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Wanderers Cricket - Round 12 Wrap
- leichhardtcricket
- Feb 18
- 13 min read
February 15th / 16th, 2025.
As we approach the business end of the season for many of our junior teams, the finals are in sight for some! However, for all teams, regardless of your position on the competition ladder, or for those competitions that don't have finals, there is so much more to junior cricket than winning a trophy. Hence, we strongly encourage all teams, players and supporters to focus on enjoying the remaining games for the 2024-25 season. Be the best you can be, as individuals and as teams. Be the best you can be, for your team. We are all proud of you just by showing up with the will to compete, regardless of the outcome. Putting on our colours and representing yourself, your team mates, your club and your community is what it's all about.
That's the Wanderers way.
Thank you to everyone who joined our virtual info session last night on rep cricket and transitioning beyond club cricket. We had fantastic interest in the session, represented by a broad cross-section of girls and boys across our junior age groups. We hope you found it useful and informative - we would love to hear your feedback!
For those who weren't able to join, we have made the presentation slides available on the LWCC Cricket Hub on our website - please click here to access.
As always, if you have any questions or need any assistance, please get in touch with us at leichhardtcricket@gmail.com - as we said on the call, we are here to support you!
Wanderers Rep Selection Highlights
This week we have two great stories to highlight of two of our junior girls and their representative selections:
Elizabeth Coughlin - Beth competed for Sydney North region at the NSW Combined High School Sport Association (CHSSA) opens cricket competition last year, and from there was selected into the U15s NSW CHSSA team to compete at the U15 NSW All Schools comp against the catholic and independent schools. From this carnival, she was selected into the NSW U15 All Schools team to compete in the national carnival against the other states in September this year. Congratulations Beth!
Emily Moore - was selected as captain of the Sydney East regional team for the NSW Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) competing at the Primary Cricket Girls Championship this week. Yesterday, February 17th, was day one of the carnival, where Emily scored 26* to beat Polding. (The competition continues until Thursday, 20th February). Congratulations Emily, you're doing us proud!
Around The Grounds: Highlights & Match Reports
Performance of the Round
Again this week, we share the Performance of the Round honours between two all-round stars!
Connie Rawson (U13 Girls) - 25* (28 balls), 5x fours; 1 for 4 (2 overs); 2 catches, 1 run out
Gus Cassim played in two games and starred in both! Amazingly, Gus makes the honour roll three times!
(U17 Black) - 53* (40 balls), 4x fours, 2x sixes; 1 for 8 (3 overs); 3 catches
(U15 White) - 46 (35 balls), 4x fours, 2x sixes; 2 for 8 (4 overs); 2 catches, 1 run out
Highlights
Oliver Lista (U17 Black) - 3 for 16 (3 overs), 1 catch
Eamon Russell (U13 Gold) - 3 for 9 (3 overs), 2x C&Bs
Darcy Cruikshank (U13 White) - 35* (44 balls), 4x fours; 3 for 4 (4 overs), 1 catch
Oscar Rawson (U10 Black) - 4 for 2 (3 overs); 1 run out
Ryan Petkovich (U10 Black) - 3 for 6 (3 overs); 1 catch, 1 run out
Adelaide Done (U11 Girls Red) - 1 for 19 (4 overs), 1 catch, 1 run out
Max Sardelic (U17 Black) - 3 catches, 1 stumping
Match Reports
U11 Black: LWCC (157) def. Concord Briars Gold (114)
U11 Black were contacted by the Concord Briars Gold the night before the game, requesting a later start and a bat first, due to their numbers being reduced by private school entries. Parents were only too happy to oblige therefore avoiding the possibility of a forfeit. With only three of the opposition in attendance, we began with miserly spells from Curtis Jenkins and Caleb Rohanek, the latter bowling a maiden. As more opponents appeared to pad up and make their way to the middle, wickets began to tumble.
Dashiell Collier had 2 excellent run outs, the first coming after he backed up an overthrow that deflected off the keeper’s helmet to return a direct hit! Speaking of keeping, Felix Hagen ended up with the match ball after taking 1-7 off his bowling and donning the gloves for the first time this season. Moving well down the leg side he prevented many extras, took a sharp caught behind, a stumping and finished a run out. Most would take all season to tick off the keeper’s trifecta of dismissals!
Special mentions to Caleb Rohanek for turning up with a great attitude and clubbing a huge six over deep square leg, and to Noah Lane for his wicket maiden, finishing with 2-2 from his 3 overs. Well done LWCC U11 Black, that’s two wins on the trot!
U12 Red: LWCC (4-50) def. RHH Pirates Buccaneers (8-49)
Ep 12 - Bedlam Bay
Another big day out for our Reds, this time with amphitheatre water views and a thumping win over the Pirates.
Leo returned from leave last week and as El Capitan, looked his pirate counterpart square in the eye and asked "where’s your Buccaneers?" before choosing to bowl. And bowl we did, with wickets tumbling to skittle the Pirates for just 50. Leo’s 2 wickets in his first two "god balls" and a near hat trick was cricket devastation, Noah summing up the mood by observing that Leo was in fact "actually cooking." Noah was also cooking as it turned out, with T taking a neat catch, as it turned out was Leon, with high bounce returning figures of 2-0, and James and then Ollie S all piling into the wickets.
50 as a target felt gettable but the grass was thick and pirates boast some handy bowlers and we were reeling a little on the chase at 4-16, (with the bat signal shone out for the Mayes - known to the pirates as those "rep kids") but Ollie S and big Ted put the hammer down with a few big hits and it was all done bar the shouting.
Tremendous stuff. Next week promising to be quite a challenge if we’re four down, but you never know your luck in the big city!
U11 Girls Red: LWCC (66) def. by Marrickville (102)
Took on Marrickville this week and a player down with a maximum of five on the field in the hot conditions. The team played with great energy and enthusiasm taking five wickets in the innings. Caught behind, run outs and wickets. Incredible bowling performance by Zosia, exceptional fielding & keeping from Adelaide. Our openers, Lucia and Ella set the tone with brilliant running between wickets, Elsie faced the last 22 balls straight & hit some great quick singles but unfortunately couldn't chase down their lead.
Pure heart this week!
U10 Red: LWCC (108) def. by Concord Briars Black (167)
It might have been Valentine’s Day the previous day, but there were no left over gifts from the Briars in what was a very strong performance all round from them….
U10 Red fielded first and while they performed well, keeping the extras to a minimum, the Briars managed to score runs all down the order for the loss of few wickets. Highlights from the bowlers this week, we had a first ball wicket from Alex (2), Archie (1) a maiden over with a wicket, and Jeremy (1) taking the other wicket. In the field the high ball catching practice from coach Chris is starting to pay off as Sam took an excellent up and under. He almost had a second with an impressive acrobatic catch only to be denied with a no ball call! Archie and Rohan delivered the run outs this week with two great throws onto the wicket.
The Briars showed their intent from the first over with the ball, getting two wickets in a row, with the chance of a hat trick. The same bowler would later repeat the feat in his third over. On the batting side Finn top scored for LWCC this week with 8 runs, Archie (7) got the only four for the team with a beautiful sweep shot. The team were aggressive running between the wickets, which is great to see, however need to just ensure they communicate more with their partner to ensure they are both ready. Jeremy gave a spirited team talk to the remaining batters on the sideline to try and push the team forward. Ultimately the best team won but the Reds can hold their head up high with a great effort to the end!
U13 Girls: LWCC (70) def. by Summer Hill CC (4-71)
Today was not our day against a very competitive Summer Hill team.
We won the toss and batted first, but our scoring started slowly and didn't start to fire until Connie came in and blasted 25* (28), Cate scored 11 (11), and we were all out for 70.
Summer Hill batted slowly too, and while we did bowl well - Sofia R and Charlotte both 0-3 (2 overs each), Connie 1-4 (2), Sharanya 1-12 (1.1) and Olivia 1-11 (1) - there were quite a few extras, which made a difference to the result. On a bright note, Zoe, Carmen, Olivia and Sophie's bowling is improving every game, which is great to see.
Also, Connie took two good catches (one was a caught and bowled!), Sofia R one good catch, and Carmen and Zoe were both great behind the stumps. The training is paying off!
Thanks to Mike and Jen for assisting with umpiring and scoring today.
Let's get back to winning ways next weekend!
U12 Gold: LWCC (67) def. by Concord Briars Gold (2-128)
Leichhardt Fights Hard Against Table-Toppers Despite Tough Result
U12 Gold showed resilience and determination against the top-ranked Concord Briars Gold but fell short in their chase at Campbell Park on Saturday morning. Despite the result, there were standout performances, particularly from Patrick Thornton, whose innings combined power and grace to give Leichhardt hope in their reply.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, LWCC U12 Gold looked to put early pressure on their highly rated opponents. James Day led the bowling effort with an excellent spell, taking 2-25 from his five overs, including two key breakthroughs. Patrick Thornton was equally impressive with the ball, delivering a miserly five-over spell that conceded just six runs at an economy of 1.2. However, Concord Briars capitalised on their deep batting lineup, reaching 2-128 from their allotted 30 overs.
In response, Leichhardt’s innings was highlighted by Patrick Thornton’s brilliant 32 from 26 balls, a knock filled with elegance and aggression. His ability to find gaps and dispatch loose deliveries, including a towering six, was a testament to his class and composure under pressure. He was well-supported by Oscar Green, who added a quickfire 18 from 14 balls. Unfortunately, wickets fell at regular intervals, and Leichhardt was bowled out for 67 in 15.1 overs.
Despite the defeat, the team showed plenty of promise against the strongest side in the competition. With finals looming, LWCC U12 Gold will look to rebound strongly next week and cement their place in the postseason.
U11 Girls Gold: LWCC (73) def. by Ashfield CC (190)
Our Gold team played a very strong Ashfield team and gave a great account of themselves. We bowled first and Charlotte got their opener out bowled… and she is a rep player! Emily got a great run out but Ashfield ended on a solid score.
Our batting started brilliantly with Mihrimah, Juno and Emily scoring freely and running some amazing ones and twos. But, in the end, Ashfield had too many runs on the board.
U17 Black: LWCC (157) def. by Bankstown Sporties Blue (163)
It was another game that went down to the wire for the U17 Black but, unfortunately, this week the result went Bankstown’s way. Chasing 164, with Leichhardt always behind the run rate, Nick and Will, at 9 and 11, set a platform for the returning Gus to have a shot at winning the game. Back-to-back sixes in the 31st over, followed by some hectic running, brought the target into sight but a run out from the penultimate ball deprived us of the chance to see Gus go for the six to win. Prior to the early evening drama, the rest of the batting line up had kept the score steadily climbing, with Alec and Finn each unluckily falling just before retirement, and the fact that the last 5 wickets were all run outs was indicative of the increasing sense of urgency in the chase.
Bankstown’s score of 163 was anchored by a 91 from their opener, alongside a raft of 5 ducks, but just enough partnerships to post a challenging total. Leichhardt’s wickets were spread between 7 bowlers, with Oli producing the best figures of 3-16, matched by Max’s fine day behind the stumps leading to 3 catches and a stumping. Captain Gus’s three catches, along with his outstanding half-century, means that he deservedly gets onto the honour roll twice.
U10 Black: LWCC (161) def. RHH Pirates Jolly Rogers (58)
Lost the toss and sent into bat. Some tight bowling from our opposition, but we played for the most part straight and respectful of what was in front of us. John O'Connell top scored with 15 from 15 not out, followed by Emmett Hudson 12 runs with the loss of one wicket. We lost 2 wickets from runouts, but that was the only blemish of what was a mature batting performance from the team.
Coming out to bowl, it was a superb performance from our team. 14 wickets and 3 run outs in a stellar performance. A golden duck of the first ball of the innings by Emmett Hudson was the beginning of some wonderful performances. Ryan Petkovich taking 3 wickets with the ball a catch and a runout and John O'Connell and Fredrick Werner-Gibbings two each and a handy wicket to Dylan Corfield and Kiran Chandramouli. Outstanding bowling from Oscar Rawson 3 overs 1 maiden 4 wickets for 2 runs and nil extras along with a runout. Well done team.
U13 Gold: LWCC (43) def. by Randwick JCC Stars (3-44)
It was not a great day for the Wanderers. They lost their first game of the competition. Batting first didn’t work well – slumping to 5-26 after 11 overs – with only Kurtis (11 off 36) in the top order able to stick around and build an innings against some quality bowling. The lower order dug in as best they could, with Linus having his best innings so far (10 off 35) and was well supported by Felix until he got a jaffa (pitching on 4th, hitting top of middle). Fill in player Emmett Hudson from U10 Black scored a few runs as well.
A total of 43 meant that wickets had to be taken early in our bowling innings. The boys tried hard but it was only Eamon who did some damage, bagging three in one over through some heavy balls on 4th/off stump and tidy catching (Linus x1 and C&B x2), ending with figures of 3-9.
We were simply out played. The opposition batted better than us, bowled better than us and fielded better than us. You don’t win many games when that happens. The boys know they can be better in all areas and look forward to next week. They remain second on the ladder and can still finish the competition strongly.
U13 Derby: LWCC White (4-181) def. LWCC Red (8-82)
A stunning afternoon at Callan Park for another LWCC derby in the U13s. White's captain James L won the toss and wisely elected to bat first. Pleasingly, this was our most complete batting innings of the season, with contributions right down the batting order and notably, scores of 20-plus runs from four of our batters - and all of them not out! Opener Darcy (35* off 44) and Jack (35* off 22) both equal-top scored, though playing markedly different innings. They were well-supported by Archer (26* off 30), James L (22* off 30) and Anton (11* off 30). Jack's blistering innings saw six superb boundaries and some of the cleanest hitting we've seen - easily his best ever performance with the bat! Whites finished their 30 overs with 4-181.
Perhaps given the hot afternoon bake from the sun and our solid score, our innings in the field was not our best, despite getting the job done. A couple of drop catches, misfields and a bit of loose bowling saw the Reds off to a decent start, with Jacob (29 off 30) and Max (13* off 26). However eventually we were able to right the ship, with wickets falling to Anton (1-16), Eamon (1-4), Jack (1-6), whilst Conor (2-10) tore down the wicket with the raised finger in celebration after clean bowling his mate Charlie. Archer took a nice catch after dropping a tough chance a couple of balls earlier, and sub fielder Emmett (from U10s) took a superb catch at point off the bowling of Eamon. However, the pick of the bowlers was Darcy, who finished with 3-4 off 4 overs, with 2 maidens, plus the final catch to seal the result.
Two wins on the trot for U13 White fills us with confidence as we head to our final derby of the season against the flying U13 Black!
U13 Black: LWCC (7-61) def. Concord Briars Gold (8-60)
“Somebody bring the lawn mower down!!”, was the cry from both teams this Saturday at Greenlees oval, Concord. The visitors lost the toss, so we elected to bowl first, kind of cleverly knowing how hard it would be to bat. Wickets everywhere, Linus Starkoff, Xavier Rohanek, Sam Spiller claiming two a piece, and Austin Kelly one. Top score was extras on 25! We’ll discuss this later on.
The scores for the opposition in order: 0, 21 ,4, 0, 0, 0, 3, 2, 1. All out for 60 after just 18 overs. Four ducks due to our rather good and steady bowling, albeit with plentiful extras (25) to feast on. So only 35 runs off the bat.
Never underestimate how hard it is to chase low totals. With their frighteningly quick opening bowler Ashan, we held up pretty well until Xavier got himself out ‘Johnny Bairstow’ style after copping a ball to the upper leg area. Ouch. Wickets fell quickly throughout the short 18 over innings, culminating in extreme pressure placed on the lower order batters. We were able to get over the line with one wicket (1) remaining to claim victory. As with the first innings, plenty of extras, with only 41 runs coming from the bat. An unlucky LBW (Sam Spiller, sorry mate). Top scorer Austin Kelly - 23 (25) with some impressive boundaries to counteract the forest of wet grass.
A very tight and nervous game, could have been anyone’s victory. A reminder that cricket always has two halves - both teams have to bat on that pitch!
We won!! By one wicket. Well done boys.
Our presentation night this year will be on Saturday 3rd May, which is our biggest event of the calendar year. As always, we need volunteers to help make this work - if you can help out in any way on the night, please let us know by e-mailing leichhardtcricket@gmail.com. Watch this space for details as we approach the end of the season.
Go well next weekend!
Chris Hudson
LWCC President
We are Leichhardt Wanderers Through and Through!