SEASON 2023-24 ROUND 01
OCTOBER 22, 2023
DIVISION ONE
OLD SCOTCH 1XI 8/166 (36)
def. MCC 115 (35)
T Polkinghorne 33*, N Sparks 4/30
On a cold, windy and wet Round One Sunday, the OSCC First XI made the trip down to Beaumaris to face MCC and were looking to make a positive start to yet another successful season for the side and club. There were a few regulars missing, but also some great additions to the side and confidence was high, despite the slight disparity in pre-season regimes between the competing sides.
As the rain stopped for just enough time to get a toss in, captain Sam Shearer won the toss and decided to bat - fully aware that a 40 over bowling effort followed by a second innings washout would not sit well with the boys - and young opening pair Hamish Francis and Tom Kelly braved the arctic conditions and got the season underway. Both openers made reasonable starts, as did the next two in S Shearer and Nick Sparks, but all top-order players were dismissed for between 10 and 20, in what summed up the rusty showing from the batting unit. With the innings sputtering along, with starts to Sam Dawborn and Will Clark added to the mix, it was eventually the returning Tom Polkinghorne, back from the Scottish wilderness, who showed great maturity in combining with Charlie Loveridge and managed to close the innings with a score of 166 on the board. This felt around par on a day where conditions were challenging, but clearly was lower than the expected effort from a strong batting side.
With the ball, the OSCC openers Sparks and Clark were placed under immediate pressure, with an opening flurry from one of the MCC openers taking Sparks’ first two overs for 18 and having the home side well on top early. What this side does possess is the ability to stay calm when placed in these situations and Sparks was able to remove the attacking opener and halt the MCC momentum. With great pressure built at the other end through Clark and Shearer, Sparks was then able to go bang-bang-bang and have the good guys well on top, with a bag of four. From there, the score was never challenged with all bowlers performing well and Kelly (four catches with the gloves) and Loveridge the standouts in the fielding effort.
While it was a long way from this team’s best efforts, it was a solid showing, against a side who was far more advanced in preparation, and nice to tuck the four points away, despite the conditions.
On to South Caulfield on Saturday this weekend, plus an exciting matchup with the school First XI on Friday afternoon on the Main.
— Sam Shearer (1XI Captain)
DIVISION TWO
OLD SCOTCH 2XI
drew. EAST MALVERN TOORONGA 1/17 (5)
Rained out
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