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Winning the toss and batting, the reds got off to a slow but steady start with The Captain and Harry guiding us through the first 15 overs. Unfortunately, from there a couple of quick wickets were followed by regular departures as the PAOC batsmen continually felt the need to push the run rate in this one-day fixture. In the end we never really got going, with 21 runs for the 7th wicket the largest partnership after the opening stand. Bowled out for 119, we only faced 33 of the allotted 40 overs.

With the ball it was clear to see this was our first game since way back in March. Brighton were untroubled by the Reds bowlers, moving to 1/85 and looking in total control. Will Cowling was brought on and changed the game, bowling his 9 overs straight and picking up 2/22. All of a sudden there was run rate pressure on the Bombers batsmen and we picked up a couple more wickets. Unfortunately for PAOC, we bowled 17 wides and these proved costly, not just with the runs conceded, but also the extra deliveries we had to bowl, with Brighton just getting over the line by 1 run, finishing 6/120 off the full 40 overs.

Not the start we wanted but a good wakeup call that we will need to play well if we wanted to repeat last year's efforts.

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Winning the toss and batting, Marion got off to a good start at park 9, moving to 1/45 shortly after the first drinks break. The reds spoke about patience and locked in on a good line and length, looking to build some pressure, and it worked, with Marion crumbling to be 4/58 at the tea. After the break we lapsed in our concentration and the Marion #7 pounced, smashing hist first 80 runs in just 11 overs after tea. Acting captain Richard Hockney flicked through the 6 pace bowlers in the side for no result, finally turning to Clev to take the pace off the ball. Setting defensive fields, we got the hitter off strike and slowly regained control, despite him moving past 100. Clev bowled 17 overs on the trot, picking up both set batsmen and finishing with 3/51 (all three caught by VD). Otters came back and cleaned up the tail and we bowled Marion out for 248 in the 80th over.

Similar to last round, we got off to a steady start with the Hockney lads opening up, however 1/50 became 4/60 and we were well behind the game again. Lexi (76) and Greber looked to build a partnership however when both fell we were in all sorts at 7/150, needing another 99 to win. Gary Branford (45*) and Will Linke (26) gave it a good shake, however it wasn't to be and we were bowled out 32 runs short of the total.

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With rain forecast overnight and into Saturday, the covers were applied with little hope of getting to use the deck the curator had prepared for us. To our surprise, Saturday morning rolled around, the rain gauge was empty and play kicked off right on 1pm. SPOC won the toss and batted.

Patient was the word of the day and the Reds delivered both with the ball and in the field, restricting SPOC at every opportunity and tightening the screws over by over. Alex Marantos was extremely miserly picking up 1/12 off of 10 overs, while Max Burford enjoyed a longer spell, claiming 2/21 from 12 overs. 3/85 off 39 overs had the game evenly poised at the day one tea break, before the rain finally arrived and stumps were called.

Back on week two and SPOC had 19 overs to push the run rate forward. Will Linke the pick of the day two bowlers collecting 2/17 from his five overs and James Risby picked up the big wicket of self-proclaimed "250 A-grade game veteran" Luke Harrington. Special mention to Max Burford for his direct hit run out made even better by the fact he told the batsman one over prior he was going to run him out. SPOC finished 7/190 from their 58 overs and it was now our turn to bat.

Hockney and Shayan kicked our innings off and at 0/18 it was a steady, albeit unorthodox start from seven overs. Unfortunately, a good ball made its way through Harry and from there we were bogged down, adding just 9 runs in the next 14 overs, losing four wickets in the process. Singleton used his feet and had the scoreboard ticking again however when he went back to the spinner and was adjudged LBW, we were in all sorts of trouble at 5/42. Kildea commenced his innings with a six over midwicket and together with Marshall, they got us through to the final drinks break. 5/80 with 22 overs to go.

Regrettably, Charlie fell shortly after the break for a well-made 39, and while Linke (20 off 19) and Burford (10 off 7) were keen to have a dip, there was just too much work to do with limited wickets in hand. The last three wickets fell for just four runs and we were bowled out 55 runs short with 10 overs left unfaced.

Once again, the B-grade showed patches that were good enough but ultimately have not been able to play consistent cricket for a full match. Perhaps next week will bring better fortune as we travel away from Park 9 for the first time this season.

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With a side full of batting options, this week's captain RHockney had no hesitation in electing to bat. It was a slow outfield however a true deck more than made up for it and at 2/60 after 15 overs there was talk starting to grow, would today be the day we managed to bat out our overs. A flurry of quick wickets answered that question and at 6/76 we were now wondering if we'd even make it to triple figures. RHockney and Marshall did their best to drag us back into it, however another flurry of wickets meant we were bowled out for just 134, after just 33.3 overs. Clev made 24 while Wides were next best contribution with 21.

Walkerville got off to a good start with the bat, and other than an LBW to Otters, they controlled the game, making it to the drinks break at 1/90, needing just another 45 from the remaining 20 overs. Marantos made the breakthrough, removing their main batsmen, and together with Marshall, we started to build some pressure through dot balls well supported with some great fielding from Keeves and Singleton. Lexi finished his allotment of overs so we kept the pace off the ball and Clev came on, picking up 3 for 5 from 5 overs and all of a sudden, we made it to the last over with Walkerville still trailing at 6/132. Unfortunately, we couldn't close it out, and Walkerville took the points, emphasised with a towering six over long on to finish the game.

Winless at the break, there will be plenty of batsmen hoping Father Christmas leaves some form for them under the tree this year!!!

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The C-Grade finally kicked off their 20/21 season in Round 3 halfway through November due to being rained out Round 1 and a having a bye Round 2.

The boys travelled out to Cabra with a good mix of regular faces and new players to the club, Goodwood won the toss and bowled. Goodwood got off to a flyer putting on 78 for the first wicket, it was a tough day in the field the Reds with Goodwood's hard-hitting batsmen getting on top of the bowling unit. Goodwood were bowled out for 239. Pick of the bowlers M.Clarke 4/19, Y.Thakur 3/54.

The top order didn't have the start we were looking for with none of the top 5 making it pass 15. When J. Bean was dismissed for 30 the Reds were languishing at 6/113 but a determined partnership from C-Grade regulars R. Gopal and M Dickson turned the momentum. The pair put on 82 for the 7th wicket until M. Dickson was dismissed for a classy 30 (78) and left the Reds 8-209 needing 30 to win.

Unfortunately, we were all out for 220. Pick of the batsmen R. Gopal 48, M. Dickson 30, J. Bean 30.

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First home game of the season saw the C-Grade take on Hectorville. The Reds won the toss and bowled first on a juicy uneven Park 15 deck. Consistent line and length bowling meant wickets came at regular intervals with only one Hectorville batsman getting the better of the bowlers and passing 30. 23 byes were the second top scorer. Hectorville were dismissed in the 57 over for 168. Pick of the bowlers M. Clarke 5/35, C. Craige 2/7.

Only one batsmen C. Craige 28 (83) dug in and made it past 15 in a another frustrating output from the top and middle order. It was left to the tail-enders again and they answered the call with R. Gopal making 27 (50) at 9 and M. Clarke 23* (43) at 10 but unfortunately when Gopal was dismissed the reds were 9/143 and still needing 25. Pick of the batsmen C.Craige 28, R.Gopal 27, M.Clarke 23.

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The last game before the break Christmas, saw the C-Grade travel out to Gepps Cross for 40 over one day match. Stand in skipper R. Gopal won the toss and batted first. A very solid opening stand of 45 between G. Jones and B. Francesca was exactly what the doctor ordered after a poor start to the season from the top order. New player to the club this season C. Porter came in at 4 and showed his strong skill set with some elegant stroke play and put the Reds in command. A late 33 off 16 ball cameo by M. Georgiadis saw the boys finish their 40 overs 6/169. Pick of the batsmen B. Francesca 47, C. Porter 42, M. Georgiadis 33.

The bowlers M. Georgiadis, N. Brown, Y. Thakur and D. Kieu took regular wickets throughout the innings and Gepps Cross never were a chance of chasing the total down and finished all out for 111. Pick of the bowlers N. Brown 4/22, M. Georgiadis 2/18, Y. Thakur 2/19, D. Kieu 2/23.

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The C-Grade had a rare home game at Park 9, with regular captain still holidaying. R. Gopal took over the captaincy for the second straight game and won the toss and batted. Unfortunately, I think everyone was still in holiday mode and the boys were rolled for 69 in 44 overs. C-Grade specialist L. Halton the only batsmen to show the grit with a fighting 27 off 122 balls.

The bowlers put in a bloody good effort and almost pulled off a miracle with Payneham at one stage being 8/66 but some late order hitting saw Payneham finish up all out for 112. Easily the pick of the bowlers was S.Rajagopal with 5/51 he perhaps deserved more with 4 dropped catches coming off his bowling also. M. Clarke came back from his holiday and bowled a tight spell of 9 overs 2/14.

Second innings was the complete opposite of the first, looking for quick runs Y. Thakur opened the batting and made his maiden 50 for the club, C. Porter continued his strong start to the season with a classy 34* (52). The Reds declared 1-112 finished Y.Thakur 57*, setting Payneham a small chase. Despite 2 early wickets from M. Clarke, Payneham comfortably reached the target.

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A wet start to the first round has become familiar territory for the lads over the past few seasons. But with Dan Mosey winning the toss, we were off to a good start. We elected to bowl and soon had a few break throughs, including H. "Bertie" McDonald taking his first wicket for the club, followed by his second an over later. Tight bowling from J. Nicolacopoulos and R. Kesavan restricted the visitors to 8/108.

Chasing a low total, we lost a few key wickets early, but a stellar partnership from J. Gould (89) and D. Mosey (17) steadied the ship and saw the team pass the required runs and go on to post more valuable runs and points for a good start to the season.

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Winning the toss again we this time elected to bat and after loosing C. Aust to an early duck we made good start ticking over the scoreboard. A brilliant anchoring knock by L. Halton (40) batting through most of the day, allowed others to hit off around him including a few 20's and an impressive 30 from J. Clarke off only 15 balls, set up an impressive total of 8/197.

Great bowling and fielding snared a few valuable wickets early on and we were able to stay on top of Goodwood for their entire innings. Special mention must go to R. Gopal taking 3/24 off his 9 and was unlucky not to get a few more. A well-rounded effort from the lads saw the D-Grade go two from two.

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Losing the toss on the first relatively warm day of the season was not the ideal start. On a small ground we were soon chasing leather to all parts of the ground. A great spell of fast bowling from T.Taylor 2/47 kept us in the match. Shortly after tea we lost our keeper to a suspected broken finger and loosing a key member in the field opened up gaps that Marion could exploit. Tight bowling from J. Gould (3/30) restricted some late runs and a brilliant run-out from A Grade sub R.Robinson closed the innings.

With 7 overs left in the day it was all about survival. Unfortunately losing a wicket before the close of play, put the Reds on the back foot. At the recommencement of our first innings wickets fell at regular intervals and we showed lack of stickability and will to put value on our wicket. With a chance at redemption in our second innings after Marion enforced the follow on, the lads made a gallant 7/187 50's to both Taylor and Gould, showed if applied we could have made a real game of this.

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Losing the toss on a wet day wasn't an ideal start and Ingle Farm through us in on a poppy and damp deck. However, the boys applied themselves after a thumping the prior round. A dashing display by opener N. Brown (39) and supported well by J. Bean (10) got us off to a good start. Coming to the crease at number 3 our skipper found the going a little tougher facing a fill-in bowler from Ingle Farm's A-Grade making the going tough and was on only 39 at the close of the first days play off 120 plus deliveries, alongside him was an eager D. Kieu as play was called off due to rain at 7/104.

Come the next week we recommenced our innings with 16 overs left to face. Sadlier accelerating his score to 61 off no more than 4 overs, fell. The stage was set for one of the great innings from D. Kieu (37*) plundering the ball to all parts of the oval and setting up a very defendable 9/183 with his sidekick and club legend VR Lingmapally (0*).

Tight bowing from the openers proved to much for the Ingle Farm batters, giving the Reds regular break throughs whilst strangling Ingle Farm. N. Brown 3/7 off seven and D. Mosey 3/48 off nine proved unplayable, when backed up by great field, including a modern screamer from D. Mosey to dismiss their captain and seal the victory.

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Probably the D-Grade's best bowling line up all season proved to strong for Brighton, who won the toss and elected to bat, the cricket gods must have been listening when their skipper said let's get this over and get to the cricket. A. Brabham 4/8 off his 9 and D.Mosey 4/20 of his 9 were just to much for a shell shocked Brighton and at drinks we had them reeling at 7/36, wrapping up the tail shortly after.

Not our most convincing battling display followed with only D.Heath (28) getting close to 30, but with a fighting innings from B. Lobban at the other end we went past Brighton's score and passed 100. We left some runs out there this game, but continuing our strong form and finishing Christmas sitting on top of the ladder was a just reward from our efforts to this time in the season.

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Starting the second half of the season well was key for the D-Grade's push towards finals, we had a starkly different side to the one we had played Brighton with before Christmas and so did they.

Brighton won the toss and elected to bat. We lacked the bowling attack to bully Brighton like last round and had D. Mosey bowling the bulk of the overs, 22 in the day. Unfortunately, we lacked the ability to keep the pressure on them and at tea they were 1/76, after tea Brighton opened up and no one was spared. Tight bowling from P.Sadlier 1/24 off his 10 helped restrict Brighton, but the damage was done and at the close of play Brighton had amassed 8/296.

We knew we needed to get off to a good start if we had a chance to win this game but losing a player to dubious circumstances before the days commencement didn't put us in the best frame of mind. Regular wickets to irresponsible shots cost us dearly. Losing wicket after wicket we showed an embarrassing amount of fight. Only B. Lobban looking to put true value on his wicket in both innings saved us from even graver figures. Whilst losing a player hurt us on the scoreboard this effected the D-Grade's mantra, which they had worked hard to instil through this season, but like any good story, we'll be back!

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We travelled to Flinders Uni to play their A-grade. 3 of our players had made it to the ground by the time the FUCCs lads had finished a 35 minute warm up.

They won the toss and batted, we bowled and fielded like a team that hadn't started preseason. 8 dropped catches in 40 overs as Flanders Uni posted a mammoth 229. Philly picked up 3 wickets and Heito was the only bowler to finish with an economy rate under 4.

With the bat we lost a wicket early, and were pushed further onto the back foot when the TTG A-Grade bowler marked out the longest run-up ever seen in ATCA cricket. ARicho enjoyed the pace on the ball with a brisk 26 off 22, but not many others could handle it, and we started to fall behind the required rate.

Yogi was elevated up the order and started to drag us back into the contest. At 4/150 with 12 overs to go, we needed just over a run a ball, we were in the hunt, but when yogi fell for 43 from 29 balls, the rest of the boys followed suit fairly quickly and we were bowled out for 174. Clev made 52 and Weed 29 the only other scores of note.

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The Ebeneezer Goode's made their season debut at the Spiritual Home of PAOC Cricket against Adelaide Lutheran. Having played the previous game on the Front Oval dry zone, it was a welcome change for the E's to play at Park 15 in the shade of the Magic Faraway Tree, knowing that post-match beers could be consumed.

The popular Co-Captain, Thomas Phillips, won the toss and elected to bat first.

Whilst every player contributed in some form, this game was the "Sanders Show". In years gone by the Sanders name has featured at Park 15, generally attributed to Greg "Colonel" or Tim "Baz" Sanders. This time it was Sam G Sanders, who was making a guest appearance down from the A's.

At 2/32 Sanders strode to the crease and dominated the Lutheran's A Grade attack, notching up his debut century for the Club, scoring 117 runs off 76 balls, which included 13 x 4's and 8 x 6's. A superb knock that helped the E's post 226 runs off their allotted 40 overs.

During the break, player Heitmann introduced Matthew Georgiadis to his Vice President player sponsor, former Club Secretary, Fred Fairhead. This was a timely introduction, as Georgiadis trapped their opener LBW with the first ball of the innings while Fred was looking on.

The opposition's poor start continued, this time at the hands of Sanders, who took a fine one handed catch down low at first slip, giving player Heitmann his first career wicket from a legitimate outswinger.

Sanders impact on the game continued when he came on first change and proceeded to tear through the middle order in a incredible spell of quick bowling. He finished his allotment of 9 overs with 3/35.

A great first win for the season for the E's in LO1 and Sanders was rewarded with that accolade all Turf cricketers strive for - a Double Mail.

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After losing the toss against MSCC and being sent in to bowl, we put on a professional performance with a stacked bowling line up. Sanders and Georgiadis combined for 8 wickets, with Sanders claiming his first 5 wicket haul as well as a run out in what was a spectacular performance. Riley Robinson bowled very well in a tight spell as well as we rolled MSCC for 133.

In response, MSCC struck early with the big wicket of Sam Tyler, however Sam Hurburgh guided the team to victory with a classy 72*. Riley Robinson chipped in with 32 runs for an overall well-rounded performance.

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Round 12 saw us take on Goodwood at Park 15. Michael Clarke made his season debut after a long lay-off from injury, with Chris Spencer also down from the A-Grade.

Goodwood won their first toss for the year and weren't sure what to do. After some deliberation, they elected to bowl first on a nice looking Park 15 pitch. Spence and Weed joined forces once again at the top of the order and made a solid start before Spencer departed with the score on 22. Soon after, we suffered a mini collapse and were soon left reeling at 6 for 45. Jones and Clarke set about resurrecting the innnings and compiled a solid 37 run partnership. However there was little resistance after that and we were bundled out for 97 off just 32.1 overs. Clarke the main stay with a very polished 25.

With only 97 on the board, early wickets were key and although Otters snagged one, Goodwood's leading batsmen Potts and Wood made light work of our total, with the only delay a lost ball in the Dequetteville Terrace drain! Goodwood home with 8 wickets and 21.1 overs to spare, with beers being consumed by 4:30pm!

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The scramble for players was standard fare for mid October, and the XI was only finalized the morning of the match. We won the toss and sent the Brigade in on a very soft, sticky wicket. Sure enough Benny Allen and Raj Gopal got the ball to stick and dart around, with Raj getting some early wickets. They had one good player who was tough to get out, and was doing all the scoring. Nonetheless we ground out his partners with some impressive catching at this level, including an absolute one handed blinder by middle-aged newcomer Peter Harris. Young Henry Pontifex bowled controlled leg spin to get 3 wickets including their best batsman, and Raj managed an outstanding 5/14 off his 9 overs.

We were chasing 92 and had good depth in the lineup. Wickets came with early season rust and difficulty with the slow pitch, but thankfully so did a heap of wides from the opposition. Olly held firm to hold on going into the break on 3 well fought runs, and the team on 3/31. The ante went up as runs were being scored at a better rate, but wickets were also falling despite the need to turn down dozens of outrageous appeals. The tension was building as co-captain Allen entered at 8-78 but departed as he smoked a ball straight to cover meaning we only had one wicket left and 8 runs to get. Enter Venkat. Some very smart batting and with Olly carrying his bat for an excellent 31* got us over the line with 2 balls to spare. A very satisfying win and hopefully bodes well for the rest of the season.

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You know when MyCricket takes you to a ground that is hosting a half finished game from the suburban league, that it might be a long afternoon. This is on the back of a few days of desperately finding anyone who could complete our XI. We eventually found the other Park 21 hard wicket on the other side, and I put my 8 cones out and tried to get the stumps to stay up in the loose dirt. A narrow wicket to say the least, and one that most of us hadn't played on since primary school.

We lost the toss, and after a number of introductions and a quick roll call for who thought they could bowl, we were ready. Nelson Ellis and Wolverine toiled hard and grabbed a few wickets each, and newcomer Lochie Glazbrook bowled well but without reward. Unfortunately their skipper tonned up and they made 7/237. Highlights were not one, but two elite throw down runouts by the great Venkat.
A steady start and a quick 25 by Damo Heath gave us a sniff, but steady wickets destroyed any chance we may have had. We were all out for 130 with an unbeaten 55 from Pontifex.

A COVID break will hopefully give us a chance to regroup and get back in the winners circle after consecutive losses.

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A big hike north on a cold, windy and eventually wet afternoon saw us meet Modbury. The first 20 on a sticky wicket are never easy, but we got there only 1 down for 50 odd and with a good platform. We accelerated in the back half with plenty of wickets in the sheds with Olsson 32, Pontifex 31, Dickson a run-a-ball 20, and with BA and Butler scoring late to get us to 142.

Their innings begun as the front came through - delaying the start but their skipper seemed more than happy to kick on, and even happier to umpire and fire out most of his top order. BA was bowling beautifully mind you, despite the cold wind that had me in my cable weave jumper for the second time in the 20 years I've owned it. Olly had a ripping day when on a whim he wandered into a second gully position - apparently he had a feeling in his old bones, and sure enough that very over he took a sharp catch to his left. He deservingly celebrated hard and wailed whilst still lying on the turf how much he 'loved this f#@king game!'. Benny ended up with 3/12 and Alexander managed 4/22. Johnny Coop should also be mentioned for two fine catches fielding in the ring, and Manideep Katkuri took his first wicket for the club.

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The first time we played these guys, we got smoked. Today was unfortunately no different. As the Australian team was bowling India out for 36, we were slowly compiling a total to work with. The big Park 9 boundaries were causing problems for old blokes running threes. Only two players made double figures with Pontifex 43 and Rawlinson 17, on our way to 9/110 which was a big ask to defend against one of the top sides.

Their predominantly Indian team seemed keen to get to the Oval as they went very hard at our bowlers, reaching their target in the 16th over. Young Mason O'Callaghan took two wickets in his first game for the club, and Ben Allen reminded us all to not take any crap from the opposition as he demanded their square leg umpire to take that position rather than doing it from point. A pretty heated argument kicked off, and this was really our only win for the day as their captain removed this umpire from the ground and graciously apologised. A big loss, but we managed to get in the last hour of the Test as the Aussies wrapped it up inside 3 days.

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Our first game for 2021 bought a Christmas miracle in the form of 'Sugar' Kain Noack playing his first game since winning a flag with us 7 years earlier. And what a treat it was. We won the toss and batted first. Taking some liberty, I opened with my 15yo son Henry which was the first time I had ever batted in a game with him. We got off to a good start getting to 58 before I was removed, and then in walked Kain. A few hours and 236 runs later, the opposition were well and truly on their knees. Noack was eventually out for 113, giving Paddy England a look at a few balls at the end. Henry Pontifex scored 129 not out in a total of 2/306. The 236 run partnership between Noack and Pontifex recorded the 2nd highest LO partnership and the 5th highest on record for the club.

Their innings was only ever batting practice, and Raj Kesavan tightened the noose with 4/17 and Clement Ting taking 2/22. A big day and an important win to get us back in the winner's column.

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Scratching around for an 11th player the morning of the game rarely inspires much confidence for the group, but this time it felt different as it was the lion-hearted Simon Butler agreeing to play with a broken finger. We won the toss and batted playing steady cricket right through the innings with Pontifex 39, Kesavan 22 and a few solid 17 not outs from Ben Allen and Clement Ting (including a big 6 down the ground on the last ball) at the end. A good team effort got us to 166 and we felt this should be enough.

A run out in the first over and wickets from our openers Allen and Kesavan had them 3/5. The fielding was spectacular - a one-handed screamer from Lachlan Pontifex, two (not one, but two) catches from 'busted pinky' Butler, and a one-handed left glove catch behind the stumps to help Kesavan reach the handy figures of 6/21 off 8 overs. They did have a few batters in the middle of their innings who gave us a scare, but we had done enough to get the win. Singh took his first wicket for the club, and we were lucky to play in the game that finally anointed Sir Lachlan Pontifex to complete his 27-year journey to life membership of our great club.

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