This weekend was the final week for all teams before the Christmas break. Rain had interrupted the last two weeks of cricket, but this weekend we saw better weather meaning all teams got one final hit out before the break. A handful of very close games to cap off the halfway mark of the 2023/24 cricket season. The First XI came home with a convincing eight-wicket win over Richmond Union, rolling them for 97 runs and then chasing the target with plenty of overs to spare. A perfect way to head into the Christmas break. At Myrtle Park, the Second XI won their first game of the season in a nail-biter against Richmond Union’s Second XI. Some brilliant individual performances helped the Seconds grasp victory in the dying moments of the game. The Third XI and Fourth XI on the other hand both had heartbreaking results, with both sides losing their games by one wicket. So close to a perfect Saturday of results. The Fifth XI had a tough game on Sunday against a quality young side, losing by 89 runs. After a big score set by the opposition, the score became impossible to chase after a few quick wickets fell for the side.
First XI
The First XI were matched up against a young Richmond Union side. Losing the toss, the Saints were sent into the field. Richmond Union started their batting innings positively, scoring boundaries and picking the gaps in the field. At drinks Richmond Union were 1/65 off 20 overs. The Saints came back onto the field re-energised and refreshed and started to find some momentum. A change in the bowling with Will Spratt and Ranga Brandigampala helped shift the momentum right back. Spratt was dangerous with the ball, claiming four wickets in quick succession and finishing with 4/16 off six overs. Brandigampala also took important wickets from the other end to finish with 3/7 off seven overs. Jacques Wessels played his first game back for the Saints and put together a quality game taking the final two wickets of the match, bowling Richmond Union all out for 97 runs. A remarkable turnaround from the Saints bowling attack. The Saints' top three batters Madhur Ghai, Will Spratt and Jacques Wessels all batted beautifully together, each scoring 30 plus runs to chase down the target with ease. The Saints went on to win by eight wickets in what is a perfect note to finish on prior to the Christmas break.
Second XI
Good things happen to those who work hard. After weeks and weeks of losses, the Second XI finally secured their first win of the season against Richmond Union’s Second XI. Bowling first, the Saints started like a house on fire, taking quick wickets for not many runs. John Collopy showed his class, taking 3/9 off eight overs including four maidens. However the Second XI started to lose momentum in the second half of their bowling innings and allowed Richmond Union to score 7/168 off the 40 overs. Chasable for the Saints, but more runs than what they would’ve hoped for. Number one batsman for the Second XI, Damien Argenti has been a rock in the side this year and began his innings well before being dismissed for 24. Debutant Vipula Pathirana who batted at number three paved the way for the Saints, scoring an incredible 63 runs and knocking the ball all over Myrtle Park in an aggressive way. The win was looking very likely for the Saints before Richmond Union bounced back and claimed quick wickets, with Christian Zini, Hemal Sharma and Oscar Torresi all being dismissed for ducks. Then came out John Collopy. Not only the hero with the ball, but the hero with the bat. Collopy is not known for his batting abilities, but a crucial 17-not-out helped the Saints reach their target, winning by one wicket. A victory that will help give confidence to the Second XI that they are good enough to beat anyone in the competition.
Third XI
It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Third XI after failing to defend their score and losing by one wicket. The Saints batted first on Balwyn Park and cashed in on the short boundaries scoring a respectable 186 runs from 40 overs. All the top seven batters made an impact getting starts with the bat, but the standout batter was Joel Sheldon making a solid 46 runs from just 42 balls. When it came to the Saints bowling innings, Sheldon also made an impact with the ball taking three wickets but was hit for 51 runs from his eight overs. David Perkins took an impressive four-wicket haul, but like Sheldon was also expensive with the ball being going for 45 runs off eight overs. Michael Haralambopoulos was the most economical bowler for the Saints taking 2/29 off eight overs. The Melbourne Sixers were looking in trouble late towards their innings, but a last-wicket partnership saw the Sixers clinch victory with four overs to spare. Despite this heartbreaking result for the boys, the Third XI have had such a positive first half of the year and will be looking to get back into winning form early next year.
Fourth XI
Similar to the Third XI, the Fourth XI also had an agonising one wicket loss against Richmond City. Playing on the world’s smallest cricket ground, Fletcher Park, the Saints batted first and scored a below par score of 128 runs from 35 overs. Narayan Anwani and Jonathan Mendelovits were the only two batsmen to make a statement, hitting 41 runs and 39 runs respectively. It would take a mammoth effort for the Saints to defend this target. However, the boys started their bowling innings perfectly sending back the top four batters in quick fashion. Craig ‘Junior’ Miles bowled an impressive 2/14 off 5.3 overs. However, like what we saw in the Third XI, a last-wicket partnership saw Richmond City snatch the victory with five overs to spare. Placing last on the ladder, the boys will be hoping for a fresh start and new vision in the new year.
Fifth XI
It was a tough day at the office for the Sunday turf side. Bowling first in hot conditions, the Saints got off to a flyer dismissing the opening batters within the first two overs. Momentum of the game quickly changed as the STC batters started to build strong partnerships. The Saints’ fielding skills were their worst enemy, dropping a total of eight catches throughout the 40 overs. STC went onto make a score of 248 runs from 40 overs. A huge score to chase for the Saints at Myrtle Park. Alex Skinner and Vipula Pathirana were looking promising with their strong starts before being dismissed for only a handful of runs. Wickets started to fall quickly before a late pursuit from Reyan Fernando in the middle order helped the Saints finish off the game with 159 runs on the board. Fernando wasn’t mucking around and smashed 48 making him the highest scorer of the innings for the Saints. There have been many abandoned games for Sunday turf so far this year, but the Fifth XI see themselves just outside the top four and would have high hopes for the second half of the year.
MATCH RESULTS
1XI vs Richmond Union
WON BY 8 WICKETS
• W. Spratt 4/18, 30 runs & 2C
• J. Wessels 2/16 & 33 runs
2XI vs Richmond Union
WON BY 1 WICKET
• V. Pathirana 1/29 & 63 runs
• J. Collopy 3/9 & 17 runs
3XI vs Melbourne Sixers
LOST BY 1 WICKET
• J. Sheldon 46 runs & 3/51
• D. Perkins 4/45
4XI vs Richmond City
LOST BY 1 WICKET
• N. Anwani 41 runs
• J. Mendolovits 39 runs & 1/12
5XI vs STC South Camberwell
LOST BY 89 RUNS
• R. Fernando 48 runs
• O. Watts 1/22 & 22 runs
VETS – WEEK OFF
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