Cricket Retirement Nine Ends, Effective Immediately

2nd Grade begins at Keith Grey Oval. Photo by Josh Simpson

Yes, I guess I have made a few "this is my last game/season" remarks in regard to cricket. Funnily enough, however, given that my body could stand up to the rigours it was going to face, I was keen to have another run around in the 2013/14 season. The chance to play a bit more cricket with my eldest nephew Zac, and possibly even some with Zac's younger brother Flynn, and one last chance for my own kids to see their old man do something useful and almost physical, meant that I was happy to have a run. i wasn't sure when that might occur, but as it turns out it happened a bit sooner than I expected.

2nd Grade started today, and through the week I was interested to see such names as Steve Norris, Jason Wills and Gavin Hartley all listed to play. At the time I thought, "Wow, it would be great to have a game with those guys again". In fact, it turned into quite a talking point on a post on Facebook late in the week. Then the offer came from skipper Dave Timbs to join the crowd, and I jumped at the chance.

The result? Well, the report is here to read if you are interested. I made five with the bat, felt comfortable, and then blew it by playing a rash shot. A shame really, but hopefully I can do better next week. With the ball, I got caned - 2 overs, 0/28 and at least three sixes over the fence. The kid who took me hit it cleanly, and they weren't all bad balls. Again, hopefully next week if I get the chance I can redeem myself. But the day was a joy, a lot of fun, just like the old days. No doubt it is going to hurt for a couple of days, but I hope I can get through more of this season, because I think we can have a successful one. But it will be fun.

Death to the Spirit of Cricket on the South Coast

Before the story commences, let us deal with the facts foremost:


Fact

Clause 3.4 of the S.C.D.C.A Competition Rules for 2012/13 states;

For the purpose of third and fourth grade semi finals and finals, a player shall be deemed to belong to that grade or team in which he played six of his last eight full competition matches. Where players have played less than eight full competition matches in that season, their eligibility to play in semi finals or finals must first, be confirmed by the Board.

And further;

Games played in the Association’s Competitions, (whether One or Two Day Matches) where competition points are to be allocated shall be deemed to be full competition matches.

A bye, forfeit or complete washout shall count as a qualifying game where the nominated team has been submitted on the match result form as detailed in Clause 6.2. A nominated twelfth man shall not count as a qualifying match under this clause.

For the purposes of this playing condition a ‘full game’ means when a player is listed on the Captain’s declared team sheet for a scheduled one day game or both days of a two day match (including where day one has been washed out and day two is played as a non scheduled one day game).

For Qualification purposes all selected teams will be Final and no changes to be made on My Cricket after match inputting has been made official on My Cricket, were teams have byes or washouts this will also apply, this will be monitored through My Cricket using the applications checklist.

This will also apply to teams having byes or washouts.

Fact

Clause 8.2.8 specifically states in regards to the use of an unqualified player;

Where a team plays an ineligible or unqualified player in a Semi Final or Final, the match will be awarded to the opposition.

Fact

Kiama 3rd Grade Gold had matches against Gerringong on Saturday February 2nd, 2013, and Albion Park on Saturday February 23rd, 2013 washed out without a ball being bowled.

For both of these matches, the selected team was sent by text message to all players in the days before the match was to commence.

Fact

In an oversight, for both of the above matches, the selected team was not inputted onto the MyCricket website.

Fact

On Saturday March 16, 2013, the 4th placed Kiama Gold 3rd Grade team defeated the minor premiers, Oak Flats by 110 runs to 96, in their semi-final at Oak Flats' home ground, Shane Lee Field.

Fact

Following the completion of this match, an Oak Flats player - not the Oak Flats Executive Committee - contacted an official of the S.C.D.C.A board, and asked for the result of the match to be overturned, as the Kiama team had allegedly fielded an unqualified player, as per Clause 3.4 of the Competition Rules for 2012/13.

Fact

Acting on this contact, the S.C.D.C.A overturned the result of the match, and ruled that Oak Flats would progress to the final of the 3rd Grade competition.

Once the dust has settled, it comes to light that, on the statistics available on the My Cricket website, a player that took the field for Kiama Gold in the semi-final had only had 6 matches registered to his name as having played during the season. As ruled in Clause 3.4, if this was the case, the Kiama Cricket Club would have had to ask for permission for that player to be eligible to play in the match. Where the confusion had lain was that, in the two matches that were washed out in February, that player had been named to play. With those matches being allowed to be included in the eligibility f a player for finals cricket, it meant that he had in fact 'played' eight matches during the season, and he was effectively qualified without having to ask for permission to play.

However, with those two teams not having been entered onto the MyCricket website, these two matches were not registered at an official level, which, according to Clause 3.4, was a necessity. As a result, acting on Clause 8.2.8, the match result was reversed.

The Kiama Cricket Club 3rd Grade Gold team has, for the past three years, been the breeding ground for the Kiama Cricket Club. Its charter has been based on older senior players mixing with Under 16 and Under 14 juniors in order to bring these kids into Grade cricket, learn the game under some senior players and yet still be competitive. It requires a large rotating of the player group, in order to give everyone a game. This season alone 22 players had a game in this team - not through necessity, but because of the format of the team. Next season it will hopefully be more, given the number of players graduating into Under 16's in 2013/14.

No one can suggest here that the initial fault of this situation lies anywhere but squarely at the feet of the Kiama Cricket Club. Last season, with the number of washouts that occurred, it was imperative that the teams that were chosen had to be emphasised on the MyCricket website, to ensure that the Club and the District could ascertain who was qualified for which Grade. As it turned out, with four Grades all playing semi-finals it didn't become a huge issue. But the fact that this occurred last season, and was assiduously performed at the time, meant that there is no excuse as to why it could not and should not have been correctly done this season - all the more so because without 1st and 2nd Grades making the finals this season, player eligibility was always a chance of becoming an issue. It was an oversight, and it has proven to be an expensive one.

Given all of these circumstances, even with text messages of chosen teams to use as evidence, no one could convincingly argue that the District should overrule themselves in a normal situation, and allow Kiama to play in the 3rd Grade final. According to all of the regulations as they are written, the District was well within its rights to do what they have done at the appeal against this decision by the Kiama Club.

But that is not the full story, and it is the underhanded, unsportsmanlike and villainous dealings that occurred BEFORE this match was played that need to be examined and aired, and then ruled upon in the same manner as those that have already been presented to you.

Sometime prior to this match commencing on Saturday afternoon, at least one senior and experienced Oak Flats player became aware of the team Kiama had chosen for the semi-final. Whether or not this was from the team being posted on the Kiama Cricket Facebook page at 8.56am on Saturday morning is not clear. From that information, at least one senior and experienced Oak Flats player garnered from what had been entered on the MyCricket website that, according to the figures, one Kiama player in the announced team list had not played enough matches to be considered as eligible to play semi-final cricket. With this in mind, at least one senior and experienced Oak Flats player made a call to at least one senior and long serving member of the Executive of the South Coast District Cricket Association (S.C.D.C.A). In the discussion that followed, the  board member of the S.C.D.C.A was made aware by the Oak Flats player of the apparent discrepancy in the matches played by the Kiama player. The Oak Flats player then allegedly asked the board member of the S.C.D.C.A whether they should inform the Kiama Club of this information. In return, the alleged reply from the board member of the S.C.D.C.A was "it is not up to us to sort these issues out, that is the Club's responsibility".

With this in mind, we now have a situation where at least one senior and experienced Oak Flats player, and at least one experienced and long-serving member of the Executive of the S.C.D.C.A, knew going into the semi-final between Oak Flats and Kiama that, no matter what the result turned out to be on the field, only one team would be able to progress to the final. Given that this is the case, it is almost impossible to believe that the majority of the Oak Flats team did not know about this on the day. Also, at one of the other semi-finals being played on the day, the member of the S.C.D.C.A Executive allegedly freely spoke of this information in front of other people, and was even quite flippant about the fact that the Kiama Club's 3rd Grade side might be playing their hearts out at that moment, but they had already cooked their goose. With this information, it is also difficult to believe that more people on the Executive had not already been told of this situation.

Which do you judge to be the greater of two evils?

Do you judge an experienced and long serving player, who knowingly went into a match with this information? That if they won fair and square, they deserved to be in the final - but if they lost, they could (and would) immediately appeal to the S.C.D.C.A to take the match away from their opponents because they had played an ineligible player? No doubt they would claim that they had informed the ruling body of the information they had discovered, and that their responsibility ended at that point, that it was not up to them to inform a fellow Club that this could happen.

Do you judge an experienced and long serving official of the S.C.D.C.A, who knowingly allowed a Club to choose and play a player who, with the information available to them, was to all intents and purposes ineligible? No doubt they would claim that they had competition rules in place to deal with the information they had discovered, and that their responsibility ended at that point, that it was not up to them to inform a Club under their jurisdiction that this could happen.

Why did no one - whether it be from those that discovered this information from Oak Flats, or from the District once they were informed of this information - attempt to contact the Kiama Cricket Club and question them?

In a best case scenario, the District and the KCC could have agreed, with the help of the text messages of teams, that the player in question was in fact eligible to play. Oak Flats could then have been informed of this decision, and the match could have progressed as it did, with the selected teams, and all ruled upon by the District.

In a worst case scenario, the District could have ruled that, despite the text messages of teams, the rules of the District had not been followed, and that the player was ineligible to play. In this instance, despite the fact there would have been grumblings, Kiama could have chosen a replacement player who WAS eligible, and the match could have been played where the end result would have been completed on the field, and not by disqualification and appeals and with the shattering of dreams of innocent kids who just want to play cricket.

How exactly would previous administrators of the S.C.D.C.A, respected and multi-honoured people like John O'Dwyer, Richard Boxsell and the late Athol Noble, who have dedicated their lives to the administration of the game of cricket on the South Coast, react when told that the current board (or, at least one member of that board) allowed a game to proceed in this fashion when they had information BEFORE IT WAS PLAYED that meant that there was a 50% probability that they would have to reverse the result of the match. That they allowed a game to proceed in the full knowledge that only one team could proceed to the final. That they allowed the game of cricket on the South Coast to be brought into a state of disrepute through their own inability or lack of desire to take a course of action that allowed both teams to play on an equal footing, not one where one of the teams could never advance. Is this how the District likes to run the game on the South Coast?

Some years ago, cricket at all levels brought in a preamble which was titled The Spirit of Cricket. In essence, this was to instil in all players, young and old, a sense of playing hard but fair, and that to treat the Game of Cricket with the respect it deserves.

I do not believe that there is one fair-minded person in the world, who watches or plays the game of cricket, that would agree with what has happened this past weekend in this country 3rd Grade semi-final fixture. Surely, there is not one person who believes that if a person or persons within a ruling body were aware that a team under its jurisdiction was about to play a match with an allegedly unqualified player, which in turn meant that the result of the match would become null and void should this team win the match, that they would allow this match to proceed without informing that team of the situation. Surely, there is not one fair-minded person who believes that if a person or persons from a rival Club is aware that the team they are about to play in a semi-final match is possibly about to use a player who may possibly be ineligible, that they would not share that information with that team prior to the toss being taken.

There has been zero respect shown to the Kiama Cricket Club, and in particular its 3rd Grade Gold cricket team, in this matter. An oversight on a website team list is now said to have cost them their season. Had this all been discovered the following day, when nothing could be done to change it, then this still would have been a terrible miscarriage of justice for this team. However, when it is discovered that this whole bad taste saga could have been avoided before it began, had someone - ANYONE - who knew of this situation before the match commenced come forward and made it be known, then all of this could have been avoided.

How much dignity and respect are you willing to lose in order to win at all costs? Is it worth being branded as poor losers, and have that stigma attached to you for years to come, just to have a chance to win a 3rd Grade premiership in country NSW cricket?

How much dignity and respect are you willing to lose in allowing a Club under your authority to mistakenly play a player who was allegedly ineligible? What kind of authority would ever do that, apart from one who perhaps felt vindictive against that Club, and took pleasure in seeing it have to go through this agony? What other reason would any organisation, with the knowledge they had before the event occurred, allow this game to commence under these circumstances.

At a time when it is increasingly difficult to encourage kids to play cricket when they have so many other pursuits to choose from, and to encourage adults to give up their entire Saturday to coaching and playing cricket, it is incidents like this that cruels that even further. No good at all has come from this incident. Not for the Kiama Cricket Club, who will lose disgruntled players who have sworn never to play a game of cricket under the current District board. Not for the juniors who played in that match, believing that they had made a Grade final on their own merits, but had it ripped away from them. Not for the Oak Flats Cricket Club, whose spirit of fair play has come into serious question. And certainly not for the District body, which must now live with the consequences of all of the actions that have occurred.

Debuts of Differing Degrees

Last weekend provided two players making their own debuts in the same 1st Grade match, but their fortunes couldn't have been any further apart, even if they had been stalking the poles at opposite ends of the world.

Brodie Billett has played 1st Grade cricket before, for his previous club of Oak Flats. The match against Lake Illawarra was, however, his first match for Kiama, and therefore his 1st Grade debut for Kiama. In his role as new 1st Grade keeper, he had done his work behind the stumps last weekend as Lake Illawarra batted through out the day. This week was his turn to do the job with the bat.

Walking out at 6/102 is not an easy proposition. 47 runs are still required to avert the follow on. Last season in 3rd Grade, Brodie scored over 700 runs. As anyone who has played 3rd Grade in recent seasons can attest, it is not a strong competition at the moment. Those runs were well made, but 3rd Grade is not 1st Grade, and facing Mark Ulcigrai is not like facing medium paced 3rd Grade attacks. Facing his first ball for Kiama, Brodie found it crashing into his pads, and the dreaded finger was raised. A golden duck on debut. Not one for the scrapbook.

Later in the day, Kiama are getting a second chance at the crease thanks to Lake Illawarra's generosity at enforcing the follow-on. This time, due to Ryan Gunning's injured toe, Brodie steps out at 5/70, and with some work to do to tie up the day. He walks to the crease, and looks up to find Mark Ulcigrai at the top of his run. No doubt thoughts of his dismissal from a couple of hours previous start flashing in his head. You tell yourself to play this ball differently, to avoid the mistakes you have made in that first innings. Then, before you know it, "Ulci" is at the umpire, and the ball is upon you. The ball again crashes into your pad, and no doubt Brodie is fearing the worst as the Lake team goes up in unison. Looking up at the umpire, seeing the finger rise into the air, did he instantly realise that not only has he picked up his second golden duck of the day, that it now transforms into a King Pair? Is there a worse feeling in cricket? Who can say. One thing is for certain - Brodie won't forget his debut for Kiama for a long time, nor will he be allowed to forget it by his teammates.

A king pair on debut, both dismissals LBW. That's got to be difficult to take. Or would you consider it to be a worse situation for Josh Elliott? In both innings in that 1st Grade match, Josh walked to the wicket following Brodie's dismissal, and both times had to face a hat-trick delivery. Certainly he would have copped some ribbing in the first innings, but you can only imagine the jovality that was happening on the field as Josh walked out to "Groundhog Day" in the second innings. "Don't drive angry Josh! Side of your eye... side of your eye..."

One person who knows all about being dismissed leg before wicket is Greg Norris. In the 2010-11 season, Greg was dismissed LBW nine times, a Club and possibly word record. Having received some gentle serves about this during the off season, no doubt Greg was looking forward to keeping away from any such jokes in the new season. This was unfortunately put to rest in the first innings of the 2nd Grade game against Lake Illawarra, when he was dismissed... yes... LBW... for 9 runs.

Last weekend, after a great bowling effort, Kiama required only 15 runs to win their match outright. Opening the batting, with little to gain and plenty to lose, Greg was the subject of two huge appeals early on, both of which were denied by the umpire. However, when yet another ball stayed a little low and again found its target (Greg's front pad) it was more than the umpire could withstand, and he indicated to all yet another LBW against the G-Man.

Is the record in danger? After one round, two batsmen have two LBW dismissals - although if a countback is held, then surely Brodie will win for his two first ballers. 

The competition this season looks as though it will be fierce. Perhaps a new trophy will need to be struck on Presentation Night to record this great competition.

One of the better stories of the week involves Anthony Mortimer. Having last weekend - and let's not mince words here - carried on like a goose in a trial match at Northern Districts, Morty received a dressing down over his actions during the week. While it was acknowledged that he had the skills to be a very good cricketer, his attitude in certain situations was becoming his downfall. Morty accepted the consequences for his actions, apologised and promised to do better.

On Thursday, with other players proving unavailable, Morty was chosen to replace Ryan Price for the second week of the 1st Grade match, in essence being picked for his 1st Grade debut. He repaid the faith of the selectors and the board by putting in a very credible effort. He took a catch in the field, and then backed that up by scoring 29 in the first innings (3rd top score) and then another 20 in the second innings (2nd top score). What was even more impressive is that everyone spoke positively of his attitude and determination during the day.

Through this unusual set of circumstances, perhaps Kiama has not only found a good 1st Grade cricketer, but a good cricketer has found out just how to make himself into an asset for his Club, both on and off the field. For everyone involved, let's hope this is the case.

Local Derby II: Blue v Gold 12-3-11, Revenge of the Nerds

It has been said that revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, once again Bonaira Street served up a 30+ degree day to perhaps thwart the efforts of the Kiama Gold Academy team in their quest to exact revenge for their second-last ball loss to their Kiama Blue counterparts in the first round.

It is probably not worth recording anymore that Joe Murphy won the toss for the 72nd consecutive occasion, and chose to bat for the 72nd consecutive occasion. Having lost two regulars in Jan Haubruck and Gavin Hartley to 2nd Grade the Academy side was again not at full strength, while the Blues were fielding possibly their strongest contingent.

The Blues got on top early, thanks to their regular opening partnership of Mark Thistlethwaite and Michael Hook. Joe found himself adjudged LBW to Hooky early on, new number three Frej Ulfsson deceived by Thissy, and Matt Clapham also falling to the sliding deliveries of Michael Hook.
At 3/25 the innings was decidedly shaky. Matt Price arrived to restore some stability and substance to the innings. Anthony Mortimer was introduced from the Kendall’s end to replace Hooky and Ethan McIntosh arrived at the East’s end to replace Thissy. It was my first time to face both.
Morty was immediately impressive. He has a good run into the wicket, good power at gather and release, and excellent shape away with the ball. His first over was too wide of off stump which cost him a couple of boundaries, but he quickly realigned his radar, and homed in on the stumps. At good pace and that shape that didn’t fade throughout his ten over spell, he was the most impressive of the Blues bowlers on the day. Very handy.
Ethan I’d seen a bit of in the nets, but never actually faced. When his first ball swung in and thumped into my pads before my bat had reached halfway on the downswing, it was an eye-opening beginning. His first couple of overs, though, were also wayward, and his figures suffered initially because of it. However, as he is wont to do, he produced an absolute cracker from out of nowhere, a ball that pitched on middle and cut in viciously to cartwheel Matt’s leg stump, ending what had looked like being a dangerous partnership.

John Watts strode to the crease at this point. It had been probably close to 16 years since I had last batted with John, and I can only say that I had been looking forward to the opportunity. You can’t learn more about batting than sharing a partnership with Wattsy.
Meanwhile, the Blues continued to frustrate themselves, with some close decisions going to the batting team (correctly, may I say, though some may consider me to be biased on that point) and a rash of catches going begging. Perhaps it was like boy scouts being kind to senior citizens, because chances were being offered, which the fielding team felt obliged to politely turn down on numerous occasions.
As the partnership continued to blossom, so did John’s stroke-making. It is a delight to watch John when he is in full flight. His technique remains as solid as ever, and his shots are just classical. There weren’t so many of the glides through gully or cover driving as there was in his halcyon era, but the off and on drives for four and six, and the pulling to the square leg boundary was magnificent to watch. While some hack at the other end swung like a rusty gate, John just flowed into his strokes and made the art of batting look like a breeze.

After the culmination of the fifth wicket partnership that realised 110 runs, John continued on with the effervescent Reece Conley who played the best innings I have seen from him this season. With only a few overs to face, he looked to get John on strike, but also played some terrific attacking shots of his own, striking the ball immaculately. It was exactly the finish the team needed, and he can be proud of his short and undefeated innings. Reece finished not out, while John continued his rich vein of form, remaining not out for yet another half century for Kiama in a master class of batsmanship. Kiama Gold had rallied to post 5/192 off their fifty overs.

Moving into the field, the instructions remained as always – bowl full and straight, cut off all possible singles, and we would go a long way towards winning the match. The Blues were confident of chasing down the total – they had certainly said so during our innings. Adam Czulowski and Vaughan Thistlethwaite opened the batting against Frej and Mitch Nevins.
Despite a stuttering run up almost reminiscent of a young Daniel Reilly, Frej was bowling his usual tight lines and reasonable length, bottling up the Kendall’s end nicely. From the East’s end, Mitch again exhibited his wonderful left arm in swing, though again his length was erratic. A great ball beating the outside edge would be followed by a short ball ripe for pulling. Adzy proved the most attacking of the opening pair, putting a couple of balls to and over the square leg boundary. He was also the benefactor of a couple of dropped chances, before finally snicking one through to Reece off Mitch to fall after a quickfire opening.

Jake Ashley and Steve Brown replaced the opening bowlers, with varying degrees of success. Jake continued his typical line and length attack, whilst being able to move the ball both ways. It served its purpose beautifully against Chris Park, who was happy to leave two consecutive outswingers, only to be brought undone by the inswinger Jake delivered to him next ball, and found his defence wanting. Vaughan Had again batted patiently before also falling victim to Jake's variations.

Brad Church and Russell Park had been brought together, and they began their own unique ways of combating the bowling and the target – Brad began to pummel the ball to long on and long off and deep square, while Russell punched for the gaps and took quick singles at a whim. The cessation came when Russell missed a full toss that struck him in front of middle stump, leaving his future in the hands of Frank Weir. Having taken his time to judge that the ball was definitely missing off and leg stumps his finger (perhaps somewhat reluctantly) was raised in affirmation of the appeal.
Tragically for the Blues, and great news for the good guys, Brad then holed out to Frej at long on in Jake’s next over, and the game was back in the balance at 5/110. Still, even at this stage, it was obvious to the Gold team that we had to bowl out our opponents, or they would win. It was highly improbable that we could restrict them under our total without doing so.

Morty and Brendan Czulowski were now together, and they worked to boost the total without creating too much risk. Sensibly they looked to keep the good balls out while taking advantage of anything loose or wide. Morty fell to a catch by Joe at first slip to put paid to that partnership, and Brendan fell trying to force the pace to a shockingly short and wide delivery from Frej, testament again that crap bowling sometimes becomes the wicket-taking deliveries.

Jake and Nudge returned for the final act with the four bowlers left to bat for the Blue team. Frank had arrived at the wicket with Russell umpiring with an already raised finger in an amusing sidenote in a fiercely fought battle. Along with Mark Thistlethwaite these two continued to nudge and punch the ball around in the search for runs, with the run rate required having now climbed to more than five per over in the last ten overs. Jake’s line and length was immaculate, and he deservedly picked up his fourth wicket for the innings by snaring Frank simply by drying up all scoring options. At the other end, one might say that Nudge was having some trouble finding his line and length. However, the magic returned as new batsman Hooky tried to pull one to leg, only to have ball snick the back of his bat and lodge safely in Reece’s gloves for a fine keeper’s catch.

Nine wickets down now, and still some runs to get, and the Gold side held its nerve as they fought for that final wicket. It came in the next over, as Jake was able to beat the stubborn Thissy’s prodding bat and remove his off stump. Jake did his best Shoaib Ahktar aeroplane impression having snared his fifth wicket of the innings, and the Gold’s had levelled the local derby up at one apiece with a (35) runs victory.

The Blue side was certainly not disgraced, and will no doubt be ruing their dropped catches. As with our first clash, it was an enjoyable day’s cricket with good spirit yet competitive nature all the way through. I can guarantee you it feels much better to win this time than in losing in the first round.

For our guys, John Watts was superb with the bat in setting up the big total. Reece Conley, as I mentioned previously, played the best innings I’ve seen from him, but it was his keeping that was the most impressive. I can only think of three occasions when he mis-gloved the ball, he took three catches, and was good on his feet. I don’t think it was a coincidence that his best day in the blue and gold cap in Seniors came when he hadn’t spent the entire morning playing junior cricket. Jake Ashley’s bowling was again spot on, rarely giving the batsmen any width to hit, and ensuring that when they missed, he hit. His five wicket haul was fully deserved, and was as important as Wattsy’s runs in the victory. The fielding, despite a few missed catches, was also improved. Nudge even brought out the "Lakers Slide” on at least one occasion, which brought the comment from Joe and John that “you can take the boy out of the Lake, but you can’t take the Lake out of the boy”.

A special note of thanks to all of the spectators, especially the continued support from those up on “Go Go” Hill, who cheered almost every run, wicket and saved run in the field.

With one round to go, if we can beat Gerringong next week we will finish second on the table. If we lose, we could finish second or third depending on the result of the Oak Flats and Kiama Blue match. In either scenario, it looks like we will play our semi-final at Bonaira Street, a huge advantage for us.

Now to see if I can unlock this left knee and sew this Achilles tendon back into place before next Saturday…

Kiama Academy v Oak Flats

I'd like to tell you a story - of David vs Goliath, of the White Knight vs the Dragon. It's a story of heroes and of amazing deeds. Where names like Matthew Clapham, Jan Haubruck, Jake Lee, Reece Conley and Tom Dowd will shine like diamonds.

OK, so it was just a cricket match, but it was one like I have never experienced before, and in many ways I never wish to experience again.

The Kiama 3rd Grade Gold (Academy) side travelled to Bonaira Street Oval to take on Oak Flats - the current premiers, the current leaders, and having only lost one game this season, to our Blue brothers before the Xmas break. The day was quite ridiculous. I have no idea what the temperature made it to, but I've never played at Bonaira Street when there has not been a breath of wind, and none made its presence felt until well after 5pm that day. Drinks breaks were taken every 10-12 overs, and both umpires held bottles of water for batsmen and fielders alike - something I have ever experienced on a cricket field. One of the toughest days weather-wise I have ever played.

Joe again gave us the perfect start by winning the toss and batting. General consensus was that if we batted out our 50 overs and made around 150 we would be in a good position. Despite the early loss of Reece Conley to a good outswinger, the innings moved forward slowly and steadily with Gary Koks and Jan Haubruck. The bowling was tight, but the batsmen took no risks and squeezed out runs where possible in the stifling heat. The conclusion of the opening salvos from the Rats young fast bowlers brought a change with instant results. The score had reached 1/42 when Nick Maloney began from the Kendall's End, and who then snared Gary for 23, Jani for 13 and Joe for 14 in a period of three overs. Add to this the run out of Jake Ashley for a duck, and Kiama had lost four wickets for just the addition of 14 runs, leaving the team slumped at 5/56.
Enter Matt Clapham, nerveless and seemingly untroubled by the daunting scenario. He was immediately at ease, and dominated the partnership of 48 for the sixth wicket. He picked the right ball to hit, pouncing on the short ball from the off spinner, as well as thumping him over long on for six. He also played the Rats best and paciest bowler, Peter Dalley, well, nudging him around the corner for singles, and keeping out the good deliveries. It was certainly the best innings I have seen Matt play.
The second drinks break was a much required pitstop for the batsmen and fielding team, but it also proved to be Kiama's undoing, with the five remaining wickets falling for just ten runs upon resumption. Matt's 23 was equal top score of the innings and was fully deserved.

Though the total of 114 did appear to be 20 or 30 runs short of what was required, Joe's message of "they still have to make them" rang in the team's ears as they took the field. Early wickets appeared to be the key, as it was obvious that Oak Flats would go at the total hard to try and wipe it out as quickly as possible. This they did in the first three overs, as poor Mitch Nevins channelled the spirit of his namesake Mitch Johnson, and couldn't get the ball to behave. The Rats batsmen took advantage, racing to 0/26 off the first four overs. A wicket in the fifth over helped to settle down the run rate, and the Oak Flats batsmen set themselves to see off Gavin Hartley without forfeiting their wickets. When the first drinks break was taken the score had reached 1/54, and the batsmen appeared in control.

However, the drinks break struck again, with four wickets falling for just a single run, revitalising the match as a contest. Dowell and Morrow were dismissed in the same over, before Matt Clapham, who had replaced Gavin at the Kendall's End, took two wickets in two deliveries - the skipper MacPherson caught well down the leg side by Jani (who had taken the keeping gloves at the drinks break), and then trapping the dangerous Brad Morey LBW for a golden duck (though the batsman claimed to have edged it, and from side on he was a looooong way down the wicket. Having said this, the umpire gave him out quickly and without fuss, so it must have been pretty plumb). Oak Flats had crumbled to 5/59, and the whole atmosphere of the game changed with it. Now, rather than taking on the bowling the batsmen had to exercise some caution, or risk losing more wickets in the short term. This they did, with Billet looking to be the more aggressive when possible. When the second drinks break was taken they had consolidated their position, and after 27 overs they were 5/81, still 34 runs from victory, but with enough overs left to do it comfortably.

More change was necessary, with Jani taking off the pads so he could take up the attack from the Kendall's end with his leg spin, and Joe becoming the third keeper for Kiama for the afternoon. With Jani and Jake Ashley bowling in tandem runs were still not flowing, and it was obvious that this was becoming a problem for Billet. Finally he could take no more, and tried to put Jani over the fence at long on. He was beaten in the flight however, and only managed to sky the ball about a thousand metres in the air, to where Jake Lee was perched at a regulation mid-on. The ball was in the air for about thirty seconds, while Jake set himself underneath its flight. Then (somewhat strangely) he hopped in the air three times as he waited for the ball to descend. After an eternity the ball returned to earth - straight into the middle of Jake's hands, completing a brilliant catch. Kiama erupted, both on the field and from the sidelines. It brought to an end a terrific innings from Billet, who had batted for over 30 overs in the fiercest heat to score 44 runs.

With the mainstay of the innings gone, the pressure fell back on the Oak Flats team, and their indecision meant that the runs had dried up almost completely. Jake was again bowling a good tight spell, and was eventually rewarded with the wicket of Dalley late in his spell. The score was now 7/96.
In the next seven overs, only 6 runs were added as the game tightened up even further. Eight overs to go, 12 runs to win and three wickets in hand. Joe had by now brought the field in, meaning it was difficult to find any runs. With Jake Ashley's spell of six overs at an end, Matt came back on from the Easts Beach end, and immediately broke through by picking up Herbert, and at 8/102 the good guys were still in it.

Enter Nick Maloney, who only ever plays one way, and he deposited his first ball over cover for four. Another slash went in the air, rocketing towards the mid on boundary. At regulation mid-on, Reece Conley ran, dived full length airborne, getting his right hand to the ball, but unable to hold what would have been an absolute screamer of a catch. Though the wicket may not have been taken, Reece's great effort had saved three runs, as there would have been no hope of cutting off the boundary if it had gotten past him. And at that stage of the match, three runs saved was worth a fortune...

45 overs gone, Oak Flats are four runs from victory, Kiama are two wickets from victory. Jan Haubruck commences his tenth and final over. He has bowled beautifully, getting good turn and bounce, flighting the ball perfectly. He admits later that it was almost impossible for him to keep throwing the ball up there, feeling that he should be darting it in to the batsmen. Fortunately he fought his instincts and bowled exactly as a leg spinner must to the tail - try to tempt them into false shots. He has beaten the bat a dozen times for no reward, and yet he continues to give the ball air. His second ball tempts Maloney into a big drive, which is edged to where a wide 2nd slip may have been. The ball rushes away, and the batsmen look for two. At deep point, Tom Dowd, who has again excelled in the field as he did against Gerringong in December, rushes around. As the batsmen turn and confirm their intentions for two, Tom picks up and throws almost in one action, sends the ball careering into keeper Murphy's gloves, and the bails are taken with Maloney about 15 centimetres short of his ground. A brilliant piece of fielding has brought about an almost incalculably valuable run out, and Oak Flats are 9/112.

You almost had to feel for Brownlee as he comes to the crease. He has taken 5/16 with the ball, and now must try to find the three runs required for victory with the bat. You could sense his nerves. For Kiama, Joe decides to keep all of the field up to make the batsmen try and hit the ball over the top. Gutsy. Jani also continues to toss the ball up to the batsman, tempting him like the snake with the apple in the garden of Eden. Gutsy. Two balls are thrown up, and the batsman is beaten prodding. Anguish amongst the Kiama team.
The fifth ball is a gem, well flighted and pitched, drawing the batsman down the wicket in an attempt to get at it. The ball dips, hits the pitch and rips past the bat into the waiting gloves of Joe Murphy, who crashes the stumps down in earnest, and the game is over. Kiama win by two runs, in a game that many of us will remember for a long time to come.

Stars are everywhere. Gavin Hartley's great bowling is complemented by his efforts in the field, with one attempted catch going wrong as he rolled over the ball, causing what must have been a very painful crack in the spine and kidney area. Jake Lee's marvellous catch. Reece Conley's save at mid-on, that turned out to be a match-saving one. Tom Dowd's fantastic run out under enormous pressure. Jake Ashley's solid six over spell of bowling at the most important stage of the match. Matt Clapham's fantastic all round effort with bat, ball and in the field. Gary Koks fielding in just about every position on the field throughout the 46 overs. Jani being good with the gloves, and exceptional with the ball.
And a special mention to the captain. Once again Joe was cool under pressure, almost always pulling the right rein at the right time with both bowling options and field placements. He took a catch at first slip, catches as keeper and the final wonderful stumping. There is not a better person in this Club that our 15 to 17 year olds can learn from about the game of cricket. There is at least one 41 year old in the Club who is still learning from him, and admiring his ability to make this team as competitive and tough as it is.

In the toughest conditions that I have played in, Kiama Gold move to within one game of first place in the 3rd Grade competition. Special thanks should also go to our hardy supporters, especially Brendan and Adam, Brad and Ernie and Morty, who spent all or most of the day at the game helping us get home, and Pearso who made sure he got there to mark out the boundaries etc.

Kiama Academy v Jamberoo

On what will probably turn out to be the hottest day of the summer, the Kiama 3rd Grade Academy side travelled to the sweltering cavern of Keith Irvine Oval to take on the Jamberoo team in the first match of 2011. Though missing a couple of key players (batting, bowling and wicket-keeping options) the Kiama side were cautious but optimistic against their 10th placed opposition.

Skipper Joe Murphy again managed to win the toss and bat, giving Kiama the upper hand immediately. Gary Koks, facing the possibility of picking up the nickname "Audi" if he managed to register a fourth successive duck, was beaten by the first ball he faced (a pretty handy away swinger on a good length) but then slogged into the gap to get off zero and put his mind at ease. With this challenge completed, he moved on his merry way before edging behind for a quickfire 25. Quickly to follow was Jan Haubruck, who mistimed a sharply rising short ball to top-edge to square leg. Another good partnership developed between opening bat Liam Case and Joe Murphy. Joe played in his usual upbeat fashion before holing out to deep mid-wicket for 29, and in the same over Liam's excellent innings also ended when he played with hard hands to short mid-wicket. Liam had played well on a difficult field to penetrate for runs, particularly middling his pull shot with regularity.
At 4/76 the innings was evenly poised. Enter Jake Ashley, who played what I consider to be one of the smartest innings I have seen from the team this season. The slow outfield meant that it wasn't easy to penetrate for more than singles, but he played each ball on its merits, and took into account the fact that if runs were flowing from one bowler, it wasn't necessary to take risks at the other end. He dabbed the ball short when the field was back, and called for quick singles as a result, without taking risks on big extravagant shots. He played nice drives, some good cut shots, and worked the ball off his pads excellently. His valuable efforts ensured a fifth wicket partnership of 88, which got the team into a position of strength before his dismissal for an excellent 24.
Closing off the innings with style was Gavin Hartley's 40 off about 20 balls, including four sixes and two fours. His clash with elder brother Merrick brought the large crowd to its feet, especially when Mez's last ball was deposited into the neighbouring house's front (not back) yard. Bickering from the crowd over the huge six saw Mez reply "Hey! I kept him off strike for this over! I did my job!" (hard to fault really). A bit of indoor cricket skills, where a three was almost completed from a shot that went about six metres concluded Kiama's innings at 9/219 off 50 overs.

With a good total to defend, the reshuffled bowling attack set about getting into the Jamberoo batsmen. Both wickets and runs were hard to come by. 2011 was met with the first surprise - Maxy Fitzsimmons has developed a run up! Of at least six paces too! After getting over this shock, we met with pleasure his full delivery that rapped the opening batsmen on the foot, and our shouts for LBW being rewarded with the umpire's finger being raised.
After the opening pair's initial spell was extinguished they were replaced by the Two Jakes (not the movie starring Jack Nicholson), Lee and Ashley. Jake Ashley backed up his great batting with another fine spell of medium pace bowling, swinging the ball both ways in a manner that would have shamed the Australia bowling attack. Though he went unrewarded with six overs costing just 14 runs, he beat the bat often and put a real clamp on the Jamberoo batsmen. At the other end, Jake Lee (not Jake E Lee who played guitar on two albums for Ozzy Osbourne in the mid-1980's) tossed up his tempting off break floaters, and caused mayhem early. Having had a look at the first ball pass him by, Mr N Smith duly charged the second ball, gave a long groan as the ball passed his bat and gave stand-in keeper Jan Haubruck about two hours to take the bails off to complete the stumping. After a few lofted shots, a couple of overs later Mr D Smith played almost the exact same shot for the same result.
A partnership developed from this point, and though not a particularly fast-paced one, it was an annoying one for the Kiama lads who were hoping to wrap up a quick victory. Given the miserable efforts from the over aged leg spinner who had replaced JA at the northern end this probably was not surprising. Once Pig had completed his great spell from the southern end (2/38 from 10 overs) he was replaced by Josh Simpson, who proceeded to bowl the spell of the day. Bowling at a good pace with an excellent line and length, Josh finally put an end to Pat Hardman's innings and Kiama's agony by ripping his off stump out of the ground. Josh proved to be almost impossible to get away, and finished his six over stint with 1/11, and an impressed audience.
Given Jamberoo's reluctance to push harder for a victory, Liam Case came on to show off his own spinning wares. Though a nervous first over was pinched for ten runs, he picked up a wicket with his final ball in that over. With his nerves gone, he finished bowling three overs for the fine figures of 2/15, and impressed with his own style of spin bowling. There might be a drought of spin bowlers in the higher grades at the moment, but in a few years we'll be like Sri Lanka picking four in each team!
After the customary one over per season from Gary Koks (including some dodgy leg spinners, may I say...), Jamberoo finished at 7/158 off their fifty overs, leaving a tired but happy Academy team as winners by 61 runs.

Once again, the kids did themselves proud, and the elders managed to survive another 100 over Saturday (though I haven't moved without pain for 48 hours).

Kiama Academy v Kiama Blue - Derby I

Well... I suppose someone has to write something about this game, though 20 hours after the completion of the game my left knee has locked up and the result still lays heavy in the heart.

The game could not be faulted, as I suppose the result shows. The fact that the game was won off the second last ball with nine wickets down should show how tight and tense it became.

I thought winning the toss and batting was a big bonus for us. The outfield was dead slow, however, and we just couldn't get away to a target that was formidable enough to defend comfortably.

I thought the Blues bowling was superb. Mark and Hooky bowled great line and length, giving nothing away, and especially with the slow outfield the batsmen were lucky if they could find a single. Steve Hudson and Matt Clapham batted well, and in the long run lost their wickets more out of frustration than anything else.
Chris Park and Frank Weir were also terrific, changing their pace well which made it even more difficult to score under the conditions. It is still an underrated ability to bowl good medium pace with a bit of swing or seam, and both these two guys did it perfectly. With our young blokes looking for quick runs in the final ten overs, no better example could be made for the success of bowling straight and full in those final overs than Chris' bowling figures of 7/30. He bowled perfectly for the situation and fully deserved his success.
Special mention too to the other two bowlers for the Blues. It was the first time I had faced both Vaughan Thistlethwaite and Adam Czulowski, and both bowled well. Vaughan was quicker than I expected, and he bowled good line and length. He has something. Adzy also bowled a good spell when i was required in the middle of the innings.

For our guys, Jani played the most responsible innings I have seen from him. He picked the right ball to hit on most occasions, and didn't allow any frustration at the slow outfield to discourage his batting. It was only when we reached the final ten overs, and required a kick along that he took some risks, and was eventually dismissed. His 26 was worth at least 50 to our team in those conditions.
The ever reliable Jason Wills top scored with 31, and played his usual hand, scoring quickly at a time when the team needed a lift.
With Jani and Jason getting the team to the 41st over before being dismissed, the kids batting lower had no chance to play themselves in, and as a result their scores bear no reflection on their ability. They all took on the role without any thoughts of their own 'stats' which was gratifying.

112 mightn't look like many, but conditions were the same for both sides, and the message to our guys was that singles would be difficult, and that if we kept the pressure on we could get our opponents to make the mistakes.

This was also the first time I had seen Mitch Nevins bowl, and he was pretty impressive. He bowled full and straight, and gave nothing away. Given that, as with all our kids, they can only bowl short spells, it was unfortunate for our side when he had to be relieved after his 5 overs cost just 5 runs.
Maxy Fitzsimmons replaced him, and saw two of his first three balls go for four to the deep fine boundary. Next ball, he plucked out Chris park's off stump. Smiling all the way, Maxy could only say "I can't believe he took those two balls from off stump for four!!" Maxy bowled well until he had some no ball trouble in his fifth over that then seemed to take his concentration.

The next two wickets were identical. The Blues had already had a couple of flirtations with run outs on the slow outfield, where direct hits would have seen them out. Their luck couldn't hold (we told ourselves in the field) and sure enough, Tim Delaney hit a ball toward cover and straight away. Matt Clapham dived superbly at cover, stopped the ball and fom his knees threw the ball to keeper Jan Haubruck to complete a brilliant run out of Ernie Church. Two overs later, and new batsman Vaughan Thistlethwaite played the exact same shot... for the exact same result, this time Tim being the victim. Terrific stuff. Matt has proven himself to be one of the best fieldsmen inthis Academy team, and thes two run outs were as good as I have seen in a number of years.

At 3/21 we had our noses in front, but a great partnership of 65 for the fourth wicket changed all that. Brad Church summed up after about an over that hitting the ball along the ground was going to result in no runs, and correctly began to go the aerial route instead. Moving around his crease, picking the right ball to hit, and also seizing upon gaps inthe field to pick up easy singles, he changed the course of the match. He was well supported by Vaughan, who was keeping the ball along the ground, but keeping out the good balls and turning over the singles when he could.

Jake Ashley had replaced Maxy at the Kendall's end, and took a bit of tap in two overs from Churchy. However, he continued to bowl straight and full and gave nothing easy away, and he came back from this really well. He could easily have let it slip away, but he fought back well and continued to ask questions of the batsmen. Very impressive.

With the last throw of the dice we brought Gavin Hartley back into the attack, and he got Chruchy to tickle one down legside that was well caught by keeper Haubruck. Jani was going to be one of our bowling weapons, but with the late defection of our regular keeper (and is it true he ditched us to go on a camping trip? If so, he may struggle to come straight back into a side where everyone else is keen every week... anyway... I digress...) he filled in more than admirably with the gloves. In particular his keeping to myself and jason was excellent.
Anyway...
Next ball Hooky lost his middle stump, and suddenly our guys knew we were back in with a sniff of victory, and they lit up again.

The guy who now had the most pressure on him was Jake Lee. I had left him late, more through necessity, but now he was going to have to bowl his off spin at the death. And he did so absolutely superbly. He showed no fear, he tossed the ball up to the bat, and asked questions of al the batsmen. Given the situation of the game, his spell was the one that impressed me the most all day. he may not have taken a wicket in his 6 overs, but bowling in tandem with the veteran Wills at the other end, he kept the pressure on and wasn't afraid to give the ball air. Great stuff.

At Jase's end, wickets were tumbling, but we were never able to convincingly stop the flow of runs as well. Vaughan was terrific and solid, though I felt we were a chance to get him through inexperience... until his father came in to bat, pulled him aside and gave him some encouragement. I didn't hear what was said, but I can guess that it was "don't throw your wicket away, we can get this in singles" or something along those lines.

Anyway... into the last over, just Vaughan and the almost immortal Frank Weir at the crease, and we had tied them down until the second last ball, when Vaughan calmly took a step down the wicket and hit the ball straight down the ground to the unprotected bounday for four, and the game was lost (or won, depending on your colour allegiance).

It had been a terrific game. I was, and am, tremendouly proud of the effort our guys put in. We were pretty much behind all day, but were never out of the contest. Apart from maybe four or five overs during the Church/Thistlethwaite partnership, our guys were up and and the ball, keen and sharp. Steve, Jason and Gavin were terrific, unflappable under the difficulty of the chase, and were constantly upbeat and helping the young guys stay focused. Jake Ashley and Matt Clapham in particular were great in the field, and Jani terrific with the gloves on. More than anything, we had taken on a side that made the semi-finals last season in Third Grade, and fought them to the wire. For our young blokes, they did themselves proud.

To Brendan and his boys go my congratulations. It was a competitive game with neither side giving any quarter - but without the nastiness you get when playing certain other teams. With so many kids on both sides playing well, our Club's future would appear bright.

And just in case you are wondering... despite all this glowing optimism and back slapping - yes, losing did hurt. Moreso when I got to the Club, as the only 3rd Grader, and the skipper of the losing team, and everyone asking "What happened in 3rds?" i got sick of that after about 65 seconds. Once I had gotten home and kicked the dog and smashed the washing machine with my bat I guess a little bit of the frustration leaked out...

I'm already ensuring I am available for the rematch in March. We may have lost this one, Blue Team, but we'll get you next time! *shakes fist defiantly*

3rd Grade Academy vs Albion Park

Another steamy day made itself available to the Kiama Gold Academy 3rd Grade side as they looked to add yet another victory to their season over the Albion Park side.
From all reports, Albion Park won the toss and decided to bat, and quickly had their most experienced and dangerous batsman Trevor Horton back in the pavilion bowled by Frei Ulfsson. This was all news to me as I arrived at the ground at 12.42pm following various traffic incidents and the necessity to drop off my daughter at her grandparents before entering the fray (no pun intended).

Once back on the field, I admired the salvos of both Frei and the revitalised Gavin Hartley, who pounded in off his five steps, swung the ball both ways and generally caused mayhem amongst the ill-equipped Albion Park batsmen.
Frei's six over spell produced another great return of 1/10 and again it was his impeccable line and length that was the standout. Replacing him was Max Fitzsimmons. When I was asked by three separate players beforehand "Have you seen Maxy's run up?" I was expecting something long and extravagant. No... the two foot shuffle-and-sling caught me right off-guard. However - it was effective for most of his spell. As with all sling actions, they can go a little astray, but overall he bowled well, and caught the edge of one batsman to snare a wicket to another good catch from keeper Reece Conley.
Meanwhile, Albert had finished his ten over stint for a miserly 4/16, and was replaced by the looping off spin of Jake Lee from the southern end. It seemed that he had everyone in a spin. Following a ball that passed down legside and about three metres past Reece, the batsmen took off for a single. Quick as a flash, skipper Joe Murphy was around from first slip and had the ball in hand, and threw down the stumps at the strikers end almost before the batsmen had crossed. The question of "who called that?" was met by Joe's reply "No run there... not on my arm!" which did not receive the gales of laughter it deserved (though there was some question as to whether he was aiming for the stumps at the other end when he threw the ball...). This was met by Jake picking up a leading edge next ball, and Jan's catch completing the wicket.
Brought on with the wind to ensure his deliveries reached the other end, the team's ageing leg-spinner managed to grab a couple of late wickets whilst terrorising his wicket-keeper, who resorted to his helmet after four deliveries. Albion Park was dismissed for 69.

Ryan Gunning then met the opening bowlers salvo with one of his own, dispatching deliveries to all parts of the field in compiling 27 before edging to the keeper. His opening partner Liam Case looked assured and confident, before losing his head and trying to slog a ball on his middle stump, with the expected result. Jan Haubruck started confidently, and while finishing on 23 not out played a couple of inexperienced shots that could have cost him his wicket to a better side. With better concentration he will score more runs in the coming weeks. Joe Murphy played a blinder for his 7 not out, an innings that he will no doubt be very proud of. The game concluded just before 3.00pm, with the elder participants able to move on to watch 1st Grade complete a fine victory.

Once again the Gold side played well without being thoroughly tested. It still augers well for continuing good performances in the weeks leading up to the break.

3rd Grade Academy vs Warilla 13-11-10

My second game for the season in the Academy Gold colours was to be against Warilla at beautiful Bonaira Street Oval. This game also saw the somewhat questionable withdrawal of the captain when the word 'wicket-keeper' was mentioned to him, and thus the reigns fell to be shared between Koks and Peters on the day.

The first duty was done with aplomb, by winning the toss and batting. Winning the toss is something that I have had a great deal of success with as a captain in the past - winning games is another story altogether.

 The boys did well, moving along to a comfortable 2 for 100 after 25 overs when the drinks break was taken. Stand-in keeper/opening bat Reece Conley had made a good 10 before pre-empting his next shot and losing his off stump out of the ground. Carlin Simon had again looked great before he too decided to push too hard ad was also bowled for 11. In the final couple of overs before drinks, the Warilla side did what all Warilla sides before them seemed to do - argue with each other, and a fiery tirade full of colourful language during the drinks break spoke volumes. If the Academy boys could consolidate in the early overs then a big score looked in the offing.

This of course immediately broke down with the dismissal of Koks, Grant Case and Peters within four overs, and at 5/113 the innings was in the balance. Jake Lee followed soon after for an entertaining 5, and at 6/130 with some 17 overs of the innings remaining the Warilla side were all mates again and looking to close in for the kill.

12 year old Matt Price had come to the crease at the fall of Grant's wicket, and had then been bowled by a full ball that was well over waist height, and had been correctly called a no ball. The fact that Matt is about 120cm tall made it a tough call, but a correct one. However, from this point, in his first game of Grade cricket, Warilla could not budge him. He played straight and true, and his defensive shots were coming right out of the middle of the bat. When they strayed on his pads, he flicked them around the corner for ones and two's. If they were short and wide of off stump, he cut correctly. For the 21 overs he was at the crease, he didn't look like being dismissed - except when he replayed his shots after the ball had been delivered. He then often moved out of his crease, only for an instant, but it was enough for him to be almost run out four or five times. I can tell you that he was giving the square leg umpire at one end a heart attack on a number of occasions. Supporting him on this venture was Frei Ulfsson, who may well have ridden his luck a number of times (he was dropped off sitters at least three times), but continued to bat well, and then became aggressive at the end of the innings. Matt's 24 not out, and Frei's 31 not out mean that they put on an unbeaten partnership of 60 runs for the seventh wicket, and enabled the Academy boys to reach 6/190 from their allotted 50 overs. Frei pushed his batting average for the season to 60.00, as he has only been dismissed once so far, and Matt was congratulated by most of the Warilla players as he came off the ground. Warilla dropped over ten catches, which added to their misery.

The message to the guys was pretty clear on our way out to the field - be keen, be aware, no negativity, and take all our catches. Who was to know that everything would be achieved so well?

Frei and Grant opened up proceedings, and both were immediately on a perfect line and length, both beating the bat consistently. After three overs the batsmen were obviously over being ties down, and the Warilla opener Kellow launched two big sixes straight down the ground off Grant. Co-captains Koks and Peters conferred at 1st and 2nd slip, and pondered putting a man on the boundary. We then agreed that "let's see how Grant comes back". The next ball sliced the off stump out of the ground, relieving all of us of any further decision making on the subject.

With the bowling quite superb in line, length and pace, the Warilla batsmen just crumbled, and some terrific catches helped lift everyone. Matt Panecasio took a scorcher at square leg, Gary Koks a screamer at first slip, and Reece Conley a one-handed gem as keeper. These three catches in particular would have dampened the mood of the Warilla side, given the number of chances they grassed. Frei was relieved after his mandatory six overs produced the figures of 2/9. Without doubt it is the best I've seen him bowl, and his improvement is gladdening. At the other end, toiling into the wind, Grant had claimed yet another five wicket haul, moving the ball both ways in the air and troubling all of the batsmen.

More humour was to come, with Teixiera coming to the crease. before he was even halfway there, Reece is demonstrating "we need a guy at cow corner and one straight on the boundary!!" With Grant in control, I said "OK, well, let's see how he goes first". Before you know it, Grant has been hoisted over long on for six. I turned to Reece and said "OK skipper, where do you want 'em?". It could well have been an interesting exercise in getting him out cheaply, but that problem was solved by young Matt Panecasio, who came on from the Kendall's end to replace Frei, and quickly ripped through the three remaining wickets to finish with 3/3 from 11 deliveries, and smashing a bail with his final delivery. Warilla had been demolished for 55 in just 14.5 overs, and the Academy boys had won by 135 runs.

It was great to be a part of, and everyone played their part, even poor old Liam Case who got short shrift again by being next man in to bat and missing out on a bowl, and Peter Laughton who umpired for 28 overs, and missed out on a bowl by one delivery. There is a great feeling in the team, and I have thoroughly enjoyed both my matches (winning by such large margins in both also helps... :) ). Hopefully everyone remains keen and we do well with this side this season.