30 overs. If only this was a 40-over game!
The team showed they have the skills to better this team in many aspects of the game. It is exciting to think what might be possible in the next match against the Black Beards. We will work on how to elevate our scoring rate at key moments of the game. Everything else is in good shape.
U12 Derby - LWCC White (127) def. LWCC Gold (117)
Gold
After a row of three defeats, U12 Gold went into the Leichhardt derby against U12 White with a feeling of trepidation. We'd seen improvements in both batting and in bowling, but were still playing under par. Would this be the day that the corner was turned?
Whites won the toss and decided to bat, however some tight and fast bowling delivered early wickets from Curtis and Elliott and meant we were in a game. We continued to keep things tight and make Whites earn their runs rather than getting given them. Some resolute batting in the middle order meant that Whites could relax somewhat, and a late flurry of wickets - including some excellent catching from Liam and Hugo, and a direct hit run out from Dhilan, meant we were able to restrict Whites to a total of 127. Curtis and Elliott being the pick of the bowlers with 3-1 and 2-7.
The batting started steadily but surely as the top order held their ground, with solid scores from Henry, Dhilan and Hugo. However, a middle order collapse which took us from 2-31 to 4-44 and put us on the brink. However, runs continued to flow - not quickly, but quick enough to keep "The Worm" manageable - although much like life in general, just when we'd feel comfortable another wicket would fall. The seventh and penultimate wicket fell at 7-76, still 50 runs from victory.
However, the darkest hour is just before dawn, and with no wriggle room or safety net, the boys rose up to the challenge. The bottom two batters Harry and Xavier dug in and were able to retire on 15 and 16, and back in came Hugo and Curtis after their retirements. Hugo and Curtis faced an elevated run rate, and a fear that any quick single could be their last of the day. But they kept fighting - although never bringing the run rate down, they were still keeping us close. Eventually we reached the last over and with (an admittedly long) shot at glory. Alas it wasn't to be as some tight bowling at the death prevented them from going nuclear, and they were undone with a risky single.
But even in defeat - the fact we got to the last over with a shot was a success after some looser batting in the past. Hopefully the journey will continue, and based on this improvement a first win is just around the corner.
White
These games just get better and better!
We had another hard-fought win this week, this time against the Wanderers Gold U12s. The match swung back and forth, with each team stealing momentum right up to the very last over. It was a cracker to watch - a contest full of teamwork, grit, inter-school rivalry, and a few magic moments from both sides!
White Captain Owen tossed the bat. Gold called “Hills” - and it was Hills! Gold chose to bowl first.
Flynn and Freddie opened our innings, but Gold’s bowling was tight and their fielding even better. They tied us down early, with Freddie bowled in the third over and Xander falling soon after to an amazing catch at third man. We were 2-9 in the third over - not the start we wanted!
In came Benji, and together with Flynn we started to rebuild. Flynn looked solid before being bowled in the seventh over for a strong 24. Owen joined Benji but was caught in the outfield soon after. Gold’s bowlers and fielders were relentless - we were 4-30 after 7 overs, and with only three wickets in hand, it felt like we were just trying to hang on until drinks.
Then came the partnership we needed - Paddy joined Benji and steadied the ship. After being run out without facing a ball last week, Paddy was determined to make this one count. The two batted smartly and took us to drinks at 4-70 - a huge turnaround after the early collapse!
Benji retired not out, and Lincoln joined Paddy, who also retired after a valuable innings. Sebastian came in and held up an end before being bowled in the 18th over by one of his Orange Grove schoolmates. We were 5-80 when Benji returned to join Lincoln. That partnership proved crucial - the pair added steady runs until Lincoln fell to another great outfield catch in the 22nd over (6-101). Paddy came back in, and he and Benji batted beautifully to the end. Paddy was finally run out in the 27th over after a brilliant bit of fielding from Gold. Benji remained unbeaten, and we finished 7-127 - a great recovery and a defendable total!
The boys took the field confident and fired up. Sebastian opened tightly, with Lincoln, Benji, and Freddie all continuing to build pressure. The breakthrough came in the fifth over when Flynn took the first wicket - 1-22.
Then the magic happened: a maiden from Owen, followed by two wickets in the seventh over from Xander, who finished that spell 2-3! Gold were 3-31 in the eighth over.
Flynn struck again in the 12th, and Gold were 4-41. They fought back with a solid partnership until Freddie grabbed a wicket in the 18th over, followed by a sharp caught-and-bowled from Flynn in the 19th to take his third (3-22). Gold were reeling at 6-73.
Owen then bowled their seventh batter in the 21st over - 7-76. One wicket to go, 52 runs needed off 59 balls. Surely that was it?
But Gold refused to fold. Their last pair batted brilliantly, running hard and edging closer every over. The tension was palpable - the scores were almost level going into the final over! Where was “The Worm?”
Then came the moment of brilliance - Paddy, cool under pressure, pulled off a stunning run-out to end the game. Victory to White!
U15 Black - LWCC (68) def. by Concord Briars Black (6-220)
At approximately 12pm on Sunday the coach received a call, "sorry mate, Sam is out with a fractured knee." Recovering with this news, we realised we can still play because we had seven players! So here it goes, lets take up the challenge. We got to play our old mates from Concord - we have had years to get used to each other, so it was essentially a pretty fun day’s cricket. Not to mention the sudden hail downpour, the incredible radiation from the sun, and the beautiful backdrop of the exhaust towers at Rozelle gave it an atmosphere for a terrific day.
Concord won the toss and elected to bat. Despite lending us two players in the field, runs were aplenty. That was the nature of the innings. Excellent opening spells from Xavier (6 overs, 1-30) and Linus (6 overs, 0-51) we did out best to contain the runs. Taking wickets is how! Fantastic early LBW (Xavier) followed by four catches and a run-out. Excellent performance from Austin (6 overs 1-52), George (3 overs, 1-25), Conor (2 overs, 0-17), Ronav (4 overs, 0-23) and a special mention to Ryan who took two wickets (3 overs, 3-15).
The fielding was a marked improvement over the previous week - knowing very well the gaps were in the field. We backed up our throws, attempted every run out possible, and remained positive throughout the innings. At the end they reached 6-220, which for us is a very achievable target.
We started very well. Conor and Ronav sent a solid tone, 24 (30) and 15 (29) respectably. Beautiful drives to the fence and some nicely executed defence. For a while we were on target. Xavier was trapped LBW by his old mate Josh for 2 (9), Austin gave it a fair go 9 (11), Ryan was awarded the infamous duck 0 (3). George chipped in for a nice looking 9 (9) with some excellent shots forward and behind the wicket. Linus didn’t bother the scorers, not out for 0, off 0. We were all out 6-68.
Needless to say the result didn’t go our way, and it’s easy to comment on only having seven players, but, for what we had our boys did their best in the field. Player for player our teams are similarly matched, evident by our previous victories over this team.
Congratulations on handling the defeat well boys with the added pressure of such a small team.
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!
Chris Hudson
LWCC President
We are Leichhardt Wanderers Through and Through!