Hi all,
Thought I better give an under 12E report against Flemington.
We lost the toss and bowled on a smallish, rough ground and completed our overs well in time so were able to bowl an extra one. Flem were 6 for 136 at close with good bowling spells by Carlo Manley 1 for 6 off 4, Curtis Hamid 1 for 6 off 4 with 2 maidens, Sebastian Kainey 1-7 off 4 and Jesse Thurlow-Cole 1-23 off 4.

Two great runouts by Rauiri Cleary and Curtis and a good catch by Carlo. Generally good fielding all around restricted the score on a fast outfield. Amazing highlight of the day was a great high bouncing leggie from Rauiri which landed on top of the bails and bounced off them to the keeper without dislodging the bails!! Incredible.

Grant

ALEC KAHN wrote:

In this issue:This weekend's matchesLast weekend's scoresClubrooms update This weekend:A Grade v Monash Gryphons at Cordner Oval, Fawkner Park, Saturday 1pm (continues)B Grade v Carnegie at Fawkner Park No.5, Sunday 1pm (continues)D Grade v Coles at Fawkner Park No.3, Sunday 1pm (continues)Under-14s v St Bernards at Straw Field No.1, Saturday 8.30am (continues)Under-12B v Taylors Lakes at Straw Field No.2, Saturday 8.30am (continues)Under-12E v Flemington at Aberfeldie Park, Tilba St, Aberfeldie (Mel 28 C6), Saturday 8.30am (continues)Under-10s v Glenroy at A.T.Cooke Res, Daley St, Glenroy, Friday 5.15pm Last weekend's scores:
A Grade: Reds 126 v Monash Gryphons 2-59 Jim made 47no, Rogo 16, no-one else much at all. Despite Gryphons being third last and without their best bowler Sullivan for most of the day with a toe injury. We will have to produce a backs-to-the-wall performance of the highest order to win this one and keep our finals hopes alive. B Grade: Reds 192 v Carnegie 1-14 Whilst 11 players are needed to make a side, a Team is defined by the actions of its members. And so it was on Sunday, with a temperature of 39.8 C, a good Carnegie side(who flogged us in Rd2) and 9 names on the team sheet.

The first task of the day was the toss, which saw the streak continue, REDS winning their 10th out of 11. The decision to bat was easy. The pitch was a road and the REDS top order was soon run over (3/19) with the Doc and MTC gone lazily and Virender Leone cutting through slips once too often in the 8th over. With Funky in the A's, Simon Kent a pre-match
trade with Clarkie strode to the wicket to join Andy and they got things back on track before a shortish ball going down leg hit Simon on the thigh. You guessed it, he was "Funked" out. (4/36 in the 15th).

All this was watched by Deadly, a pre match scratching as his shift at the Alfred started at 2pm, however as Tomek had not appeared, Deadly was prudently added to the team sheet as a provisional player. At the 25 over mark Andy and Daniel were stoicly poised at 4/57 when Daniel pulled up lame with a dodgy quad. Having only been out to the middle to toss the coin and see out the first over, the Doc took up the running duties. After building a solid 40 run partnership that was highlighted by the Carnegie bowlers complaining about the calling by the runner at square leg, The REDS were starting to look comfortable when one of the bowlers who had bowled a consistent down-leg line all day (see Byrne) hit Andy on the outside of the front foot of an open stance to be judged instantly out! Haggas, averaging 38 post Xmas, ran himself out immediately, which brought Jarod to the crease. REDS 6/78 in the 39th with only Martin left under the tree.

Then it happened, was it Jarod's war paint that upset them? was it Daniel's continuous driving? was it the constant chatter and sardonic suggestions from square leg? 69 runs later a very tired Daniel was out for a fantastic 58, that should have been more but for the honesty of the fielders; anyway a rousing reception awaited under the trees as he hobbled off. 7/147 in the 61st and last man in when Martin went to the wicket. Before there was too much more action the now bouyant REDS spotted Deadly coming back to see how we were going during his Tea break and we quickly informed Deadly that he had been named. He was soon decked out in Henry's spikes, Tomeks trousers(!?!)and the Doc's very sweaty shirt.

With the attention now back on the game, it was a tale of Martin"there and back again"Pearson running Jarod of his legs for a critical 18 run partnership before Martin was caught for nought (It's a bit like The Club in Smith Street: as long as you're there for a while you don't need to score to have an impact(see Shazza). At 8/165 in the 67th REDS were in the game. Deadly who now looked as if he had been dressed as well as coached by Morch joined Jarod and annoyed the shite out of Carnegie with his Kahn like forward defence. Soon they tried to buy Deadly's wicket, but the full tosses were struck progressively deeper into mid-wicket, and a stirring 27 run partnership ended when Jarod was caught for a career best 69 in the 75th over. REDs all out(9/192). It was then a simple case of Deadly running back to work at the Hospital, after Andy had stopped hugging him, and having to bowl 2 overs before we could open Byrnies esky.

Haggas: No-Ball(2),dot,four,dot,two,No-Ball(edge-half volley),four byes,dot.
Jarod: dot,dot,dot,dot,middle stump cartwheels,dot.
Carnegie 1/14 off 2.D Grade: Coles Myer 103 v Reds 3-95 Just as well we played at Lord Reserve last game, because it made FP3 look good on Sunday. Anyone else would have said it was the worst pitch served up at FP in living memory. Not even the Trolley Pushers, fresh from Righetti, could handle it. First to go was Mark Lane, who fell to an embarrassing half-tracker from the Freight Train. Figuring that any bowler who invents their own nickname is a complete wanker, Lane went into a pull shot, forgetting that if the nickname is Freight Train the bowler probably doesn't have the energy to get the ball above knee height. The delivery snivelled down the pitch at ankle level, bounced softly against Lane's boot, and rolled apologetically into middle stump. The dreaded sandshoe-brusher. That, regrettably, was the highlight of Wim's opening spell. The Freight Train became the Garbage Truck, serving up an array of full tosses that disappeared stopping all stations to Caulfield, before he was shunted off to a siding to make way for Thomas the Tank Engine. Who immediately produced a surprise weapon, the ball that bounces exactly once, which their gun bat Sarianides obligingly cut to Rob at gully. We went to drinks with Coles an unhappy 4-36 from 14 overs, their no.4 being all shook up by a ball that reared from just short of a driving length into his helmet.

The next stanza belonged mostly to Coles. Vandenberg, which is German for Vandenhil, turned out to be Dave McNamara without the wit and savour faire, and batted like it until slicing one to Rob at gully and being called through for a kamikaze single by Pratt -- a cool throw from Rob to Tom and off Vandenberg stomped looking for a tree to throw his bat into. We took another drink at 5-82. Then Rickster bowled Pratt with the ball of the day, an outswinger that started on leg, pitched middle, and seamed further to take off-stump. Rickster kept claiming that he was merely hobbling in to bowl, as though it hasn't been happening for ten years. Radio performed the last rites on the innings, and Calypso chipped in for the mandatory cheap stumping of a tail-ender who forgot where his crease was. Bowling honours went to Radio with 4 wickets, well supported by the Rickster with 2 and Thomas the Tank 1-11 from 9. We set out in grim pursuit of 103 on a pitch that kept playing tricks. Rob frustrated Vandenberg to the point where he gave up and bowled off-breaks -- inspirational stuff to his team-mates from the supposed leading bowler in D Grade. Calypso narrowly survived dollying a couple of rearing deliveries to silly point.

After Rob departed, dubiously LBW to a grubber from around the wicket, Clarky and Calypso took us to 1-26 when Clarky lost his off stump to a fluke leg-cutter from a guy trying to bowl off-cutters ... the pitch again. Prober went next ball, unluckily playing on, and it was 3-26. Enter Cailean, who played an innings of great maturity, showing the straightest of straight bats to verything, driving beautifully through the offside, and smacking one sumptuous square drive off the back foot for four. With Calypso picking off bad balls square on both sides of the wicket, we ground our way to 3-95 in 41 overs. Highlight of the final half-hour was Mark Lane moving himself to silly point, then immediately ducking for cover as Calypso shaped to punch off the back foot, only to watch the ball rear into Calypso's gloves and land right beside him. Never mind, we survived.

We resume with Alec 45, Cailean 35, and poised for the kill. Under-14s: St Bernards 92 v Reds 1-11A really good bowling and fielding effort. St Bernards looked ominous at 1-32 from 11, then Sam Thurlow-Cole produced his best bowling spell of the season, well backed up by Azza, to send them reeling to 6-35. McConville, Spinella and Garth, their three best bats, mystifyingly held back to 7,8,9, produced something of a recovery, but 92 was a very ordinary total. Sam took the bowling honours with 3-11 off 6, well backed by Azza 2-12 off 6. With 12 overs to bat, we started badly losing Azza third ball of the innings, but Cailean (5) and Cassie (2) saw us safely through to stumps.
U12B Grade: Taylors Lakes 8-cc-117 v Reds

Winning a toss for a change was a good start to proceedings, especially when playing the team in third place, level with us on points but slightly behind on percentage. We opted to bowl with the grass damp and long and the conditions overcast. The two gun opening bats for Taylors Lakes did well to hold out our pace bowlers, but when they were temporarily retired, Fergus Reilly (2-11 off 7) got a good wicket, beating his man for pace and clipping leg stump.

After some good form in the nets with his medium pacers, Nathan Harding (1-4) then claimed the second wicket, well held by Fergus at point. Having got into the game, we couldn't keep Fergus out of it, because he got another wicket bowled, good reward for a sustained display of pace bowling. Shea Tierney (3-18 off 7), following a couple of overs of economical medium pace, then resumed normal leg-spinning duties, and got three quick wickets, two of them being the first victims to his wrong 'un. Shea himself scrambled a caught and bowled for the first, Gus Kueter-Luks pulled off a very smart stumping for the next, and Marcus Considine then held on to a catch above his head at short cover for the third - all fine examples of the outstanding day we had in the field.

And on the subject of fielding, special mention to Kaisheal Sarson Lawrence, who showed great courage, collecting one drive on the chin from a bad bounce and another with his knee, all without complaint. Matthew Boehm's clean one-handed stop of a well-hit pull shot also deserves a wrap. At 5-46 after 23 overs, we looked ready to bowl them out for under a hundred, especially when Chris Scott (1-17 off 6) cleaned up one of their better batters. Taylors Lakes however batted very sensibly to complete their overs, and although Sam Kerwin (1-20)trapped one of their guns in front in the last over, they managed to edge up to 117. Still, we held together very well - our discipline was good and our overall effort right up there with our best. If we bat to our ability, we can win this one.

U12E Grade: Flemington 6-136 (46 overs) v Reds

Details not available

U10s: Reds 0-cc-76 lost to Socials 5-82

We batted very well, not losing a wicket, with Charlie Roberts making our first 20 compulsory retired. Good support came from Nicky Manley 7. Scoring was difficult because a lot of balls were just too bad to hit. We bowled well in reply, grabbing five wickets, but Socials passed us in the third last over. Wicket takers were Mitchell Wood 2-10, Declan Reilly 1-4 and Wilbur Kueter-Luks 1-10.

Clubrooms campaign

We go to VCAT this Friday for a directions hearing, in which VCAT will decide if we have a case that has to be listened to. The hearing is listed (along with several others) for 10am at ground floor, 55 King St, although the VCAT website (www.vcat.vic.gov.au) the night before may alter the time to later in the day.