In round 4 action we took on Georges River and it was a good weekend with us picking up 3 wins. The hightlight being Cameron Watson’s hat trick in 1^st grade. On Sunday we saw the U/24s get up in a thriller against  North West Sydney and 5^th  grade get up comfortably against Lane Cove.

   

1^st Grade 249 defeated Georges River 157 with 1BP

Cam lost the toss and we were sent in on a deck that looked like it might do a little bit early. We lost wickets at regular intervals and it was 79 from Matt Burton, 30 from Paul Greentree and 20 from the skipper that saw us all out for 249. Not the best score at Bexley oval but definitely defendable.

 

In the bowling stakes it was Cooky who got a wicket 1^st ball then pulled up lame with a torn hammy. Kirwan and Stevens chipped in for 1 apiece but it was Ash Vella and Cameron Watson that did all the damage  with Ash taking 2-31 and Cameron taking 4-18 including a hat trick taking the last 3 wickets to fall in consecutive balls to wrap up a comfortable victory.

  

2^nd Grade 5-132 defeated Georges River 128 with 2BP

Raoul won the toss and decided to have 1^st use of the muggy conditions and it paid dividends routing the River boys for 128. Maxy was his usual economical self taking 3-28 off 10. Charlie took 3-34, at his happy hunting ground where he has taken 15 wickets at 7.33 on George Parry oval, Shan picked up 2 and the skipper picked up one as the bowling honours were shared.

 

 We set about chasing the 2 BP’s but lost 3 early wickets to be struggling at 3-35. Maxy and Bulla then steadied the ship and got the score to 75 before Max was caught for 21. Another quick wicket saw us 5-96 but JNo, 19*, and Bulla, 61*, got us across the line with 4 balls to spare to get the 2 bonus points that see 2’s top of the table.

 

3^rd Grade 180 lost to Georges River 191

The least said about this game the better. We were outclassed by the better side on the day in all facets. It was one of the flattest performances I have seen from a 3^rd grade side in a long time and we need to lift next week if we are going to play a Mac uni side that always rise to the occasion against us.

 

Burto lost the toss and we were asked to have a field on a dusty pitch that looked like it would turn. Burto got us off to a good start only going for 1 run in his 1^st four overs and Szades picked up a wicket at the other end to leave them struggling early. MT picked up a wicket and at 2-32 we should of pressed on but our bowling was wayward and too short and the 2 batsmen punished us, me in particular. Enter Tony Ross who used all his guile and nous to get us back in the game taking 5-27 off 10. Szades picked up 2 and Burto and MT one apiece and a nice run out to Emmy, that was almost butchered by Nath Ross, saw us use one get out of jail card for the day.

 

Q    What is an Auburn 3^rd grade game without a collapse? 

 

A    A rarity.

 

6-23 and the fight back starts, Nath Ross smoked 24 before holing out which saw us get back into the  match but it was Mitch Wakeford 74 and Pete Bastow  43* that saw us get ourselves back into a winning position but when Mitch was run out it was me out 1 ball later and Szades 2 balls later to give the River boys the points.

 

Well done to GR a great performance by them. Their fielding was sensational.  

 

4^th Grade 7-194 beat Georges River 191

Dewahs reports:

 

The sun was out and it was a hot day at Dave Tribolet oval. A good start by the Eagles when Jewy won the toss and rightly sent Georges River in on a deck that looked liked it had a bit in it. Croucher, 3-13,  got the early break through with the 3^rd ball of the day with good rock that beat the batsmen for pace. Croucher continued to have the batsmen hopping about the crease with some quick bowling. Jewy toiled well from the other end and Auburn soon had their second wicket.

 

Jewy made a double change brought Dewahs and Big T.M  on with both picking up early wickets and having Georges River reeling at 4-37. Big T.M bowled well with no luck having three genuine chances against their top run scorer who took it to the Auburn attack.

 

Flash joined the attack and bowled well in bowling 10 in straight. Flash he ended up with well earned figures of 4-61 putting an end to the G R come back.

 

Parcel and Sheargold bowled in tandem and kept runs to a minium.  Auburn eventually had G R all out for 191.

 

A terrible start with the bat saw Sheargold gone in the first over bring Raffee to the crease only to have TM go a short time later. Dewahs joined Raffee and both went about playing their shots. Raffee was unlucky to go on a delivery that kicked and found his glove.

 

Flash joined Dewahs and both started to score runs freely increasing the rate. Dewahs fell shortly after drinks for a well made 56 bringing young Parcel to the crease. Unlike his old brother Parcel mixed aggression with patient batting making 19 before being caught of the fence by what can only be described as an absolute speccy. Rob Leonard and Matt Wilton both played unselfishly attempting to score a bonus point, but it was Flash who hit the winning runs as he cemented his all-rounder status giving the selectors something to think about as he made his way to a great knock of 63 not out.

 

5^th Grade 8-219 defeated Lane Cove 128 with a BP

JA won the toss and had no hesitation in having a bat on Dave Tribolet highway. With only 9 players the Scarecrow got a late call up. We lost a wicket early but Boods and BT then smashed the bowling everywhere which saw us going at 5 an over early. BT went for a quick 33. Peter Ananin was unlucky to be out to a good catch and this started a mini-collapse which saw us lose 5-20 in 5 overs. Enter Pottsy who with yours truly got the innings going again. Putting on 49 for the 8^th wicket to get the score to 198 with 5 overs remaining before I holed out for 38. Pottsy ended on 31* and JA was unbeaten to leave us  8-219 off our allotment.

 

Moose picked up 2 early ones, both edges one to Richard and one to me, to have the Coves in early trouble and scaring the bejesus out of their number 3. Moose bowled with great pace the quickest I have seen him bowl. Up the other end Pete Camlleri bowled well without luck. Enter Pottsy who picked up their number 4 who was looking dangerous with a nice caught and bowled. A wicket to Din Bakshi, who changes his run up every ball, and saw the Coves in serious trouble with the run rate well over 7 by this stage. I picked up 2 wickets in 2 balls and narrowly missed a hattrick. BT bowled their skipper between his legs and I picked up another 2 and with a nice run out to finish the match it was the good guys getting up a victory. One thing 5s definitely need to improve is their singing of the club song.

 

U24s 166 defeated North West Sydney Hurricanes 150

A good start to the season with 24’s getting up in a thriller over our western rivals NWS. Woody lost his 1^st toss as skipper and we were sent in to bat on a good George Parry deck. Jamie was out early LBW for 7. Will went soon after for 16. Stevens made a good 30 despite being dropped twice in 2 balls some hitting by the Vella’s, senior made 24 and junior made 15, but it was Tim Affleck that held the innings together making 27.

 

Szades dismissed ex Eagle Frendo early and Charlie and Stevens both picked up early ones to have them in trouble chasing the small total. A good partnership saw them get to 118 and us desperately in need of a break through. Enter Ash Vella who spun the match back our way taking 5-35 off 10. Tim also picked up a wicket and Stevens completed the win bowling their number 11.

 

An escape for U24s but a win none the less to get the season off to a good start.

  

Ask Burto

 

Burto was asked why is it better to play for Auburn than Mac Uni and came up with the following:

 

1. We’ve been wearing Green & Gold longer.
2. It’s free to park your car at Mona Park.
3. You don’t have to walk for 15 minutes to get tea.
4. Ned’s Kitchen.
5. Last year’s Frank Grey Q/F.
6. Students get no respect, Eagles do.
7. We already have a train station.
8. We host cricket, not Frisbee championships.
9. We’ve got jobs so don’t have time to write a list of 115 things.
10. We’ll finish the season ahead of Mac Uni in the Club Championship.
11. Eddie Aphiawongse left there, so it can’t be that good.
12. We have Don????
13. Our groundsmen have the best hair.
14. Our groundsmen won Ground of the Year last year.
15. Changerooms.
16. Toilets.
17. Shade.
18. We can get drinks ready in 2 overs, not have to give a 5 over warning for guys to start trekking.
19. The Eagle will get that Squirrel soon….

 

 

And DB has compiled a list of the greatest number elevens to play for Auburn. Not sure how I didn’t get a run in this list but anyway here it is:

 

Over the last twelve seasons I’ve seen some good number 11 batsmen. This is how I rank the top 10 starting with 10^th.

10. Jason Dowling – Very ugly but could hit the ball a long way. Loved a good bottom hand slog across the line. Would play the same if the scores were 9/50 or 9/300; tough on the captain.

9. Matt McDermott – Finished with more red ink than Steve Waugh. Matt was a reliable batsmen who had only one shot, the sweep shot. If you skippered against him, you’d only need three blokes. The bowler, keeper and a backward square. Based his batting on Michael Potter’s technique.

8. Brad Stone – Stoney’s batting was as reliable as his off spinners. Never hit one off the square but had a good ability to work it around and build a partnership with the bloke at the other end.  Still in a quandary as to whether he ran out Mark Koszek for 49 in a match in 95/96 or Koszek ran himself out. Discussion has been known to resurface over the years.

7. Ijaz Khan – Only a recent member of the Auburn squad but has plenty of comedic potential. His appealing, his lack of English, and his fielding all guarantee a few laughs in the day. His batting is of an old fashioned number 11, relying on only two things, a charge and a good eye. With Ijaz its never boring, its usually four, nothing or out.

6. Danny Dawson – Went from a bloke who couldn’t hold the stick to scoring some runs in the top order in 4s and 5s. Had plenty of self belief with bat and ball. May have had some influence on Croucher and Slim in the bowling stakes. His beamers were always dangerous.

5. Mick Potter – Solid as they come. Could bat for hours and still be on nought but it would be a extremely solid zero. Based his batting technique on Matt McDermott. Like Matt had only one shot, but his is the cut shot.

4. Simon Mahony -  Although batted at 11 throughout the 00/01 season could really hit the ball and play some good cricket shots. Had a remarkable amount of stories to tell despite only about 2% of truth in them, and that may be an exaggeration by about 2%.

3. Pete Abboud – Pete went from a bloke who couldn’t hold a stick and hit everything over mid wicket to a competent batsmen who was extremely hard to dismiss.  Batted 54 overs once with J.A to save a match against Burwood. A record unlikely to ever be matched.

2.Mick Rose – Although he batted down the order, often at 11, Rosey could bat. One six in a match at Lane Cove I didn’t play is ranked as one of the biggest ever seen by those who saw it. Couldn’t play spin but if a medium pacer came on and Mick was in the mood, the grunts would come out and mid off would start getting a bit nervous.

1 – J.A – At age of 65+ J.A would have averaged about 30 over the last five seasons. With more experience than probably anyone on earth, J.A knows his limitations and works towards them. He has been part of some brilliant partnerships with Boods over the last few years. Hasn’t hit a straight drive in years but doesn’t need to. Doesn’t mind a meat pie and a trundle.

 

 

 

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