SUB-DISTRICT NEW Hastings coach Rob Hearn has had an immediate impact on his new club, helping the Blues to a round one Sub District win against Ballam Park. The former Mornington and Crib Point opening bat scored 57 at the top of the innings as the Blues reeled in the Knights’ modest total of 130 off 39.3 overs. Jake Hewitt didn’t have an issue swapping a footy premiership medallion for the whites, hitting 39. Isuru Dias (3/20) and Mitch Floyd (2/16) opened the bowling and picked up five wickets between them in their 10 overs each. David Cross top scored…
Author: IT Gully
REIGNING MPCA Provincial premiers Peninsula Old Boys will be hard to stop again as we gear up for the opening one-dayer round of the season on October 8. Despite clubs circling the Old Boys’ list in the off-season, they have managed to keep the team together, including the talented Will Crowder, who is keen on batting higher this season. Matty Heiden again takes charge while the likes of Dylan O’Malley and Wade Pelzer, both run machines last season, will be features again. Last year’s runner up, Crib Point, have lost Rob Hearn, but gained some handy types in Spencer Wilton…
WHILE the focus has been squarely on footy for the past six months, the whites have been dusted off and some serious indoor sessions have been going on in preparation for the 2016-17 Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association season. The big news during the off-season has been in regard to the proposed four division competition for season 2017-18. The MPCA received responses from all 35 playing member clubs and the Umpires Association and the result of the responses was an overwhelming result in favor of the proposal. There were 31 members in favor (86%) and five members against (14%) the proposed…
SUB-DISTRICT ROSEBUD will play in MPCA District ranks next season after winning the Sub District premiership against Frankston YCW on Saturday. The Buds had to withstand a strong fightback from the Stonecats on the third and final day of the match to claim victory. It was one of the best of all time in Rosebud star Jason Nagel who contributed most significantly to the win for Rosebud. While rumours circulated on radio RPP about Jason Nagel’s cricketing future, he was going about winning a flag for his beloved Rosebud Cricket Club. Nagel bowled an amazing 38 overs, had 15 maidens…
DISTRICT PEARCEDALE won back-to-back premierships on Saturday after dominating the third and final day of the MPCA District grand final against Flinders. After beating Frankston YCW in the Sub District grand final last season, the Panthers had an almost faultless 2015-16 season and capped it off with the District flag. For the first time in the clubs’ history, Pearcedale will play in Provincial next season. The win brought down the curtain on the career of Shane Maggs, who played juniors with Pearcedale before playing higher grade cricket. He took the final wicket of the match, knocking out the stump of…
SUB-DISTRICT ONE the MPCA’s greats, Jason Mathers, gave Rosebud a red hot shot at the title in the Sub District grand final. Mathers scored 73 in the Buds’ total of 215, while Jason Nagel and Brad Glen made contributions at the end. Opponent Frankston YCW was 6/66 at stumps on the second day with the Buds Billy Quigley snaring two wickets early to set the scene. The Buds are in total control and owned the first hour of play in the grand final. The Buds were looking solid with almost 20 runs without loss, however, they lost two quick wickets…
DISTRICT PEARCEDALE will head into the third day of the MPCA District grand final with their noses well and truly in front after coach Chris Dew scored an unbeaten 159 against Flinders. After more than 140 overs in the opening two days, Pearcedale is in the box seat after bowling 40 overs to Flinders on the second day and having them 2/37 overnight. Not only did Dew score 159, when he gave only two small chances, he was almost the man to take Flinders’ first two wickets. Dew and Shane Maggs put Pearcedale into a wonderful position for victory after…
PROVINCIAL PENINSULA Old Boys were crowned the best team in the MPCA on Sunday at 4.50pm when they crushed Crib Point in the Provincial Grand Final. Chasing 204 for victory, Peninsula Old Boys achieved the target with 90 overs left in the game. With Dylan O’Malley scoring 101, the Old Boys’ skipper Matt Hyden whipped a boundary in the 45th over to hand his side victory. At just 2/207, Crib Point conceded victory immediately. Brandon Lawler, who was selected ahead of Adam Galitis as an additional batsmen, was not out on 25 while Hyden was unbeaten on 36. Peninsula Old…
SUB-DISTRICT THE fairytale story of Dromana Cricket Club ended abruptly on Sunday at the hands of Frankston YCW in the MPCA Sub District semi-final. The Hoppers have been the whipping boys of the competition for many seasons, however, with the inclusion of Darren Kerr and Aaron Kaddatz and co, quickly became the glamour team of Sub District in 2015/16. However, on Sunday afternoon, the Hoppers were soundly beaten by the Stonecats by more than 100 runs. The Stonecats will face Rosebud in the Grand Final after the Buds smashed Hastings in the other semi-final. Frankston YCW won the toss and…
DISTRICT PEARCEDALE will be looking for back-to-back flags in this weekend’s District Grand Final after beating Baden Powell on Saturday. The Panthers won the Sub District Grand Final last season and have been superb in 2015/16 in their first season in District. While the Panthers were celebrating, it was heads in hands for Red Hill. In one of the upsets of the season, the 2015/16 dominant side of the competition, Red Hill, were bundled out of the premiership race by Flinders. The Hillmen may have scored 303 against the Sharks in their home and away match earlier in the season,…
PROVINCIAL CRIB Point will play Peninsula Old Boys in the Provincial Grand Final after they won their respective semi-finals on the weekend. Crib Point made light work of beating Baxter, winning the game six wickets down on Sunday. Peninsula Old Boys knocked over Somerville, picking up the final wicket at 4.30pm on Sunday afternoon to advance to yet another big dance. It was an impressive performance from the Old Boys, who were well led by ‘old-timer’ Jonny Forrest, who rescued the Old Boys with 58 on Saturday before taking 2/9 off a five over spell. It was that spell that…
SUB-DISTRICT DROMANA will play Frankston YCW and Hastings will host Rosebud in the two MPCA Sub District semi finals this weekend. As predicted last week, despite Carrum Downs being a mathematical chance of playing finals leading into the final round, Rosebud was never going to lose to Skye and that proved to be the case. While the Buds won comfortably and finished in third place, the same can’t be said for the Blues. Hastings was beaten by top of the table Dromana, meaning it hasn’t beaten a top four team this season. Going into a sudden death final this week,…
DISTRICT HEATHERHILL and Seaford both blew their opportunities to sneak into the MPCA District top four on Saturday. In the final round of the season, Flinders, Seaford and the Hills were all equal on 72 points. Flinders seemed to have the easiest of tasks playing Seaford Tigers, while the Hills hosted Mt Martha and Seaford had the tough task of playing the best in the business in Red Hill. Most eyes were on the Sharks and the Hills to see who would win and grab that fourth place. However, there were also some eyes down at Carrum for the relegation…
PROVINCIAL CRIB Point finished the MPCA Provincial cricket home and away season on top of the ladder after recording a comfortable victory against Moorooduc on Saturday. The Magpies will host Baxter in the first semi-final this weekend. In the other big match over the weekend, Peninsula Old Boys and Somerville will go head to head for the second time in as many weeks when they clash in the second of the semi-finals. Baxter maintained its position in the top four despite going down to Pines. The loser over the weekend was Langwarrin, who had a chance to grab fourth place…
SUB-DISTRICT THE MPCA Sub District ladder was put to rest last night after Frankston YCW staged a wonderful outright victory against Skye to lock in a place in the top four. Even more impressive was Rosebud’s reverse outright win performance against Hastings, giving them a valuable 12 points and locking them into fourth place. Hastings is a little wobbly right now and faces Dromana in a one day game this weekend. The Blues have won only one of its past three games, being beaten by Rosebud on the weekend and Frankston YCW – both finals teams. If the Blues lose…
DISTRICT BADEN Powell is in a world of pain in MPCA District cricket after losing its third match in a row on Saturday. After dominating the early part of the season, where they failed to lose a game before Christmas, the Braves are now on their knees, searching for ways to try and turn around their once blistering form. Despite the Braves poor form, their superb percentage of 1.60 is sure to hold them in the top bracket, even if they were to lose against Main Ridge in the final match of the season, a one-dayer. The Braves’ last victory…
PROVINCIAL THE top four is set in MPCA Provincial cricket after Baxter pulled off a superb outright victory against Moorooduc on Saturday. With just one round remaining in the home and away season, a one day fixture, Baxter is 12 points clear of Langwarrin, who also charged up the ladder after winning outright against Rye. Sorrento is also just one game behind Baxter in sixth place on the ladder. Sorrento is assured a win against Rye in the final game but they are no chance of getting 20 wickets in 40 overs and make a score themselves. Sorrento’s percentage of…
SUB-DISTRICT FRANKSTON YCW has geared itself up for a massive swoop on the top bracket after the completion of day one in MPCA Sub District cricket. Coming into the second last round of the home and away season, YCW is in fifth place on the ladder, equal with Rosebud and six points behind third-place Carrum Downs (66). An outright victory against Skye in Round 10 would put the Stonecats in a superb position heading into the final game of the year against Balnarring. Skye batted first on Saturday at Peninsula Reserve and lasted just 25 overs for 48 runs. Frankston…
DISTRICT WITH its 2015-16 season hinging on a win, Heatherhill is in a sensational position against the top of the table and seemingly untouchable Red Hill. With MPCA District games all over the peninsula having a massive bearing in the second last game of the season, the Hills v Hillmen was one of the games to keep an eye on. Heatherhill batted first on Saturday after winning the toss and made 197. The visitors were in some trouble at 5/66 and 6/85, before Nathan Martin (89) and Brett Maxwell (37) were brought together at the crease. The pair were able…
PROVINCIAL MORNINGTON Peninsula Cricket Association Provincial star Chris Brittain hit his second century in as many innings as he helped Baxter to victory on the first day of its clash against Moorooduc. Brittain’s last four knocks have amassed more than 400 runs with scores of 79 against Somerville, 90 against Mornington, 122 against Long Island and 118 against the Ducs on Saturday. What was even more impressive is that Brittain was able to score the runs so quickly. Joe Rule lost his wicket before scoring, bringing Brittain to the crease with the Baxter score on 0. Together with Todd Quinn…
SUB-DISTRICT THE 2015/16 MPCA Sub District season is going to go right down to the wire after the conclusion of Round nine on Saturday. Whilst the top two positions on the ladder have been tied up for some time with Dromana on 104 points and Hastings on 94, the real battle sits from third to seventh. Carrum Downs is currently in third place on 66 points and Rosebud is hanging onto fourth place on 60 points. These two sides clashed in Round nine and it was the Cougars who came out victors by 39 runs. Rosebud would have given themselves…
COUNTRY WEEK THE Mornington Peninsula Cricket Associations Provincial and Division Two teams struggled in the Country Week championships. The Provincial team lost its opening two matches against Geelong and Bendigo, the eventual grand finalists, before opening their account against Sale-Maffra on day three of the carnival. It lost its final match of the tournament to Warrnambool. Tom Wood scored 54 and skipper Matt Foon 51 against Geelong in their score of 8/201 while Chris Dew and Matt Foon collected three wickets each in Geelong’s knock of 267. The MPCA was rolled for 115 against Bendigo (9/212 & 4/67). Justin Grant…
DISTRICT BADEN Powell are in a slump after losing their second match in as many rounds on Saturday in MPCA District cricket. After dominating for the first seven rounds of the season, the Braves have been knocked over by third placed Pearcedale and on Saturday, against the top of the table, premiership fancies, Red Hill. Red Hill were restricted to 200 in their first innings on the wide-open expanses of Overport Road Reserve, but were always in the box seat to defend that total. The score proved to be far too great for the Braves, given the enormous bowling lineup…
PROVINCIAL LANGWARRIN caused one of the upsets of the 2015-16 MPCA Provincial season on Saturday when it knocked over top-of-the-table Peninsula Old Boys. However, it was the other end of the Peninsula that had tongues wagging. MPCA and Sorrento superstar Anthony Blackwell had figures of 4/16 overnight against Pines. He finished with all 10 wickets, bowling 16.2 overs and finishing with 10/41 to help his side to a 24-run victory and maintain fourth place on the ladder. The loss to Peninsula Old Boys was also a talking point. There is little love lost between Langwarrin and POB and it was…
SUB-DISTRICT THERE are three tremendous battles going on in MPCA Sub-District cricket in round nine and all eyes will be on their results at 6pm this Saturday. Sixth-placed Frankston YCW is playing host to fifth-placed Tootgarook, third-placed Rosebud is hosting fourth-placed Carrum Downs and Balnarring and Ballam Park are hoping to keep their slim finals hopes alive as they do battle. The Knights and the Saints are currently a game and a half outside of the top four and a loss in round nine would end their season. As it stands, Balnarring needs a miracle on day two to have…
DISTRICT THE match we have all been waiting to see in District cricket, top of the ladder Red Hill versus second placed Baden Powell, is shaping-up to be a nail biter. In what many believe is the preview to the District grand final, both teams head into the final day of the match with genuine claims that they are in the box seat. For mine, Red Hill is the side with the runs on the board, albeit 200, and must be fancied from here. On Saturday at Overport Rd, the Hillmen won the toss and batted first. Simon Dart top…
PROVINCIAL WITH just three rounds remaining in MPCA Provincial cricket before finals, the intensity of round nine has seen some serious game changers after the first day’s play. There is still a mad scramble for a place in the top four with at least seven teams vying for third and fourth. At this stage, despite two more rounds to follow round nine, it seems top of the table Peninsula Old Boys and second-placed Crib Point have done enough to play finals. With seven teams staking claims for third and fourth place, every run and every wicket is critical. It also…
SUB-DISTRICT DROMANA maintained its dominance in MPCA Sub District cricket, picking up a solid 29 run win against Balnarring. With its season on the line, Balnarring resumed on day two at 1/42, chasing 193 for victory. At that stage of the game, the pendulum was certainly swaying in favour of the Saints. However, an early run out of Mark Walles on the second day put the Saints on the back foot. Tom Hilet was also run out when he was cruising with 23 runs. Dromana was taking advantage of the luck in the match. Aaron Kaddatz continued his dominant season…
DISTRICT DELACOMBE Park failed in its attempt to pick up an outright victory over Seaford Tigers on Saturday in MPCA District cricket but is still a smoky to play finals. The Parkers were on the verge of victory after the first day’s play after scoring 175 and then having the Tigers in real trouble at 5/72 at the end of the day. The Tigers made just five more runs before being bowled out for 77. Shane Deal claimed 4/21 and Andrew Stapleton 3/23 for the Parkers. Delacombe Park then made 99 in 35 overs with Rowan Charles top scoring with…
PROVINCIAL CRIB Point are eight points clear in second place on the MPCA Provincial ladder after picking up an outright win against Baxter on Saturday. The Magpies headed into the second day of the clash having already won the match after bowling out Baxter for 88 on day one. Resuming at 7/179, the Pies added just 12 more runs before Baxter were back out to bat. Ricky Thompson top scored for the Magpies with 45, which included three fours and two sixes. The second innings didn’t fare much better for Baxter. In fact, it was much, much worse. The visitors…