Australian Over 60s Team Tour of the Unite d Kingdom July/August 2012

Tour Report and Player Statistics Abridged to Tour Summary and Test & International Matches

August 2012 The Australian Over 60s Cricket Team Tour of UK 2012 – Tour Report

The Team

Gill Chapman, Nev Kratzmann, Dennis Moran, John Fryer, Paul Cullen, Brian Walters, Geoff Field, Colin Cooke, Tony Paterson, Ron Kasputtis Rob Haling, Brain Kratzmann, Peter Virgen, Stirling Hamman (), Ross Chapman (V Captain & Manager), Albert Barwick, Ian Pritchard, Peter Harrison

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Forward by Stirling Hamman

Further to Nev Kratzmann's suggestion that we embark a tour to England and Wales back in Armidale at the National Over 60s Titles in November 2011 the wheels were put in motion for such an event. Following 6 months of planning which included the selection of an 18 man squad and a crowded itinerary of 16 games in 19 days we were ready to begin the adventure of a life time on 14 July 2012 for 3 weeks. And so it turned out to be!

Unfortunately John and Margaret Fryer were required to return home after just 2 days due a serious fall by John's mother back in Newcastle but their decision to fly back was totally vindicated. Having said that John and Margaret were greatly missed both on and off the park especially as John had produced our superb tour brochure and had completed many pre- tour tasks as well as top scoring in our opening game vs. Somerset.

We arrived after the locals had experienced the most summer rainfall in recorded history with many games cancelled and grounds under water from the continuous deluge. Fortunately it largely stopped raining for our visit and we played 14 out of our 16 scheduled matches. In those 14 contests we won 5 and lost 9 however we lost 5 of those games in the last over and a further 2 by 31 and 12 runs respectively. In all of these close finishes we created catching opportunities to win the game but were not able to secure the result.

It was a marvellous performance by a team who had not played together before and a tribute to their dedication, enthusiasm and resilience to fight back despite the frustrating results and the weariness and injury factors which are ever present at our age.

By any measure it was a highly successful tour and an immensely enjoyable one. We have everlasting memories of the games and places we visited as well as the post match dinners we attended resplendent in our National Blazers. Every game was a highlight for me. Permanent friendships within our team and the opposition were forged as a result of our campaign. The English and Welsh hospitality was overwhelming and every County invited us to return and do it all again in 2014.

In conclusion I wish to personally thank every member both male and female of our touring party who did so much to make our make our cricket touring experience an unforgettable happy and pleasurable one. In particular I wish to acknowledge the efforts of Manager Ross Chapman and Peter Harrison for compiling the tour statistics; match reports and producing this tour book. Special mention goes to Dawn Paterson who on tour tirelessly compiled each game’s mementos; attended to countless secretarial duties and captured hundreds of cricket photos of our team in action. Similarly Paul Cullen's home video of the tour will be well worth the wait.

Thank you and well done everyone. I hope reading this book and viewing the hundreds of photos captured on tour will ignite our memory bank for many years to come!

Stirling Hamman Captain, Australian Over 60s, UK Tour 2012. 25th August 2012

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Acknowledgement

No tour can take place without someone taking charge and doing the organising. All players and supporters wish to acknowledge the excellent work that Stirling Hamman did in this regard. Stirling’s positive approach right from the start in organising the whole tour, players’ mental and physical preparations pre-tour and leadership both on and off the field whilst on tour was exemplary. In all matches he led from the front and this enabled us to play with confidence and belief that we could win. This we did in five of our matches and it could have been five more! A Test victory must be just around the corner and whenever that comes along, it will be due in part to Stirling’s leadership on the 2012 Tour to the . Well done, Stirlo!

Ross Chapman UK Tour 2012 Vice-Captain/Manager 25th August 2012

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Tour Highlights

Match Results: . Scheduled for 16 games . Played 14 – only 2 washouts . Won 5 (against , Wiltshire, Northampton, and Norfolk/Cambridgeshire) . Lost 9 (2 by a good margin, v Somerset and 1st England Test at ), but: o lost the Lincolnshire game on the last ball o lost the Leicestershire game on the 2nd last ball o lost the Wales Test and Staffordshire games with 1 over remaining o lost the Worcestershire game with 2.5 overs remaining o Lost the 3rd Test by 12 runs

Tour Match Summary

Game Date Location Result # 2012 1 15 July Tauntan Somerset O60s 9-195 def Australia O60s 139 2 16 July Thorverton Australia O60s vs Devon O60s –rained off 3 18 July CC, Australia O60s 6-159 def Gloucestershire O60s 73 4 19 July Trowbridge CC Australia O60s 3-157 def Wiltshire O60s 7-153 5 20 July Stoud, 1st Test :England O60s 8-196 def Australia O60s 105 Gloucestershire 6 22 July Old Elizabethans Worcestershire O60s 5-160 def Australia O60s 6- CC, Worcester 159 7 23 July Usk CC, Wales Test: Wales O60s 4-220 def Australia O60s 5-219 8 24 July Evesham CC Staffordshire O60s 9-163 def Australia O60s 5-162 9 25 July Finedon CC Australia O60s 8-180 def Northamptonshire O60s 6-177 10 26 July Leamington Spa CC Australia O60s 1-121 def Warwickshire O60s 5-123 11 29 July Lutterworth CC Leicestershire O60s 8-115 def Australia O60s 114 12 30 July New Road county England Celebrity Xi O60s 4-225 def Australia O60s ground, Worcester 5-187 13 31 July Oakham, 2nd Test: Australia O60s vs England O60s –rained off Leicestershire 14 1 Aug Lincoln Lindrum CC Lincolnshire O60s 6-190 def Australia O60s 5-188 15 2 Aug Deeping Australia O60s 7-187 def Cambridgeshire/Norfolk O60s 5-30 r/r 16 3 Aug Bourne, 3rd Test: England O60s 8-186 def Australia O60s 5- Lincolnshire 174

Individual Highlights:

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. Highest aggregates: o Stirling Hamman : 325 runs at ave 54.2 o Ross Chapman : 310 runs at ave 38.8 o Peter Harrison : 256 runs at ave 25.6 o Albie Barwick : 249 runs at ave 41.5 . Highest individual scores: o Stirling Hamman : 73 v Wales o Peter Harrison : 62 v Wales o Albie Barwick : 52 retired v Lincolnshire o Ross Chapman : 51 retired v England Celebrity game . Highest strike rates: o Brian Kratzmann : 85 runs per 100 balls faced o Rob Haling : 73 runs per 100 balls faced o Gill Chapman : 71 runs per 100 balls faced o Stirling Hamman : 65 runs per 100 balls faced

Individual Bowling Highlights: . Most : o Nev Kratzmann : 14 wickets for 226 runs at ave 16.1 o Geoff Field : 12 wickets for 223 runs at ave 18.6 o Colin Cooke : 10 wickets for 164 runs at ave 16.4 o Paul Cullen : 10 wickets for 225 runs at ave 22.5 . Best Strike Rates (with more than 5 wickets): o Nev Kratzmann : a every 23 balls bowled o Brian Walters : a wicket every 31 balls bowled o Geoff Field : a wicket every 34 balls bowled o Colin Cooke : a wicket every 36 balls bowled . Best Economy Rates o Ron Kasputtis : conceded 2.4 runs per over o Colin Cooke : conceded 2.7 runs per over o Dennis Moran : conceded 2.9 runs per over o Paul Cullen : conceded 3.0 runs per over

Hat-trick Brian Walters v Worcestershire at Old Elizabethans CC, ending with 3 for 18

Most Catches . Gill Chapman (w’keeper and fielder) : 10 . Brian Kratzmann, Paul Cullen, Peter Harrison and Peter Virgen : 3 each

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Other Highlights: . A day at Worcester New Road for the South African v Worcestershire game . Celebrity game dinner with the after dinner speaker at Worcester New Road ground . Visit to Royal . Attending Olympic events in Birmingham . Several Indian dinners . Meeting the Sheriff of Lincoln . Visit to Sudeley Castle . Visit to the Somerset County Ground at Taunton . Disco and karaoke at Finedon . Post-game dinner at Trowbridge for the Wiltshire game, with a 4 course sit down meal, and speeches . Visit to the Duncan Fearnley cricket shop . Meeting the mayor and mayoress on their wedding night at the Angel & Royal in Grantham (just down the road from Margaret Thatcher’s birthplace

The Boys:

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Player Tour Statistics Summary

Batting Bowling

Strike Rate Wicket Games (runs per Highest every x Runs per Best Player Batted Not Outs Runs Average Balls Faced 100 balls) Score Overs Wickets Runs Average balls over Bowling Catches Stumpings Stirling Hamman (C ) 11 5 325 54.2 499 65.1 73no 40.8 5 190 38.0 49 4.7 2-13 1 Ross Chapman (VC) 11 3 310 38.8 535 57.9 51ret 1 Albie Barwick 11 5 249 41.5 483 51.6 52ret 1 0 3 3.0 0-3 1 Brian Kratzmann 7 1 121 20.2 141 85.8 40ret 32.2 3 139 46.3 64 4.3 2-14 3 Brian Walters 9 3 69 11.5 128 53.9 22 46.3 9 180 20.0 31 3.9 3-18 2 Dennis Moran 4 3 16 16.0 52 30.8 12no 69.4 6 198 33.0 69 2.9 1-6 Colin Cooke 5 2 59 19.7 99 59.6 28no 60.6 10 164 16.4 36 2.7 4-27 2 Geoff Field 3 0 11 3.7 42 26.2 7 67.5 12 223 18.6 34 3.3 3-13 2 Gill Chapman 9 4 167 33.4 237 70.5 48no 10 1 Ian Pritchard 2 1 16 16.0 41 39.0 10no 19 1 93 93.0 114 4.9 1-44 1 John Fryer 1 0 54 54.0 60 90.0 54 6.2 0 40 6.5 Nev Kratzmann 11 2 95 10.6 185 51.4 23no 53.7 14 226 16.1 23 4.2 4-23 Paul Cullen 9 2 69 9.9 135 51.1 25ret 75.3 10 255 25.5 45 3.4 2-6 3 Peter Harrison 11 1 256 25.6 437 58.6 62 12 1 50 50.0 72 4.2 1-28 3 Peter Virgen 4 16 4.0 36 44.4 7 3 Rob Haling 10 2 175 21.9 239 73.2 36ret 4 3 21 7.0 8 5.3 2-7 2 Ron Kasputtis 2 1 5 5.0 18 27.8 3 47.2 5 114 22.8 57 2.4 1-4 1 Tony Paterson 4 3 19 19.0 40 47.5 8 51.6 8 176 22.0 39 3.4 2-14 3

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Game 5: v England Over 60s – First Test at Stroud CC, Friday 20th July 2012

The Team:

Rob Haling, Dennis Moran, Tony Paterson, Albie Barwick, Peter Harrison, Nev Kratzmann, Colin Cooke, Geoff Field, Gill Chapman, Paul Cullen, Ross Chapman, Stirling Hamman

The Result:

The Result was: - England Over 60s: 8 for 196 Defeated Australian Over 60s: 10 for 105

Team Performances in Summary Batting: Neville Kratzmann (3), Albert Barwick (13), Ross Chapman (18), Gill Chapman (6), Rob Haling (6), Peter Harrison (3), Colin Cooke (28 not out), Paul Cullen (5), Geoff Field (0), Dennis Moran(0), Stirling Hamman (2) The Bowling was: - C Cooke (0-12), D Moran (0-28), Stirling Hamman (0-16), Geoff Field (2-40), Paul Cullen (2-47), N Kratzmann (3-44)

Men of the match: Nev Kratzmann for his bowling in taking 3 wickets, & Colin Cooke for scoring 28 runs not out, and his fine bowling

The Match Report:

A beautiful new ground at Stroud was Australian Over 60s team and England the venue for the 1st Test between the Over 60s.

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After the usual team warm ups, there but play started at 1pm under a cloudy was a presentation of Australian caps to sky. the Test debutants - Albie Barwick (#42), Gill Chapman (#43), Paul Cullen (#44), So onto the game… Peter Harrison (#45), and Dennis Moran The England Over 60s started very (#46). (Note: these are the amended Test #’s). sedately, with excellent bowling by Dennis Moran and Colin Cooke restricting the scoring, and at the end of A perfect picture of smiles as Albie 10 overs only 11 runs had been scored. Barwick receiving The pressure was certainly being his cap from Ross applied. Then a change of bowling Chapman brought an increased tempo of scoring, with Micky Swain starting to loft the ball Gill Chapman receiving and score freely. The first wicket came his “cap” from fellow with Colin Cooke taking an excellent Queenslander/Valleys catch above his in gully, but the teammate Colin Cooke England batters continued to increase the tempo. England debutant Chris Theedom began to score freely and at Paul Cullen drinks at 34 overs England were 1-134. receiving his cap During this onslaught, the Australian from Ross captain Stirling Hamman severely Chapman bruised his hand attempting a caught and bowled off a Micky Swain drive – Stirling left the field to seek medical attention. Swain was eventually caught Peter Harrison in the outfield by Peter Harrison, and receiving his cap from the game changed dramatically. fellow Lindfield teammate Stirling Excellent bowling by Nev Kratzmann Hamman and Paul Cullen saw 4 wickets fall and the England team at 6 for 158 after 44 overs. A final flourish saw the final Dennis Moran England total at 8 for 196 after their 50 proudly receiving overs. The Australian Team indeed did his cap from well to contain the total. Stirling Hamman

With an official welcome, and playing of national anthems, the toss was won by England who elected to bat on an undulating and variable bounced pitch. Light showers looked to delay the start,

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Albie Barwick and Nev Kratzmann Australia’s batting was by a 28 not out started the Australian Over 60s innings by Colin Cooke, off 61 balls. Australia cautiously, with the first wicket falling in was all out for 105 in the 50th over. the 8th over. We were 1-18. However England was far too good on the day. the Australian batting was tied down by Their savage batting onslaught, and very very tight and controlled English tight bowling showed their overall bowling. Keith Anderson bowled 7 overs, superiority in all facets of the game. and with 4 maidens took 1 for 8. This Play was interrupted not by rain buy by was backed up by off spin of Brian a and her 7 duckings wanting to Brogden bowling 9 overs, 4 maidens and cross the ground! taking 3 for 11. Some respectability in

Team warm-ups and skipper’s instructions Ross Chapman defending

Stirling Hamman with Stirling presenting to scorer Colin Cooke receiving Martin Woodwood and wife David Lawrence an his well deserved Man Jane Invincibles memento of Match award Page 11 of 39 The Australian Over 60s Cricket Team Tour of UK 2012 – Tour Report

The Scorecard: Game 5 Australian Over 60's International Tour - UK 2012 Game No. 5 Australia Over 60's vs England over 60's (1st Test) Date 20-July-2012 Weather Sunny but cool Time Venue Stroud Cricket Club Start Time 1pm Match Result Loss won by England Over 60s Umpires Ian Wright, Alan Jennings Toss won by England Over 60s Batted First England Over 60s 1st Innings of Australian Over 60s 1st Innings of England Over 60s Batsman How out Bowler Runs Batsman How out Bowler Runs Nev Kratzmann Bowled Anderson 3 Keith Daniels * Caught (Cullen) Field 14 Albie Barwick LBW Brogden 13 Micky Swain Caught (Harrison) Kratzman N 74 Ross Chapman Bowled Brogden 18 Chris Theedom LBW Kratzman N 40 Gill Chapman + Bowled Mutucumarana 6 Chris Swadkin Bowled Cullen 0 Rob Haling Caught (Eames) Swadkin 6 Steve Lynch Bowled Field 21 Peter Harrison Caught and Bowled Swadkin 3 Bob Eames LBW Cullen 0 Colin Cooke Not Out 28 Keith Alexander + (Chapman) Kratzman N 8 Paul Cullen Bowled Mutucumarana 5 Chandra Mutucumarana Not Out 16 Geoff Field Caught (Alexander) Mutucumarana 0 Brian Brogden Run Out 5 Dennis Moran Bowled Brogden 0 Martin Woodward Not Out 3 Stirling Hamman * LBW Eames 2 12th Man Extras 21 Extras 15 Total 105 Total 196 Overs 50 Overs 50 Fall of wickets 1st : 18 2nd 31 3rd 44 Fall of wickets 1st 39 2nd 136 3rd 142 4th 51 5th 57 6th 70 4th 144 5th 144 6th 157

7th 83 8th 83 9th 102 7th 175 8th 192 9th 10th 105 * Captain + Wicket keeper 10th * Captain + Wicket keeper

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd C Cooke 8 4 0 12 D Moran 9 1 0 28 S Hamman 3 0 0 16 G Field 10 1 2 40 P Cullen 10 1 2 47 N Kratzman 10 1 3 44

Fielding c ro st P Cullen 1 P Harrison 1 G Chapman 1

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd K Anderson 7 0 1 8 K Daniels 6 0 0 12 M Woodward 7 0 0 11 B Brogden 9 0 3 11 C Mutucumarana 9 0 3 20 C Swadkin 7 0 2 15 B Eames 4.2 0 1 12

Fielding c ro st B Eames 1 C Swadkin 1 K Alexander 1

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Game 7: v Wales Over 60s - Test at Usk, Monday 23rd July 2012

The Team:

In whites: Gill Chapman, Paul Cullen, Albie Barwick, Brian Kratzmann, Geoff Field, Stirling Hamman, Dennis Moran, Ross Chapman, Nev Kratzmann, Tony Paterson, Ian Pritchard, Peter Harrison

The Result:

Wales Over 60s: 4-220 Defeated Australian Over 60s: 5-219

Performances in Summary:

The batsmen and their score: Albie Barwick (14), Peter Harrison (62), Ross Chapman (27), Stirling Hamman (73no) Brian Kratzmann (31), Neville Kratzmann (0), Gill Chapman (6no), The Bowling was: - D Moran (0-20), Geoff Field (0-22), Tony Paterson (1-29), I Prichard (1-44), B Kratzmann (0-34), Stirling Hamman (0-6), Paul Cullen (0-20) N Kratzmann (2- 32)

Men of the match: Peter Harrison for 62 runs, Brian Kratzmann for 31 runs

The Match Report:

A beautiful and sunny day as we drove westward into Wales, up to the very picturesque town of Usk. The ground was a magnificent site, with a manicured outfield (which we soon found to be lightening fast). Ian Pritchard was declared fit and became the 47th Australian Over 60s Test Player. Ian Pritchard receiving his Test cap..#47

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Stirling continued his winning run of The Welsh innings started slowly, with toss wins, and had no hesitation in Dennis Moran, the pick of the bowlers, batting on a very firm but green tinged had only 10 runs conceded after his first wicket. 5 overs. The first wicket fell at 97 in the A bright start to our innings with Albie 25th over when Ian Pritchard took his Barwick hitting 3 fours in his 14 runs first Test wicket, bowling M Cockell for before being caught. A partnership of 54 38. However, Peter Hall, their #1 between Peter Harrison and Ross batsman, then continued to drive Chapman took the total to 2 for 69 in fluently, and with the fast outfield, the 21st over, with the innings gaining anything getting past a fieldsman was 4 momentum. runs. He ended up scoring 90 runs when his wicket fell at 2-165. The last 10 overs Wales still needed 66 runs, so it was to be a pressure finish. But we could not contain the runs. When C Holmes reached the wicket in the 39th over with the score at 3-172, he soon upped the scoring rate, and scored 25 no in 14 balls to win the game. Stirling came to the crease after Ross Losing such a close match was was caught for 27. Stirling and Peter disappointing for the Ausssie team, who took the score to 134 in the 34th over batted well to set a reasonable target with Peter the only LBW of the day for a which at one stage looked like it might well made 62, including 7 4’s. be a winning target. It was a good Stirling and Brian Kratzmann then fightback by Wales to win the game. continued with a 4th wicket partnership The Welsh team ladies provided a of 79 before Brian was dismissed for 31 wonderful dinner of cold meats, salads, off 26 balls. Stirling ended with 73 not chunky chips, and most importantly a out off 65 balls with the score at 5 for smorgasbord of desserts (complete with 219, with Gill Chapman hitting a sweetly hand written menu). timed sweep shot over square leg for 6 The usual speeches with Stirling off the last ball of the innings. entertaining, and the Welsh skipper Gordon Voke responding. We presented a plaque to commemorate the occasion, and a team photo. Gordon responded with a Welsh cricket pennant. The evening ended with the Welsh team breaking into song to the delight of the tourists! Stirling Hamman scored an excellent 73 not out

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The Scorecard: Game 7

Australia Over 60's vs Wales Over 60s Date 23-July-2012 Weather Sunny and warm Time Venue Usk Start Time 1pm Match Result won by Wales Over 60s Umpires Eorof Davis and Ken Hembrow Toss won by Australian Over 60s Batted First Australian Over 60s 1st Innings of Australian Over 60s 1st Innings of Wales Over 60s Batsman How out Bowler Runs Batsman How out Bowler Runs Albie Barwick Caught Voke C Davis 14 P Hall Caught Paterson N Kratzmann 90 Peter Harrison LBW C Holmes 62 M Cockell Bowled I Pritchard 38 Ross Chapman Caught Davis A Timpson 27 R Wallace Caught Hamman T Paterson 32 Stirling Hamman Not out 73 M Lewis Caught Field N Kratzmann 13 Brian Kratzmann Bowled R Walton 31 C Holmes Not out 25 Nev Kratzmann Bowled R Walton 0 R Walton Not out 7 Gill Chapman Not out 6 C Davis 0 Ian Pritchard 0 G Voke 0 Paul Cullen 0 R Edwards 0 G Field 0 B Jones 0 D Moran 0 A Timpson Tony Paterson 12th Man Extras 6 Extras 15 Total 219 Total 220 Overs 45 Overs 44 Fall of wickets 1st : 15 2nd 69 3rd 134 Fall of wickets 1st 97 2nd 165 3rd 172 4th 213 5th 213 6th 4th 197 5th 6th

7th 8th 9th 7th 8th 9th 10th * Captain + Wicket keeper 10th * Captain + Wicket keeper

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd D Moran 6 2 0 20 G Field 4 0 0 22 1 T Patterson 5 0 1 29 I Pritchard 8 0 1 44 B Kratzmann 6 0 0 34 S Hamman 1 0 0 6 P Cullen 8 2 0 20 N Kratzmann 6 0 2 32

Fielding c ro st T Paterson 1 S Hamman 1 G Field 1

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd R Walton 8 2 2 45 C Davis 8 2 1 23 N Evans 8 0 0 29 A Timpson 8 0 1 38 G Voke 2 0 0 7 M Cockell 6 0 0 34 C Holmes 6 0 1 37

Fielding c ro st G Voke 1 C Davis 1

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Game 12: v England Invitational IX Over 60s- Celebrity Match at Worcester CC, New Road, Monday 30th July 2012

The Team:

Geoff Field, Dennis Moran, Nev Kratzmann, Colin Cooke, Brian Walters, Tony Paterson, Rob Haling, Paul Cullen, Peter Virgen, Peter Harrison Ron Kasputtis, Albie Barwick, Ross Chapman, Stirling Hamman, Ian Pritchard, Brian Kratzmann, Gill Chapman

The England Invitational XI

Ray Julian, Roger Tolchard, Barry Briscoe, Martin Woodward, Glynn Thomas, Derek Ebbage, Mike Iwaneck John Reynolds, Neal Ratford, Collis King, Peter Jewell, , Cliff , L Hill

The Result:

England Invitational XI Over 60: 4-225 Defeated Australian Over 60s: 5-187

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The Match Report:

The Worcester New Road ground was in perfect condition for this big game against an England Invitation XI which included 4 former test player (Collis King, Roger Tolchard, Neal Radford and Wayne Larkins). This attracted a sizeable crowd of approx 500 people, the local media Ron Kasputtis bowled 5 overs, including 2 attention, and several VIP’s. maidens, and took 1 wicket for 5 runs.

Australia’s run chase started with a 6 over cover by Albie Barwick in the first over. He lost his wicket in the 5th over. Peter Harrison and Ross Chapman then put on a 32 partnership. Then Ross and Stirling combined for one of the best partnerships of the tour with 73 runs, Stirling Hamman introduced Duncan Fearnley (President of the Worcestershire County Cricket before Ross retired for 51 well made Club) and Stuart Smith to the Australian team runs of 58 balls.

Australia won the toss and elected to field. At the score of 1-10 after 7 overs, the touring side was doing well, until the former international players Ross Chapman and Stirling Hamman took the dominated the play to reach 3-197 in game to the English team. You can see the the 37th over, and finished their 40 determination in both batsmen. overs at 225. Collis King hit 3 6’s and 4 Stirling retired off with 50 off 75 balls. 4’s in his score of 50 retired of 31 balls. Stirling Hamman is smiles after scoring an unbeaten half at Worcester New Road - famous for its several Bradman innings.

Collis King demonstrated the “calypso At this stage the target was beyond cricket” style and talent to devastating effect reach, and the lower order batsman Pick of the Australian bowlers were the were contained by tight bowling of opening bowlers, Ron Kasputtis and Collis King and Neal Radford. At the 40th Colin Cooke.

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over, we totaled 5-187 with Nev quest speaker Geoff Miller (former test Kratzmann scoring 22 no off 14 balls. player and current Chair of selectors) delivering a highly entertaining address The after match dinner was a special that was greatly appreciated. event with over 200 attendees, with

The historic Worcester Cathedral is the background to the New Road County Ground

Nev Kratzmann relaxing after the game. Geoff Miller (current England Chair of Selectors) was the after dinner speaker The Graham Hick Stand was a new standard of change room for us

The hero batsmen,Stirling Hamman and Ross Chapman Colin Cooke with Collis King

Rob Haling (Mr Toothpick)

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The Scorecard: Game 12 Australian Over 60's International Tour - UK 2012 Game No. 12 Australia Over 60's vs England Invitational XI Date 30-July-2012 Weather Showers then sunny Time Venue Worcester - New Road County Ground Start Time 1pm Match Result won by England Invitational XI Umpires Toss won by Australian Over 60s Batted First England Invitational XI 1st Innings of Australian Over 60s 1st Innings of Leicestershire Over 60s Batsman How out Bowler Runs Batsman How out Bowler Runs Albie Barwick Bowled L Hill 8 Roger Tolchard Caught Tony PatersonGeoff Field 31 Peter Harrison Runout 14 Barry Briscoe Caught Paul Cullen Ron Kasputtis 3 Ross Chapman retired 51 Wayne Larkins LBW Paul Cullen 35 Stirling Hamman * retired 50 Collis King Retired 50 R Haling Bowled Collis King 9 Neal Radford Retired 52 P Cullen Caught Ebbage C Rawlings 0 Derek Ebbage Caught Brian KratzmannWalters 15 Brian Kratzmann Bowled Neil Radford 4 Martin Woodward Not out 20 Brian Walters Not out 5 Cliff Rawlings Not out 10 Nev Kratzmann Not out 22 G Wetton Not out 0 Peter Virgen + J Intewala Not out 0 Colin Cooke Geoff Field 0 Extras 24 Extras 9 Total 187 Total 225 Overs 40 Overs 40 Fall of wickets 1st : 14 2nd 46 3rd 144 Fall of wickets 1st 10 2nd 65 3rd 72 4th 150 5th 155 6th 4th 197 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 7th 8th 9th 10th 104 * Captain + Wicket keeper 10th * Captain + Wicket keeper

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd Colin Cooke 5 0 0 13 Ron Kasputtis 5 2 1 5 Geoff Field 5 0 1 30 1 Tony Paterson 2 1 0 14 Paul Cullen 8 0 1 58 Stirling Hamman 6 0 0 34 Nev Kratzmann 2 0 0 19 Brian Walters 4 0 1 20 Peter Harrison 1 0 0 11 Brian Kratzmann 2 0 0 15

Fielding c ro st Tony Paterson 1 Paul Cullen 1 Brain Kratzmann 1

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd L Hill 6 0 1 45 0 J Reynolds 5 0 0 24 M Woodward 8 2 0 11 C Rawlings 8 1 1 28 G Thomas 5 0 0 32 Collis King 5 0 1 26 Neal Radford 3 1 1 11

Fielding c ro st D Ebbage 1

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Game 13: v England Over 60s- Second Test at Oakham, 15th July 2012

The day prior to this Test, England team had called and predicting rain would result in a washout. But we were not deterred and drove through the beautiful Leicestershire country side to the Oakham, a town famous for the Oakham School. We arrived at the ground (as usual very early), but alas the heavy overnight rain and intermittent showers resulted in the ground not being playable. We had morning tea with the groundman, and Andrew Counsell the Oakham Cricket Club President, then went on a small sightseeing expedition (well some did) to explore Rutland.

The Result:

Game abandoned

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Game 16: v England Over 60s - Third Test at Bourne CC, Friday 3rd August 2012

The Team:

Peter Harrison, Gill Chapman, Colin Cooke, Ron Kasputtis, Dennis Moran, Paul Cullen, Rob Haling, Nev Kratzmaqnn, Brian Kratzmann, Geoff Field, Ross Chapman, Stirling Hamman

The Result:

England Over 60: 8-186 Defeated Australian Over 60s: 5-174

Performances in Summary:

The batsmen and their score : Nev Kratzmann (9), Peter Harrison (36), Ross Chapman (19), Rob Haling (15), Stirling Hamman (31 not out), Brian Kratzmann (3), Gill Chapman (48 not out)

Our bowling: Colin Cooke (2-26), Ron Kasputtis (2-36), Geoff Field (1-18), Dennis Moran (0-17), Brian Kratzmann (1-32), Paul Cullen (1-25), Nev Kratzmann (0-16), Stirling Hamman (0-11)

Men of the match:

Peter Harrison 36 runs; Colin Cooke 2-26; Gill Chapman 48 not out and 2 catches

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The Match Report:

Expectations were high as we arrived at Further tight bowling by Brian Bourne after our good form leading up Kratzmann and Paul Cullin restricted the this 3rd Test v England. The weather was run rate further, with this pressure cloudy with threat of rain. The pitch was resulting in a run out by Ross Chapman green but very firm, and an excellent with an excellent return from cover outfield. whilst England skipper Pearce attempting to get off the mark. Two further wickets followed before rain Australia intervened at 5-92 off 32 overs. were keen to get into the field After the rain break, England then upped the scoring rate, with Martin Pearce and Mike Byford put on a 70 run partnership off 14 overs. Colin and Ron Stirling won the toss, and elected to returned for the final 5 overs to take 2 field. Colin Cooke and Ron Kasputtis wickets to restrict the score to 8-186, opened the bowling and were very tight which we considered am achievable with the ball seaming nicely. The first target. English wicket fell for 8 in the 3rd over Nev Krtazmann was promoted to when Col trapped Newman for 2. At the opener with Peter Harrison following end of their 14 over opening spell, the Albie Barwick’s inability to play due to a score was 1-34. hamstring injury. Nev was dismissed for 9 in the 8th over. Ross Chapman and Ron Peter then consolidated the innings with Kasputtis in a stand of 51, before Ross was bowled flight, for 19 in the 26th over with the score at bowled a fine spell 2-69. Unfortunately Peter was caught behind immediately after drinks for a well made 36. Good backup bowling by Geoff Field and Dennis Moran kept the score restricted, and at the end of 24 overs, the score was 2-69.

Dennis Moran bowled tightly to keep the pressure on Ross Chapman and Peter Harrison put on the England a 51 partnership team

Rob Haling and Stirling Hamman took the score to 90 before Rob was bowled

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after hitting 2 nice 4’s, out for 15 off 21 balls. Unfortunately Brian Kratzmann was then dismissed soon after score for 3 to leave the Aussies at 5-95 after 36 overs, which was still ahead of the comparable England score.

Stirling and Gill Chapman then set about Gill Chapman hitting out in the latter overs. consolidating the innings before making a charge at the total. They both worked It was disappointing that rain had hard to lift the run rate, and scored at 6 intervened when we had England well an over for the last 10 overs to just fall restricted, and they scored at will after short of the England total. the rain break when the ball was wet. The boys were very disappointed to be so near but so far, and once again lose by a smallish margin.

Ron Kasputtis receiving his Test cap - #48

Celebrations as Rob Haling takes a catch off Brian Kratzmann’s bowling

A run-out affected by a boundary throw direct hit by Ross Chapman. Ron Kasputtis taking 2 wickets - Colin Cooke had a fine a LBW and a spell at the end of the bowled innings…here bowling the England skipper Martin Pearse

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The UK Over 60s Spitfire Match Report

Third International at Bourne CC: England 186-8, 50 overs (Mike Byford 40, Martin Pearse 38), Australia 174-5, 50 overs (Gil Chapman 48*, Peter Harrison 36, Stirling Harmann 31*). England won by 12 runs.

A nail biting finale to the Australians Tour saw England narrowly retain their 12 match ‘Ashes’ unbeaten record, by 12 runs.

England, inserted, saw debutant Nick Andrews start brightly, but the Australians attack, very accurate, saw ex Queensland State Bowler Col Cooke gain the first scalp, that if Bob Newman for 3, lbw. England then consolidated on a bowling paradise and Andrews demise was unexpected with the score on 43-2, in the 17th for a valuable 30.

Bob Phillips at 3 together with Rob Dumelow took the score to 80 in the 27th before the former departed off a skier for 26. Australia then rejoiced when Dumelow was run out for 24 and for 10 overs the scoreboard hardly moved as Alan Hitchmough and Martin Pearse tried to contain the extremely accurate bowling. Hitchmough on 7, received an unplayable lifter off the left arm spin of Pat Cullen Rain then intervened for a half hour break with England on 95-5 in 36.

Suddenly the game completely changed as Pearse took 15 off a Kratzmann over and together with Mike Byford, they plundered 72 (6 fours each on the very large ground) in 9 overs. The return of Cooke then saw Pearse depart for 38 and Byford followed immediately also bowled by Kasputtis for 40. England finally totalled 186-8, a respectable total, given the conditions. The Australian attack was deadly accurate and incisive all through and their performance was only marred by their fielding where at least 20 runs were given away. And costly, as witnessed after two and a half hours and fifty overs of England fielding later.

The Australian batting has dramatically improved as the tour progressed batting (with 14 matches in 16 days!!) and after eight overs of seam from Chris Lees and Mike Byford, Australia were 18 -0. The advent of Yorkshire spinner Phil Taylor saw an immediate return as Nev Kratzmann was brilliantly caught at slip by the agile Dumelow, a very good person to have there. Taylor was also extremely accurate, as reflected in his figures 10-3-18-2 and Australia were on the back foot, losing Peter Harrison (38) on 69 in the 26th and then Ross Chapman (19) to newcomers Nick Andrews’ eighth ball, a fast offbreak. This new period saw Australia in virtually the identical position England had been in, but luckily for the home side they didn’t possess the mid order power of England. Andrews’ spell earnt him man of the match 10-2-21-2. Stuart Lott and David Ward then held the reins and despite Australia accelerating, England managed to keep their noses in front all through this crucial period. Gil Chapman with an unbeaten 48 in 48 balls took the fight to the home side, backed by skipper Stirling Hamman, with an unbeaten 31 in 59, but England entered the 48th over with Australia needing 37. Despite a wonderful pick up for six over square leg by Chapman, Byford’s experience prevailed and England emerged victorious in bright sunshine, by 12 runs.

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The Scorecard: Game 16

Australian Over 60's International Tour - UK 2012 Game No. 16

Australia Over 60's vs England Over 60s Date 03-August-2012 Weather Sunny, showery and cloudy Time Venue Bourne CC Start Time 12.30pm Match Result won by England Over 60s Umpires Steve Massingham & Ian Hofler Toss won by Australia Over 60s Batted First England Over 60s 1st Innings of Australian Over 60s 1st Innings of England Over 60s Batsman How out Bowler Runs Batsman How out Bowler Runs Nev Kratzmann Caught B Phillips P Taylor 9 N Andrews Caught Gill Chapman Geoff Field 30 Peter Harrison Caught R Owen P Taylor 36 B Newman LBW Colin Cooke 2 Ross Chapman Bowled N Andrews 19 B Phillips Caught Rob Haling Brian Kratzmann 26 Rob Haling Bowled D Ward 15 R Dumelow Run out Ross Chapman) 24 Stirling Hamman * not out 31 M Pearse * Bowled Colin Cooke 38 Brian Kratzmann Stumped R Owen N Andrews 3 A Hitchmough Caught Gill Chapman Paul Cullin 7 Gill Chapman + not out 48 M Byford Bowled Ron Kasputtis 40 Paul Cullen P Taylor LBW Ron Kasputtis 5 Colin Cooke C Lees Not out 6 Dennis Moran R Owen + Not out 1 Ron Kasputtis S Lott Geoff Field D Ward Extras 13 Extras 7 Total 174 Total 186 Overs 50 Overs 50 Fall of wickets 1st : 18 2nd 69 3rd 69 Fall of wickets 1st 8 2nd 41 3rd 79 4th 90 5th 95 6th 4th 85 5th 92 6th 162

7th 8th 9th 7th 174 8th 185 9th 10th * Captain + Wicket keeper 10th * Captain + Wicket keeper

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd Colin Cooke 9 2 2 26 Ron Kasputtis 10 1 2 36 Geoff Field 5 0 1 18 Dennis Moran 5 1 0 17 Brian Kratzmann 9 2 1 32 Paul Cullen 8 2 1 25 Nev Kratzmann 2 0 0 16 Stirling Hamman 2 0 0 11

Fielding c ro st Gill Chapman 2 Rob Haling 1 Ross Chapman 1

Bowling O M W R Nb Wd Chris Lees 5 2 0 9 Mike Byford 8 1 0 31 P Taylor 10 3 2 18 Stuart Lott 9 0 0 45 Nick Andrews 10 2 2 21 Dave Ward 8 0 1 39

Fielding c ro st B Phillips 1 R Owen 1 1

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Official Tour Report by Stirling Hamman

AUSTRALIAN OVER 60S UK TOUR 2012 REPORT- 15/8/12

1...BACKGROUND; This tour was set against the background of the ground breaking Australian Over 60s UK tour managed by Rob Wilson in 2011 and a notion that this tour was too close following that experience. However it was decided by the National Committee to allow this tour to proceed on the basis that there were many national players who were not able to experience the previous tour; we weren't getting any younger and this was an opportunity to organise the UK tour on a different footing namely playing solely against English County and International Over 60s sides. The tour was specifically designed to be crammed with cricket so as to improve our cricket skills and our chances of winning as we progressed. In hindsight now that we have just arrived home I believe the tour was a rewarding success with these aims in mind.

2...ITINERARY; We were scheduled to play 16 games in 19 landed days. This arduous regime assumed some games would be rained off which is a safe assumption touring England particularly as this year resulted in the heaviest recorded rainfall for May; June and July. We were lucky. It stopped raining the day we arrived so that we played 14 out of the 16 games. Based on the foregoing considerations and the desire not to travel too far or stay at too many hotels during the 3 week stay, the attached itinerary 'A' was produced with the consent and encouragement of the English teams despite us being there last year. This was a cricket tour with very limited opportunities to sight see or engage with WAGS on tour. Nevertheless we did have some significant sightseeing team ventures on our 5 rest days and only 5 wags came on tour as they knew cricket was the main fare. It is noted that we dined after the game at 14 of the 16 game venues and it would have been 16 if those games weren't called off early! The outstanding result of the tour was our total acceptance by all of the English sides and their overwhelming hospitality. Some of the dinners were first class. Every team wished us to return and do it all again. Their appreciation for this tour was unlimited and everyone including players; sponsors; supporters; spectators and anyone associated with their team totally engaged us at all times. The lesson here was that an Australian National team albeit over 60s is regarded as a very special creature in English cricket and as such its value and importance should never be diminished or taken lightly. If any example of this was required then one looks no further than the English Celebrity game at the Worcester County Ground where we played 4 ex Internationals in front of 500 spectators with a dinner afterwards attended by nearly 200 patrons and addressed by the English Chairman of Selectors! The game and the dinner were a great success with an open invitation by the Worcester County Board for us to return again. Another lesson was that a tour playing against established over 60s County and International teams has the structure to engage at this level which club teams do not. I believe this is the level befitting our status. A possible criticism of the tour format was there were just too many games with not enough rest between games to address weariness and injuries. Balanced against this view is that we were only there for 3 weeks; we had 18 players (reduced to 17 as John Fryer returned home due to his mother's illness after just 2 games) and we had to play against as many different County teams who were in the immediate vicinity. Something had to give - rest when you get home or experience the thrills whilst we were there! In hindsight despite the injuries most would say the crowded itinerary was necessary and acceptable. I might add I am a disciple of the more you play on tour the better and match fit you become and so it proved again on this tour. There was no doubt we were playing our best cricket at tour's end. I might remind everyone that the player who readily volunteered for this tour was the over 60 cricket tragic player who would play 7 days a week given the chance and knew what was expected and happily

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accepted the risks and the endurance requirements. There were no complaints from any player that we played too much cricket or went to too many dinners although at various times they may have thought about it! It will always be a balancing act and rest periods are vital. The issue of injuries is a vexed one. Having regard to the number of significant injuries to nearly all players on Rob Wilson's tour and the fact that we are over 60, I was determined to make a major effort to reduce this risk particularly to key players which would seriously impinge on the capacity to secure winning results. Firstly 6 months out from the tour I set a firm regime of personal fitness and responsibility of each player reminding him that the success of the team and himself were dependent upon his maximum fitness before the start of the tour. This demand was set against the background that we were scheduled to play our first 2 games within a day of arrival so there was no time to get fit or acclimatise on tour. The exercise regime was increased as we approached the tour and all players were reminded to drink heaps of water and to diet sensibly and lose weight. Every player accepted these conditions and did their very best to get match fit including practice games; extensive running and walking; skills and gym work. Some players were so determined to tour that they trained heavily despite withholding the fact that they had experienced major health scares leading up to the tour. Many players opted to arrive early to acclimatise. Finally before each game we religiously warmed up through an extensive regime of different exercises specifically aimed at those vulnerable leg areas. Despite all of this and leaving aside one broken finger to our nominated wicketkeeper in the first game, about 9 players suffered significant leg injuries including calf; hamstring; groin; toe; hip and heel problems. Two players had leg injuries in the first game after being on the ground less than an hour! On the other hand one player pulled his hamstring with 2 games to go. Significantly 8 players played most games without any injury at all.

Most leg injuries occurred whilst chasing a ball in the field or running between the wickets when quick acceleration was required. The value of heaps of short sprint training before we leave cannot be underestimated. Having said that the players immediately treated themselves with ice and we purchased an esky to carry enough ice around with us at all times! All injured players responded favourably to treatment from English physiotherapists and were able to play again within a short time and therefore except for one player, the tears were relatively minor. I would like to think that our extensive precautions had something to do with this outcome but we must seek expert advice (including the topic of sports drinks) on this subject and implement it. I would strongly recommend our preventive procedures before and during the tour in the future. Basically there seems to be no apparent rhyme or reason to this problem except to say that players who were match fit by playing regular weekly hard cricket back home were much less likely prone to tour injuries. This puts an emphasis upon constant engagement in regular cricket competitions by our players back home during the year. 3...THE SELECTED TEAM; the team consisted of;

STIRLING HAMMAN (Capt-RH Bat/Med Bowler-NSW);

ROSS CHAPMAN (Vice- Capt/ Manager LH Upper bat-QLD)

JOHN FRYER (RH opening bat/med bowler NSW);

ROB HALING (LH Upper bat NSW)

PETER HARRISON (RH Upper bat/ off spin NSW)

DENNIS MORAN (LH Opening bowler NSW)

PETER VIRGEN (Wicketkeeper-NSW)

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GEOFF FIELD (RH Med Bowler-SA)

IAN PRITCHARD (RH Middle order bat/Leg Spin- VIC)

RON KASPUTTIS (RH Opening Bowler-VIC)

GILL CHAPMAN (RH bat/reserve keeper-QLD)

COLIN COOKE (RH opening bowler-QLD)

NEV KRATZMANN (RH Upper bat/med bowler-QLD)

BRIAN KRATZMANN (RH bat/med bowler-QLD)

BRIAN WALTERS (RH bat/med Bowler-QLD)

TONY PATERSON (RH Med Bowler-ACT)

ALBY BARWICK (RH Upper Bat-NSW)

PAUL CULLEN (RH bat/med bowler-ACT) It was the intention to make this team truly national by selecting players from all eligible states; choosing the best players who would perform designated roles within the team and place an emphasis on younger 60 yr olds with mobility. Overall having regard to key personnel unavailability due last year’s tour we achieved those aims and the team was well balanced within our role structure. Based on this tour experience I believe we should adhere to those aims in the future. Maybe not unexpectedly having regard to our age and the burning desire to tour the UK, the team's harmony on and off the field was exceptional. As Captain I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of players so far as commitment; motivation and enthusiasm were concerned. That is why we improved markedly as a team over the tour duration and why we nearly won the test against Wales and the final test against fancied English on the tour’s final day after being comfortably beaten in the first test in the first week of the tour. We chose 18 players which at the time I thought was 2 too many. As it turned out we basically had 17 which we needed because of the injury situation and the number of scheduled games due to fine weather. There has been a suggestion that the tour be 4 weeks long to cope with the same number of games. In my experience 4 weeks is far too long to be away and 3 weeks is the maximum. So far as roles were concerned if anything we were probably lacking another class upper order batter and another accurate spinner but I shall address that later. 4...TOUR PREPARATION; The tour model was all landed activities would be arranged by a tour organiser which in this case was myself. The players were levied a sum ($1500) estimated to cover the costs of all hire vehicles and fuel; all tour clothing (excluding sweaters and blazers) ; balls ; plaques; memorabilia for donations and auction for the clubs ; and match fees including teas and dinners. The Club afternoon teas and dinners were extraordinary and everyone went to great lengths to satisfy us. The use of hiring people vans and a luggage van has proven to be a success and much cheaper than hiring a coach and driver and much more flexible. The player's airfares and their hotel expenses were covered by themselves. As it turned out to be we had a surplus of $2,154 which will cover the costs of a tour book including a movie and hundreds of pictures. Any final surplus will be donated to one of the player's charity. The tour preparations were extensive and exhaustive. To ensure success at this level nothing short of this is required. They ranged over various topics including pre tour fitness; skill levels and practice; best practice cricket dynamics; English game dynamics; tour protocol for team behaviour both on and off the

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field; team clothing including the smash hit “team blazer”; team transport; hotel bookings; game and after match festivities; tour and personal finances; information concerning the games and the itinerary; tour roles; team communication dynamics including match reports and game statistics; personal contacts details; team victory song etc. There were no costs associated with the tour organisation. This is evidence that these tours can be done successfully on this model if someone is prepared to do the work and has the contacts. The alternatives would be by a small committee of 2-3 or a travel agent. The difficulty with the latter is that the agent is still dependent upon us for the games and everyone wishes to do something different going to and upon leaving the tour which drives the agent crazy with constant changes and hence a higher fee. The game contacts now have been made easy by the well organised national UK over 60s Competition at major County level and the contacts established on this tour. Everyone invited us back in 2014. There were major Counties in the far south and north which we didn’t visit this time. The problem with the far north e.g. Yorkshire/Durham is that it is a lot of travelling for a few games on an already crowded tour schedule and the wickets further north which are subject to more rain; more variable bounce and games subject to cancellation. The Counties down south include Essex; Sussex; Kent Hampshire and Surrey all of whom are within relatively easy reach.

5...RESULTS; The final tour results are set out in attachment B hereto. In summary we won 5 and lost 9. However of those 9 losses we lost 5 with fewer than 8 balls remaining. In 4 out of those 5 games i.e. vs. Wales; Staffordshire; Leicester and Lincoln we were in winning positions and created chances but dropped multiple vital catches especially in the final stages. Similarly in other games we dropped vital catches and we lost the 3rd test vs. England by 12 runs in a chase after we bowled with a wet ball for 10 overs. Having said that rain and dropped catches are part of the game let alone over 60s cricket and it must be noted that we practised our catching everyday match day on tour. Still the point solidly remains that except for the first test in the first week we were more than competitive and with some luck we could have returned home with 12 wins /2 losses i.e. vs. Somerset and England -1st test. The tour showed that even without our best National side available we are improving and are not far off the pace. At tour’s end Martin Pearse the English Captain confided in me and said with a couple of extra class batters we will beat them next time. To ensure this we require some more overseas tours in the meantime to attract those pedigree players.

6...OFF- FIELD ARRANGEMENTS; Firstly I wish to acknowledge the role and efficiency which Vice Captain and Manager Ross Chapman from Queensland performed on tour. We were indeed fortunate to have such a highly experienced cricketer such as Ross provide us with his knowledge; analysis and energy and ensure the success of the tour. The tour is a team effort and a small senior leadership cadre should be in charge making and communicating the decisions as they arise. Ross carried out those matters successfully and seamlessly. I fully recommend his leadership involvement in any future tours.

One of the really well performed functions on the tour was the reporting to sources back home. Not only did our results feature everyday in the major city newspapers e.g. Sydney Morning Herald where hundreds saw the results but we were regularly featured on ABC radio sports. I cannot believe the number of people who have said to me upon my return how well we went having seen the results in the major newspapers. A National tour of this standing deserves no less and is a wonderful opportunity to sell our product nationwide. In addition the folks back home were kept instantly informed by emails the morning after each game. The hero emails received by us before each test were overwhelming and people commented upon the NSW website where the complete results were posted. There is a drastic need for our National Website for future tours. In addition a tour book with all photos and a movie will be produced as a personal memento. All of these reporting actions were only made possible immediately after the game by the diligence of suitably trained key personal on tour. They were assisted by pre-planned templates of the full and summarised scorecards. It is my recommendation that this precedent continue.

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Otherwise the players had no difficulty in sorting out drivers for the vehicles or attending to other tasks required of them and happily accepted the offer to help. Special mention has to be made of the few women on tour who keenly embraced any task often at very late notice.

7...OUTCOMES; In addition to the pleasure and experience of the players, the tour was designed to achieve the following aims A....Establish a model for future tours of the UK B....Provide a trail for future tours by establishing permanent contacts at UK County and International level. C....Commence a precedence for such UK tours every 2 years D....To increase our international competitiveness. E....Provide a permanent incentive for our better players to become involved in Australian Over 60s cricket. F....Establish a pathway for all of our players to aspire too. G....Increase the overall quality of our over 60s cricket product. H....To be under the control and supervision of our National Board. I believe the UK tour 2012 succeeded in all of the above aims. Another consideration based on the above outcomes is for those who missed out on selection in the first team. This time I organised an over 55s NSW team to tour for 3 weeks starting a week before us. We had 11-15 on that tour which included 3 players from other states who missed out on national selection. Deliberately their itinerary was against Club sides which had exceptional grounds and were experienced in hosting visiting overseas teams. In other words a slightly different experience on offer. Although they lost several games through rain their tour was an uncontested success as well. As selections particularly at National level can be a tricky art at the best of times with inevitable personal criticisms of the national selection process and final outcome and if the overseas touring dynamic takes off as envisaged, we will need to think carefully about providing an opportunity to those who missed out and keep them connected and encouraged to be part of it nevertheless. I recommend the alternative tour structure to the UK as a successful means of accommodating these concerns. Whether it is a State based tour as this one or an Australian “A” concept and whether all tours e.g. to NZ has this facility, are matters of further debate.

8...THE FUTURE; The task is now to build upon the work done and maintain the International touring momentum. To achieve this we need a plan going forward. In this regard I propose for favourable National consideration.. A....An Australian National over 60s tour to New Zealand in February 2013. B....An Australian National over 60s tour to South Africa in November 2013. C....Invite the English /Wales teams to tour here with the Ashes in December 2013 D.....An Australian National over 60s tour to UK in July/August 2014.

9....I RECOMMEND THIS REPORT TO THE NATIONAL BOARD OF PRESIDENTS OF AUSTRALIAN OVER 60S CRICKET.

STIRLING HAMMAN 2012 UK TOUR AUSTRALIAN O60S CAPTAIN. 15/8/12

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Scorebook Pages

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Game 5 v England (1st Test) : England’s innings

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Game 5 v England (1st Test) : Australia’s innings

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Game 7 v Wales (Test) : Australia’s innings

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Game 7 v Wales (Test) : Wales’ innings

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Game 12 v England Invitational : Home team’s innings

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Game 12 v England Invitational : Australia’s innings

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Game 16 v England (3rd Test) : Home team’s innings

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Game 16 v England (3rd Test) : Australia’s innings

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