2019 Cricket action commenced across all Adult Grades on Saturday with fine but coolish conditions for post-Xmas action.
With a number of regular Premier Players unavailable for the 1st round of T20 games Selectors Lieschke & McDuff has a busy week trying to fill the top 3 teams.
Player numbers were assisted slightly with the availability of a number of school leavers moving into the Senior Club ranks. None more welcome than some former Burnside Juniors returning to the Club.
There’s a great back story to young Tom Dunlop’s debut. I’m reliably informed that in 2008 Tom’s Father Mike Dunlop hosted a work function at the family homer for his staff from Ballantynes.
Amongst the attendees was a young lady named Amy – and she brought along her then 17-year-old boyfriend (and now Husband) Matt Farrant. As the older workmates gathered around the BBQ and chatted – young Matt made his way out onto the back lawn and spent the afternoon playing cricket with, a then 7-year-old, Tom Dunlop.
So there was a certain amount of symmetry in Matt being the one who told Tom, at training last Thursday, that he would make his Premier debut alongside Matt in the opening T20 round against St Albans on Burnside 1 on Saturday.
PREMIERS;
Both Burnside and St Albans have a fair swag of regular players away for the clash – with Burnside stand-in Skipper (and older Brother of Mitchell) Matt Hay winning the toss and asking Saints to bat.
St Albans Club Chairman Pierre Flavell was also on hand to watch his own Son – Sam – make his Premier debut in the opener’s role, and he paced the Clubrooms lounge nervously as he suggested 130 would be a par score.
Sam (33 from 39 balls) & Dylan Budge (42 off 47) started cautiously against a tidy opening from O’Brien (1 for 9 off 3) but their 69 run opening partnership allowed others to play more freely as Saints posted 133/4 from their 20 overs. Hugo Howard again demanded a mention (and a photo this time) with 2/15.
In reply Burnside never quite got going and despite a brief but promising partnership from Heenan & Farrant we faltered to 106 all out in the last over. 4 run outs certainly aided the Saint’s cause.
In the afternoon game Hay again won the toss and offered Riccarton 1st use of the dryer surface. The top 4 Riccarton batsman only managed 19 runs collectively as the teetered at 22/4 against an improved bowling effort from the home side – with Farrant claiming 2/8 of 3.
Matt Laffey recovered things slightly for the visitors with 31 but once he and Ben Rapson (15) were separated they stumbled to 84 all out in the 19th over. Skipper Hay’s 2/10 almost matched by the performance of another young club recruit in Alex Tait with 2/16. Mitch Hay again looked accomplished behind the stumps with 2 catches and a sharp stumping off the older Bro.
In reply Tinus Huyser (17) & Alex Heenan (26) posted 35 for the 1st wicket before the loss of O’Brien & Hay Senior cheaply. But Mitchell Hay’s brisk 27no (off 18 balls and featuring 3 boundaries) saw Burnside take a 1 loss / 1 win record into next week. Mitchell Hay the day’s MVP for Premiers.
CHAMPIONSHIP:
The 2nd’s, featuring multiple non-regulars and late recruits, took on Lancaster Park and then Riccarton in their 2 games across on Burnside 2.
Skipper Janett won the toss and inserted Park 1st up and was probably fairly happy with the bowling performance – in particular of North West Youth player Hunter Rowe (3/19 off 3) – as Park were held to 120/9 from their allotted.
In reply Will Kennedy (21), Janett (15) and Theo McIntosh (19) seemed to have the job almost done at 95/3 but a rush of late wickets, including 2 run outs, saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they collapsed to 108 all out and gifted LP the win.
Next up Riccarton chose to bat and perhaps instantly regretted that as Kennedy knocked over the castle 1st ball. From there Riccarton added 56 for the 2nd wicket however as Blake Doherty struck 33 from 31 balls.
Kennedy was the best of the bowlers with 2 wickets and the 2nd’s also claimed 3 run outs as Riccarton posted a competitive 128/9.
Into bat and Kennedy (30), Jaco Huyser (27) and Captain Janett (18) seemed to have the job largely done again at 88/3. Landon Neal’s 19 off 22 balls seemed to be icing the cake nicely as they reached 110/4 – only to see another spectacular collapse as they fell 7 runs short in the final over.
Will Kennedy showing the way as the day’s MVP.
DIVISION 1:
A rag tag fugitive crew of collected souls gathered on Burnside 4 to represent the Div 1 side 1st up against OBC in the morning’s T20 action.
With the 3A Cannons defaulted to both El Capitan Peters & 2017/18 Club MVP Caleb (Dilla) Smith rolled out for the 3rd’s – as did Club Secretary Gareth Gibson & Mark Shackleton from the President’s squad.
Despite Gibbo claiming 2 wickets all the Old Boy’s top 5 scored positively as they were able to post a very positive 165/8 on one of the most consistent club pitches in the city.
In reply Finlayson & Eathorne were dismissed promptly before Mark Shackleton (19) ended his long ‘picket fence’ with a boundary and Henk Huyser (18) arrested the slide briefly. But the introduction of Premier bowler Adam Hastilow quickly turned things back OBC’s way and we were all out 75 in a comprehensive loss.
The crew gathered their kit and traveled to Sydenham Park for another daunting challenge in the Sydenham 2nd’s team – who lurk in Div 1.
A few personnel changes aside the team remained positive though and took the field keen on an improved performance.
The scorecard hasn’t quite made it into Cric HQ as I write but I can tell you this – the strong Sydenham side were held to 133 but a vastly improved bowling and fielding effort from out lads.
And then Scott Finlayson did his thing…
Opening the batting Scott single handedley won the game for the Burnside team with a absolutely brutal 98no. He was only denied what would have a quite magnificent 100 by the lack of more runs in the Sydenham total of 133.
He was joined by a tailender when he was on 97 and the side needed just 1 to win – and so keen he was to get to the deserved century that the two of them actually ran 3 when the winning shot didn’t reach the boundary.
A quick check of rules confirms the obvious suspicions that Scott Finlayson would be denied a century despite some enthusiastic running.
PRESIDENTS:
The BWCUCC President’s Foxes, minus their injured Skipper, traveled to Barnet Park in Redcliffs to take on a strong Sumner side which often features some great Canterbury cricketing names like Nuttall. Nathu & Yock.
The normally reliable Foxes have not yet managed to get the result into Cric HQ (in the absence of both Robertson & Gibson) but the results are widely monitored on other Social media outlets so some details have been gleaned.
Fill in Skipper – Sergeant Major Roy – won the toss and inserted Sumner on a damp & green one. Hamish Kember starred immediately with the ball taking 5/6 off 7 overs as Sumner capitulated to 78 all out just after drinks.
Jordan Buchanan (the former owner of the Shrey) battled his emotions to claim 3/28.
In reply Graeme Turner (19) played positively in his season debut as wickets fell steadily around him. But at 7 for 47 things were delicately balanced when Martin Conway (in the unusual 9 spot) joined skipper Roy.
Marty doesn’t muck around and struck the following 4 scoring shots – 6 6 1 4. When he departed Kember watched from the other end as Roy (18 no) completed the narrow win.
Kember gets the MVP once again and launches himself back up the Al Brown leaderboard.
DIVISION 3 – Marist Harewood defaulted to the BWU CANNONS:
DIVISION 4 – BOOMERS:
The Boomers also traveled towards the hills to take on the Heathcote ‘Pests’.
The Burnside lads were asked to bat 1st and despite a patient 16 from opener Vishal the struggled in difficult conditions. D’Obby O’Brien ignored the battles of others – top scoring with 39 – but with 3 ducks and 4 other batsman scoring 3 or less a total of 79 all out was all they could muster.
In reply the Pests faired little better initially as they quickly found themselves 53/5. But opener Harris (38 not out off 100+ balls) dug in and played the key hand for his side to see them reached the target in the 33rd over.
Bowler friendly conditions assisted the tight lines of Regan Wilson (8-2-12-1), and Campbell Rose (8-3-9-1) and of course D’Obbly (1/7 off 5) chimed in to challenge the opposition.
MVP has to go to David O’Brien (that’s his real name!) with another sound all round performance.
DIVISION 5 – STRIKERS: NO RESULT ENTERED
T20 ROUND-UP:
I saw enough of the Dubai Diamond Traders game over on No: 3 to work out that they went down to a New Brighton team of assorted sized players (mainly XXXL’s) and she was all over bar the shouting by 4pm.
In the local derby the BWU Believers took on the new kids on the block, in the form of literally the newest BWU team the Holstein’s Boys, over at Nunweek Park.
There is no result in Cric HQ but I am getting sparodic reports of an upset going the way of the youngest BWU Brothers (Holstein’s Boys).
Kane McRoberts reported he was the overall MVP for both sides when he was drinking Steingrenades out of my beer fridge later in the day….
No result in from the Ghettohustlers either sadly….
Junior Cricket doesn’t recommence for another few weeks as they enjoy their extended school holiday break.
Watch out for T20 action on the park this coming Thursday though as our Championship side play Heathcote’s top team from 5:30pm on No: 1.
The bar will be open and the BBQ may well be firing….
Yours in cricket