Going from strength to strength
What a difference a weekend makes. On the Friday, your humble scribe was contemplating what theme he might go with for ANZA’s fabled sports issue. Fortunately, with ANZACC’s season in full swing and the cricketing gods smiling on the club this year, at least once the game has begun (though often not long enough for us to finish a match!), I was saved from writing a treatise on the art of coin tossing.
While I’m sure a number of our skippers might welcome some insight into an art that somehow bewilders them week after week (Clive Tilbrook being the notable exception), ANZACC’s improving on-field fortunes in the 2010 season demanded the spotlight (thankfully).
Since our last instalment, all side have played league matches. Our 5th grade side, led by Andrew Spain, was looking the goods against the old foe as they racked up a sizeable 208 at the British Club’s home ground. A solid foundation was laid in the first 15 overs by a half-century from Phil “the Younger” McNicholas and Mark “Felix the cat” Cordiner. While neither innings can be said to be chanceless, Cordiner certainly rode his luck, affording the Poms nearly half a dozen opportunities to hone their catching practice on his way to a ‘solid’ 46. Special mention should be made James Dickinson, our Mug of the Month, for his decision to jinx Mark by commenting that “two fifties in the innings would be great”.
Moving up the grades; the Champs, the club best performers in 2009, have had a difficult start in 4th grade’s 2010 season with some very narrow losses. Sadly, regular brain explosions in ANZA’s top order have undone strong bowling and fielding efforts (aided by the spectre of having to wear the dumbo cap should you drop a catch), preventing them from breaking their duck, but their skipper assures the first win is not far off (and is willing to put money on it!).
Third grade opened their account with a Lazarus-esque result against the Police. A solid start from openers Garry Hawker and Shubham Gupta opened the innings on a soggy outfield but a steady procession of wickets made it look like the cops once again had ANZA pretty well pegged. Once Chiro “Jimmy” Gupta strolled out to the crease to join club newcomer Chris Walker at 5/65, however, this perp walk quickly turned into a prison break. Chris, having marked his ANZA debut with a half-century in the previous match, was again on song and accumulated runs almost at will, finishing with his second half-ton in as many games. Chiro, on the other hand, was at his destructive best. The ball disappeared to all parts as “the son of Kerry (Packer)” raced to 50 off a mere 20 balls, finishing with 68 off 34 and propelled Clive Tilbrook’s side to an imposing total of 181.
After the break, Singapore’s finest were contained by some tight bowling from the skipper (4 for 10) and James Howlett. This noose continued to tighten and within a few overs, the cops were reeling at 4/19. Things continued to look rough for the Gurkhas as the bowlers shared the wickets around once the openers took a breather. Eventually they were skittled for 115, giving the side their first win of the season and a hunger for many more.
ANZA’s second grade side, however, were the real stars of the month. Having brushed aside the Kallang Colts a couple of weeks earlier, Mark “Hammer” Christensen’s side took on SIA. Richie Kenner, having flown in especially for the match, was still a little dazed but able to maintain a quiet vigil at one end while Corbon “the corpse” Loughnan came to life. Pat Kelly joined Corbs in the 10th over once Richie decide to do the honourable thing and skied one to the keeper. What followed can politely be described as carnage. The next 12 overs brought 114 runs before Corbs departed in the nervous nineties. The following 12 overs were even more immense, yielding 155 runs Pat Kelly smashed the bowlers to all parts on his way to 146 of 74 balls, including 14 sixes and 7 fours and getting him our SunSense Man of the Month award. At the other end, Dharmik Kumar had relatively quietly gone to 53 off 33 balls. Although the innings finished with a flurry of wickets, ANZA had piled on the pain to score 359 for 8 off its 40 overs. (Note: Pat has been suitably punished for his 150 avoidance).
After decimating the opposition’s top order in the first 3 overs, SIA began to complain they had better visibility landing in Western Europe than against our bowling attack. Fortunately, the umpires agreed with our skipper and demanded play continue. Yet, as SIA had turned into BA, the match came to an unfitting end with ANZA taking the points on a walkout by the air hosties.
Turning to this month’s one remaining award, the Harry’s Hero, won this month by Corbon Loughnan. After regularly taking the helm in Kev Robertson’s absence in the first grade last season, and being a permanent fixture at the top of the run scoring list, Corbs has continued to be the perennial clubman in 2010. Prior to his 100 avoidance against SIA, Corbs took over on a few moments notice (and without his whites!) against MUCC, as Hammer welcomed a new member into his family. Hopefully, Corbs will continue to contribute both on and off the field.
Interested in playing competitive or social cricket in Singapore?
If you’ve recently moved to Singapore and are looking for a new club, or feel like getting back into the thick of the action after taking some time off, e-mail the club at info@anzacc.org.sg or dreamers@anzacc.org.sg and/or come down to the Ceylon Sports Club (101 Balestier Road) on Thursday nights between 6:30 and 8:30 pm for nets and post-practice socialising. Hope to see you there!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Match Report:: ANZA 5th Div versus Mariners CC 2
As Hannibal famously said 'I love it when a plan comes together!'
And that is what happened at Turf City on Sunday when Anza V's, strolled to victory over the hyped up and over excitable (for 8am on a Sunday morning) table topping Mariners XI.
The plan was that good, it was not shared with everyone, only a select few fielders were aware. It was though put into practice from the first over after Anza were put into the field and was repeated numerous times until I ran out of fingers and lost count. The plan was...drop catches.
This might seem strange, but it worked. You see the habit was, well, ahem, catching as Mariners proceeded to drop even more and thus make the chase a little bit easier for us.
This though should not detract from what was an outstanding win from an Anza team that was missing some key players.
After electing to bat the Mariners got off to a fair start as the wet ball proved difficult to control for Anza. Their number one and number 4 both got half century's but the bowlers put together some good spells and ensured the total didn't get out of control.
Younger was the pick, finishing up with a 'michelle' and strangling them at the death, as a score that was looking at the halfway point as though it may hit 250, stumbled to198 all out in the 27th. Spainy, Goodman, Howie and Clarkey all chipped in with wickets supporting the makeshift strike bowler
Honourable mentions must go to Tom 'Mitten Hands' Woods who took a great running catch, and also Clarkey who took what has now become known as the 'cleavage' catch!!
After a rain delay had cost us 2 overs, the Anza openers, Tom Woods and Younger wasted no time in getting stuck into the Mariners bowlers and assisted by 43 dropped catches by their fielders raced us to 79. In the 9th over when Tom left for a good 39 Geoff and Younger departed close together not long after, and this left Jodie and Mark to keep the scoreboard ticking over, which they did, with some lusty blows from Jodie, who eventually departed for an excellent 43. Mark was keeping Jodie company, but not quite middling the ball.
Mark's past though caught up with him soon after, as hidden in the grass in turf city was a disgruntled former debating opponent of his. In about the 20th over this sniper struck and after a quick single Mark hit the deck and we all thought he'd been shot. There was no movement. Turf city as a whole stood still. Clarkey and Younger rushed out to resuscitate him, and soon news filtered back.. He was ok... the shot had missed. He had just got a bit of cramp. After some rousing inspirational words from Clarkey (Man, up and princess, were three of them), Mark did just that and proceeded to middle just about everything including a huge straight six.
Eventually he was dismissed 6 runs shy of his 50, but by then the Mariners were beaten. Shoulders were slumped, their one man cheering band had gone home and Anza sensed the scalp.
Josh did the honours and put the game to bed with 5 balls remaining. A great win for this side against a team who turned up expecting an easy win and with this result Anza have confirmed they are a real chance this year for some silverware.
As BA Baracus, less famously said "I pity the fool who goes out tryin' a' take over da world, then runs home cryin' to his momma!
By Simon Goodman
And that is what happened at Turf City on Sunday when Anza V's, strolled to victory over the hyped up and over excitable (for 8am on a Sunday morning) table topping Mariners XI.
The plan was that good, it was not shared with everyone, only a select few fielders were aware. It was though put into practice from the first over after Anza were put into the field and was repeated numerous times until I ran out of fingers and lost count. The plan was...drop catches.
This might seem strange, but it worked. You see the habit was, well, ahem, catching as Mariners proceeded to drop even more and thus make the chase a little bit easier for us.
This though should not detract from what was an outstanding win from an Anza team that was missing some key players.
After electing to bat the Mariners got off to a fair start as the wet ball proved difficult to control for Anza. Their number one and number 4 both got half century's but the bowlers put together some good spells and ensured the total didn't get out of control.
Younger was the pick, finishing up with a 'michelle' and strangling them at the death, as a score that was looking at the halfway point as though it may hit 250, stumbled to198 all out in the 27th. Spainy, Goodman, Howie and Clarkey all chipped in with wickets supporting the makeshift strike bowler
Honourable mentions must go to Tom 'Mitten Hands' Woods who took a great running catch, and also Clarkey who took what has now become known as the 'cleavage' catch!!
After a rain delay had cost us 2 overs, the Anza openers, Tom Woods and Younger wasted no time in getting stuck into the Mariners bowlers and assisted by 43 dropped catches by their fielders raced us to 79. In the 9th over when Tom left for a good 39 Geoff and Younger departed close together not long after, and this left Jodie and Mark to keep the scoreboard ticking over, which they did, with some lusty blows from Jodie, who eventually departed for an excellent 43. Mark was keeping Jodie company, but not quite middling the ball.
Mark's past though caught up with him soon after, as hidden in the grass in turf city was a disgruntled former debating opponent of his. In about the 20th over this sniper struck and after a quick single Mark hit the deck and we all thought he'd been shot. There was no movement. Turf city as a whole stood still. Clarkey and Younger rushed out to resuscitate him, and soon news filtered back.. He was ok... the shot had missed. He had just got a bit of cramp. After some rousing inspirational words from Clarkey (Man, up and princess, were three of them), Mark did just that and proceeded to middle just about everything including a huge straight six.
Eventually he was dismissed 6 runs shy of his 50, but by then the Mariners were beaten. Shoulders were slumped, their one man cheering band had gone home and Anza sensed the scalp.
Josh did the honours and put the game to bed with 5 balls remaining. A great win for this side against a team who turned up expecting an easy win and with this result Anza have confirmed they are a real chance this year for some silverware.
As BA Baracus, less famously said "I pity the fool who goes out tryin' a' take over da world, then runs home cryin' to his momma!
By Simon Goodman
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Match Report :: Champs vs MUCC Braves at Fernvale, 22nd May, 2010
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It was bowling to a plan, it was batting without one
It began as a day of hope and turned into a day of darkness
And so it was. Saturday afternoon at Fernvale, the scene of so many happy ANZA memories in recent times. The rain had stopped and the ground looked a little slow and to our surprise their captain said “you blokes have a bowl we’ll bat first”.
New chum Lawrence Heavey opened from one end and James Howlett from the other. Both bowled with superb control and soon had the opening batsmen struggling to score on the normally free flowing Fernvale. Two quick wickets from James and suddenly MUCC was struggling at 2 for 20 odd after 6.
Inspired bowling changes kept the pressure on with Feroze and Munib replacing the openers and keeping the scoring in check. A wicket to Munib’s had us on top and with “Ferocious” bowling beautifully from the other end the runs had really dried up. Then just on drinks Feroze struck a vital blow trapping one of MUCC’s batsmen dead in front (and for once the umpires finger went up). Drinks – MUCC 4for 66…and immediately after Feroze struck again trapping the second victim in front. 2 in 2 balls and when Munib picked up his second the Champs were sensing it was going to be our day.
Plenty of spirit from the boys with lots of” let’s not let it slip”. And we didn’t. Ben Yeoh and Phil the Younger came on and kept things tight despite the batsmen starting to have a go. B1 yet again broke a dangerous partnership before James and Lawrence returned to close out the innings. The fielding was on song and the Champs were on top.
A run out off the last ball say MUCC all out for 146. James 3/37, Munib 2/29 (and because you’re a client Munib I won’t mention how many wides), Ben Yeoh 1/15, Lawry 0/33, Phil 0/16 and Feroze was back to his awesome best with 2/15 off six with that rarest of Champs events; a maiden over!
147 to win at Fernvale and we thought here’s the Champs first victory of 2010. The game was ours to lose and in true Champs style that’s when it went pear shaped.
Geoff and Younger opened and looked good for the first 17 balls. Then Geoff unsheathed his infamous pull shot on a slow low pitch and was caught at square leg.
1 for 12.
Homi joined Phil until Phil got a good one and was skittled.
2 for 15.
The procession had begun, as Feroze strode out confidently and expectations were high following his return to form at the bowling crease. Less than 3 over’s later Feroze was caught in the deep and the Champs were a little rattled at 3 for 24.
B2 joined Homi and then had a brain explosion running himself out, ensuring Kit Packing Duties remained in rightful hands.
4 for 26.
Chiro came and went (5 for 29) and when Homi departed with the score at 44, the top six batsmen had contributed a grand total of 24 runs from the bat. The celebration from the MUCC bowler at the fall of Homi’s wicket was a new low and rubbed more than salt into a very raw wound.
Josh Ghosh and Fearless Leader set about holding the innings together, but Munib was bowled and the Champs were plunging deeper into a batting abyss at 7 for 50. Plenty of glum faces and mutterings about “how had it come to this?” in the change rooms. Seven bats back in the shed and half the overs more or less gone…forget the points we were now playing for what was left of our dignity. And any dignity the top 6 had left was completely shredded when Josh and James Howlett set about playing straight, preserving their wickets and pushing the singles for the next 12 overs. But unfortunately the top order had left them too much to do in too little time and eventually Josh fell trying to lift the run rate with the overs running out. Lawrence came and went but B1 steady as a rock along with Jimmy H saw the side past 112 which gave us 2 points.
What started out so promisingly ended with a whimper. Full credit to Josh and James for showing the top order how it is done…
I’d like to say at least we got two points or blame Spainy for hanging around like some ghoulish Angel of Death, but the fact is if the batsmen had applied themselves in the same manner that the bowlers did we would have romped home. Too often we played cavalier shots and lacked a feel for the situation which really just required occupation. It shouldn’t escape that Josh and James had the highest partnership of the match and we still found a way to lose.
The bowlers were excellent, the fielding on song but the guys occupying the top 6-7 spots have to do more than set out to avoid kit packing duties.
The positive is we still have plenty of the season left but it’s a pretty empty feeling to keep losing these games we should be winning. Let’s stick together and make sure the next one counts.
It was bowling to a plan, it was batting without one
It began as a day of hope and turned into a day of darkness
And so it was. Saturday afternoon at Fernvale, the scene of so many happy ANZA memories in recent times. The rain had stopped and the ground looked a little slow and to our surprise their captain said “you blokes have a bowl we’ll bat first”.
New chum Lawrence Heavey opened from one end and James Howlett from the other. Both bowled with superb control and soon had the opening batsmen struggling to score on the normally free flowing Fernvale. Two quick wickets from James and suddenly MUCC was struggling at 2 for 20 odd after 6.
Inspired bowling changes kept the pressure on with Feroze and Munib replacing the openers and keeping the scoring in check. A wicket to Munib’s had us on top and with “Ferocious” bowling beautifully from the other end the runs had really dried up. Then just on drinks Feroze struck a vital blow trapping one of MUCC’s batsmen dead in front (and for once the umpires finger went up). Drinks – MUCC 4for 66…and immediately after Feroze struck again trapping the second victim in front. 2 in 2 balls and when Munib picked up his second the Champs were sensing it was going to be our day.
Plenty of spirit from the boys with lots of” let’s not let it slip”. And we didn’t. Ben Yeoh and Phil the Younger came on and kept things tight despite the batsmen starting to have a go. B1 yet again broke a dangerous partnership before James and Lawrence returned to close out the innings. The fielding was on song and the Champs were on top.
A run out off the last ball say MUCC all out for 146. James 3/37, Munib 2/29 (and because you’re a client Munib I won’t mention how many wides), Ben Yeoh 1/15, Lawry 0/33, Phil 0/16 and Feroze was back to his awesome best with 2/15 off six with that rarest of Champs events; a maiden over!
147 to win at Fernvale and we thought here’s the Champs first victory of 2010. The game was ours to lose and in true Champs style that’s when it went pear shaped.
Geoff and Younger opened and looked good for the first 17 balls. Then Geoff unsheathed his infamous pull shot on a slow low pitch and was caught at square leg.
1 for 12.
Homi joined Phil until Phil got a good one and was skittled.
2 for 15.
The procession had begun, as Feroze strode out confidently and expectations were high following his return to form at the bowling crease. Less than 3 over’s later Feroze was caught in the deep and the Champs were a little rattled at 3 for 24.
B2 joined Homi and then had a brain explosion running himself out, ensuring Kit Packing Duties remained in rightful hands.
4 for 26.
Chiro came and went (5 for 29) and when Homi departed with the score at 44, the top six batsmen had contributed a grand total of 24 runs from the bat. The celebration from the MUCC bowler at the fall of Homi’s wicket was a new low and rubbed more than salt into a very raw wound.
Josh Ghosh and Fearless Leader set about holding the innings together, but Munib was bowled and the Champs were plunging deeper into a batting abyss at 7 for 50. Plenty of glum faces and mutterings about “how had it come to this?” in the change rooms. Seven bats back in the shed and half the overs more or less gone…forget the points we were now playing for what was left of our dignity. And any dignity the top 6 had left was completely shredded when Josh and James Howlett set about playing straight, preserving their wickets and pushing the singles for the next 12 overs. But unfortunately the top order had left them too much to do in too little time and eventually Josh fell trying to lift the run rate with the overs running out. Lawrence came and went but B1 steady as a rock along with Jimmy H saw the side past 112 which gave us 2 points.
What started out so promisingly ended with a whimper. Full credit to Josh and James for showing the top order how it is done…
I’d like to say at least we got two points or blame Spainy for hanging around like some ghoulish Angel of Death, but the fact is if the batsmen had applied themselves in the same manner that the bowlers did we would have romped home. Too often we played cavalier shots and lacked a feel for the situation which really just required occupation. It shouldn’t escape that Josh and James had the highest partnership of the match and we still found a way to lose.
The bowlers were excellent, the fielding on song but the guys occupying the top 6-7 spots have to do more than set out to avoid kit packing duties.
The positive is we still have plenty of the season left but it’s a pretty empty feeling to keep losing these games we should be winning. Let’s stick together and make sure the next one counts.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Match report - ANZA Div 2 vs SIA @ Fernvale 16th May, 2010
After struggling for batsmen all last season it was extremely pleasing to be able to pick 10 of them for this game - Chris Sweet's rapid fire 54* a few weeks back certainly elevated him into that status.
The only non-batsman in our team promptly lost the toss and was shocked to hear the opposition captain say that we could have a bat. Without stating the bleeding obvious, the heat was stifling and we were glad they were out fielding in it. Richie (having just stepped off a flight from the US) and Corbon opened up steadily...or should I say Richie did. Corbs, on the other hand, was in a definite hurry taking 12 off his first three balls faced including a straight hit six that set the tone for the rest of our innings. The score was on 43 in the 9th over when Richie top edged a hook/pull to the keeper for 10. Pat Kelly joined Corbs at the crease, taking the score to 1/75 at the first drinks break. We were targeting another 250+ score.
That all changed after drinks as the runs really started to flow. Both batsmen were scoring off virtually every ball and there were plenty of boundaries amongst them. Corbon brought up his 50 with another four and Pat soon decided that boundaries were much easier than running ones and twos. The run rate since drinks was around 10 an over and both batsmen were approaching their personal milestones. Unfortunately Corbon didn't get there as he skied one to mid wicket for fine 93 off just 60 deliveries. The pair had put on 114 in 12 overs. It was to be the second biggest partnership of the innings.
Two for 157 after 21 overs, and 300+ had become the new target - although not for long. Dharmik was the new man in and wasted little time getting among the runs. His first scoring shot went for six and was followed by Pat reaching his first 50 for ANZA later that over.
The hitting seen in the next 12 overs is best described as brutal. Those 72-odd balls yielded a mammoth 155 unbeaten runs, 122 of them in boundaries (including 17 sixes). Pat had raced along to 89, spent 3 balls in the nervous nineties and then brought up an amazing century with a six over the bowler's head that was still on an upward trajectory as it rocketed over the sightscreen. Not content with a mere ton, he upped the scoring rate even further after that, hitting 40 off the next 10 balls. This included 28 in a single over, one ball of which was a dot. Pat was dismissed soon afterwards, the deep cover fielder taking an athletic one-handed diving catch. His innings of 146 came off just 74 balls with 14 sixes and 7 fours. ANZA were 3 for 312 in the 32nd over.
At the other end and virtually unnoticed, Dharmik had snuck up to 45 off 30 balls and brought up his second 50 in succession with a lofted six. He was caught a few balls later for 53. With 350 now looking likely, the middle order came out with just one intention. Pete, Gav & Chris all cleared the rope before Tony, Paul & Ash took us to a mammoth 359 off our 40 overs. The innings had featured 28 sixes.
With storm clouds on the horizon we wanted to get the minimum 16 overs bowled as soon as we could. SIA needed to reach a Duckworth/Lewis/Parabola target of 184 off 16 overs and then hope that it rained. They weren't going to win it any other way. Their opener made his intentions clear immediately. He took 15 off the first over from yours truly including a nick through slips and a French cut. However Ash Perrott at 2nd slip pocketed a sharp chance off Chris Sweet next over and their opener was gone. The game then turned farcical as the new batsman immediately complained about the light to the umpires. Ordered to keep playing, the other opener took off for a quick single on a ball hit to mid on. Tony Edmondstone picked it up and knocked the one stump he had to aim at out of the ground with the batsman well short. The new man was in no hurry to get onto the field despite the umpires maintaining that the light was still sufficient for the game to continue. Their captain argued the decision with the umps for a few minutes, the new batsman finally made it to the crease and four balls later was back in the sheds as Chris removed his off stump. Three for 19 off four. The SIA captain then refused to send the next batsman out to the middle. Their not-out batsman was happy to continue and was quite embarrassed by the whole scenario. The light hadn't changed much and the umpires' decision to continue play remained unchanged. SIA were told they would forfeit the match if they refused to play but their captain was belligerent and ANZA was awarded a forfeit with maximum points. Despite the 10 points, it was a disappointing way to end what had been a very memorable game.
Proud Skipper
ANZA 8 for 359 off 40 overs (28x6)
Pat Kelly 146 off 74 balls (14x6, 7x4)
Corbon Loughnan 93 off 60 (5x6, 7x4)
Dharmik Kumar 53 off 33 (5x6, 2x4)
SIA 3 for 19 off 4 overs
Chris Sweet 2 wickets for 1 off 2 overs
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Match Report Anza Div III vs Police at Police Ground
ANZA III's season got on the board with a resounding win against the Police, a team which has proved a real bogey side to the club over the past few years.
This really was a smashing victory in every sense of the word as batters and bowlers combined to leave the Police reeling after they seemed to be on course for yet another win against the Club.
The late arrival of the Police riot bus meant the game got off to a delayed 30 minute start by which time Clive had tossed to take advantage of the 33 degree heat and opt for extra time in the shade for the team.
A very heavy ground saw Garry and Shubham get off to a solid and steady start before before Shubham edged one behind and left for a well made 15. Garry went a few runs later to bring royal pair candidate Phil Davies in to join second gamer but already a half century scorer, Chris Walker.
The two came in for drinks at 51 with both looking comfortable playing dabs and drives (I'll let you work out who did what). But as is standard form now for ANZA, drink had proved a downfall for all of us over the years. Phil, Geoff and Clive all left in pretty quick succession without adding too much and at 5-65 at the end of the 19th over, it looked like early doughnut time for Singapore's Finest.
However in came Chiro and in a eye catching performance turned the game right on it's head and took us from hoping to crack 100 to wondering if 200 was possible. Chiro proceeded to tee off against everything the Police sent his way. A 50 in just 20 balls was built around one 25 run over where Chiro smacked four big 6s in consecutive balls. Just to prove he could swing from both ends, Chiro then took 18 from the next over.
Almost unnoticed in all this was another excellent innings by Chris who notched up yet another well paced 50 and he really is looking the goods for the season.
Chiro finally gave in to swing exhaustion and was bowled for 68 made off just 34 balls and which included seven 7s and three 4s.
Spainy added some additional pain including a six which even caused the Police Captain to remark that just benchmarked how poor they were performing.
On that pitch and ground our score of 181 would take some chasing down.
Their chances of doing this was pretty much at an end within 10 minutes of the re-start as skipper Clive's first two over see him end with figures of 3 for 6. Helped by some very tight bowling from James Howlett at the other end, our opening 9 overs saw the Police reeling at 4 for 19.
In fact it would not be till the 11th over that the Police total more runs than Chiro scored in just one over.
Chris had a good all round game picking up another wicket. However the other key performer of the day was Rohan whose crafty flight saw him pick up three wickets in a somewhat surprising seven over spell. yes seven overs according to the book. Thank you umpires. Thank you scorers.
Shubham wrapped up the tail with 2 wickets in two balls and he's now on a hat trick in the next game.
So in the end the Police were taken out by the outlaws for just 115 runs and thus a comprehensive and well-deserved victory for the IIIs who become the third ANZA team to notch up a win for the season. Excellent stuff.
Batting
Chiro Gupta 68
Chris Walker 51
Shubham Gupta 15
Andrew Spain 13no
Bowling
Clive Tillbrook 4-10 (5 overs)
Rohan Wilson 3-46 (7 overs)
Shubham Gupta 2-10 (2.3 overs)
This really was a smashing victory in every sense of the word as batters and bowlers combined to leave the Police reeling after they seemed to be on course for yet another win against the Club.
The late arrival of the Police riot bus meant the game got off to a delayed 30 minute start by which time Clive had tossed to take advantage of the 33 degree heat and opt for extra time in the shade for the team.
A very heavy ground saw Garry and Shubham get off to a solid and steady start before before Shubham edged one behind and left for a well made 15. Garry went a few runs later to bring royal pair candidate Phil Davies in to join second gamer but already a half century scorer, Chris Walker.
The two came in for drinks at 51 with both looking comfortable playing dabs and drives (I'll let you work out who did what). But as is standard form now for ANZA, drink had proved a downfall for all of us over the years. Phil, Geoff and Clive all left in pretty quick succession without adding too much and at 5-65 at the end of the 19th over, it looked like early doughnut time for Singapore's Finest.
However in came Chiro and in a eye catching performance turned the game right on it's head and took us from hoping to crack 100 to wondering if 200 was possible. Chiro proceeded to tee off against everything the Police sent his way. A 50 in just 20 balls was built around one 25 run over where Chiro smacked four big 6s in consecutive balls. Just to prove he could swing from both ends, Chiro then took 18 from the next over.
Almost unnoticed in all this was another excellent innings by Chris who notched up yet another well paced 50 and he really is looking the goods for the season.
Chiro finally gave in to swing exhaustion and was bowled for 68 made off just 34 balls and which included seven 7s and three 4s.
Spainy added some additional pain including a six which even caused the Police Captain to remark that just benchmarked how poor they were performing.
On that pitch and ground our score of 181 would take some chasing down.
Their chances of doing this was pretty much at an end within 10 minutes of the re-start as skipper Clive's first two over see him end with figures of 3 for 6. Helped by some very tight bowling from James Howlett at the other end, our opening 9 overs saw the Police reeling at 4 for 19.
In fact it would not be till the 11th over that the Police total more runs than Chiro scored in just one over.
Chris had a good all round game picking up another wicket. However the other key performer of the day was Rohan whose crafty flight saw him pick up three wickets in a somewhat surprising seven over spell. yes seven overs according to the book. Thank you umpires. Thank you scorers.
Shubham wrapped up the tail with 2 wickets in two balls and he's now on a hat trick in the next game.
So in the end the Police were taken out by the outlaws for just 115 runs and thus a comprehensive and well-deserved victory for the IIIs who become the third ANZA team to notch up a win for the season. Excellent stuff.
Batting
Chiro Gupta 68
Chris Walker 51
Shubham Gupta 15
Andrew Spain 13no
Bowling
Clive Tillbrook 4-10 (5 overs)
Rohan Wilson 3-46 (7 overs)
Shubham Gupta 2-10 (2.3 overs)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Match report ANZA V vs British Club at British Club
When all was said and done, rain looked like the winner at the end of the day...
ANZA V looked to continue its winning streak (currently at 1) on Saturday, against the British Club. Spainy kept his perfect record with the toss, and we were put in to bat under sunny skies and on a slightly bouncy track.
The new opening combination of Tom Woods (14) and Phil McNicholas put on 48 runs in 6 overs, to set the perfect platform. Phil and Mark Cordiner then took the score through to 93 without further loss at drinks.
Discovering he was 3 short of his maiden 50, Phil sent the first ball after drinks to the fence to bring up the landmark. He celebrated by repeating the shot, except aiming straight at the midwicket fieldsman, departing for 51 off 48.
Josh Ghosh (20 off 12) entered and the next four overs yielded 43 runs, before he was bowled by a straight delivery. Mark (46) was finally dismissed LBW, after 4 catches went down off his batting. Jodie Watcher (13) was snaffled by Bacon, Howard Pederson (16) was also caught, and James Dickinson (10) was bowled as he tried to free his arms.
Special mention goes to Peter Clarke who was run out coming back for a second off a wide, departing with 0 from 0.
At the end of our innings, ANZA V was 207 all out off 29.5 overs, with the skipper (and current Harry's Hero) carrying his bat (8*). A fair score, given that 200 was the target, but probably a few short of a knock-out.
The response started well for ANZA, with Lawrence Heavey starting with a maiden, and taking a wicket off the first ball of his second over. But with the British Club 20-1 off 3 overs, the rain started. And despite some initial optimism from the skipper that we'd be back out in half an hour, even the most die-hard cricketers would have admitted defeat to the weather about the time Dunearn Road was submerged by the canal.
So the game was called off and the points shared accordingly. And, when all was said and done, the bar at the British Club was probably the biggest winner at the end of the day...
By Mark Cordiner (formerly undiscovered talent)
ANZA V looked to continue its winning streak (currently at 1) on Saturday, against the British Club. Spainy kept his perfect record with the toss, and we were put in to bat under sunny skies and on a slightly bouncy track.
The new opening combination of Tom Woods (14) and Phil McNicholas put on 48 runs in 6 overs, to set the perfect platform. Phil and Mark Cordiner then took the score through to 93 without further loss at drinks.
Discovering he was 3 short of his maiden 50, Phil sent the first ball after drinks to the fence to bring up the landmark. He celebrated by repeating the shot, except aiming straight at the midwicket fieldsman, departing for 51 off 48.
Josh Ghosh (20 off 12) entered and the next four overs yielded 43 runs, before he was bowled by a straight delivery. Mark (46) was finally dismissed LBW, after 4 catches went down off his batting. Jodie Watcher (13) was snaffled by Bacon, Howard Pederson (16) was also caught, and James Dickinson (10) was bowled as he tried to free his arms.
Special mention goes to Peter Clarke who was run out coming back for a second off a wide, departing with 0 from 0.
At the end of our innings, ANZA V was 207 all out off 29.5 overs, with the skipper (and current Harry's Hero) carrying his bat (8*). A fair score, given that 200 was the target, but probably a few short of a knock-out.
The response started well for ANZA, with Lawrence Heavey starting with a maiden, and taking a wicket off the first ball of his second over. But with the British Club 20-1 off 3 overs, the rain started. And despite some initial optimism from the skipper that we'd be back out in half an hour, even the most die-hard cricketers would have admitted defeat to the weather about the time Dunearn Road was submerged by the canal.
So the game was called off and the points shared accordingly. And, when all was said and done, the bar at the British Club was probably the biggest winner at the end of the day...
By Mark Cordiner (formerly undiscovered talent)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Match report ANZA 1s vs MUCC, 8 May 2010
With Mrs Skipper popping out a wee skip early in the morning of the match there was a late change to the team with Geoff Forday coming in at very short notice – thanks Geoff. In all the excitement stand-in skipper Corbon left his whites at home so Phil went out for the toss in his place and won. Note to self, hide the whites next time you stand in and make someone else toss again, it works better.
Corbon, in borrowed whites, and Richie opened up and with help from the bowlers Anza raced to 39 before Corbon played a limp shot to mid-off at the end of the 5th over. Pat (49) joined Richie (53) and the two added a further 88 runs. Both started to struggle in the heat and 3 wickets fell quickly before Phil and Paul started a recovery and at drinks (26 overs) the score was 166-4 with a lot of batting to come – looking good for another 250 odd score. However the heavens opened during drinks and with the ground resembling a lake the game was called off without a result.
Corbon, in borrowed whites, and Richie opened up and with help from the bowlers Anza raced to 39 before Corbon played a limp shot to mid-off at the end of the 5th over. Pat (49) joined Richie (53) and the two added a further 88 runs. Both started to struggle in the heat and 3 wickets fell quickly before Phil and Paul started a recovery and at drinks (26 overs) the score was 166-4 with a lot of batting to come – looking good for another 250 odd score. However the heavens opened during drinks and with the ground resembling a lake the game was called off without a result.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Match report ANZA 1s vs SCA Colts, 2 May 2010
The game got off to a rare good start when we won the toss and elected to bat. The SCA Juniors were unfortunately short of players and played with only 9, leaving plenty of gaps on the field.
The juniors opened the bowling with a senior, player-coach Mahesh, bowling slow mediums. Richie was brilliantly snapped up by a tubling first slip second ball and Pat mistimed a pull from a very short ball straight into the hands of midwicket to leave ANZA 0-2 after the first over. Corbon and David settled things down again adding 60 for the third wicket before Corbon was given LBW for 33. Dharmik and David continued the restoration adding another 20 runs before David skied a catch (25) to set off a mini collapse. With some help from the umpires and some poor shot selection ANZA slipped to 84-6, in some trouble. However Dharmik found a solid partner in Paul and they put on 64 runs together before Paul was caught for 22. Chris Sweet then gave good support to Dharmik before cutting loose to great effect in the last few overs. They added 103 runs undefeated for the 8th wicket, Dharmik finishing with a chanceless 92 no and Chris 54 no, including 5 sixes and his last 44 runs off just 14 deliveries.
This innings saw both of Anza's usual batting faults, no 'big' score and too few significant contributions, solved and the final total was 251-7
Mark started with some very hostile bowling and quickly had one of the young openers back with just 9 runs on the board. However ex-Singaporean player (what, he's 17? and still an ex-Singaporean (senior) player) Timothy Singham was looking totally in control and found good support from his no 3 Rezza as they added 64 for the 2nd wicket before Pat broke the partnership. After that wickets fell at regular intervals as Ash chipped away at the batting and Timothy flourished at the other. However after James too a good running catch over his head from Ash's bowling with eth score at 123-5, Timothy was forced to try and up his pace and hit Ash straight to Corbon at point next ball. The SCA lower order kept contributing though and after Ash finished his spell with 4-43 the last man in, Mahesh, counterattacked hard. The last pair added 64 to take SCA to 212-8 before the last wicket fell. Things may have been a lot closer if SCA had of had a full compliment of players.
Standout performances from Dharmik 92no, Chris Sweet 54no and Ash Perrott 4-31. However it was overall a good team win with contributions from many sources.
The juniors opened the bowling with a senior, player-coach Mahesh, bowling slow mediums. Richie was brilliantly snapped up by a tubling first slip second ball and Pat mistimed a pull from a very short ball straight into the hands of midwicket to leave ANZA 0-2 after the first over. Corbon and David settled things down again adding 60 for the third wicket before Corbon was given LBW for 33. Dharmik and David continued the restoration adding another 20 runs before David skied a catch (25) to set off a mini collapse. With some help from the umpires and some poor shot selection ANZA slipped to 84-6, in some trouble. However Dharmik found a solid partner in Paul and they put on 64 runs together before Paul was caught for 22. Chris Sweet then gave good support to Dharmik before cutting loose to great effect in the last few overs. They added 103 runs undefeated for the 8th wicket, Dharmik finishing with a chanceless 92 no and Chris 54 no, including 5 sixes and his last 44 runs off just 14 deliveries.
This innings saw both of Anza's usual batting faults, no 'big' score and too few significant contributions, solved and the final total was 251-7
Mark started with some very hostile bowling and quickly had one of the young openers back with just 9 runs on the board. However ex-Singaporean player (what, he's 17? and still an ex-Singaporean (senior) player) Timothy Singham was looking totally in control and found good support from his no 3 Rezza as they added 64 for the 2nd wicket before Pat broke the partnership. After that wickets fell at regular intervals as Ash chipped away at the batting and Timothy flourished at the other. However after James too a good running catch over his head from Ash's bowling with eth score at 123-5, Timothy was forced to try and up his pace and hit Ash straight to Corbon at point next ball. The SCA lower order kept contributing though and after Ash finished his spell with 4-43 the last man in, Mahesh, counterattacked hard. The last pair added 64 to take SCA to 212-8 before the last wicket fell. Things may have been a lot closer if SCA had of had a full compliment of players.
Standout performances from Dharmik 92no, Chris Sweet 54no and Ash Perrott 4-31. However it was overall a good team win with contributions from many sources.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Anza Magazine Article Jun 2010..
The 2010 cricket season has begun and the signs are promising
Philip McNicholas takes us through events thus far
ANZACC’s 2010 season has gotten off to a promising, if not winning, start with many players putting in commendable efforts.
Our new 5th grade side has gotten off to a great start, recovering from a difficult first match to post a strong victory that could have turned out very differently. In the first match, on the recently re-added and relatively small GIIS ground, the weather and Captain Andrew Spain’s atrocious luck with coins conspired against the team. The outfield was sluggish to say the least and keeping your footing was difficult. This made things particularly difficult for the side as unlike other clubs in Singapore, most ANZACC players are often reluctant to use the aerial route. Thankfully, James Dickinson is not one who is encumbered by this affliction. His arrival at number 5 in the order and a swift 48 helped push the team to 140 in their 24 overs. After a “modest” tea, Captain Spain and his side set about defending the total. Sadly, the short boundaries made this a difficult task, and the opposition were swift to reach the total.
The highlight of the ANZACC innings in that match (and winner of our new Mug of the Month award) goes to the skipper for his dismissal. Having missed a cover drive, and sensing something was amiss with his technique, the captain chose to practice his shot to ensure it did not happen again. Unbeknownst to him, and much to the amusement of his teammates after the game, the opposition keeper was alert enough to notice the batsman remained out of his crease. The keeper then casually threw the stumps down with a gentle underarm lob in between the third and fourth practice swings. Needless to say, Spainy was not pleased.
In their second match, the weather and the skipper’s problems with coins continued to dog the side. Once again, ANZA was sent in to bat on a well sodden outfield and boundaries were at a premium. Matters were not helped by glacially slow bowling and batsmen with as much patience as a toddler on Christmas eve, leading the side to be 3 for 30 off the first 6 overs. Fortunately, a string of partnerships, involving Phil “the Younger” McNicholas, Jodie Watcher and Koushik Muruthy helped guide the side to a somewhat respectable 140. Sadly, a rush of blood also reached the Younger’s head, bringing the innings to a close with 7 overs still remaining. A display of disciplined and hostile bowling from new ball pair James Dickinson and Lawrence Heavey got ANZA off to a great start with 3 wickets in the first 7 overs. Supporting bowlers then came on to turn the screw, especially Peter “El Presidente” Clarke who took 4 wickets, including a juggling effort that would not have looked out of place in a circus. The gung-ho batting mentality of the opposition and a fantastic effort in the field eventually led ANZA to a 40 run victory, giving Captain Spain and his team the first ANZA league win of 2010.
The other league side to venture onto the field so far this year was the ANZA Champs, beginning their 2010 campaign in the 4th division. The end-of-season break took its toll on a number of the bowlers as they struggled to find their range, adding about 40 to the opposition total. Others, such as Ben Yeoh who took 4-41, used the time well and reaped the rewards. Fortunately, the fielding effort stemmed the flow of runs, keeping their target to 206 off 30 overs. The batsmen then went about their work, with newcomer Ashwin Sanketh (20 off 24 balls) and stalwart Geoff Forday (34 off 42 balls) kept the runs ticking over but Geoff departed shortly after drinks, bringing the skipper, and our SunSense Man of the Month for June, Munib Madni to the crease. His valiant and violent 60 off 32 balls took his team close to the brink of victory. Sadly, his wicket fell with 20 runs still to get off less than 10 balls and with it, the chances of victory grew slim. In the end, the Champs were 14 runs short, but gained some valuable match practice as well as signs that a good season with both bat and ball awaits.
We have created a new award to honour other notable on- and off-field achievements by ANZA players, the Harry’s Hero award. In a strange twist of fate, the inaugural winner is 5th grade captain Andrew Spain. Not only in his brief reign has he clinched ANZA’s first victory of the season, but he has also taken it upon himself to help his team gel and get to know one another through hosting a number of social gatherings early in the season.
Philip McNicholas takes us through events thus far
ANZACC’s 2010 season has gotten off to a promising, if not winning, start with many players putting in commendable efforts.
Our new 5th grade side has gotten off to a great start, recovering from a difficult first match to post a strong victory that could have turned out very differently. In the first match, on the recently re-added and relatively small GIIS ground, the weather and Captain Andrew Spain’s atrocious luck with coins conspired against the team. The outfield was sluggish to say the least and keeping your footing was difficult. This made things particularly difficult for the side as unlike other clubs in Singapore, most ANZACC players are often reluctant to use the aerial route. Thankfully, James Dickinson is not one who is encumbered by this affliction. His arrival at number 5 in the order and a swift 48 helped push the team to 140 in their 24 overs. After a “modest” tea, Captain Spain and his side set about defending the total. Sadly, the short boundaries made this a difficult task, and the opposition were swift to reach the total.
The highlight of the ANZACC innings in that match (and winner of our new Mug of the Month award) goes to the skipper for his dismissal. Having missed a cover drive, and sensing something was amiss with his technique, the captain chose to practice his shot to ensure it did not happen again. Unbeknownst to him, and much to the amusement of his teammates after the game, the opposition keeper was alert enough to notice the batsman remained out of his crease. The keeper then casually threw the stumps down with a gentle underarm lob in between the third and fourth practice swings. Needless to say, Spainy was not pleased.
In their second match, the weather and the skipper’s problems with coins continued to dog the side. Once again, ANZA was sent in to bat on a well sodden outfield and boundaries were at a premium. Matters were not helped by glacially slow bowling and batsmen with as much patience as a toddler on Christmas eve, leading the side to be 3 for 30 off the first 6 overs. Fortunately, a string of partnerships, involving Phil “the Younger” McNicholas, Jodie Watcher and Koushik Muruthy helped guide the side to a somewhat respectable 140. Sadly, a rush of blood also reached the Younger’s head, bringing the innings to a close with 7 overs still remaining. A display of disciplined and hostile bowling from new ball pair James Dickinson and Lawrence Heavey got ANZA off to a great start with 3 wickets in the first 7 overs. Supporting bowlers then came on to turn the screw, especially Peter “El Presidente” Clarke who took 4 wickets, including a juggling effort that would not have looked out of place in a circus. The gung-ho batting mentality of the opposition and a fantastic effort in the field eventually led ANZA to a 40 run victory, giving Captain Spain and his team the first ANZA league win of 2010.
The other league side to venture onto the field so far this year was the ANZA Champs, beginning their 2010 campaign in the 4th division. The end-of-season break took its toll on a number of the bowlers as they struggled to find their range, adding about 40 to the opposition total. Others, such as Ben Yeoh who took 4-41, used the time well and reaped the rewards. Fortunately, the fielding effort stemmed the flow of runs, keeping their target to 206 off 30 overs. The batsmen then went about their work, with newcomer Ashwin Sanketh (20 off 24 balls) and stalwart Geoff Forday (34 off 42 balls) kept the runs ticking over but Geoff departed shortly after drinks, bringing the skipper, and our SunSense Man of the Month for June, Munib Madni to the crease. His valiant and violent 60 off 32 balls took his team close to the brink of victory. Sadly, his wicket fell with 20 runs still to get off less than 10 balls and with it, the chances of victory grew slim. In the end, the Champs were 14 runs short, but gained some valuable match practice as well as signs that a good season with both bat and ball awaits.
We have created a new award to honour other notable on- and off-field achievements by ANZA players, the Harry’s Hero award. In a strange twist of fate, the inaugural winner is 5th grade captain Andrew Spain. Not only in his brief reign has he clinched ANZA’s first victory of the season, but he has also taken it upon himself to help his team gel and get to know one another through hosting a number of social gatherings early in the season.
Interested in playing competitive or social cricket in Singapore?
If you’ve recently moved to Singapore and are looking for a new club, or feel like getting back into the thick of the action after taking some time off, e-mail the club at info@anzacc.org.sg or dreamers@anzacc.org.sg and/or come down to the Ceylon Sports Club (101 Balestier Road) on Thursday nights between 6:30 and 8:30 pm for nets and post-practice socialising. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ANZA III vs Horizon Match Report
The early arrival of players at Fernvale A meant a stress-free beginning to the season for the skipper. Clive won the toss and decided to bat with the instruction to bat the 30 overs. James and Garry gave a solid opening stand of 26. Chris Walker came out and proceeded to bat beautifully holding the innings together. Support came from Geoff Forday, Chiro and Rohan before we ended at 7/150. The III's leadership group (Clive and Phil) lasted 3 balls (2 of them legal) for 0 runs. A solid start to the season but may be 30 runs short of what we needed.
Horizon came out batting like a whirlwind reaching 1/51 after 6 overs. Rohan and John Dick came on slowing things down with them 1/105 after 12 overs. They maintained that rate ending up passing us in 18 overs.
I was happy with solid batting of many and the bowling and fielding was good. We need to score a few more runs and slow the opposition down.
Chris Walker 66 off 57 balls, 1 for 32
Garry Hawker 17
Chiro 15
Clive 1 for 34
Rohan 1 for 35
Clive
Horizon came out batting like a whirlwind reaching 1/51 after 6 overs. Rohan and John Dick came on slowing things down with them 1/105 after 12 overs. They maintained that rate ending up passing us in 18 overs.
I was happy with solid batting of many and the bowling and fielding was good. We need to score a few more runs and slow the opposition down.
Chris Walker 66 off 57 balls, 1 for 32
Garry Hawker 17
Chiro 15
Clive 1 for 34
Rohan 1 for 35
Clive
