Fixtures

All Games: Played 16, won 11, lost 5

City & Surburban Association: Played 10, won 6, lost 4

Jack Pace Shield: 2^nd on the table, lost in quarter finals

Season 2019/20 for the Primary Club can be characterised by a triumphant first half of the season followed by a disastrous second half which was truncated by the end of the world as we know it.

We began the season with a double header weekend, bringing our A game against Hunters Hill Pirates, whose score we chased down inside 5 overs, and the Reg Bartley XI who we beat with room to spare. The following weekend we cruised past Old Sydneians and felt in good nick.

As usual our bowling was our strong suit – David Ince took 4 for 10 against Hunters Hill; after three games Brad Oldridge had taken 9 wickets for just 25 runs.

Brendan Povey had a freakishly good game against the Bradman XI at Bowral. South Africa won the Rugby World Cup on the Saturday night and Povey dominated on the Sunday. First he set the standard with the bat, smiting 58 not out including some chunky sixes. Then he picked up the mantle with the ball, including a hat-trick made even better by the third batsman’s refusal to admit he nicked it behind (he did). Povey finished the game with his second catch of the innings and drove back to Sydney in triumph. In the same game the captain Nathan Reay struck a lusty blow down the ground only for it to hit the umpire square in the face smashing nose and glasses in one go! It proved a successful recruiting technique though as Jamie Murtha proceeded to play a number of games for the charity during the season!

The following weekend a freakish partnership between Greg Stark and Damien Langley rescued us against Beavers. We were set 200 to win off 35. We were in a smidge of trouble at 2 for 41 but our heroes won the game for us with a Primary Club record partnership of 154. The whole thing was made even more amusing by Starkers on 90 thinking he couldn’t get to 100 with just 5 to win and bunting back an easy caught and bowled.

The other highlight from the first half was Adam Young’s innings against Yaralla. Youngy sometimes makes Mark Waugh look like a bit of a slogger with an untidy technique, crafts beautiful 30s and then gets out. Not on this day. In a Jack Pace game of some importance Youngy made sure we secured a win and a bonus point. He cruised through the gears, put on a 100 partnership with Andy Wildblood and escorted us to an unbeatable total of 271 off 35 overs.

We came up against Jack Pace heavyweights Old Aloys and, though we were ahead as the game approached two thirds, our batting wobbled and we lost in disappointing fashion. However we struck back against Balmain, having them at 7 for 18 at one point on an unpredictable pitch. The Balmain win secured second place on the Jack Pace ladder and a home semi-final.

Damian Frittum came into his own in this period of the season – 5 for 13 against Yaralla followed by 4 for 7 against Balmain.

Our record at the break was played 10, won 9 and the scene was set to bring it home strong.

The post-Christmas period was a shocker in every sense of the word. Matches were lost due to bushfire smoke, heavy rain and then the COVID-19 crisis. When we did play, our standard was hardly enough to cheer the spirits.

Having not played 35 over cricket in six weeks we were thumped by a very good Colleagues side in the quarter final of the Jack Pace Shield – bowled out for less than 50 when chasing just 91 to win. We also lost games against I Zingari, Knox and a very good natured game at Birchgrove against the touring Willows side from New Zealand (great friendships were built though and we look forward to, hopefully, being able to tour Christchurch and to play the Willows later in the year).

We were fortunate to squeeze in two more winning games against Macarthur Bees at Barker, and against the Army at the historic Victoria Barracks. Both games saw hat-tricks – first to Joe Scarcella against the Bees, then Damien Langley against the Army.

During this time we also played the annual game against the NSW Blind XI which is always an amazing experience for all concerned and serves to cement why we all play for the charity. The game was closer than it has been in years, but as usual, the NSW XI just edged it, winning a thriller by 7 runs.

All in all, another great season for the Charity XI. The morale of the playing squad and team is superb and we were fortunate to have most games over subscribed (even with a number of new babies within the squad – huge congrats one and all!), having to resort to squad rotation with the captain even having to rest himself one week! We sincerely look forward to next season and hopefully far less interruptions.

We wish all the squad and their families good health during this time and winter well.

Season Statistics

Most runs – Damien Langley 258 runs @ 51.60; Adam Young 252 @ 42.00

Most wickets – Brad Oldridge 17 wickets @ 7.94; Damian Frittum 15 @ 10.60

Most catches – (Wicket keeper) – Euan Robertson 12 catches; (Non wicket-keeper) – Adam Young 4 catches

Milestones (since 2017/18 season and new record keeping commenced)

50 games – Nathan Reay (54), Euan Robertson (52), Greg Stark (51)

1000 runs – Damien Langley (1,087)

500 runs – Brendan Povey (945), Greg Stark (940), Euan Robertson (550)

50 wickets – Damien Langley (61)

50 dismissals – Euan Robertson (34 catches, 17 stumpings)

Euan Robertson

Cricket Committee Scribe and Statistician

SOUTH AUSTRALIA CRICKET SEASON, 2019/20

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MEMBERS GO IN TO BAT

Our membership ranks grew somewhat as we enjoyed three cricket games this past summer; one was a one-run loss against our friends at Finniss CC on 17^th November, a relatively new fixture at Stockwell in the Barossa on 16^th February, and a season-ending game against Adelaide Uni Legends on 15^th March.

Finniss CC on the Fleurieu Peninsula

A great start to the game for the Primary SA boys, with Adam Shears capturing a wicket off the first ball of the game! Finniss captain Jamarley Daley soon took control, dominating the bowling and finishing with 62 after returning from retirement, in Finniss’s total of 168. Joe Hill and Travis Lynn shared the bowling honours with 3/26 and 2/29 respectively.

Rory Lane and Joe Hill gave us a good start with the bat, with David Clarke and Travis Lynn also contributing in the top order. However, with Rory’s retirement and a couple more wickets, we slipped back in the run chase. Fortunately, Joel and Simon Doecke were able to redeem the situation somewhat with a partnership of 40. Soon after, our veteran tail-enders Peter Herbert and Geoff Lynn scrambled a few singles off the final 2 overs and we finished one shy on 167 after the last delivery.

Light Pass CC in the Barossa

Perfect cricket weather greeted us at the delightful Stockwell Oval in the Barossa Valley for our second encounter with the younger talent of the Light Pass CC.

Led again by our very capable keeper/batsman Andrew Faulkner, who had commandeered the much-credentialled Andrew Rumbelow into our fold.

We were also delighted to have the co–convenor of the Reynella All Abilities In2cricket James Niederer in the side, along with a young member of their group Jimmy Eustance-Smith, a member of the SA Intellectual Disabilities Cricket Team. Jimmy bowled his mediums in fine style and length, restricting LPCC’s gun bat, who was belting other bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Rumbelow struck a couple of times early on to dismiss both openers cheaply. However, three others reached the compulsory retirement score of 50 with some good boundary striking, leaving the Primary Club a difficult target of 203 to chase.

Although most of our batsmen looked pretty sound and comfortable, we all managed to find ways to force our departure prematurely; only the skipper (25) showing extended resilience. Consequently, we were never in the hunt for the target, but thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon in the Barossa sun, and their evening hospitality.

As players from both sides mingled pre-game under blue skies, we knew that the afternoon held promise of some wonderful cricket to savour, enhanced by the addition of 4 debutantes to the Primary Club SA’s side.

When Faulkner called the toss correctly, this gave our batsmen the first use of these perfect conditions and set about posting a competitive score to apply pressure to the talented batting line up of the Uni Legends. However, our openers did not have an easy start, with very tight medium pacers restricting scoring to around 2 per over. Lachie Jacobs, Travis Lynn and Joe Hill all reached the compulsory retirement of 30. First gamers Dean Atkinson and former Tassie player Adam Polkinghorne both made some aggressive contributions in a couple of overs at the crease, which catapulted our total to 194 off our allotted 35 overs!

Polky then took the new ball, with his first 3 lively overs conceding only one run and increasing the pressure on the opposition batsmen. Travis Lynn and another first gamer Jared Naughton from Scott Creek Ironbank CC were also able to continue reasonable pressure.

St Peters Old Collegians legend Tom Cane with his high action, was able to gain bounce off a good length restricting scoring options for Uni, and teaming with the wily offspin from Joe Hill the asking rate kept increasing. 12-year-old Jake Polkinghorne supplied the dash and ‘slide field’ ability! Uni did hit the accelerator in the final stanza with a few high scoring overs – but finished 23 runs short.

A great finish to the season! We shared a drink in the late afternoon sunshine in front of the old stand to assess not only this match, but many more from decades ago!

Derek Grove, SA Cricket Committee