So near to first win against Xerox XI

After a heavy defeat the week before against Xerox XI in a first-class league match, the return match showed greater excitement at the T&N Smeda Stadium in front of a daily average of nearly 10,000 spectators.

Crusaders captain Matt O’Shea won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket he was hoping to utilize his spinners on to full effect on the final day. The innings began nicely with an opening stand of 67 between O’Shea and Michael Prince, before the latter was adjudged LBW for 28. Graeme Jeremy followed 2 balls later, and a replay of the previous week’s batting collapse seemed imminent. That was not to be as John Simpson(43) steadied the ship in a 3rd wicket partnership of 92. After a silly run out of William Downing(14), Graham Ferdinand took complete control of the situation as he played a cautious knock of 85* with 11 fours and a six. He did not receive much support from the lower order, but a reasonable total of 359 was posted shortly before the close of day 1. O’Shea commanded in the batting department again with a brilliant 136, while Spilsbury bowled with utmost accuracy to claim 5/28 from 22 overs.

The Crusaders bowlers could not have asked for a better start to day 2 as they had Xerox XI reeling on 18/5 thanks to a whirlwind opening spell from Carlos Hibbert and Eddie Ayres. With the bowling change came a break in the wicket-taking as Mabaso(91*) and Rudd(53) added 120 for the 6th wicket to take their team towards the follow-on target. The target was not reached as Hibbert’s second spell cleaned up the tail as he finished with a career-best 4/35, aided by Ayres’ 3/61 to leave Xerox XI all out for 195.

The second innings for the visitors was a tougher one for the Crusaders bowlers as big partnerships were put together between Spilsbury(115), Anterpen(92) and Corby(83). Hibbert looked fatigued as he took to a second straight day of bowling and his figures of 0/95 in 20 reflected the stamina issue. Ayres was once again the star as he picked up a disciplined 5/85, backed up by Ferdinand’s 3/83. Amazingly only 4 wickets were taken between the two quality spinners in both innings’ on a wicket suited for the spin.

Needing 265 to win in 69 overs, the Crusaders began the chase well on the final day with O’Shea(102) and Prince(32) showing again their command at the top of the order. The turning point of the match came when John Simpson was bogged down by Spilsbury, causing him to go into a shell and decrease his batting intensity. Simpson’s 18 off 66 balls caused a panic in the latter part of the order as Ferdinand(35*) and Rohana Ahad(35*) were required to take greater risks. Disappointingly, the Crusaders fell 17 runs short as they ended the match on 248/5.

The match was drawn and Spilsbury took the player of the match award after his century and tight bowling really made the difference in the result.

O’Shea said after the match, “Prior to this match we were hoping to get away with a draw, which is what we achieved. But to get so close to a win, literally within an over or two, against such a quality side that has always beaten us, it causes an uneasy feeling in the stomach. I hope we play them next season and look forward to another excellent battle”.

Fast bowler Eddie Ayres also commented on the intensity of the match, “This is probably the most intense first-class match I’ve ever played in as we came so agonizingly close to beating our arch-nemesis. I’m glad it got as close as it did, although of course I would have preferred the win”.

The team was: O’Shea(c), Prince, Jeremy, Simpson, Downing, Ferdinand, Ahad(wk), Hayward, Harding, Hibbert, Ayres. 12th: Moller.

Next week the Crusaders return to BT20 action before their return match away against the Walkers, a team they beat very convincingly at the beginning of the season.

Rookie keeper gets signed

With the departure of Marc McVeigh last season, Rohana Ahad has share a large amount of weekend cricket, serving as the sole wicket-keeper at the club. 

After realizing Ahad’s concerns about burnout, Crusaders management decided to scout the local high schools for a wicket-keeper who could serve as understudy to Ahad.

After looking at 13 wicket-keepers, Daniel Neuhoff was the one picked as being the best prospect for a future at the Crusaders. 

Chris Kotzo, who was on the scouting committee, said about Neuhoff, “Despite only being seventeen, Daniel bats maturely and we were definitely looking for a gloveman who could bat.  Daniel keeps very well to spinners, which is especially useful considering the quality of spinners we have in our ranks”.

Until Neuhoff matriculates, he will play exclusively in weekend friendlies, along with the other 17-year old in the camp, Doug Daniel.  Both will be enrolled in the Crusaders Academy next season.

Amazing finish to weekend friendly

In what certainly became the best weekend friendly of the season for the Crusaders, another touring West Indies team, Phils Phrashers, visited the T&N Smeda Stadium in an exhilarating one-day friendly. Matt O’Shea captained the weekend XI and had no hesitation in batting first after winning the toss.

O’Shea(30) and Geoff Kenny opened with a run-a-ball stand of 52 before O’Shea was bowled by Bancroft while trying to swipe one over cover. Pete Moller joined Kenny and the pair put on 119 for the 2nd wicket before Kenny too was bowled, ending on a patient 77. Moller’s cautious 72 was just what John Simpson(57* off 49 balls) needed to increase the run rate, and he was aided by William Downing’s 43* off 31 balls. The Crusaders ended their 50 overs on 294/3, amazingly with only one six being hit the entire innings.

Phils Phrashers began their innings brilliantly with Buller making light of Hibbert and Legg’s consistent line. Unfortunately for the visitors, Buller was the only one to offer resistance as nobody except Arnold(39) at number 8 joined in any effective partnership. Stephen Harding’s leg-spinners were the trick in the middle order as he bowled consistently well to finish with 4/49 in his 10 overs. Teenager Doug Daniels bowled with very little control and was the reason why Buller was able to etch his team ever close. It was in the 48th over where the game changed for Phrashers who were completely in charge, as the number 11, Wheat, opted to take a single on the last ball of the over. This would mean having to face Hibbert in the penultimate over, and what an over it was. Five dot balls and one boundary resulted in 11 being needed off the final over to be bowled by John Simpson. Once again Buller made the mistake of taking a single shortly after reaching his 150, leaving Wheat with 3 balls to get the required 3 runs. Simpson bowled with immense control, allowing only a single to be taken in the final 3 deliveries, giving the Crusaders victory by 2 runs.

Both teams agreed that this was definitely a finish worth savoring, and the intensity of the match was unbelievable for the 2203 spectators who showed up. A memorable victory thanks to some consistent bowling by the home team.

The team was: O’Shea, Kenny, Moller, Simpson, Downing, Strou, Neuhoff(wk), Daniels, Harding, Legg, Hibbert. 12th: Prince.

 

Win completed in 2 hours as Crusaders walk away unhappy with quality of opposition

In an extremely disappointing one-day match at the T&N Smeda Stadium, the home team thrashed the visiting Douglasdale Cricket Club within 2 hours of play. Opting to bat first, the visitors posed no threat against the fast bowlers, and one should consider whether Douglasdale is a viable opposition in such a competitive league. They could only manage a total of 41, which allowed for excellent limited-overs figures for Tim Fox(4/5) and Chris Hayward(3/8). Needing only 33 balls to pull off the 10-wicket victory, Geoff Kenny(22*) and Matt O’Shea(21*) did it in style.

O’Shea had very little good to say about the match, “Just pathetic. No disrespect to the players on the other team, but they should not be allowed in this particular league where the competition is great. While we are happy with the 4 log points and some good bowling figures, very little was achieved in terms of performance improvement”.

The team was: Kenny, O’Shea(c), Jeremy, Stearman, Prince, Ferdinand, Ahad(wk), Hayward, Harding, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Downing.

 

Hayward spins Crusaders to huge victory

The Crusaders played host to Moos in a one-day league match. Moos captain won the toss and chose to field first on another spinner-friendly wicket, hence the Crusaders once again opting to go with two spinners.

The opening stand of 122 between Michael Prince(48) and Matt O’Shea(71) was a solid start for the remainder of the batsmen to cash in. Graeme Jeremy played a gem of an innings with 70 off just 56 deliveries, once again showing his aggressive intent after good starts from the openers. Steve Lothrop at number 4 scored a solid 64* off 58 balls, allowing the total to reach a challenging 268/3.

Moos batsmen tried to play positive, and this was especially evident in Malan’s 80, but too much uncertainty against the spinners proved their downfall as they were dismissed for 151 in the 38th over. Chris Hayward’s career-best of 6/27 was backed up by an economical 1/18 from Eddie Ayres and 1/15 from Graham Ferdinand. The spinner picked up the best player award as the Crusaders were seen home by 117 runs.

O’Shea said after the match, “Chris [Hayward] knows no boundaries and seems to improve with every match. It is a true pleasure to stand in the slips and not have to worry about where the next wicket is coming from because he is so effective with his off-spinners. And at just 21, I expect to see a lot more of him at this club”.

The team was: Prince, O’Shea(c), Jeremy, Lothrop, Stearman, Ferdinand, Ahad(wk), Hayward, Harding, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Downing.

3 out of 3 in week of T20 action

In this week’s BT20 Cup action, the Crusaders continued their dominance of their league by moving up to 2nd place on the log after 3 victories.

The club was first up against Naruto’s XI at the WACA and had little trouble in knocking them over for 98, thanks to some tight bowling by Ayres(3/27), Harding(3/12), Ferdinand(1/15) and Hayward(1/11). The batsmen took on the task of some fast-paced batting practice with Jeremy ending unbeaten on a 37-ball 53, guiding their team to victory in the 14th over at 99/4. Harding took the man-of-the-match award.

Next up was another home game, this time hosting Werrington Cricket Club. The home team won the toss and chose to bat first. Rightly so as they slaughtered the WCC bowling attack to reach 212/2 in their 20 overs. Steve Lothrop(40 off 33 balls) and Matt O’Shea(95* off 54 balls) instigated mass destruction, but it was Graeme Jeremy’s action-packed 74 off 33 balls (7 fours, 4 sixes) that really took the game away from the visitors. WCC responded poorly as they set out to score at nearly 11 an over, falling very short at 82 all out in the 13th over. The spinners picked up 4 wickets apiece, sealing victory by 130 runs.

Looking to rest some of the 1st XI regulars, backup troops were called in for this match against DDCC, and what a decision it turned out to be. Michael Prince was captain for this match, and he was delighted to be put into bat first. Prince made a two-sixes 36 before handing over the urgency to Pete Moller at number 3. Moller dispatched the bowlers to all parts of the park as he notched up his maiden T20 century in only 55 balls, an innings which included 13 breathtaking fours and 3 huge sixes. He was ably supported by Ron Stearman(49* off 32 balls) in a partnership of 106. 212/3 just seemed too much for DDCC in the chase and their innings ended in the 10th over on 52. Hibbert’s 3/7 was ably aided by Harding’s single over which was maiden and included 3 wickets in 4 balls.

Crusaders good enough to beat tourists

In a weekend friendly tour match at the T&N Smeda Stadium, Trinity Cricket Club put up a meaningful fight against a half-and-half Crusaders team, compromising some 1st XI regulars. Trinity captain Browne won the toss adn chose to bat first, hoping to utilize the early sunny conditions.

Trinity have Knights’ 103 to thank in a fairly disappointing display by their batsmen. Hemasiri(64) was the only other contributor, enough to get them to 254/9 in their 50 overs. Best of the bowlers was Carlos Hibbert who took a career-best 5/45. Allan Blott, who has been dropped from the 1st XI this season, picked up 2/61.

The target was just the ticket needed for an exciting run-chase. Michael Prince and captain Pete Moller opened in a stand of 88 before Moller was caught at slip for 50, which included 5 fours and a six. Prince was caught at mid-wicket for 37 shortly thereafter; amazingly his innings included only one boundary. William Downing smashed a six before also being caught at mid-wicket, but this type of pressure was just what entering batsman Ron Stearman needed to play his regular aggressive innings. He joined John Simpson at 106/3 and the two batted responsibly to get their team to victory in the 49th over. Simpson’s 71* off 89 balls provided the rock which allowed Stearman(77* off 74 balls) to play his usual type of fast-paced innings. Hibbert was awarded the player of the match.

Not for the first time has Stearman come in to steal the game away from the opposition and captain Moller commented on that, “Its wonderful to have a player of Ron’s calibre who can come in when the chips are down and then have him play a sublime innings like he did today. He has done that very regular for the club and its a wonder why he so often finds himself winning matches single-handedly”.

The team was: Prince, Moller(c&wk), Simpson, Downing, Stearman, Strou, Daniels, Kotzo, Blott, Legg, Hibbert. 12th: Branson.

 

Crusaders pull off unconvincing win over Walkers

In round 4 of this season’s first-class league, the Crusaders hosted The Walkers on a dusty pitch, one suited for the two spinners who were selected. Captain Matt O’Shea won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to dominate early before unleashing his spinners.

With opener Michael Prince being rested for this match, Pete Moller relished in an 85-run opening stand with O’Shea before being caught in the slips for 45. Graeme Jeremy joined O’Shea and the pair put on 161 when O’Shea’s 123 came to an end with a played-on delivery. Jeremy increased his temp and scored 32 of the 54-run partnership with William Downing(22). Jeremy finally perished caught and bowled by Dean for 101. The rest of the batting collapsed despite a gritty 35 by keeper Rohana Ahad, leaving the Crusaders bundled out for 427. Dean was the best of the bowlers who took 4/47.

Eddie Ayres opened the bowling and was quickly into the action as he and Tim Fox dropped the visitors to 68/4 thanks to some excellent pace bowling. Despite a 47-run partnership between Going(75) and Hanna(51*), Walkers could only manage a miserable 183. Chris Hayward cleaned up the lower order with 4/20, while Ayres finished with 4/40.

The Crusaders chose to not enforce the follow-on, instead opting to get some more time in the middle. The result was not as expected, with none of the middle-order batsman utilizing the opportunity to full effect. Only O’Shea’s 85 and Moller’s 37 provided any substance in a declared score of 195/4.

The end was inevitable early on day 3 for the visiting team, with Ayres and Hayward looking particularly strong in the attack. Walkers were dismissed for 139, leaving Crusaders victory by 300 runs. Ayres took 4/37 and Hayward bowled tightly again with 3/15 in 12 overs. Man of the match was O’Shea.

O’Shea commented on his side’s second innings, “I was extremely disappointed that some of the non-regulars did not use the second innings to full effect. There was no pressure to speak of, so I feel that there was just too much complacency on their parts”.

The team was: O’Shea(c), Moller, Jeremy, Downing, Lothrop, Ferdinand, Ahad(wk), Hayward, Kotzo, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Branson.

Match of the season goes to the wire

Dubbed to be the match of the season, the one-day league match between Hales and the Crusaders did not disappoint as an electrifying cricket match was played under the lights of the House of Hale. In four previous encounters, the Crusaders have only won once, although they came really close while defending a total of 306.

Despite the label of the match, the Crusaders selectors opted to rest most of their frontline players. It was a slap in the face for the full-house of spectators as they felt like they had deserved better after the build-up of this match.

When questioned about the selection, O’Shea answered, “We have faith in our entire squad and anyone of them can perform admirably when given the environment. This is not a second-string team, but rather our best one-day team under the circumstances following a draining first-class match earlier this week”.

Non-playing club vice-captain Graeme Jeremy added, “We brought in some of the younger guys, feeling that some urgency in the field and the running between the wickets would be beneficial against such a dominating opposition. At the same time, we’ve brought in the older guys to balance the youth with experience”.

Despite the potential controversy, the match proceeded with Hales winning the toss and elected to bat on a batsman’s paradise. Despite a fairly slow start by Bardsley(46) and Basson(54), the tempo was picked up by Khanya who made 104* in 82 balls, and Deon(47* off 32). The bowlers were sent to all parts of the ground with no place to hide. Graham Ferdinand bowled a tight line and walked away with a respectable 1/45 after a total of 307/4 was allotted in the 50 overs.

A target of 308 seemed to be too far out of the league for this team, nonetheless their captain had complete confidence in his batting lineup. The innings began poorly with Geoff Kenny being run out in the second over for 5. Pete Moller joined captain O’Shea to hit a quick 22, but they were continuously behind the required run rate. William Downing(37) and Ferdinand(25) offered support to O’Shea who marched towards a hundred, but at 213/4 in the 40th over, there was a lot of work to do. Ron Stearman, known for his big hitting, walked in to try to prove a saviour. That he did as he and O’Shea blasted everything in sight. There was no big-hitting, but lots of fours through the gaps. Needing 45 of the last 5 overs, the two batsmen increased their tempo and took their team home in the final over of the innings to end at 308/4. O’Shea was brilliant in his 156* off 147 balls, showing big match temperament. Stearman was clinical in his 56* off 36 balls, providing the necessary support for O’Shea.

It was a match that went against the script. Hales were expected to win against a fairly out-of-sorts selected Crusaders XI, but it was the experience that took them home to an amazing victory.

O’Shea said after the match, “I don’t know how to describe it. Its amazing, to chase such a big score successfully, its just amazing. I’m glad some of the non-regulars have been apart of this win, because this is what it feels like to win against all odds. I’m very proud of the way the batsmen kept us in the game, despite the increase of the required run rate. Just amazing, that’s all I can say”.

Stearman added, “I don’t get a lot of game time these days, but hell, when I do I give my best. Tonight was no different and I was honoured to have batted with Matt and take us home”.

The team was: Kenny, O’Shea(c), Moller, Downing, Ferdinand, Stearman, Ahad(wk), Harding, Kotzo, Blott, Legg. 12th: Hibbert.

Spinners too much for opposition

In a first-class league match, the T&N Crusaders traveled to NUTs Cricket Ground, hoping to obtain their first first-class victory of the season. After a poor start to the season in this format, the players were pumped up for a close match-up. The big team news for this match was that Allan Blott was dropped for this fixture due to a dip in form. This would be Blott’s first dropping since joining the club 4 seasons ago. Tim Fox replaced him as opening bowler.

NUTs won the toss and chose to bat first on a dusty wicket, once again perfect for the two in-form Crusaders spinners. The first innings did not begin well for NUTs as Eddie Ayres picked up two quick scalps for only 5 runs. Ayres collected a third with the score on 28, but the worst was to come when Chris Hayward came on early to exploit the conditions. He wrapped up the middle-order and tail very cheaply, taking 5/12 in 9.3 overs. Stephen Harding’s two overs of spin were both maidens and he picked up a wicket. NUTs ended on 113 with Brickhill(37) being the top-scorer.

Matt O’Shea and Michael Prince walked out to open the innings, hoping to achieve a large first innings lead. The opening stand amounted to 200 before O’Shea was stumped for 109 (off 98 balls) after trying to keep up the tempo of his innings. Prince(92) followed shortly after, but that did not slow the innings down. Jeremy(120) picked up his 6th first-class century in a 3rd wicket stand of 179 with John Simpson(76). After their dismissals, Graham Ferdinand(49*) was the only other to offer resistance, but a total of 504 was always going to be challenging for the NUTs.

The openers for NUTs looked to bat out the rest of the match, knowing that they’d never attain a second innings lead. They began well with a stand off 66 off 190 balls, but the consistent line by Harding and Ferdinand got too much as both fell within 5 deliveries. Hayward took 3 wickets for 0 runs in the middle order, but it was Foley(74) who stood strong amid the fall of wickets. The lower order continued to resist, but it was Ayres who came back with the new ball to pick up 2 quick wickets, dismissing the home team for 195.

It was a convincing victory, one which will be a good platform in which to launch the remainder of their season’s campaign. Tim Fox bowled poorly and he may well-likely be replaced for the next first-class match.

O’Shea said after the match, “We are glad that we have finally won a first-class one this season. We’ve put in hard work, but I think for this game we just got the balance right in terms of team selection. We were always going to field a second spinner, and even discussed the possibility of a third. Overall it was a good performance”.

Man of the match was Chris Hayward for his 8 wickets in the match.

The team was: Prince, O’Shea(c), Jeremy, Simpson, Lothrop, Ferdinand, Ahad(wk), Hayward, Harding, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Legg.

The Crusaders next host Walker XI in their next first-class league match.