SHCC Scoop - 50’s, Debuts and Donuts
It was another mixed bag of results at SHCC, with 1 win and 4 losses. Div 3 are half way through a 2 day match. Summer showed itself on Saturday afternoon, but September is footy finals month, and this week winter is telling us it ain’t summer – yet!
It was great to see more debutants for Summer Hill last round, including two of our Junior players making their Senior debut in Div 5. A big thank you to Fin and Eli from our Sunday morning under 15’s team for not just helping out, but making your debut worth remembering. This is one of the things I love about being involved in a Club with both Senior and Junior teams – giving young players a chance to test themselves, and to provide a pathway from Junior to Senior cricket. We hope it is the first of many matches for our Senior teams.
It was fitting that Fin and Eli play in the match when our Senior teams wore their new SHCC playing shirts for the first time. Our Committee have been hard at work over winter choosing shirt designs, and decided our Junior and Senior shirts should have the same style. Juniors are predominantly blue but they are unmistakenly the same as our Senior shirts. Keep a look out for our Junior teams in their new Junior shirts, arriving late September.
The Morning Competition starts on Saturday October 10, and we have spots for a couple more players. If you know anyone interested in playing cricket this season, we will be able to find a place for them.
Training
Regular Training will start on Thursdays in October once daylight savings starts, but there are a few players training on Thursday and Fridays. If you can, try and make it down at one of these times to Lees Park.
When: Thursdays and Fridays
Where: Lees Park - Harmony St, Ashbury (Park in Crieff St and walk down the alley)
When: From 3pm until dusk
Miss Celie's Player of the Week
Player of the Week sponsored by Miss Celie’s Jazz and Blues Bar in Ashfield. If you haven't been, get there and check it out. Owned by a former SHCC Junior Parent, Paul Blasi.
Round 2 Michael Anderson
Michael has been inspired to pick up the bat again by his son, who is playing Under 11’s with SHCC this season – and what a return. Well done on your 55 not out - your first senior 50.
Batting and Bowling Highlights
Best Batting
73 Adam Roberts Div 6
55* Michael Anderson Div 7
Best Bowling
3/28 Niloy Mahmood Div 2
3/36 Dave Ward Div 6
Club Milestones
Matches
50 Fahim Mazumder
50 Lachlan Schreuder
First match for Summer Hill CC
Adam Miles 7th
Abdullah Riyadh 5th
Adam Roberts 6th
Enjoy your Cricket!
Phil
Phil – President
m 0417 234 761
Last Rounds Results and Reports
2nd Division
Round 2 2/137 Win v BSCC 7/130
Best Batting
47 Arup Saha
43* Abdul Ahsan
23* Muhammad Waqar Shahid
Best Bowling
3/28 Niloy Mahmood
2/33 Ibraheem Golra
5th Division Blue Match Report
Asher Tarbox
Round 2: 8/121 Lost v Brighton Lakes 6/126
With the Agius clan unavailable for this week (including newly minted opening bowler Sergio), it was going to be a tough day out for the Summer Hill Blue. But with any luck, the two junior ring ins (Elias Richardson and Finlay McFarland) and speedster Shishir Shrestha would be able to get us over the line.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, things looked promising with step in openers Phil Tarbox and Lachie Schreuder getting the scoreboard ticking early. However, when one of the opening bowlers made the unorthodox decision to change ends after bowling only a couple of overs, and started swinging the ball the other way, Phil (5) succumbed with a tickle to the wicket keeper.
Things ticked along with a nice partnership between Lachie (15) and Andrew (21). But the odd good balls amongst a slightly above average bowling attack took regular wickets to keep the competition even. Leo Tarbox played a few lovely shots threw the covers to keep the runs accumulating.
But then the first choice wicket keeper ditched the gloves for the Red King, and became their first choice bowler as he picked up Leo Tarbox (13) and Pulok Rema (0) in quick succession.
Enter Elias (15). In his Seniors debut at 14 years old, he looked every part the top order bat. Calm, authoritative, and playing lovely straight bat shots. A few valuable contributions from Simon Davies (10) and Abdullah Riyadh (6) left Finlay McFarland (the second Seniors debutant, who scored a fluent 11*) and Asher Tarbox (10*) to smack some late runs. 121 off 28 overs. Not a bad effort (especially considering the depleted batting stocks), and defendable given a tight bowling performance.
Our bowling innings started off well, with Asher breaking the leg stump bail with just his third ball. Never mind the two half tracker on balls one and two (he was just calibrating). At the other end, Shishir demolished the first drop’s stumps. In the same over, Shishir caught the edge, but was dropped at second slip by Owen Gibson. But wait, the batsman was out of his crease! Phil at first slip throws the stumps down and the batsman has to trudge off!
Unfortunately, but that’s where the good fortune stopped. Despite some disciplined middle overs bowling from Leo (1/15 off 5, who also, before I forget, grassed a regulation chance in Shishir’s first over) and Lachie (0/34 off 4), Brighton Lake’s best bat was too good and brought up his fifty in quick time.
Leo uprooted a middle stump to keep us in the game, but things were looking tough. Lachie bowled the most balls to the in form batsman, and his figures don’t represent the standard of his efforts.
Enter Owen (1/15 off 2). After dropping a difficult chance low to his left (although the same ball had effected a run out), it was left to him open up the game. After conceding a few runs, he forced a mistimed shot from the half centurion, caught by Pulok at cover. The game was alive.
Having more then 7 overs left to bowl, wickets were the only currency that mattered. Asher came back into the attack and quickly picked up another. Shishir joined him, but copped some audacious shots which kept him out of the attack.
Asher couldn’t manage to find another is his final over. In a hail mary, Phil threw the ball (or maybe a poison chalice) to Abdullah (0/6 off 1), who put forth a valiant effort in bowling what proved to be the final over of the match.
In summary, it was a reasonably solid batting performance, and momentarily brilliant bowling performance. There were some good signs for the second game of the season, and we’ll be looking to bring home our first win of the seasons this Saturday.
Best Batting
21 Andrew McCabe
Best Bowling
2/22 Asher Tarbox
5th Division Gold
Round 2: 9/117 - Loss v Rangers 4/118
Best Batting
32 Hamza Malik
20 Abdullah Shaik
Best Bowling
2/27 Dharmin Thakkar
6th Division Match Report
Pat Hargreaves
Round 2: 9/148 Loss v Redfern All Blacks 6/175
It will be a season of great significance for the 6’s.
But Round 2 comes at a time when we can’t say we have succeeded as we would have liked to have succeeded.
One dayers have been a fundamental test of this new team's goal and will - our ability to say to ourselves and the rest of the association that we belong at this level, and that we will play finals.
The shortened format has been a test of self knowledge. How well we can manage the over rate. How well we can score at 5-6 an over for a sustained period. How well we recognise our new identity - a mixture of wise heads from last year's 7s and an influx of young blood from Hornsby.
How well these new blokes bowl. How well these new blokes bat. How well the 7s players can make the jump up.
Redfern was a good opposition to contemplate these things.
We have to recognise we didn’t start how we wanted to.
We bowled the wides. We bowled the short stuff outside off that was punished over the point boundary. 0/27 after 4 was not the start we had hoped for.
We dropped the catches.
With some notable exceptions - David Ward 3/36, and Micah Edwards 2/19, we failed to hit the right areas.
With a run up at river end of Beaman that history will judge harshly, we took too long to get our lines right. Occasional yorkers that are blocked out and good length balls that miss the edge are meaningless.
We have to take wickets with the new ball and we failed that test.
But David Ritichil opened the door, and others followed. 1/84 at drinks, Michah removed the free flowing opener and we tightened up. DBM held his own in testing circumstances.
But we need to practice the building blocks of good fielding. Missed catches at point, slip and mid off. We must do away with the conceit that we must hit the stumps to take wickets. We must back our bowlers in the field if we are to keep opposition to a low total.
Imagine if we held our catches?
Imagine if we bowled in the channel?
Imagine if we didn’t bowl bumpers at 97km/h?
But they are very good signs we are making progress.
Alex Johnson opening at the Pavillion end could have 2 wickets if chances were held. He will be an asset to the cartel.
Facing 174 in 27 overs was a harsh reality.
Ever so gradually we are learning how to mix the young and the old. Beginning to recognise the new possibilities.
Opening with Ward, Matthew Potter made a classy 20, finding the gaps and stroking cover drives. While Ward hit several bombs to keep the run rate competitive. Potter unlucky to be out to an excellent low caught and bowled. Ward also hit a return catch.
Adam Roberts emerged from a vision that we can have a quick scoring top order. 73 at number 3 was welcomed addition to the side. With well timed drives mixed with outrageous heaves to cow corner, the 6s are learning to understand how to play the short format.
Micah hit a powerful cut shot and was dropped first ball, his partnership with Adam offered hope to turn the match on its head.
But a poor call had him run out for 12 after a ball was hit straight to point.
Ritchil was gone first ball, sending Gil out to both score quickly and not get out. A not impossible task but not an easily possible one either. A powerful four had at us just under the required run rate.
But we cannot imagine that a slow bowler is an easy person to hit runs off.
Leo came to the crease and ran well between the wickets to give Adam the strike. The run rate climbed to 10 an over but with Adam at the crease we were always a chance.
Laughter and chirpiness in the field fell away to screams and anxiety.
But it became too much. Connor hit some lovely drives to offer hope of a strong middle order in the weeks to come.
We cannot imagine that 6 runs an over is too many to chase. We cannot imagine that the new ball bowlers always go wicketless. We cannot imagine that we will always fail.
But with a mixture of young blood and wise heads I am confident we won’t.
I am confident that we will succeed this season.
Best Batting:
73 Adam Roberts
20 Matthew Potter
Best Bowling:
3/36 David Ward
2/19 Micah Edwards
7th Division Match Report
Pat Cullen
Round 2: 6/119 Loss v Earlwood 5/172
A valiant effort from a 7th division side, in the midst of metamorphosis. Will we emerge as a beautiful, cricketing butterfly by the time finals roll around? Who's to say, but to mix my metaphors, there are green shoots in those pastures, friends, as much as there may also be a dash of high-quality manure in its current stage of growth!
It was a cracker of a day for cricket at Earlwood Oval: 31 degrees, minimal wind, and an Earlwood side who we had got the proverbial wood over by the end of last year, in one of our most tetchy games of the season. We know these blokes well, and it's safe to say there's been some tension in the past. New captain, Don, was keen to bury the hatchet and start anew. Speaking of starting anew, we had debutants and second-timers a-kimbo, a new (ish) skipper and a couple of blokes who hadn't picked up the willow in a decade, so it was all a bit TBC before the coin toss.
We fielded first, and started with a bang! Your humble author bowling a bloke in the third over. PJ 'The Doctor' Rosenberger followed up soon after, thanks to an incredible diving grab to new man, Adam Miles, to have em at the full Beneaud - 2/22 after 6. Benny '& Eggs' Kimble bowled beautifully; his off-breaks were turning square, and the Earlwood middle order was trembling in their boots, two wickets to Ben, including an absolute screamer of a caught and bowled, left Earlwood at 4/65 at the break.
Safe to say, we were feeling good! A couple of us bowlers had copped a bit of tap, but if we kept this rate of wickets up, this game was in the bag. Enter the former Redfern All Blacks all-rounder Jason Prince. As the sun crept higher, the bowling got slacker, and Prince took off his crown and put on his steelcaps. It was sheer destruction. 87 red. Carried his bat. Danced down the deck, cracked fours through both sides, manipulated the field - It was tough work! A 25* to Clem Morfuni didn't help our cause either. The only shining light in the second half was the bowling of Adam Miles, despite claiming to be a keeper, he bowled absolute heat and picked up a nice wicket for his efforts. We had 172 to chase in 28 overs, at a cheeky 6 an over.
The batting innings never fully got going; Kaustav and Don both looked solid. K was suddenly a jet between the wickets. Don was creaming them, before he lost his head and his pegs. The hero of the day, though, was Mike Anderson. Apparently, he is high up the totem pole in NSW running and you could absolutely see why! He was lightning between the creases, and his aggressive running was matched by his stroke play! Cracking pull shots, belting cuts, some delightful slogs over cow, and a real energy and presence at the crease. His 55* gave some credibility to the chase. Ben Kimble looked good, Adam showed some great technique, Mike Metry a few trademark pulls but by and large we were always short of the target, ending the 28 overs with 118, 54 runs short.
So in the end, the better side won the day. But there are a lot of positive signs for the 7's, new talent set to bloom, old heads ready to lend wisdom and hopefully a combination of players that should blossom into finals contenders. Watch this space.
Best Batting
Mike Anderson 55*
Best Bowling
Ben Kimble with 2/38 off 6
Best Fielding
A toss-up between Adam's low diving catch, Bens caught and bowled, and Josh's screamer in the deep that left him with a torn hammy.
