 Gordon Cricket Club Under 9 Gold – 2005/06
It was while giving young Viraj and Jay a batting warm up before the first game that it became clear this would be an interesting season.
We were throwing them soft “dollies” to get their eye in, expecting them to block it back to us, and they were charging at us trying to smash the ball back over our heads.
So it was evident that enthusiasm was going to be one of the strengths of the team.
The boys were also excellent listeners. You could tell them in the field to move around a “little straighter” or “a bit closer to the ump” and they would willingly move about ¼ of a step in the direction you were suggesting.
Probably a better example of their listening skills was when Brendan McDonald (“B-Mac”), the leg spinner from the Gordon 1st XI came down to help the boys with a bit of bowling practice (thanks for coming down Brendan, the boys loved you). Sure enough, next Saturday, there were Logan and Luke, Viraj and Jay all flicking the ball out of the back of their hands in true Shane Warne fashion.
Actually it was the team’s bowling that progressed the most. From Martin’s high bouncing action to Oliver’s half paced off spinners and Viraj’s “slingers” off a long run – they were all pretty effective, and much improved from their early efforts.
One time, Ben Murphy got three wickets in the first over of the day. The boys went crazy that morning.
Their fielding was terrific too. With Luke, Mathew Scott, Jay and Viraj all capable of quick chases and long throws from the boundary their ground fielding often looked mighty impressive. At times their catching left a bit to be desired – but hey – even Ricky Ponting drops catches. We were always enthusiastic enough to get under the ball – but not always quite able to secure it. If the u/9 rule was changed so that hitting a fielder on the full meant you were out, we would just about have won every game.
Then we had kids like Ben Curry-Hyde and Mathew Kell who were excellent wicket keepers. Ben Curry-Hyde was clearly one of the most reliable back stops in the whole comp.
The batting improvement was remarkable. Watching Mathew Kell, Ian and Jamieson all walking out with their helmets on full of confidence as the season progressed was terrific.
Special mention should go to Daniel and Nathan who both bowled very straight, fielded well and smashed a few runs when we needed them.
Many thanks to Jol Valentine and Martin Palin for coaching the team with such enthusiasm - this positive spirit definitely rubbed off on the kids. And Steve Pacak did a great job managing and making sure everything ran smoothly. Also thanks to the parents who helped out with scoring, umpiring, padding up and bringing refreshments.
The kids were a credit to their parents – they were positive, enthusiastic, playful and keen to learn. Great basic ingredients to make playing cricket heaps of fun for everyone. | 
