City of Moorabbin Cricket Association 2010/11

Top Contributors
The Mentalist said:
Well Well, look whats happened while i was on long service leave.
First of all, may i pass on my congrats to all the GF winners, especially BU in the Longy, it was a dominating display.
To Brad's boys, well done in a classic game of suburban cricket and a great example of how cricket should be played, this includes the Wash Up boys as well.
The same can't be said for the D grade final, which i was privy to, i'm not going to bung on other than to say that i agree with most BCF's views and that the CMCA Tribunal is a farce, a seriously weakend farce.
To the 4 main instigators wearing the hooped hats, give the game away and take up UFC.
The damage you've done to your clubs credibility is not worth a D Grade Flag.
To the umpires who were placed in this prediciment, i would suggest you request in the future to not be appointed to your ex clubs games, but you handled the situation well, or as well as can be expected under the circumstances.
Man handling in any shape or form in cricket is a NO NO, any player who touches another player should be rubbed out min 4 games.
To the WK who states he tripped, yeah right, i would call it a gang tackle, and the intent was to man handle as you have tried to explain.
To the hooped player who was visibly air guitaring his private tackle to the crowd everytime a wicket fell, you seriously need to take a long break, do yourself and your club a favour.
Was cricket the winner, i don't think so.
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Well said Mentalist. It’s obvious our comp needs a change at the top. Strong leadership is required urgently.
The stupidity has been going on to long; this is not a one off. You only had to be at the longy Captains meeting and hear the wide rule explained to realise what an amateur hour we are dealing with.
 
Mancat said:
Well said Mentalist. It’s obvious our comp needs a change at the top. Strong leadership is required urgently.
The stupidity has been going on to long; this is not a one off. You only had to be at the longy Captains meeting and hear the wide rule explained to realise what an amateur hour we are dealing with.
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Mancat,
No doubt you or your club will be quick to fill in a Congress nomination form when they become available soon!!!!!
 
The Old Bill said:
Mancat,
No doubt you or your club will be quick to fill in a Congress nomination form when they become available soon!!!!!
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What I’m hearing and what I’m reading on the BCF I think a lot of clubs are dismayed at the current situation within our comp.
I suspect Old Bill that you are on the elect; however you must agree the masses are concerned with what the future has in store.
30 grand to win the main big dance is out of question for the majority of clubs, the tribunal farce and lack of communication are major concerns. Have a good look at the cmca web site and tell me the clubs are well informed. The Presidents page has not been updated for a year. What about the cmca's bank balance? (Which belongs to the clubs). How is this put back into the comp?
Rep caps? CMCA presentation night, Knights sports award? Give me a break!! Congress nominations, I have to admit I have never seen. Maybe it’s time for clubs to sit down together and tell the cmca what they want, rather than the cmca giving them unaudited question sheets to fill out.
The cmca’s divide and conquer attitude is out dated and testimony to their lack of management skills. What is needed is people who know how to engage people and that are open to change and suggestions. Just remember Old Bill the clubs run the comp not your elect. Changing your name to new Bill might be a good start.
 
Some reasonable points being made, but it takes a better man to put his hand up and be part of the solution than to sit back and analyse the efforts of the CMCA on a forum.

Merl - tips for the next round (before I forget):
Hawks
Dogs
Cats
Freo
Lions
Dons
Crows
Blues
 
Uncle Mick said:
Some reasonable points being made, but it takes a better man to put his hand up and be part of the solution than to sit back and analyse the efforts of the CMCA on a forum.

Merl - tips for the next round (before I forget):
Hawks
Dogs
Cats
Freo
Lions
Dons
Crows
Blues
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Fair call
 
Omega: (aka Ommies)

Annus horribilis sums up their 2010-2011 season perfectly. They were expected to make significant in roads this season after their rebuilding process for the past few years. Once again all the signs looked positive as they commenced their pre-season training, and a few pundits were tipping them as possible finalists after some encouraging performances last season. Alas they failed to reach their potential mainly due to injuries, loss of personnel and unavailability. It did not assist their cause that two recruits after promising to join the club and given a great deal of assistance in their endeavors to seek employment jumped ship at the last minute to play Turf for McKinnon. The Ommies have long memories and no doubt their day will come. Added to that they lost young Bychkov, the keeper/opening bat who headed to the Saints and from all reports acquitted himself very well and looks to have a very promising future in the District ranks. In effect they were three players down and then suffered the loss of Chris Clements who moved to the West in search of his riches, and then a huge blow with the loss of their skipper with a neck injury. All their plans and strategies were in disarray.

One belated win in Round 11 ensured they would not finish the season with 0 points. Their highest score for the season was 192 against the Royals, with their lowest being 64 against Carnegie South.

The Ommies D grade team ended the season losing the Grand final in what was a disgraceful exhibition of cricket and incurred suspensions after a few players elected to maintain the unwritten players code of selective amnesia at the tribunal which appears to have backfired. It seems the victims incurred the harsher penalties whilst the instigators walked out laughing. Sounds like our legal system. It seems to me that one way in which to discourage these type of antics is to double the penalty whenever it occurs in a final’s match. This may dissuade some, but you can never underestimate the mindset of idiots, hence the maxim, never argue with one as they will always beat you on experience.

Tim Malane 138 runs @ 13.8 with a highest score of 40. Clint Ferguson 111 runs @ 11.1 with a highest score of 27. Glenn Beckett 189 runs @17.2 with a highest score of 83. Anthony D’amico 119 runs @ 13.2 with a highest score of 32 and Leon McGaw with 111 @18.5 with a highest score of 43.

Their lack of batting depth throughout the season cost them dearly and made them uncompetitive. Opposition teams were able to cut through their top order and there was little resistance offered by the lower order. Their bowling was ineffective especially after losing young Clements which just added to their woes and again exposed their lack of depth. The once feared Omega fielding was found wanting and there were rumors of in fighting and a general malaise within the ranks. The Judge did not assist matters when he added fuel to the fire by making a number of observations about the Ommies on the Royals you tube channel, which was taken out of context and resulted in some unsavory retribution by either the players and/or supporters, but in the end it really sunk the Ommies to a new low. This tends to happen when you are losing, but the road will be a long one back for Omega to regain their Longmuir status. There are many hungry teams in Woolnough looking for promotion, and if Omega believes that will simply float back into the top grade then they are in for a rude shock. I suspect that they will be looking for a new Captain/Coach as Clint Ferguson was carrying a serious neck injury for most of the season and probably a hint from his body that his time was up. Added to this they need an infusion of players, enthusiasm and some pride, all of which has been missing from the Ommies in the past few years. Watch out for a very aggressive recruiting campaign over the winter.

Grading 1/10.

Outcome: Relegated to Woolnough.

West Bentleigh (aka The Cowboys)

The Jekkyl & Hyde and hide team of the competition once again demonstrated their multi personalities. Overall they were terrible this season, and once again their optimism during the pre-season quickly soured. They looked forward to a much better showing this season with their Captain/Coach Con Pothitos, and there was speculation that he was due for a big season after a disappointing season with the bat in his first season as skipper, especially considering the large alleged pay packet he was supposedly receiving. Unfortunately for the Cowboys he only managed to get onto the paddock once during the season due to work commitments or whatever excuse was fashionable at the time. He then made a poor decision to jump ship and seek a finals spot with his former club the Hoops. It said a lot about his values and lack of leadership credentials, more than a poor appointment by the Cowboys. In fact many were complimentary at the time of signing up such a well credentialed player. You can never assume a good player will automatically make a good leader. Irrespective this must have impacted upon the dynamics of the team. Three wins for the season against Omega, Mackie and Kingston Heath ensured that they avoided relegation which is probably the best they could have hoped for. Efforts of 77,94,85,86 and of course the fiasco of being dismissed for 15 against the Beach boys highlighted a very poor attitude and a lack of pride and respect for their club and team mates. Added to that were the continual rumors that the club was experiencing financial issues. No doubt the battle of Bentleigh helped them top up their finances and was very well organized, however the perception is not that of a healthy club.

Marc Reid with 217 runs @ 36.2, Damien Casey 167 runs @ 23.9, Jack Macleod 184 @ 23.0, whilst Sean Holmes 185 runs @ 16.8 (including his regulation big score against Mackie. Gosh he enjoys batting against them.) and Danny Frew who managed four games with 76 runs @ 10.9.

The Cowboys President was telling all and sundry at the finals that a number of players were coming back next season. Whilst these are definitely good players they have probably seen their better days. I am not sure that this is going to be enough as they desperately need some batsmen. There is a smell of death about the Cowboys, and it cannot be left to the same few veterans who have carried everything for the club for many years; others need to step up and quickly. Their Quiney team finished 3rd, despite the inclusion of some of their Longmuir players to help them along and ensure a finals position. Meanwhile their E grade team finished 10th and their G grade team on the bottom which does not endear much confidence for the future. The Cowboys had a merged Under 16C twighlight team, no Under 14 or under 12 teams. A glorious era has ended for the Cowboys similar to Mackie, and the Cowboys brains trust need to get away for a weekend and develop a strategy that will take the club forward for the next 5 years. Failing this they could be staring at a lengthy stay in Woolnough or even Quiney if they are not careful.

Grading: 2/10
 
Mackie (aka The Machine/Oasis)

It had to happen sooner or later, and this season was the time. Many suspected that the Mackie era ended when they lost their 2010/2011 Grand Final to the Juggernaut. There were however a few diehards who believed and expected one last hurrah from the Mackie stalwarts and perhaps their last chance at winning a Longmuir Flag. The writing was on the wall when the Spiders put Mackie to the sword in Round 1. In the previous fives seasons the Spiders failed to make 100 runs against the Machine in the first innings. It took Bruce Haley 5 years to finally manage a win against his former team, and even he must have understood the significance of the win.

A Round 2 loss to Le Page ensued before they defeated their nemesis Omega in Round 3. The rotund Stuart Campbell once again punished his former team mates with a devastating batting display in Round 4, which all but ended the machines chances of playing finals. A reasonable effort against Bentleigh Uniting, however the season was effectively over and the powers to be made a sensible decision to start rebuilding around the talented juniors coming through the ranks. It took time, and there was a lot of speculation that the machine was facing possible relegation. Finally some light at the end of the tunnel in Round 9 against the Beach boys when at 5/87 with all the veterans back in the pavilion the young ones stood up and managed to get the score to a credible 198. It proved to be enough with the Machine dismissing the Beach boys for 140, and with eight of the wickets falling to young ones. Another victory against Hampton Central the following week ensured their survival in Longmuir for another year. Buddha struggled with injuries and had by his standards a poor year with 242 runs @ 24.2. Craig Park struggled to take wickets albeit thanks to the one day restrictions and ended with 21 wickets @ a miserly 14.7. Dale Park struggled again with the bat making 157 @ 15.7 with a top score of 41. Clarkey has retired after a distinguished career and is one of the universally popular players in the competition. Joining him as a spectator next season is Colm Kinsella the tall quick fast bowler, who on his day could make any batsmen rush their shots. Bottsy was their best performing batsman with 264 runs @ 29.3. It will be interesting to see if Buddha continues on with the Captaincy. What a lot of pundits do not appreciate is the amount of work he and Dale Park have put in with this group of young players and actually coached a number of them 4 years ago and has been there for them as they have developed. He has been a good leader of the club doing a lot of the unfashionable things.

The future looks bright for the Machine but it will take a few years of work as the veterans retire which will result in a vacuum of sorts. Many opposition pundits over a quiet beer or 12 have scratched their heads about Mackie and how they have failed to win a few flags with the players they have produced and the undoubted natural ability they possessed. They have never really recruited from outside (excluding the so called merger with the Late Bailey Park which resulted in little in terms of acquiring any players for any period of time), or found it necessary to pay players. They have been able to develop their own players and up until a few years ago have always had a stable coaching panel. They had not previously paid players or a coach up until a few years ago when they erroneously hired and paid a coach who was at best mediocre and then ran away crying foul when it went pear shaped. What an incredible potential they had with the group of players who started playing together from Under 12/14 grade, but somehow they just could not or would not put in the hard work to achieve the ultimate goal. Mackie continued to stumble in the big matches. There are a lot of theories from some CMCA legends and I will leave it to them to postulate. Yes they won many battles but ultimately lost the war. It has been 22 years since they won their last Longmuir flag, with four Grand Final appearances in between.

No doubt that the Machine will start as favorites for relegation next season and from their perspective it is imperative that they get off to a good start to try and get some early points. They must also pay more attention to their Quiney team which is clearly struggling and has never looked like making the finals. In fact they barely avoided relegation to D grade by percentage. Their E & G grade teams played off in Grand Finals, but neither were able to achieve success on the big day. They have an abundance of juniors and have a well managed and proactive junior committee which holds them in good stead for the future, however they may be treading water for the next few years. Let’s hope that the next generation has a better work ethic and drive to succeed.

Grading: 4/10 (only for the development of their kids)

Le Page (Panthers)

Le Page started the season on a winning note defeating the Sky Blues. They were coasting chasing Hampton’s paltry 106 sitting at 4/96, and then they proceeded to lose 4/5 which gave the Sky Blues an outside chance. The Panthers managed to hang on, but it probably was a sign of things to come. They accounted for Mackie in Round 2, and again they lost 5/10 at the end, and many will say that they were throwing the bat, however it again highlighted some issues with their middle order. A top of the table clash in Round 3 against the Spiders resulted in a loss, and again losing 6/24 in the latter overs did not assist their cause. A comfortable win against the Golfers in Round 4 and the Cowboys in Round 5 had the Panthers sitting at 4-1, and looking confident and a definite finals aspirant. Unfortunately this is where it ended for the Panthers as they were systematically taken apart by the Juggernaut, and then failed to win another game after XMAS. They fell short against Uniting, Hoops, and reinvigorated Royals and then ended the season losing to the winless Omega who was playing for pride only. The loss of McConchie during the Hoops match did not help their cause, and in the end they were looking forward to the end of the season. McKechnie, Swannee, and Taranto were the only regular contributors with the bat, whilst their bowling attack relied heavily upon McConchie, Hendy and Greer, the latter who must have been suffering from some ailments as he seemed to struggle all season.

The Panthers demonstrated that they can compete with most teams but are still way off the top three in Uniting the Hoops and the Juggernaut. They will have to focus on trying to acquire a couple of batsmen and whether McConchie plays again is still up in the air. If he cannot bowl then they will need to urgently replace him and hopefully young Greer will step up and start to fulfill some of his undeniable potential, assuming he knuckles down and applies himself.

Grading 5/10
 
Kingston Heath (Golfers)

The Golfers were realistic in their ambitions for the 2010/2011 season. They wanted to continue to develop their youth, but importantly maintain their Longmuir status. Not always as easy as it sounds. Leroy is an astute coach and works hard with his cohorts behind the scenes ensuring that the young players do all of the right things at training. When the draw was released it announced that the much fancied Bentleigh Uniting would be hosting the golfers in Round 1 and many assumed it would be a massacre. Much to the surprise of many observers, the Golfers performed admirably and at one stage they had their much fancied opponents in a little trouble and managed to acquit themselves well. Unfortunately they had to wait until Round 5 to record their first win when they surprisingly defeated the much fancied Spiders at Lords Reserve. They followed up the next week when they again surprised all of the pundits and defeated a totally dispirited Mackie. The Golfers were on a roll and they made it three in a row with a nail biting win against the unlucky Ommies. They ended the season on a high when they defeated the Sky Blues, who were still holding on to a slim hope of a finals appearance.

Young Andrew Birt with 231 runs @ 21.0 with a high score of 70 had a reasonable season with the bat along with Daniel Schwarze who averaged just over 20. The Golfers have one of the best club set ups in the competition with a superb senior and junior committee. They are very well organized and are focused on their big picture. The loss of young Manning to St.Kilda did not help their cause however it was pleasing to see him progress and make some scores.Therein lies the problem for the Golfers. As some of their juniors continue to develop they are targeted by turf clubs. The Golfers need to find a balance between youth and experience and will have to recruit over the winter to ensure that they remain competitive next season as I suspect that it will become very cut throat in the relegation stakes. It is rumoured that they make take a page from the Royals playbook and seek some experience from the lovely island of Sri Lanka. I am sure Leroy would not refuse a fact finding excursion for a couple of weeks.

Grading 5/10

Carnegie South (Spiders)

Twelve months ago I wondered what was in store for the Spiders as some of their veterans started to fade. Yes they were a formidable one day team on their day, but they really struggled in the two day matches as they lacked the class, mental discipline and the depth too compete. The unseasonal wet weather seemed to favor the Spiders as it resulted in a number of one day games which is suits their game style. A new skipper, an overseas recruit and the resurgence of their opening batsman Pereira caught a few teams napping; as Mackie was to discover in Round 1. The Spiders reached the Xmas break with 4/2 win/loss ratio and they were confident that they could challenge for a finals spot and for the first time in 5 seasons they did not have to concern themselves about avoiding relegation. I am not sure what transpired over the XMAS break, however it all went pear shaped in the New Year where the Spiders managed to win one of their remaining 5 matches. I appreciate some may query the draw they had, but if you examine it, it was not too bad. The Sky Blues were also fighting for a finals spot and both teams seemed evenly balanced. Unfortunately for the Spiders they were routed for 41 in the first game after XMAS. If Coach Haley was hoping it was just one of those days then he was wrong. They were dismissed for 90 against the Royals, and then 88 against the Juggernaut.(after being 8/59). A slightly better performance against the Hoops where they at least batted out their overs set up their Round 11 win against the beach Boys. Pereira with 232 runs @ 20.7 & David Fisher with 267 @ 22.3 were their best performers and interestingly one opens the batting and the other comes in at first drop. Once these two are dismissed there just does not seem to be the fight down the order. The Spiders cannot continue to rely on one day matches to get them through the season, however they have made some giant strides and they need to build on these achievements. There are some parallels between Mackie and the Spiders but with Mackie some of the young ones have grabbed their opportunities. The Hulston lads, along with Nicholson & Snape need to step up next season and start replacing some of the veterans whose time seems to have arrived. It will be a difficult season for the Spiders as opposition teams will pay them more respect and do a little more homework on them; in the one day format anyway. They may struggle to repeat their feats next season and could find themselves battling it out for survival.

Grading 6/10
 
Bentleigh ANA (Royals)

There were a few changes (again) at the Royals for the start of the 2010/2011 season. The Judge stepped down at the helm of the Royals after incurring a two match suspension for officially doing nothing, as well as the fact that his wife was expecting twins. It is interesting that others seem to invoke Cage fighting and are given a reprimand; but that issue has been done to death already so I will refrain myself from rehashing old ground. Bill ‘Biggles’ Biggs finally made the move to the Royals after a 10 year stint at St.Kilda and he immediately put his stamp of authority by initiating a vigorous pre season campaign. They met a depleted Juggernaut in Round 1 and promptly dropped a number of crucial catches which cost them dearly as Manders went on and made 85. A hard fought win against the Golfers was followed by a poor loss to Bentleigh Uniting. It seemed that they were intimidated as they suffered a severe defeat at the hands of Uniting in a 20/20 match. The Royals then destroyed the hapless Mackie thanks to the cavalier efforts of former Mackie stalwart Stuart Campbell.

Mohammed Rasmijinan with 302 runs @ 43.1 earned his pay with a very good season with the bat and also managed to take 16 wickets @ 17.9 runs. James White with 338 runs @ 30.7, Biggles with 254 runs @ 23.1. Brad Dolman bowled 135 overs for the season with a return of 16 wickets @ 22.6.

All in all the Royals ended the season with a 6/5 season, however they were never able to compete with the top four or five teams. Uniting, Juggernaut, the Beach boys and the Hoops easily accounted for the Royals, whilst the Sky Blues were able to overcome them in a closely fought match which was to cost them any chance of challenging for a finals spot. The Royals have a young team which is still mentally weak and at times become too easily satisfied with a previous good performance. This is the challenge for Biggles, to get them up every match in a winning frame of mind. Up until Xmas, Biggles had his own issues struggling with his own form and there were some from within the ANA fraternity questioning his ability.(Forget Richmond supporters, no one eats their own like the Royals). He then seemed to relax after Xmas and started making his regulation 40’s. White, Lovell, Biggles, the Janz brothers, Gebert, Dolman, make up the basis of a good team for the future as they are all in their teens or early 20’s, along with a few evergreens plus their regulation imports they seem to recruit every season. Their Woolnough team struggled badly and ended the season on the bottom with one win. Luckily for them they appear to have avoided the drop to Quiney Shield thanks to the efforts of Bentleigh Uniting winning the premiership. So where do they go next season as a club? Assuming they maintain the same squad and top up with a few imports and can cajole some of the very handy itinerant players who seem who have been at the club for a number of years and yet only manage to play a handful of games here and there, they should at the very least be able to replicate this season’s performance and perhaps even legitimately challenge for a finals spot. More importantly they desperately need some of their young players to step up in Woolnough to start putting pressure on a few of the seniors who at times become far too comfortable with their position in the team.

Grading: 5/10

Hampton Centrals (Sky Blues)

I have to concede that the Blues surprised me this season. I really had them pegged for a bottom four finish, however they surprised many with their plucky performances this season just missing out on a finals berth. In fact, after Round 8 they were sitting with 6/2 win loss ratio, with Uniting, Mackie and the Golfers in their final three matches. Most punters would have given them two of the three, but alas they dropped all three. The Sky Blues will look back on the season and rue some of their losses. Yes they made great inroads but being brutal they probably wasted an opportunity to play finals. The strength for the Sky Blues was the ability for someone to stand up in most the games they won. They were not a big scorer of runs and in many cases were defending moderate totals, but win they did. Veteran David Gold had a good season with 214 runs @ 30.6, Grant Newman 160@ 26.7, whilst skipper Amoore with 193 @ 19.3. Damien Devola made a few cameos with 133 @ 19.0 whilst with the ball young Lachlan Hay caught a few pundits attention with 17 wickets @ 16.2 including a 6 for 7 against the hapless Spiders. Warry with 14 wickets @11.00 and May before he departed our shores for a new life in the UK contributed with 10 wickets @ 17.7.

Next season will be difficult for the Sky Blues as they attempt to replicate their feats of this season. May has left and there is probably a good chance that Lachlan Hay may end up playing turf and then there is the issue of some of the veterans possibly retiring or winding it back in the lower grades. No doubt they will be wary of what occurred two seasons ago when they were relegated after making a Grand Final appearance the previous season. Time will tell.

Grading 7/10

Elwood (Beach Boys)

The Beach Boys will look back on 2010-2011 with some satisfaction however they will appreciate that they really blew some golden opportunities to secure a double chance and manage a finals game at their fortress which is the Beach Oval. They were undefeated at home this season in their 5 Longmuir matches, and at times looked like they could take any team. They nearly and should have caused the boil over of the season when they played off in the 20/20 final against Bentleigh Uniting. In front of a huge crowd down at Bailey Park they were magnificent in the field applying immense pressure upon Uniting and demonstrating to all and sundry that Uniting was not impregnable. Too dismiss Russell and Lalor for 0 is something clubs dream about, and in the end they restricted the Uniting lads to 109, which in a 20/20 match is a modest total. Their fielding and bowling changes were brilliant and for the first time you could sense the Uniting lads and their supporters were looking around hoping someone was going to stand up. The much maligned Brett Ernst was that person and really his performance 51 n.o was superb under the immense pressure. Everyone expected the Beach Boys to get the runs and quite convincingly, however they found a way to lose it by one run. I overheard a few former CMCA legends wondering aloud why young Marshall Bunting elected to bring himself so high in the order when all he had to do was ask his top order to see of the opening bowlers. What a match!

In the home and away season they commenced their season with a comfortable win against the Hoops and then defeated the Juggernaut before dropping a game against the Sky Blues. In Round 6 they came across their nemesis in Bentleigh Uniting and on this occasion were unable to dismiss Lalor and Russell for no score. They piled on 195 out of the 287 which Uniting accumulated. The Beach Boys were not disgraced and managed to reach 219 which was a fair effort. After Xmas they marched along defeating the Panthers and the Golfers before they came across the nearly down and out Mackie. I will not rehash the previous summation of the game other than to say that the Beach Boys faulted under the pressure and threw away any chance of grabbing a double chance. To add insult to injury they travelled to small confines of Lords Reserve in the last match and were defeated by the Spiders in a close one. Their only finals match was against the Juggernaut and after failing to bat out their overs allowed the Juggernaut to limp past them seven down. Their season was over, and they were left to ponder what might have been.

Nathan Harris 238 runs @ 26.4, Marshall Bunting with 339 runs @ 37.7 plus 29 wickets @ 13.2 and Adam Howard 265 runs @ 37.9 and Sugars love child Rob de Haan with 27 wickets @ 15.7 were all great contributors for the Beach Boys.

Rating 7/10.
 
East Sandringham (Juggernaut)

There is no doubt that the Juggernaut is on the decline, much to the joy of many within the competition. I am an unabashed admirer of the Juggernaut as they have done things that not many other clubs have achieved in any field of sports. Irrespective, they still managed to do what was required and win games early in the season when their numbers were depleted. They managed to finish 3rd just shy of a double chance thanks to a 0.0098 difference in percentage. The usual suspects were in the fray, your Duddy’s, Dallas, Manders Corp, Devereuax and young Pat Singh with the ball who just kept taking wickets. Meanwhile the wiley Kim Pitt took charge of the Woolnough team and ensured that some of the youngsters continued to develop, however there seemed to still be a an uncomfortable reliance on a number of aging veterans who really should probably be playing down the grades. The Juggernaut ended the season with three losses: the Beach boys, the Hoops and Bentleigh Uniting. They exacted some revenge against the Beach boys in the 1st Semi Final by eliminating them in an entertaining match and then squared up to meet the Hoops in the Preliminary Final. The Juggernaut were reeling early after electing to bat and were 3 for 10, but fought back to post a very respectable 7/228, and made the Hoops look amateurish towards the end as they just ran out of bowling options. The weather conspired to rob all CMCA supporters of the match that everyone wanted to see, and that was Uniting-v-Juggernaut, the young lion trying too overcome the old lion. The Juggernaut completely outplayed a depleted and poor Hoops and anyone who was there to watch the game (especially the Uniting players) would have been pleased with what they saw. In the end justice was not done and the better team missed out, but as the saying goes, that is cricket. Luke Manders has already accepted a coaching position at the Party Boys and I must admit I fear for the health of some of the lads as it will be one big party next season as Luke Manders makes 750+ runs next season in Woolnough.

Rating 8/10

Brighton Union (Hoops)

After stumbling out of last years final series in the Preliminary Final against the ultimate premiers in the Juggernaut, the Hoops brains trust went to work to review all positions and decided to part ways with Alex Gerdan, lost Justin King when he returned to the Peninsula. Ivan took over the role of captain/coach and the Hoops managed to recruit the former Beachboy champion in Ano. He previously left the Beachboys to play with East Box Hill and performed quite well. All of a sudden their batting line up started to look imposing, however I must confess the loss of Gerdan with his steadying influence and experience concerned me. The Hoops dropped the first two matches and many were wondering whether there would be wholesale sackings if another loss was to occur. The Hoops regrouped and managed to win their next five matches before meekly succumbing to the Sky Blues. They won their remaining matches to nudge out the Juggernaut from 2nd spot and grab the all important double chance. It appeared that the Hoops luck may have changed when former player Con Pothitos miraculously returned to the fold after an unsuccessful stint with the Cowboys.

In his first game back for his beloved Hoops, in Round 7, he flayed an ordinary Mackie attack and it looked like the Hoops may have solved their wobbly middle order issues. Injuries once again struck down their bowlers as the finals approached which left their attack impotent, and no amount of ************ was going to rectify the situation. Covey managed five matches whilst Veitch managed 10 matches which included the Grand Final it was obvious he was struggling. The Hoops won the right to compete against Uniting in the 2nd Semi Final by the slimmest margin of percentage, and acquitted themselves well, even looking as though they had the match in control as they chased down Uniting’s total. Unfortunately they imploded falling just short of Uniting’s total. For some reason they decided that they would not partake of Uniting’s hospitality and promptly got up and left the ground after telling a Uniting clubman to stick the beers where the sun does not shine. From there on, they lost everyone in the CMCA. Petulance of this sort is unaustralian and goes against everything we have been brought up to appreciate about the sport. The Hoops then met the Juggernaut in the Preliminary final and for an hour or so it looked like they had the Juggernauts measure. That hope quickly evaporated as the Hoops imploded in the field, and just did not have any bowlers who could contain the rampaging Juggernaut batsmen. The next day it never looked like they were going to get near the score, and then the rain intervened. The Hoops were in another Grand Final and many knew the flag was Uniting to lose, not the Hoops to win.

In another twist in the week leading upto the Grand Final rumours abounded that Ano had walked out of the club after an incident in the nets on the Thursday night before the Grand Final. There where whispers that the whole issue was poorly handled by the Hoops hierarchy. Unbelievable developments, and whilst the Hoops tried to take it in their stride, there was no doubt their Grand Final prospects were over. The Champ was recalled yet again, and the Hoops proceeded to bat themselves into a hole. All out for 119, despite the valiant efforts from Ivan, Gregory and Scorgie; a couple of doubtful decisions ensured that there would an early finish on Sunday. As the day 1 of the Grand Final came to an end the ugly side of the Hoops and some of their players emerged. One wanted to fight everyone, and engaged in childish banter from the fence in a vain attempt to try and bait some of the Uniting players, whilst their supporters were their usual ugly self. In the midst of all this madness there was a sad moment, when the champ strode out and was bowled first ball by an absolute corker of a delivery. No doubt a few words were said as he looked disbelievingly at his shattered stumps.

To the Champ’s credit, he walked off, no theatrics, head high even though bitterly disappointed, but showed his team mates how a sportsman deals with adversity. His team mates should have hung their heads in shame.

Kuzma with 415 runs @ 29.6 came back to form after a couple of lean years, but clearly has no idea how to play Chubbs from Uniting as he continually seems to dismiss Kuzma. Aaron Gregory and his theatrics had a good season with 346 runs @ 28.8. Ivan bounced back with 418 runs @ 34.8 whilst Julius WS took 26 wickets @ 17.1 bowling 134 overs.

I have no doubt that Hoops brains trust will be leaving no stone unturned to find a big name recruit(s) , however it is their bowling stocks which needs urgent attention. For the past three seasons, their strike bowlers have fallen over at the most crucial time. Assuming Veitch plays another season it is imperative that they manage his workload and perhaps even let him miss matches during the season to try and keep him injury free. Covey seems to be struggling to get up each year and one has to wonder how much longer he will endure before he throws in the towel. Looking down the Grades there does not appear to be too many ready made replacements. Yes the Hoops made the Grand Final, however their conduct and that of their D grade team was disgraceful and set back the cause of the Hoops for many seasons. Their reputation as the great pretenders remains untarnished.

Rating 5/10.
 
Bentleigh Uniting

As the pre-season commenced in 2009-2010, Uniting had a new coach and not long into their pre-season there were huge rumblings of things not being right. There were changes made, and a new coaching structure was implemented which had moderate success. Uniting limped the season out after missing some great opportunities to make the finals. At the end of the last match against Omega when Uniting absolutely routed the hapless Ommies, their shrewd President John Halliday and his committee set about their ambitious recruiting plans. Whilst Mackie slept dreaming of the day when the prodigal son would walk through Mackie’s doors and announce he was there to serve them, Uniting pounced and signed up the recently retired District champion Glen Lalor. The reverberations within the CMCA and every other association lasted for months. How the hell could this club sign up such a legend, and so quickly? Not long after another massive recruit joined the club in Ash Russell who was a very well credentialed cricketer having recently played with McKinnon and South Caufield in the VTCA Premier league. Added to that local Brett Ernst returned to the fold adding yet another string to the already impressive bow. ‘Bloody hell’ was the cry from near and far, and then a few clubs reknowned for throwing the cheque book around attempted to cry foul, without much success thankfully. How can you complain when you have been gazzumped in this fashion? I don’t believe any committee moved as quickly since North Melbourne in 1974, when they exploited the 10 year rule the VFL had implemented. The easy work was done in signing up these players, now the hard work was to begin to ensure that Uniting played as a team, as they knew as night followed day, they would be the most hunted team in history of the CMCA. Every club would be trying to claim their scalp and would casting evil spells upon them hoping they would see them fall in the finals.

Lalor is not the type of person who tolerates fools lightly and he knows what it takes to win flags, after all he was part of 5 with St.Kilda. He trained them hard, and reputations meant nothing to him as everybody had to prove themselves. He maintained this ethos for the whole season despite treading on a few ego’s. At the end of the day he was looking at developing the youth and depth of the club as well. Uniting achieved the treble in winning the 20/20 tournament including a win against McKinnon in the playoff section of the competition, the Battle of Bentleigh, which granted only involved four local clubs, the Longmuir premiership and three other premierships in the lower grades. To give you an indication of what a hard nut Lalor is, I cannot help but recount what occurred at the Battle of Bentleigh.

In the Grand Final against the recently demoted Washington Park one of their players did not field as he had legitimately injured himself in the previous match. Lalor dug his heels in and cited the laws of cricket about his eligibility to bat. Yes it was trivial, and it was just a day of hit and giggle, but he was making a statement to his troops about being ruthless. He got his way, and Uniting won the match. The continual washouts threatened to turn the season into a disaster for the competition and Uniting, but the difference between Uniting and every other team was the work ethic.

Whilst some clubs showed up to the ground to find out that they were not going to play there were a number of options available. Go home and impress the lovely wife and/or girlfriend; sneak off to the Pub Tab and spend some hard earned on a few nags or just sit around and have a couple of frothies with your team mates and /or opposition. I am sure some of the Uniting lads were looking forward to some of these options until they discovered that instead of sitting around drinking much more could be achieved by heading to the indoor nets for a few hours of practice, and so they did every time there was a wash out. Very Hafeyesque.

At the end of the day, they achieved the remarkable feat of remaining undefeated in all forms of the game for the season. A truly remarkable effort, but done with hard work and discipline. Yes Uniting may have paid a lot of money, but if you examine what they achieved and how they achieved it, then you will agree that the whole club benefitted from the adventure. Let us hope there are many more to follow as they have raised the bar to a new level. I could not help but shake my head when opposition players and supporters would simply dismiss the effort as money buying a flag. There was much more to their performance this season that these critics have ignored whether it be out of ignorance, jealousy or fear of what it really takes to climb the top of the mountain.

Rating 10/10
 
CLOCKER said:
Omega: (aka Ommies)

Once again all the signs looked positive as they commenced their pre-season training, and a few pundits were tipping them as possible finalists after some encouraging performances last season. Alas they failed to reach their potential mainly due to injuries, loss of personnel and unavailability. It did not assist their cause that two recruits after promising to join the club and given a great deal of assistance in their endeavors to seek employment jumped ship at the last minute to play Turf for McKinnon. The Ommies have long memories and no doubt their day will come.
Click to expand...

My heart bleeds ;)
 
Clocker. Well done. Brilliant effort, that is an amazing insight into all clubs and from conversations with people in the know at various clubs extremely accurate. You must have more listening devices or spies than the CIA.
Would not hurt all clubs to read their respective clubs review from an out siders opinion and take some things on board.
You have been brutally honest in some cases but the wake up call some clubs need.

Again, well done. Would like to hear some clubs responses.
 
staight bat said:
Clocker. Well done. Brilliant effort, that is an amazing insight into all clubs and from conversations with people in the know at various clubs extremely accurate. You must have more listening devices or spies than the CIA.
Would not hurt all clubs to read their respective clubs review from an out siders opinion and take some things on board.
You have been brutally honest in some cases but the wake up call some clubs need.

Again, well done. Would like to hear some clubs responses.
Click to expand...

In the words of the late great Patrick Swayze "ditto". A great read Clock and yes probably accurately nasty enough to sting a couple of clubs into action.
 
southern sledge said:
To clocker-Ash Russell has NEVER played for the Richmond of the VTCA, that being McKinnon.
Click to expand...
Not sure where you see Richmond?
Not long after another massive recruit joined the club in Ash Russell who was a very well credentialed cricketer having recently played with McKinnon and South Caufield in the VTCA Premier league
 
Clock - you're getting confused. He's saying that McKinnon are the VTCA equivalent to Richmond in the AFL, but making the point that Ash has never played at McKinnon. I was pretty sure that was the case too. Ash has almost always been at Sth Caulfield other than when he played at St Kilda. The only other club I can recall him playing for was U/16s with Bentleigh in the Vic Metro Sunday comp.
 
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