Hello and welcome to the MIG round wrap!
So let's be up front about this - this is a MASSIVE wrap. It has a few rounds in it. There's 17 wraps written for 23 matches played. Monsterous you might say. Where will I get the time to read it all? Well we reckon you will get through itas you watch on from the sidelines of the final round(s) of the season as we pursue our Club Championship, the Dave Tribolet Trophy, since 1998/99 and seek to break Burwood's hold on it for the last 11 or 12 years (or whatever it is). Fate and circumstace has meant it has eluded us the last few years - could 2024/25 be the year of the MIG?!? We already have the 2nd and 4th Grade minor premierships locked away, how high can the MIG machine soar?
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Round 11
Warringah
9d./294
W Davidson 59, J Chick 59, J Stearman 39
Balmain-South Sydney
184
P Day 3/39, M Munro 2/35, R Sheahan 2/61
Warringah won by 110 runs.
Place on the table after this round: 10th
Losing the toss first grade was sent in to bat as we were to going to be “beat outright” per the Balmain players. Cue 80 overs of batting and 240 runs later Balmain were served a bit of humble pie. Davidson (59) Chick (59) were the stars of the show with contributions from Ferguson (28) Stearman (43) Sheahan (36) and Gore (35*). The batting continued on into the second day as we posted 294 with Hamish declaring after 95 overs of batting.
Regular wickets fell and Balmain were in trouble at 4-31. A 90 run partnership stabilised things however an excellent spell from Reegs proved the difference and yet again regular wickets fell and Balmain were dismissed for 184. An excellent fielding and catching display from the MIG proved the difference with wickets being shared between Day (3-39) Munro (2-35) Sheahan (2-61) Wigney (1-15) and Gore (1-30).
An excellent fight back from the previous round 1s still have a possibility of post season play and hold the key to the good guys winning club champs this season.
Round 12
Warringah
224
A Bennett 93, W Davidson 26, S Barnett 25
Lindfield
114 & 4/82
M Munro 4/25, L Filmer-Ramsay 3/44, P Day 2/30 &
L Filmer-Ramsay 3/27, P Day 1/13, M Munro 1/16
Warringah won on first innings
Place on the table after this round: 9th
Didn't get a report for this one - but you can check out Doogie's bombs (which were most of the story) on our social media.
Round 11
Warringah
205
L Molyneux 67*, J Downs 29, R Outred 19(109)
Balmain-South Sydney
154
S Cook 5/29, J Terry 3/49, L Molyneux 2/41
Warringah won by 51 runs.
Current place on the table: 1st
Weldon oval hosted the peoples team of Warringah cricket club against Balmain south Sydney (dubiously so) Shane lost the toss and we got sent in bat. Jimmy and Jay started well on an uncharacteristically green and soft Weldon top, before Jay fell being trapped in front. Jays change room crash out foreshadowing the tempest that was about to occur. The next few hours was coated in ephemerality. 9/103. But then, magic occurred.
Roy joined Mol at the crease and the two began to chew balls on an unprecedented level. Roy did his best impersonation of a mid 2000s Rahul Dravid, the boy was absolutely dialed. The score card may only say 19 but it was 109 balls of cricket bliss, 109 balls of superfluous ignorance. It was art, it was poetry in motion, it was cricket.
The ying to Roy’s yang, the fire to his ice was fearless leader Mol who wound back the clock to his green shield days and played what could a season defining innings for the club with 2s chasing the minor premiership, and the club seeking to pry Burwood’s cold, dead and angsty hands off the club championship. Finishing with 67 from 135 watermelons this is truly a new admission to Warringah cricket club folklore.
With a 102 run last wicket stand, Roy got lost in the sauce, being bowled for 19 and sending the Green men out for one whole over. Shane took the rock seeking a pole in the last over of the day, but alas was not fortunate.
After the long weekend we returned, the great seamer we had to bat on had magically transformed into a stretch of motorway (rain tends to do that). Wickets started to fall at regular intervals with Jay (3) and Molly (pitching in). Special mention to Mol who took the best catch I think I’ve ever seen, most thought he misjudged it but one hand back over the head with only a touch of mayo on it, spectacular.
Skipper Shane bowled well in his first spell to nab a couple of poles and brought himself back on to get into the tail, two deliveries in the last over happening to disturb the timber. Warringah win, Shane cherry-picks a fifer and the club, alas the world are still in awe of Roy and Mollys 102 run last wicket stand
Round 12
Warringah
5d./286
J Chick 141, J Colyer 101, W Akhurst 19
Lindfield
222 & 2/62
S Cook 5/72, L Molyneux 4/52 &
B Wigney 2/12
Warringah won on first innings
Place on the table after this round: 1st (Minor Premiership clinched)
The sun was out so linfield after winning the toss decided to have a bat. It was a fantastic batting wicket but we managed to take 1 wicket in the first session. This batting innings was a mix of little partnership and timely wickets. Linfield never quite getting away from Warringah but still managing to post a respectable 222. Good bowling from Molyneux through the middle with 4/52 off 21 overs but the star again was our captain taking another 5fa with 5/72 off 14.4 overs. Warringah although not over the moon with the effort we’re happy to restrict them to a gettable total.
After bowling linfield out in the 67th over of the day it was time for warringah to face out the rest of the day with 11 overs remaining. A couple poor shot selection saw warringah end the day on 2/33 and leaving the game very much in the balance.
We return the next week to a very hard and flat pitch. I said the game was in the balance but enter Jack Chick and Jarod Colyer. These boys batted the house down!!! The biggest partnership I have ever seen in my time at warringah. These boys put on 225 runs together and absolutely took the game away from linfield as chased their 222 with half a days play remaining. Both boys batted incredible and both deserved there hard fought beer at the end of days play. Jarod Colyer ended on 101 (130 balls) and Jack Chick ended 141 (183 balls).
Well done to those boys and a big congratulations for wrapping up minor premiership in 2nd grade.
Round 11
Warringah
9d./192
S Murata-Davison 61, H Burke 26, L Coy 19
Balmain-South Sydney
100 & 9/118
L Filmer-Ramsay 3/22, S Murata-Davison 2/11, M Singh 2/15 &
M Kuchel 5/27, T Moffat 2/1, M Singh 1/14
Warringah won on first innings.
Current place on the table: 2nd
The 3rd grade MIGS arrived to the beautiful Jubilee oval to play Balmain South Sydney.
On what looked like a belter of a wicket, Ruben lost the toss and were sent in to field on what was a hot day in Glebe.
Despite the wicket looking good for batting, the boys bowled tight lines and lengths throughout the day, not allowing any of the top order batters to pierce the field. Harry Burke and Sentarou got early wickets as there was some slight resistance for the 4th wicket partnership, albeit incredibly slow and boring cricket from the home side. Michael Singh broke open the game with two middle order wickets, and the second grade import Liam Filmer Ramsey spun a web through the lower order bats. This included a ball of the season contender. A beautifully set up wrong un leaving the tailender shouldering arms, and the ball cannoning into middle and off. Balmain all out for 100 of 63 overs, an excellent bowling performance by the migs, paired with some unexciting strike play by the opposition.
Ruben and Richo came out to bat for evening session, with Richo falling to a dubious lbw decision. As Richo walked off rubbing his upper thigh, Michael Singh came out and did what he does, having a few big swings, before he was given out caught behind for hitting his bat into the ground. Lachie Coy and Ruben saw out the rest of the day, with an uncharacteristically slow innings for the skipper Ruben. 2/46 at stumps.
Next week Ruben and Lachie continued where they left off, but the pitch was much softer than last week, causing some tennis ball bounce and all around difficult morning to be a batter. Ruben and Lachie were dismissed early, followed by dusty and Tully. Enter Sentarou the unit. The 6’3 god was patient early in his innings, negating the tricky pitch the others had fallen to. With Harry Burke as a more than ok partner, they brought the game home in style, Sen hitting a few absolute monsters all over the suburb of Glebe, Harry chipping in with a lovely pull shot for 6. Sen was dismissed for a match winning 61, Harry dismissed for 26. Warringah declared at tea 9/192
The Migs came out firing for 10 points, but there was slightly more resistance for
Balmain second innings. still, it was a spinners wicket, and Matt Kuchel ran through the 3rd grade side, backing up his immaculate sledging ball game with some incredibly controlled left arm off spinners. Unfortunately, Balmain tail dug in Enoch, not without some excellent bowling from Tully, and a first Warringah wicket for the clubman Dusty. Cool as you like from Richo.
An all round good performance from the boys, now into second spot and storming into another finals appearance. Up the migs!
Round 12
Warringah
5d./282
T Moffat 100*, M Singh 79, S Murata-Davison 52*
Lindfield
36 & 87
T Moffatt 4/8, M Singh 4/12, M Kuchel 1/1 &
R Donato 5/29, M Kuchel 4/29
Warringah won outright
Place on the table after this round: 2nd
Didn't get a report for this one -shame because it's a hell of a win. I mean, who goes from 4/100, to declaring 5/282 and having the opposition 6/7 (that's right, 6 for 7) at stumps on day 1? The MIG3s do!
Round 11
Warringah
228 & 2/48
W Toohey 65, R Jayaram 40, O Goldsworthy 28 &
M Norton 31*, O Goldsworthy 15*
Balmain-South Sydney
103 & 170
R Osbourne 7/32, S Roche 2/23, M Norton 1/7 &
B Rowse 5/54, M Norton 1/3, Z Dowthwaite 1/11
Warringah won outright.
Current place on the table: 1st
MIG4s home game – the usual game plan, win the toss, bat and put on plenty, bowl them out for less. Hang on, nope. Balmain won the toss andwill bat. Oh well, we’ll bowl them out quickly, or so we thought. Despite Rhino’s7-for (seven!), and a slips’ catch as well, Balmain bored us with 103 of theslowest runs – one bloke making 26 from 155. Once he batted 40 overs and Kevsaid “That was the most boring 40 overs I’ve seen”, his reply was “brace yourselffor another 40”. What?!? How is that modern cricket! Geoff Boycott would be proud.
Then we batted, chased them quickly that same day thanks toeveryone chipping in with quick 20s and 30s. Will Toohey, not out at stumps,took on the South’s attack early on day 2 and finished with a quickfire 65.Thanks Newy, that gives us plenty of time to chase the outright.
We did that too. Wickets were initially slow to come by,scaring a few of us into thoughts about a repeat of the boredom of the firstinnings, but some smart bowling from the quicks and some tempters from old-manRowsey saw Balmain succumb more quickly than they wanted to, being bowled outfor 170 (Rowsey with 5), and Warringah with 13 overs to chase 48. No problem!We did that in less than 10 thanks to Norto.
An outright win and 1st place solidified.
Round 12
Warringah
9d./253
O Goldsworthy 55, R Tiptin 46*, K Davies 29
Lindfield
192
S Roche 2/27, Z Dowthwaite 2/15, B Rowse 2/35
Warringah won on first innings
Place on the table after this round: 1st (Minor Premiership clinched)
It was a bright and sunny day and the 4ths were looking to continue their red hot form against Lindfield as the regular season was coming to an end shortly. After going through our warm ups, Kev elected to bat first.
In the first innings, the MIG declared on a formidable score of 9-253. This innings was highlighted by Ollie Goldsworthy’s tremendous knock of 55, forming partnerships with Ky Broome, Sam and Kev. Robbie came out to bat late in the innings searching for quick runs and he smashed a scintillating 46 not out off only 34 deliveries. Kev declared with 10 overs of bowling, in an effort to put the pressure on the Lindfield batters. Sam took two very classy wickets, castling the batters on both occasions, leaving Lindfield 2/26 at the conclusion of day 1.
Robbie started day 2 by rapping the batsman on the pads in the first over, giving the MIG the upper hand early in the day. Sam continued where he left off the week before, taking two more wickets and was the pick of our bowlers during this fixture, with a wonderful 4 wicket haul and was a key contributor to the win. Ryan joined the attack and managed to get the batsmen to edge off, with Lindfield left in an uncomfortable position of 6-57. The opposition however started to bat well and managed to form partnerships. After a huge partners, Rowsey came on to bowl and got a few well deserved wickets. The MIG were getting closer to the win and Zach came on to clean up the last two wickets, ending a solid day for the 4ths. As there was not much time left in the game, Kev called it a day, giving us all an early mark.
Overall, it was a dominant display by the 4ths, who are looking forward to repeat the same next week against NWS!
Round 16
Warringah
5/205
A Gatehouse 84, S Thompson 37*, Z O'Sullivan 31
Mt Pritchard-Southern Districts
83
P Clift 3/17, W Cunningham 2/12, C Dickson 2/13
Warringah won by 122 runs.
Current place on the table: 1st
Didn't get a report for this one - possibly understandable given the boys had to travel out to the furthest ground from us on the Sunday of the Australia Day long weekend. At least they made the most of their trip.
Round 17
Warringah
1/50
H O'Sullivan 22*, Z O'Sullivan 17, C Conners 10*
Epping
47
W Cunningham 5/8, O Higgins 2/7, C Dickson 1/11
Warringah won by 9 wickets.
Current place on the table: 1st
A glorious, sun-drenched day set the stage for an exciting clash at the picturesque Frank Gray Oval, where Warringah was primed to take on the Epping Bulls. Despite the optimism, a frustrating loss at the toss saw Warringah sent to field on a flat and dry wicket. The Bulls’ top order proved no match for the precision of O. Higgins and C. Dickson, who quickly picked up wickets in swift succession.
However, the day’s highlight came in the form of young tearaway quick Will Cunningham, whose relentless pace and ferocity tore through the Bulls' middle order. With raw energy and no mercy, Cunningham delivered the spell of the season, claiming a scintillating 5/8. Wickets to Higgins, Dickson, and Clifty sealed the fate of the Bulls, as they were bowled out for a meager 47.
In reply, the O’Sullivan twins opened the batting with poise and urgency, swiftly dismantling the modest target. Boundaries rained down, but a sharp delivery saw Zach dismissed for a brisk 17. Caleb followed, and within moments, he too found the fence with ease. The pair steered their team home, finishing the chase in just 6.4 overs, with Caleb on 10 (from 5 balls) and Harry on a stylish 22 (from 17 balls). A superb bonus point added to an already stellar day for Warringah, making it a performance to remember.
Round 18
Warringah
3/81
A Pike 34, D Horstead 23*, Z O'Sullivan 19
Lane Cove
78
A Durairaj 3/9, J Olde 3/18, C Dickson 2/5
Warringah won by 7 wickets.
Current place on the table: 1st
5th grade MIG were on the road for Round 18, playing Lane Cove at Tantallon Oval. With Stu Higgins captaining the side, we won the toss and elected to bowl first. This proved to be a great toss to win. Our opening bowlers Cooper D. and Will C opening our attack it wasn’t long before wickets were falling. Cooper dismissing the 2 openers, finishing his opening spell with 2-5 from 4 overs. Will C getting the 3rd wicket and Lane Cove were in trouble being down 3 after just 7 overs with just 24 runs on the board. We had our eyes on the prize of a bonus point for the mighty MIG.
Change of bowlers, Jimmy and Mitch were brought into the attack, with Jimmy getting not 1 but 3 wickets all with the wrongun. Jimmy finishing with 3/18. Mitch getting a wicket in his first over, thanks for stepping in Mitch for late withdrawal for injury replacement. Ashwen D bowled supreme from his 6 overs claiming the final 3 wickets in just 6 balls. Finishing with 3/9. Lane Cove all out for 78 runs in the 29th over.
With the bonus point in our sight, we were on the attack to get these runs quickly to secure the BP. Our opening pair O’Sullivan’s Harry and Zach got the side off to a solid start, and we were on our way. We needed 79 runs in 24 overs for the bonus. Zach finishing with 19 runs, Angus P scoring a brilliant 34 runs and Darcy.H finishing off the run chase with an awesome 23no. Brilliant win for the 5th grade boys, BP for the top of the table lead and more importantly those points for club champs.
Round 19
Warringah
71
C Dickson 29*, J Conners 16, W Cunningham 14
Burwood
6/72
W Cunningham 3/14, J Conners 2/29, A Durairaj 1/12
Warringah lost by 6 wickets.
Current place on the table: 2nd
Didn't get a report for this one - all we know is that the deck was tricky and our boys did well to fight to the end, never giving in and forcing Burwood to beat us. That's the MIG spirit.
Round 13
Warringah
9d./218
H McCracken 48, M White 28*, B Moran 27
Georges River
176 & 4/81
H McCracken 3/51, H Matheson 2/29, M Moran 2/31 &
Q Hussain 2/8
Warringah won by 42 runs.
Current place on the table: 11th
In a close contest against Georges River, Warringah Cricket Club emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish. Georges River won the toss and elected to bat first, with their openers getting off to a strong start, putting on a solid partnership. However, Warringah’s bowlers fought back brilliantly, triggering a middle-order collapse. Tight spells from bowlers Murray Moran, Oscar Hansen, and Harry McCraken restricted Georges River to a modest total, as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for 176.
Chasing the target, Warringah’s innings was anything but straightforward. Early breakthroughs from Georges River’s bowlers put the batting side under pressure, making every run hard-earned. Despite a steady partnership in the middle order from Beau Moran(27), and Harry McCraken(48), wickets continued to fall at crucial moments, keeping the match on edge. Warringah’s lower order showed resilience, with Matt White and Quasim Hussain finishing the game off in style.
In a dramatic finish, Warringah reached the required total with just one wicket in hand, sealing a great victory. This hard-fought win keeps Warringah’s momentum going as they prepare for the upcoming finals.
Round 14
Warringah
6/203
C Swinney 63, H McCracken 50*, M White 34
Blacktown
6/200
H McCracken 2/41, W Matheson 1/19, J Conners 1/29
Warringah won by 4 wickets.
Current place on the table: 9th
Blacktown won the toss and chose to bat.
We started off with great bowling took a while to get the first wicket but after the first one, other wickets followed along. Great bowling from the bowlers, Harry and all the other pacers standing out and good fielding overall from all the players. Dropped some chances but also grabbed few. Hence, we got a target of exact two hundred.
While chasing, we faced an early fall and had some small partnerships afterwards. It was a good batting wicket and most of the batsman got out by wrong shot selection and some lack of communication in running between the wickets. However, great batting displays from Cooper and Harry both contributing with a half century which led us to win the match with six overs and four wickets in hand.
Round 14
Warringah
141
N Cole 91, F Sorohan 18, Extras 17
Mt Pritchard-Southern Districts
7/153
H Fear 3/24, F Sorohan 1/5, F Schneidereit 1/29
Warringah lost by 12 runs.
Current place on the table: 7th
Today was a must win match against Mounties…After testing Google Maps and a 1.5 hour drive from Gods country we finally arrive at Green Park! We lost the toss and found ourselves bowling first.
Our opening duo of Cooper Vickery and Lucas Clarke opened up well again against some aggressive youngsters one named Micheal Clarke…yep Micheal Clarke…😊 Wickets were hard to come by early but we got the break through with Lucas Clarke snaring the first one for the day. Nate Cole bowled beautifully in the channel of uncertainty…and at drinks we had them bogged down for not many over 60runs. After the drinks break the game turned and Mounties started throwing the bat scoring rapidly….UNTIL Harrison Fear took the ball and all hell broke loose!
Wicket, Wicket, wicket!!! Yep the little Leg spin guru snared a scintillating Hatrick! Of which included 2 LBW’s…That’s the second one in Chaps this year! Mounties managed to score 153 which was a little more than anticipated however definitely achievable.
The run chase…. Well, lets call it the Nate Cole Chase…with some help from a gritty innings from Finn..Nate was our star performer scoring 91, keeping us in the game till the death. A nicely fought 18 from Finn saw us edge closer to the total but ultimately we fell 12 runs short. Key moments in the game cost us…however...we are improving each week, learning each week, we are in the fight every game…We go again next week.
Round 15
Warringah
6/143
J Pike 40, F Schneidereit 24, H Fear 23*
NWS Hurricanes
7/145
F Schneidereit 2/18, C Vickery 2/24, N Cole 1/10
Warringah lost by 3 wickets.
Current place on the table: 7th
The boys rocked up to a sublime looking Kanebridge oval with the desire to win another game this season. The warmups were started by a great game of indoor cricket before heading out to the field to do some actual warm ups. We won the toss and decided to bat. All the boys chipped in with the bat with scores from James Pike (40) Harrison Fear (23*) and Rocco Rulli (22) but all had trouble finding the boundary with the long boundaries. The boys batted out the 40 overs to get to a slightly under par 143.
The boys opened up the bowling with Cooper Vickery (2/24) and Lucas Clarke (0/33). From there the bowling was tight with Freddie (2/18),Nate (1/10) and Nixon (1/29) taking a couple poles plus a run out from Rocco Rulli and a cheeky captains trundle from clark (0/12) to have north west sydney 7/88. From there North west sydney had a great 70 run partnership to bring home the win with a couple of missed chances from our boys which could have very easily changed the result of the game but instead came as lessons for next week. The boys fought hard today but were simply the second best team but they will be back next week.
Round 16
Warringah
192
R Rulli 67, N Cole 27, L Clarke 25
Mounties Gold
7/198
R Rulli 2/31, L Clarke 2/53, C Vickery 1/23
Warringah lost by 3 wickets.
Current place on the table: 9th
The Chaps had been eying this game off for a while! Warringah V Mounties…this was the litmus test…playing the top team.
We were looking forward to the challenge to see where we were at as team…We lost the toss and had to bowl first…
We started really well with Cooper and Lucas opening the bowling and then supported well by Nixon and Nate as our first change bowling partnership. At drinks we had them on 58 runs and were well placed..
After the drinks break Mounties turned up the heat with some power hitting and big boundaries! Off pace bowling was key and we started to take a few wickets thanks to some very sharp catches from Cooper. 199 was the target.
The run chase started superbly with Jimmy and Nate getting us off to a flyer managing the required run rate with ease.
Rocco came to the crease and continued the momentum scoring a brilliant 67 to take us deep into the run chase. The total started to get steep, but Freddie and Lucas chipping in were still in it with 3 overs to go. We had to go for it and unfortunately fell 6 runs short of the target… This was by far our best run chase of the season so far and the boys effort to hang in and push the top side is something to be hugely proud of…We go again next week!
Round 17
Warringah
9/149
N Cole 46, C Vickery 27, F Sorohan 20
Auburn Eagles
136
F Schneidereit 3/34, C Vickery 2/16, N Kolodzinski 2/27
Warringah won by 13 runs.
Current place on the table: 8th
A must win game against Auburn who are above us on the ladder and time to put all our learnings from games past into action!
We won the toss and elected to bat first.
Another decent start was looking ominous however a good ball got Jimmy early leaving Nate and Rocco to partner up and that they did to give us the runs on the board we needed. However we then continued to lose wickets at a rapid rate prior to drinks undoing all our hard work. 5-76 at drinks. Run rate was good but wickets in the shed wasn’t. Nate was dismissed soon after drinks (46) which left Finn (20) and Cooper (27) to steady the ship and help post a respectable 149 which was an amazing fightback showcasing some grit and determination.
Our opening bowling partnership was nothing short of superb between Cooper and Lucas. Coop snaring an early one with a great caught behind from Ethan. From then on our bowlers grinded away giving Auburn nothing. The run rate continued to climb and we had them well placed at drinks and we were ahead of the game. Post drinks Freddie took control with some delightful bowling getting a 3 fa (3/34). Nixon chipped in with an amazing 6 over “off pace” bowling exhibition grabbing 2 crucial wickets (2/27) which may or may not have included a “send off” 😊
Rocco (0/16) and Nate (1/4) bowled superbly in tandem and Harrison (1/12) helping to clean up the tail.
The game became a little tight towards the end but some great death bowling from Lucas (0/19) and Cooper (2/16) helped to eventually bowl Auburn out to secure the win and put us back in the top 8!!!
Grand Final
Warringah
218
J Terry 63, R Sheahan 30, J Colyer 28
Lane Cove
8/249
R Sheahan 3/43, M Munro 2/55, P Day 1/33
Warringah lost by 31 runs.
Having gone down in the Frank Grey Shield final last year, the boys arrived at Weldon Oval with a relief to be playing at home, as well as a hunger to win and return Franky home.
A nervous Mol strolled out to toss the coin on a picturesque day for cricket, winning the toss and electing to bowl. Burkey and Patty opened up the bowling innings, with the lads quickly finding out the lack of movement in the pitch and rapid outfield were a recipe for easy runs, as the Lane Cove opening batsmen piled them on. The introduction of Regan into the attack brought about a much needed wicket, as Chicka whipped off the bails of the charging Lane Cove opener right before drinks. An amazing throw on the boundary from Davo saw the other opener short of his ground, before Munners and Patty took a wicket each to sway the momentum back in our favour. It was a long grind through the middle overs as Lane Cove began to tick along nicely again, but a late flurry of wickets slowed the run rate, keeping the batting side to 249. We believed this was about a par score given the fast outfield and flat pitch, and geared up for the chase.
Jay and Davo walked out to the middle with a growing crowd and anticipation, getting off to a good start before Davo was out for 13. Jay looked at ease at the crease, racking up the boundaries constantly and chugging along at about a run a ball. Barneys dismissal for 16 saw Regan join Jay at the crease, with the boys looking to take it deep. Jay was dismissed for a terrific knock of 63, and with Johnno dismissed the very next ball we were reeling for 4-119 with the required run rate constantly climbing. The pressure of the run rate proved too much as wickets continued to fall with the need to shift a gear, as Regan was out for 30, followed by Chicka and Jarod for 28. This left a lot up to the tail with the required rate reaching over 12s, as Lane Cove eventually took the final wicket.
A disappointing loss for the Frankies boys but a cracking season nonetheless. Well skippered by Molly who will be sorely missed next year, and hopefully we can go one better.
Round 8
Warringah
124
A Kelly 33, G Davies 28, D Storey 17
Mt Pritchard-Southern Districts
163
B Johnston 2/24, J Egerton 1/17, M Kelsall 1/20
Warringah lost by 39 runs.
Current place on the table: 3rd
It's a long way to Tipperary… It’s even further to Greenway. Due to the ridiculous value of the squad and the associated insurance costs, we were unable to get cover to all travel in a bus together, and so the assets were divided across several vehicles.
And so it was that the Masters, fresh from “The Great Escape” of the previous round, left the safety of the Northern Beaches, on a voyage that would have made Captain Cook anxious. Fortunately BJ’s SHATNAV had Cliffy in the backseat to correct it, all the way from Hendy Avenue, to West Hoxton…
Surely having learnt their lesson, and with a top order ready to fire, Captain BJ strode out to toss with the opposition’s Captain. Once they were both satisfied, they flipped a coin and BJ came second. The men in green were asked to field, with temperatures that would have caused Donald Trump to question his opinion on Global Warming. The opposition started well, with a stroke maker at one end and a brick wall at the other. Gravies and Masters debutant Paul Lacey bowled with great discipline.
Following his debut, if P Lacey can now lose his L’s, he could become Pacey… (note to editor, I was going to use the Cagney & Lacey gag here, but not sure that aired in Australia and Cliffy got upset about it, I think maybe he used to fancy the blonde one?)
John “Chris Harris” Egerton replaced the Gravy Train and immediately began to tempt the opposition, sending down what looked to be potentially very tasty treats. Nibble at your peril. It was great to have a second debutant and to “Welcome Matt” who bowled just outside the front door for the majority of his spell, but seemed likely to be left out in the heat, until the batsmen finally relented, opened the door and let him in for his first WCC wicket. This brought to the crease the hard hitting number 3, who wasted no time showing his teammates and the opposition that he was here for a good time.
The player comfort level was rapidly declining and several of the scrotometers being trialled, to help record moisture content, were reported to be failing. Drinks couldn’t come quick enough. At 1-71 the home team looked well placed to cash in after the green cordial. In the Oasis that is Greenaway, immediately after the break, the skipper decided to make an inspired change.
Having played the previous day and apparently having gotten lucky that morning, the skipper’s recently acquired left arm orthodox had earlier been seen walking very gingerly across the car park. When asked by the concerned umpire why he looked so uncomfortable, the skipper simply replied “That’s Dean Storey’s, morning glory”. Despite his obvious discomfort (and fatigue) the spinner hatched a plan to remove the dangerous number three. It was a tale as old as time, but clearly Nasir couldn’t have red the Storey and Edgo gladly snaffled the catch to send him on the long walk back up the hill.
Then in an incident that will almost certainly see the scrotometer finally banned from over 40’s cricket, in mid stride, whilst chasing a ball towards the boundary, one of the Warringah players' devices malfunctioned. In an unpleasant scene the, yet to be named, player appeared to explode. We hope to know more over the coming days as efforts to recover the device’s black box get underway. Fortunately WCC had a Lyon waiting to pounce and he was set to make a significant impact.
The now famous “Second 20 Squeeze” was in full effect. Waity proved yet again that you can get a wicket in the outfield, even when the ball bounces, in what can only be described as a Gary Pratt/Ricky Ponting reincarnation, his brilliant pick up and throw left the batsmen dumbfounded. But possibly not as dumbfounded as the next batsman to be run out, by the magnificent trio of Lyon, Straddles & Kelly, who’s three throws combined arrived just ahead of the legs, arms, bat and head of the heavy breathing batsman. Never turn your back on a prowling Lyon.
The reappearance of the 2 banked batsmen put a wag into the back end of the innings and, with the final wicket falling, via a 3rd run out, a total of 163 was set. “Bat the 40 overs and we win”. Bilal and Makesh opened up the bowling, with Kelly and Wait Looking to set a base for the required chase of 4 an over. With A Kelly looking more dangerous than R Kelly, the scoreboard was turning over nicely. Waity was solid at the other end and, for a short while, it looked like the “Bump ’n Grind” approach would work.
Unfortunately though Waity departed, opening the door for the skipper. AK made it to 33 without a sniff of trouble and then it all changed… Missing a straight one the umpire picked up his first LBW of the day. Two balls later the Skipper followed him back. Dolby and Hooker came together for a talk, to try and agree on a number and Hooker decided to break the tension. “This bowler (Makesh) is S#*T Dolbs, relax”. However, despite his recent ridiculously long dry spell, Dolby still wasn’t open to hanging around with the Hooker and he quickly made his excuses and left. Makesh’s 8 overs 5-6 proved that a Hooker will say anything to try and help you feel more comfortable, but in the end it’s just wrong. The inswingers continued to cause trouble and (Grant) Hooker and (Matt) Kelsall soon suffered the same fate, leaving the MIG at 6-56 at drinks.
Guy Davies and Dean Storey gave the Green Men some hope after the break, but in the hot conditions clearly the mix wasn’t quite right and A Kelly (umpiring) suddenly shouted out the “THE GRAVY NEEDS MORE WATER!” Despite being a bit thicker and lumpier than when at his best, he was still doing a great job of covering up the vegetables that had been out there before him.
What followed from the lower order showed what could have been with more disciple and application at the top. Great knocks from Gravies (28) Storey(17) Lacy (16) Straddling (13) and Lyon (3*) highlighted that it was a real opportunity missed. Despite the result we are all winners. The drive back proved that. It was a close run thing but with only one beer left in the Esky, it had to go to the highest run scorer? Cliffy 3* was in the running, especially when we realised that there were two ducks in Dolby & BJ… but how could we forget the magical 7 that Grant had plundered! Seriously, we are all so blessed to be running around, mateship, mishaps and moments of magic. Have a great week out there fellas. Until the next time, stay safe x
Round 9
Warringah
5-233
D Brady 41*, D Wait 40* D Harris 35
NWS Hurricanes
94
G Allsop 3/11, G Davies 3/12, J Egerton 2/14
Warringah won by 139 runs.
Current place on the table: 2nd
Didn't get a report for this one, which is OK because Dolby's from last round was so long there's more than enough reading on the Master's fortunes to tide you over until next round.
Round 8
Warringah
161
P Dolby 40*, R Howard* G Allsop 22
Mosman
3/243
D Ford 1/24, G Allsop 1/51
Warringah lost by 82 runs.
Current place on the table: 3rd
A game that will be etched in the memories of the 12 playing MIG, and the 2 that came to support, for all the wrong reasons. It was a pleasant drive out to Rawson and an unexpected surprise that we got to witness what may well have been several of our Grandchildren playing in the pre-game-game.
It was an important toss and, despite the skippers confident call of “Heads” once again it proved that “Tails never fails, in Mosman, unless it hails, after the January sales and Blommy brings fluorescent bails”. Mosman elected to bat… and bat. The sun was out, the wicket was a road and unfortunately the only ball the Skipper could find was a reject from the 1971-72 season that had clearly spent the last 53 year at the bottom of someone's sock drawer, next to the moth balls and mouse droppings….Melch was a little late and kit-less due to losing the car keys that also contained the key to the garage door. It was a mystery what had happened to them…The bottle of Grange (number 1) was tested early by both Lacey and Allsopp and with Watkins (number 2) complaining of a sore calf it seemed they may struggle to get moving. However the Mosman luck didn’t finish with the toss and despite several rushes of blood, and much to the disgust of Lacey who was looking somewhat gauzy and delicate, with small, ornate details, they posted a steady opening partnership.
Fordy, who’s always partial to a drop of red, grabbed the bottle and mopped up what was left of the Grange. 1-55. What followed can only be described as “Welcome to Anglicare” with more retirees than the Harbord Bowling Club, lining up with more excitement than the old biddies desperate to get at the pokies, when the doors open at the RSL at 9am. The Mosman middle order loved their own work and why wouldn’t they? Amazing, humble, shy and… retiring guys. This brought Gareth Newclubman to the crease. He had apparently been drafted late, just before the transfer window closed. His run out was cut short with a run out and WCC were all over the hapless Mosman. 2-201.
This led to a catastrophic collapse. One would have loved to be a fly on the wall, in the panic that surely followed in the Mosman sheds, as they imploded to a paltry 3-243. Greg and Fordy were the main destroyers, with a wicket each. Somehow, during the break a Meteorological Mosman Mystery materialised. The clouds rolled in, the deck crumbled and Mosman managed to find a Dukes ball fresh from the manufacturer’s.
Gareth Newball opened up with Ross Greenwood. Ross, apparently in a late life crisis, having recently been accused of rifling through Peter FitzSimons’ sock drawer (allegedly looking for a “new” ball…) was sporting one of Peter’s second hand, moth eaten, bandanas. The mystery of Melch’s keys was solved early on in the second dig with Newball getting a ball to deviate off the keys that had somehow become lodged on one of the cracks that had appeared during the break. Roscoe's middle stump got an unexpected knock back.
The Ford set off more like a Ferrari between the wickets, running faster than a Queensland river, testing out the hamstrings of both Neil and Dolls. Neil’s are stronger. Having somehow recovered from a malfunctioning scrotometer the previous week, Dolby’s reoccurrence looks sure to delay, even further, his return to the dating scene. There will be some very relieved women on the Northern Beaches tonight. Captain Neil very kindly agreed to do Dolby’s running and will be attending several coffee dates in Collaroy, in Dolby's place, during the coming days.
Stolky clipped one through midwicket for… LBW. Rick came to the crease hat and helmet less, after apparently leaving his headgear in Melch’s garage overnight. He played beautifully and drove and reversed impeccably for 30*. Cliffy, fresh from having been sledged by a 9 year old the previous day, for apparently having “more dots than a Dalmatian” got a Jaffa from Hall and lost his middle stump. It was a Cruella blow!
Allsop and Lacey look good together. They worked it out like a couple of seasoned female detectives in the mid 80’s. We anticipate an announcement of a remake, as soon as Greg has had the necessary surgery and changed his name to Cagney. Following the untimely loss of Lacey, Giles started the engine. Unfortunately he couldn’t find reverse, and with no Rick to show him how, Giles Park(ed) the bus in the crease at the far end, after driving it past Greg who had voted NO! more times than the residents of Mosman On 14 October 2023. It was tight and Greg was only run out by 19.3 yards.
Melch looked great in someone else’s kit. But it was almost Close of Business when COB was out. All that was left was for Mr Blomfield to finally give an LBW to Giles… unfortunately he was no longer bowling. It was a day when we came up against a better team, who batted with confidence and intent. The post match awarding of the trophy and the reminder of RIck’s heroic efforts, to save a fellow cricketer’s life, served as a reminder of just how lucky we all are to be above ground and running (sometimes gingerly) around. Every day we make it out there, regardless of the result, is a huge bonus. It was great to share a beer with the opposition, just a shame that the majority of them had to leave early, as they had further to drive home than the MIG…
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Warringah Contacts
Club President
Chris Melville
president.warringahcc@gmail.com
Club Captain
Lachlan Molyneux, Noah Kasmar and Dusty Labador
clubcaptain.warringahcc@gmail.com
Club Secretary
Nic Johnson
secretary.warringahcc@gmail.com
Club Treasurer
Jeff Downs
treasurer.warringahcc@gmail.com
