Seahorse Sledge Hampton Cricket Club Newsletter Mid Year Review 2015/16

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1 Seahorse Sledge Hampton Cricket Club Newsletter Mid Year Review 2015/16 A Hampton Cricket Club side featuring current and former international, Big Bash League stars and other celebrities will take on a Main Ridge side of a similar make up in the 1 st inaugural Australia Day T20 Bash at Ditterich Reserve, Main Ridge from 2pm on Australia Day. John Hastings, Matt Chasemore and Nick Jewell have already confirmed their attendance and we are also chasing a number of other former and current state and international cricketers. A luncheon starting at 12pm hosted by SEN s Mark Fine and featuring the stars of the game will precede the match with all proceeds going to support both Clubs. Tickets are $70 and include a two course meal with drinks available at the bar. Go to for payment details. An U12 game between the two sides will take place prior to the main game and there will be plenty of activities for the kids as a jumping castle and petting zoo will be on site. Get the family together and make a weekend of it or just pop down the coast for what promises to be a sensational day.

2 Hampton CC Holiday Clinics January Hampton CC will host holiday clinics for Junior cricketers at Boss James Reserve this month. Our two English imports, Ben Tegg and Liam Smith (with some help from other senior seahorses) will have specialist sessions that will focus on batting, bowling, fielding and tactics. The feedback from last year was amazing I m sure with that experience under our belt this year will be even better. Please note that this year there will be a small daily fee (heavily subsidised for Hampton juniors). For bookings go to Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?e id= Ben and Liam have been taking 1-on-1 coaching sessions with a number of our junior players. They are both accredited coaches and can help you with batting, bowling and wicket-keeping. For more information please contact Ben or Liam

3 Focus Turns to Avoiding Relegation for Ones A winless start to the year has left Hampton fighting to retain its spot in Senior Division for 2016/17. After six games, we sit at the bottom of the VTCA Senior Division ladder with four losses, a draw and a tie. The highlight for the year so far came against Beaumaris in Round 2 where our boys fought back from 8/137 to tie the game at 228. Needing one to win from the last ball of the game, Ben Kezilas was run out. A solid performance against ladder leaders South Caulfield which saw the flag favourites reduced to 5/99 then 8/190 ultimately ended in a draw as the second day was abandoned due to extreme heat. It was nonetheless a confidence boost that showed we could pick up a couple of wins in the back half of the year and stay up. Runs have been an issue all year. Ben Kezilas leads the aggregates with 129 while Ben Tegg has 96 including 79 in one hit against Strathmore. English right arm quick has held together the Seahorse attack and has 12 wickets at for the year to date. Big Nick Greenwood returning from knee surgery has played just 2 games but already has five wickets to his name. Hampton will battle local rivals Beaumaris as one North Club and one South Club must go down each season. Beaumaris are also yet to register a win and sit just 3.29 points above Hampton on the ladder. Hampton s stocks will be boosted by the addition of Ben and Dean Foon who join the Club having moved from Wonthaggi recently as well as the availability of young gun Vlad Floca who has reduced his work commitments. Hamish Scully s leadership quality and batting skills will be missed as he heads to the US for three months to work as a Senator s aide at the White House. Our boys need all the support they can get so we encourage all past players and supporters to get down and cheer the lads on, particularly at the Boss. Seahorse Juniors Set to Shine Michael Parsons Abe Kenny & Will Bowden Cameron Hemp Congratulations to all Hampton Juniors who qualified for representative sides to play in various competitions throughout January. Whilst as a Club, we concentrate on a participation first philosophy at Club level, it is always great to see our future stars individually recognised.

4 Abe Kenny and Will Bowden will represent the SECA in the U16 McKay Cup, while team mate Michael Fitzgerald will also represent the SECA but in the Beitzel Shield competition. Michael Parsons has been selected to represent Elsternwick in the U15 JC Craig competition. In the Victoria Pathways Carnival, Cameron Hemp has been selected to compete in the U14 competition for the South East Breakers. Blake Parsons will represent the Breakers in the U18 tournament. Congratulations and good luck to all of our representative players. Blake Makes Premier Debut Former Seahorse Junior Blake Parsons made his Premier Cricket debut for Prahran against Fitzroy Doncaster in the last round before Christmas. The 17 year old left arm orthodox bowler contributed 10 tidy overs for just 27 and despite not picking up a wicket, more than held his own as Prahran successfully defended their 8/314. Representing a Cricket Australia U17 XI, Blake recently participated in the Australian U19 Championships. The side, playing against the older boys from each state side reached the final before ultimately falling to Queensland in the decider. Blake was a strong contributor throughout collecting 11 wickets in the 8 matches played by the Cricket Australia XI at an average of Blake played 5 years of Junior cricket at Hampton through U14s and has regularly been back to the Club in Premier cricket Back to Club nights. We watch his career progress with great interest. Seahorse Short Cuts Joey Kenny Takes SuperMember Draw #1 Dual First XI Premiership captain, Life Member, Committee Man and club legend has taken out the first SuperMember draw of the season pocketing a cool $1500 for his troubles. It s always great to see those who put in around the Club take out these prizes so well deserved Joey!

5 Luddy Wicket Gets a Makeover Castlefield Reserve has received some fantastic investment over the past few years with clubroom improvements, new lights and a full resurfacing among the projects completed. There have been issues with the wicket this year however and it was great to see Bayside Council workers hard at it during the Christmas break to ensure a harder, less spongy playing surface. U12 Seahorse Luke Travers Hits 90* A superb 90* from Luke Travers was unfortunately not enough for Hampton s U12Cs to get past Carnegie in their round 2 clash. Luke s phenomenal knock is the highest score by a Seahorse U12 player since Nick O Byrne s 106 back in 1995/96 and the second highest on record. Christmas Party Revellers Survive Heat Temperatures exceeding 40 degrees meant that most games were called off during the day but the Hampton CC Christmas Party was still well attended during the evening. No doubt the extreme weather affected overall numbers but the Bayside City Brass Band ensured plenty of Christmas cheer. A big thanks to Sam Goold for all her efforts in organising the evening. Notty puts Super Fours to Work 41 degree heat did not stop Craig Nott s 4 th XI putting in the hard yards during a centre wicket session after their game against McKinnon was called off. Those not pictured were busy enjoying a hard earned beer in the air conditioned comfort of the rooms! The Super Fours sit 5 th heading into the back end of the year.

6 Finkelde Century Sees off Beauy A sixth career century from 2 nd XI skipper Glenn Finkelde put paid to any hopes Beaumaris had of knocking us off in Rd 5 at Boss James Reserve. Just days shy of his 40 th birthday, Glenn s 109* made it two centuries in his 30s to add to two in his 20s and two in his teens. He celebrated his milestone in interesting fashion! Christmas Comes Early for Vossy Perhaps the second happiest day of Hampton CC Head Curator Dallas Voss young life fell on Friday 20 November as the new Poweroll 5000 finally hit the hallowed turf of Boss James Reserve. The Heavy Roller has already had an impact with the centre square noticeably harder already and our curator noticeably less grumpy! Outstanding Performances - Batting Outstanding Performances - Bowling

7 Contact Us President Mark Anderson Secretary Ben Kezilas Treasurer Anthony Gillbee Vice President Glenn Finkelde Captain Coach Jarrad Dowling Chairman of Selectors Andy Gooden Junior Manager Paul Bowden Milo T20 Blast Coordinator Hamish Scully Milo IN2Cricket Coordinator Anthony Gillbee Junior Team Managers U18 Warren Spence/Rod Rae / U16A Matt Kenny/Paul Bowden/Dean Hewitt / / U16C Murray Bullock U14B Ben Tegg/Liam Smith / U12B David Lever/Tim Nixon-Smith / U12C Matthew Pitman U12D Justin Ferguson U12 Rookie Glenn Finkelde Senior Match Results 1st XI - VTCA Senior Division

8 As we hit the Christmas break, we find ourselves sitting at the bottom of the ladder. An unfortunate string of injuries and an unexpected amount of unavailability has given us an opportunity to look at and test a number of players at 1st XI level. At this stage, the focus is now firmly on picking up as many points as possible and to avoid relegation. As the new leader of the group, and with the addition of new players, new expectations, new tactics and a new game plan, it was always going to take some time to gel. Our most recent outing against league leaders South Caulfield (where we had them reduced to 5/99) gave us plenty of confidence that if we continue to work towards the same goals and drive to improve each week, use training as a place to develop as players and build cohesion as a group, then we can make some big dents in the oppositions quest for finals which will hopefully sure up our position in the Senior Division for next year. - Jarrad Dowling 2nd XI - VTCA South Seconds The second XI have had a great start to the year and currently sit 3rd - despite not having lost a game. We have been trying to utilise this side as a development side for many years and this year it is currently coming to fruition. Experienced heads like Clint Ferguson, Dallas Voss and Jaye Green have been mixed with 13 junior players - and everybody who has been given a role has performed it well. Given we only play one team higher than 10th after Christmas we are well placed to play finals. - Glenn Finkelde

9 3rd XI - VTCA South C1 Seahorse Sledge Mid Year Review The fighting Thirds got off to a flyer with some good early wins which was important considering we were a little slow out of the blocks last season. Sitting mid table approaching Xmas we need to again start well after the mid-season break. Round 1 was highlighted by Gibb getting a solid 29 in our total of 122 with Shane Rogers, Tom Marron, the Wrecker and Doyley bowling beautifully to restrict Cheltenham to 100. Round 2 took us to Mentone. Shane Rogers made a solid 47 not out and followed that up with 4/23 off 15. Johnno Whelan was terrific with 4/15 with 10 maidens. Jarrod Hewitt showed plenty of class with 20 important runs. A good win. Round 4 took us to Murrumbeena. Lots of runs as we accumulated 4/255. The Punshons got us away with a 94 run stand. Craig ending up with 73 classy runs. Jarrod Hewitt made an excellent 53 not out and Lenny Cochrane made a great 53 not out. Johnno took 3 wickets as did Cam Norton. Doyley took 2 and the Prez bagged one as well. Opposition all out 127. We played a great McKinnon side and suffered our first loss for the year and are mid game against Middle Park as I write this note. Game is in the balance. We have played a number of juniors through the first half of the season and they are proving to be excellent contributors. The combination of youth and experience is working well and the team benefits from the energy the younger gents bring. It has been a funny year for player availability, particularly through injury, and we all look forward to having consistent playing groups in the new year. Go Hammers. - Andy Gooden

10 4th XI - VTCA South C2 Seahorse Sledge Mid Year Review The Fourth XI sit delicately placed at 5th on the South C2 ladder but have a favourable draw after Christmas that, with strong availability across the club should see it press for finals in the second half of the season. The season started poorly with three straight losses but the turnaround came with a strong win at Castlefield over Bonbeach thanks to solid batting from Will Bowden (50*)and Jarrod Dennison(42*) in round 6. Another good win in Round 7 over Highett thanks to excellent bowling from S.Green, J.Bryant, R.Rae and Mitch Taylor restricted them to 97 which we chased comfortably. We then suffered a loss to the flag favourites in Parkdale United at the difficult Namitjira Reserve where we didn't make enough runs batting first.round 9 saw the best win of the season with us chasing down 166 (B.Kezilas ) versus Bonbeach, we batted around Banger who made 48 in what was a tremendous team effort. Another solid win in round 10 over Highett at home chasing just 84 thanks to M.Fitzgerald (3/20) and T.Butters (3/7). Will Lee, Jonno Carstens and Liam Taylor have been permanent and consistent contributors to the team as well. 38 different players have been used in the fourth XI so far with a staggering 9 players averaging 0 with the bat and some notable names to boot. A full list may be published in the Full Year Review! - Craig Nott

11 Concreters XI SECA One Day Grade The coming together of two proud 5ths sides The washed up boys from circa 2007 and the more recently established Concreters has produced some erratic results so far. We ve forfeited one match, smoked a team by 217 runs (even I got a few runs that day) and our last two encounters have seen us revel in the ecstasy of a 1 run win, only to feel the pain of a 1 run loss the week after. So on the back of consecutive matches decided with the last ball of the day; the lads welcomed the Christmas break to escape the pressure and scrutiny of bottom grade SECA cricket! Whilst the results may have been erratic, the bonding of the two sides has gone seamlessly, with the two groups sharing many similar interests. Plenty of team bonding has been done over the break, and on top of the foundations laid before Christmas, the team will return on January 9 with unrivalled chemistry. This will go a long way towards securing that top four spot, which we re currently one win away from. - Mitch Westhead

12 Sunday XI - VTCA South D1 Seahorse Sledge Mid Year Review The Sunday XI moves into 2016 sitting on top of the ladder and now has a great opportunity to earn a home semi-final and the chance to defend last season s flag. In the games before Christmas the batting and bowling each contributed when called upon. Rod Rae has carried on from where he finished last year as the leading run getter 68.3) and has looked untroubled in most games, Billy Bowden 26.8) is having his best season in some time and with Dean Hewitt 79.5) and David Lever 23.0) also getting runs the top order has combined well.

13 Tim Nixon-Smith (21 9.5) has been the stand-out bowler and has led the attack admirably along with young off-spinner Marcus Taylor ( ). Paul Smith ( ) has been a welcome newcomer to the team and has added variation and fire-power with his left arm mediums. Rod Rae ( ) has shown what a great all-rounder he is with overs and wickets at critical game stages. With 4 games now remaining before the final the Sunday XI has this season s destiny in its own hands. - Michael Reidy Senior Ladders

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15 Junior Match Results U18 Friday

16 Winning isn't everything! The first half of the season the U18's have lost every match except for one that was a wash out. There has been good individuall contributions in each of our one day and two day matches but most importantly I have been very proud how they have conducted themselves on the field even if it was a extreme uphill battle. I must point out that our side would be the youngest team in the league, as there are some players from other teams driving their car to the ground! Winning isn't everything as long as you have fun! I didn't think it was possible myself but these guys do and they are a close bunch of mates. An important life lesson to all. -Warren Spence U16A Friday The under 16As have started the season pretty well with some up-and-down form at the Christmas break, with us sitting just outside the top four on percentage, and we are to play the team that is in fourth spot, first game back after the break.

17 Round 1 had us away against East Sandringham in a one-day game. ESBCC batted first and made 90, and we chased them down pretty easily in the end, 6/110, with Mike Parsons making 28 early, then Hamish Dick 26 not out and James Watson 15 not out getting us over the line. Hammer was also the pick of the bowlers with 2/12 off 5, although the highlight was Bill Peacock getting a wicket with his first ball for the club! Round 2 we were away against Cluden, and we batted first. Smarty made a very tidy 22 and Fitzy was great with 36, but there was not enough support and we only made 9/111. The ground is reasonably big and we thought we could defend that total. Cluden got off to a quick start and were in the box seat after 20, but the boys fought back really well and nearly snatched the win, going down by just 5 runs! The bowling was great with the highlights being Hammer 1/16 off 7, Cam Hemp 1/5 off 4, and Jack Connell 1/12 off 6. Round 3 had us playing Cheltenham Park, who have a few good players. They made 5/154 with half their boys not getting a hit. In our innings we set up really well, and were 0/60 at the break, with a great partnership by Hewy and Will. After the break we batted ourselves into a bit of a hole and put the equation out of reach for the last five overs. We made 130 with Will Bowden the standout with 42 Not Out. Round 4 was against Kingston Heath away. Hampton batted first and again were in a great position at the break, 0/48 with Fitzy 19 and Smarty 20, on a very big ground. We were unable to capitalise losing wickets regularly and were bowled out with 4 overs left on 106. Will got 22 and Bill 19, and apart from the openers, the rest were all single figures (including 3 Ducks). The following week was washed out pretty quickly after 10 overs and we had 1/30, but the boys could hardly hold onto the wet ball. Round 5 we were at home against Beauy. They batted first and made 141, with the pick the bowlers being James Watson 3/27 and Max Bull 2/24, both bowled exceptionally well. We chased down convincingly, and it was a really good effort making 7/164. The best of the batsmen was Jack Smart with 55 not out, the first half century for the season by a HCC U16A player. Jack was well supported by some very clean hitting by Abe Kenny with 30. Jack C made 21 not out at the end, and with Maxey Bull, got us across a line. In the end it was a bit tighter than the scoreboard tells you, with a couple away, we just had a retired Smarty in the sheds. Round 6 was against Elsternwick, who were the undefeated top side in the comp, and we knocked them off convincingly, making 7/165 last week. Michael Parsons made a solid 22 up the order with Smarty and Abe getting together once again for an important partnership. Smarty finished with 36 and Abe with 41. We were exceptionally good against some pretty good bowling, with some genuine pace, particularly early. We bowled and fielded superbly, rolling them for 116 in 30 overs. There were plenty of special bowling figures. Hammer 1/13 off 5. Abe 2/25 off 5, Max 1/15 off 4, Hewy 2/21 off 5, Jack C 3/11 off 4 and Hempy with 1/9 off 2. As good as the bowling was, the wicket-keeping needs to be highlighted here. Jack Smart s glovework was sensational to say the least, 4 catches and a stumping, and 0 byes. One of those catches was legside off a spinner and another was one handed, horizontal in front of the right hand of first slip. We went in to bat for seven overs and were 1/38, with Hempy getting himself 19 not out. It was a really good way to go into the break, giving the boys some confidence, now knowing that we can knock anyone off in this comp! - Matt Kenny, Paul Bowden & Dean Hewitt

18 U16C Friday U14B Saturday

19 U12B Saturday Round 1 vs Brighton District Jamie Delaney was our skipper for the day and after the winning the toss he was keen to send in Brighton District. I was a little concerned when their opening batsmen came out to face they were very small compared to out opening bowling combination of Smith and Nixon-Smith. The

20 batsmen were on the back foot from the start with Freddie being on a hat trick after bowling the first two batsmen. From there it was a little one sided with a steady procession of wickets. I could list all of the figures of the bowlers as they were very impressive having the opposition 9/50 after 25 overs. The notables were Freddie with 3/9 and James 2/1. A couple of other stats I was very impressed with was that Mitch, Luke, Matty H, Jules, Josh and James only had one no ball/wide each. Catch of the day went to Dan who took an excellent catch diving forward at mid wicket. Our opening batsmen for the day were Jamie and Matty G. They both batted solidly to get through the new ball and tick over the scoreboard. Then in came Ned and the fireworks begun Ned put the foot down and cracked a fast 22 retired, followed by Josh 23 retired and Luke 21 retired. I would expect that we will be facing some older and more experienced bowlers in the coming weeks but the team in general protected their wickets as they amassed 3/191 off the 25 overs. Round 2 vs Bentleigh Uniting Round 2 saw us come up against Bentleigh Uniting who also comfortably won their first round encounter. Matty Gibbons was captain for the match and on winning the toss promptly sent Bentleigh into bat. We started well with the opening bowlers of Jules and Mitch both snaring a wicket early on. Bentleigh put together a good partnership next up before James broke through with a beauty. From there a steady procession of wickets fell. Jules executed a good run out and Jamie a fine catch in the field. Matty Hill cleaned up the tail, Mitch grabbed his second wicket while Matty Gibbons and Ned both knocked the stumps over with excellent deliveries. It was a solid effort in the field and for a number of players their first taste of 2 day cricket. Bentleigh all out for 92 we would take that every week! We had to face one over prior to calling an end to day one. A nervous Freddy and Luke (and even more nervous parents) strode to the crease. They saw off the first over comfortably being 0 for 3 overnight. Some good bowling early saw the run rate restricted and no wickets falling in the first 8 overs of the day. We then lost a couple of wickets but were still well placed at the drinks break at 2 for 45. After the break Josh batted sensibly before retiring and then a collapse of wickets saw us go from 5 for 62 to 9 for 67. It was then up to Josh and Luke to try and navigate 4 runs an over with no wickets in hand. I thought they did a terrific job under pressure and had us on target to win until Josh got a ripper and we were all out for 82. Round 3 vs McKinnon Round 3 saw us take on the undefeated McKinnon 2 on a wet day at McKinnon. Unfortunately the day's play was called off in the 12th over due to heavy rain. Before the rain delay all the batsmen had shown excellent running between wickets as we were scoring at 5 runs an over. Especially well played to Jules (21 retired) and Jamie (13 not out) who had their best innings so far. As less than 20 overs were completed on day 1 we were to start again the next week with a one day match. Dan did an exceptional job as captain, having us sent in to bat on both occasions! Same batting order as the first week had Mitch and Jules opening the batting and putting on a 20 run partnership. Again excellent running between wickets before Jules was out for a rapid fire 13 in the fourth over. Mitch and Luke soon followed before Jamie (11 retired) with the help of Freddie and Matt G steadied the ship in the middle of the innings. Again much better running between wickets this week saw the scoreboard ticking over when McKinnon were bowling a tight line and length. Ned was hitting the ball well before being undone by a good delivery. Dan had his best knock of the year, looking very confident with the bat before retiring on 15 with James in support. Josh (15 not out) and Matt H (12 not out) finished the innings in style with both batsmen showing good shot selection and running between wickets. 5 for 123 off the 25 overs was a solid score on the small / fast ground. McKinnon started strongly with the bat with some excellent shots, before James broke through. Again some solid batting had McKinnon on target with the run rate before a couple of retirements allowed the boys to start to restrict the flow of runs. Jules and Mitch both chimed in

21 with wickets, both bowling excellent spells. The run chase was then on in earnest as McKinnon started taking risks with their running. Jamie, Jules, Matt H and Mitch were all involved in run outs in what was our best fielding performance of the year. In the last couple of overs the retired batsmen returned and had another crack at the win, Luke picked up a caught and bowled whilst Freddie and Dan bowled with excellent control in the final overs. McKinnon finished at 8 for 116 in an exciting finish. Round 4 vs South Melbourne Districts After winning the toss our skipper for the day Ned opted to bowl first. Not a bad decision as it turned out. James and Dan opened the bowling and set the scene for the day Mr Hall opening up with 2 overs 4 for none. As the morning continued it appeared we had a total mismatch on our hands as South Melbourne struggled against all the bowlers. To the boys credit they continued to bowl accurately and concentrate in the field. All over in the 20th over for 17 runs fall of wickets were 1 for 1, 2 for 1, 3 for 1, 4 for 1, 5 for 2, 6 for 2, 7 for 3, 8 for 6, 9 for 8 and then we let them get away from us 10 for 17. As mentioned Dan was the highlight with the ball do not see figures of 4 for 0 very often. Other wickets were shared around as well as two excellent run outs to Mitch and Ned. The mismatch continued with the batting, passing their total in the 6th over. Best of the batsmen were Ned and Luke, both retiring at 30. It was pleasing to see all batsmen working hard with their running between wickets. Also pleasing to see James and Matt get amongst the run both are working hard to improve their batting and the runs are starting to come. The innings was declared after 40 overs 6 for 201, with South Melbourne keen for another bat. Again Dan terrorised them taking 2 for 1 opening the bowling. From there the wickets were shared around again as South Melbourne were bowled out in the 18th over for 25. Again the fielding was very good with 7 catches taken with no dropped catches. The bowling was very accurate across the two innings there was only 14 wides/no balls combined and no byes (good work Jules and Jamie). Round 5 vs Washington Park Another solid win, this time against Washington Park has us sitting on top of the ladder. Much like the previous match there was a mismatch with the opposition, having said that our bowling was very good. A couple of wickets each to Matt G, Jamie and Luke was backed up in the field by some good catching and a couple of run outs. All out for 31 in the 22nd over we had 15 overs to bat on the first day. All four batsmen (James, Dan, Matt H & Josh) on the first day batted well, leaving us 0 for 49 at the end of the day. The second day saw the runs flow with Luke retiring on 33 and Josh / Jamie / Ned all making good contributions. We declared the innings at 2 for 193 to give a few of the Washington Park boys a second bat. Again we bowled well having them 5 for 35 at the close of play Josh and Mitch with 2 wickets each were the pick of the bowlers. Round 6 vs Bentleigh ANA A good way to finish before Xmas with another solid win. The game was set up with excellent foresight by our captain Josh telling me it was going to be 40 the next week and if he won the toss he would bowl. Josh called correctly and we were straight out to bowl. The bowling performance was setup by an excellent spell by Freddie who claimed 3 top order scalps in his opening overs. After the initial spell we steadily worked through the remaining batsmen with Matt G picking up 2 wickets and one each to Josh, James and Jules. The fielding and concentration was a bit off in the field this week and we will have to work on that as we start coming up against the top teams. We had 12 overs to face chasing 75 on the first day. After losing Jules early, Matt H and Luke put on a solid partnership that saw the scoreboard ticking over. Matt H got a very good delivery to get him, up until then it was the best he has looked in the middle this year. Luke retired on a well-made 32 leaving us 2 for 55 at the end of day one with Jamie and Dan at the crease. Day two with pats on the back for Josh as it was already 32 at the start of play. Jamie batted very well in the heat as wickets fell steadily through the morning before retiring on 23. Then Ned took full toll of the bowling smashing the ball around the park to make 33 retired (including eight fours and a single). Luke and Jamie then returned to the crease and they both lifted the run rate

22 before Jamie was caught on 44 his best innings at the club. Heat then brought an end to the day with Luke making his first 50 finishing on 55 not out and Ned 34 not out. A comfortable victory in the end by 100 runs. - Tim Nixon-Smith U12C Saturday The U12Cs have seen a great improvement in all their cricket skills since the start of the season. After losing our first three games, albeit closely, we have now won two of our last three and the boys have experienced the unlikely outcome of a tie. The team were all new to one another at the beginning of the season and made up of a mixture of boys who had never played before through to those coming up from U12Ds and rookies. The improvement in our bowling and running between the wickets has been pleasing as has the steely determination to come back from difficult situations or defend low totals. Luke Travers scored an incredible 90* in just our second game of the season, not something we are likely to see on too many occasions, and has followed up with a number of innings around the 30 mark. Noah Hunt and Max Morris have both improved their bowling incredibly for kids who had not played cricket before this season with Noah knocking over 3 wickets in the first over in our second last game of the year. Watching the boys start to work out what it means to bat for longer in a two day game has been fantastic to observe and they have started to understand that they have time to get their eye in and then lift the scoring rate. Along with Luke, Tom Henley has become a rock in the middle order and Alex Pitman, Oliver Hope and Max Morris have achieved scores between 20 and 30. A number of scores in excess of 150 and one of

23 199 showcase how their skills have developed. A number of spectacular catches and run outs, both direct hits and assisted, have been observed with Oliver Hope standing out. Alex Pitman and Noah Hunt have both added efforts that could go into a Catch of the Season competition. On the bowling front Luke, Liam Hutchins and James Hope have all taken 5 wickets followed closely by Alex, Noah, Tom and Josh Nicholl on 4 each. Declan Bakker has been solid behind the stumps and together with Luca Duffin have both contributed well with both bat and ball. Thanks to Luke Travers for filling in on a few occasions and to all the parents that have helped with scoring, umpiring, boundaries, refreshments and getting the boys to the games on time. Happy Christmas to all and look forward to seeing you in the New Year, - Matthew Pitman U12D Saturday

24 Some significant improvement from all the boys shown in the season 2015 has resulted in the lads finishing equal top at the Christmas break. With half the team consisting of boys from Hampton St Mary's and the Primary school, and the other half from schools in Mordialloc, Aspendale, Mentone and Broadmeadows, the boys have united really well, playing terrific "team first" cricket. Benny Kenny and Lachie Ferguson are leading the way with the bat. Other strong contributors include Hamish Condon, Malik Mohammed and Mackenzie Ross. Bowling has improved immensely in the last few weeks, with the number of extras reducing each week. Archie Roberts, Oscar Lewis, Luke Henry and Archer Kenny hit the seam regularly. Cooper Bernhard, Brodie Jeffrey and Hamish Kenny are providing spin options to our bowling attack. As a first year junior coach, I am really enjoying seeing the boys improve their cricket. It makes it so much more enjoyable with a great group of parents chipping in and helping out. Thanks to all involved. Have a safe and happy Christmas, see you in Justin Ferguson U12 Rookies The U12 rookies is a great concept that is the introduction of hard ball cricket in the participation pathway. Importantly for this Hampton side it is the first group that have come through In2cricket and T20 Blast - and it is certainly showing. The side has played some fantastic cricket, and every player has improved each game. Although the emphasis is not on results, we have only lost one match, but importantly the kids are enjoying their cricket, and learning new skills at the same time. - Glenn Finkelde Junior Ladders

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27 A big thanks to our sponsors for their generous support BOWDEN BUILDERS HAMPTON ELSTERNWICK RAE THOROUGHBREDS Interested in becoming a sponsor and supporting the Hampton Cricket Club? Contact Rod Rae on for further details