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Wanderers Cricket - Semi-Final Week Wrap

  • leichhardtcricket
  • Mar 18
  • 13 min read

March 15th / 16th, 2025.


We are here! The final weekend of Wanderers cricket for the 2024/25 season! Whilst there are grand finals to be played, there are still scheduled non-final games for many of our teams. We wish everyone the very best of luck this weekend, regardless of the game you're playing.


We thank each and every one of you for making this season so fantastic - all our players, from the youngest blasters, to our seasoned U17 veterans and senior men's teams, our girls juniors teams and all our juniors! All of our amazing volunteers including the coaches and managers who give up their time and show complete dedication to teaching our kids the national sport! And finally all of our parents and family members who support our players and our club every single week!


Thank you, thank you, thank you and we hope to see you back next season - Wanderers for life!


Our junior team grand finalists for this weekend:


U10 Black (10am Saturday @ Campbell Park)

U13 Black (1:55pm Saturday @ Campbell Park)

U13 Girls (2pm Saturday @ Greenlees Park)

U15 White (2pm Saturday @ Edwards Park)


Remember, we are all proud of your regardless of the results - good luck and represent the red & black with heart!


 


As we approach the end of the season, next week we are hosting an open committee meeting at Blackmore to review the season, plan for next season and plan for our big end of season presentation event. Truthfully, our committee always needs more people, especially for our presentation night. Even an hour or two of your time is greatly valued - no other commitments required! We welcome you to come and listen in and share your voice for the future of our club. Please join us!


 

Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports


Performance of the Round


Beau Williams (U15 White) - Beau was instrumental to the U15 White’s semi-final win over the Pirates. Beau was excellent with the ball, finishing with figures of 1 for 16 off 4 overs. But his greatest contribution was with the bat, scoring a perfectly timed and career-high 36 off 39 balls as opener, getting the innings off to a great start.



Highlights


  • Ella Nixon (U11 Girls Red) - 2 for 16 (off 3 overs)

  • Zosia Rossiter (U11 Girls Red) - 1 for 12 (off 2 overs, 1x maiden); 2x catches

  • Charlotte Coad (U11 Girls Gold) - 3 for 14 (off 5 overs)

  • Mihrimah Clark (U11 Girls Gold) - 22 (off 20 balls, 4x fours)

  • Ryan Petkovich (U10 Black) - 3 for 3 (off 2 overs)

  • Oscar Green (U12 Gold) - 27* (off 25 balls, 4x fours)

  • Will Barratt (U12 Gold) - 11* (off 38 balls, 1x four); 1 for 16 (off 5 overs); 2x catches

  • Jordan Mayes (U12 Red) - 2 for 7 (off 4 overs, 1x maiden); 11* (off 20 balls)

  • Xavier Rohanek (U13 Black) - 26* (off 21 balls, 3x fours); 3 for 4 (off 3.4 overs); 1x catch

  • Keshav Sachdev (U15 White) - 3 for 19 (off 6 overs); 1x run out; 20* (off 23 balls, 2x fours)

  • Bede Russell (U15 White) - 2 for 19 (off 6 overs, 1x maiden); 35 (off 37 balls, 3x fours)

  • Archer Hudson (U13 Gold) - 36* (off 49 balls, 2x fours)

  • Conor Truong (U13 Gold) - 3 for 9 (off 3 overs, 1x maiden); 2x catches

  • Oliver Lista (17 Black) - 53 (off 33 balls, 5x fours, 3x sixes); 1 for 9 (off 2 overs); 1x catch

 

Match Reports


*Semi-Final* U10 Black: LWCC (135) def. Concord Briars Maroon (83)


Won the toss and sent the opposition into bat on a hot morning. Once again Emmett Hudson took the first wicket in his only over before heading to the sheds to pad up for keeping. Best bowling of the season from Zane Henderson with only 2 extras. Your new technique is paying dividends. Fredrick Werner-Gibbings with a one stump sighter hit the stumps direct hit runout. Sensational figures from Ryan Petkovich 2 overs 3 for 3 as the bowler of the round. Great form heading into the major final.


Our openers Oscar Rawson and Dylan Corfield are forming a wonderful opening combination and once again carried their bats to retirement without loss. A booming six from Dylan was the highlight scoring 14 runs off his 13 balls. Carrying their bat also was Kiran Chandramouli. Henry Radford played straight all innings and was unlucky to have one sneak under his bat. Zane Henderson battered superbly again. The cricket Gods owe you a favour after you were judged out. John O’Connell top scored with 17 including 3 boundaries.


The game was played in the traditional warm Wanderers spirit that we expect of our boys. Special mention to President Hudson for hosting a sausage sizzle for both teams and lugging all the gear to set up. The opposition were grateful for our club’s gesture. Boys I hope the victory sinks in and you enjoy the best week knowing you are in the Major Final. I am so proud of you regardless of the outcome next Saturday.



*Semi-Final* U13 Black: LWCC (8-99) def. RHH Pirates Black Beards (8-69)


Semi-final tension is always going to bring all the skeletons out of the closet, with charged emotions, high pressure overs and the single minded desire to win - these can provide the most entertaining cricket matches. As the mercury climbed so did the atmosphere around the players, coaches and parents.


LWCC won the coin toss at Callan Park (thanks Boss) and decided to bat first. Under the supervision of the official umpire the two captains shook hands and promised a good and fair match. From a coaches perspective it was terrific to see two quality teams fight it our for a win, and display some excellent examples of quality cricket and spirit throughout the day.


Leichhardt started well for the first 14 balls against some full and straight bowling. Not a cross bat chance in sight. (Relief!) Barnabas Ford (c) 5 (10) nicked off to the keeper, attempting to keep the ball straight. Austin Kelly 4 (10) caught on the up, Ronav Auti 10 (13), also caught (square leg) - both providing some easy fielding practise for the opposition. Lachlan Ash got to his retirement nicely until he was dismissed for 14 (33), Xavier Rohanek continued his run of aggressive scoring 26 (no) (21), Sam Spiller 4 (17) also caught, Harrison Burke 7 (no) (2) and Linus Starkoff 2 (ret) (20), both these batters playing it safe to keep our wicket tally down and using up critical overs. Noah Kelly gets the fluffy yellow duck presented to him next game for his 0 (7), Harry Condon popping one to the bowler 1 (3), and Dylan Don Paul 6 (7), same dismissal method. All in all it wasn’t a great batting performance, we set them 100 to win. We also didn’t use all our overs. You would be forgiven for thinking it was all over at this game. It was an interesting note to see that nearly all wickets were caught. Maybe nobody remembers the training session about keeping the balls running along the ground….


Change of Innings.


Fire in the belly, do or die - here we go. We’ve only got 100 to defend, which we’ve done before. This is where we showed what we could do. Xavier and Linus opened the bowling innings and gave nothing away. Solid tight opening spells from both bowlers. Xavier struck first and dismissed both opening batters with tactical efficiency. Xavier 3-4 (3.4)  They fell to 2-7. Then Linus 1-7 (3) took his, and the wickets started to tumble. We broke the back of the team. The fielding was right on point. Hardly anything got past the inner circle of players. The team only hit 4 boundaries compared to our 8, the team knew the importance of the basics like walking in with the bowler, taking catches and stopping everything. 


Before long they were running on pre-lithium powered fumes at 5-14, with little hope of a fuel station soon. Sam Spiller 1-6 (3), Ronav Auti 1-8 (3), Barnabas Ford and Austin Kelly had identical figures 1-15 (3). The opposition started to slowly fight back. They were 7-38 still with 63 to win. To their never say die credit the opposition started slowly chipping away at the runs, over after over like Ben Stokes chasing an Ashes victory, albeit to a smaller crowd, and notably slower. On and on it went, with the target reduced now to only 31 more runs with 7 overs remaining. As the opposition were now 7-69 with a possible victory in sight, the captain rolled the dice, threw the ball to Xavier and just said - you’ve only got one over. Armed with this, he did his thing. Final wicket fell on the 4th ball - catch straight to Linus, finally making LWCC victorious. Black Beards all out for 69.


Catches to: Austin Kelly, Harrison Burke, Linus Starkoff, Xavier Rohanek and Barnabas Ford.


Fantastic win boys, you defended your total like true champions, fought hard until the last wicket a hot and sticky day. Uncomfortable for everyone. You took your catches, and bowled full and straight - making these boys earn every run. You learned what fighting for a win is, and executed it brilliantly. You didn’t give up. Huge congratulations to all!


Final next week against the Jolly Rogers which I am sure is going to be a fantastic day full of everything cricket!



*Semi-Final* U12 Gold: LWCC (6-107) def. by Concord Briars Gold (6-108)


LWCC U12 Gold Push Form Team to the Brink in Season’s Best Performance


In what was arguably their finest team performance of the season, LWCC U12 Gold came agonisingly close to a monumental victory against a strong U12 Concord Briars Gold side. Leichhardt’s young stars put in a dedicated and spirited display, falling just two wickets short of a famous win.


Winning the toss and electing to bat, LWCC U12 Gold demonstrated remarkable composure and discipline at the crease. A season-best innings from Oscar Green (27* off 25 balls) provided the backbone of the innings, blending aggression with smart shot selection. Support came from Will Barratt (11* off 38 balls), whose resilience anchored the middle order, and Archer Gannon (8* off 25 balls), who played his role superbly to ensure the team reached a competitive total of 107 for 6 from their allotted 30 overs. Every batter showed dedication and focus, ensuring Leichhardt posted a total that kept them in the contest.


Defending their total against a powerful opposition, Leichhardt’s bowlers showed immense character and skill. James Day (5-0-27-2) struck early, removing both openers in a fiery spell. Patrick Thornton (5-1-6-2) was virtually unplayable, delivering a masterclass in controlled bowling, while Will Barratt (5-1-16-1) and Jax Lee (4-0-13-1) also made vital breakthroughs to keep their team in the fight. Captain Grayson Cranny showed leadership in the field under challenging circumstances. 


As the match reached its climax, LWCC U12 Gold found themselves just two wickets away from an unforgettable victory. Taking the match down to the last two overs against the form team of the competition was a testament to their development, resilience, and unwavering team spirit.


Beyond the result, the true highlight of the season has been the way this group of players has played the game; with determination, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm. None of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of coach Jimi Green, whose dedication, time, and approach ensured that every player had an opportunity to contribute and grow. His commitment to fair play and development over results has been the foundation of the team’s success.


Although the result didn’t go their way, LWCC U12 Gold can take immense pride in their performance. They not only stood toe-to-toe with the strongest team in the competition but also showcased the very best qualities of junior cricket; teamwork, perseverance, and enjoyment. A fantastic season ends on a high note, with every player having played their part in what was a truly memorable campaign.



*Semi-Final* U15 White: LWCC (5-136) def. RHH Pirates Black Beards (9-135)


It was the same team and same location as last week, yet a different result.


With ten of the regular players available the Wanderers turned to U12s Eamon and Archer to provide reinforcement on this hot day.


We bowled first and executed a plan that kept the run rate in check, especially as the opposition’s most accomplished batters were expected to occupy the crease from about overs 8 to 20.


Beau and Nic opened, conceding only 4.66 per over in the first six. Keshav, Vinny and Bede then had their spells, taking 6-56 of their combined 18 overs. 3 wickets went to Keshav, 2 to Bede, 1 each to Beau and Vinny. There were two runouts (by Vinny, Keshav and Drew) as well. 


Archer and Nic took sharp catches in the field. Bryn and Drew were impressive as wicket keepers, each taking a caught-behind of good seam bowling.


The batting started very well, with Jack and Beau getting the run rate to about 5 per over after 12 overs. Jack retired (13* (30)) then Beau went on to reach his highest ever score – a superb 36 of 39 balls. Vinny and Bede kept the run rate ticking along ahead of the requirement, finishing on 16 (23) and 35 (37), respectively. Keshav (20* (23)) steered the team home, assisted by Drew and Archer, with 3.1 overs to spare.


Concord Briars Black are the opposition next week in the grand final. What a contest that will be.



*Semi-Final* U12 Red: LWCC (8-40) def. by Concord Briars Maroon (8-89)


Episode 16 - ‘You can’t always get what you want’

 

Difficult re-cap to put together given the complex emotions and what-ifs that come with a semi-final loss but here we go! 

 

Winning the toss and bowling first the boys came back strong after some early resistance from the Briars openers, Noah’s golden arm (6 runs / hit wicket) triggering a second half collapse highlighted by some brilliant catches (Ollie S and Ted) and ending with a foxing run out by Noah and an emphatic return from Charlie rattling the pegs. Good all round contributions, with real depth to the bowling attack. 

 

The twist came with the batting - chasing a very gettable 90 to win, Moe and Joe got us off to a solid start before our luck deserted us and shone on our Concordian friends, Tyrone transforming into a caught and bowled machine. Big shout out to Charlie who batted bravely at the end but in the end to all our boys who can be justifiably proud with their efforts not only in this character building game, but over the whole (16 games!) season. 

 

Been a pleasure to coach them together with Dorny and the whole parent group, thanks to all and hopefully there’s a heartwarming season 2 to follow next year. Believe!


U13 Girls: LWCC (6-84) def. Carss Park Royals (3-83)


What a nail biter!


Carss Park came to the game in a competitive spirit, demanding that we include LBW as a dismissal option for the first time this season, and generally looking nervous. And that was just the parents!


Our captain Eva won the toss and elected to bowl. We were sharp today with the ball, with some good efforts from Charlotte 0-3 (3), Connie 0-2 (2 – 1 maiden), Sofia R 1-9 (3) – plus an excellent catch – and Eva 1-12 (2), with a great run out from Cate. Olivia and Carmen’s bowling was much improved too, and both Sharanya and Carmen did a fantastic job behind the stumps.


But Carss Park’s scoring was slow as boundaries were very hard to come by, and the additional drinks breaks in the heat made for a long innings.


We went into bat, led by Sharanya 5 (14) and Connie 17* (24), supported by Charlotte 8* (15) and Sofia R (7 (24). The team were all willing to hit the ball and were willing to push the run rate along but were defensive when required. Sofia C batted exceptionally well today for her 7 (14), Zoe scored a solid 3 (14), and Charlotte hit the winning run with 4 balls to spare.


Special thanks to Adam, Mike and Adam for umpiring in the heat, and Jen, Christine and Themi for scoring. And extra big thanks to Michael for bring an Esky full of ice blocks at the innings break!


The team should be proud that they came second in the competition, losing only one match along the way. They face off against Summer Hill in the Grand Final this Saturday.


Let’s do this girls!


U11 Girls Gold: LWCC (100) def. Marrackville (97)


Leichhardt Gold were a girl down through illness for the last game of the season. The girls encouraged Emilie Benn to stand in as captain for the day and she started by winning the bat toss and deciding to bowl first.


Charlotte Coad opened the bowling, followed by Lucille and Isobel, with all keeping Marrackville in check. Emilie took Gold's first wicket with her second ball. The good bowling continued, with Charlotte taking Gold's second wicket before drinks then Juno taking a third straight after drinks. Charlotte not satisfied with just one wicket, followed up with another two wickets in the last five overs to notch up her hat-trick for the game – well deserved for very consistent bowling. Gold's kept Marrackville to just 85 with 5 wickets taken with some great fielding.


As the very warm afternoon continued, Lucille and Juno opening the batting positively with good running to take Golds to 20. Next, Charlotte and Mihrimah efforts accelerated the Golds total with Mihrimah’s 22 runs the highest score of the game. Isobel and Emilie were in last to chase down the remaining runs.


In what seems to be a Gold tradition of nail biting finishes, with 2 overs remaining, Golds needed 9 runs to win (as long as they didn’t lose a wicket!). In the final over Emilie was left to face the final 6 balls needing just 3 runs which she notched up plus a few extras to take Golds to a well deserved win. A great result for a very good game. Well done girls!


U11 Girls Red: LWCC (92) def. by Summer Hill Blue (114)


U11 Girls Red played out a baking-hot classic against an improving Summer Hill team with some excellent individual performances from Leichhardt. The Reds batted first and struggled to get runs away against some accurate bowling; Ella top scored with 9 and all the girls chipped in well. The team bowled very well as a unit, with Ella taking 2 wickets to top her 9 runs and Zosia taking a tough caught-behind in her first time at wicketkeeper, on top of a sharp caught and bowled. A brilliant run out from Lucia was another highlight, but having reached 16 overs with the Reds slightly ahead, the last Summer Hill pair put on 28 runs to snatch the win from the jaws of defeat.


U13 Gold: LWCC (7-141) def. Easts Cheetahs (8-108)


We had to win the game to keep our finals hope alive and that we did.


Batting first Kurtis and Max guided us to 40 runs at a good rate, each retiring. Felix then fell victim to the best ball of the day, a cutting delivery clipping the top of off stump. Archer steadied the ship, scoring 36* (40), while Linus also batted well (18 (39)). Eamon was impressive in the anchor role, seeing the team accumulate the final 54 runs while at the crease, finishing on 13 (35).


As the team started to field the temperature was approaching 30 degrees.  


Most bowlers produced some excellent deliveries mixed in with some average ones. The heat was clearly hard to deal with and fatigue set in for most as they entered their third overs in their spells. Wickets went to Linus (1-11 off 3 overs), Archer (1-7 off 3 overs) and Max (1-14 of 3 overs). Felix was particularly damaging (2-14 off 4.1 overs) as was Conor (3-9 off 3 overs).


The victory celebration was soured by news that another result didn’t go our way this weekend, meaning we will miss the GF but instead play in the 3rd v 4th game next weekend.


Even so the boys should be proud of their achievements and development so far. They have all the attributes of an excellent and balanced cricket team.


 


 


 

We are Leichhardt Wanderers Through and Through!

 
 
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