Well done fives. A big year for big Stuey too!

Highlights for the year are Chris Hoare's ton, the 3's batting against Brighton and the Cruise night.

Don't think it's appropriate to dwell on teh negatives but for next season I would like to see more coaching and direction from the top. Some success for the ones would be nice and rightly a focus but don't forget the other sides!
--Charles Street

The 2's were very ordinary this season. A few young blokes need to concentrate less on talking the talk & concentrate more on walking the walk!

Some coaching would help - make that any coaching!

Rowey's ton was a cracking start to the year whilst Myles efforts were great.

For 2007/08 I would like to see another top line bowler recruited as well as the emergence of some 2nd XI batsmen to challenge for spots in the 1's.

Perhaps the big guru could spend the winter in the gym and lend some backbone and determination to the 2's instead of pummelling pissweak 3rd XI attacks to all parts of their tiny little grounds...

Would also like to see a bigger variety of people on the committee, perhaps some young blokes can get involved - the social committee perhaps?


--Mount Everest

What r u suggesting about my fitness Everest?

I agree that the 2's didn't have their greatest year but I'm sure that there are positives to take out of it. Plenty of young guys got some experience and they are after all, the backbone of our 1st and 2nd grade teams of the future.

I think that any side can do with some experienced players to balance out the youth but they need to be the right players.

Would the 1st XI players be prepared to continue playing and lend some assistance to the younger guys if they drop a grade once these 2nd XI batsmen emerge and displace them from the 1's???

Unfortunately, recent history suggests not...

I definitely agree that some new blood is needed on the committee. It's been the same FEW people that have been prepared to do ALL the work for several years now. I'm sure anyone would be welcome on the committee - even you?


--Gooroo

yeah - ur takin da easy option guru. nuthin but a slogga in da 3s! have a proppa crack in da 2s, bat at 5 and carve em up big fella!
--Our Waverley Star

Why aren't you on the committee Guru?

The fact also remains that you are a lazy cricketer and should be considering the needs of the club not taking it easy in the 3rds. Show some ambition!


--Mount Everest

I think that you are getting off the topic of discussion...


--Gooroo

Highlights
*Number of centuries made accross the grades
*4th and 5th XI seasons
*Myles Harry bowling
*Cruise Night
*Mark Quammill in ones
*Rhys Berryman, Karan Raghavan in twos
*Some new faces (outside of the ones)

Lowlights
*Lack of training numbers by lower grades
*Players dropping down grades late in the season for cheap runs, wickets and finals appearances
*Lack of "quality" social events
*No Coaching
*Lower grades ignored

Next Season
*Coaching for guys in lower grades not just most talented two or three young players
*More intergrated playing list
*More varied and better quality social events
*Chris Hoare and Sheehan Ramanayke to play higher up
*Adam Ternes to get a decent crack at the ones
*Bold selections instead of standard mediocre batting performances from usual suspects in ones
*Finals for 4 of 5 sides
*Flag in ones or twos
*Continued recruiting - another bat and bowler in ones, batsmen for middle grades
*Match reports
*More people back at the club on a Saturday night


--Wisden

I think there were many highlights this season both for the club and the 3rd XI as well as some personal highlights.

The highlights for the 3rds were as follows.

- The recruitment of Simon Stokes.
- The outright wins against Kingston Saints in R3 and Ormond in R7.
- The team total of 4/333 off 50 overs against Brighton. It's amazing the difference a good start makes.
- Rob Bess' firey 2nd inns spell against Ormond in R7. He scared the bejesus out of a couple of old opening batsman and had the rest of the Ormond batsmen walking out to the crease very nervously.
- Rhys Berryman's inns v Moorabbin in R2 to see out some very good early bowling and set up an challenging total of 217.
- The early inns batting against Bayswater in R10 by Tim Smith (34), Rhys Berryman (51) and Karan Raghavan (42) when chasing 151.
- 143 put on by Houghton (69), D Singleton (38) and Rob Bess (27) partnership for the 8th and 9th wicket to give us a fighting chance against Box Hill in R11.

The 3rds lowlights mostlty revolve around some games that we lost and could have won - if we had a more serious crack - Croydon, Noble Park Box Hill, Caulfield and Malvern - four of which contested the finals.

The other lowlights for the season are;

- The umpiring against Noble Park
- Paul Dalligan's first ball in the 3rd XI after I had brought him down to the club.
- Our inability to wrap up the outright win against Brighton after having them 8 down chasing 333 at the end of the first day. Damn that Tasman Tudor and his 217 runs!

My personal highlights include;
- Dismissing Ormond's Ted Plant
- Surviving the cunning medium pace bowling of Kingston's 68 year old Peter Wintle (he had dismissed me the previous 2 seasons for a total of 8 runs)
- Hitting a six at Malvern in the last round that left a bright red, inch deep, dent in the roof of Kyle McClure's car.


--Gooroo