Penrith Cricket Club 2nd Grade Premiers 1992-93
Penrith Cricket Club | February 10, 2023
Back Row - Grant Parmenter, Peter Sredojevic, Phil Chie, Brett Wheeldon, Jason Conn, Andrew Bennett
Front Row - Matt Langdon, Darren Reeves, Greg Douglas, Murray Rayner, Garry Sheen, Paul Maraziotis
Who better to tell this triumphant tale than the man who mixed the icing that would grace the 20th birthday cake? Let’s hear it from Greg Douglas, captain of the Seconds …
“I have never been associated with a team that was prepared to play such a very positive and, at times, aggressive style of cricket from ball one, Round one to the last ball bowled in the Final. Our goals were simple: to consistently score large totals so we could put pressure on the opposition when we were in the field. We achieved this on a regular basis, which is probably why we tasted defeat only once.
“This side had the rare ability to get out of tight situations—if down, it could lift a gear. This was no more evident than in Round one, chasing 301. At one stage we were 4/40 but managed to score 485. Good sides can be knocked down but still get up to win. Garry Sheen made 117 in that fight-back and followed it up next round with 110 but the innings I will remember is his 91 in the Semi-final, a very mature and patient innings. Garry has scored more than 500 runs in three Grade seasons in a row and he is only 17. What a magnificent achievement!
“We had a well-balanced team. There were seven five-wicket hauls. The fielding was outstanding: quickie Jason Conn—memorable catches, saving runs with pace across the outfield; Brett Wheeldon—fine slipper; Phil Chie—smart catches at short leg. The batting rewrote the record books: Club Record 5,402 runs for the season; Club Record 39 scores of 50-plus; Club Record eight centuries including one double-century. Murray Rayner set records that will take years to break, if ever. I predict he will play many years of First Grade. He has the ability, and fire in his belly, to play cricket at the highest level. Above all Murray is a winner.
“In the Semi-final we played third-placed Randwick at Howell, and whipped them. It was a great warm-up, and morale boost, for the Final. We won the toss and batted … and batted, batting them out of the game with a Club Record 531. The tempo was set by Murray Rayner, who else? His 230 was amazing. He and Garry Sheen put on 225 in only 158 minutes to demoralize our opponents. Randwick were dismissed for 162. Left-arm orthodox spinner Phil Chie was best with 3/31. For the second season running he’s been our leading wicket-taker. All up he grabbed 40 this season, yet, because of wash-outs he didn’t bowl in three matches! Peter Sredojevic, 2/15, was rewarded for clever pace variation and aggression. Jason Conn, 2/36, beat the twin demons of injury and loss of confidence.
“Meanwhile, in the other Semi-final fourth-placed Gordon defeated Minor Premiers Uni of NSW, a great result for us. It meant we went into the Final against Gordon, played at Hurstville. as top dog. Penrith won the toss and scored 263. Murray Rayner made 84 and Brett Wheeldon 65, but it was in the lower order where we showed ticker. All season all-rounder Andrew Bennett, No.7, had shown he had the knowledge of how to ‘bat with the tail’, a valuable talent. Now, as ‘the tail’ batting with me, he helped put on 131 in 80 minutes. It took the wind out of the Gordon challenge.
“A score like 263 during the season can be inadequate, but in a Final where the atmosphere is more akin to standing in a pressure-cooker, it’s very competitive. Gordon were dismissed for 197. Grant Parmenter has a bit of the ‘game-changer’ about him with bat or ball, and his 4/71 with loopy, pacy leg-spin did just that. Phil Chie 3/50 and Jason Conn 2/20 helped out. Penrith batted again and at stumps were 6/301. That young man Murray Rayner, 75. What a season he had! And, to see the delight on Phil Chie’s face when the Final was over was something a lot of us will never forget.”
