Old Scotch Cricket – The Dream Crushed!

2^nd XI Match Report – John CroBar

Things looked positive from the ‘get go’ when the Magoos assembled at the pristine Meares Oval on Sunday.  For example, in stark contrast to last week everyone seemed to have brought some sort of contribution for afternoon tea. There were several changes from the side selected the week prior. Most notably Nich “Floppa” Hildebrandt had a hamstring complaint and Hank Taylor requested to take the week off so he could defer from tertiary studies. Plugger emphasised the significance of this game to the playing group and did his utmost to illustrate the importance of this game to those who were on debut for Old Scotch. Given, the events of the week just gone, the two’s were all too familiar with ‘do or die’ affairs. However, one can’t dwell on the past when the perfect execution of attack is necessary in the present. Hence, the two’s entered the field to bowl and do battle.

Richard Eva commenced proceedings. However, most were eager to get through Eva’s over quickly to celebrate the triumphant return of Tom “Gobbles” Slattery. Gobble’s opening spell wreaked of a fast bowler who hadn’t sent one down all Summer. Neither of the openers looked like piercing Old Caulfield’s armour causing Gobbles to make the long march back to fine leg with hands on hips and a long face.

After Eva and Gobbles saw out their opening spell the score was at 0/51 and the two’s required something extreme and assertive before Old Caulfield gained full control of the situation. That extreme and assertive something came in the form of Nick “Cakes” Ellesmore coming in off the long run. Cakes was nailing it down, hitting the deck hoard and foarst. It was an absolute treat watching Spargo having to reach, dive and leap to keep to balls that Cakes was digging in short. Cakes was bowling at such an accelerated pace that it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the two’s picked up their well over due first wicket. It wasn’t before long that the batsmen unconvincingly got bat to ball which popped up nicely for debutant Jack “Waqar” Davis to wrap his ‘paki-knuckles’ round the ball.

Other debutant Adam Shaw was brought into the attack from the other end and had instant success taking a wicket in his very first over. Shaw was sending the ball down beautifully with varying degrees of pace and swing. The slow-medium bowler nicely contrasted the genuine pace that Cakes was hurling down from the other end.

Wickets continued to fall including not one but two glorious catches from Captain Courageous. As each wicket fell the playing group would glance over to the batting side attempting to do a head count of how many batsmen they still had to come. It appeared that Old Caulfield were playing with men short, however, their team appeared to grow in numbers as the innings went on.

As the boys huddled up to congratulate Cakes on another scalp, the playing group couldn’t help but notice that none other than Millie “Footbrush” Hanscombe was frequenting the Meares Oval to draw up Spargo’s wagon wheel. Footbrush was a warm welcome compared to the normal rabble of yobbos and dickheads that attend Old Scotch two’s game. So much so that Tim “Scotch-fast” Shearer made his way down to the ground to personally greet Footbrush and discuss the possibilities of tentatively pencilling in a date for a wedding ceremony at the Scotch Chapel.

At the drinks break Old Caulfield were at 3/99.

Shaw bowled out his 8 over’s straight with figures of 2/22, bowling a nice tight line which gave the Old Caulfieldian’s very little room to move. Shaw proved himself to be a real prospect for next year’s season who also demonstrated that he’s comfortable over the high ball with two brilliant catches that would send most ‘twosmen’ into vertigo.

Remarkably, the two’s didn’t get anywhere near their requisite 7 dropped catches, swallowing every chance that came our way. At the last fall of wicket the score had elevated to 177. Cakes polished off the last wicket with a beautiful yorker and took ‘5 for’ for his trouble. This left the two’s with the difficult yet not impossible task of chasing down 195 in 40 over’s.

The innings didn’t get off to the most desirable start. C J Wood, whilst possibly day dreaming about a date with ‘beer drinking tart’ was the first to go, caught at mid on. Spargo was the next to go shortly after with yet another poorly timed pull shot which seems to continually bring about an end to Spargo’s time at the crease. Minutes later Crobar went out caught behind in a performance more reminiscent from last season. This left Dick and Ellesmore at the crease. The two men the two’s came to rely on the week before to salvage the game. However, there was no de javu present as Ellesmore and Judas were shortly dismissed for 11 and 22 respectively.

Sam Lake was eager to spend time in the middle to avoid questions without notice from TS who was making enquiries over Lake’s pursuance of his 17 year old niece. Lake was called back to account as he was dismissed for a paltry6.

The only minor fight-back which scraped back some credibility for the two’s came from Eva who belted his way to 49. The innings depressingly concluded at 126 and thus ceased the two’s finals prospects. Nothing more to build on there.

It seemed the two’s top order had become far too reliant on the likes of Dick and Ellesmore doing all the run scoring, adopting the attitude that someone else would get the job done rather than anyone putting their hand up.  All regular players felt fairly disappointed in their own performance and really felt the sting of dying with the music in them. Most of all, regular two’s players felt that they’d let down Plugger. In stark contrast George “Judas” Dick appeared to be quite pleased with the result and was quoted as saying “well this solves a problem, I don’t have to feel bad about selection in the one’s now”.

The only upshot of this disgraceful loss is that it will generate further hunger in the two’s come next season. It is plainly made out that all regular two’s players offer  a heartfelt guarantee that they’ll be back bigger and better than ever for their the skip, their mates and the love of the game.

Old Scotch 2^nd XI 126 lost to. Old Caulfield 195

Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Nick Ellsmore

Old Scotch Cricket – What A Rollercoaster!

After days of promising and promising, it seems the clubs newest Match Reporter, Travis ‘Choir Boy’ Orr has shown his true colours and been unable to produce a Report on the weekend’s match.

A brief run down of the game;

Playing Melbourne Grammar on the Meares Oval, Ashton won the toss and bowled on a green pitch. Dropped catches were the order of the day, Thomas, Whitelaw and Orr all culprits. Grammar amassed 177 in their 40 over’s with no bowlers making any real in roads and the batsmen taking particular liking to a dismal few over’s from Wood.

In reply the 1^st XI started horribly, Ashton going for a duck, Whitelaw not many, Dick a similar story, Orr 2, Thomas, Griffith, Wood, McCurdy, Mitchell and Bennet all the same! The only heart shown was from number 5 Pat Butler who amassed a dashing 67 in an otherwise poor performance. The 1^st XI bowled out 46 runs short of the target.

Old Melbourne Grammar 3/177 def. Old Scotch 131

Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Pat Butler

On a weekend in Victoria’s history that many Victorian’s would rather forget, the 2^nd XI congregated at Fawkner Park. While tragic circumstances were taking place, where we all learnt that we the people are under the command and at the peril of the elements, the 2’s felt a great sense of fear that rain may affect their chances to achieve victory which was necessary to remain in the finals hunt. This fear seems a little selfish in retrospect given the atrocities that took place which we discovered later that night. Nonetheless at that point in time it was ‘do or die’.  If we won, our final hopes and dream remained alive. If we lost our finals berth was all but lost leaving President Wood the difficult task of assembling a two’s side for a dead rubber the following week.

Plugger conducted his usual pre-game roll call. Unusually, the skip was surprised to discover that we were one man short. Will Cox was a late inclusion into the side, however, Will himself was unsure whether he’d been named in place of Old Scotch’s mystery man Sam Eliot or Sam Lake who recently started up his own Tourism Company, hosting and showing tourists round our great city. In his disgust, Plugger dismissed both Eliot and Lake from the club for not rocking up (unopposed of course and no plebiscite required) and the boys took to the field one man short in a reduced 35 over a side format in order to maximise the chance of a result given that it looked like the heavens were about to open up.

Nich ‘Floppa’ Hildebrandt was tossed the new pill and it was quite unclear from the outset where he was going with his over. Deliveries with varying degrees of length and some that even refused to bounce were thrust upon the Haileybury openers who took to Floppa’s bowling with the contempt it deserved. Then, out of the blue, something clicked in the young upstarts’ rhythm and HildOR managed to slip one through the batsmen’s gate clean bowling our friend from the sub-continent in the first over. HildOR and opening partner Richard Eva continued to bowl from their respective ends with very little of note happening for either team. Wickets and even opportunities to claim wickets were scarce and the run rate continued at a steady but hardly overwhelming pace. The bowler’s changed and Hildebrandt’s school boy humour continued to be heard around the ground. Aside from that very little happened. At the 18 over mark, Plugger turned his nose up to the umpire’s offer of drinks eager to press on and get through these overs.

George ‘Judas’ Dick was introduced into the attack with his slows only to have gloveman Spargo put down a half chance. This prompted Eva at point to ask what Tom Murray was doing next week. As the innings ensued so to did the amount of byes that Sparg’s managed to let through. Rather childishly, Spargo then declared that he was never keeping again.

With five over’s to go several bowlers expressed interest in a few ‘junk time’ wickets. However, this was not to be. Not dissimilar to many conclusions to the two’s fielding innings; the boys let proceedings get out of hand through a series of misfields and overthrows. Perplexingly, the benchmark 7 catches weren’t put down by the boys this week (two from Spargo, one from Hank). By innings end the Haileyburians had amassed a total of 195 which was no mean feat in 35 over’s.

The two’s were in disarray as they walked off the field. Not only did we have to walk into the sheds knowing the task of chasing down 195 was going to be difficult, we had to walk off in the knowledge that we’d failed to provide any tea for the Haileyburians. All that was there was a rather dismal platter of fruit provided by Hank Taylor. In usual 2’s style we improvised, adapted and overcame with all those involved in our match chiming in on the opposite cricket games tea. Gus Lie bustled through several appalled looks on the faces of the cricketers playing on the opposite ground to get in on a couple of ‘sangas’.

As Lie consumed the final lamington on the platter of the other matches tea, the 2’s openers walked out to the wicket with a slight change in the batting line-up. Hank Taylor’s work schedule has appeared to pose problems on the 2’s in the past couple of weeks and Sunday was no exception. Plugger decided to take the rather unconventional approach (unopposed of course) of moving the number eleven batsmen to opener in order to make use of Hank’s wicket. Hank’s innings was short lived as he was dismissed on the very first ball of the second over. As Taylor left the ground after his dismissal to go to work Dick thanked Taylor for not wasting too many balls at the crease.

Hank’s dismissal brought the batting line-up to its more conventional setup as Nick ‘Potty mouth’ Spargo joined John Crobar at the crease. The pair looked reasonably solid. However, the run rate of 3 an over that the boys were going at wasn’t really going to cut it under the circumstances.  As the pair continued to bat, drops of rain faintly emerged from the sky reminding the pair to keep the runs ticking over the rain reared its ugly head. The Haileyburians then found the wicket of Crobar when the opening bowler managed to get one under his bat dismissing him for 14. This brought the much anticipated Nick ‘Train’ Ellsmore to the crease who agreed to come down for a warm up game before he embarks on a stint in England playing for Wollaton Cricket Club in the Nottingham Premier League.

The first delivery hit Ellsmore on the pad half way up, straight and true causing the Haileyburians to go up in unison. But to no avail and to the Haileyburians dismay Umpire Mellet stood arms folded, like a paramedic unmoved by misery.  At the non-strikers end Spargo thought Train was plumb, and Train himself thought he should be heading back to the pavilion, however, to Haileybury’s disbelief as the old adage goes – ‘In Mellett we trust’ and Train pressed on. The next couple of over’s saw Train swing and miss and even allowed a few more to hit his pad reminding the once district player that life spent redundant from work, spending all day looking at porn or playing Halo 2 can have effect on the performance of even the most accomplished cricketers. However, it only took Train a couple of over’s to brush off the cobwebs and get down to some serious hitting opening up with a flashy lofted shot over mid wicket to a short ball. Soon after, Spargo’s day continued to get better as he was forced to watch the ball roll slowly onto his stumps after a miscued pull shot.  George Dick was the next in and batted with intent from the word ‘go’ which is what we’ve come to expect from him.

The combination of Dick and Ellsmore worked beautifully together. The two rotated the strike and played the big shots when required. At the drinks break, the two’s were 2/74. At this point the run rate needed to lift to 8 an over if there was any chance of victory. The pair stood up to the challenge playing sensibly, respecting the good balls and hitting the trash deservedly to or over the boundary and above all ensuring they got 8 runs an over or thereabouts. The pair found a lot of merit in playing the ball down to long on where the ‘token white man’ was fielding for Haileybury who described by Gus Lie as an “ordinary athlete”.

While the lads were enjoying the clinic Ellsmore and Dick were putting on, the 2's had looks of horror on their faces as Lie began discussing how “irresponsibly” he intended to bat when he got out there. He stated that if worst came to worst and he had to bat he would do his best, however he knew that his best wouldn’t be good enough for the task at hand. This clearly didn’t inspire confidence in the team. Finally, Train showed that he hadn’t played any cricket all summer when the big man popped one up leaving the Haileybury bowler with the simplest of catches dismissing Train for 67. The 2’s had their heads in their hands and their hearts in their mouth as they watched Lie take centre guard. After several misses and a run on a bye it wasn’t before long that Lie was true to his word getting bowled for a duck placing the two’s finals hopes in the hands of Will Cox on debut. However, Cox didn’t answer our prayers being dismissed – bowled the very next ball.

We were at our wits end and all seemed too little too late for the two’s.  It was as if the two’s had no one to turn to, no one to hand this heavy burden to. But, like a Phoenix rising from its ashes, everyone’s favourite ‘one line wonder’ Andrew Penman emerged in mysterious circumstances from his overseas trip. With a big loud “,Hello” and witty jab at R. Eva, Penman strode out to the crease as soon as he arrived.

With 17 balls to go, the in-form Dick and the mysterious arrival of Penman needed to combine to produce to something special. Penman supported Dick perfectly, rotating the strike and thus allowing Dick to open up for the big runs. With the final over about to be bowled, the Haileyburians brought on their opening bowler who was dubbed by Crobar as being ‘a bit nippy’.  This was a big change for the opposing team considering they’d been bowling finger spin for the past 21 overs. The equation was seven runs required with six balls to be delivered. All players stood on the edge of the boundary with a multitude of feelings burning inside them. Nobody wanted the journey to end then and there. The Haileybury quick came steaming in from the Alfred Hospital end with both batsmen pushing comfortable single. Finally, our fears were put to rest when Dick played a cut shot that raced to the boundary for four, bringing the two’s gallery to their feet with aspirations of a final series ahead!

Post match, Plugger made the call that it was necessary for all make it down for training for a bat, bowl and a fielding intensive. Finals are still well and truly alive for the boys from the 2^nd XI!!

Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

George Dick

Old Scotch Cricket – Missed Opportunities… But still HOPE!

With finals cricket only weeks away Old Scotch 1sts disembarked the team bus, unified in their determination to stay atop the competition ladder. Before long both teams had taken to the field to complete their warm-ups. To those present DAK Mitchell seemed more jovial than usual, the players inhaling the feint odour of success wafting from his direction.

Plenty of hydration would be necessary to combat the steamy conditions and the Scotch players were hoping for the early arrival of The Cowboy and his trusty steed, Cordial. But it was time for business, not cordial. Scotch won the toss and specialist coin-caller Hugh Thomas promptly demanded first use of the greenish deck. 

General Ashton ordered Simon Dick and Tom Whitelaw to face the opening salvos from the Wesley artillery. Whitelaw was composed and set about working singles. Dick came and went without doing enough to warrant further comment, gone for a duck. Pat Butler somehow managed secured the #3 position and looked determined to prove the doubters wrong. A plunging v-neck shirt helped Butler cope with the conditions as he and Whitelaw built the platform for another Old Scotch middle order offensive. Moderately aggressive running between the wickets and an ability to put away the bad ball saw the Butler/Whitelaw combination gallop to 1/99 at the half way mark. Drinks were taken only after Butler was belatedly cheered for notching his 51^st run – DAK Mitchell too busy steering the conversation his way and neglecting his scoring responsibilities.

Having seen off the new rock and grown tired of Butler’s mid-pitch glove punching, Whitelaw chanced himself on a Wesley arm and came up short, out for 30. Travissssssssssss Orr was welcomed to the crease by a delirious Butler; battling core-temperature issues and speaking Swahili. Orr was circumspect early and attempted to shield his fellow charge at the non-strikers end while he went about his business. In scenes reminiscent of Dean Jones in Mumbai, Butler pushed through early-onset heatstroke and looked set to raise the willow for his ton. However it wasn’t to be as the Old Wesley bowlers finally brought about the exit of Butler, out for a razzle-dazzle 84. Rob Ashton came and went in the blink of an eye and the Old Scotch dressing rooms were thrown into chaos – 2 wickets in 2 balls. Hugh Thomas was next to fix bayonet’s and enter the field of battle, keen to join Orr and mount another rearguard assault after the previous week’s 50 run partnership. It wasn’t to be however, Orr thumping the worst ball of 2009 straight down the throat of the man patrolling the long on boundary, out for 40. Three wickets in 3 balls and the Wesley outfit had engineered a team hat trick and forced their way back into the match, but as they say; “cricket’s a funny game”.

Mark ‘Money Shot’ Griffiths was next in and commentators were heard debating projected totals; the verdict? Slater and Healy concluding 225 would be defendable after the unexpected middle order collapse. But what would this brave, brave cricket team be content with? Who knows, it wasn’t really discussed. But after posting north of 300 the week prior, and a pep-talk from DAK, Thomas could smell blood and the Old Wesley Invitational XI simply weren’t prepared for the Thomas bayonet. Smack, bang, wallop - in the blink of an eye defence morphed into attack; Thomas plundering 4 consecutive maximums off one naïve Wesley leather-flinger. Meanwhile, Griffiths selflessly camped at the non-strikers end and contributed where he could – a deputy to his Sheriff, a dog to his master. Always adequate in his support.

The last ball of the innings saw Thomas out for a whirlwind 54 with Griffiths the not out batsman on 31. Old Scotch took to the long break with a skip in their step – 265 runs in the bank, an imposing total from this band of gutsy cricketers.

Both the sandwiches and nerves settled in the collective Scotch gut. The players took their positions with Gary Bennett and DAK Mitchell marking out their runs; Bennet the experienced spearhead, DAK, his HOPEful understudy.

Immediately hitting his trademark line and length, Bennett looked every part the social cricketer – can of Pepsi Max on the sideline and Transitions Lenses on the skull. He was ably supported at the other end by DAK who relentlessly chased his first breakthrough of the weekend. Cricket is about partnerships. After 8 over’s the score had moved to 21 and Wesley’s top order had offered only chances, not wickets.

From the comforts of the press box it is all too easy to discount the effect stifling heat and humidity can have on a player’s psyche. But to those on the field, HOPE was starting to fade. That was, until DAK Mitchell finally seized the initiative and sent the Wesley opener back to the pavilion. Wesley 1/28. Scotch had broken the outermost defences and had their sights set on infiltrating the Wesley middle order.

Ben Doherty replaced Mitchell from the Kooyong End and tackled the task with the same doggedness an underprivileged and insecure student might display as she paid her way through university. While not getting through the crease with the youthful spring of DAK, it wasn’t long before Doherty had stripped Wesley of 2 wickets, and was unlucky not have 3. In a shrewd piece of captaincy Ashton unleashed Evan “Milf” Hunter amongst the Wesley fauna and it wasn’t long before the Hunter had bagged-n-tagged another victim. 

Meanwhile, Pat Butler replaced Doherty with immediate success, removing the injured and dangerous Wesley no.4.  In a far less shrewd piece of captaincy, Ashton replaced Hunter with the off spin of Traviss Orr. Suffice to say, 7 over’s, 0 wickets and 48 runs later, Orr was looking longingly over the edge of the Westgate. Worthy of comment, was Hugh Thomas’ serviceable work behind the stumps.

With 10 over’s remaining and the mercury headed north, Ashton turned to his trusted strike weapons to counteract the late order Wesley charge. With the game all but out of reach, the Old Scotch killer instinct was absent as the final over’s came and went. In the end, the result was never really in doubt – another imposing Scotch total was too steep a summit for the Wesley adventurers.

While unable to close out the Wesley innings, Scotch will be happy with the win and will gladly take this momentum into their next match. Losing is a habit, but so is winning.

Old Scotch 1^st XI 6/275 def. Old Wesley 8/208

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Pat Butler

2^nd XI Match Report

With a chance to all but secure a finals birth, the OSCC 2^nd XI turned up at Todd Rd, full of expectation and eager to atone for a poor showing against Old Melbourne last time they played. With the ground in beautiful condition and the pitch looking even better, it was clear that runs were to be the order of the day. On paper, the 2^nd’s were sporting one of their strongest batting line-ups, however seemed a little light on with the ball, and as such decided to bowl first and trust themselves chasing the runs down.

To emphasise how short the bowling stocks were, Richard Eva and last weeks hero Chris Wood were entrusted with the new ball. The pair showed early exactly why neither are considered any more than part time bowlers, failing to make any early in roads in to the Grammar line up and conceding close to a run a ball for the first 10 over’s, hardly the ideal start on a batsmen’s paradise. To add further insult, the pair’s only chance of the spell (an absolute soda to second slip) was courteously put down by a fumbling Butterfingers Spargo. It would certainly seem, gloves or no gloves that Grammar had found the gapping hole in the Scotch field, with Spargo sending the confidence sliding even further……

With Eva crying out for a break and unable to bowl more than 4 consecutive as; “my arms get so sore and I need to do weights this week”, Gus Lie was thrown the ball in the hope the left arm could generate some swing and movement. The answer was a resounding NO with Lie picking right up where the openers left off, conceding 18 off his first 3 over’s. With the Melbourne Grammar score at 0/67 off 13, things were looking grim for the 2^nd XI, that was until Hank ‘the Hitman’ Taylor arrived on the scene. Bustling in like never before, and showing the sort of grunt many claim is missing from his attempts with the female form, Hank struck with only his 3^rd ball of the day. 1/67 quickly turned in to 2/81 as Taylor grew in confidence and when Taylor claimed his 3^rd just before drinks, the boys were up and about and right in the game.

The period just after drinks was a real sea-sawing affair, one minute Scotch were clamping down on the Grammar batsmen, and the next were giving away foolish overthrows (G. Dick) and were culprits of sloppy bowling. James Simon and George Dick bowled well enough threw these over’s without finding the break through, Dick steady as always and Plugger giving the keeper plenty of work to do behind the stumps, leaving Grammar at 3/169 with 6 over’s left and the game well and truly in the balance.

Eva and Wood were bought back on to bowl the remaining over’s, and much like when they turn the lights on at Arcadia, were able to pick up a few junk time wickets. Eva eventually finishing with 3/45 of his 8 and Wood picking up 1/47 in what must be considered a dismal bowling display from the two ‘strike’ bowlers.

Grammar bled as many runs out of the innings as possible and went in to lunch at 8/216 off their 40 over’s. Gus Lie requested that this reporter also mention what a horrible spread the boys were served up, describing the sandwiches as “like eating car tyres” and the lamingtons “harder than concrete”.

Although 216 seemed a daunting score, the boys were confident of getting the job done on a superb batting wicket with one of their best batting cards of the year. Nick Spargo was keen to atone for his exploits in the field and went out to open with Sam Cruickshank who was just as eager to atone for a runless season! An over in and the Grammar boys were up and about, Cruickshank trapped plumb LBW  for 3.

This bought Tom Murray to the crease for his first game for the OSCC. Walking to the crease in your first game, with many believing you are the teams only hope must be an uncomfortable feeling and one that this writer has never experienced, however Murray showed no sign of discomfort, handling the obvious step up from district cricket to Club XI cricket with ease. After scratching around early, Murray got going and combined with Spargo for a handy 30 run partnership, before an all too common rush of blood from Spargo had him caught at mid off and the score on 2/36.

George Dick was next in and didn’t take long to get going, along with Murray taking particular liking to the gentle off spinners the Grammar boys were dishing up, Dick bludgeoning the attack and Murray splitting the field with precision and grace. The pair combined perfectly to take the 2^nd XI to drinks at 2/83 and well and truly in the game. Trying to get the run rate moving after drinks, Dick was next to go, caught for a valuable 30. In the same vein, Murray bought up his half century in style but was stumped immediately after on 50.

Chris Wood and Tim McCurdy were next in and needed to steady the ship to give the boys a chance. Showing the sort of determination and mental strength you would see in most 3^rd graders, the two were dismissed cheaply, both caught for 1 and 6 respectively. The ship was sinking and the boys needed rescuing quickly. Sam Lake, Gus Lie and Richard Eva all provided some resistance, with big hitting and smart running the backbone of their innings. Lake contributed 16, Lie 13 and Eva 7 before all being caught. Lie looked promising before eventually running out of partners. Captain Plugger did little to stem the tide, falling LBW for 0 with Hank Taylor stranded on 1 not out.

The boys dismissed for a paltry 151, well short of challenging the Grammar total. Off Scotch’s 10 wickets to fall, 7 were caught, indicating a complete lack of discipline in the batting ranks. The 2^nd XI left the ground fairly shattered, and with 2 games left, will need to win both in order to play finals cricket in 2009. A big thanks to Crackers for making the trip out to watch the boys!

Old Scotch 2^nd XI 151 lost to Old Melbourne Grammar 8/216

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Tom Murray

Old Scotch Cricket – Peaking At Just The Right Time

The 1^st XI this week headed out to Caulfield, looking to extend their winning streak and maintain the pressure on the ladder leaders. With many of the teams supposed ‘stars’ out on International duties, it was up to some of the clubs unheralded players to lead the way. After a unanimous vote and ground-swell of support, Chris Wood was coerced in to taking on the captaincy and duly failed in his first task, losing the toss and being forced to bowl. It would be Woods last failure on a day which will surely be remembered for his creative, inspirational, thorough and ruthless captaincy.

As expected, spearheads Ben Doherty and Andrew Mitchell were tossed the new ball and went to business early, both bowling a superb opening spell. Doherty was on target early, opening with three straight maidens before claiming the first wicket of the day in his 5^th over. Mitchell was also getting in to the swing of things from the other end, getting better and better as his spell went on. DAK was shaping the ball as well as he has all season and looked a danger with every ball, beating the bat 6 balls in a row at one stage, before taking all questions out the equation by knocking over the number 3’s middle stump. It must be noted the quality of the opening spell from Doherty (6 overs, 3 maidens, 1/12) and Mitchell (8 overs, 4 maidens, 1/14) and the importance it had on setting up our attack on the middle order.

Evan ‘the Milf” Hunter was then bought in to the attack, and picked up from where Doherty finished up, on the money with just about every delivery and surprising many with the amount of movement his was able to create. The Snake could consider himself a little unlucky not to be rewarded with a wicket but will be just as dangerous next time he steps out. Sam Elliott was introduced to try and secure the break through just before drinks and was a little rusty after a 5 year lay off from the game. Caulfield lifted their tempo slightly and headed to drinks at 2/64, Scotch still very pleased with their position.

Names such as Kallis, Symonds, Richards, Waugh and Gayle are considered by many as some of the games best all round cricketers. After Saturday, you can surely add the name Chris Wood to that list. After stepping up to keep (flawlessly I might add) for the first 20 overs, the stand in skipper was in a little pickle as to where the break through was coming from……. He need look no further than himself. Throwing off the pads and storming in after drinks, Wood’s impact on the game was immediate, picking up a wicket with his 3^rd ball of the day, a superb in-swinging delivery hitting half way up middle that had the 1^st XI up and about. Dot ball after dot ball was the order of the day from there as the ‘Prez’ set about nose diving the already tunnelling worm. Two overs later and the boys were celebrating again after yet another in-swinging Yorker found it’s way through the gate, snapping middle stump in half and sending fragments of timber cart-wheeling down the field. Possibly the most impressive part of the spell was the fact that Wood unselfishly bowled himself uphill and in to a stiff breeze in conditions described as brutal, cruel and horrendous to bowl in. Wood’s 4 over spell was the turning point in the day and has been compared to some of the best seen, finishing with 2/4 and the admiration of all 22 players.

Up the other end, new kid on the block Nich Andrew was bowling an average spell, picking up a few charity wickets off what must be considered gentle, straight up and down medium pacers, even with a gale breeze behind him. The real low point of the day came in Nich’s 3^rd over when he bullied and tormented a poor Swedish tourist who, after landing in the country on Wednesday, fronted up to play his first game of cricket on Saturday. Nich showed no compassion, digging in a vicious bouncer first up and then walking down the pitch to abuse (possibly racially) this innocent batsman. When the Swede jumped out of the way of his 2^nd deliver which knocked out off stump, the saga was finally over, or se we thought. Nich wasn’t done their, following the now shell shocked batsmen off the ground, tormenting him “never to walk in to Nich’s territory again”.

Following this ugly incident, first gamer Jonathon Porter was thrown the ball and instructed to clean up the tail. After a few looseners Porter got down to business, bowling a handy 3 over spell, picking up 2/11 and ending the Caulfield innings in the 34^th over, all out for 100.

It must be mentioned that the Caulfield lunchtime spread was one of the better seen this year and was a more than welcome relief on such a hot and oppressive day. Chasing only 100 for victory would seem like a fairly straight forward process, however on a pitch that reminded many of the infamous Old Brighton home-ground of the SnakePit, the boys were very wary of getting ahead of themselves and were suitably cautious when going out to bat.

Tom Whitelaw and the recently returned Hugh Sinclair were first to head out and were eager to kick the innings off and knock over a big portion of the Caulfield target. Both players looked comfortable at the crease, Whitelaw playing some unusually aggressive shots and Sinclair showing why the boys were so happy to have him back, rotating the strike with ease and keeping the run rate ticking along. Whitelaw was first to go, unluckily being deceived by a ball that kept extraordinarily low and trapping him LBW for 11.

“I am seriously quite a handy batsman… I deserve to be so much higher than 9…… Put me in at 3, I promise I’ll score runs.... I swear I’m not one of those guys ruled by their girlfriend.” All comments from Nich Hildebrandt, and after his performance with the bat on Sunday, we can confirm they are all shocking lies. After months of whinging about being left down the bottom of the order to rot away, Wood finally gave in and threw Hildebrandt a chance to come in at number 3 and guide the team home to what should have been a walk in the park comprehensive victory. Four balls and 1 dismal run was all it took to cement Hilda back down at #10 for the year. Money Man Mark Griffith was next in and didn’t last much longer, caught for 4 after looking to work his way in and get the run rate moving.

Exceptional Captain, turned perfect Keeper, turned spearhead Bowler, turned dominating Batsmen. That was the story for Chris Wood on Sunday as he headed for the crease at number 4 to join Sinclair and put this game beyond doubt. From ball one of their partnership, the two looked in complete control, rarely missing the middle of the bat and dissecting the field with ease, picking off 1’s and 2’s at will and belting boundaries when they were required. Sinclair looked comfortable all over the ground whilst Wood was powerful and domineering mainly through the on-side. The duo, took the score from a shaky 3/42 to within 2 runs of victory before Sinclair was dismissed for a solid 38 whilst trying to bring up the winning runs with a 6.

After extensive International Duties, touring through both South and North America, Sam Lake was out to the crease with little to no work to do in order to claim victory for the 1^st XI. After arrogantly turning down an easy run in order to steal the glory and hit the winning runs, Lake had the complete humiliation of being trapped plumb LBW for 0 off his first ball and sent back to the sheds very red faced and a lot quieter than his usual self.

Recently inducted Club Legend Evan ‘the Snake’ Hunter was next in and performed the simple duty of hitting the one remaining run off his very first ball, to give the 1^st XI  their 6^th straight victory and put them back on top of the table.

Old Scotch 1^st XI 5/101 def. Old Caulfield 100

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Nich Andrew

2^nd XI Match Report

The 2^nd XI’s match reporter has gone on strike this week, demanding better pay and working conditions. The scores from the 2^nd XI’s match were;

Old Scotch 2^nd XI                                                                                 Old Xavier 2^nd XI

John Crozier-Durham             3                                                              Pat Butler                                3/30

Pat Butler                               16                                                            Rob Ashton                            3/43

Rob Ashton                            79                                                            Travis Orr                               2/41

Simon Dick                              63                                                            Nich Hildebrandt                   1/38

Travis Orr                               66                                                            Hugh Thomas                         0/29

George Dick                            28                                                            Hamish Taylor                        0/30

Hugh Thomas                         54                                                            All Out For                            226

Nick Spargo                     2

James Simon                          0

Hamish Taylor                        1

Nich Hilddebrandt                  4 (not out)

All Out For                           327

Old Scotch 2^nd XI 327 def. Old Xavier 2^nd XI 226

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Rob Ashton

Old Scotch Cricket – Kicking the New Year Off In Style

1^st XI Match Report

Eager to get back in to the swing of things after the Christmas break, the OSCC 1^st XI stepped out on to the Meares Oval on a perfect Saturday afternoon and were greeted by yet another sensationally prepared wicket and lush outfield comparable to even the most hallowed of Cricket grounds. With Captain Rob Ashton on husband duties up in Sydney, Pat Butler was not surprisingly first to put his hand up and demand the role that many would have preferred to go anyone other than Butts. Kicking things off in his usual style, Pat comprehensively lost the toss and the boys were sent out to field.

Gary Bennett measured out his mark and got things under way, and was on target early, making the batsmen play at just about every ball. Surprisingly Bennett was unable to secure the break through early and was heard muttering as he walked back to fine leg “geez I probably would have had 3 or 4 by now if not for these ridiculous field settings”. In a move from left field, Butler opted to open with new club heart throb Andrew Mitchell in favour of last years MCC Bowling Champion Ben Doherty, leaving Doherty seeing red and many in the field baffled.  Brighton had obviously done their homework on this opening attack and seemed to be cruising, surviving the openers and scoring freely against the new ball.

Doherty was introduced in to the attack, replacing Mitchell and his anger showed, storming in and applying the sort of pressure expected from a frontline bowler. A superb 8 over spell ensued, leaving all at the ground suitably impressed and optimistic about Doherty’s second half of the season, finishing at 1/16 off his allowed overs. Later on, stand in skipper Yahtzee heaped plenty of praise on Doherty, yet even more on himself; “yeah look it was a great spell from Doherty today, a lot of the credit must go to me though, not opening with him simply made him mad and kept him on his toes which is exactly when I feel he bowls his best”. Before Doherty had finished, Travis Orr was beginning what was to become a very satisfying day for the all rounder both on and off the field. Orr picked up one of the dangerous openers with a crafty bit of off spin bowling topped off by some sharp work from the clubs new found keeper in Hugo Thomas and was also able to sneak one through the gate of Brighton’s captain and Nick Spargo’s hero,  Jess “the dooool man” Dooley.

After this the wickets began to fall at a steady pace with Butler provided some inspired leadership, bringing himself on and opening up the game with three vital wickets. Leg slips, silly mid ons, 4 covers, it was all happening as this “creative genius” as he was described, lit up the Meares Oval finishing with 3/30. “Money Shot” Mark Griffith was up the other end doing his thing, keeping things real, and keeping things very tight, picking up a wicket on his way to 1/10.

The real victim under Butler’s reign as Captain was surely Evan ‘the Snake” Hunter. Sitting patiently in the field waiting for a bowl, the Snake was somehow overlooked for the first 30 odd over’s and his talents were left to squander, only being given a meagre over at the death. Eventually Bennett was re-introduced to the attack to clean up the tail and pick up his charity wicket for the week. Brighton bowled out in the 34^th over for 142.

Being tired, withered and well past his prime, Hugh Thomas gave up his opening spot in favour of a stint of sunbaking, leaving Sam Cruickshank the unfortunate duty of having Pat Butler join him at the crease as his fellow opener. The boys strode out knowing that nothing less than a crushing victory would be acceptable. Treating the opening bowlers much like his attempts to pick up on Saturday nights, Buttsy through the kitchen sink at everything early and set the run chase off in impressive style. After some swashbuckling strokes Butlers luck finally ran out on 17, clean bowled. Cruickshank kicked his year off fairly nicely, displaying a wide range of shots and playing a well thought out and mature innings before being caught off the Pirate for 24.

Simon Dick and Travis Orr then combined to steady the Scotch innings, with Dick playing an unusually reserved innings and seemed happy to let Orr do most of the scoring. And score he did, unleashing a barrage of drives, cuts and hooks all across the Meares, with no bowler spared. Up the other end, Dick got going and played some impressive strokes before being caught on 19. Tim McCurdy looked set to relish his opportunity at a decent bat before he came and went for 1, quicker than you could blink, cementing his spot at number 8 for the year.

“Money Shot” Griffith was sent in to guide the troops home and that’s exactly what he did, playing a sensible innings consisting mainly of singles whilst Orr took care of the big shots from the other end. The pair cruised home to victory in the 23^rd over at 4/144, Griffith unbeaten on 13 and Orr likewise for a damaging 56.

A perfect way to kick off the new year for the 1^st XI, nipping on the heels of Old Xavier for top spot. A good few weeks should see the boys in top spot where they belong.

Old Scotch 1^st XI 4/144 def. Old Brighton 142

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Travis Orr

The 2nds resumed after the mid season break, taking on the might of the MCC in sensational conditions on a cracking wicket at the Meares Oval that had a bit in it for everyone. With James ‘Plugger’ Simon at very short odds to lose the toss, most of the boys were dressed and ready to take the field long before the coin even left his hands. Disappoint us he didn’t, losing the toss and wandering us over to confirm that we would be bowling.

Fresh from his weekend wedding, Andrew Swinnerton was welcomed to the club with the new ball and was joined by the always accurate Richard Eva from the other end. From ball one, the pair put on a clinic of new ball bowling, pressuring the batsmen at every opportunity and never letting them become comfortable at the crease. It took less than an over for the first break through, Swinnerton claiming one opener for a duck. Not to be left behind, Fever was soon in amongst the action, claiming the other opener with a ball that cut back sharply and following up by skittling the number three who played all around another superb delivery. Mitchell continued the route from the other end to leave MCC reeling and in all sorts at 4/17 off 9 over’s.

Seemingly bored with what was going on in front of them, the entire 2^nd XI seemed determined to let the MCC back in the game by continuing their weekly ritual of playing hot potato for a few over’s out in the field. Feeling the need to fill their quota of exactly 5 dropped catches a week, the 2^nd’s went about doing exactly that with names such as Whitelaw (straight forward slips catch), Dick (skied ball straight to him), Crobar (regulation catch at point), Penman (lob to short mid wicket) and Eva (straight down his throat at mid off) all culprits of dropped catches that would of seen many shot in countries from the sub-continent.

Next in to the attack was Andrew Penman, who after a late arrival from a big night in Portsea did little to make up for letting the team down. Barely trundling in at more than a canter, Penman rarely troubled the batsmen and struggled to shake the effects of the previous night’s festivities.  Along the way Eva was going about his business, picking up another wicket to leave him with 3/24 for the day.

The skipper decided to have a trundle for the 2 over’s before drinks and bowled a relatively tight couple without any luck and MCC went to drinks at 5/63.

After drinks, Hank Taylor was thrown the ball and although a touch expensive, had an immediate impact picking up a wicket in his 2^nd over. Nich Hildebrandt was next in, and besides providing the batsmen with a chuckle at his ridiculous looking hairdo (dyed Pink) didn’t have too much of an impact on proceedings. Hildebrandt however did manage to severely slow the run rate bowling his 5 over’s and conceding only 8.

George Dick and Chris Wood were thrown the ball towards the death and asked to put the reigns on and that they did. Dick removed the danger man for 56 and Wood followed soon after bowling 4 over’s, 1/12. A handy bit of fielding from Taylor saw MCC fall further in to their hole and when Swinnerton finished off the tail with a perfect Yorker, MCC found themselves bowled out for 156.

Chasing 156 seemed a fairly straight forward proposition for the 2^nd XI on such a perfect batting deck, that was until Tom Whitelaw was caught behind off the 2^nd ball of the day and opening partner Nick Spargo followed not long after for 2.

John Crobar and George Dick set about a salvage mission for the 2^nd XI against and MCC attack that had their tails up and was hungry for more wickets. Crobar went to the crease with an indifferent record this season and was desperate for a good score. He looked comfortable at the crease from ball one playing shots all over the wicket and taking the lead in a partnership that was crucial to any chance of a Scotch victory. The boys motored the score along to 56 before Crobar fell, caught behind for 23.

Chris Wood was next in (after Penman refused to go to the crease) and needed a score to justify a position at 5 on the batting order. Wood and Dick had a tricky 3 over period to see out before drinks and the pair were determined to knuckle down and get through to drinks before attacking the opposition. They succeeded in their first goal and got through to drinks at 3/76.

After drinks is where things got interesting with Dick showing some of his now famous ticker and simply destroying the MCC bowling attack. Up the other end, Wood seemed in reasonable form and was contributing solidly. The fans however, were there to see Dick put on a show that will be remembered for a while., belting 22 and 17 in consecutive over’s to put Scotch well in control. Dick raced past his 50 and was sparing nobody in this onslaught not seen since James “Jagga” Kahanoff’s knock in 2002. In his innings of 84 not out, Dick amassed a whopping 7 fours and 6 sixes with one bowler commenting; “I really didn’t want my kids to see this!”

Dick, supported by Wood led the 2^nd XI home to what turned out to be a crushing victory, reaching the target in 29 over’s and severely boosting the teams all important run rate. The 2^nd XI, on the back of this performance have cemented their spot inside the top 4 and will need some good performances from here on in to notch up their maiden finals appearance.

Old Scotch 2^nd XI 3/158 def. MCC 156

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match and $25 Voucher:

George Dick

Old Scotch Cricket – 2^nd XI Bounce Back!

1^st XI Match Report

BYE

2^nd XI Match Report

An overcast day and another sub standard pitch greeted the Scotchies down at Dendy Park on Sunday. Skipper James ‘Plugger’ Simon won the toss to maintain his 100% record for the year and decided to bat. His decision was made easier due to the fact that Scotch had only 9 players ready to go for the start of the match which then required some quick calling around to get the two extra players.

Nick Spargo and Ed Oliver were sent out to open the batting but couldn’t start well with Oliver bowled out early on for 2. Simon Dick came and went quickly for 1 having his off stump split in two by a ball that didn’t bounce at all across the pitch. With the score at 2/15 after 8 over’s, Scotch needed to survive the conditions. Mark Griffiths came out to join Spargo and batted sensibly as the pitch started to dry up. The pair managed to get the 2^nd XI to the 20-over mark at 2/59. After this time, Brighton then let us back in the game with some poor bowling and fielding while the batsmen cashed in. It almost came as a surprise when Griffiths was well caught out for an important 41, after sharing an 84 run partnership with Spargo.

George Dick then came out and didn’t mess around hitting a quick fire 13 runs before being bowled out bringing out Will McMahon who came and went quickly for 2. Tim McCurdy then came to the crease at 5/129 in the 31^st over with the team still needing more runs to be competitive. McCurdy and Spargo lifted the tempo putting on 58 runs in quick time before Spargo was caught out in the last over for a magnificent 78. McCurdy (17) and James Simon (3no) finished off the innings leaving the team with a very reasonable 7/190 after their 40 over’s. Our total was made better due to the fact Brighton conceded 34 extras during the innings.

The Scotchies went onto the field a little unhappy, with everyone complaining about the poor spread put on by Brighton at the tea break. There was pressure on the bowlers, particularly Andrew ‘DAK’ Mitchell who needed to get early wickets to put Brighton on the back foot. He didn’t disappoint, getting a wicket with his third ball, knocking over the openers middle peg. Plugger then decided to take a risk and bring on himself to open from the other end, hoping to utilize a crumbling Dendy Park pitch. He too was able to break through early at the Scotchies picked up a further two wickets in the fourth over courtesy of some good fielding from Tim McCurdy resulting in a run out and Nick Spargo taking a sharp chance down the leg side off Plugger. The relentless pressure continued as DAK continued to pepper the batsmen and take wickets from his end with his pace while Plugger continued to use the pitch to his advantage to tie up things from his end. By the time they had both finished their spells the Brighton boys were reeling at 7/49 off 16 over’s with Mitchell taking 4/23 off his 8 over’s and Plugger taking 2/21 from his 8 over’s.

The ball was then thrown to Gus Lie and Hank Taylor, with Taylor taking a wicket off his first ball. The waist high full toss deceived the batsman into skying the ball to mid wicket.  With Lie (0/26) having no luck at the other end, despite some good bowling, and a stubborn partnership from Brighton, the skipper then decided to throw the ball to Ed Oliver who had been talking himself up all day. With two of the worst balls seen that day, Oliver was able to clean up the tail walking away with the figures of 2/9. Despite the fact the Scotch had dropped no less than 7 catches during the afternoon; it was a great effort by the team to bowl out Brighton for 110.

Overall it was a fantastic performance from the 2^nd XI, a result which has left 1^st XI skipper Rob Ashton shaking in his boots at the prospect of coming up against this team on the weekend. Finally, a big thanks to Gus Lie for coming down and helping us out on short notice.

Old Scotch 2^nd XI 7/190 def. Old Brighton 110

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Nick Spargo

Old Scotch Cricket – All Washed Out

1^st & 2^nd XI Match Report

Both matches WASHED OUT!

Old Scotch Cricket – An Up & Down Weekend

1^st XI Match Report

Disclaimer: The author (N Hildebrandt) did not see the bowling innings and as such has used some creative licence.

It was a cold and windy day down at Bulleen on Saturday as the Old Scotch 1st XI took on an Old Trinity outfit reeling after last week’s loss to the 2nd XI. Garry Bennett opened the bowling from the Fish Creek End and in extraordinary circumstances claimed a scalp with the very first ball of the day! Bennett’s aggressive delivery had the Trinity opener playing back deep in his crease where he somehow stumbled back on his wicket. Things only got better from there with Gary picking up another wicket on his 5th delivery, caught at 2nd slip after first being juggled by both the keeper and first slip.

Butler himself came on next and decided he would bowl his leg spinners that he’s been trying at training. 5 wides later, Buttsy decided that medium-pace isn’t so bad and resumed his regular deliveries. Butler was warned for excessive appealing and derogatory language in an angry display of bowling. Buttsy finally decided that playing fair wasn’t getting him anywhere and pulled off a successful man-kad to bring up the Trinitarians 6th wicket. Mark Griffith was brought into the attack to destroy the tail and after copping a battering early, he responded
with a couple of firebolts that took out the first batsmen’s off stump and then subsequently broke the next batsman’s toe getting him out LBW. The last batsman was timed out and the innings was over all out
for 60.

Chasing 60 was a welcome challenge for the team after last week’s joke run chase of 54. Nevertheless, Scott Haines and Tom Whitelaw decided they would make things difficult, both out early for 2. Next in was the pom Mordsley who was obviously relishing his opportunity and went about things with great flair. At the other end, Hugh Thomas was showing off his trademark left-handed slog over midwicket and both batsmen galloped along into the 20’s. With Mordsley on 23 things came unstuck as he was caught behind bringing Ed Oliver to the crease.

At square leg, Scott Haines was enjoying his break as umpire however seemed to get his fingers caught together after excess fiddling and forgot to raise his finger to a probable stumping appeal. As new best friend to the Trinity fielders, Scotty didn’t mind mincing words with a couple whose ire he had raised. Thomas was next to go after receiving what he claimed was a dodgy call from partner Ed Oliver, and was run out for 21. Mark Griffith came next looking to repeat his heroics from last week, however a low flying slider skittled his stumps and he met his demise for a duck. With 8 runs to get, Oliver and Ashton guided the tourist’s home for a well earned win.

Old Scotch 1st XI 5/63 def. Old Trinity 60

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Mark Griffith

The Old Scotch 2^nd XI stepped out on Sunday afternoon in what was without doubt their biggest challenge to date and one they were eagerly anticipating. The side was greeted by a perfectly prepared Meares Oval and also to the news that opening bowler Nich Hildebrandt was a late withdrawal due to pulling a heart muscle. He was replaced in the side by Tim McCurdy, who was stepping out for his first game of the year.

Plugger did the honours and gracefully lost the toss, and the boys were sent out to field. The ever balding Andrew Penman and Chris Wood were tossed the new ball and asked to find a break-through. Both bowled a fairly tight line and length early, however besides a few animated shouts the pair was unable to find the wicket they were after.

With Wood tiring after an extensive 4 over spell, Richard Eva was introduced to the attack and immediately put the clamps on the scoring with some excellent bowling. The batsmen became so frustrated that one of the openers (not much older than 12) demanded the dominator bowl the ball where he wanted it and “not at my head”… This scoreboard pressure paid off at the other end with the batsmen succumbing and Penman showed some character to toil on and claim the first scalp of the day with a beautiful inswinger cleaning up the opener’s stumps. Eva’s consistency also paid off to pick up a wicket of his own and get the 2^nd XI back on track.

Daniel Wolfe opened up his account in to the wind and was immediately targeted by the Wesley batsmen, with two monster sixes against his name early. Showing the sort of character that School Captains are renowned for, Wolfe continued to toss it up and give it some flight and was quickly rewarded. A couple of very good LBW’s followed by some of the sharpest glove work you will see from Nick Spargo left Wesley on the back foot and the 2^nd XI up and about just after drinks. Without doubt the pick of the bowlers, Wolfe finished with figures of 3/30 off his 8 over’s.

Hank Taylor and George Dick were introduced not long after and although only 1 wicket was found between them, they did a good job of slowing the run rate down and applying the pressure to the Wesley middle order. James Simon grabbed the ball at the death and bowled a couple of very tidy over’s to have Wesley finish out at 7/167 off their 40 over’s.

After a delicious lunch and with a crowd growing by the minute, rookies Daniel Wolfe and Sam Cruickshanks were sent out and asked to put a sizeable dent in the Wesley total. The boys started well enough, finding the boundary on several occasions and showing a vast array of strokes to have the team at 0/30 after 8 over’s. Wolfe was first to go, having his pegs rattled on 10 and Cruickshanks seemed lost without his mate in the middle and departed not long after for 20.

For years he has promised a lot and delivered very little, however Sunday seemed just the day for Andrew Penman to stand up and show all down at the OSCC what he is really made of…….. Well if that’s the best he’s got then we can all start feeling a bit better about ourselves. After prodding a few around for 1’s and 2’s Penman was dismissed for 12 after snicking one through to the keeper. George Dick obviously had an afternoon appointment at Spearmint Rhino as he came and went quicker than you could blink and was followed not long after when Chris Wood decided to pad up to a full toss hitting half way up middle.

This left the boys reeling at 5/67 and in desperate need of a partnership between lover boy Nick Spargo and Tim McCurdy. Two balls in to their partnership Sparg’s obviously decided he was sick of his current partner, burning poor old TMac in a farcical run out that left McCurdy returning to the sheds and the game slipping away quickly.

Richard Eva’s consistency with the ball was far from matched with the bat, swinging the willow at anything and everything and was bowled soon after for 6. Youngster Will McMahon was next in and seemed determined to dig in and make a game of it, combining with Spargo for a solid partnership. Spargo seemed to be hitting his straps, playing an impressive innings before going for one shot too many and being caught at mid off for 27.

Skipper James Simon strode to the crease with a massive weight on his shoulders, and many figured if anyone was going to pull them from this wreck it could be the inspirational man himself. Only a couple of balls later and all hope was lost, along with Plugger’s off stump!

Hank ‘the hitman’ Taylor was last to arrive and was only out their for a few balls before McMahon finally cracked, another clean bowled leaving the boys convincingly beaten and trudging off the Meare’s with their tails firmly between their legs.

Although not the day the 2^nd XI had in mind, we would still like to pay particular thanks to the supporters who turned out to support the boys. None more so than Cordial specialist Cowboy Western and club legend Bill McNaughton whose support is always greatly appreciated.

Old Scotch 2^nd XI 118 lost to. Old Wesley 7/167

The Bridge Hotel Player of the Match & $25 Voucher:

Daniel Wolfe