MATCH REPORTS
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS HUNTER LORD’S TAVERNERS – 11TH FEBRUARY, 2026.
Wednesday the 11th February, 2026 turned out to be a very hot and humid day. Even at Waterboard Oval, Blackalls Park. Next door to Toronto. We were being hosted by Hunter Lord’s Taverners who, for various reasons, we hadn’t played for a little while.
As has been the case during this season, we had trouble fielding a complete side and had the help of four players from the Central Coast Cyclones. Namely, Ken Pieroz, Garrie Sinclair, Ron Durant and Bob Jarvis.
John Granata, who has been tireless in his efforts in organising our matches, was captain for the day.
The match was to be played over 36 overs per side with drinks each twelve overs. To help to keep the game flowing, and to avoid a lot of changes in the field, nine overs were to be bowled from one end before changing to the other.
The Taveners won the toss and elected to bat.
Evans and McNeilly were the opening batsmen. John Granata and Sam Issa took up the challenge with the Kookaburra. Oh! And the rule was one delivery down the legside OK, but after that called wide. John managed three wides in his first over but was on the mark after that.
Twelve runs came of John’s three overs and Sam’s three cost six runs. However, with the fourth ball of his third, Sam had Evans cutting the delivery square. Bob Jarvis intercepted the ball and took an absolutely brilliant catch, one handed above his head. Taverners 1 for 18 in the sixth over. Williams was the new batsman.
The CCC pairing of Bob Jarvis and Ron Durant took over the bowling. Their bowling was tight and accurate and they sent down three overs each. During Jarvis’ third over, McNeilly retired on 11 after facing his 25 deliveries and this brought Captain Hodge to the crease. But, prior to that and, with his first ball, Sam had the last laugh when he trapped Williams in front for 8. Taverners 2 for 34 in the 12th over. Westling took over from Williams. Ken Peiroz and Garrie Sinclair were next to send down three overs each. The well flighted leg spin of Peiroz was a feature. In Sinclair’s third over Hodge retired on 19. Quirk was next in.
No wickets were forthcoming and when the Kookaburra was handed to Martin Dubler and Rob Harding 62 runs were on the board from 18 overs. Martin sent down four overs and Rob three. Both conceding eighteen runs. In Rob’s third over, Westling retired on 9. The score was now 2 for 96. Pussegoda came in to join Quirk.
Without addition to the score and, on the first ball of Dubler’s fourth over, Quirk played the delivery straight to Sam Issa at short cover. He called and took off for the run. Pussegoda at the other end could see the suicidal nature of the situation. He stood his ground shouting NO! NO! NO! By this time Quirk was about halfway down the wicket. He stopped, turned and ended up three metres out of his ground when Sam’s return was accepted by ‘keeper Terry Hagan and the bails were removed.
3 for 96 in the 25th over.
Johnston was Quirk’s replacement. Tony Adnum took over from Rob and Sam Issa came back to the bowling crease. The final ball of Tony’s first over was a bit of a long hop, it kept low and turned a bit. Clarke tried to pull the ball square, played over the top and was bowled. He had added three. 4 for 204 after 26 overs.
Sam bowled two overs for six runs. Gillard was the next batsman. Gillard was the next wicket to fall. Ron Durant and Bob Jarvis had taken over the bowling. Gillard played all over the first delivery of Bob’s fourth over. Gillard bowled for eleven. 5 for 125 at the start of the 32nd over.
Spitzkowsky came and went. He managed to defend five balls from Bob. The final ball of the over got through Spitzkowsky just clipping the bails to send him on his way without troubling the scorers. 6 for 125 after 32 overs.
Ratcliff was number twelve for the Taverners. In Bob’s next over, facing his second ball, Ratcliff played and missed. The appeal by all and sundry was upheld. Ratcliff became the second duck of the innings. 7 for 127 in the 34th over.
This brought McNeilly back. Johnston who had been hanging around since the twenty sixth over, became Ron’s first and only victim. He played and missed and his wicket was dismantled. Bowled for ten. 8 for 127 in the penultimate over.
Bob bowled his sixth and final over. McNeilly did not add to his retirement score. The fourth ball he faced, in his second stint, struck him on the pad. Once again the umpires index finger of his right hand was raised. McNeilly on his way for eleven. 9 for 135 in the final over.
Westling returned and scored a single off the first ball he faced. Hodge defended the final two balls and the Taverners innings closed on 9 for 136.
Bob Jarvis was the pick of the CBC bowlers collecting 5 for 13 from his six overs. His haul included three leg before wickets which is unheard of in Golden Oldies cricket. Sam Issa took 1 for 12 from his 5 overs, Ron Durant 1 for 16 from 6 and Tony Adnum 1 for 16 from 3. John Granata bowled 3 overs for 12 runs, Garrie Sinclair 3 overs for 13, Ken Peiroz 3 overs for 14, Martin Dubler 4 overs for 18 and Rob Harding 3 overs for 18 were the other bowlers.
Cathy Black single handedly provided a wonderful lunch of sandwiches, cakes, fruit and drink. It was most welcome and enjoyed by all that partook. Thank you Cathy.
The CBC innings got off to a slow and disastrous start. Unfortunately it did not improve much for twenty two overs.
Tony Adnum and Ken Pieroz were facing up to McNeilly and Johnston. Both bowlers were on the spot from the get go. Tony played out a maiden over and Ken picked up a single from the last ball of Johnstown’s first over. The second ball Ken faced from McNeilly saw his stumps dishevelled and bowled for 1. 1-1 in the third over.
Martin Dubler joined Tony. The first ball of the next over, bowled by Johnston, saw Tony attempting to cut the ball square. The ball cut nicely off the wicket, under Tony’s bat and into the stumps. Tony was on his way without scoring. 2 for 1 in the fourth over.
Terry Hagan, after a sterling effort behind the stumps in the Taverners innings, strode to the wicket. Immediately he made a change to proceedings. His first ball from Johnston was dealt with and it cannoned into the square leg boundary.
Two balls later, a single brought Martin back on strike. He nicely defended Johnstown’s next ball but, the final ball of the over went straight through to the stumps. Just like Tony, Martin had not added to the total. 3 for 6 after 4 overs.
CBC were struggling to keep the runs scored ahead of the overs bowled. Unfortunately, things were not to get much better.
Garrie Sinclair joined Terry who picked another single. Garrie mistimed his drive from the first delivery he received and provided McNeilly with a straightforward caught and bowled. 4 for 7 in the 5th over. Unlucky for CBC the “ ducks recycle first” rule was not being used.
Bob Jarvis was the next to touch gloves with Terry. He managed to face three deliveries before Johnston got one past his bat. Another batsman to not trouble the scorers. 5 for 8 in the sixth over. This was getting embarrising. Was the CBC innings going to last more than a dozen overs or so? Fortunately, McNeilly and Johnston handed the Kookaburra to Spitzkowsky and Williams.
Sam Issa replaced Bob. Sam showed a bit more fight and provided some support to Terry who couldn’t understand the problems the other batsmen were having. The odd boundary was flowing from Terry’s bat. Sam ensured the score reached double figures and when he departed, bowled by Williams for three, the score was 6 for 31. This was in the tenth over.
Captain John Granata joined Terry hoping to score the thirty one runs he needed to emulate Tony Adnum’s 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. The second ball of Spitzkowsky’s third and final over was driven straight by Terry for two and he retired on 27. The innings total was 34!!!
Westling and Clarke were next at the bowling crease. Whilst his first priority wasn’t being achieved, John was stubbornly defending his wicket and frustrating the Taverners bowlers. He was joined by Rob Harding. Westling’s first over was a maiden. The first ball of his next over beat Rob’s defensive shot and had him bowled for four. 7 for 43 in the 15th over.
Ron Durant joined John. Whilst Clarke’s bowling was tight and economical he was not adding to the Taverners wicket haul. It was Westling in his next over that took care of that. John returned a simple catch back down the wicket. He had added five. Twenty six to go John. 8 for 45 in the 17th over.
Wayne Christie replaced John. Quirk and Hodge would turn out to be the final bowlers used by the Taverners. The second ball of Quirk’s first over found Wayne wanting and he became the seventh CBC batsman out bowled. Also the fifth batsman out without scoring. 9 for 46 in the 19th over.
Retiree Terry joined Ron who had been stuck on one run for as long as anyone could remember. Terry started where he left off. As he did with the first ball he received the first time around, he calmly despatched Quirk’s first delivery to the boundary. Ron continued to hold an end up and was happy watching Terry go about his business.
Quirk proved to be the villain with the help of Ratcliff. Another hefty blow by Terry which was on the way for another boundary was intercepted by Ratcliff to remove Terry on forty one. Ron stubbornly remained one not out from the twenty five balls he faced. Terry had scored 65% of the CBC innings total of 63.
One of the lowest and possibly the lowest score in our thirty one year history. Everyone was probably grateful, due to the oppressive heat, that the CBC innings lasted only 22.3 overs.
CBC awarded Ken McNeilly MOTM and the Taverners awarded Bob Jarvis as their pick.
The CBC MOTM committee did not have to meet to select a winner. Of course, Terry Hagan was the unanimous choice. Terry was also recipient of the “Bradman Stump” for his 41. The “Bradman Stump” was not available at the ground. If anyone knows of its whereabouts please advise John Granata or Tony Adnum.
Our next match is on Wednesday 18th February, 2026 against Port Jackson Cricket Club at Kensington. John Granata is looking for more players to fill a team so let John know immediate if you are available to play.
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS PORT JACKSON CRICKET CLUB – 18TH FEBRUARY, 2026.
It was already 30 degrees when we arrived at Kensington Oval in Kensington. The forecast temperature was 35 degrees. As was the case last Wednesday we were short of players. Only six available. The Port Jackson team we were playing arranged six players of their own and, from their surplus players each captain made a choice in turn so that we ended up with eleven players a side. The substitutes for CBC were Siriwardena Mangala, John Jackson, Ajoy Roy, Doug Latto and Bob Saville
Kensington Oval was in good order and well grassed. It was thick kikuyu grass which had a dampening effect on run scoring. Many twos became ones and even some balls that made it close to the boundary resulted in one run.
John Granata was again our captain and duly won the toss. His decision was to bowl.
Wier Harvey and Frank Baliotis opened the batting for Port Jackson and were facing up to Rob Drummond and John Granata. Wickets were to prove hard to come by.
Rob’s three overs cost seventeen runs and John’s came to twenty two.
After Sam Issa and Siriwardena Mangala had bowled two overs each making it ten in total the score was 0 for 66.
After one more over each, Sam had conceded twenty two runs and Siriwardena thirteen.
It was about at this time that Harvey (21) and Baliotis (18) retired.
Mal Whittaker and Niel Brady were the next batsmen and they too batted for their allotted thirty balls. Mal with better than a run a ball on 36 and Niel on 21.
They were replaced by John Parker and Mal Sharpe.
John Jackson and Ajoy Roy had taken over the bowling from Sam and Siriwardena and bowled four overs each. The wicketless caper continued with twenty six runs coming from John’s bowling and nineteen from Ajoy’s.
They handed the ball to Ian Ross and Tony Adnum. Both had thirteen runs scored off their three overs without the first wicket being registered. Twenty six overs had been bowled and the score was 0 for 149.
Rob Harding was next at the bowling crease and Siriwardena came back on at the other end. Success! Rob Struck with his third ball. Mal Sharpe played forward defensively, the ball passed the bat and crashed into his right pad. A vociferous appeal from all and sundry saw umpire Winney raising his right index finger. 1 for 151 in the 27th over.
After the next over, Bob Saville had had enough ‘keeping and Tony Adnum took over the gloves. After three overs behind the stumps, Tony was advised (he thought) that he had to ‘keep with a helmet on. He took off the pads and gloves in disgust. After he was advised he could stand back from the stumps without a helmet he calmed down and got dressed again.
John Parker had retired on 17. Roger March was Mal’s replacement and Paul Georgianis took over from John.
Rob got to bowl two overs and only four runs resulted. Siriwardena sent down another block of three overs with one run scored from each. The scoring rate had slowed considerably.
Both Roger and Paul became the next retirees on 11 and 12 which brought David Massey and Greg McLeay to the crease.
Rob Drummond and John Granata came back to bowl the final six overs. Rob’s first was a maiden. It turned out to be the only one of the innings.
It was a majority of dot balls for the remainder of the innings. John’s sixth and final over and the final one of the innings proved very eventful. The fourth ball was driven by David Massey straight to Sam Issa at a short mid-wicket and called for a single. Everyone was thinking suicidal. Sam quickly had the ball back to John with David only about halfway down the wicket. 2 for 179 with only two balls of the forty overs to be bowled.
Last batsman, David Wright came in to face John. Greg scored a single to bring David on strike for one ball. That is all John needed. The well pitched up delivery got through David’s defence and rattled the stumps. A golden duck.
Port Jackson finished on 3 for 180. A formidable total with the slow outfield.
Rob Harding took the first wicket to fall and finished with 1 for 4 from his 2 overs. John Granata was the other wicket taker and finished with 1 for 30 from 6 overs. Tony Adnum and Ian Ross both finished with 0 for 13 from 3 overs. The other bowlers were Ajoy Roy 0 for 19 from 4, Siriwardena Mangala 0 for 20 and somehow managed to bowl 7 overs, Rob Drummond 0 for 21 from 6, John Jackson 0 for 26 from 4 and Sam Issa 0 for 29 from 5.
A leisurely lunch was partaken by everyone.
To the delight of the Port Jackson players the weather had changed dramatically. Clouds had rolled in and a stiff cool breeze was blowing. The temperature had dropped dramatically.
John Jackson and Ajoy Roy opened the batting for CBC. They were facing up to Paul Georgianis and Niel Brady. During the opening eight overs, neither John nor Ajoy were having trouble with the bowling. But, only fifteen runs were on the board. Paul bowled four overs and was replaced by John Parker who only had two overs. David Massey took over. Niel sent down his maximum six before Mal Sharpe came to the bowling crease.
John and Ajoy eventually retired on 12 and 10 respectively. They were replaced by Rob Drummond and Doug Latto.
In Mal’s second over, Doug was caught out with the slow outfield. He drove Mal’s delivery into a gap and called the run. The ball did not pierce the gap as normal. The ball was fielded, returned and the wicket broken with Doug well short. He had made 6. 1 for 37 in the 15th over. Ian Ross was the next batsman.
Rob Drummond was the next retiree on 10. Sam Issa joined Ian. The slow flow of runs continued. David and Mal bowled four overs each and were replaced by Greg McLeay and Mal Whittaker. The next wicket fell in Greg’s second over. Sam drove a pitched up delivery towards mid-off and called for the run. Ian was slow to get out of the blocks. The return to the ‘keeper found Ian just short. He had contributed a handy 10. 2 for 60 in the 23rd over. Bob Saville strode to the crease to join Sam.
Bob was not to last long. In the next over bowled by Mal he found himself in a similar position to Ian. The difference this time was that he had played the shot and called for the run. He was run out for 3. 3 for 65 in the 24th over.
John Granata was next in. Sam was wishing Bob had not called for a run. The next ball, after the run out, he drove pretty well but uppishly to mid-on. He didn’t quite get enough of the ball and Niel Brady was there to accept the catch. Sam was on his way for 9. 4 for 65 in the 24th over.
Rob Harding came in to face what the Port Jackson boys were calling a team hat-trick. Rob wasn’t concerned and calmly played his first ball efficiently away on the off-side.
Greg bowled three overs and Mal four. Roger March fronted up to the bowling crease and David Massey returned at the other end.
John Granata retired on 6 followed by Rob Harding a little better on 11.
Roger March’s five overs resulted in only seven runs and David Massey bowled two more overs. Paul Georgianis and John Jackson took over the bowling to finish the innings.
Siriwardena Mangala had replaced John and John Jackson recycled and took over from Rob. These two saw out the remaining overs. Siriwardena was 6 not out and John17 not out.
Tony Adnum did not bat due to the helmet rule and umpired the innings from square –leg.
CBC managed 4 for 100. Three of the wickets being run outs.
Another disappointing result.
At about the 18th over, players were forced from the field due to a short and sharp heavy downpour. The covers were quickly placed on the wicket. Another shower came at about the 30th over and lasted for three overs. On this occasion play went on regardless.
CBC awarded John Jackson as their Man Of The Match.
Mal Whittaker from Port Jackson was picked as their Man Of the Match by CBC.
Port Jackson awarded Rob Harding as Man Of The Match for CBC.
Our next match, the second last for the season is against the Gentlemen Of Nowra Eleven on Sunday 8th March, 2026 at a ground to be confirmed. As at 18th February, 2026 there were insufficient players available to form a team so, the match is likely to be cancelled.
MATCH REPORT - CBC VERSUS CENTRAL COAST CYCLONES - 7TH JANUARY, 2026.
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A blue sky, a ground in near perfect order and a pitch the MCG curator could only dream of greeted CBC when we arrived at Rogers Park, Woy Woy, on the 7th of January for the first game of 2026. Our opponents were the Central Coast Cyclones (CCC). They provided us with
a player on loan - Leigh Peacock. Richard Warren, who had previously donned the yellow shirt a few years ago in Darwin, and a Central Cost local, also joined us . Both proved to be worthy additions to our team. We also had a real umpire, Mal Emerson.
CBC fielded first, wisely as it seemed, for it was very hot in the middle of this basin of a park. Rob Drummond, captain, and John Granata, chief organizer, opened the bowling. Rob’s first 3 overs proved very difficult to play and he had 0 for 5 from those 3. John, on the other hand,
was impossible to play, with a wicket from his 3rd ball and another in his 3rd over to finish his first and only spell at 2 for 8 and CCC at 2 for 12 after 7 overs. It made what happened later even more unfortunate.
Those 2 bowlers were replaced by Scott Marshall and Darryl Semmler and, while both bowled well, the score started to tick over. Indeed, almost all of the following batsmen reached double figures and O’Sullivan, Byfield and Hoving each retired after reaching 30 runs. Scott bowled 6
tidy overs for 41, Darryl 7 for 36 runs. Sam Issa bowled unluckily but ended his 7 overs (on the trot) with 1 for 39, Ian Ross 1 for 32, Paul Moujalli 0 for 25 and Richard Warren, with some inspired half-trackers and mullygrubbers which might have scored him a run in the English
team, 0 for 18. By then CCC had acquired an imposing 7 for 215 from their 40 allotted overs. The big news of the day, though, was that around the 25th over, John Granata attempted a stop at square leg, only succeeding in splitting the webbing of his left hand. He was gone for the rest of the game, meaning he still remains some 30 runs away from the historic double of wickets and runs currently held by only Tony Adnum. He ended up requiring an operation to his hand the next day and all hope he ends up recovering quickly to soon play another 20 games or so to have him reach his milestone.
Also Gregg Ritchie unconventionally attempted to catch a ball with his nose. He succeeded in stopping the ball, but also succeeded in stopping himself for a while. Bravely, he returned later to the field to save the captain a few headaches himself in setting a field with only 9 men.
We were certainly ahead in the first part of their innings and so started ours optimistically, knowing that with our batting lineup we only had to keep our heads down, play watchfully and the scoreboard would take care of itself. Indeed, that’s what our captain would have said if he
had given us a pep talk while our opposition did their warmups and stretches out on the ground. Advantageously, the heat out on the ground intensified, we thought to our advantage, but CCC didn’t seem to notice it.
Darryl and Arv Naidu (who had kept very well) opened carefully. Arv in particular played particularly well and retired on 22 to be replaced by Richard Warren. Darryl retired on 11 and so by the time CBC had lost our first wicket we were 1 for 41 and our second at 92. This was an
extraordinarily good start. Richard dug in and contributed with 14 and our captain (Rob) made a fine 30 retired. Scott Marshall combined well with Rob until he (Scott) was bowled for 11. Leigh Peacock strutted his stuff with an effective 7 and Ian Ross combined with the tail for 29
not out. Darryl returned (ending on 18) to witness Wayne Christie (2) and Paul Moujalli (3) strike some lusty blows. Gregg Ritchie, despite his headache, had a couple of visits to the crease. Despite winning the first part of the second innings, CBC didn’t get quite close enough, ending the day on 9/147. If only John Granata had been able to continue-his 30 would have just about got us there in the end.
But it was a fine effort by CBC, and CCC were starting to become a little concerned at one point. They were deserving winners. They did, however put on some welcome beers and anointed Rob Drummond (who else? 30NO and 2-13) as their CBC man of the match. Scott Byfield was our choice of CCC man of the match (31NO and 4-24). Ian Ross was our CBC man of the match. John Granata is doing well.
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS SRI LANKA LIONS – SUNDAY 9TH NOVEMBER, 2025.
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This match was played at Woodbury Reserve, Glossodia. For the first time, Sri Lanka Lions were the home team.
It was a warm, sunny day. Ideal conditions for cricket. Steve Allan was our captain. The match was to be played over 35 overs per side. Steve won the toss and elected to bat.
John Granata was forced to withdraw with a calf muscle injury and Wayne Christie was unable to get to the ground. Sri Lanka provided us with Nalim to make up our eleven.
We welcomed Sam Issa (Player No. 249) for his first match.
Darryl Semmler and Ben Fahim opened the batting for CBC. Anuruvbna and Anoj opened the bowling for the Lions. Ben was bowled on the last ball of the first over. He was totally beaten by a huge swinging Yorker from Anurubna. 1 for 3 after 1 over.
Tony Adnum was the next batsman. He had great difficulty in connecting with the ball. He faced nine deliveries before being bowled by Anurubna without scoring. 2 for 12 in the 5th over.
Captain Allan strode to the wicket. Steve had no trouble making contact and drove the first ball he received through mid-wicket to the boundary.
Anurubna and Anoj were replaced after three overs each by Anusa and Jamer. Darryl and Steve were going along nicely until Anusa’s second over. Steve drove a delivery to the leg-side and called the run. Try as he might, Darryl just failed to make his ground and was run out for 17. 3 for 27 in the 9th over.
Michael Kench joined Steve. The first ball of the next over, bowled by Jamer, Steve played and missed and was bowled for 8. 4 for 28 in the 10th over.
Ian Ross was Steve’s replacement, After three overs each, Anusa and Jamer were relieved at the crease by Don and Jude. Michael and Ian were going along nicely until Ian got an edge to a Jude delivery. The ‘keeper gloved the ball and Ian was on his way for 4. 5 for 54 in the 16th over.
Steve Long was next in. He gave great support to Michael until Michael retired on18.
Scott Marshall replaced Steve. Chanaka replaced Jude with the Kookaburra and Anurubna came on for Don. Steve was unfortunate to get trapped in front by Anurubna. He had added a handy 23. 6 for 85 in the 23rd over.
Rob Harding joined Scott. Anusa and Anoj returned to the bowling crease. Both Scott and Rob were having little trouble with the bowling but, on his 30th delivery and retirement, Scott popped it back to Anoj and was out caught and bowled, He had added 8. 7 for 90 in the 26th over.
Don and Jamer were now the bowlers and Sam Issa was the next batsman. In the first over of his second spell, Done got through Sam’s defence and rattled the stumps. Sam was out for 7. 8 for 100 in the 19th over.
Substitute Nalim was next in. Rob was still going along steadily. Nalim managed three scoring shots before he was bowled by Jamer. 9 for 110 in the penultimate over.
Tony Adnum returned to the crease to join Rob. At least Tony got bat to ball in his second stint and he and Rob saw out the final over and a bit. CBC finished with a modest 9 for 119 from their 35 overs.
After the lunch break, Anurubna and Don opened the batting for the Lions. Michael Kench and Ben Fahim took up the attack for the CBC.
Michael and Ben sent down two overs each without success. They were replaced by Rob Harding and Tony Adnum.
Tony, with 98 wickets to his name and, striving for another two had a catch at close cover dropped in his first over.
There was a little controversy in Tony’s third over. Anurubna played at a turning ball outside off stump. It appeared that ‘keeper Steve Allan had missed a possible stumping. Appeals were turn down by the umpire. Steve, and a few other players were adamant that Anurubna had been bowled. The umpire reversed his decision and raised the index finger of his right hand. However, sanity prevailed and in true CBC fashion, Anurubna was recalled.
However, next ball Tony got one to go straight on. Anurubna played inside the and failed to make contact. The ball struck him on the pad low down. This time the appeal was immediately upheld and there was no calling back. Anurunda had scored 29. Tony had number 99 in the bag. 1 for 45.
In the next over, Rob got a beauty through Don and it cannoned into the stumps. Don had added 22 2 for 52
Rob sent down four overs and Tony five.
Scott Marshall and Ian Ross were the replacements. The new batsmen were Chanaka and Jude. Ian was on the money in his third over when Jude pulled the second delivery to mid-wicket. Ben Fahim took off from square-led in an effort to stop the ball. Not only did he stop it, his full length dive, taking the ball in both hands secured a brilliant catch. Even his sunglasses survived. It was the catch of the season even though only two matches have been played. 3 for 95.
Both Scott bowled two overs without success and Ian five..
Darryl Semmler took over from Scott and Tony bowled his sixth and final over. Darryl sent down just one over and was replaced by Sam Issa.
The third ball of Tony’s final over was to Chanaka. It kept low and, Chanaka attempted to pull the ball to mid-wicket and missed. The bails went flying and Chanaka was on his way for 13. 4 for 101. Wicket number 100. Congratulations all round for Tony reaching the milestone of 100 wickets and 1,000 runs. The first for the Club. A pitch invasion by Tony’s grandsons Sam and William followed. Luckily there is not a $5,500 fine at Glossodia.
Michael Kench bowled a third over after Darryl. Sunith and Anusha were at the batting crease.
Sam took his first CBC wicket in his third over when he had Anusha trapped in front for 9. 5 for 109.
Sudineeya joined Sunith and these two took the Lions score to 5 for 120 in the 28th over. CBC were totally outclassed on the day but never gave up trying.
Tony Adnum finished with 2 wickets for 29 from his 6 overs. Other wicket takers were Sam Issa 1 for 9 from 3.3, Ian Ross 1 for 14 from 5 and Rob Harding 1 for 20 from 4. Scott Marshall sent down 2 overs for 6, Darryl Semmler 1 for 6, Ben Fahim 2 for 16 and Michael Kench 3 for 18.
Tony Adnum was awarded CBC Man of The Match and he also received a pair of “duck” socks.
Steve Long was recipient of the “Bradman Stump” for his 23.
Michael Kench received Man of The Match from the Lions.
Our next match is against Hunter Lord’s Taverners on Sunday 7th December, 2025. The match will be probably played at Toronto. Keep a watch out on your emails from John.
Don’t forget the Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 19th November, 2025 at Rob Drummond’s premises.
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS MID NORTH COAST – 14TH SEPTEMBER, 2025.
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It was a lovely spring day that greeted us in Forster, with forecast temperature in the mid-twenties. The match was played at Lake Street Sporting Complex at Forster as the Tuncurry Oval was unavailable. It was a synthetic wicket which was in first class condition. The covering on the wicket was as good as brand new.
The toss was won by our “skipper” John Granata and he sent the Mid North Coast into bat. The Mid North Coast openers were Warren McWilliams and Ray Mangan.
Rob Drummond opened the bowling with John. They both sent down four accurate overs and when they handed the ball to Tony Adnum and Darryl Semmler, the score was 2 for 13. John claimed the first wicket with the first ball of his second over when he had Warren brilliantly caught by Rob at point for 1. The ball was top-edged and somehow Rob managed to catch the ball with his right arm more than fully extended. 5 runs were on the board. Russ Harris joined Ray.
Rob was in the action again in his fourth over. Russ Harris drove a delivery to mid-off and called the run. Arv Naidu was on patrol and was quickly to the ball. His accurate return to Rob at the bowlers end saw Russ well short of his ground. He was run out for 4 and the Mid North Coast were 2 for 10 in the 8th over. Jase Smythe was the replacement.
John, in particular, was right on the money. His four overs cost four runs and he had a wicket into the bargain.
Tony and Darryl sent down six overs each without success. Tony, needing two wickets to achieve the first 100 wickets and 1,000 runs for the club, had two relative easy catches put down in his fourth over. One at mid-on and the other at mid-off. During Tony and Darryl’s overs both Ray Mangan (12), Jason Smythe (27) and Don Berry (28) retired after facing 30 deliveries each.
The Mid North Coast went to the break with 2 for 87 on the board.
Before the resumption, John Granata called the team together for a much needed team talk. It turned out to be a $50 note being jokingly handed out by John to the two players who had dropped the catches off Tony’s bowling.
Greg Boyer and David Relf were at the crease for the second half of the Mid North Coast innings. Rob Harding and Arv Naidu were in control of the Kookaburra. Talking of Kookaburra’s, a couple came and perched above the scorer to check that the scores were being kept correctly.
Rob and Arv were wicketless from their six overs. Butch Boyer (41) and David Relf (12) both retired.
Dave Wilson and Bill Ireland were the replacement batsmen. Rob Drummond and John Granata bowled the final eight overs. Dave Wilson retired on 10 which brought Ray Mangan back to the crease.
John Granata got one through Ray’s defence with the final delivery of the innings. Ray’s middle stump was knocked back. He was out for 16 and Bill Ireland was not out 8. The Mid North Coast innings closed on 3 for 156 after their 40 overs.
John Granata was the pick of the CBC bowlers taking 2 for 12 from his 8 overs. Rob Drummond finished with 0 for 16 from his 8 overs. The other bowlers sent down 6 overs each. Rob Harding conceded 23 runs, Arv Naidu 28, Tony Adnum 34 and Darryl Semmler 40.
Tony Adnum and Arv Naidu were the CBC’s opening batsmen. They were facing Jason Smythe and Ray Mangan. Runs were coming slowly. The soles on Tony’s boots decided to part company with the boots. Running was difficult so in Ray’s third over, Tony decided it was runs or out. He lashed out at the third delivery only to sky a catch back to the bowler. He was out for 4. 1 for 13.
Rob Drummond joined Arv. These two were not troubled by the bowling. Arv retired on 17 and Steve Long was his replacement.
Russ Harris and Greg Boyer were the new bowlers.
In Greg’s second over, Steve drove the third delivery towards mid-on. He had really got it in the middle. Unfortunately, Warren McWilliams got in the way and took the catch. Steve had contributed 4. 2 for 40.
Steve Allan was next in. Steve and Rob took the score to 71 at the break.
After drinks, Rob was next to retire on 28. Darryl Semmler took over from Rob.
Dave Wilson and Don Berry sent down two overs each. Dave had success with his fifth delivery. Steve pulled a shortish ball square. The ball flew straight to Ray Mangan who held the catch. Steve had contributed 17. 3 for 76. Brian Walker was next in. It was up to Warren McWilliams and David Relf sent down seven overs each..
David got one through Brian’s defence and bowled him for 3. 4 for 86.
Darryl Semmler retired on 13.
Gregg Ritchie and Rob Harding were the new batsmen at the crease.
In Warren’s sixth over, Gregg played over a delivery and was bowled for 7. 5 for 99. John Granata , needing 38 for 1,000 runs selfishly batted down the order and was the next batsman.
Jason Smyhte and Ray Mangan were brought back into the attack. The first ball from Jason, Rob played the delivery straight back to him. Rob had added 10. 6 for 115.
Wayne Christie joined John and these two saw out the remaining overs. Wayne was 3 not out and John unbeaten on 7.
CBC finished with 6 for 121.
Rob Drummond was awarded MOTM by Mid North Coast and was the recipient of the “Bradman Stump for his 28 retired. CBC selected Arv Naidu for the MOTM award.
We welcomed some CBC supporters in Ian Holston, Charles and Carolyn Wulff and Tony’s sister Sandra.
Our match against Sri Lanka Lions on 28th September, 2025 has been cancelled. The Lions wanted the match played on Saturday 27th September, 2025 which we could not accommodate.
The next match is against Gentlemen of Nowra Eleven at Nowra on Sunday 12th October, 2025.
We are struggling to find a new home ground after Wilberforce Cricket Club advised us that their ground at Woodlands Park, Wilberforce was no longer available to us.
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS GOULBURN TRINITY TIGERS – SUNDAY 16TH MARCH, 2025.
Our match against Goulburn Trinity Tigers on Sunday 16th March, 2025 was transferred to McQuade Park Windsor, as semi-finals of the Hawkesbury competition were being played at Woodlands Park Wilberforce.
It was an extremely hot day with temperature in the high thirties. As a consequence, the match was reduced from forty to thirty overs a side with two innings of fifteen overs each.
The ground was in good order but was well grassed. Even with the boundary cones, provided by Wayne Christie, and placed well inside the fence, it was going to be difficult scoring fours.
We welcomed Gregg Ritchie, introduced by Steve Allan, for his first match.
Terry Hagan was our captain. He duly won the toss and sent the Tigers into bat.
Michael Kench and John Granata had first use of the Kookaburra. Fitzgerald and Friend opened the batting for the Tigers.
Three runs came from Michael’s first over. John, operating from the southern end and, with his second ball had Fitzgerald driving a good pitched up delivery. Arv Naidu patrolling at mid-off held a good catch. Fitzgerald had scored all the runs and was on his way. 1 for 3 in the 2nd over.
Woodbury joined Friend. The bowling was on the spot and runs were coming slowly. It was hard to get through the field with the good covering of grass.
In Michael’s third over, a maiden, Friend played back to the fourth delivery, was struck on the pads, and the umpire had no hesitation in raising his right index finger. Friend out for 2. 2 for 8 in the 5th over.
Woodward was next in. Michael and John sent down four overs each and the Tigers were 2 for 20.
Scott Marshall and Martin Dubler took over the bowling. Woodbury had batted soundly and in Martin’s second over retired on 23. 2 for 36 in the 12th over.
Copland was Woodbury’s replacement. Scott’s fourth and final over was eventful. Firstly, Woodward retired on 21. Then, with the last ball, Copland drove the delivery hard into the covers. Steve Allan got in the way and held a very good catch chest high. Copland had added 5. 3 for 55 after 15 overs.
Robert’s had replaced Woodward and Parsons would come in for Copland in the Tigers second innings. The Tigers had been hitting plenty of catches during their innings, only for the ball to land safely away from fieldsmen.
Tony Adnum and Arv Naidu opened the batting for CBC. Backhouse and Parsons were the bowlers for the Tigers. Just like the Tigers, Tony and Arv found runs hard to come by. It was the last ball of Backhouse’s fourth over that was Tony’s downfall. The ball was going down the leg-side. Tony tried to hook it behind square only to have the ball fly off the top edge. Parsons, at square-leg, held the catch. Tony had contributed four. 1 for 8 after 7 overs.
Steve Allan was next in. The next over, the fourth bowled by Parsons, Arv drove a delivery to cover. Unfortunately, Friend was not living up to his name. He made some good ground to his right and held an excellent low down catch. Arv was out for 5. 2 for 10 in the 8th over.
Ben Fahim joined Steve. Steve in particular was looking good and after three dots started to get the scoring going. That was until the last ball of Backhouse’s sixth and final over. Steve attempted to drive another pitched up delivery, played over the ball and was bowled. He had added 10. 3 for 24 after 11 overs.
Michael Kench was next to the crease. Fitzgerald and Friend were now in charge of the bowling. Michael had just got off the mark when he cut a delivery from Fitzgerald. Copland, at a very wide slip, held a great catch low down to his right. Michael a bit unlucky and out for 1. 4 for 25 in the 13th over. Terry Hagan joined Ben and these two were combining well and having little trouble with the bowling.
The CBC first innings closed at 4 for 45 just 10 runs behind.
The lunch break was well received and plenty of water was partaken by all players.
Roberts and Parsons were at the crease for the start of the Tigers second innings. Martin Dubler bowled the first over and then Rob Harding and Tony Adnum took over.
In Tony’s first over, Parsons got one that kept low and beat the bat. Ben Fahim behind the stumps did well to gather the ball and crash his gloves into the stumps. Parsons out stumped for 12. Tony now has 98 wickets. 4 for 74 in the 18th over.
Hewitt joined Roberts. Hewitt was next out. The next over bowled by Rob had Ben in action again. This time Hewitt got a fine edge to one that got up a bit and Ben made no mistake. 5 for 76 in the 19th over.
Hewitt had actually survived a few balls earlier when he wandered out of his crease after playing and missing. Ben threw the wicket down, an appeal was made and Hewitt was given out. Sportingly CBC withdrew the appeal.
Backhouse was the next batsman. The Tigers luck with balls landing away from fieldsmen continued. These two were proving hard to remove until Rob’s fourth and final over. It was a repeat of the Hewitt dismissal. Ben was having a great day behind the stumps. He gloved the snick and had Roberts on his way back to the sheds. 6 for 91 in the 23rd over.
Dawson was Roberts replacement. Michael Kench came back to bowl his last two overs and Terry Hagan took over from Tony.
Terry was on the money with his first delivery and Ben was back in the action. Dawson played inside Terry’s delivery and Ben did the rest. 7 for 101 in the 26th over. Ben had two catches and two stumpings.
Kidd was the Tigers last batsman. John Granata came back to bowl the twenty ninth over. A timely maiden. Terry sent down the thirtieth and the Tigers finished with 7 for 116.
The wickets were shared around. Rob Harding did best taking 2 for 18 from his 4 overs. John Granata bowled 5 overs and took 1 for 6. Michael Kench 1 for 18 from 6, Scott Marshall 1 for 13 from 4, Terry Hagan 1 for 13 from 3, Tony Adnum 1 for 16 from 4 and Martin Dubler bowled 4 overs for 30.
Another welcome drink break during the change of innings.
Ben Fahim and Terry Hagan resumed for CBC. Fitzgerald and Friend bowled one over each and Copland and Woodbury took control of the ball.
The change in bowling brought an immediate result when Ben played over the third delivery from Copland and was bowled. He had contributed 18. 5 for 58 in the 18th over.
Scott Marshall joined Terry who was quickly back into stride after the adjournment.
Scott had knuckled down and was giving good support to Terry until he played and missed a delivery from Woodbury. The ball crashed into the middle stump. Scott was out for 5. 6 for 71 in the 23rd over.
Next in was John Granata. The second ball of the next over bowled by Copland, was Terry’s thirtieth and he retired on 28. 6 for 75 in the 24th over.
Martin Dubler joined John. John, who was determined to add to his 961 runs. Copland had other ideas. In his fifth and final over he had John neatly turning a delivery around the corner. Woodbury at backward square-leg dived to his right to hold a very good catch low down. John now has 962 runs. 7 for 79 in the 26th over.
Rob Harding was the next batsman. Woodbury bowled the twenty seventh over. Friend came back for one more over and then Roberts bowled the penultimate over. Rob misjudged the flight from a Roberts delivery, played and missed, couldn’t get back and Dawson removed the bails. Rob stumped for 5. 8 for 58 in the 29th over.
Our new player Gregg Ritchie strode to the wicket. The final over was bowled by Hewitt. Martin and Gregg saw it out and the CBC innings closed on 8 for 90. Martin was three not out and Greg one not out.
A disappointing end in a game that could have been a lot closer.
Man Of The Match was an easy decision with Terry Hagan awarded the bottle of Cricket Pitch and the Bradman photograph. Terry was also the recipient of the Bradman Stump for his 28 not out.
A big thank you to all those who contributed during the season. A mention to John Granata for organising our matches, arranging the teams and grounds for each match and making sure everything was in place for our matches. Steve Allan for his work behind the scenes, organising the Bradman Oval match and carting equipment to our matches. Darryl Semmler for looking after the finances and storing gear and other stuff at his house. Wayne Christie for his excellent scoring (made writing match reports very easy) and, being available to help out with anything required.
We now look forward to season 2025/26 and hope that it will be more successful result wise.
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS GENTLEMEN OF NOWRA ELEVEN – SUNDAY 16TH FEBRUARY, 2025.
Sunday 16th February turned out to be an ideal cricket day. The heavy roller was being used on the wicket when we arrived at Woodlands Park and the match started a few minutes late.
The boys from Nowra (GONE) turned up with only 8 players. We were of the option that it would be 9. Martin Dubler in a green shirt, joined the GONE boys and made it a 10 versus 9 match.
With the view to enabling GONE to possibly get away as early, it was mutually agreed that CBC would bat first. The match was reduced to 35 overs per side.
Steve Long and Arv Naidu opened the batting for CBC. Paul Brett (that is his name - not Pablo) and Les Gernyi opened the bowling for GONE. As he did in the Intra Club match at Bradman Oval two weeks earlier, Steve played the first five deliveries with aplomb. As it happened at Bowral, Steve could not handle the final delivery of the over. He was beaten by the movement off the pitch and was bowled. Unlike Bowral when he was caught at first slip. (The match report for Bowral on the website has been corrected). Anyway his score was the same. CBC 1 for 0 after the first over.
Darryl Semmler joined Arv. The latter was straight into stride driving his first delivery to mid-wicket for two runs. The pair were settling in and were handling the bowling well although runs were coming at a slow rate.
That was until the first ball of Brett’s fourth over. Darryl suffered a similar fate to Steve. Bowled for five. 2 for 20 in the 7th over.
Next in was Terry Hagan. It was about at this time that play came to a halt and it was hard to work out what those on the field were doing. It turned out that a half metre red bellied black snake slithered across the wicket. Could it have been looking to take up position at snake gully!!!
Unfortunately, Terry became Brett’s third victim four balls later. Brett was really on the mark and Terry was the third in a row to have his wicket dismantled. He was out for 2 and CBC were 3 for 22 in the 7th over.
Arv was still going great guns and was joined by David Flaks. These two were looking the goods and putting together a worthwhile partnership. They saw off Brett and Gernyi after five overs each. Arv retired on 20 after his 25 deliveries.
Tony Adnum was next to the wicket. Lou Realli and Mick Hitchcock were the new bowlers.
The pace of the first ball bowled by Hitchcock took Tony completely by surprise. Somehow it managed to hit him on the inside of his left leg and ricochet back onto the stumps. Tony had added 1. 4 for 51 at the start of the 12th over.
‘Skipper Steve Allan joined David. Whilst runs were hard to come by these two were keeping the bowling at bay. That was until Hitchcock’s second over when David drove the final delivery and was caught. David out for a well made 23. 5 for 62 after 14 overs.
Ian Ross was next in. After five overs each, Hitchcock and Realli were replaced by Martin Dubler and Andrew Duffy. It was Martin who struck next for GONE. Ian was deceived by the flight of a delivery in MartIn’s first over. He played over the ball and it cannoned into the stumps. Ian had contributed four runs after a good spell at the wicket. 6 for 79 in the 21st over.
Rob Harding joined Steve. These two held the bowling at bay and Steve was the next to retire after adding 12 runs. 6 for 96 in the 28th over.
John Granata needing only 42 for 1,000 runs and 100 wickets joined Rob. Don Frawley took over the bowling from Martin. Duffy bowled one extra over and Brett came back to bowl the 34th.
John’s dream of 1,000 runs did not happen. In Duffy’ sixth and final over, John played and missed and was bowled for 3. At about the same time Rob retired on 8. 7 for 104 after 30 overs.
Steve Long and Arv Naidu were re-united at the crease. They made up for lost time and added some good runs from the last few overs. Steve put on 19 and Arv added 11 to finish 31 not out.
The CBC innings closed on 7 for 129. Probably not enough.
Ronda Granata arrived with a scrumptious lunch that was enjoyed by all present. Thank you very much Ronda.
After the team photograph was taken it was. Back into the action.
John Granata and Darryl Semmler took up the attack for CBC. Michael Moodley and Lou Gernyi were the opening batsmen for GONE.
It was a good start. John struck with the final delivery of his first over. He beat Gernyi all ends up and removed his middle stump. Gernyi had not scored and GONE were 1 for 1 after the first over.
David Frawley joined Moodley. A few overs later and John was back in the action. It was Moodley who was the victim. He played at a ball just outside the off-stump, got the edge and Terry Hagan held the catch behind the stumps. Moodley out for 9. 2 for 10 in the 5th over.
Andrew Duffy was the next batsman. In the next over, Darryl had Duffy advancing. He was completely deceived by the flight, played and missed and Terry Hagan had the bails illuminated. Duffy was well out of his crease and on his way for 1. 3 for 11 in the 6th over. With only another 5 wickets required and GONE needing 119 runs things were looking good.
Mick Hitchcock, who had terrorised us with the ball, joined Frawley. These two set about changing the complexion of the game. Frawley put three over the boundary on his way to retiring on 37. Trevor Stevenson was his replacement.
John’s shoulder was giving him some trouble due to too much cricket. After bowling five overs he handed the ball to Tony Adnum. Darryl bowled a sixth over and was successful in having Stevenson caught at backward square-leg by David Flaks for 2. 4 for 62 in the 12th over.
Lou Realli was the next in. David Flaks came on for Darryl. Hitchcock, whilst not quite as aggressive as Frawley, was the next to retire on 36.
Tony and David sent down six overs each without success. David was very economical and conceded only 10 runs.
Paul Brett joined Realli. These two continued to add runs and Realli retired on 22.
Realli’s replacement was Martin Dubler. Ian Ross and Rob Harding had taken over the Kookaburra from Tony and David.
It was in Ian’s fifth over that Martin clipped the last ball behind square. Steve Long diving to his left held a brilliant catch two centimetres above the turf. Martin had contributed 1. GONE were 5 for 124 in the 31st over.
Realli came back to continue his innings. Brett and Realli had no trouble in adding the six runs required. The winnings runs coming after 32.4 overs. GONE finished with 5 for 132.
John Granata, sore shoulder and all, finished the best with 2 for 24 from 5 overs. Darryl Semmler also picked up 2 wickets from his 6 overs for 33 runs. Ian Ross was the other wicket taker for 21 from 5.4 overs. Other bowlers were David Flaks 0 for 10 from 6, Rob Harding 0 for 13 for 4 and Tony Adnum 0 for 30 from 6.
Arv Naidu was the undisputed Man Of The Match and received the reward from both teams. He was also presented with the “Bradman Stump” for his 31 not out.
Steve Allan took pleasure in presenting Lou Gernyi from GONE with a pair of “Duck Socks”.
Our next scheduled match on 9th March, 2025 against Sri Lanka Lions has been cancelled as we have been unable to have enough players available.
Our final match for 2024/25 is against Goulburn Trinity Tigers at Wilberforce on Sunday 16th March, 2025.
MATCH REPORT – INTRA CLUB MATCH FOR THE JOHNNY TAYLOR MEMORIAL TROPHY – SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY, 2025.
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Our annual match for the Johnny Taylor Memorial Trophy was played at Bradman Oval, Bowral on Sunday 2nd February, 2025. Once again there was a good response from our membership for this match and there were twelve players on each team. We welcomed Gary Boyd and Suman Bhandari for their first matches with the Club.
It was a bright sunny day with maximum temperature around 30 degrees. The ground and wicket were in good condition. The match was to be 45 overs per side. Each batsman to receive a “free hit” with their first ball. Just before 10.00am, David Flaks (Massie in green) and Phillip Stuart-Jones (Taylor in yellow) strode to the wicket for the toss with the 1834 coin. Phillip made the wrong call and David sent Johnny Taylor into bat.
Before the match started, convenor Steve Allan, addressed the group regarding player milestones for the match and the fact John Granata required 47 runs and Tony Adnum 5 wickets to be the first to achieve 1,000 runs and 100 wickets for the Club. He also paid tribute to Ken Ryan and Catherine Adnum who had recently passed away. The assembled players then toasted CBC Golden Oldies with a shot of “Fernleigh Castle” port supplied by Peter Done. Following Steve’s address, team photographs were taken.
Tony Adnum and Steve Long were the opening batsmen for Taylor and were up against Rob Drummond and David Cosgrove with the Kookaburra for Massie. Tony pulled Rob’s first ball for a single. The final ball of Rob’s over saw Steve deceived with the movement off the pitch. Steve played back, got an edge and was well caught at first slip by Ray Price. Steve had not troubled scorer, Wayne Christie. 1 for 1 after the first over.
David Rudd joined Tony. The third ball of Rob’s second over was driven by Tony towards cover. He called a quick single. Michael Cassano was quick to collect the ball. David Rudd sensing the danger sent Tony back. Michael’s underarm return to ‘keeper Terry Hagan was on the money. Tony was unable to get back in time and was run out for 2. 2 for 6 in the 3rd over.
Next to the crease was Randel Pearce. Rob and David, after three overs each, were replaced by Gary Boyd and David Flaks. Randel and David Rudd were going great guns and putting together a worthwhile partnership. That was until Gary’s fifth delivery which Randel got an in-side edge to and the ball cannoned into the stumps. 3 for 42 in the 8th over.
Michael Kench replaced Randel. In the 11th over bowled by Gary, David Rudd reached 19 and retired. 3 for 53.
Phillip Stuart –Jones strode to the wicket. In the next over, the 12th, bowled by David Flaks, Michael got a ball that beat the bat and wrapped him on the pads. Umpire Paul Cullen was called into action and had the right index finger raised. Michael was on his way for 4. 4 for 60.
Ian Ross joined his skipper. These two kept the scoreboard ticking over. Rob Drummond came back for two more overs and Darryl Semmler replaced David Flaks. After Rob completed his fifth over, Martin Dubler joined the attack. It was now spin, spin, spin. In Darryl’s second over, Ian pulled a delivery that he could not keep down. David Flaks at forward square-leg accepted the catch. 5 for 83 in the 18th over.
Peter Done replaced Ian. In the next over, bowled by Martin, Phillip played the first delivery to cover, took a quick single and joined David in retirement. He had added 18. 5 for 84 at the start of the 19th over. Phillip’s replacement was Suman Bhandari.
Playing his first ever game of cricket, Suman confidently pulled Martin’s fifth delivery to the mid-wicket boundary. However, his enjoyment was to be short lived as, next ball he jumped down the wicket to repeat the dose but failed to connect. Terry Hagan had the bails off and Suman was on his way without addition to his score. 6 for 91 in the 19th over.
John Granata was the next batsman. John and Peter settled things down again and whilst the runs were not flowing they were keeping Darryl and Martin at bay. Unfortunately Peter was the next to depart. He played a well-pitched up ball from Darryl straight back to the bowler. Darryl gleefully accepted the return catch. 7 for 103 in the 24th over.
Rob Harding joined John at the crease. There was a bit of concern going through the Taylor camp that they would not make full use of their 45 overs.
Rob needing just one run to take his career tally to 100 lasted eight deliveries without achieving his ambition. In Darryl’s sixth over, he drove a delivery to mid-on where David Cosgrove was patrolling. He could not beat David’s return and became Taylor’s second run out victim. You should have worked out that Rob didn’t score. 8 for 106 in the 26th over.
Last on the batting list was Paul Moujalli and he proceeded to join John. The first ball of Martin’s sixth and second last over, John defended stoutly and retired on 5. He now needs 42 runs!!! 8 for 107 in the 29th over.
This brought Rob Harding back to the crease. Ray Price had taken over from Darryl and Terry Hagan, who had given the gloves to Steve Allan at the halfway mark, replaced Martin. The Massie boys were getting a bit perturbed that they had not finished off The Taylor innings. So, after four overs from Ray and two from Terry, a couple of big guns were brought back into the attack. David Flaks replaced Terry and David Cosgrove came on for Ray.
Paul and Rob were not setting the world on fire but were defiantly holding the bowling at bay. The first ball of David’s second over was pushed back down the wicket by Paul and he retired after making a well-made 2. 8 for 137 at the start of the 39th over.
Rob was joined by Steve Long. Rob had faced another six deliveries trying to score that elusive run. In David Flak’s second spell fourth over, his seventh and final, Rob had had enough. The second and third deliveries were despatched to the boundary in great fashion. Mission accomplished. Whether or not it was David’s final over, he was replaced by Gary Boyd to bowl out the innings with David Cosgrove.
Halfway through the 44th over bowled by David, Rob tried to add another boundary to his tally only to get a top-edge. Steve Allan behind the stumps accepted the catch. Rob had added 12 at his second attempt. 9 for 169. The scorebook shows 8th wicket Rob Harding and 9th wicket Rob Harding!!!!
David Rudd came back to the wicket to join Steve who had been making up for his first effort. They saw out the rest of David’s over and the final over bowled by Gary. Steve finished on 30 and David on 27 not out. The Johnny Taylor final score was 9 for 178.
Darryl Semmler finished with 2 for 25 from 7 overs. Other wicket takers were Rob Drummond 1 for 18 from 5, Martin Dubler 1 for 22 from 7, David Flaks 1 for 22 from 7 and Gary Boyd 1 for 29 from 6.
A most enjoyable lunch was partaken thanks to the organising skills of Steve and Linda Allan. They were ably assisted on the day by some of the ladies present.
After the luncheon break, Michael Cassano and Arv Naidu strode to the wicket to face Randel Pearce and Michael Kench. The opening three overs resulted in twelve runs. Michael Cassano, in particular, was seeing the ball well and ten runs came from Michael Kench’s second over.
In Michael’s fourth and last over, Arv retired on 10 and was replaced by Steve Allan. 0 for 33 in the 8th over.
After four overs each, Randel and Michael were replaced by John Granata and Tony Adnum. In John’s first over, Michael retired on 36. 0 for 49 in the 9th over. The run rate, in excess of five and well ahead of what was required. Michael was replaced by David Cosgrove.
John’s second over brought success for Johnny Taylor. Steve Allan drove the second ball to mid-wicket. David Rudd was there. David made no mistake and held a great catch to have Steve on his way. 1 for 55 in the 11th over.
Ray Price came to the wicket. In the next over, he despatched a short delivery from Tony to the square-leg boundary. Two balls later, a much better well pitched up delivery and Ray tried to repeat the dose. He only managed to get a top edge. The ball flew straight up for Phillip Stuart-Jones behind the stumps to take an easy catch. 2 for 64 in the 12th over.
Terry Hagan was next to join David Cosgrove. John Granata and David Rudd were back in the action. Next over, David skied John’s final delivery high towards mid-wicket. It was not an easy catch but David Rudd judged it perfectly and held a brilliant catch to have David on his way. 3 for 74 in the 13th over.
Rob Drummond joined Terry. Rob was next to go, Tony sent down another long-hop that Rob tried to smash through mid-wicket. The ball passed below his bat and crashed into the stumps. Rob out for 1. 4 for 77 in 14th over. Four wickets in four overs. The Taylor boys were starting to believe they could pull off a big upset.
Martin Dubler joined Terry. John and Tony had bowled three overs each and were replaced by David Rudd and Michael Kench. Terry and Martin took a liking to Michael and added ten runs from his over. Rob Harding was handed the Kookaburra in his place.
In David Rudd’s next over, Martin played early to the fourth delivery and returned the ball to David who held his third catch for the day. 5 for 96 in the 17th over. Although wickets were falling, the run rate was still above 5.
Captain Flaks was next in. Terry and David both had a liking to the bowling and runs were coming freely. The Massie team’s confidence was rising. Rob sent down two overs and Tony Adnum sent down the twenty second over and the last before the drinks break. Terry Hagan, who had played the best innings of the day, retired on 42 during Tony’s over. He had faced the maximum twenty five deliveries of which only six were dots. Gary Boyd was Terry’s replacement. The Massie score at the break was 5 for 138.
After the resumption, David Rudd continued the bowling attack together with Paul Moujalli and then Peter Done who bowled one over each. It was David who straight away had more success. He had David Flaks playing and missing a ball that went straight on. David was struck on the back leg exactly halfway between knee and ankle. Umpire Paul had no hesitation in repeating the right arm movement that saw Michael Kench depart in the first innings. David Flaks out for 11. 6 for 141 in the 23rd over.
Darryl Semmler came to the batting crease to join Gary. The score slowly increased during Paul, Peter and David Rudd’s final two overs. After twenty seven overs the score was 6 for 154.
Randel Pearce sent down a fifth and final over and Ian Ross bowled the twenty ninth. John Granata took over from Randel and Michael Kench came back to replace Ian. Darryl, who had most of the strike, retired on 12 during Michael’s over. 6 for 175 in the 31st over.
Brian Walker was the last regular batsman for the Massie team. Phillip Stuart-Jones had been saving himself and came on to replace John. Gary despatched the first delivery to the mid-wicket boundary that brought the match to a close. After 31.1 overs the Massie team had reached 6 for 182.
Tony Adnum and John Granata both returned 2 for 21 from 4 overs. David Rudd also took 2 wickets for 23 from 7 overs.
A great game of cricket but one in which the Massie team was too good.
After the match, Steve Allan presented the Johnny Taylor Memorial Trophy to David Flaks the captain of Hugh Massie. Terry Hagan was the standout Man Of The Match for the Hugh Massie team and Steve Long received Man Of The Match for Johnny Taylor. Steve Allan presented Rob Harding and Steve Long with a pair of “duck socks”.
Steve also presented Wayne Christie, who scored the entire match and, Paul Cullen, who umpired at the bowlers end for 76.1 overs, a bottle of Brokenwood Cricket Pitch each. Thank you to Wayne and Paul for their efforts.
It was nice to see the Alexandrow’s and Hughes’ among the spectators. The CBC spirit lives on.
A massive thank you to all those who assisted in making the day another great success. There are too many names to mention. BUT a really special thank you to Steve and Linda Allan who put in a mountain of work in the lead up to and during the match.
We have three more matches to complete the 2024/25 season. The next one is against Gentlemen Of Nowra Eleven at Wilberforce on Sunday 16th February, 2025.
MATCH REPORT – CBC VERSUS CENTRAL COAST CYCLONES - SUNDAY 5TH JANUARY, 2025.
On Sunday 5th January, 2025 we travelled to Woy Woy to take on the Cyclones at Roger’s Park. It was a very hot day with the maximum temperature forecast to be 34 degrees.
Daniel Adnum made a guest appearance before he returned to the UK on 10th January, 2025.
Steve Long, a late inclusion, was appointed leader and duly won the toss. The Cyclone’s were quite pleased that Steve sent them in as they knew the cool sea breeze would drift in after lunch.
John Granata opened the bowling from the northern end and Scott Marshall was his partner. Lawyer and Dever were the opening batsmen for the Cyclones. John and Scott sent down three overs each and the Cyclones added 17 runs without loss.
Michael Kench and Rob Drummond took over from John and Scott. The first ball of Rob’s second over brought a result. Dever got an edge to the ball and Steve Allan behind the stumps did the rest. 1 for 33 in the 10th over.
Evans was the new batsman. Shortly after, Lawler retired on 16. 1 for 33 in the 11th over. Vallis was his replacement.
Runs were coming at a slow rate but wickets were hard to come by. Evans was next to retire on 22. Sinclair was next in.
Tony Adnum and Martin Dubler had taken over the bowling and after they had sent down four overs each it was time for drinks. Vallis and Sinclair had taken the score to 1 for 68 after 20 overs.
After the break, Vallis retired on 10, closely followed by Sinclair on 11. The replacement batsmen were Paul and Rimmer. Darryl Semmler and Daniel Adnum took up the attack for CBC.
In his fourth and final over, Daniel had success when he had Rimmer playing a well pitched up delivery to Steve Long at a shortish mid-on. Steve accepted the catch and the Cyclone’s were 2 for 94 in the 28th over. Rimmer had faced several balls but had not bothered the scorers.
Nielsen was the next batsman. John Granata and Scott Marshall came back with the Kookaburra. John’s second ball of his second spell, was too good for Paul. It cut nicely off the wicket and cleaned up Paul’s off stump. Paul was out for 14. There was no addition to the score. The Cyclone’s were 3 for 94 in the 29th over.
Paul’s replacement was Brown.
Scott’s next over had Neilson turning the first delivery to backward square-led straight to John Granata. There was a big mix up between Nielsen and Brown and either could have been run out. It ended up being Neilson who could not beat John’s return to Steve Allan. Nielsen run out for 18. 4 for 103 in the 30th over.
Everson joined Brown. Everson was next out. In Scott’s sixth and final over, he played all around a great delivery that crashed into the middle stump. Everson had made a quick seven. The Cyclone’s were 5 for 120 in the 34th over.
Irvine replaced Everson. Tony Adnum and Martin Dubler bowled an over each and then Michael Kench and Rob Drummond finished off the forty overs.
Brown became the Cyclone’s fifth retiree on 11. 5 for 140 in the 37th over.
Cornwell joined Irvine.
Rob Drummond picked up his second wicket in the final over of the innings. Irvine attempted to drive a delivery through cover. The ball found the edge of Irvine’s bat. Michael Kench at slip simply shot his right arm straight up and held a great one handed catch. Irvine had added 9. The Cyclone’s 6 for 146.
There was no addition to the score and the Cyclone’s innings closed.
Rob Drummond did best with the ball taking 2 for 13 from his 5 overs. Other bowlers were Daniel Adnum 1 for 10 from 4, Scott Marshall 1 for 21 from 6, John Granata 1 for 22 from 6, Darryl Semmler 4 overs for 16 runs, Tony Adnum 5 overs for 19 runs, Michael Kench 5 overs for 21 runs and Martin Dubler 5 overs for 24 runs.
After running around in the 30 plus degree heat the CBC players enjoyed the break and a cool down.
Steve Long and Arv Naidu opened the batting for CBC. They were facing Cornwell and Everson. Arv in particular was looking good. The bowling was not troubling him and he looked set for a big score.
Steve took nine deliveries to get off the mark. In Everson’s second over he played and missed. Bowled for 4. CBC 1 for 13 in the 4th over. Steve Allan joined Arv.
It was Arv who was next out. He suffered the same fate as Steve Long. Everson had two wickets. 2 for 22 in the 6th over.
Rob Drummond joined Steve Allan. These two looked the goods and a solid partnership was developing.
Cornwell and Everson sent down four overs each and were replaced by Lawler and Evans. In Evans first over, Steve was struck on the pad and the ball bounced towards square-leg. Rob called for the run. Steve took time to respond and to get into top gear. A direct hit at the bowler’s end saw him just short. Steve run out for 16. 3 for 41 in the 10th over. Michael Kench replaced Steve.
Lawler was bowling his second over. Michael defended his first three deliveries. The fourth struck him high on the left pad. The umpire quickly raised his right index finger. Sadly there was no review available. Michael was on his way without scoring. 4 for 48 in the 11th over. Wickets were falling but the run rate was above that required.
Scott Marshall joined Rob. These two were looking good and a partnership was developing. That was until Scott became Lawler’s second victim. In the 15th over he played, missed and was bowled for 2. 5 for 66.
Darryl Semmler was next in. He was joined by Daniel Adnum a few balls later when Rob retired on 28. 5 for 68 in the 16th over.
Paul and Brown replaced Lawler and Evans.
Darryl and Daniel were having little trouble with the bowling although runs were coming slowly. Darryl faced his 30 balls and retired on 12. His replacement was Tony Adnum.
The father and son combination did not last very long. In the 25th over bowled by Brown, Tony attempted to cut a delivery backward of point only to get a bottom edge and the ball knocked back the off-stump. Tony had managed one run. 6 for 90.
Martin Dubler joined Daniel. In the next over bowled by Paul, Martin played over a well tossed up delivery and was bowled. Martin out for 3. 7 for 97 in the 26th over.
John Granata needing 53 runs for 1,000 came to the wicket. Paul and Brown bowled spells of six and five overs respectively. They were replaced by Sinclair and Irvine.
Daniel became Irvine’s first victim when he attempted to drive him straight. Daniel failed to make contact and was bowled for 10. 8 for 106 in the 30th over.
Wayne Christie made his way to the wicket. He top edged a ball from Sinclair which popped up and struck him under the chin. There was no major damage but he retired hurt to recover. This brought Rob Drummond back to the crease.
John was hoping for more runs but it was not to be. He pulled a delivery from Sinclair and was caught for 6. 9 for 109 in the 31st over.
Wayne bravely returned. However, the end was nigh. In Irvine’s next over, Wayne popped one up on the leg-side and suffered the same fate as John.
CBC all out for 110 after only 32 overs. A disappointing display with the bat.
Rob Drummond was awarded Man Of The Match by both CBC and the Cyclones.
Rob was also the recipient of the “Bradman Stump” for his 33 not out.
Scott Marshall played his 60th match for the Club.
Our next match is against Hunter Lord’s Taverners at Robert “Dutchy” Holland Oval, Awaba on Sunday 19th January, 2025.
A Happy New Year to all our members and supporters.
MATCH REPORT - CBC VERSUS GOULBURN TRINITY TIGERS - SUNDAY 15TH DECEMBER, 2024.
Our match on Sunday 15th December, 2024 was against Goulburn Trinity Tigers. (GTT).By mutual agreement it was a 10-a-side game. We travelled from various points to Seiffert Oval. It was a hot summer day with top temperature in the middle 30s predicted. Accordingly, the match was reduced to 30 overs per innings.
Ian Ross was our skipper who unsuccessfully called the coin toss. GTT elected to field. CBC volunteered a substitute fielder as GTT had a late arrival
Tony Adnum and Arv Naidu opened the batting for CBC. They were facing T. Backhouse and K. Kidd. Runs came at a steady pace in the first few overs. The wicket was playing some funny tricks with a big variation in height.
In the 9th over, bowled by Backhouse, Tony received a juicy full toss. He failed to make the contact he wanted and lobbed a simple catch to G. Friend at cover. Tony had contributed 11 and the score was 1 for 31.
Rob Drummond was the next batsman. At times there was a coolish south easterly breeze blowing but it did not have a great effect on the playing conditions.
In Kidd's 5th and final over, Rob played the fourth delivery around the corner. G. Friend was in the action again. This time gathering the ball and returning it over the stumps to have Arv run out by a few centimetres. It was nice to have the umpire make a decision and not have to rely on someone sitting in front of a screen somewhere. Arv had scored 16 and CBC were 2 for 36 in the 10th over.
Next in was Paul Cullen who had travelled up from Tuross Head. S. Parsons and C. Fitzgerald were now in charge of the bowling.
In Fitzgerald's second over, Paul received a delivery that was one of the ones that did not get up. He played over it and was bowled for 2. 3 for 48 in the 14th over.
Scott Marshall, the "Bradman Stump" holder, was the new batsman.
In the 17th over bowled by Parsons, Rob neatly played his 30th delivery back down the wicket and retired on 25. 3 for 64.
Skipper Ian Ross strode to the wicket. He tried to make full use of his first ball free hit but failed. The square leg umpire was required to replace the bails. Unfortunately for Ian, although his technique was more orthodox, he failed to put bat on ball at his second attempt. On his way, bowled by Parsons without scoring. 4 for 64 in the 17th over.
John Granata joined Scott. After five overs each, Parsons and Fitzgerald were replaced by G. Friend and G. Hewitt.
The bowling was tight and Scott and John were having trouble scoring runs. John eventually popped a full toss from Friend to Backhouse at cover. John had accumulated 2. 5 for 70 in the 21st over.
Peter Done, another South Coast traveller, took over from John. He made use of his free hit and hooked Friend's next delivery to the square-leg boundary. He defended the next delivery competently but then returned an easy catch to Friend. Peter with only the boundary to his name was on his way back to the sheds. 6 for 74 and still in the 21st over.
Brian Walker, all the way from Wagga Wagga, came to the wicket. Scott, who had been an avid spectator, received an unplayable from Hewitt and had his castle dismantled. Bowled for 2 in the 22nd over. 7 for 76.
Wayne Christie replaced Scott. In the next over bowled by Friend, Brian drove the ball towards mid-on. Believing he had found the gap he called for the run. Backhouse had other ideas and managed to intercept the ball and under armed it back to Friend who removed the bails. Brian was well short without scoring. 8 for 76 in the 23rd over.
This brought "duck man" Ian back to the batting crease. He managed to score a single and avoid equalling John Granata's record of three "ducks" in one innings!
CBC now 9 for 83 in the 25th over.
Brian, obviously without much faith in Ian, had not removed his pads. He re-joined Wayne.
Wayne had been putting up a defiant stand. A delivery from Friend proved too good and Wayne spooned a catch to S. Dawson at short cover. Wayne's contribution was 6. 10 for 86 in the 27th over.
Retiree, Rob Drummond, was now Brian's partner for the final stand. Rob took one ball to get his eye back in and then despatched Friend to the cover boundary.
S. Dawson bowled the 28th over and Rob helped himself to two more fours.
Hewitt was now bowling what was to be the final over. Brian helped one on its way for two runs. Next ball he was caught at mid-on by Backhouse for 2. All out for 100. Probably not enough. Rob remained not out on 38.
After a short break for lunch and the team photograph, it was time for CBC to spend some time in the sun.
Rob Drummond and John Granata opened the bowling for CBC. The opening batsmen for GTT were A. Wilson (the late comer) and S. Halder. Wilson was intent on scoring quickly lofting Rob’s first delivery to almost the long-off boundary for two runs. He repeated the dose two balls later and continued to score at a rapid rate.
John had a slower run rate off his bowling. He was very unlucky in his third over when Wilson drove a waist high catch to mid-wicket. Unfortunately, the catch was put down.
Rob and John bowled three overs each and were replaced by Scott Marshall and Paul Cullen. Wilson retired on 26 in the 8th over with the score on 37. He was replaced by S. Dawson.
Halder was the next to retire on 10 after facing his thirty balls. C. Fitzgerald was next in and he looked intent in joining the openers in the retirement suite. He did just that at the end of the 14th over with the score on 64. Scott and Paul had sent down four overs each.
G. Friend joined Dawson. Tony Adnum and Peter Done took over the bowling.
In Tony’s second over, Dawson played and missed a well pitched up delivery. It turned nicely and clipped the top of the off-stump. Dawon was on his way. 1 for 76 in the 17th over.
T. Backhouse was the next batsman. Peter Done was in the action in the next over. He had Friend pushing at the final delivery of the over. The ball took the outside edge of the bat and Arv Naidu took a neat catch at the wicket. 2 for 82 in the 18th over.
C. Parsons joined Backhouse. Tony’s next over was a wicket maiden. First ball, a rank long hop, had Backhouse trying to smash it into Lake George. He missed and the ball hit the middle stump a few centimetres from the ground. 3 for 82 in the 19th over.
G. Hewitt was next in. Peter completed his third over. The final ball of Tony’s next over had Hewitt clipping the final delivery to backward square where John Granata was patrolling. John didn’t have to move and easily held the catch. Hewitt was on his way for 1. 4 for 100 after 21 overs.
K. Kidd took over from Hewitt. John Granata was given the ball. His first delivery to Parsons was pulled upwardly to backward square and fielder Tony Adnum. A complete reversal of the previous dismissal. Tony had to make some ground to his right. He could only manage to attempt a one-handed catch. Unfortunately, the ball hit him on the wrist. A single was scored and GTT had won.
The GTT final score was 4 for 101 after 21.1 overs.
Tony Adnum was best of the bowlers taking 3 for 16 from his 4 overs. Peter Done finished with 1 for 21 from 3. Paul Cullen 0 for 14 from 4, Scott Marshall 0 for 17 from 4, Rob Drummond 0 for 15 from 3 and John Granata 0 for 16 from 3.1.
Everyone was glad that the match did not go the distance and enjoyed the cooler conditions off the field. Not to mention the liquid refreshment provided by GTT.
Tony Adnum was awarded Man Of The Match.
Rob Drummond received the “Bradman Stump” for his 38 not out. Rob was also awarded the Man Of The Match by GTT.
Our next match is against a new opponent. Central Coast Cyclones at Woy Woy on Sunday 5th January, 2025.
Merry Christmas and all the best for 2025 to all our players and supporters.
dit me. It's easy.
MATCH REPORT - CBC VERSUS PORT JACKSON CRICKET CLUB – WEDNESDAY 4TH DECEMBER,2024
Kensington Oval, Kensington was the venue for our mid-week match against Port Jackson Cricket Club. It was a very pleasant day with temperature in the mid-twenties. A southerly breeze kept playing conditions pleasant. The ground and wicket were in very good condition. Both teams had 12 players. The usual retirement rule of facing 30 deliveries or scoring 30 runs (whichever came first) was in play. First ball was a free hit.
Our skipper, David Cooper lost the toss and Port Jackson elected to bat. Michael Kench from the southern end with the breeze and John Granata opened the bowling for CBC. Willis and Schwartz opened the batting for Port.
Michael had success with the last ball of his first over. The delivery beat Willis all ends up and crashed into the stumps. Willis out for 2 and Port Jackson 1 for 3.
Easan joined Schwartz at the crease. It was a case of two opposites. Schwartz playing a Test type knock and Easan showing his Twenty/20 skills.
John Granata, in his second over damaged a muscle in his left leg. He managed to bowl the last two deliveries and then left the ground with Darryl Semmler his replacement.
After the opening four overs, David Cooper and Paul Cullen took over the bowling. Easan made the most of his time at the crease and retired on 31 after facing 20 deliveries. The score was now 1 for 46.
Speiser replaced Easan. After three overs each, David Cooper and Paul Cullen were replaced at the crease by Rob Drummond and Scott Marshall. In Rob’s first over and with score 1 for 54, Schwartz retired on 8 after facing his 30 deliveries. He was replaced by Parker.
With the last ball of his second over Scott struck. Speiser played all around the delivery and was bowled for 11. 2 for 67 after 14 overs.
Finucane was Speiser’s replacement. Rob sent down four overs and Scott three. Ian Ross from the northern end and Martin Dubler now had control of the Kookaburra.
In Ian’s first over, Finucane drove a ball square on the off-side. Finucane and Parker set off for a single. Martin Dubler was quick to gather the ball and a perfect one bounce throw to ‘keeper, Tony Adnum had Parker well short. The square-leg umpire commented that he didn’t bother to raise his finger it was so obvious. Port Jackson now 3 for 85 in the 18th over. Parker was replaced by Mouglasis.
At the drinks break after 20 overs, Port Jackson were 3 for 99. A good score was on the cards. At the break, Steve Allan took over the ‘keepers gloves.
Ian and Martin bowled out their four overs. Not before Ian, in his last over deceived Mouglasis with flight and turn. The ball spun beautifully past Mouglalis’ bat and Steve Allan had the bails off in a flash. Mouglasis on his way for 12. 4 for 115 in the 24th over. Cordner was the next batsman to the wicket. Tony Adnum took over from Martin at the Southern end and Ian handed the ball to Darryl Semmler.
Tony had success in his first over. Cordner pulled a delivery high and handsome towards the mid- wicket boundary. Michael Kench hardly had to move. He was quickly in position and held a very well judged catch. Cordner departed for 3 and was replaced by Steve Jones. 5 for 128 in the 27th over.
A few balls later Finucane retired on 23 and Tim Jones came to the wicket.
Not to be outdone, Darryl , in the very next over, had Tim Jones trapped right in front. The umpire’s right index finger was raised and Jones was on his way for 1. 6 for 131 in the 28th over.
WS joined Steve Jones. Tony bowled three overs and Darryl four. Rob Drummond took over at the southern end and Michael Kench came back to replace Darryl. When Steve Jones retired on 20, Rubin came to the wicket.
The second suicidal run by the Port boys saw WS run out by a greater margin than Parker. Michael Kench was bowling and Rubin drove the ball to a shortish mid-wicket and set off. David Cooper fielded the ball at and his perfect return to Steve Allan saw MS on his way. The score was now 7 for 161 in the 38th over. Easan returned to the wicket and he continued on from where he had left off.
David Cooper replaced Michael for the penultimate over. A confident appeal against Easan for caught behind, by both bowler and ‘keeper was turned down by the umpire. Easan was there at the end 46 not out and Rubin was the other not out batsman on 4.
Port Jackson had posted a score of 7/176 from their 40 overs.
Bowling for CBC; Michael Kench 1 for 39 from 6 overs, John Granata 0 for 16 from 2, David Cooper 0 for 13 from 4, Paul Cullen 0 for 5 from 3, Rob Drummond 0 for 28 from 7, Scott Marshall 1 for 8 from 3, Ian Ross 1 for 13 from 4, Martin Dubler 0 for 28 from 4, Darryl Semmler 1 for 15 from 4 and Tony Adnum 1 for 10 from 3.
After the lunch break Darryl Semmler and Rob Drummond took up the chase for CBC. Tim Jones and Rubin opened the bowling for Port Jackson. They sent down four overs each. Runs were coming at a trickle due to the tight bowling with good back up in the field.
Cordner and Steve Jones took over the bowling. At the end of Cordner’s first over, Rob Drummond retired on 12 and was replaced by Paul Cullen. The score was 0 for 22.
Two overs later, Darryl retired on 9. The score was now 0 for 25. Michael Kench was the next batsman.
In Cordner’s next over, Michael drove a delivery to a longish mid-on. Parker was there to accept the catch. Michael was out caught without troubling the scorers. 1 for 28 in the 13th over.
Scott Marshall joined Paul. After Cordner and Steve Jones had sent down four overs each, Parker and Speiser took charge of the Kookaburra. In Speiser’s first over Paul played around a nice delivery and had his wicket dismantled. Bowled for 4 in the 17th over. CBC were 2 for 36.
Steve Allan joined Scott. He was bowled first ball on his “free hit”. However, Parker in the final over before drinks had Steve playing and missing. Steve was out bowled for 3. 3 for 47.
Had the score been doubled CBC would have been in a reasonable position going into the second part of their innings.
John Granata, on one leg, was not going to let anyone take his position at No. 7. He was Scott’s new partner. These two held the Port bowling at bay. Willis and Schwartz were the new bowlers for Port.
Scott retired on 18 in the 27th over. 3 for 72. He was replaced by Ian Ross. John, after a courageous innings was next to retire on 8 in 30th over. 3 for 83.
Martin Dubler was next in. Tim Jones came back for a couple of overs and Mouglasis took over from Schwartz. On his 29th delivery, Ian was caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of Mouglasis for a well made 16. 4 for 99 after 34 overs.
Tony Adnum was the next batsman. The final six overs were rotated between Rubin, Cordner and Steve Jones. In the 37th over bowled by Rubin, Martin got a thick edge to a cover drive. The ball flew high to slip and excellent catch was taken by Willis high above his head. Martin had scored 7 and the score was 5 for 103.
Wayne Christie joined Tony and these two saw out the remaining three overs adding a single. Both were not out 1.
CBC finished on 5 for 104. No match for the Port boys and 72 runs short.
Scott Marshall was awarded the MOTM by Port Jackson and received the Bradman stump for top score of 18.
Ian Ross was awarded MOTM by CBC.
Our next match is against Goulburn Express at Goulburn on Sunday 15th December, 2024.
Don't forget to make a diary note for the Intra Club match at Bradman Oval, Bowral on Sunday 2nd February, 2025.
MATCH REPORT - CBC VERSUS SRI LANKA LIONS - SUNDAY 17TH NOVEMBER, 2024.
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The CBC team gathered at Woodlands Park in Wilberforce on Sunday 17th November for the return match versus the Sri Lanka Lions (SLL) seeking revenge following the loss to them earlier in the season.
The day was overcast, warm and windy with storms predicted for late in the day.
The match was transferred to the synthetic wicket as the council was in the process of upgrading the drainage on the turf wicket.
The CBC welcomed Paul Cullen for his first march with the team. Paul is a very experienced all rounder having played Veterans cricket for Australia.
Our captain courageous David Cooper (CCC), won the toss and elected to bat, with the match scheduled to begin at 10.30.
An issue arose when the SLL seemed intent on continuing with their coffees well past the commencement time. When approached they stated that several of their twelve players had not yet arrived. Really! The match finally commenced at 10.50 with two CBC players substituting in the field. Too nice.
Darryl Semmler(16no) and Terry Hagan (26no) opened the batting, both retiring having faced their allotted 30 balls.
Ben Fahim and Paul Cullen (14no) continued to accumulate runs steadily facing steady bowling, as steadily as the SLL late comers arrived!
The first wicket to fall was in the 18th over when Ben Fahim was bowled for 25. CBC 1/82.
Steve Allan made a quick-fire Maxwell-like 20 (3 fours!) off 14 balls but was dismissed in the 23rd over with the score now 2/114. Steve obviously suffers from Maxwell syndrome -cramps and hamstring issues.
Scott Marshall and John Granata then put together a fine partnership of 35 with some sharp singles and twos, showing Steve how it should be done!
John was dismissed for 14 in the 31st over. CBC3/144. Scott Marshall retired with 22 runs.
Ian Ross (24no) and CCC (Coops) put on an enterprising 56 partnership when CCC was dismissed for 19 in the 38th over. CBC 4/200.
Martin Dubler remained 4no with the CBC going to lunch quietly confident with a competitive score of 4/204 from their allotted 40 overs.
CCC opened the CBC bowling with John Granata and himself. The SLL openers immediately showed their intent by hitting 16 off CCC's first over.
John's first ball trapped Indy LBW but to avoid disputes the LBW dismissal was not in use.
John's second and third overs were filled with drama. A ball was hit just short of Wayne Christie at mid off, then catches dropped at mid on and point. So as not to incriminate, the culprits will not be named.
Unfortunately what followed was some rapid scoring as the SLL batters took a liking to the CBC bowlers.
The only respite was a brilliant runout by Scott Marshall with a direct hit from mid off finding Chanaka short of his ground. The first wicket falling with the score at 113 in the 17th over.
Due to the dire state of the game CCC developed a migraine and was forced to leave the field. Steve (Woody) Allan took control of the game and immediately had success, bringing the wily Ian Ross on to bowl. Ian deceived Kalinga with a looping delivery and super keeper Ben Fahim removed the bails in a flash. The score now 2/196 in the 29th over.
The SLL finally achieving victory in the 30th over: 2/208.
Bowling figures : Davd Cooper 0/34(4), John Granata 0/24(4), Scott Marshall 0/23(5), Paul Cullen 0/20(4), Ian Ross 1/24(3),
Darryl Semmler 0/32(6), Rob Harding 0/28(3), Martin Dubler 0/20(3).
MOM was awarded to Ben Fahim for his 25 runs and excellent keeping.
Terry Hagan was the recipient of the Bradman Stump for his 26 not out.
Although a dead rubber the CBC have a chance of some redemption when we host the SLL again on 9th March next year.
Our next match is scheduled for Wednesday 4th December versus Port Jackson at Maroubra.
