SEASON 2022-23 ROUND 9
JANUARY 15, 2023
DIVISION ONE
OLD SCOTCH CC 5/183 (34.4)
def. MCC 180 (40)
C Hemp 40, T Clarke 2/17
On Sunday we saw a new captain lead the side out for our first game after the Christmas break. However, the day didn’t start off quite as well as the new captain may have wanted after a lost toss and a lack of playing stumps had him flustered. Our new opening bowling attack of atom Clarke and Alex Zotov had the ball swinging early with Tom providing an excellent opening bowling spell which saw him reap the rewards with figures of 2/16 off 6. With MCC showing some good signs with the bat, the middle 20 overs were crucial for OSCC. OSCC trust worthy pace bowling attack of Bonwick, Goad and Clark showed all their class and skill by picking up 5 crucial middle order wickets. The Christmas break also saw the return of Mike Sparks from him overseas break and he showed no signs of rust by also picking up 2 crucial wickets himself. After a strong MCC start OSCC were able to restrict them too just 180 on a fairly flat wicket which seemed very attainable with our strong batting lineup. The boys got off too a fast start with Hamma Francis blasting a quick 20 off 12 balls and Cam Hemp continuing his strong start getting himself to 40. Our batting innings saw many players get off to good starts with all top 5 players dismissed above 20 but sadly none surpassing Cam’s 40. With wickets falling continuously the game was never over but a classy 6th wicket partnership between Clark (35*) and M Sparks (15*) of 44 saw them guide the side home to another important victory as we look to cement our place in the top 2. We are looking forward to our main man Sam Shearer returning next week as we continue to build into another finals campaign.
— Will Clark (1XI Stand-in Captain)
DIVISION TWO
OLD SCOTCH CC 6/223 (40)
def. NORTHCOTE 6/145 (40)
C Schilling 91, C Hocking 1/11
Resuming after the break, we won the toss and had no hesitation in batting. Unfortunately, we did not get off to the greatest start with 2 wickets falling in the first 4 overs with the score on 6. From there, Charlie Schilling (91) and Tom Whitelaw (22) fought brilliantly to get the innings back on track. If not for whitey’s unlucky run out off the bowlers hand, the two may still be batting together. Despite this, Hugh Longbottom (72) strode to the crease and in the matter of minutes (literally) deposited 5 maximums over the rope and together with Schillo put on an incredibly competitive score. 6/223 after 40 is our largest score in some time and it was so pleasing to see the runs made by regular players from our team.
The start with the ball did not go to plan, with Northcote racing to 0/50 and Will Easton being dragged out of the attack. Once again, Charlie Hocking (1/11 off 8, 4 maidens) brought us right back into the game, with his dot ball pressure creating 2 direct hit run outs from Oliver McLeish and Nic Bennett. From this point, it was clear that Northcote would not make the required total by the conclusion of the 40 overs. The remaining wickets were shared between the bowlers and we cruised to a comprehensive 78 run victory. The win propels us back to 3rd on the ladder, with 5 very important games remaining.
— John Stavris (2XI Captain)