This weekend was dedicated to club legend, Mick Barclay. It all started with players past and present, supporters and members of Mick’s family gathered on Saturday morning at Myrtle Park before games commenced for a memorial and minute silence. Black arm bands were worn across all games in honour of Mick’s life and his legacy at the club. There were some brilliant individual performances this week that would have had Mick immensely proud. We saw the First XI get their first win of the season against their old rivals, the Third XI and Fourth XI winning convincingly against their respective sides and the Fifth XI (Sunday turf) winning their first game of the season after some heavy defeats in weeks gone.
First XI
Myrtle Park was like a second home to Mick Barclay. Watching countless of games behind the bar, he would always get around the players and show his support. This First XI were fortunate enough to be scheduled to play at Myrtle Park against old rivals North Balwyn. A perfect matchup which had the boys fired up and ready to play in remembrance of Mick.
Losing the toss, the Saints were sent into the field. Reliable opening duo Jonah Dillon and Max Murphy once again delivered with the ball. Murphy didn’t pick up any wickets but was arguably one of the best bowlers with his tight lines and lengths, not giving any loose deliveries to the batters. His final figures were 0/23 off eight overs. Jonah Dillon however was the man of the moment. Steaming in with the new ball, Dillion finished off the innings with career best figures of 6/18 off 7.2 overs. Two of his wickets were also first ball ducks. A terrific bowling display which earnt him the match ball. Joel Watts once again worked his craft bowling very full lines in his seven overs, particularly rolling through the death. He finished off with 2/19 off seven overs making him the most economical bowler of the innings. A direct hit runout and athletic diving catch from Michael Haralambopoulos was another highlight proving that age is just a number. North Balwyn were all bowled out for 138.
Back into the First XI side, Trent Sanguinetti and Thomas Torresi opened the batting for the Saints. Torresi struggled to get going once again, and Sanguinetti was looking dangerous before being bowled by a yorker. For a period of time, the Saints were struggling to build partnerships as many players got starts with the bat. A couple overs after drinks, Aaron Ivak lost his wicket to a diving catch and score was 6/63. Joel Watts was the next batter to the crease alongside David Howsam who was batting along nicely. The two went on to make a match winning partnership of 77 runs and chase down the runs easily with five overs to spare. Howsam went on to make 64* runs, hitting the ball as clean as a whistle all day through the covers. Watts is having the season of his life so far, making a chanceless 21* runs. The two who have bonded closely over the past couple of games batted superbly together rotating the strike and playing their role in the run chase, making them the heroes of the game.
The First XI went on to win their first game of the season in what was a special week. The crowd was buzzing for the whole day, the team song was sung loud and proud, and celebrations continued throughout the night.
Second XI
Playing away against Deepdene, the Second XI lost the toss and were sent into the field. The batting lineup from Deepdene outclassed the Saints bowling lineup, with their top 5 batsmen all scoring at least 30 runs. Brother of Christian Zini, Matthew, was a late inclusion into the side and opened with the ball finishing off with an economical 0/21 off eight overs. Hudson Sharp and Damien Argenti were the leading wicket takers for the Saints, both picking up two wickets each. Deepdene set a huge target of 227 runs to chase in just 40 overs.
Damien Argenti and Christain Zini opened the batting and started aggressively making a handy opening partnership before Zini was dismissed LBW for only 17 runs. Argenti went on to make 46 runs from only 40 balls, topping the scoring for the Saints. Sharp also contributed with the bat when wickets were falling around him, scoring 24 runs. With many quick wickets falling, the Second XI fell 92 runs short from the target in a performance they’ll want to quickly forget and move on from.
Third XI
The Third XI were sent into bat from Malvern Valley at Balwyn Park in what was a battle of the Saints. Whatever the pregame message was from Third XI captain Aaron Jackson, it must’ve been along the lines of “play aggressively” or “let’s make it impossible for these blokes”. The boys didn’t muck around with the bat scoring at plus six runs an over in a marvellous team batting display. The Saints scored 253 runs from 40 overs only losing five wickets in the process. Mat Pinwill (49 runs) Hemal Sharma (47* runs) and Aaron Jackson (40 runs) all batted beautifully, but it was star bastmen Julian Georgiou showing the crowd what he is all about scoring a match high 76 runs from 77 balls.
Coming into the bowling innings, Dave Perkins opened with the new ball and worked his magic taking 2/14 from seven overs. New recruit Cameron Marcroft who has been working hard at training also made an impact in the innings taking two important wickets and finishing off with 2/30 off six overs. The Third XI cleaned up the opposition winning by a whopping 125 runs. This dominate display will surely send a warning to the rest of the competition that the Balwyn Saints are the real deal.
Fourth XI
The Fourth XI had an impressive win over Clifton Hill, winning by 18 runs. Batting first, the Saints got off to a shaky start losing many quick wickets, but an important knock by Narayan Anwani making 26 runs off 31 balls helped the team get to a total of 135 runs. Clifton Hill bowled 36 extras which helped the Saints pile on some needed extra runs.
The bowling innings was the turning point of the match, with many bowlers performing in defending the team target managing to get Clifton Hill out for 117 runs. Craig Miles opened the bowling and was very effective finishing off with 2/16 off seven overs. Narayan Anwani and Anhad Marhala were the pick of the bowlers both taking three wickets each helping the Saints defend their score. An important win by the Fourth XI with many juniors making an impact on the game.
Fifth XI
In what has been a challenging start to the season, the Fifth XI won their first game of the season, defeating rivals North Balwyn convincingly by 117 runs. Batting first, the Saints got off to a flyer with Alex Skinner making a huge score of 80 runs from just 74 balls. His innings included 14 boundaries. The Saints finished off their innings at 6/191 off 40 overs, making it a nearly impossible run chase for North Balwyn.
The bowling display from the Fifth XI was the best it has been all season so far. Ewoud Botha opened the bowling, only conceding four runs from his three overs. A fantastic performance from new player Akila Perera took 5/21 off eight overs making him the pick of the bowlers. The Saints rolled North Balwyn for 74 runs in what was an emphatic win. This win will give confidence to the Fifth XI playing group in their next match to come.
MATCH RESULTS
1XI vs North Balwyn
WON BY 4 WICKETS
· J. DILLON 6/18
· D. HOWSAM 64* runs
2XI vs Deepdene
LOST BY 92 RUNS
· D. ARGENTI 46 runs & 2/28
· H. SHARP 24 runs & 2/45
3XI vs Malvern Valley
WON BY 125 RUNS
· J. GEORGIOU 76 runs
· D. PERKINS 2/14
4XI vs Clifton Hill
WON BY 18 RUNS
· N. ANWANI 26 RUNS & 3/21
· A. MARHALA 3/20
5XI vs North Balwyn
WON BY 117 RUNS
· A. SKINNER 80 runs
· A. SHARMA 5/21
Vets vs Burwood
LOST BY FORFIET
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