Weekly match reports
28th February 2010 – West Melbourne Sunday league
8-CRICK-IT-IERS vs. The Beige Brigade
The 8-CRICK-IT-IERS batted first and managed 144 in their allotted 20 overs. Captain Sameer Shingala top scored with a great 51 off 29 balls to remain not out. Sameer was backed up by Rahul Patel who scored 32 not out off 18 balls and Steven Mckay who managed 30 off 22 balls.
Wayne Varney from The Beige Brigade was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 overs, 2 wickets for 18 runs.
It was then The Beige Brigade’s turn with the bat to see if they could chase down 145 to win. Luke Merritt certainly made his intentions felt by score 50 not out off 42 balls and Wayne Varney carrying on from where his bowling let off scoring 44 not out off 27 balls.
The Beige Brigade only managed 125 runs to hand victory to 8-CRICK-IT-IERS. This was enough to secure a finals spot for the current Melbourne champs, 8-CRICK-IT-IERS!
8-CRICK-IT-IERS vs. Kenkastle
8-CRICK-IT-IERS once again batted first with only 7 players and managed to score 97 for 7 in the 16.1 over. As so often occurs with the 8-CRICK-IT-IERS Steven Mckay top scored again with 39 off only 21 balls. Pranav Chahwala batted steadily to score a handy 18 runs off 30 balls.
Pick of the bowlers goes to Andrew Ower with figures of 4 overs, 4 wickets for 20 runs, great bowling Andrew!
Kenkastle were now in and needing 98 for victory. Andrew Ower not only took the most wickets but also made the most runs with 37 off 33 runs. Andrew was supported by Daniel O’Keeffe who managed 26 not out of 21 balls. Grant Byrne scored 24 off 20 balls.
Jay Patel and Frank Hoang both bowled will taking 2 wickets a piece in their 4 over spells. Frank going for 20 runs and Jay 33 in their 4 overs, good bowling.
Kenkastle won by 2 wickets in the end.
JILDA’s vs. Kenkastle
Kenkastle batted first and wanted to continue with their winning ways and did so scoring 155 for 4 in their 20 overs. There were a few contributors with the bat with Grant Byrne top scoring with 50 off 31 balls, Andrew Ower scoring 26 off 22 balls, David Jenkins managed a crafty 25 off 20 balls to remain not out and Stephen Wools and Daniel O’Keeffe both scoring 24 off 14 and 17 balls respectively.
Max Rowan from JILDA’s bowled well with figures of 4 overs, 2 wickets for 28 runs.
JILDA’s knew they had to bat well to have any chance of winning with Matt Murat scoring a quick 42 off 23 balls and Aaron King managing 23 off 17 balls. Luke Sammut scored 19 off 11 balls.
Stephen Wools was the big surprise with the ball taking 2 wickets for 21 runs in his allowed 4 overs.
Kenkastle won by 29 runs and that was enough to send them to the top of the log for West Melbourne.
The Great 8 vs. Snake Giles Project
The Great 8 batted first and managed 108 runs to be bowled out in the 14.1 over. I think The Great 8 is really missing their regular captain Chris Baker who is on some beach in Thailand.
Top scorer for The Great 8 was Luke Simmons who scored 58 off only 22 balls, Adam Baker managed 12 off 11 balls.
Michael Harrison was the pick of the bowlers for Snake Giles Project taking 2 wickets for 24 runs in his 3 overs bowled.
It was Snake Giles Project turn with the willow and they managed to pass the 108 in the 15.2 over with 4 wickets in hand. Top scorer Steve Varthalis scored 31 off 27 balls with Geoff Little scoring 28 off 17 balls and Chris Bettany hitting 25 off 17 balls.
Snake Giles Project secured their spot in the finals with this win, winning by 4 wickets.
The Great 8 vs. The Bentleigh Bass Players
The Great 8 stepped up a gear this game and scored 178 for 8 in their 20 overs which is more like a score we have come to expect from The Great 8 over the past few seasons. Craig Harrison top scored with 60 off only 28 balls and Luke Simmons scored his second 50 for the day scoring 57 off 32 balls.
Both Mark Morton and Joel Pearlman bowl really well to end with 3 wickets each, Mark bowling 4 overs, 3 for 28 and Joel bowling 3 overs and 3 for 29.
The Bentleigh Bass Players just ran out of overs unfortunately managing 138 for 5 in their 20 overs. Peter Barnes top score to remain not out on 41 off 21 balls. James Deane-Butcher scored 31 off 28 balls and Rob Dickson was not out on 21 off only 11 balls.
Finally a win for The Great 8 who would not have happy memories of this season. The Great 8 winning by 40 runs.
North Melbourne league - 28th February
GAME 1: Bond Panga vs KBFC
Quite apparently struggling from the night before, KBFC were off to the start that all LMS North Melbourne teams dream of – dismissing the dangerous Nav “Doc” Johal for a first ball duck. After the frenzy of delirious celebration settled, it was up to the Juggernaut, Jag Singh, who played brilliantly to registered his second LMS 50 from just 31 balls and along with Aaron (unregistered player) who scored 35 to lead Bond Panga to relative security. The Gills, “Rampage Jackson” and “Shwartzer” then led Bond Panga to a respectable total of 140 with 20 and 17 respectively. Mark Moncrieff, Seton Leggett and Scott Gordon took a wicket each for KBFC.
The KBFC chase looked in tatters when they were reeling at 5/48 after 8 overs, but with Seton Leggett at the crease anything is possible. Along with the Cobra, Arun Patterson, Seton drove KBFC towards their target with some fine hitting. Seton finished unbeaten on 55 and Arun was run out for 40, KBFC reaching their target with only 2 balls to spare. Nav Johal was excellent with the ball taking 1/14 off 4 overs but it was not enough to prevent KBFC from stealing a thrilling victory.
GAME 2: KBFC vs Panjab Warriors
Due to a tight schedule and late arrivals the match was agreed to be reduced to 17 overs per side. Having to bat first with only two players present at the toss Panjab were unsettled and were off to a slow start with regular wickets falling. Jimmy Gurm provided some resistance with a composed 27 and Pavneet Singh called to be moved up the order with a fine 34 from only 16 deliveries to take Panjab to 107 from their 17 overs. Arun “The Cobra” Patterson struck with two venomous deliveries to claim two wickets and Seton Leggett, Scott Gordon and Brodie Tieman all bowled very well in claiming a wicket a piece.
After striking his first LMS six (and a colossal one at that) Blair Mantesso was bowled by a fine follow up delivery from Arvinder Sandhu and at 1/25 from 5 the asking rate was climbing for KBFC. However thanks to a second fifty in as many innings this day from Seton Leggett, this time only from 24 balls, and a fine unbeaten 41 from 33 deliveries from Sean Mantesso KBFC easily reached their target with over 3 overs to spare and only one wicket down.
GAME 3: Panjab Warriors vs La Trobe
Needing all the help it can get with only 6 available players, La Trobe called upon the best in the business, perennial fill-in Charby Ibrahim to aid them. Winning the toss and batting first, Panjab began steadily with openers Jasdeep Purewal and Prabh Singh more settled for this game and reaching 29 and 42 respectively – Prabh’s innings only from 20 balls and included some trademark whippy on-drives. A flurry of wickets followed the opening stand with Gagan Singh with 25, Pavneet Singh with 27 and Jatender Singh with 17 from 9 – who batted on one leg – making the only further significant contributions. Strangely enough Panjab were bowled out in the 18th over with 155 – an above par score. On the bowling front Charby delivered with 3 wickets, Mark Moncrieff in his 3rd game of the day took 2 and Michael Nardi, Matt Bolger-Hobson and Sam Hobson-Nicholls took one each.
Charby furthered his reputation as the games best fill in with a fantastic unbeaten fifty to back up his bowling efforts. While he was with Matt Bolger-Hobson who scored 37 from 27 the chase seemed somewhat achievable but a phenominal bowling performance from Arvinder Sandhu who took 4/25 quashed all the La Trobe hopes of an upset. Some lower order hitting from Danny Johnstone who scored 22 added respectability to the total, but ultimately La Trobe fell short by 21 runs.
21st February - North Melbourne, Sunday league
GAME 1: La Trobe vs. Panjab Warriors
Batting first, La Trobe called upon seasoned Last Man Stands mainstay Nav “Doc” Johal to open then batting alongside captain Michael Nardi. Coincidentally, La Trobe made their best start in recent memory reaching 71 from their first ten overs. However when the Doc was trapped in front for 37 and Michael Nardi soon after perished also for 37, La Trobe collapsed to be all out for 114, with Matt Bolger Hobson making the only significant contribution after the openers with 16. Nipun bowled a fine spell claiming 2/21 and Jatender and Gurjender Singh took a wicket each.
In the innings break La Trobe identified Jatender Singh as the key wicket and in an incredible first over the Doc dismissed both Jatender and Jimmy Gurm for first ball ducks. At 3/13 the Warriors were in serious trouble however Prabh and Gurjender Singh led a salvation mission before they were dismissed for 21 and 37 respectively – Prabh bowled by a fantastic slower delivery from Michael Nardi. It came down to the wire as the Warriors lost their 7th wicket for 93 and it was all up to Nipun to score the required 24 runs alone. After coming agonizingly close it was thanks to Luke Robertson who took a spectacular diving catch in the outfield off the bowling of Adam to lead La Trobe to a nail biting upset against the ladder leaders. From a bowling perspective it were the two fill in players, Nav Johal and Ronnie Gill who were the main wicket takers, with figures of 3/27 and 2/24 respectively. La Trobe won this low scoring thriller by 7 runs.
GAME 2: Panjab Warriors vs. Bond Panga
Jatender Singh was keen to make up for his failure in the previous game and did so in style scoring 45 and along with fellow opener Jasdeep Purewal who made 43 from just 24 balls lead the Panjab Warriors to a strong position at 1/73 after the first ten overs. Jimmy Gurm and the ever dangerous Prabh Singh made solid contributions in the latter stages of the innings with 26 and 23 not out respectively allowing the Panjab Warriors to score a competitive 140 from their 20 overs. On the bowling front the Juggernaut, Jag Singh along with Jitty Nagra took a wicket each.
Bond Panga however had a difficult time chasing due to disciplined bowling from the Warriors’ attack. Jag Singh was the only one to reach double figures with 18 as the Bond Panga batsmen could not keep their wickets. All of the Warriors’ bowlers were good but in particular, Nipun who took 2 important wickets including that of Nav Johal and Arvinder Sandhu also captured 2 victims. Bond Panga capitulated to 48 all out meaning the Warriors atoned for their previous loss in that day winning by a massive 92 runs.
Snake Giles Project (259) v Kenkastle (51):
Innings of Kenkastle:
David Jenkins hit three consecutive 4’s and the next ball was caught by Geoff Little off the bowling of Greg Paine.
Paul Campbell scored 38 which included five 4’s one of which was glorious.
This game produced one of the best double wickets ever witnessed in this form of the game. It took place in the 14th over, with Geoff Little bowling to Andrew Ower who hit a low flying ball to Glen Harrison who after taking the catch through it back to run out the ever so reliable Paul Campbell.
Kenkastle were restricted to 127 runs in their 20 overs
Innings of Snake Giles Project:
Sam Stevenson was caught and bowled by Grant Bryne in the 2nd ball of the very 1st over.
Keith Pereira was not out on 49 which included 5 fours.
Glen Harrison scored 47 with four 4s and a huge six off 37 balls.
Snake Giles Project came close scoring 119 runs.
2nd game:
Kenkastle (51) v Beige Brigade (542):
Innings of Kenkastle:
Grant Bryne and Andrew Ower had a fantastic partnership of 94 runs to setup Kenkastle for a decent score.
Grant Bryne got off to a flyer hitting 6 fours from the first 8 balls he faced. Grant Bryne was then run out on 49 off only 30 balls.
Andrew Ower scored a brilliant half century with 5 fours.
Jenkins hit some great shots for fours over the bowlers head and compliments of a few cracking cover drives. Paul Campbell and David Jenkins hit some great sixes over midwicket that cleared the rope by more than three chassis belts.
Kenkastle ended up scoring 169 in their 20 overs.
Innings of Beige Brigade:
Grant Bryne started off with a wicket in his 1st over and then a wicket maiden off his 2nd over followed by a maiden over in his third – great bowling!
Andrew Ower was able to run out Mark Dowdell with some brilliant fielding hitting the wickets from side on.
Luke Merritt hit a great 6 over the bowlers head, the catch was taken one handed very casually by a spectator that seemed to know how to play cricket. He batted as last man stands with another six to come as it saved running 2’s.
Beige Brigade managed to score 46.
3rd Game:
8 CRICK-IT-IERS(29) v Bentleigh Bass Players (622)
Innings of 8 CRICK-IT-IERS
Steve Mckay was not out for the 8th consecutive innings or since Steve started playing Last Man Stands with a batting average for 485. Steve’s innings included 4 fours and a six –
I am offering a prize of 10 IPG paintball tickets to the first team to dismiss Steve. Steve will not accept bribes!
Sameer Shingala scored another 50 which included a huge six and 7 fours to remain unbeaten.
Mark Morton bowled well with figures of 2 overs for 2 wickets and only conceding 6 runs.
The 8 CRICK-IT-IERS ended up scoring 153 in their allotted 20 overs.
Innings of Bentleigh Bass Players:
Peter Barnes managed 11 runs off 9 balls to add to his good effort with the gloves keeping where he took 2 catches.
Captain Luke O’Connor was run out by a great pick up and throw by Steve Mckay.
Frank Hoang was the pick of the bowlers for the 8 CRICK-IT-IERS with figures of 4 overs, 3 wickets for 11 runs.
The Bentleigh Bass Players finished their innings on 47.
Midweek league – Wednesday, 27th January
Massivetins (204) vs. Hampton Street Cricket Club (456)
Welcome to the Hampton Street Cricket Club (HSCC) who in their first game put on a good show, going down to the Massivetins by only 10 runs. The HSCC boys seem to come from a background of indoor cricket and are adjusting back to some differences between the two forms.
Massivetins won the toss and elected to bat. Batting started fairly well for the Massivetins opening pair of plumber / captain, Matt Puopolo and Nathan Barnes with them making 20 off 12 and 17 off 11 respectively. New Zealand import Jeff “Maverick” Berkett played a fine innings for his 36 off 19 balls, improving his current career strike rate of 102.86. Damien Vincent batted well in support with some thundering shots over the bowlers head to end up on 24 off 21 balls.
Hampton Street Cricket Club bowled well to restrict the Massivetins to 122 in 19.2 over. Cameron van den Dungen bowled very well in his four overs with figures of 3 for 24 off the 4 overs. The main wicket taker for HSCC was Tim Macrow who bowled with great accuracy and ended up taking 4 for 34 off 3.3 overs. Two of these wickets coming off Tim’s last two balls of the innings leaving Tim on a hat trick opportunity with his first ball of his next game. Grant Rowley took a fantastic keepers catch off Tim’s bowling to close the innings of Massivetins on 122.
It was then the Hampton Street Cricket Clubs turn with the bat. A fairly conservative start with the bat although HSCC were aware of Massivetins gap in the field with only 7 players so it was just a matter of working the ball into the gaps.
Phil Howarth fell early on with the score on 10. Sensible batting between captain Grant Rowley and Cameron van den Dungen saw them take the score to 37/1 prior to them both losing their wickets to the legendary Double Play rule – welcome to Last Man Stands crickets gents. Grant ended up making 11 off 16 balls and Cameron 22 off 15 balls. Andrew van Leeuwen had a great cameo innings of 20 of 11 balls before being caught. Andrew’s innings included 2 fours and a six. Mitchell Adam was very patient and hung around to the end scoring 22 off 30 balls. Tim Macrow had his turn at the crease smacking 22 off 14 balls including 3 fours. Matt Howarth wanted to get things over with hitting a quick fire 10 off 7. This brought Peter Ryan to the crease needing 20 runs off the last 10 balls to win the game. After getting within 11 runs of the winning total the Double Play struck again. For the second (hopefully last for the season) time this game Hampton Street Cricket Club fell to every batting teams worst enemy, Double Play! Matt Puopolo had a great day with the ball with figures of 4 for 22 of 3.2 which included both double plays. Luke Merritt was very economical with figures of 1 for 14 off his 4 overs.
Massivetins ended up winning by 10 runs. Great game that was enjoyed by all!
West Melbourne – Midweek league, 16th December 2009
The Middies (279) vs. Massivetins (258)
With the last league game for both teams before the finals it was important for The Middies in particular to win this game to stand a chance of making the finals.
The Middies won the toss elected to field first which turned out to be a good decision with them restricting the Massivetin’s who have quite a few regular players out injured to 110 for 8 off 18 overs. Damien Vincent and Kieran Reeves batted very well making 40 off 30 balls and 43 off 31 balls respectively. Kieran batted as the Last Man Stands for more than 3 overs and scoring freely.
Sukdeep Gill was the pick of the bowlers having bowled three overs for 11 runs and claiming 3 wickets.
It was then the turn of the Middies to turn up the heat and get the 111 required to win the game. A great opening partnership by ever reliable Mark Morton who made a steady 37 off 44 balls working the ball around the wicket. Niel Peelak scored well again knocking 50 off 32 balls with some great 4’s been struck. Sukdeep Gill batted well to be not out for his 19 of 12 balls. Sukdeep is only young and has got a long career ahead of him in the Last Man Stands competition with a great start.
The Middies ending up winning the game in the 18th over with one wicket down.
Deft Division (345) vs. Belhamine 8 (470)
Well this game was very important for Deft Division knowing the only way to qualify for the final was to win. Not only did the win but they won big and in style. The Deft Division boys batted first on this 40 degree afternoon and started cooking in the heat with some blistering batting. The Deft Division ended up making 192 for 2 off their 20 overs.
Robert Olsen again proved what a valuable player he is to his team with a 53 retired off only 23 balls. Paul Pante batted very well again as he has for most of the season hitting a quick fire 36 off 18 balls. Useful contributions from Carl Catropia with 28 off 21 and Adrian Pante with 14 off 9 helped keep the run rate healthy.
Belhamine 8 had allot of work ahead of them after a day spent recovering from the night before by what I could make out. It was a great effort by the boys in blue who did not manage to make the required score but still managed 158 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs which was quite impressive given the temperature and state of mind (Christmas parties).Nick Varchione batted very well again with the keeper making 70 off 35 balls hitting some massive shots. Nick was well supported by Robert Cass who scored 29 off 20 balls. Robert Olsen was the pick of the bowlers too with figures of 3 overs, 2wickets for 7 runs.
Deft Division won comfortably and now face Massivetins in Monday nights final for the midweek competition.
Thank you to all teams involved in the first mid week league in Melbourne for Last Man Stands as I think it was a great success. Hope to see you all back in January after a well deserved break.
West Melbourne – Midweek league, 9th December 2009
The Middies (325) vs. Deft Division (386)
The Middies batted first and posted a respectable total of 141 runs in their allotted 20 overs. A great knock from opening batsman Mark Morton who retired after reaching 51 off 41 balls. Nav Johal batted at a quicker base than the week before where he set a record for the slowest strike rate for any batsman who scored over 20 run – strike right of 32runs/100 balls. In this game Nav score 44 off 29 which is more like the Nav we used to seeing. Neil Peelik scored a handy 31 off 23 balls to remain not out. Nathan Sayers was the pick of the bowlers for Deft Division with figures of 4 overs 2 for 27. There was also some great keeping from captain Adrian Pante with an exceptional catch diving to his right at full stretch – a catch superman would have been proud of in his prime.
This left Deft Division with a tough task of chasing down 141 which they managed in the end leaving it to the last over and up to Paul Pante who belted a few 6’s to finish with a handy 16 off 4 not out. Robert Olsen batted well again with 50 off 27 to remain not out which was a great effort. Carl Catropia was also really crafty with his shots scoring at more than a run a ball and ended up making 27 off 22 balls. Neil Peelik has only just taken up bowling as his stats back this up bowling 2 overs for 19 runs with no wickets. Nav Johal and Sameer Shingala were economical with the ball each bowling their allotted 4 overs with Sameer finishing with one wickets for 23 runs and Nav no wickets for 24 runs.
Very good win for Deft Division in another closely contested game.
1st Game – Monday, 23rd November
Belhamine 8 (478) vs. Deft Division (343)
Belhamine 8 won the toss and elected to bat with useful contributions all down the batting order. Paul Armstrong being the stand out with 50 off 38 balls retired not out. Captain, Vaughan Belhamine had a point to prove to a few team members who thought he purchased his vintage bat from the local Kmart store. Vaughan scored a handy 20 off 14 balls with a strike rate of 143 – not a bad bat!
Robert Cass and Tim Gallagher batted well too scoring 22 and 24 respectively at more than a run a ball. Rob Green ended up with 17 off 13 balls. On the bowling front Robert Olsen bowled very well to end with figures of 4 overs – 2 for 24. Belhamine 8 would have been quite comfortable with their batting performance after their previous two attempts ending up with 136 for 3 after 20 overs.
It was then Deft Divisions turn with the bat and I know that they were very hungry for a win after their loss last week to The Middies. Deft Division could not have asked for a worst start to their innings with some handy bowling but being 4 wickets down after 10 overs with not many runs on the board it was left to Paul Pante to rescue the Deft Division boys before there were divisions in the ranks. Paul came through like a superstar, for a team that looked like they were down and out with a brilliant 54 not out off 30 balls with some fantastic hard hitting and great stroke play. Nathan Sayers must not be forgotten for his very handy 29 off 23 balls, Nathan played his role perfectly and that was to just feed the batting to Paul.
Vaughan Belhamine bowled very well taking two wickets and was very economical finishing with figures of 4 overs – 2 for 15. Deft Division won this nail bitter with one ball to spare. Well done to both teams for a great game of Last Man Stands cricket.
Game 1: The Middies (312) vs. Deft Division (392)
Deft Division batted first and scored 122 runs from their allotted 20 overs. There was some classy batting from Robert Olsen who scored 50 off 30 balls to remain not out. Robert was well supported by Nathan Sayers who scored 24, Charlie Nasv with 21 runs and Jonathan Garrett who managed 18 runs. From The Middies there was some very handy bowling from debutant Jacques Saffa with figures of 2 for 16 off his 3 overs. Akhil Bhatti was very economical with the ball completing his 4 overs for 20 runs.
With Deft Division having the runs on the board The Middies had to overcome some accurate bowling from Robert Olsen (4 overs, 1 for 19), Adrian Pante (4 overs, 1 for 24) and Nathan Sayers (4 overs, 0 for 26). Mark Morton and David Irvin batted solidly to see off the tight bowling and build a fantastic platform for the opening partnership which was worth 36. Jacques Saffas not only bowled well but was very useful with the bat too scoring 35 off 26 balls to remain not out.
This was a very close game with only a few balls to spare in the end. The win going to The Middies passing Deft Divisions score with 7 balls to spare.
Game 2: Massivetins (401) vs. Belhamine 8 (463) Massivetins batted first and got off to a blazing start scoring 60 runs off the first 6 overs. Chris Barry top scored with a very impressive 74 runs off 42 balls including 7 fours and 2 sixes. Damien Reeves batted well too with a great supporting knock of 33 off 25 balls. Debutant import from Western Australia, Justin Carroll was the pick of the bowlers ending his 4 overs with figures of 3 for 20 runs. Paul Armstrong and Matt Gehle finished with 2 wickets each. Massivetins ended up being bowled out with 3 balls to spare for 139 runs.
It was then the turn of the Belhamine 8 to show their stuff with the bat. A good opening partnership of 34 between Robert Cass and Paul Armstrong before a few wickets fell in quick succession. This was before Chris Charroll batted superbly for his 52 runs off 34 ending the game as the Last Man Stands and keeping the Belhamine 8 in the game with 2 balls play. Matt Gehle contributed with the bat too scoring 16 runs off 13 balls. Nathan Barnes bowled very well with his 4 overs costing 28 runs and bagging 3 wickets.
Belhamine 8 fell short of the total by 15 runs ending on 125 overs up.
West Melbourne 15th November - Sunday League
Game 1: 8-CRICK-IT-IERS (248) vs. The Bentleigh Bass Players (479)
8-CRICK-IT-IERS batted first and reached a very respectable total of 168 for 3 off their allotted 20 overs. Steven Mckay top scored with 54 for 27 balls playing beautifully with a straight bat hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes. 8-CRICK-IT-IERS captain Sameer Shingala was unlucky getting out on 49 but scored freely with Sameer’s runs only coming off 24 balls including 8 fours and a six.
It was The Bentleigh Bass Players turn with the bat and they batted well too losing only 4 wickets in their 20 overs. Ibrahim Charby toped scored with yet another classy 50 off 38 runs leaving him not out with a Last Man Stands career average of 70.00, scoring 420 runs in 9 innings. Ibrahim was well supported by Mark Morton who remained not out with 30 off 17 balls.
8-CRICK-IT-IERS won the high scoring game but great effort from Bentleigh Bass Players who are improving from week to week.
Game 2: The Beige Brigade (466) vs. Kenkastle (15)
The Beige Brigade batted first and did very well to score 135 for 2 after the 20 overs. Some great batting from Luke Merritt who managed 53 not out off 26 balls (11 fours) and Nathan Barnes who scored 46 off 47 to be not out too with the opening partnership worth 104 runs. Matthew Puopolo played well for his run a ball 18. Stephen Wools was the pick of the bowlers for Kenkastle taking both wickets to fall for 20 runs in his 4 overs.
Kenkastle then responded with a golden duck for Andrew Ower bowled by Nathan Barnes. Grant Byrne was unlucky to be out for 48 off 25 balls. Paul Campbell scored another classy half century off 31 balls. Luke Merritt kept well taking two catches.
Kenkastle won this game but a good fight put up by The Beige Brigade.
Game 3: Kenkastle (15) vs. Tsunami Saints (428)
Kenkastle batted first with Grant Byrne scoring another quick 50 to be not out on 52 with 4 fours and a 6. Grant ended up making 100 runs for the day with a 48 of the previous match. Andrew Owar came back from a duck in the previous game to score an excellent 51 not out which included 7 fours.
Tsunami Saints then batted with Nathan Howard being caught for a 3rd ball duck. Captain Michael van Dort played a responsible innings and ended up scoring 50 not out which included 5 fours and a six. Non registered player Vish scored a 50 on debut after Kenkastle kindly let him bat on after getting Vish out with the infamous double wicket rule of which he was not informed. Daniel O’Keefe, Grant Byrne and Paul Campbell each finished the day with 2 wickets a piece, well done boys!
Well done to Kenkastle for some great sportsmanship and the victory!!!
North Melbourne 15th November - Sunday League
Game 1: La Trobe(503) vs. KBFC(235)
Batting first, La Trobe made a steady start with openers Matthew Bolger-Hobsen and Michael Nardi scoring 20 and 29 respectively. La Trobe were well placed at 1/60 after 10 overs to accelerate their innings, however a fine spell of bowling from Mark Moncrieff with 3/18 off his 4 and support from Arun Patterson and Brodie Tieman who took a wicket each prevented La Trobe from reaching a sizeable total. Adam Robertson continued his excellent form scoring 45 from 33 deliveries and Phil Milne also chipped in with 20 from 17. La Trobe finished on 5/118 after their 20 overs.
KBFC began their chase assertively and confidently, scoring 84 from their first 7 overs alone, thanks largely to a quickfire 31 off 15 from Tyler Harris and 44 off 24 from Brett Halkyard. Perhaps reflective of such confidence was the interesting 'undies on the outside' attire sported by the Mantesso brothers, which was well received by the La Trobe fieldsmen. A fierce spell of fast bowling from Bayswater CC recruit Phil Milne (3/26 from 4) created a few nervous moments for KBFC, as they still needed a handful of runs with only 3 wickets in hand. However they were guided home comfortably by Seton Leggett, KBFC reaching their target in only 12.1 overs.
Game 2: Panjab Warriors (116) vs. Misfits (469)
Opting to bat first, the Panjab Warriors applied early pressure to the Misfit bowlers and maintained it for the entire 20 overs, achieving the highest team total in the season thus far. Each batsman who came to the crease contributed: Rajiv Kumar (51 not out from 29), Jasdeep Purewal (17 from 12), Jimmy Gurm (29 from 23), Aravinder Sandhu (21 from 15) and Aman (Unregistered player, 32 from 15). The highlight of the batting however was Prabh Singh, who equalled the Melbourne Record for the fastest fifty with a devastating unbeaten 50 from 17 deliveries, achieved in spectacular fashion hitting a home run (the first of the season) to reach exactly 50. The Misfit bowlers struggled for consistent line and length throughout the innings, but Jag Singh was the pick of the bowlers capturing 2 wickets.
Chasing such a large target was always going to be an extremely difficult ask, and the task was made impossible with a fine opening spell from Rajiv Kumar, suffocating the Misfit batsmen with 1/8 from his 4 overs. The Panjab bowlers all bowled consistently but it was Aman (Unregistered player) who reaped the rewards with 4/17 from 2 overs. On the batting front, Jag Singh worked hard for his 20 runs and Nav Johal provided most of the resistance scoring 42 from 29. The Misfits were bowled out for 88 after 18 overs, Panjab winning by an enormous 113 runs.
West Melbourne 11th November - Mid Week League
Deft Division (373) vs. Massivetins (435)
In the second mid week game this week two more new teams enjoyed two hours of cricket in the heat.
Deft Division smartly dressed in the own branded shorts earned the bonus point for matching outfits before play began. Adrian Pante, Deft Division captain won the toss and elected to bat first. For a bunch of players who claim to not have picked up a bat for many years they batted very well. The stand out batsman for Deft Division was Robert Olsen who top scored with 53 runs off 33 balls which included 6 fours, so well done Robert in your debut game of Last Man Stands.Robert was well supported by Adrian Pante who managed 37 runs of 34 balls (5 fours) and David Black with 25 off 14 balls which included a four and a six. Paul Pante experienced the cruel double play rule first hand which normally helps you understand the rule abit better – non strikers end Paul!
Deft Division ended their allotted 20 overs with a respectable score of 144 for the loss of 5 wickets. Nathan Barnes bowled well claiming 2 wickets for 32 after 4 overs.
With a quick change over between innings it was Massivetins turn with the bat not helped by playing one player short this game. Massivetins put up a good fight ending up with 119 runs for 6 wickets in their 20 overs. A quick fire 36 off 18 balls from Luke Merritt got the scoreboard ticking along nicely. Luke hit 5 fours and a 6 in his innings. Captain Matt Puopolo had a tough job playing catch up in the end batting as the Last Man Stands and ended up scoring 33 runs off 32 balls which included 5 fours.
Yet another Nathan putting in a great spell with the ball, this time Nathan Sayers was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 overs costing him 17 runs and picking up 3 important wickets along the way.Deft Division won this game so well done to them. This mid week league is fairly evenly matched which should make the rest of the games very exciting.
West Melbourne 9th November - Mid Week League
The Middies (350) vs. Belhamine 8 (447)
This was the first game of the mid week league played on a very hot evening in Melbourne. Both teams were very keen to stamp there authority early on in this competition.
The toss was won by The Middies who elected to bat first. The Middies opened with Jamie Mallia and Ian Hyde who saw off some fearsome bowling from Chris Carroll. Chris opened with a maiden over and was hoping that this showed the way forward for the rest of the innings.
For The Middies in form Nav “the satman” Johal scored an impressive quick fire 51 off 21 balls to be not out and continue his great form of late in the Sunday league. Nav was supported by a great craftsmen innings from the veteran of the game Wayne Ennor who scored 27 off 24 balls. Captain of The Middies Sameer Shingala played a steady innings scoring 20 off 15.
Paul Armstrong was the pick of the bowlers taking 3 key wickets in his 4 overs for only 15 runs. Even though Paul injured himself with two balls to be bowled he sweated through it and managed to Rahul Patel. The Middies finished up with 142 for 6 from their 20 overs.
It was then the Belhamine 8’s turn with the bat. Beside a brave Last Man Stands effort from Nick Varchione who scored 24 off 19 balls and supported by Robert Cass who managed 13 off 6 balls there was not much other news to report on the batting. I think it must have been a bad day at the office followed by a bad day with the bat. To the Belhamine 8’s credit there was some exceptional bowling from Rahul Patel who managed only the second ever 5 wicket haul in Melbourne with figures of 4 overs, 5 wickets for 26 runs. Nav Johal also bowled superbly taking 3 wickets in 3.1 overs. Both Nav and Rahul took brilliant catches off their own bowling. Ramesh Karuppiahsamy had an off day in the field letting through a few runs which would normally be stopped with ease by this jack in the box of fielder.Belhamine 8 finished on 46 all out after 7.1 overs.
As I mentioned previously I think the combination of a bad day with the bat and some exceptional bowling was the Belhamine 8’s main issue and I am sure they will be back strong for the next game next week.
The game was played in a great spirit and all involved had a fantastic time.
West Melbourne 8th November - Sunday League
Game 1: Kenkastle (30) vs. 8-CRICK-IT-IERS (307)
Unknown Steve from 8-CRICK-IT-IERS played a man of the match innings for his team. Scoring 90 which included 4 sixes and 5 fours with one six landing in the railway tracks. After retiring on 54 unknown Steve returned to the crease as Last Man Stands and went on to finish up with his fantastic score of 90 which is a record for the Melbourne leagues. See the Hall of Fame Melbourne
Minal Chotai was run out by a direct hit aiming at a single stump by captain and ever elusive Kyle Black. Shameer Shingala and Senaka Marapana were both stumped via some great keeping by David Jenkins off the bowling of Kyle Black. 8-CRICK-IT-IERS finished up with 137 off their allotted 20 overs.
It was then Kenkastle turn with the bat and again unknown Steve took a wicket with his very first ball to put Kenkastle on the back foot. Shameer Shingala set a fine example as captain in the field with an exceptional run out. Michael Olle was the only real hope for Kenkastle, scoring fantastic 40 off 24 balls which included a six and 4 fours. Kenkastle were all out for 98 in the 18.2nd over. I wonder if Michael had a quite Saturday evening.
Great effort from the 8-CRICK-IT-IERS as this is the first time in 8 games that Kenkastle has been defeated. It just shows that anything can happen with the 307th world ranked team beating the 30th best team in the world. Well done!!
Game 2: The Great 8 (88) vs. Tsunami Saints (407)
The Great 8 batted first and ended on 148 for 3 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Adam Baker once again showed his great class with an unbeaten 50 off 36 balls which included no sixes but 7 fours. Brother and captain, Chris Baker played very well too for an unbeaten 30 off 23 balls. David Payne playing well again for his 39 not out off 23 balls which included a huge straight six.
It was then the turn of the Tsunami Saints to fight back with the bat. Joe Arnephy and Ajay were out in the 2nd over thanks to the infamous Double play rule. Tsunami Saints had two useful contributions from Danny Milsom who scored 55 off 46 balls which included 6 fours and Nathan Howard (46 off 25) including 7 fours and a six. They only managed a total of 125 to be all out in 17.4 overs even with those two useful contributions.
David Payne not only starred with the bat but took a useful 3 wickets in three overs for 16 runs. This helped the Great 8 to another victory.
Game 3: Bentleigh Bass (457) vs. The Great 8 (88)
Bentleigh Bass batted first and needed to get some serious runs on the board with the great batting line up from the Great 8. Bentleigh Bass managed 114 for 4 off their 20 overs, not sure if this run rate was aggressive enough against the Great 8. Charby Ibrahim scored his 4 half century for the season hitting 52 off 36 balls with a LMS career average of 52.86. Charby’s 50 included 4 fours and 2 sixes, one of the sixes was huge and compliments of a free hit. Chris Baker ended up with three more catches to his name too.
The Great 8 were now chasing down 114 in what was an extremely hot day in Melbourne and playing a double header too. It was Tim Baker’s turn to step up as part of the Baker family onslaught with a crafty 25 off 21 balls. David Payne was amongst the high scores again scoring 21 off 12 balls to remain not out.
The Great 8 won their second game of the day passing Bentleigh Bass’s total in 16.1 overs to end on 115 for the loss of 6 wickets.
Game 4: Bentleigh Bass (457) vs. Beige Brigade (492)
Bentleigh Bass batted first in their second game of the day and scored a respectable 127 for the loss of only 3 wickets in their 20 overs. Charby Ibrahim was out compliments of a rare LBW for 29 runs including 4 fours. James Deane-Butcher was great with the bat scoring 52 not out which included 6 fours. Peter Barnes was not out on 18 off 16 balls.
The Beige Brigade finally got a well deserved win reaching the total with only 3 wickets down and 1.3 overs to spare. Phillip Brain top scored with 32 off 18 which included 5 fours and a six from the big hitter. Charby Ibrahim took revenge on Matthew Puopolo dismissing Matthew via another LBW for 25. Luke Merritt scored at just over a run a ball to hit 29 off 28
Well done to The Beige Brigade on their win.
North Melbourne 8th November - Sunday League
Game 1: Misfits (430) vs. KBFC (294)
KBFC found themselves in immediate trouble batting first on this scorching hot spring day, losing their first two wickets to the 'double play' rule unique to LMS, Blair Mantesso being caught with Tyler Harris run out at the non strikers end by the graceful Bobby Singh. Seton Leggett and Mark Moncrieff made their way to the crease and immediately began a steady recovery, before Leggett was bowled by a fantastic delivery from Bobby Singh for 23. Scott Gordon joined Mark and began pounding the Misfit bowlers to all ends of the ground, making an unbeaten 54 off just 29 deliveries. Mark Moncrieff was the backbone of the innings, making a well compiled 45 from 41 balls. On the bowling front Jag Singh and Nick Busst bowled superbly, achieving figures of 0/14 and 2/21 respectively from their 4 overs. KBFC ended on 4/139 from their allotted 20 overs.
The Misfits top order were in deep trouble early on, slumping to 6/44 after 9 overs after some superb bowling from Seton Leggett (1/7 from 2), Mark Moncrieff (3/16 from 4), Scott Gordon (2/14 from 3), and captain Blair Mantesso (1/5 from 2). Jag Singh was the only top order batsman to get going, scoring 18 from 18 deliveries. Ronnie Gill played a lone hand from the lower order, displaying flawless technique in scoring 33 from 19 balls. The fielding from the KBFC was flawless, the standout being keeper Brett Halkyard who took 3 catches. KBFC took the match by 50 runs after the Misfits were bowled out for 89 in the 17th over.
Game 2: Panjab Warriors (162) vs. La Trobe (470)
The game that looked to be the biggest mismatch turned out to be the game of the season. A correct call at the toss meant the Panjab Warriors were batting first, and openers Rajiv Kumar and Bittu (unregistered player) looked to score quickly. Rajiv capitalised on several missed chances and scored his second consecutive half century, this time from 25 balls. Bittu was solid and also scored an unbeaten 50. Aravinder Sandhu and Jasdeep Purewal closed out the innings scoring 30 from 24 and 25 from 14 respectively, Panjab reaching 3/158 from their 20 overs. The La Trobe bowlers struggled to contain the aggressive play of the Panjab Warriors, although Matt Bolger-Hobsen had respectable figures of 1/24 from 4.
In pursuit of 159, La Trobe shot themselves in the foot with two early run outs, leaving them struggling at 2/6 after 3 overs. Adam Robertson took it upon himself to lead a recovery, playing a magnificent knock of 53 not out from 38 balls. After a third run out and the retirement of Adam, Phil (unregistered player) and Onkar Kale lifted the scoring rate and pushed La Trobe within striking distance of the target with magnificent stroke play and running between wickets scoring 49 and 31 respectively. Requiring 21 from the last two overs, Aman (Unregistered player) and Rajiv Kumar (1/12 off 4) bowled well at the death, Panjab holding on for a 14 run victory.
North Melbourne 1st November - Sunday League
KBFC (344) v Panjab Warriors (193)
After electing to bat first Panjab Warriors were off to a flying start scoring 50 runs off the first five over thanks to quick scoring from Jatender Singh (19 off 14 balls) and a commanding innings from Rajiv Kumar (50 from 25 balls). Thereafter KBFC were able to stem the tide somewhat with the introduction of Arun Patterson (2/21 off 4 overs) and Mark Moncrieff (2/23 off 4 overs). However, with Gurjender Singh finishing the innings strongly (20 from 16), KBFC were unable to prevent Panjab Warriors from reaching a decent total of 5/132 from their 20 overs, given the difficult batting conditions.
In pursuit of 133, a devastating opening from Bittu (Unregistered player, 3/23 off 4) followed by incredibly tight and accurate bowling from Jatender Singh (2/7 from 4) left the KBFC run chase in tatters. Despite some resistance from Brendan (Unregistered player, 21 from 15) and Scott Gordon (16 from 22) KBFC fell short, bowled out for 82 after 16 overs, Gurjender Singh cleaning up the tail with 2/7 off 2. Panjab Warriors winning the game comfortably by 50 runs.
Misfits (409) v La Trobe (466)
Choosing to bowl first, the Misfits delivered few loose deliveries and strangled the La Trobe batsmen without taking wickets. Most of the Misfit bowlers bowled accurately and kept the scoring rate low, the standout being Nav Johal with 1/12 from his 4 overs. Captain Michael Nardi and Matt Bolger-Hobsen were both solid in their innings, scoring an unbeaten 40 and 26 respectively and Adam Robertson lifted the scoring rate reaching 43 from 27 deliveries.
In the end La Trobe scored 110 from their 20 overs. In response the Misfits cut loose early with Nav Johal backing up his phenomenal effort in the previous week with an unbeaten 51 from 28 balls and Jag Singh was looking dangerous (26 from 16) before he was run out. The run out was ruled by semi retired professional veterans umpire Bobby Singh, what a great decision by the veteran. Ranveer Ronnie Gill (23 not out from 22) and Nick Busst (12 not out from 8) closed out the innings, the Misfits reaching their target in 13 overs.
West Melbourne 25th October 2009 – Sunday League
8-CRICK-IT-IERS (360) vs. The Beige Brigade (499)
This was the opening game of the day with the 8-CRICK-IT-IERS batting first and scoring a handy total of 177 in their allotted 20 overs for the loss of only 4 wickets. The stand out batsmen for 8-CRICK-IT-IERS were captain, Sameer Shingala who scored a quick fire 53 off 35 including some great fours (six in total). Then it was Viren’s turn with the bat and what a bat it was, none other than a BAS Vampire requiring the willow of 3 trees. Viren’s 50 was scored with compliments of 7 fours and a six.
On the bowling front for The Beige Brigade Jason Baker and captain Jeff Berkett took a wicket each and there was some tight disciplined bowling from Ben Smart once again.
The Beige Brigade batted chasing down 177 with Nathan Barnes been bowled compliments of a beautiful outswinger by Rahul Patel for a duck. Half centuries by captain Jeff Berkett (53 of 50 including 7 fours) and Mark Dowdell (51 off 44 including 6 fours) were not enough as The Beige Brigade ran out of overs. Great batting with only one wicket falling but the run rate was never there.
8-CRICK-IT-IERS won by 60 runs.
The Great 8 (168) vs. Kenkastle (19)
For me this was always going to be the game of the season thus far and lived up to this title. Kenkastle and The Great 8 have headed up the top two spots all season. The Great 8 batted first scoring 148 for 3 after their allotted 20 overs.
The Great 8 captain Chris Baker showing once again that he can bat scoring at more than a run a ball to be not out (36 of 17 balls). David Payne was back in form yesterday with an excellent 50 which included 6 fours and 2 sixes, which shows form is temporary but class is permanent. One of David’s sixes had to notify air traffic control as it stayed hit for some time. In the field Kenkastle captain Kyle Black led by example with some great ground fielding, excellent commitment which included a fantastic attempted catch running from fine leg to square leg at a speed not seen since Bolt broke the 100m record in August at the World Champs in Berlin.
David Jenkins unfortunately dropped what would have been a blinding catch from behind the stumps keeping. Harrow was stumped beautifully by David Jenkins off a well flighted delivery from Kyle Black. The Baker brothers, Chris and Tim again showed that even on the field they can form great partnerships with both batting really well and remaining not out.
In the Kenkastle innings started with a different opening pair. With one wicket down Daniel O’Keeffe came in to bat and hit a massive six to the opposing oval. A great innings by David Jenkins then saw Daniel (53 off 44) and David (53 off 27) form a not out partnership to win the game. The over that sealed the victory came in the 18th bowled by Tim Baker with David Jenkins hitting 4 fours in the over. Chris Baker bowled very well in his 4 overs ending up with 2 wickets and only conceding 19 runs.
Kenkastle won with 4 balls to spare
Bentleigh Bass Players (431) vs. Tsunami Saints (385)
What a close game!! This game went down to the last ball with 3 runs required to win for the Tsunami Saints.
Bentleigh Bass Players batted first with “ring player” Charby Ibrahim scoring another 50 coming off 40 balls to remain not out. Charby’s 50 included some well timed fours (8 fours). Mark and Andrew Morgon formed an excellent partnership going to the end with Mark scoring 42 not out and Andrew Morgan scoring 45 and was out on the last ball of the innings. Bentleigh Bass Players only losing two wickets in the innings. Some tight bowling saw Nathan Howard rewarded with a wicket, bowling his 4 overs for just 20 runs.
The Tsunami Saints had a shaky start losing their captain Michael Vandort for a duck. The turning point of the game was thanks to Matt Rowe and Michael B. Matt was surely the man of the match with 8 fours and 3 sixes to remain unbeaten on 64. Michael B. Hit 5 fours. There were 13 runs required off the last over of the day with Matt Rowe running a single for his fifty and having to retire.
Michael B. Was now on strike and was bowled. This meant the Tsunami Saints were 6 wickets down and retiring nightmare Matt Rowe came back on as was on strike. With 11 runs off the last 3 balls of the game required there was only one man for the job. Matt Rowe scored 20 runs off the last three balls, scoresheet reading: 4 runs, 4 runs, 6 runs (last ball of innings makes it 12 runs) = 20 runs and a victory for Tsunami Saints.
Tsunami Saints win by 10 runs. What a game!
North Melbourne 25th October 2009 – Sunday League
The Misfits (442) vs. Panjab Warriors (232)
The Panjab Warriors opened the batting for the day with some great stroke play. There were two great knocks, one by Arvinder Sandhu who scored a delightful 52 runs off 43 balls to be not out. Arvinder was joined by Jatender Singh who blasted his way to 54 off just 25 balls, Jatender was also not out by the end.
There was some unorthodox bowling from Amardeep Nanuan who managed a few super deliveries when he got the ball to land on the pitch. Nav Johal and ever consistent Jag Singh bowled well and were quite economical. Nav took a brilliant catch playing keeper and a stumping. Panjab Warriors finished up with a respectable score of 160 for the loss of 2 wickets.
It was then The Misfits turn to bat and they did not start very well with the only real run scorer being Nav Johal who batted like his life depended in it, hitting 59 off 26 balls to remain unbeaten.
Panjab Warriors continue their dominance in the Northern league with another victory.
KBFC took to the pitch first with a few big hitters leading the way. Seton Leggett top scored ending not out on 50 off 22 balls with some very hard hitting. Seton has well supported by Tyler Harris (35 off 22) and Mark Moncrieff (27 off 19). Sean Mantesso added a valuable 27 off 26 balls. Onkar Kale was the pick of the bowlers from La Trobe taking 1 for 27 of his 4 overs. KBFC finished with 175 on the board which was always going to be a challenge for any team.
La Trobe had a miserable day with the bat managing 75 in their allotted 20 overs. The main contributor was Eben Rojter with a useful 20 off 23. La Trobe captain Michael Nardi was solid for his 16 runs and also took a useful catch as the La Trobe keeper.
KBFC won by 104 runs.
Play Twenty20 cricket - Melbourne western league
11th October – West Melbourne league
Kenkastle won the first game of the day by 7 wickets. Tsunami Saints were first in to bat and managed 113 for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Kenkastle’s captain Kyle Black continues his impressive form with the ball with another 3 wicket haul (4overs-34runs-3wickets).
Kenkastle reached 117 in the 11.4 over for the loss of only 1 wicket. Andrew Ower’s form with the bat continues notching up his 4 half century (50 off 24). What a great start to Andrew’s Last Man Stands cricketing career.
Kenkastle won by 7 wickets.
Great 8 opened the batting in the second game and two great half centuries from the Baker brothers. Chris Baker scoring his maiden fifty off 30 balls, only to be outdone by Adam Baker who thought he would turn up the heat on the brother rivalry and hit his fifty off just 21 balls. Luke Merritt and Ben Smart were both economical with their bowling, each being rewarded with a wicket a piece.
With the high score to be chased down and the useful 49 runs from Brian Phillip which included a massive 6 straight over the bowlers head and a tracer bullet four that nearly claimed the life of umpire Vijay Radhakrishnan, Beige Brigade were left short. Three catches behind the stumps for wicket keeper / captain Chris Baker and an economical 3/25 off 4 from Matthew Boyle secured the win for Great 8.
Bentleigh Bass Players vs. 8 CRICK-IT-IERS
The third game of the day was a cracker. The Bentleigh Bass Players batted first and score 99 in their allotted 20 overs. Once again Charby Ibrahim (career avg 57.33) proved why he the most sort after ring player in Melbourne with a great 48 off 31 balls which included 2 sixes and 4 fours. Apal Mehta was involved in 3 run outs for the wicket keeper, great work. Rahul Patel bowled a maiden over in his 3rd over which is not frequently witnessed in Last Man Stands cricket. Rahul Patel also took a catch off his own bowling and got a double wicket at the non strikers end, showing once again the danger of this exciting Double Wicket rule unique to Last Man Stands.
It was now the 8 CRICK-IT-IERS turn with the bat to chase down the 99 runs with rain looming. With the very first ball of the innings Andrew Morgan secured the wicket of Minal Chotai for a golden duck. The turning point of the innings came when James Deane-Butcher managed a double wicket getting captain Sameer Shingala caught and then running out Apal Mehta. This was just a returned favour for the earlier double wicket.
After a short break for rain as expected a nervous Jay Patel who no doubt was consulted by 7 other batting experts telling him what is required he returned to the crease as the LAST MAN STANDING and requiring 4 runs to win off 2 overs. Jay Patel managed 2 off the 4th ball of the last over and now required only 2 off the last ball only to be caught off the last ball and hand a dramatic win to the Bentleigh Bass Players by 1 run.
11th October – North Melbourne league
The Misfits vs. La Trobe
This was great first up game for La Trobe making their debut in the Last Man Stands competition. La Trobe won the toss and elected to bat first.
There were useful contributions by most of the La Trobe batsmen, notably Matthew Bolger-Hobson with a great knock of 54 off 34 balls (not out) and well supported by Onkar Kale who managed 23 off 13 balls. Matthew played some great strokes and look like he could be a worry for his competitors this season.
The bowling from The Misfits was fairly tight from most considering they only took the field with 6 players. The only bowler to take abit of stick and not get a wickets was the out of form Greg Mortimer. Glen Harvey bowled with real purpose and Gavin Shaw was happy to see out his 4 overs. La Trobe finished up with 145 from their allotted 20 overs
It was then the turn of The Misfits to show their skill with the bat and La Trobe with the ball. Neil Peelik high scored with a classy 58 off 30 balls. Neil Peelik is a great success story about a boy from the bush in South Africa picking up a cricket bat for the first time at the age of 42 and making a success of it – well done Neil.
Neil was very well supported by Jay Nagra (15 off 7) and Jan Singh who batted very well as the LAST MAN STANDING with a handy 38 off 36 balls. La Trobe had some great bowlers with Matthew Bolger-Hobson steaming in with great figures (3overs – 2wickets - 13 runs). Onkar Kale (4-2-15) and Michael Nardi (4-2-28) also bowled superbly.
Well done to La Trobe on their 100% winning record, winning 16 runs.
Panjab Warriors vs. KBFC
This was the Panjab Warriors debut game coming up against KBFC who played in last season competition. Both teams looked very keen to start off their season on a winning note.
Panjab Warriors batted first with a great maiden fifty from Arvinder Sandhu (56 off 41) with some great shots all round the wicket. Arvinder was supported by Jasdeep Purewal with a steady 22 off 24 balls. On the bowling front Arun Patterson was on fire with the ball bagging the first 5 wicket haul (4overs -5wickets-11runs) in any Melbourne league which secures him a place in the Melbourne Hall of Fame. Mark Moncrieff bowl well too with 2 for 3 off 12. Panjab Warriors ended up scoring 106 in 17.1 overs.
KBFC had a day they would rather forget with the bat managing only 40 runs in 13 overs. Both Tyler Harris and captain Blair Mantesso were the only notable run makers each scoring 13 runs. All 4 bowlers used by Panjab Warriors bagged 2 wickets with some great accurate bowling from Jatender Singh with figures of 3overs-2wickets-3runs. Arvinder Sandhu bowled well too with figure of 2overs-2wickets-6runs.
Panjab Warriors won the game by 66 runs. Great start to their Last Man Stands competition.
4th October 2009 - West Melbourne
The Beige Brigade vs The Bentleigh Bass Players
This was always going to be a tough first up game for The Bentleigh Bass Players as The Beige Brigade have been building form over the whole of the last season. Having started last season quite poorly the boys in black are now a team not to be taken lightly. The Beige Brigade won the toss and decided to have a bat on what turned out to be lovely conditions for Twenty20 cricket.
Without a doubt the two stand out batsmen for The Beige Brigade where Ben Smart hitting a classy 50 off 20 balls and Nathan Barnes who managed a cool 58 n/o off 20, not a bad debut for Nathan. Some of the sixes these boys hit somehow missed the cars parked across the road. Two sixes in particular would have cleared the ropes on the bigger grounds in world cricket. The Beige Brigade finished up with 6/184 off their allotted 20 overs.
It was then time for The Bentleigh Bass Players to pump up the bass. There was some good bowling for The Beige Brigade bowlers with Ben Smart stepping up with the ball this time and talking 2 for 14 off 3.2overs. Mark Morton hit a quick fire 19 off 13 but unfortunately for the Bentleigh Boys it was not a winning start as they would have been hoping for, finishing up with 8 / 113 off 16.2overs. Great catching behind the wickets by The Beige Brigade captain, Jeff Berkett taking 3 catches that would make some international keepers jealous.This was a game played in great cricketing spirit and enjoyed by all. Well done boys!!
For the Tsunami Saints this game was not an easy one, having been a few players down due to the late entry into the competition there would have been some tired legs chasing leather for part of the game. The Tsunami Saints batted first and managed to do okay since they only played with 6 players this game. The new boys on the block finished up with 6/107 off 19.3overs.
It was then The Great 8 turn to chase down the total and they did so with ease, getting the runs in 8.3overs. Adam Baker hit a master blastering 53 n/o off 18 balls and was well supported by David Payne who managed 38 off 16 balls.
This was a hard lesson for the Tsunami Saints but hopefully next week with a more settled team and their captain playing, Michael Van Dort they will be able to pull together for a victory. Well played to The Great 8.
The last game of the with the last of the three new teams playing off against the dual Melbourne champions. Kenkastle look like the team to beat again this season playing a high grade of cricket.
8-CRICK-IT-IERS batted first with a few handy contributions from a few of their players. A fifty from Senaka Marapana off 33 balls certainly helped get the score to a respectable total with Minal Chotai scoring 27 off 22, Rahul Patel scoring 22 off 12 and their captain Sameer Shingala scoring a handy 27 off 29 balls. On the bowling front Kenkastle captain Kyle Black back in action after a lay off at the end of last season was at his usual best claiming 3 for 16 off his 4 overs. The 8-CRICK-IT-IERS finished up with 6/133 off their allotted 20 overs.
Kenkastle then needed to chase these runs down in their new team colour, going from green to white this season looking very smart in their matching shorts. Kenkastle managed to pass 8-CRICK-IT-IERS total in 18 overs with handy contributions from David Jenkins with 24 at a run a ball and Andrew Ower scoring 26 off 22. Kenkastle are one from one and although 8-CRICK-IT-IERS can be proud of their effort against the team that is representing Melbourne in the Australasian Champs in December 2009.
Overall a very successful first Sunday of the Western competition and we look forward to bringing you more coverage from all the grounds next week. The Northern league starts on Sunday 11th October so good luck to those teams playing!!