Billy Flick even played the full game for them. That is, he batted through their innings. 

This was a great effort by our guys who effectively had to field for the whole game - 60 overs - although we managed to sub them on and off. 

Our boys took catches, wickets and run outs for North Sydney, and celebrated with them as a team while commiserating with our own Gordon players. 

In the end Gordon plus North Sydney beat Gordon although the official result was already a forfeit to us. 

The boys from both teams worked hard together to get the game on and it was played in great spirits.

Little did they know the Mosman side was coached by former Australian Test player, and recent Big Bash Sydney Sixer, Stuart MacGill. 

Undaunted, the Whites took to the field and contained the Mosman team with some accurate bowling and enthusiastic fielding. 

At the end of the Mosman innings there was a feeling of confidence among the Gordon team. Not surprisingly, bowling proved to be the Mosman team’s forte, pinning down the Gordon batsmen and, in the end, running away with the match. 

Stuart MacGill was generous in his praise for the Gordon team and stayed around long enough at the end of the match to accommodate the many requests for autographs from the Gordon players. 

Tim Cameron

Gordon White manager

An 8th wicket stand of 46 between Matt Forti and Ryan Ludowyke brought some respectability to the score of 103.The 9th wicket fell at 103 but Daniel returned to the crease (thanks to Mother style Teresa nursing) to put on a 10th wicket stand and a semi respectable total of 132. 

Mosman got off to a slowish start but were 3 for 103 in the 24th over, which meant they only needed another 30 runs to win with eight overs remaining. Then it started to get exciting! 

In the 25th over Mosman lost their fourth wicket. In the 27th over things were looking grim and defeat was staring us in the face at 4-115 as Mosman crept towards the total. 

In the 28th over, the fifth wicket went at 120 and the boys picked up and thought - just maybe. 

For the 30th over the ball was thrown to Ryan Ludowyke for a chance to make the break through but Mosman were resilient and at the end of 30th over were 5 for 130. 

Two overs to go and three runs to win.

 

Will Calov stepped up for one last chance of a break through. His second ball was hit to Frank Denyer and a spectacular catch meant it was 6 for 130. Then the fourth ball was plumb LBW – now 7 for 130. The fifth ball clean bowled for 8 for 130. Over finished with a dot ball. A 3 wicket maiden!! We couldn’t, could we? 

The ball was thrown back to Ryan for the 32nd over. First ball a single to the batsman who was watching all the drama from the non-striker’s end. The new batsman edges the next ball to the keeper – 9 for 131. 

It was now one run to tie, two to win. At this stage there was a lot of excitement from both the boys on the ground and from the crowd on the sideline. I don’t think the batman saw the next ball - clean bowled. Five wickets for one run! 

A mixture of elation and surprise that they were able to pull this one off crossed the ground. 

 That was one out of the Blue.

The U9 Blues celebrate another wicket in an amazing comeback 

 

The signs looked good as we warmed up. There was a buzz in the team. We won the toss and opted to bat. ‘Mr. Consistency’, Ollie Clarke, 16 runs, and Nick Moore, 4 runs, were first up and they weathered a fiery opening spell. While their run rate was modest, the pair got us off to a solid start. Our next four batters went cheaply but then Bradley Pascoe, eight runs, and James Dow, 18 runs, picked up the pace and we felt were back getting back into the game. 

Things then got better still when ‘Batman’, Raymond Su, brought his A-game onto the field. From the get-go he played with authority and maturity. Raymond is not a player of many words, but when his bat ‘talks’ people listen. There were ‘oohs’ and ‘wows’ from the opposition all the way through his powerhouse undefeated 73 run stand. This helped very significantly in building our total to 154 by the end of our innings. Watching how Raymond controlled and directed the play as he built his total was almost as impressive as seeing the scorebook sizzle. 

We had a good enough total to defend and there was a belief that we could contain Lindfield despite their intimidating record. James Dow and Daniel Hall opened with the ball and surrendered only six runs between them in six overs and they collected a couple of wickets as well. Nick Moore was under instruction to bowl tightly and he did just that with an excellent spell. Bradley Pascoe, Hugh Woods and Ollie Clarke all put in good middle-innings spells. Aston Brown and Raymond Su each collected a wicket. Tim Stubbs-Race, Kendell Austine and Max Oloughlin bowled a couple of good overs each to round out the innings. Max also had his first go at wicket keeping for the season and was a stand-out. Liam Hunt fielded well until was struck on the shins (yes, both at once) and retired hurt. 

At the drinks break we knew we were still very much in the match and just like a good Big Bash encounter, the ‘officials’ on the sidelines were constantly crunching the numbers and speculating on how the match would end. Unfortunately, the Lindfield tail was just a bit too long and their last pair made a 30 run stand that snuffed out our challenge in 30th over. 

Not the result that we deserved but an effort to be proud of effort none the less. 

A special tribute this week to Angus Levy who was slated to miss batting this week and then, due to some confusion over batter retirements, he never even got to bowl. While upset initially, he bounced back and had a ‘smile on his dial’ by the end of the match – well done, Angus. 

U12 Green – Manager

Thankfully, Jack Bucknell, 20, and Nathan James, 14 not out, steadied the ship with a cameo performance from our junior superstar, Matthew Di Ciano, saw us achieve a total of 70 runs. 

Talk about a game of two halves! Gordon Reds then bowled beautifully and restricted Ponting from any easy runs and taking regular wickets along the way. 

Good bowling by Charlie Wallace, 1 for 4 off 5 overs, Jonathan Koruga, 1 for 6 off 5 overs, Jake O’Donnell, 2 for 7, Nathan James, 1 for 5, and Luke Carah, 2 for 6, saw us well in the game. 

In the final over, St Ives Ponting were eight wickets down needing four runs to win and achieved a win with just two balls to spare. As coach, I was very proud how the team displayed great passion of defending such a low score and almost pulling off the win of the season. 

This is our fifth game during our season that we have seen a result determined in the final over.  

Well done to all the lads – they could have had an early departure for the beach but instead were determined to fight to the end! 

 U13 red coach

Lindfield Hughes won the toss and decided to bat. The enthusiastic Reds charged into the field. Charlie Toepfer picked up a wicket on the first ball of the innings and we were off to a good start. Rory Chitty was again on fire after his hat trick last week, picking up two wickets in his over. His aggressive bowling might have been encouraged by knowing that the batsman’s name was Rory as well! After the first six overs the batting side were 3 for 9. The Reds were looking good. 

This was until the Lindfield coach's son came to the crease. Having played for years with his older brothers he knew how to hit a ball "over the fence". Hitting two 6s and two 4s, the visitors were back in business. They were now 3 for 60 with three pairs still to bat. The Reds were going to need to do some accurate bowling and fielding. 

The boys responded with some tidy bowling, restricting the runs to 16 and taking another five wickets. Wickets were taken by Rowan Betts, Ned Harrop, Jack Irving, Charlie Toepfer and Rory Chitty. Some spectacular catches by Jack Irving earned him the Personal Best award for the game. There was also some great fielding by Archie Bibb. 

It was then time for the Reds to bat. Finn Mason and Tom Wright opened the batting. The running between wickets was impressive. Loud, clear calling and a sense of urgency in their running. All the team took note. Finn earning himself the Sportsman Award. After the first 12 overs the home side was 2 for 28. 

The boys were defending their wicket well however the run rate would need to increase if they were to win this match. The next pairing of Lachie Pin and Oscar Platt got them back on track, with Lachie hitting a handful of 4s. Rory Chitty and Charlie Cadwallader were the next to bat and they both were reading the bowlers well. Hitting a number of boundaries and running well between wickets. Rowan Betts and Jack Conoplia also batted well defending their wicket and hitting the winning runs. 

It was another win to the Reds. Final score: Gordon Reds 4 for 112 (Avg. 22), Lindfield Hughes 8 for 77 (Avg. 8). 

Next week is our last game. We play Mosman at Balmoral. See you there. 

Click here to see more photos.

After an “off” performance, the true character of these boys shone brightly as every single player contributed in one way or another to a win over Lindfield. 

More impressive than the margin of victory was the manner in which the boys played. They displayed great character, skill, sportsmanship and, most importantly, team spirit. This week the boys knew they had to improve their batting. They were very clearly told to concentrate on building an innings by pushing the ball into the gaps to pick up easy runs. The goal was to stay in control, push the scoring along and to bat through the entire innings. No crazy swipes! It was a challenge they relished. 

Angus Chitty and Tom Hampson opened and they looked great as they put on 64 runs before both were retired not out - Hampson on 30 and Chitty on 23. 

Tim Perry was promoted and built a very good innings that mixed patience with good strokes. He retired on 19 not out. Lachlan Iriving also got stuck into the bowling as put together 17 runs before being bowled. 

Charlie Bibb and Tom Brown were also patient in the middle order and both mixed easy singles with boundaries. Bibb was caught at deep point for 19 and Brown retired not out on 12. 

James Miller should be congratulated for his highest score of 18 and Henry Howard chipped in with 11. 

It was a good all round batting effort that saw the Reds score 182 from their 32 overs. 

With the heat kicking in, the Reds took to the field and again showed why they are the best fielding team in the competition. All players were terrific walking in with each delivery, throwing themselves at the ball, catching well, throwing strongly and backing up. 

All bowlers contributed with two wickets to Calman, and a wicket each to Irving, Howard, Perry, Bibb, Chitty, and Brown. Fiery paceman Irving should be congratulated for breaking a bail with one fantastic delivery. 

Brae “cool hands” Mason took two good catches – and almost pulled off a screamer. There were two run outs. 

Tim “V” Perry was awarded the Personal Best trophy for his runs, wicket and his non stop effort in the field. The inspirational

Ned Vandermark picked up the Good Sportsmanship award. 

All in all, a good team effort with every player doing his bit. Well done, boys. 

We’d like to thank Lindfield for the game and we will see you next Saturday again! 

See you all at training on Friday!

Man of the Match this week was Nico Dowling with some great bowling and batting. 

We saw a much improved fielding side and some great batting from the team. 

As always, the boys enjoyed their game and particularly their win!

The other team had a great fielding team and batting too. They put up a great score and performance and gained a total of 114 runs.
The game began with Mangesh taking the first wicket against Lindfield with a cracking ball - the crowd went wild.
A fantastic throw from Matthew smashed the stumps to gain Gordon’s second wicket - the crowd went wild again.

Pranav’s lightening fast reflexes as wicket keeper gained the third wicket for the day by stumping the runner out at the keepers end of the pitch from a ball bowled by Oliver Riddle.
Henry Smith seized the fourth wicket with a stellar catch in covers - bowled Andrew Nash. Henry also took the last wicket for Gordon, LBW with pinpoint accuracy.

Billy Flick's attempted stumping, off a ball from Ned Fryar, although very close, was unfortunately given a “not out”. The team also “went up as one” with an appeal for caught behind by Pranav, bowled by Ned Fryar. However, this was also given “not out”.
Harrison Layton and Oscar Stanton's great fielding efforts stopped a number of balls on their way to a four. Tom Brayshaw channeled “Carl Rackemann” in his bowling, long run-up, fast paced, nice style!
Matthew was fielding “in the zone”, poised for the ball abd ready to pounce.
When batting, Billy's lightening fast running between wickets saw him safe in the crease after a run out appeal from Lindfield.
Marcus’ great slides saw him safe in the crease on more than one occasion. Mangesh's formidable batting style and good communication on the pitch saw him stay in batting until he was retired in the final stages of the game.
Ned's cheeky slip shot carved up the oval to earn him a cracking four. Pranav’s great calling and communication on the wicket contributed to a successful batting partnership with Mangesh.
Player Of The Match was Matthew Barrett. In presenting Matthew the trophy, captain Andrew A. Nash said: “This award is being given to Matthew for his great all over effort on the field today.”
A highlight for the spectators was Ned Fryar's dad's chair - which was very comfortable (and his mum's chair too),
Thanks Gordon team mates, and if we come up against that team again, we'll hopefully beat them next time.
Andrew Nash – Match Captain