Unley Cricket Club

News Archive January-March 2005

30 March, 2005 - Presentation Day Details

The Presentation Day for Season 2004/2005 is to be held on Sunday 3rd April , starting at 2:30pm at the Cremorne Hotel. All Senior and Junior trophies will be awarded.

30 March, 2005 - AGM Details

The Unley Cricket Club Annual General Meeting is to be held on Wednesday the 11th of May, starting at 7:30pm at the Cremorne Hotel. Drinks will be provided to all financial members. All positions will be declared vacant, from President to General Committee. If you have been thinking about joining the Committee, this is the time to put your hand up. The more the merrier!

Any business is to be forwarded to Club Secretary Graham Burton before May 4.

30 March, 2005 - B Grade Take Out ATCA Premiership

Congratulations to the Unley B-Grade side, who won the ATCA B2 Grade Premiership on the 19th and 20th of March. Unley defeated Ingle Farm District early on the second day of play, having bowled Ingle Farm out for 121 runs. Warren Ainscough produced the best bowling, taking six wickets. Captain Rob Prime passed the required total with 8 wickets to spare.

See photos of the victory at The Gunners Gallery.

9 March, 2005 - Round 11 Results Wrap

The A grade's miserable season came to a halt one week early when day 2 of their match at Gepps Cross was washed out. Having already lost on day 1, their target of 140 getting reeled in with ease, they would have been playing to try and stave off a draw. They will drop to the A3 division for next season. It has not all been doom and gloom however with a number of players making their A grade debuts. Paul Dixon, Graham Burton, Matt Dean, Daniel Delawyer and Robin Swift all debuted and have gained significant experience. At least a couple of them should be primed to make a real impact next year, along with some others who have been performing well in the B grade.

The B grade were also washed out at 0/38 chasing 182. Young off spinner Jack Bolden had taken 3 wickets on day 1 to help restrict the Gepps Cross' total. This was disappointing for the boys as a win would have got them top spot, but it was also disappointing for Gepps as they missed on the finals by .9, meaning the win definitely would have gotten them there. We play Scotch at Kingswood in the semi-final this Saturday and Sunday, so lets get as many people as possible out to show their support and make some noise.

The C grade ended their season with a loss, only managing 180 in response to the Elders USA total of 213. They had Elders at 2 for 0 in the 2nd innings. The C's finished 6th on the ladder, missing the finals narrowly but it was a successful season overall. Captain Michael Lardner blooded a number of youngsters and some of them showed that they have the potential to move further up the grades. Nick Hussey finished the season with a flourish, scoring 42 to go with a couple of other good scores towards the end of the season, while Jack Bolden, Steve Brennan and Luke Tonkin moved up and played some B grade cricket but also performed well in the C's. Lards himself had a good year, almost taking out the association batting trophy and scoring his maiden century for the club. Veteran Mitch 'the godfather' Brown, who scored 30 on Saturday also had some good performances with the bat.

The D's finished the season with a loss as Flinders Uni reeled in their total of 138. Flinders Uni declared at 7 for 148 as Tony Fiore, who has had a good season with bat and ball, took 3/20. Our boys were then a credible 5 for 123 in the second innings, skipper Mark Leoni scoring 32 not out and Tony Fiore scoring 32 not out. The D grade struggled throughout the year as some narrow losses cost them. However, they fought through it and had some good performances late in the season. Like the C's they also had a number of young players coming in and out of the side, which stands the club in good stead for future seasons.

9 March, 2005 - Round 10 Results Wrap

Round 10 signalled the first round this season where no Unley teams were on the winners list. The A grade lost in a game which ended up being a tight tussle for the outright points. They had already lost the first innings point on day one when SHOC quickly reeled in their disappointing first innings total of 108. A second innings score of 180 from our boys left SHOC needing 106 to win the game. Graham Burton scored his first A grade 50 while Brenton Rigden scored 44. Andrew Muller then took 5/67 as SHOC came through with the win in the last over of the day with 2 wickets in hand.

The B grade had their first loss of the season against second placed Ingle Farm, who will now go top. Our boys dismissed Ingle Farm for 158 on the back of a great bowling performance from Warren Ainscough, who took 5 wickets. Unfortunately we slumped to 3/33 at stumps on day 1 and were then dismissed for 98. This was a disappointing loss but hopefully the boys can get Ingle Farm back for it in the finals.

The C grade had a huge task chasing Grange's 7/312 at Unley High. They only managed to make 96, with the only highlight being Luke Tonkin's 40 runs in his first game as opener. Tonkin has been in the side as a bowler but has had a solid year with the bat.

The D grade fell 23 runs short of PAOC's 214. Tony Fiore scored 56 while bowler Joe Windows, new to the club this year, got his highest score of 36.

9 February, 2005 - Round 9 Results Wrap

Unfortunately round 9 was another disappointing one for the club, with only the B and D grade sides winning. This leaves only the B and C grade still in contention for finals, with the B grade sitting undefeated on top of the ladder and the C grade just hanging in on the edge of the top four. The A grade, on the other hand are sitting second bottom and will need at least one win and possibly two to escape relegation.

The A grade had themselves in a solid position at the end of day 1 in their match at home against Port Districts. They made 216 to give themselves a chance with Andrew Weinmann making 84. Paul Dixon also made his A grade debut in a good sign for the club. He managed 14. Unfortunately it did not prove to be enough. Port Districts were struggling at 5/84 but two players made centuries for them and they finished at 8/321. Left armer Ross Nicholson took 3/64.

The B grade managed an outright win against Glenunga away from home. They made 180 on a tough wicket to bat on with Brenton Rigden scoring 52 and Richard Reardon scoring 36. On day two they first bowled Glenunga out for 38, then enforced the follow on and dismissed them for 146. This left the boys needing a few runs for the outright and they finished at 0/13. Adam Beauchamp was man of the match with match figures of 10/83, including 7/20 in the first innings, where Glenunga were at one stage 7/10. Beauchamp also scored a handy 14 not out with the bat on day 1 to help push the score up to an acceptable level. He was on a hat trick twice, while 17 year old Daniel Delawyer was also on a hat trick once as he took 5/30 in the second innings. The B grade square off against the other undefeated side, Ingle Farm this week in a match that will probably decide who ends up with the minor premiership.

The C grade were disappointing as they were dismissed for 94 in pursuit of Walkerville's 243. The only highlights were a fighting 36 from veteran Gary Harris, and a swift 51 not out from bowler Mick Horsfall in the second innings, where the team finished at 7/172. Horse's innings included six sixes.

The D grade had a good win, scoring 167 in reply to Marion's 148. Veteran Tony Fiore steered the side home in an intense match, scoring 56. The D grade are a very young side and have improved through the year, snaring some good wins after Christmas.

The one day sides lost but there were a couple of good performances with Steve Safralidis taking 3/27 and Stephen Lea scoring 51 in the LOD's.

1 February, 2005 - Bort implicated in kissing spree

Luke 'Bort' Tonkin, still struggling with searing pain from his shin splints and a 13 year old scab that was re-opened in the field, has been implicated in a wild kissing spree at the one day international between Australia and the West Indies on Australia day. This wouldn't be a huge deal, except that he has been rumoured to have kissed at least 4 men on the cheek. Two of those poor souls have already gone public with their complaints, A grade batsman Andrew Weinmann claiming he received a kiss on the cheek behind the scoreboard while a new boyfriend of one of Bort's good friends, who does not wish to be named claimed that he was kissed with just a hint of tongue on the hill after being introduced to the big fella. We will keep you updated on any developments.

1 February, 2005 - Beauchamp goes for a swim, duck gets Arnettes

Adam Beauchamp has once again earned the wrath of pink jacket selectors after a fiery protest against Paul Dixon's winning it for being hit on by a male. Beauchamp displayed sheer stupidity on the 30th of December at Falls Festival and has really started to stamp his name on the pink jacket with a permanent texta.

On the way back from crowd surfing during the Missy Higgins concert, Beauchamp decided to make a pit stop at the edge of a creek. Long time friend and fellow Unley cricketer Peter Safralidis had also stopped on the other side of the creek, but turned to witness a rather disturbing event. Young Beach Ball was there, pants around his ankles, sliding down the banks of the creek and crying for help. He did however, pause at the bottom to finish off what he had started at the top. Looking up a 7 metre bank, he now began to try and climb back up, but had some trouble, spending at least 5 minutes ripping out plants as he tried to claw his way back up. This was quite an enjoyable experience for the 30 or so people who had gathered on the bridge by now, yelling comments like 'little Timmy has fallen down the well' and making some comments about a Lochness Monster. By the time he had escaped he had a video camera in his face (if the camera man is reading this article please send the footage to the club) asking searching questions and getting some close ups of the numerous scratches and bruises he had accumulated.

Back at the tent site afterwards Beachy was feeling a bit worse for wear, something that was only worsened by the fact that he mistakenly skulled some Southern Comfort believing it was water. His mood did not improve when he realised that his $280 Arnette sunglasses were now missing. Safralidis suggested that they could only be in the creek. Of course the only thing to do was to return to the creek and look for them.

Beachy got to the edge of the creek, got as close as possible to get the best view and proceeded to slide 7 metres down the banks to again land in the creek. Of course, the banks were now muddier, there were no plants left to hang onto and Beachy was feeling worse than he had the time before, so the chances of getting up were even lower. A crowd of about 50 had gathered after about 5 minutes, with a couple of Beachy's friends, Unley cricketers Safralidis and Paul Dixon frantically trying to guide him out. The comments were coming thick and fast from the crowd and Beachy got quite angry, claiming he was with the CIA and that he was investigating a murder in the creek that they were all suspects in.

Anyway, to cut a long story short a human chain involving 4 people was required to get him out, Paul Dixon standing at the top holding onto a pole. A Cliffhanger style scene ensued, but the ending here was much happier as Beachy finally managed to grab the hand of Safralidis and was hauled out of the creek. He came out sore and sorry but his spirit was not crushed as he went on to have a good night. Also having a good night was a large white duck who looked very suave swimming through the creek wearing a brand new pair of Arnettes that every duck, frog and spider in town was jealous of.

25 January, 2005 - Round 8 Results Wrap

Round 8 was a round of one dayers for all sides, and with the A and B grade playing bottom sides, big things were expected. The A grade came through with the goods, pulling off a fantastic win at Para Hills. They put together a fairly good score of 9 for 198 batting first, with Mick 'Grassy' Nolan scoring 32 and Greg Vaughan scoring 46. This proved to be enough as the bowlers performed well, off spinner Matt Richards the pick of them, taking 4/32. One of those wickets was a fantastic leg side stumping from Grassy re-instated as wicketkeeper after a stint playing as a batsman while Matt Dean kept in the A grade. This was a very important win, and will hopefully trigger a run of form that will have the boys well out of the relegation zone in 6 weeks time when the season ends.

The B grade came up against bottom side Hectorville at Kingswood, and they played like anything but a bottom side, giving our boys a real scare. After electing to bowl first things went fairly well early although there were a lot of extras bowled. By the time that Hectorville were reduced to 9 for 99, mainly through them playing poor shots, the game looked to be in the bag. However, the last two batsman really made our boys pay for what had been a fairly loose effort in the field, taking the score to 9 for 165 after their 50 overs. Youngster Steve Brennan was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 wickets and not conceding too many runs. Luckily, the batting was good enough to guide the boys home, albeit through a Warren Ainscough mishit for four off the last ball that I'm sure we will hear about for years to come. Earlier Paul Dixon had scored a fantastic 73 to get the side into a position to have a shot at it.

The C grade were a bit disappointing, getting thumped at Brighton. Our boys collapsed to make 117, captain Michael Lardner top scoring with 25 not out, but they thought they were a good chance to defend it when they had Brighton 2 for 1. Unfortunately, that is where it finished, Brighton going on to finish the day at 3 for 195. Luke Tonkin was man of the match, fighting through searing pain from his shin splints, and a 13 year old scab that he re-opened in the field to have bowling figures of 0/20 off 9 overs and a score of 21 batting at number 10. The C grade are still comfortably in the top four, but will probably need to win all three of their remaining minor round games to sew up a home final.

The D grade also lost on Saturday. They made 173, with youngster Alex Odlum scoring 44 not out. Para Hills passed this total and finished at 8/174, hitting a four off the last ball of the match to win. Veteran Ric Bowyer, the club's leading wicket taker and a former A grade spearhead, took 3/24. It was another heart breaking loss for the D's, who have had their share of nail biting finishes this year but it again shows that they are not far off the mark.

The two one day sides lost, but there was a definite highlight amongst these matches as Shane 'Shoaib' Newbound scored 42 not out in the LOD's, his highest score at the club. Shoaib had his brother's 21st on Saturday night, so he batted up the order thinking he could have his usual brief innings and then take off early. It didn't work out that way, however as he batted his way through the remainder of the innings, playing some fantastic shots on the way to show that he can bat. Well done Shoaib.

21 January, 2005 - Round 7 Results Wrap

After a good Christmas break and plenty of stories those at the club will hear plenty more about, it was time to get back to business. Unfortunately the break didn't immediately change things for the A grade, as they were again disappointing. They were in with a chance as they dismissed Modbury for 197 at Kingswood. Andrew Muller took 6/20 off 10 overs, leading from the front. Unfortunately, the batting woes continued as they collapsed to be 6/99 overnight. Led to this point by Greg Vaughan who scored 37, Matt Richards and wicketkeeper Matt Dean were left with the task of trying to guide the side home. After Dean was dismissed for 20 the game was basically over and the boys were dismissed for a disappointing 142. The A grade can only hope to finish the season with a few wins and take some confidence into next season.

The B grade continued their good form, keeping the unbeaten run going. It stretches back to Christmas 2003. Home finals could be a reward if the form continues for the remainder of the year. Captain Rob Prime won the toss and elected to bowl first on a sub-standard pitch at Modbury's temporary Banksia Park High School ground. Modbury made 192 as our bowlers struggled to get their line and length right, which was probably a fairly good score considering the pitch and outfield. We ended up at 0/11 at stumps on day one. Day 2 began an hour late due to a wet pitch and it was still not in the best nick when play began. However, it was a great fighting effort, Rob Prime and Brenton Rigden guiding the side to victory with a big second wicket partnership. Rigden was eventually dismissed for 45, while Prime went on to make 75 and the winning runs were eventually hit by Paul Dixon with 5 wickets still in hand.

The C grade also had a win, meaning that they have only lost one game this season and are looking good to take part in the finals. They successfully defended their score of 127 at Unley High, largely through great bowling performances from Daniel Delawyer and Mick Horsfall, who took 8 wickets between them for a combined total of only 42 runs. Delawyer took 4/14 and Horsfall took 4/28 as they dismissed Adelaide HOS for 91.

The D grade failed to chase down the 273 that Brighton had set for them, although Damien 'Christie' Malthouse scored a fighting 31 down the order, while the two one day sides were also defeated.

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