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Arriving at Drummoyne Oval on a humid, overcast morning with rain hanging in the air, there were some (the writer included) who were unsure that any cricket would be played at all – but in the end it was a humdinger that finished with the First Grade Bears singing the song for the first time since Round 3.

The umpires ambitiously targeted an on-time start (much to my surprise – the scorebook and team list were still in the car at 9.27 when I was told we were tossing at 9.30), which was kiboshed by rain at 9.29. When the coin eventually came down an hour later, Sydney won it and made the fastest call of “we’ll bowl” ever recorded. We got underway at 10.45, losing just a single over per side.

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last month



It's Waverley Oval 1979 and Waverley is pitched against UNSW. Brian Riley is playing for Waverley having decamped from Petersham. He's had a pretty lean season with 220 runs from 11 digs for his new club and finds himself in second grade for the first time in a decade. It's the second last game of the season and the Waverley second grade team too has had a lean season.

Riles arrives late. We are fielding in a few minutes. He is frantically rooting around in his kit bag and then lets out a flurry of expletives. Manages to cover just about every expletive known to the English language. "I've left my f...... cricket trousers at home" he screams. Inquires of his new team mates if we have any spares. No luck.

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last month



A stunning video has just been released on the history and use of Sydney's Waverley Park which includes Waverley Oval, the grandstand and its facilities, the all weather playing fields, children's playground and the imposing water reservoir tower.

Waverley Oval is home to the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club formerly known as Waverley District Cricket Club. The club has a rich 150 year history as club president Jim Maxwell AM outlines in the video. Past players include test players and former Australian test captain Syd Gregory, Alan Kippax, former England test captain Tony Greig, Geoff Boycott, Malcolm Marshall, Greg Matthews, Brad Haddin, Peter Nevill and David Warner.

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last month



The Parramatta District Cricket Club has had many accomplished sportsmen pass through its ranks over the course of time, but the multitalented Charlie Leabeater – elder sibling of former State batsman Len Leabeater – takes a bit of beating.

He was adept at a wide range of sports as illustrated:

· As a cricketer he played for Central Cumberland from 1918/19 to 1944/45, this included three years in retirement, but as a veteran he answered call to overcome player shortages during World War II.

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2 months ago



The greatest father-son combination in the history of the old Randwick club was Stan and Rhys Banwell. And while they played in different eras and never played together, the contribution each made to Randwick over an extended period, emphasised their ability as highly talented and at times, brilliant cricketers.

Stanley Joseph Banwell was born at Broken Hill on 3 December 1932. That was also the day Australia’s Stanley Joseph McCabe made 187* against Harold Larwood and England at the SCG. It was therefore no co-incidence baby Banwell should bear the name, Stanley Joseph. There had always been cricket blood in the Banwell family with Stan’s father, Jesse James Banwell, a 2nd Grade cricketer with St George.

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2 months ago



Throughout its long history the Parramatta District Cricket Club has had a multitude of intriguing tales to tell, and the story of Tom Vernon Garrett certainly fits that classification.

Between 1904 and 1911 Tom, a busy all-rounder (right-hand middle order batsman and medium-pace bowler), took the field for the Parramatta club (then known as Central Cumberland), in both First and Second grade – some of his playing contemporaries were club legends like Les Pye, ‘Mudgee Cranney’, E.L. ‘Gar’ Waddy, and internationals W.P. Howell and G. Hazlitt.

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2 months ago



Clive Kable, in participating in the first season of first grade cricket for the St George District Cricket Club, continued a family tradition of firsts. His great-great grandfather, Henry Kable married Susannah Holmes on 10 February 1788. Their wedding was one of five to take place on the same day, marking the first marriages in the new British colony of New South Wales. Of the five marriages, only the Kable family bore children that lived into adulthood meaning that the Kable family can boast the longest continuing European family line in Australia.

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2 months ago



Manly Warringah DCC 1st Grade Premiers 1949-50

After 44 years of 1st Grade cricket, Manly won the premiership for the first time on Saturday, 5th April 1950, finishing on top of the competition ladder with 81 points, there being no finals or semi-finals at that time

Pictures: Keith Miller, Dudley Frazer, Doug Dives, Jim Burke

Back Row: Taylor, George Lowe (President), Jim Kennedy

Middle Row: Ewart Smith, Geoff Morrow, Eddie Robinson, Bruce Adrian

Seated: Col Graham, John Gwynne, Bruce Cook (Captain), Tom Brooks, Vic Brown

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2 months ago



Keshav Krishnan is a promising all-rounder in the making who joined Western Suburbs District Cricket Club at the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

Keshav has already made a name for himself at Western Suburbs, through his consistency, patience and relentless effort.

This season so far, Keshav has already taken 17 wickets in 7 games at an average of 9.88, including taking 5 for 11 off 10 overs against Randwick Petersham in Round 4 and, more recently, taking 6 for 23 off 17 overs against Mosman in Round 6.

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2 months ago



The Oxenham Shield annual cricket matches between neighbouring boroughs, Randwick and Waverley, were first played in 1883. Some 12 years later in 1895, Humphrey Oxenham, a 41-year-old bookmaker and gambler, presented a handsome trophy for competition between the boroughs. A colourful character, as a youth, Oxenham won a bet of £100 to one shilling that he could ride the two miles (3.2 km) between Bathurst and Kelso within a certain time—with a pumpkin on his head.

The trophy was presented at a public meeting on 14 December 1895 presided over by the Waverley mayor. The arrangements for the competition were established for the first match scheduled for Boxing Day and New Year’s Day at Waverley Oval.

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2 months ago



A heads-up about something a little different. Cricconnect member, James Knight, has written a fictitiou kids' story that aims to promote relationships between Australia and India through the beauty of cricket.

The story is told through the eyes of a drought- affected farm boy, Jack, and an Indian boy, Ajeet, who has just arrived to live with his family in an Aussie bush town. They don't always see eye-to eye, but in the end, this is a beautiful story about the strength of human spirit.

Although it is aimed at upper primary school and early secondary school readers, there are messages in it for all of us. As part of the book, the boys write their own diaries. Here's a sample Chapter.

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2 months ago



Billy Ellison joined Randwick as an 18 year old in 1931-32. A left-arm over-the-wrist spinner and hard hitting batsman, he was to become Randwick’s most successful bowler with more than 1,000 wickets as well as one of the greatest of his type, ever to play Sydney Grade cricket.

Bill’s ability was apparent from his first season when he was the star of the “A” Shires team which won the competition, taking 38 wickets at 9.50 runs each. But for an appendicitis operation which cut short his season, he would have taken many more. In a remarkable transition, the very next summer of 1932-33, Ellison was in 1st Grade where he won the bowling average with 19 wickets at 13.05. He was to play the majority of his cricket in that team over the next 30 seasons.

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2 months ago



After Greg's heroics of his 272 not out. We then travelled to the beautiful Newcastle Number 1 Sportsground for our next fixture versus University of Newcastle.

However, the week before in a mid-week fixture versus the Touring Indian team, Greg represented Norther NSW from memory and made a stella 100 in this tour fixture. We batted first in the NDCA fixture against Uni, and unlike the round before their were no quick wickets, no toilet issues and a much more settled start to our innings. As we sat in the grandstand, all of us young fellas hung off every word as Greg regaled his innings against the Indian test attack.

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2 months ago



In 1967-68, Paul McCann, a young tearaway pace bowler from the Illawarra area, joined Sutherland and experienced an amazing performance in his first match for the Club. Playing “B” Shires (6th Grade) at Sutherland Oval, he took one wicket as Geoff Glover finished with match figures of 8-6 & 7-34. Paul went on to take 22 wickets at 11.6 in four matches in “A” Shires after that match.

The following season, 1968-69, he was graded in 2nd Grade and he showed what he was capable of with 40 wickets at 17.8 in 13 matches, as 2nds made the final. The annual report read:

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2 months ago



From the Vault: 2020 PG Shield Preliminary Final vs Gordon

The baby Bears turned up to Chatswood Oval full of energy and keen to get on the field, while it appeared that their opposition were hoping for more rain.

The ground looked wet and the covers had accumulated plenty of water from overnight showers. This led to a delay in the start of proceedings. With the covers finally removed, the pitch looked hard and dry, but light rain threatened to derail our campaign and the covers were returned. Once the rain finally stopped (again), the umpires reduced the game to 44 overs per side and scheduled the start of play for 12:15. Gordon won the toss and elected to bat.

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