Welcome back MIG fans. It seems like just a week ago that we wrapped up a round for you, cause it was! This week was the Christmas round, the final round before the break, and it was a round of one day matches. A smaller round than last week with fewer matches, but equally important as we faced our fierce rivals the North West Sydney Hurricanes in grades 1-5, Epping in Masters and Hawkesbury in our Metro Cup. Warringah are climbing higher and higher up the Club Championship ladder, so this was a round we were keen to get the job done. Read on to find out how we went. But first, as always, a big thanks to our sponsors for supporting us to get the boys on the paddock each week and for helping us to put on events each week.
It has also been a busy period for the club off the field as we hosted our third presso on Thursday night and the Christmas party on Saturday night. Across the past few weeks some awesome volunteers have generously helped OneMeal Brookvale. They are one of two local charities that we are proudd to support and we can't talk up their great work enough. There are so many people in need in our own backyard, and the crew at OneMeal never fail to give their best in doing all they can to support them in whatever way possible. The MIGs help out where they can. Learn more about their good work here:
https://www.facebook.com/CommunitycoopNorthernBeaches
It was also a sad week in the Manly-Warringah cricketing community as we learned of the passing of Brian Ferguson. It's unlikely that anyone at our club has not had the pleasure of Fergo officiating one of their matches (if not, lurking on the sidelines and entertaining the supporters with stories from his vast experience). His humour, sportsmanship, love of cricket and presence will be sorely missed this season and beyond. Manly Premier cricket shared this fitting notice, which we would like to share:
The club would like you to pass on its condolences to the friends and family of local cricket and sporting icon Brian Ferguson who passed away peacefully recently at the age of 80. Brian was a committed cricket umpire, standing in 409 SCA matches in total, including 151 in Men’s 1st Grade. He was heavily involved in local umpiring on the Northern Beaches as well as being a loved volunteer at Warringah Rats. Our thoughts are with his loving wife Sandra and the entire family. Vale Brian Ferguson - 1943-2023
Visit our sponsor's page to learn more about who they are, what they do or if you would like to inquire about our sponsorship packages for the 2023-24 season or beyond. Additionally, if you would like to learn more about who the amazing people are that make our club tick, you can do so in the Positions of Responsibility section on our About Us page.
Warringah
7-217
S Barnett 36, A Bennett 35*, W Davidson 33
North West Sydney
6-220
L Molyneux 2-31, M Munro 2-49, R Sheahan 1-27
Warringah lost by 4 wickets.
The final round before the new year saw the 1s lads head out on the bus to Kanebridge Oval. Batting first we were off to a strong start with Hamish (22) and Davo (33) putting on 60 for the first wicket. A post drinks collapse saw the MIG crumble to 4-80 odd however a 50 run partnership between Barney (36) and Jarod (26) stabilised the innings. A late cameo from Aidan (36) and contributions from Greeny (14) and Jack (11) took us to 217, well below par but a target we were confident defending.
Opening up with Reagan (1-27) and Jimmy (1-50) things looked promising early with ball beating bat frequently. NWS were looking strong in their chase at 0-90 however an inspired Molly (2-31) took our first. The spin twins of Molly and Munners (2-49) pegged back the run rate and wickets started to fall a bit more regularly. Things were looking promising when they needed 24 off the last three overs however some excellent stroke making saw NWS get the win in the final over.
Warringah
7-240
R Kapoor 86, L Johnson 35, N Kasmar 22
North West Sydney
227
F Holdsworth 6-41, R Outred 2-37, G Evans 1-32
Warringah won by 13 runs.
In a must win game, 2s were presented with an interesting pitch, which saw Norwest win the toss and send us in. Kasmar and a debuting Toby Seward opened up and got starts. In fact everyone managed to get a start but the only notable one to kick on was Reuben Kapoor with 86 from 100 rocks. Big Johnno second top scored with 35. Combined we managed 7-240 batting for the full 50.
The bowling attack, possibly too comfortable with the idea of defending a healthy amount of runs, bowled a plethora of uncapitlised on full tosses. Throw in a few drop catches and we didn't end up in a favourable position towards the end of the game. With Norwest needing 13 runs from the last few overs and a couple of wickets in hand the game seemed to be out of our grasp.
Then, cometh the hour, cometh the man. Redford "Big Red" Holdsworthy snagged the final two wickets finishing off one of the great 6fas all time. In Imran Tahir style, Big Red took off, running around like a headless chook as the team chased him down in absolutes scenes. A great reward for a team that's worked hard this year and put themselves back into the winning circle with two wins in a row.
Warringah
111
D Labador 18, Extras 18, M Norton & J Downs 15
North West Sydney
121
B Martin 3-23, Z Buchanan 2-15, K Godfrey 2-13
Warringah lost by 10 runs.
Having a perfect season up to this match, 3s looked to take this game and go undefeated to Christmas. A team bus had been organised, so an early wake up was required to get to the ground on time. After a smooth bus ride, we had arrived at the group for another hot day of cricket. After winning the toss, we chose to bowl first. It did not take long before we struck, Kev, being very unlucky with his chances prior to this match, had taken an opener in the first over of the day. This brought in a batsman who some recognised from fourth grade’s grand final last season. He played his shots and offered tough chances but stayed in for the time being. Kev managed to produce a seed, cleaning up the other opening batsman. Our bowlers bowled quite well, however the bad balls were often punished and wides were common. Bill managed to take out batsman #4 and not long after, batsman #5 decided to try and slog a good ball, also getting cleaned up. Wickets kept coming as Zac took our grand final buddy’s edge and Kuch bowled his partner bringing the score to 6/76. We kept working in the field, not letting them establish any late partnerships and knocked them over for 121. Wickets were shared quite evenly with 3 for Bill, 2 for Kuch, Zac and Kev and 1 for Burkey.
Starting our batting innings chasing a small total, we had no scoreboard pressure, but had the faint idea of a bonus point in our minds. NWS had started their bowling quite well, not offering too many loose balls for us to capitalise on. We had ticked through the runs slowly with no wickets until Richo misread one barely hitting his off stump and had to go in the 10th over, the score 1/21. A change of bowler had brought on a crafty swing bowler, but very tempting for a batsman. Lukas looked solid, however one crept past his bat and took out his stumps. Ruben came in, finding success in putting the pressure back onto the opposition but edged one early on, leaving us 3/42. Without any more runs scored, Jimmy also edged one, bringing two new batsmen to the crease. Mitch was looking good, playing some nice shots before being struck pretty high up and the umpire thought it was hitting (maybe a questionable call). Bill managed to hang around for a while but struggled to accelerate before he got out at 6/76. Dusty and Kuch found success in the middle, taking us to 101 without looking like getting out. Things changed quickly right as we were looking comfortable as we lost 3 wickets for 0 runs, bringing us to our final partnership needing 21 more. Kev and Burkey looked comfortable at the crease, but it only takes one ball and Burkey was gone, leaving us 10 runs short of their total. Credit is due to NWS for good bowling, however several errors were made on our part which we can learn from and improve on. It was a somber bus ride home but we didnt let it drop our spirits for the Christmas party. The boys will look to regain our winning streak after the break.
Warringah
8-110
M Melville 44*, Extras 27, M Milliner 13
North West Sydney
109
S Roche 4-19, M Melville 3-8, A Caruso 3-21
Warringah won by 2 wickets.
After a disappointing outing against Roseville, The People’s Grade returned to Frank Gray Oval keen to make amends in the biggest match-up of the season to date: The Grand Final Replay against North-West Sydney. Both Teams came into this match with vastly different line-ups compared to last time, both teams only having 3 players left over from that epic Grand Final. For North-West Sydney, they were out for revenge while Warringah wanted to show that the win was no fluke and to stay well within the race in the Top 4. What was definitely not the same as the Grand Final was a greener-than-usual Frank Gray Oval.
Following the Toss, Kev informed the team that we were going to be bowling (he had won the toss) with Vic Caruso and Tom Walker opening the bowling. It was a genuine arm-wrestle to start with, as their captain (Atkinson) tried to get the innings going. An early bowling change brought Sam Roche on and it did the job early on, trapping the other opener in front for a long-term duck. This started a complete top-order collapse as Roche then took another 2 wickets in quick succession all for ducks.
Not wanting to miss out on the party, Caruso then captured the wicket of the captain, before producing a pure sandshoe-crusher to be on a hat-trick the very next ball. The Hatrick ball didn’t disappoint, hitting a good length and having the batter fending, missing the edge by a coat of varnish. Sam then responded by picking up his 4th wicket before getting completely stone-walled for what would have been an amazing 5-wicket haul.
That Stonewalling allowed North-West Sydney to start their recovery, helped along by some straight-forward catches being put down. A change in tact did the trick, as the Squash Ball came on and trapped one of the two bats in front, starting the next mini-collapse as he then was on a hat-trick himself. His ball was as good as Caruso’s attempt, kicking up and almost catching the shoulder of the bat. Squash-Ball then picked up his 3rd before some late strike farming got North-West Sydney to 109 before Caruso came back on for his 2nd spell. He only needed 1 delivery to wrap up the innings to what seemed a relatively straight-forward total. Sam Roche and the Squash Ball were outstanding, picking up 4 and 3 wickets respectively, Caruso taking the other 3.
Any thoughts of this chase being simple were dashed in an instant, as Warringah found themselves 3 wickets down in a flash, with Ollie Higgins, Kai Dalli, Chappo and Lachy Coy out in quick succession, forcing Warringah into their own defensive situation. However, two things started working in Warringah’s favour. The first one was a brilliant innings by Squash Ball (44*), who showed grit and patience to steady the innings in the middle order. The other was the high number of sundries being bowled by North West Sydney, which had already surpassed the Green Men and had kept climbing towards 27, especially Williams Ides, who ended up the 2nd Top Scorer with 18.
Squash Ball found solid support from Miles Milliner and Sam Roche to tick the runs over, but the loss of the pair, along with Captain Kev and Tommy Walker brought Vic to join Squash Ball. Vic was forced to face a significantly higher number of deliveries than the Grand Final but, the end result was that he was still there as an eventual over-throw from North-West Sydney meant that Warringah had managed to, once again, snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against the Hurricanes. Not only that but Warringah had managed to chase the total down with 5 balls to spare to claim a much-needed bonus point, making the eventual Victory Song and Christmas Carol that much sweeter.
The People’s Grade find themselves in equal 4th on 32 points, only 5 points behind competition leaders Epping in what does appear to be a near-repeat of the tightness of the table from last year.
Round 9
Warringah
240
W Toohey 68, V Akbarally 61, Extras 38
Hawkesbury
226
L Scott 4-42, A Boulton 3-15, H Kirkham 1-33
Warringah won by 14 runs.
MIG metros had a close win against Hawkesbury at Mike Pawley on Sunday. Warringah elected to bat first, which turned out to be a good decision, as we put on a solid total of 240. Notable contributions were vehaan with 61 and Will Toohey with 68. Everyone else chipped in around them. Hawkesbury came out firing early with the openers making a 60 odd run opening stand. However, thanks to some tight bowling from Harry Kirkham (1/33 off 10) and lachie Scott (4/42 off 10) Warringah never let them get away. The game was neck and neck right until the end, but with aiden managing a tidy (3/15 in off 5) Warringah stole the game away from them. Can’t forget to mention some great fielding efforts from Harry kirkham taking a tough one in the deep to dismiss their dangerous opener, and Ollie Fairchild’s run out assist to win us the game. Overall a good win and great contributions all round.
Round 12
Warringah
136
Z Dowthwaite 45, R Osbourne 28, T Bourke 19
North West Sydney
9-170
R Osbourne 2-21, C Zanella 2-24, T Bourke 2-33
Warringah lost by 34 runs.
Match report to come...
Next match vs Epping Bulls, Frank Gray Oval 17 December.
Round 6
Warringah
212
Wait 51*, Dolby 42, Hooker 33
Epping
5-216
Johnston 2-43, Egerton 1-38, Waddington 1-39
Warringah lost by 5 wickets.
The Masters were hosting at Frank Gray for their Round 6 fixture against the Bulls from Epping.
Once again the coin landed in our favour, and despite the pitch being greener than our one-day playing shirts, we chose to bat first. We were a few bowlers short this week, so with a long batting line up we fancied putting runs on the board.
Waity and Al opened up for us and it was tough going on said “green” pitch. After losing Al early, Grant (33) and Waity steadied the ship before going through the gears to lift the run rate. Dolbs provided the mid-innings sugar hit scoring 42 in quick time and this was carried through the innings by Waddo (28), Spongy Gloves (21) and Deano (14). After retiring, Waity returned late to finish 51* and with 212 on the board we felt like we had a very competitive total.
A number of our regular bowlers were out with injury or other commitments, but Deano, Waity, ‘Jimmy’ Stradling and Dolbs were ready to answer the call and send down some overs. While the Epping Boys never got well ahead, the Green Men couldn’t build pressure, with even our regular bowlers – Edgo (1-48), Waddo (1-39) and BJ (2-43) - leaking that boundary-ball each over. We fought hard and it came down to the final over, but we just fell short.
Great to see Wrighty back in Green after returning from overseas, and thanks to Phil “Spongy Gloves” Goulstone and Chris “Jimmy” Stradling for being available this week when we were short on numbers.
Wishing all MIG players, volunteers, family and friends a happy and safe Christmas.
Next match vs CCNSW, Camperdown Park, 7 January.
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Thanks for tuning into this round's wrap. Don't forget to join our membership program - the Bruce Loudon Club. Learn more about it on our membership page.
Warringah Contacts
Club President
Chris Melville
president.warringahcc@gmail.com
Club Captain
Ben Cook, Lachlan Molyneux and Noah Kasmar
clubcaptain.warringahcc@gmail.com
Club Secretary
Nic Johnson
secretary.warringahcc@gmail.com
Club Treasurer
Jeff Downs
treasurer.warringahcc@gmail.com
