C Grade Match Reports

Round 8 - SPOC away

Day 1 - I won the toss and decided to bat on a nice looking deck. Kempy and Troy got us off to a nice start, and along with Chaddles batting at 3, we were cruising at 1/90 odd. Enter a mid order collapse, including 2 golden ducks for the Captain and Andy 'Ham' Lee, and a formidable total all of a sudden looked a long way off. Chad top scored for us with a good 68, and was stumped 2 balls before tea.
Beachy showed some great grit and determination and along with Party after tea, and helped wag the tail of the side, and when Captain Safety was very unluckily stumped by the keeper (off his shin without him even knowing it!) we had made a total of 176 runs.
Not a massive total, but something certainly to defend with our bowling attack.
We bowled 20 odd overs that afternoon, and after their good opening stand had them 2/65 overnight.
Day 2 - another good day for cricket, and their overnight batsmen gave us only a few half chances in the first hour of play. Our bowlers were struggling to breakthrough this pair, until young Ollie 'Captain Safety' Smith was thrown the ball. 6 very tight overs later he had both batsmen back in the shed, and if it wasn’t for the age/over rule, he would have kept bowling. A super spell to get Unley back into this game.
I brought Lards and Beachy straight back into the attack from opposite ends to their first two spells, and the results were amazing. Prior to Ollie's spell, they were cruising at 2/129, and within the space of 12 overs, we had taken 8/21, snatching the win from the jaws of defeat, winning by 25 runs! 4 wickets a piece to Beachy and Lards (3 each on day 2) along with Ollie's 2 wickets made for a superb win against the 2nd ranked side.
Wanting to head straight to Kingswood, the opposition Captain wanted to continue playing, as such we changed the batting order opening up with myself and Ham. Two openers coming off of golden ducks... I managed to hang around, but unfortunately Ham managed to esge his first ball to the keeper, and more unfortunately, the keeper held it. It shall get a lot better for him sooner I am sure - nothing worse than starting your batting career at Unley with a king pair!
Kempy, Captain Safety and Tossa came and went very quickly, and SPOC were in with a sniff of an outright chance with us reeling at 4/8. However Troy came out to bat with me, and with Chad, Lards and others still to bat we just used the time as practise until they had had enough leather chasing.
Troy and I finished on 25* and 19* respectively, and at 4/55, we called the game off early.
Result - a superb win, with a late rally by our lads to snatch this win. 3 games to go, and it is tight in the top 4 - we must continue to play our best... one week at a time... Man of the Match? 4 way tussle, Ollie bowled great with 2 critical breakthroughs, Lards and Beachy with 4 wickets each, but Chaddles took the MOM with his hard fought 68.

Round 6 - Ingle Farm away

The C's this round took on Ingle Farm away, up at the back of the very scary Ingle Farm High School. Hoggy had the luxury of being able to call up Lards & Foxy to the team (thanks D's) on the morning of the game, in what was a very important game for the boys.

Hoggy did the right thing, won the toss & decided to have a bat. When Foxy opened the scoring with a 6 we all agreed that was the right decision.

Unfortunately scoring soon proved to be pretty difficult, as the pitch was offering quite a bit of movement to the medium pacers. All of our top order got off the mark with boundaries, but the day's top score was only 19 (thanks Lards) - In the end we were bundled for 89 in just 39.1 overs, with the highlight probably being Glenn's 0* at number 11.

This meant we had about 30 overs to bowl on day 1. Myself & Lards opened up & wickets tumbled at regular intervals, with me claiming 3 & Lards being at his unplayable best taking 2 for not many.

Late in the afternoon Hoggy switched things up with Jonny & Glenn coming on to bowl - both decisions were justified as they each claimed a wicket - Glenn's was the Ingle Farm Captain, well caught out in the deep by Brad Tosold (Congrats Glenn on your first senior wicket!).

At the end of day 1 then we had Ingle Farm 7/66.

Day 2 came & the maths was simple, Ingle Farm needed just 23 runs, whilst we needed 3 wickets. Unfortunately Lards & I decided we wanted to make the game interesting, with Lards being hit for 2 boundaries, whilst I opened up with 5 wides.

Fortunately that was just about it for Ingle Farm, Lards suggested we put fielders in close under the eye line & this worked, as I claimed 2 wickets & Lards finished the job the next over.

A super win by the boys, Hoggy's jumping hug on Lards was truly something to behold.

With the game over so early, we decided to have a bat and it all seemed easy this time, as James Mignorance made 30, Riggles played superbly for 53* and Brad Tosold got off a pair in style belting 45* off about 20 balls. We reached 5/166 before Hoggy declared, giving us 21 overs to roll Ingle Farm for an outright.

Unfortunately, batting all of a sudden seemed easy for them too, as they cruised to 3/63 before an early close was agreed. One highlight of the 2nd dig was an outstanding catch from Brad Tosold at square leg, running away at full tilt taking a superb chest mark.

Excellent win for the boys, sneaks us into the top 4 before Christmas as well.

Well done fellas

Saf

Round 4 - Hectorville away

Day 1 - Heat rule in effect (60 overs each max), forecast of 40 degrees! I called incorrectly, losing the toss and we were sent out to field on a stinking hot day.
A great start from Renshaw and Saf had the opposition reeling at 5/21 at drinks (15 over mark), then after drinks we slowed down a bit, the ball lost some hardness in the seam, and the opposition dropped anchor big time.
The next 30 overs consisted of not many runs and no wickets. I rotated the bowlers regularly and the runs were minimal, they only scored at 2 runs per over all day. They thought that if they could survive till over 45 then they could score freely. How wrong they were...
One partnership was all they had, with two batsmen making 35 and 55 each and frustrating every bowler with plays and misses outside off stump. Perth and Saf combined forces in the last 15 overs to keep things ultra tight, and we started to pick off their last 5 wickets, with more rash shots coming as the days play headed to its conclusion. We took the last wicket in the final over of the day, and held them to a very chasable 130 in 59.1 Overs.
Saf bowled superbly, 21 overs (including 9 maidens), 4/27, well backed up by Renshaw with some very important top order wickets taking 3/18 and Perth taking 2/39 off 15.1 overs.
A few tough catches put down in the later heat of the day, but considering the changes to the side due to junior restrictions and higher sides losing players, I was proud of the lads efforts in extreme heat.
Day 2 - Called off due to rain and a muddy pitch!
Result - a Draw.

Round 3 - Trinity College OS at Home

Day 1 - Forecast was for a hot day, and the opposition did the right thing and lost the toss allowing us to have a bat. Bear in mind this is Trinity's A-Grade side - playing in C1 grade.
We opened up with Symons and Minga and they started nicely taking the teams score to 31 before both lads lost their wicket leaving us at 2/31.
Enter Wriggles and the captain to steady the ship, and steady is what we did, taking the score onto 88 before I was dubiously given out lbw (after Kempy gave the side a good talking to about lbw decisions.). Kempy came and went for a duck,then Hopton, Perth and then Wriggles (for a solidly made 45) were dismissed within the space of 2 runs, leaving us teetering at 7/114! Enter Beachy and Jaskson to steady the ship with oodles of overs left, the lads put on another 25 runs before we lost another pair of wickets, leaving the Unley C's at 9/148.
Enter the moment, enter the man it would seem, I was told Thursday night this fella was more of a bowler than a batter... but young Amaral Singh proved them all wrong, combining dour defence with a classic aggressive hitting, smashing his way to an unbeaten 67, including five 6 sixes. Singhy was well supported by Ollie Smith, who made a gallant and very respectable 9 runs helping Amaral put on 90 runs for the last wicket. Unley all out 238, with plenty of overs to go.
Did I mention the extras column? 60 extras, yup 60! 38 wides - including 5 boundaries & 14 byes including 3 boundaries. Those runs were greatly needed!
I was content with that score, however did not press Trinity to bat. We have 6 bowlers in the side all capable of troubling the batsmen.
Day 2 - Another hot day was forecast, but our lads were up for a good days cricket. Opening the bowling with Hopton and Singhy resulted in young Singhy getting hit straight for boundaries in the second over of the day. Hopton kept things tight as his end with his great pace and line bowling. Within 7 overs they had raced to 0/36, almost a run a ball. Hopton then found the fire in the belly and ripped through batsmen 2 and 3 in the space of 2 overs, and a subsequent bowling change bringing on Renshaw and Beachy brought Trinity almost to their knees at 4/57. The opposition's captain then dropped anchor and the run rate flattened out. Battling the heat the Unley lads fielded well and bowled exceptional lines on or outside off stump. Two overs before Tea we dismissed the captain for a dogged 19, leaving them 5/85 with their top 5 batsmen back in the shed.
The days heat had sapped us a bit in the field, but the bowlers continued with good line bowling after tea. The most important wicket of the day was a superb run-out from Singhy; after chasing a straight drive to the boundary, stopping the ball just in time then throwing back over the bowlers head onto the keeper, running out their highest scoring batsmen by half the pitch length. From there they went from 6/125 to all out for 166, with some great wickets taken by Ollie Smith, finishing with 2 wickets in 2 balls... apparently this won't count as a hat trick if he takes a wicket next game.

So in conclusion, a great game with some standout individual performances, in particular Amaral Singh with 67 not out and a great run out.
The accuracy of all bowlers was a treat to set fields to, and I was able to stack the offside accordingly. Well played lads, lets continue to build on our efforts and concentrate on runs for the middle order!

Round 2 - Golden Grove at Home

At home for the first time this season, and a welcome change it was.

The deck looked great, and we had a number of players into the side to strengthen the Gunners.

I lost the toss and Golden Grove decided to bat. Fine with me, as with Tyson leaving early we were going to bowl anyway! Yep still a $2 fine for me though.

Opening the bowling with Tyson 'Iron Mike' Smith and Phil Hopton, we had our first wicket in over number 2. Golden Grove then proceeded to meander onto 55 before losing their 2nd wicket. At 2 for 84 at drinks I called upon the Unley boys to lift the voice and build some pressure, and it seemed to work nicely initially, with 4 quick wickets (three to Beachy, one to Mingorance) punishing them to a score of 6 for 90. The next two batsmen then put their heads down and pushed the score up to 151 when we took wicket number 7, after some indifferent scoring shots somehow picking gaps in the field, frustrating this captain!!!!

Jonny Apsin came on and helped clean up the tail, with 2 for 10 off his 3.3 overs, and Iron Mike finished with respectable figures of 2 for 21 off 9. Leading bowler was Beachy with 4 / 21. Golden Grove 168 all out after 38.3 overs.

After the tea break Cam and Iron Mike opened the batting, and after a few nervous moments we were cruising along at over 4 an over after 10 overs for the loss of no wickets. The first wicket to fall was Tyson with the score on 61, he made 18 supporting an attacking Edgar-Hughes in a solid opening platform. Wriggles came and went quickly, as did Mingorance and Chaddles, and we went from 1 for 77 to 4 for 95. I came to the crease with another 75 runs required, but with great belief in Cam at the other end. We then proceeded to build on the good platform until within 6 runs of the target (and within 6 runs of his ton), when Cam misjudged a straight-ish delivery and gave the keeper a straight forward catch off a feather edge. We had plenty of overs left, and Hoppy came in and plundered a quick fire 20 to be last man out when we closed the innings after 37 overs, we made 6 for 185, going past their score in the 35th over. I was not out at the other end on 22.... Again!

Man of the Match was tough, Beachy bowled well, and Cam led from the front with the run chase. Impossible to split, but with Beachy being at the Club, and Cam not, Beachy took the cigars.

It was an impressive fightback by the lads after drinks to restrict them after they had wickets in hand, along with Cam's controlled innings of 94, falling 6 short of his first ton for Unley.

I was very pleased to have a win, my first as Captain for the Club. Well done lads!!!

Tough game vs Trinity College next week. Let's continue to improve and lift our intensity!

Cheers,

Bowny.

Round 1 - Modbury Away

We packed overnight bags and headed out to Banksia Park to play Modbury in a one day match to start the season.

I won the toss and even though the deck looked very under prepared I decided to have a bat first.

Wriggles opened up with Troy and we started well keeping the bowling at bay. Wriggles then unleashed 3 consecutive 4's down the ground over mid off, you beauty I thought.... Just as he was getting going, he lost his wicket and we then suffered a collapse. Chad was unlucky getting caught down the leg side, and I came to the crease with the score at 4/42. Troy then lost his leg stump to a low full toss after toiling hard(EDIT: not getting a ball off the square) against the pitch and tight bowling. I foolishly called through Darin for a second run in his first game for the club, and I ran out our new keeper after he only faced a handful of deliveries. I was devastated and the opposition were ecstatic.

I batted with the lower order and tail and we struggled to make 89 with Baby Dave being the last man out in the last over. With scores of 22 not out (Bowny), 15 (Wriggles), and 9 (Troy) and no other batsmen making more than 5 it was a dire situation, but the deck was still playing tricks.

Beachy and Baby Dave opened the bowling and we had a low scoring good start. Then Vas took a great catch off Beachy's bowling - a hard drive to mid off. Wickets were hard to come by until Smith and Chaddles were brought into the bowling attack, where Smith created numerous chances and was unlucky not to have 3 wickets before drinks. Chad bowled a great line and length and had a number of batsmen clean bowled, and was even on a hat trick at one stage. I was unable to bowl Vas in this game due to the deck not being ideal for a spinner, and one batsmen in particular was trying to slog his team to victory. We dropped the fielders back and forced him to try and hit over the top. Our only dropped catch was off this batsmen, and Baby Dave was unlucky not to hold it, after it was hit a good 20m straight up. He went on to make 20, a telling effort in the game.

We did get him out eventually though, and were into the tail with Humey, Chad, Smithy and Baby Dave all bowling well. In the end we were only about 10 - 20 runs short of a winning score, but they went past our score with 3 wickets in hand and 8 overs to spare.

Positives were the great efforts by Vas Halikias and Ollie Smith in their first senior games for the Club, and Chad bowled very well in the conditions.

Man of the Match was Chaddles with his tight (EDIT: and deceptively fast) bowling and figures of 3/18 off 8 overs. Honourable mention to Ollie Smith in his first game, he bowled really well with great maturity.

We are at home next game, so lets get a win to kick start our campaign lads!

Cheers,

Bowny

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