On Saturday the 19th of January the senior squad boys ventured down to Medibank Stadium and this time not under typical circumstances. Footballs and mouthguards were this time not required, as cricket bats and stumps were in its place for a bit of light hearted 20/20 cricket.
The day set out with players getting together in their four aligned teams that have been in place throughout the pre-season for all competitive activities, with a draft held for players who werent already aligned with a team.
We had a quick moment to go over rules and format for the series before we headed out to play a double header. Round 1 saw the Tim Noakes led team vs. the Andrew Merrington team; and the Adam Pickering team vs. the Craig Wulff team. The winners were to progress straight into the grand final.
Round 1 saw some very good games of cricket on both fields, with Andrew Merrington leading his team to victory by 28 runs and the Adam Pickering led team coming out the goods by 30 odd runs. These two teams would meet in the final, with the two losers to play off for position. There were a number of very good individual performances from both of these games, with some showing themselves to be very handy cricketers. However, there were also some very ordinary ones. Fines were implemented for drop catches and ducks ($5 for a duck and $2 for a drop catch), which left some a few bucks short by days end.
The grand final was shaping up to be a good game with The Adam Pickering team winning the flip of the bat and deciding to field. The bowling was tight and most of the batsmen failed against a very good bowling display. The only batsmen to show any resistance was the captain Andrew Merrington who provided a gallant display as his team was dismissed for a modest total of 55.
In reply, the Pickering team also struggled with the bat as wickets fell at regular intervals. However, a few batsmen were able to show some fight and were able to steer them home to a victory. Celebrations were seen to be like a world cup with a pitch invasion by the squad and stumps been taken for souvenirs. A very happy Pickering was heard saying winners are grinners.
On the other field, the Noakes team took out a high scoring encounter by a handful of runs to claim 3rd Spot and the Wulff team to unfortunately take home the wooden spoon.
Player of the series was awarded to Kyle Martin for his all round performance during the day and the esteemed W.T.F award went to Luke Sharpe. His pronouncement to Captain Adam Pickering during the Grand Final that he could stem the flow of Andrew Merrington (who was just starting to get on top!) and possibly get him out, backfired badly as 4 sixes were taken off his over. Making him the first winner of this coveted award .A barbeque and refreshments followed the awards ceremony.
A big thank you must go to the past players for giving up their time to come down and put on a spread and cook up the meal, very much appreciated by all the players and coaches who turned up. Also thank you to Adam Pickering who organised the day and made it a good day for all involved. The event definitely provided the boys with a bit of enjoyment and a chance to get to know each other even more as we progress into season 2008.
Story by Daniel Macaulay
The day set out with players getting together in their four aligned teams that have been in place throughout the pre-season for all competitive activities, with a draft held for players who werent already aligned with a team.
We had a quick moment to go over rules and format for the series before we headed out to play a double header. Round 1 saw the Tim Noakes led team vs. the Andrew Merrington team; and the Adam Pickering team vs. the Craig Wulff team. The winners were to progress straight into the grand final.
Round 1 saw some very good games of cricket on both fields, with Andrew Merrington leading his team to victory by 28 runs and the Adam Pickering led team coming out the goods by 30 odd runs. These two teams would meet in the final, with the two losers to play off for position. There were a number of very good individual performances from both of these games, with some showing themselves to be very handy cricketers. However, there were also some very ordinary ones. Fines were implemented for drop catches and ducks ($5 for a duck and $2 for a drop catch), which left some a few bucks short by days end.
The grand final was shaping up to be a good game with The Adam Pickering team winning the flip of the bat and deciding to field. The bowling was tight and most of the batsmen failed against a very good bowling display. The only batsmen to show any resistance was the captain Andrew Merrington who provided a gallant display as his team was dismissed for a modest total of 55.
In reply, the Pickering team also struggled with the bat as wickets fell at regular intervals. However, a few batsmen were able to show some fight and were able to steer them home to a victory. Celebrations were seen to be like a world cup with a pitch invasion by the squad and stumps been taken for souvenirs. A very happy Pickering was heard saying winners are grinners.
On the other field, the Noakes team took out a high scoring encounter by a handful of runs to claim 3rd Spot and the Wulff team to unfortunately take home the wooden spoon.
Player of the series was awarded to Kyle Martin for his all round performance during the day and the esteemed W.T.F award went to Luke Sharpe. His pronouncement to Captain Adam Pickering during the Grand Final that he could stem the flow of Andrew Merrington (who was just starting to get on top!) and possibly get him out, backfired badly as 4 sixes were taken off his over. Making him the first winner of this coveted award .A barbeque and refreshments followed the awards ceremony.
A big thank you must go to the past players for giving up their time to come down and put on a spread and cook up the meal, very much appreciated by all the players and coaches who turned up. Also thank you to Adam Pickering who organised the day and made it a good day for all involved. The event definitely provided the boys with a bit of enjoyment and a chance to get to know each other even more as we progress into season 2008.
Story by Daniel Macaulay
