Cricket
1st XI Cricket
MGS 9/212 (Gatford 82, Hartley 58, Faulkner 32)
defeated
CGS 10/211 (Faulkner 4/33, Brown 3/32, Collins 3/36)
Predictably, Ryan Hartley lost the toss and the Caulfield Grammar
skipper elected to bat first. This is always a huge advantage at MGS
and the boys knew they would have to start well with the ball.
Fielding first…………..again
Buoyed by Max Pearson and the MGS army, Liam Brown made the
early breakthrough with a wicket in the second over. Caulfield
consolidated well with a partnership of 50, and the game was in the
balance at tea with the score at 4/94. Liam Brown and Ed Faulkner
had bowled beautifully and both had two wickets at the break.
The afternoon session was one of attrition. The Caulfield team
seemed happy to occupy the crease and subsequently the runs
came slowly. Liam Brown collected his third wicket not long after tea
time, but Caulfield again rallied and finished the day at 5/173 from
the 68 overs bowled.
Miraculously, due to the hard work of the MGS grounds staff, play started as scheduled at 10am on
Saturday morning. With 12 overs to the new ball, Ed Faulkner and Joe Wackett started the morning off, and
both bowled tidy spells. Ed, as he has frequently done this season, made the important breakthrough, then
another, and finished his spell with 4/33 from 21 tidy overs. The new ball was taken after 84 overs with an
immediate impact. Tom Collins bowled a sensational spell and picked up three wickets in the space of three
overs, all bowled. Caulfield were dismissed for 211 with only a short period to bat before lunch.
Jack Nichols and Huw Gatford survived the pre-lunch period
then batted fluently after the break. Their partnership of 45
before Nichols was caught at mid-wicket was important
when chasing a solid target. Ed Faulkner joined Gatford at
the crease and the pair formed another significant
partnership of 57. Ed was particularly belligerent when
facing the Caulfield spinners, and his 32 included two
massive sixes in one over. Ryan Hartley joined Gatford after
Faulkner was caught, and he was able to continue his strong
form from last week. At tea time, the MGS scorecard read
2/142 with victory only 70 runs away.
Huw Gatford batted beautifully for his 82. He had been
unlucky in recent weeks, and it was pleasing to see him
convert a start. He scored all around the wicket, and drove particularly well. Gatford was caught pulling
which took the score to 3/172, Ben Stirling was bowled five runs later, and when Will Fanning was adjudged
LBW, the score had quickly plummeted to 5/179 with plenty of work still to be done.
A warm afternoon for cricket
...cont’d/..
Hartley and Liam Brown steadied with a partnership of 15, but were both back in the sheds to leave the
score at 7/201. I was getting nervous. 7/201 became 8/207, then 9/207, at which stage the Caulfield team
had arguably assumed favouritism. MGS had lost 7 for 35.
Luckily Adam Kudnig (the finisher) and Colin Gifford were able to reach 211 with about 10 balls to go, then
212 with only four balls remaining in the day. When Gifford squeezed one behind square leg there was a
huge sigh of relief.
The game was a reminder about how fickle cricket can be, and particularly APS cricket. Although the last
part of our run chase was disappointing, we nevertheless became the first side to successfully chase at
MGS this year, and thoroughly deserved the win; one which was set up by Huw Gatford’s innings, and the
bowling of Brown, Faulkner and Collins.
Next Friday we will travel to Glenferrie Road. Any support would be greatly appreciated.
Mr James Harrod
3rd XI Cricket
On 7 February the 3rd XI ventured to the Edmund Herring Oval to face a Caulfield Wheeler’s Hill outfit. A
strong line-up was quickly cut as James Henderson got a late call up to the two’s and inspirational skipper
Robert Yates pulled out after failing a last minute fitness test on his ankle.
We lost the toss and were put in to bat. Nick Freeman and Harry Collins opened and set a great
foundation scoring 40* and 20 respectively. They were backed up admirably by a patient innings from
Patty Alexander and some late hitting from Andrew Garry, Sam Sitch and Will Sultana. We managed to
amass 151 runs from our 20 overs.
We quickly scurried into the field and went about putting to bed any type of resistance Caulfield could level
at us. We had them 4 for 1 at one stage after some inspirational opening bowling stanzas from Will
Sultana and Ed Horigan; two lethal left arm quicks - a real testament to the hard work and nurturing Evan
Coventry and Alan Bliss do in the Wadhurst cricket factory. Both took 2 wickets. We looked for another
breakthrough as Caufield crept into the twenties. Cass Rivette was our man, taking two wickets including
the important scalp of their handy middle order left-hander.
And so Caulfield were dismissed for 35 in the 14th over and it was all over by 11 o’clock.
Thanks to Ms. McLaughlin for TIC’ing, Chris Barry for umpiring and managing the boys and Peter Collins
for providing reliable scoring while Ms McLaughlin learned to use the iPad scoring App.
Our game on 14 February against Haileybury was washed out
Tom Shatin (11 Dn)
Acting Captain