2017 Winter Macgregor Mongrels
Round 1 v Everton Districts
6 and 13 May 2017 at D M Henderson Lower
DAY ONE:
A dominant performance by the Mongrels in the first day of the first match of the season.
Winning the toss , skipper Matthew Taviani elected to bat. Newbie Rodney Searle and [Welcome-back] Brent Cocker added 47; Brent particularly punishing on the loose ball. The opposition had just finished breathing a sigh of relief at Brent's dismissal when Dave Levitt exploded taking 22 off one over. A 48 partnership for the 2nd wicket, before Dave was dismissed and Matt came to the crease in the mood for runs.
Matt reached 50 from 27 balls; 100 from 52 balls; 150 from 69 and 200 from 92 balls, receiving great support from his team mates. The innings was called to a close at 350 from 44 overs.
In reply, Everton Comets, struggled against the Mongrels' bowling attack. Matt, Dave, Gary Buddha Sargent and Daniel Mitchell all picked up wickets. With Matt, Brent, Dan and Sabahat picking up catches.
Good work Mongrels.. Looking forward to pushing home the advantage next week.
DAY TWO:
Resuming at 5/49 in their first innings, the Everton Comets were in trouble right away against the Mongrels. Dave Levitt accepted an easy chance at cover off Matthew Taviani.
In the next over, Dave claimed his own wicket, bowling the new batsman and the Comets were 7 down having added just 1 to the overnight score.
Matt added another wicket shortly after then Daniel Mitchell and Gary Buddha Sargent picked up the last two with catches to Matt and Dan.
Still, 277 runs behind, the Comets were invited to bat again. Matt Taviani broke through with two wickets in his second over, Malcolm Lochrie collecting a catch behind the stumps.
Spin was introduced in the 7th over to immediate effect. Rodney Searle taking a catch at slip from Sarge.
Sarge picked up another just before the tea break and the Comets were once again in trouble at 5/57.
A short rain delay just after the tea break only served to delay the inevitable.
Sarge and Brent Cocker tore through the rest of the tail in 5 overs and just 10 runs. Both finished with 4 wickets each; Brent with two double-wicket maidens.
A strong all-round bowling and fielding performance by the Mongrels backing up their own solid batting performance a week ago.
Round 2 v Bruce
20 and 27 May 2017 at D M Henderson Lower
DAY ONE:
The day started with frustration at DM Lwr, as a tardy opposition team took advantage of an absent umpire to delay the start of play for 15 minutes while reinforcements arrived
Openers Brent Cocker and Rodney Searle took this in their stride on the way to a 49 run opening stand before Lightning was bowled just before drinks and Brent shortly after.
0/49 turned into 3/60, when Dave Levitt was dismissed. Skipper, Matthew Taviani, added 32 in partnership with Jakob Evelyn, then another 24 with newcomer Chris Stelmach.
With the score at 116, three wickets in an over set the Mongrels back on their heels. Some "steel" was required and Daniel Mitchell, Malcolm Lochrie and Gary Buddha Sargent were up to the challenge, providing support to a determined Chris. A further 60 valuable runs were added by the wagging tail to take the Mongrels to 176.
In the 9 overs before stumps, one of the opposition was back in the pavilion, via a Dave Levitt wicket. Bruce 1/29 at the close.
DAY TWO:
Resuming at 1/29, tight bowling by Daniel Mitchell and Jakob Evelyn, restricted Bruce to just 16 runs off the bat in 8 overs.
The warm welcome Dave Corrigan received from his team mates after an extended injury lay-off, turned to euphoria when he captured a wicket with his first ball, a pop-up, pouched easily at gully by Stuart Kidd. 2/53.
The next breakthrough did not come till after drinks, but what a breakthrough. Gary Buddha Sargent enticed a lofted shot to mid-wicket which appeared to be sailing over the boundary before Brent Cocker leapt to take a beautifully-judged catch just centimeters inside the field of play. The incoming batsman, smashed Sarge's first ball for six and was then LBW the very next ball to the wiley veteran
Five balls later, Matthew Taviani trapped the opposition skipper in front after an 84-ball innings, then had a lofted drive taken by Abhijeet Mahoorkar in the same over. Four wickets in ten balls. 2/92 became 6/101.
A stubborn 37 run, 7th wicket partnership was finally broken when Dave found the edge and Malcolm Lochrie took the catch behind and the final wicket fell two overs later; Stuey making good ground to nab one at mid-on off Dave.
With only 8 players in the field, the Mongrels batsmen "made hay", taking 145 off the 21.3 overs bowled before the close. Well done lads!
Round 6 v Everton Districts
3 and 10 June 2017 at Jim Niebling Oval
DAY ONE:
A glorious day for cricket and a beautiful venue at Everton Districts Cricket club. Although short a player, the Mongrels elected to bowl; a good decision as it turned out.
Spectacular bowling early by Matthew Taviani and Daniel Mitchell had batsmen playing and missing consistently. Dan finally enticed a false shot in the 9th over and had one opener caught by Gary Buddha Sargent running backwards at short mid-wicket. Matt chimed in a few overs later to remove the skipper's stumps, then Dan struck again in the 12th - twice - to remove the other opener and the incoming batsman; the latter with the aid of a catch by Abhijeet Mahoorkar. At drinks Everton were 4/36 off 21 overs. Lightning Rodney Searle took the first catch after drinks off Sarge and then a super run-out by Brent Cocker and Malcolm Lochrie had Everton reeling at 6/36.
A stubborn 34-run partnership was brought to an end in the 36th over thanks to a brilliant over-head catch by Chris Stelmach at wide mid-on off Dan. Dan then struck twice in his next over and once in his last to polish off the tale; another catch by Abhi amongst the wickets. Amazing figures of 13 overs, 8 Mdns, 7/8 for Dan.
With just 83 on the board, The misery was not over for Everton as the Mongrels piled on 189 runs in 32.5 overs, including a 162 run partnership from 140 balls between Chris and Matt. Well done lads. Poised for an outright next week.
DAY TWO:
Declaring overnight, 106 runs ahead, the Mongrels broke through in the second over when the opener's full blooded cut shot off Daniel Mitchell found a switched-on Matt Levitt at gully. Following on from his good form the previous week, Daniel also picked up the second with a good yorker.
The introduction of spin in the 13th over had immediate effect with Brent Cocker getting under one at mid-wicket off Gary Buddha Sargent. From that point just 3 runs were added in the next 6 overs as Brent and Sarge turned the screws. Brent picked up a wicket in his 3rd over with a well flighted delivery that beat the bat and disturbed the stumps.
After drinks, an inspired field placing immediately brought a wicket as Sarge returned the favour off Brent with a great catch at shortish mid-on. A few overs later, Sarge was into the wickets again when a top edge was pouched by Matthew Taviani at short mid-on and Malcolm Lochrie nabbed a "double-pump", stumping when the new batsman inexplicably charged his second ball.
In his last over, Sarge once again pulled a rabbit out of a hat, sneaking through the batsman's defences.
Abhijeet Mahoorkar joined the attack and with some spot-on bowling, had the batsman scrambling for a single. Brent swooped, threw and hit the stumps with the batsman short of his ground - a brilliant bit of fielding.
The final wicket was left for Dan. An inside edge, deflected onto the foot and into the waiting hands of Matt Taviani in close. 10/39 for the match for Dan.
An outright win by an innings and two runs. Well done Mongrels, playing both weeks with 10 men.
Round 7 v Brackenridge
17 and 24 June at D M Henderson Lower
A match to forget for the Mongrels. After winning the toss and bowling on Day One, Brackenridge made the Mongrels pay for numerous fielding errors.
A 196 run partnership for the fourth wicket broke the back of the Mongrels as Brackenridge piled on 361 for the loss of 8 before declaring with about a half an hour to go on Day 1. Brent Cocker and Matt Levitt toiled well bowling 36 overs between them; Brent picking up three wickets. Matthew Taviani picked up two catches in the deep and Malcolm Lochrie two behind the stumps, while veteran, Paul Jonas, picked up wickets in each of his first two overs.
On Day 2, despite several starts, no batsman was able to capitalise. Brackenridge bowlers were not outstanding, but they stuck to a line and length; some good learnings for our bowlers in that.
Capitulating for 120, the Mongrels got their first stroke of luck for the match, not being asked to follow on.
Nonetheless, Brackenridge, punished some untidy bowling scoring at nearly 7 runs an over from the 32 overs they faced. Gary Buddha Sargent picked up three Birthday wickets including two in an over. One of these was a very good stumping by Shiny who also picked up a catch that wasn't given. Abhijeet Mahoorkar also picked up a wicket and very good catch at mid-on.
Round 8 v Albany Creek
1 and 8 July 2017 at Marchant Park 6
The writer was not there on Saturday, but I am told the MP6 wicket was ridiculous, which made the 64 from Brent Cocker an innings of note. Brent played patiently, smacking the bad balls and watchful of the ones popping off a length.
Play started late at 1.00pm and after an opening stand of 43 with Rodney Searle, Brent and Matthew Taviani added 66 for the second wicket; the skipper launching a barrage before holing out for 40. Wickets then fell with instructions from the skipper to add quick runs. Some good late order hitting from Malcolm Lochrie and Nirol Mustafa added a handy 20 odd before the cheeky declaration at 6/163.
The rationale was to get the opposition in on the same wicket. Some heavy-hacking by one opener was brought to a close by veteran, Gary Buddha Sargent when he hit top of middle; the ball cannoning off and delivering a nasty blow to Shiny just above the eye. Thankfully, the opposition skipper is a good bloke and paramedic and managed to patch Shiny up to continue. 4 stitches since has not impacted Shiny's cheerful disposition.
With 2 wickets in two balls to Sarge in the last over, Albany Creek is now precariously positioned at 3/63 in the chase.
Well done lads.
Round 9 v Mater Hill
15 and 22 July 2017 at Kianawah Park 7
DAY ONE:
A depleted Mongrels side was boosted by the late inclusion of Mian Waqar, Michael Barr and Stuart 'the panther' Kidd on Saturday.
The bowling and fielding effort was impressive. Matthew Taviani and Daniel Mitchell reduced Mater Hill to 3/22 thanks to a brilliant catch low and coming forward by Abhijeet Mahoorkar at mid-off and the catch of the season by a horizontal skipper at gully.
Mater Hill fought back to 58 before Chris Stelmach enticed a leading edge for a catch to Matt at cover and Sunny castled the new batsman and then grabbed a second when a perfectly placed Chris nabbed one at mid-wicket. 6/80.
Another fight back by the opposition prompted the captain to re-introduce Big Dan and himself to good effect with three wickets falling to have Mater Hill 9/142. The last pair proved difficult to dismiss until a suicide run to Abhi brought about an inevitable run-out.
175 was the asking and the Mongrels quickly collapsed to 7/43; wickets falling in 7 of the first 12 overs.
A mighty effort required next week to take first innings.
DAY TWO:
After a dismal first innings 59 and following on, the Mongrels were a different team in the second innings v Mater Hill.
In the absence of regular openers, skipper, Matthew Taviani and newbie Alex Gadaleta opened the innings with a 61-run stand.
The second wicket partnership between Alex and Chris Stelmach was also productive with Alex reaching 50 on debut in a 64 run partnership.
Chris became the anchor of the Mongrels innings and continued to build and dominate as Mater Hill bowlers tired. The partnership with "Uncle Shiny" (Malcolm Lochrie), became a real source of frustration for the opposition as the pair turned 1s into 2s and nothing into 1s. Chris' 50 came from 92 balls and with three balls left in the day he reached his century from his 137th delivery. A truly memorable knock and a sensational unbeaten stand with Shiny of 83 from 123 balls.
Unfortunately, no victory for the Mongrels but some valuable bonus points.
Final match next week v Red Dogs at Ivor Marsden Oval Ipswich.Round 10 v Red Dogs
29 July and 5 August 2017 at Ivor Marsden Oval
DAY ONE:
Apologies for the tardy report. The writer is battling the dreaded man flu.
The Mongrels faced top of the ladder, Red Dogs, at Ivor Marsden Oval on Saturday. Skipper, Matthew Taviani, won the toss and elected to bat. Newbie, Kevin Van Schalkwyk, stepped up to post a fine 32 against a very tight attack. Lightning Rodney Searle, with the aid of a runner for most of his innings due to a dodgie hammie, also fought hard for a determined 30. Unfortunately, a respectable 3/101 at tea became all out 138 about an hour later.
Red Dogs came out aggressively, posting 58 from 13 overs before stumps.
It's a real shame to be struggling to field a team at the business end of the season. Big thanks from me to those who have been on the lookout for fill-ins.
DAY TWO:
Being reduced to 10 men produced a typical Fighting Mongrels response yesterday. Defending 134, with the opposition on 0/58, the Mongrels bit!
Kevin Van Schalkwyk was mostly unplayable, picking up five wickets. Gary Buddha Sargent mesmerized the opposition and brought up his 600th wicket for the club when one trickled back onto the stumps. Daniel Mitchell bowled with fire and Chris Stelmach's nagging length brought many a lofted shot. Add to this, three catches behind to Alex Gadaleta, a catch and a run out to Kev and a remarkable catch to Kiran Roy. The Mongrels' bowling and fielding performance was first class having the top-of-the-table Red Dogs back in the pavilion for 167, just 29 in front.
In the second dig, with just 9 batsmen available, solid innings from Kev, Chris and a rearguard partnership by Malcolm Lochrie and Sarge, kept the Dogs at bay. Well done lads. Big Congrats to our mate Sarge for a stellar achievement.
Semi Final v Brackenridge
12 and 19 August 2017 at Marchant Park 9
A match befitting a semi final today at MP9.
Skipper, Matthew Taviani, won the toss and batted. Despite a setback in the first over, the Mongrels recovered as Matt and Kevin Van Schalkwyk settled into a 47-run partnership. When Matt departed, Kevin was joined by Chris Stelmach. A solid 89-run partnership ensued. Kevin and Chris looked set for a long stay before a direct hit brought Chris undone and a scoop to mid-on saw Kevin on his way; both within a few overs of tea. The score 4/141.
After tea, a horror over saw three Mongrels wickets fall, without a run added. Raghu Pawar and Daniel Mitchell steadied the ship, but with fall of Dan, the Mongrels were 8/159.
A determined Abhijeet Mahoorkar then entered the fray. Abhi partnered first with Raghu and then with a defiant Gary Buddha Sargent; the final wicket adding 31 vital runs to take the Mongrels to 197. A splendid fighting partnership by Abhi and Sarge which kept Brackenridge in the field for ten more sapping overs.
A BIG call out to Brackenridge opening bowler Jimmy Saunders who talk 9-37 from 17.2 overs.
Semi-finals mess with your head which can be the only reason for the mix-up between wickets three overs in. Keeper, Alex Gadaleta took off after one which trickled onto the leg side off the pad, picked up and saw Malcolm Lochrie over the stumps with the batsman half-way down. A simple lob back accounted for the first wicket. A pearler from Dan Mitchell caught an edge to Alex a few balls later and then Shiny clutched one into his chest off the face off the bat from Matt and the opposition were 3/21.
With 90 overs to play next week, the match remains in the balance. A good solid start will be needed.
If you have some time, please come and support. Good on ya for being there today, Rodney Searle