Wanderers v Matthew Flinders Anglican College
1 February 2023 at Forrester Fields, Buderim
Wanderers’ nomadic existence brought them to the idyllic Forrester Fields at Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Buderim. The format was 45 overs per side, split innings 25/20; both teams with the opportunity to bat in daylight and under lights. Humidity was high and drinks were frequent. Wanderers batted first - as is there want!!
Play got under way just before 2:15pm and a wicket in the first over to Aryan Sanjay, got MFAC off to a fine start. Byron Gale and Tim Agapow answered the early loss by blasting a 65 run partnership in just 48 balls. Gale’s finally came unstuck in the 9th over, lofting a drive off Ashton Schultz into the hands of Hunter Peters at cover. Agapow responded with 20 from the next over, bringing up his 50 from 30 balls. 2/86 from 10 sounds pretty good, but 5/99 from 14 doesn’t. Agapow’s dismissal for a fine 58 from 34 at the beginning of the 12th precipitated the collapse. Yasith Herath got under a lofted shot off Lachlan Boss then another Hunter Peters catch at cover (this time off Ashton Schultz) and an LBW by Boss at the end of the 14th completed the 18 ball rout. Chris Don and Dario Cester lasted four overs before finding themselves close enough to shake hands mid-pitch when the bails were removed😬. Chris Don couldn’t live with the guilt and fell two overs later, caught behind by Harry Pilgrim off Dougie Miller. Miller backed up his wicket up with a catch off the bowling of Yasith in the 23rd to make it 8/150 and a C&B gave Yasith his 2nd wicket in the final over before the split; Wanderers 9/153; just on 4.00pm
Good bowling early by Hein Van Eeden and Tim Agapow kept the run rate down and eventually led to a good catch by skipper Sheldon Stackpoole at short fine leg in Agapow’s 3rd over. A couple of overs later, a bit of Byron Gale fielding brilliance found Pilgrim short of his ground; 2/46. Aryan Sanjay and Will Dudonski added 67 over the next 13 overs before Gale was in the action again getting the edge of Sanjay’s bat for Don to take the catch behind; Sanjay out just short of a half century. Dario Cester had come in for a bit of punishment in his 1st over, but his next two were tight, culminating in a wicket via another catch to Don an over before the split; MFAC 4/120 at their 25 over mark.
Dinner was taken at 5:40pm with representatives from both sides paying tribute for the hospitality and the opportunity to play the match.
MFAC resumed their innings at 6:07 and immediately sought to accelerate. Kavanagh and Dodunski belted six boundaries in 12 balls before Kavanagh mistimed one off Bipin Mistry and Colin Quigley took the catch to make it 5/148. Hunter Peters smashed his first ball for six, then rotated the strike to Dodunski who brought up 50 from 67 balls . Peters was ruthless, launching an assault on the leg-side boundary with another five 4s and three 6s on his way to 50 from just 19 balls. Stackpoole then called back the big guns Hein Van Eeden and Sam Remedios who immediately put a brake on the scoring. The Peters/Dodunski partnership was 73 from 44 when Dodunski was retired at the end of the 35th. A “slick” stumping by Don off Remedios at the end of the next over started an extraordinary run of four consecutive wickets falling on the last ball of the over! Dodunski, assisting on the field for an injured Mistry, got under one at “cow corner” off the bowling of Remedios; Chris ‘gecko’ Leonard nabbed a catch behind off Van Eeden and an LBW to Remedios at the end of the 40th saw MFAC reduced from 5/228 to 9/256. MFAC survived the last ball of the 41st, but another bit of Gale magic brought about a run out from the first ball of the 42nd. Peters became another last-ball-of-the-over wicket in the 43rd when he fell LBW for 97 from 61 to a rampant Gale. The retired Dodunski returned to add 13 from 10 for a 75 not out and Gale grabbed his 3rd from the penultimate ball of the innings to hold MFAC to 12/297. Both Gale and Remedios finishing with three wickets each.
Wanderers resumed their split innings at 7.40pm needing 145 run from the last 20 to overhaul the MFAC target. Wanderers started poorly with wickets falling in each over from 28 to 31. When Van Eeden and Stackpoole came together with the score on 193, the tide turned. The partnership took 18 balls to reach 15, then blossomed to 63 from 39 before Stackpoole retired to make way for other batsmen. Byron Gale was a whippet between wickets rotating the strike to Van Eeden who brought up 50 from 30 balls and retired on 65 from 36 with just 16 to get from four overs. Stackpoole returned at the next fall of wicket and partnered Gale past the target in the 44th over right on 9.00pm. Wanderers 14/300. Stackpoole finished on 36 not out from 29 balls. Yasith Herath took the bowling honours for MFAC with 3/20 from 5.
Well done to all!
Wanderers was formed in Queensland during 1933 by the then Governor of Queensland, Sir Leslie Wilson, with the aim to encourage young people to play and enjoy the game of cricket. Today the Club plays mid-week matches each Summer, mostly against schools in the State's south-east, and undertakes an annual 12-day playing and coaching tour of country centres. Tours in recent years have taken Wanderers west to Eromanga, South to Yetman and North to Charters Towers.
In July/August 2023, the Wanderers Annual Tour will loop around Chinchilla, Roma, Tambo, Barcaldine, Emerald, Rolleston, Springsure, Calliope. If you are a cricketer, golfer, lawn bowler or just an avid observer/supporter, please visit the Wanderers Club QLD Inc. Facebook page and register your interest.
The Club relies upon its own fund-raising resources and sponsors to finance its activities including supporting youngsters in coaching clinics and on tours.
