HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI & HILLS DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION INC 89th ANNUAL REPORT FOR SEASON 2014-15 1 THE PATHWAY THROUGH A LIFETIME OF CRICKET Most cricketers start their playing career at an early age in the backyard with “Test Matches” against Mum, Dad or their siblings. Playing rules are simple – a boundary four Thank you to our Sponsors into the rose bushes, but over the fence into the neighbour’s yard is six and out, plus having to go and recover the ball! All Clubs, members and associates are encouraged to Just as the child starts his/her formal education at kindergarten level, Kanga (or, as it has support the products and/or services provided by our been re-badged over the years for marketing purposes, Milo Cricket and In2Cricket) is the kindergarten of a club which, like the school system, is the first step in the pathway various sponsors that takes the child to a possible lifetime of involvement in and enjoyment from the game. At that age, children and their parents are reluctant to move straight into competitive hardball cricket, but are looking for an introductory non-competitive skills and fun based structured program to introduce them to the present day game. This starting platform allows development of hand/eye co-ordination and cricket skills but importantly sees the child become active and socialising in a team/group environment. It also gives mums, dads and even grandparents an opportunity to participate and be involved in the activity with their children and thus build stronger family relationships – and, for the club, provides a source of parent volunteers in the future as the child advances through the junior age groups. There is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” Kanga player and this concept can lead to it becoming part of a club’s culture with the possible adoption of a “participation over results” policy that embraces the aim of giving equal opportunity to every player within each team and age group. As the child moves through primary and secondary levels at school (years 1 to 12), so too he/she advances from Kanga through the junior age groups from Under 8 to Under 16 gaining knowledge and further skills, forming lasting friendships with fellow teammates as well as an appreciation of the meaning of the phrase “The Spirit of Cricket” which would hold them in good stead in their life outside the cricket arena. At the same time, they might test their ability and acquired skills against others of similar age beyond their normal weekly competition game by becoming available for selection in their Association Representative teams. Having reached the age of 16, the player graduates to the equivalent of tertiary education level – Seniors where, like education, rankings start to be made on ability. After many continuous years of cricketing in this area, the player is entitled to be known as a Graduate of the School of Hard Knocks in Cricket and, as an Alumni, to play with similar HK&HDCA Representative Sponsors age players in Over 40’s “Masters” or Over 50’s “Classics” matches. Upon retirement from active play, the player, by then a senior in both age and experience, might become an umpire! A worthy lifetime spent walking along the pathway of cricket. Cricketing Fundamentals #1 “Catches win matches” 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Reports: Senior Cricket: President’s Report 2 Senior Competition Secretary’s Report 29 Meeting Attendances 6 Senior Competition Winners Team Photographs 33 Members of the Executive 7 Senior Trophy Winners 38 Publicity Report 8 A Grade Final Report 39 Disputes and Disciplinary Chairman’s Report 8 A Grade to D Reserve and Sunday Results 40 Senior Competition and Club Championship Tables 51 Our Sponsors: Senior Competition Records 52 Triforce Sports 9 Hornsby RSL 10 Representative Cricket: Kookaburra Sport 11 Representative Secretary’s Report 58 Representative Award Winners 60 The Councils: Representative Records 61 Hornsby Shire Council 12 Representative Teams 64 The Hills Shire Council 12 Ku-ring-gai Council 13 Special Events: Ross Turner Cup 66 Affiliated Bodies: Glenn Hourigan Cup 68 Umpires’ Association 14 Annual Golf Day at Kooindah Waters 70 Coaches’ Association 16 Northern District Cricket Club 18 Roll of Honour: President, Secretary, Treasurer, Life Members 71 Cricket: Induction of new Life Member in 2014 72 Team Affiliations 19 Junior Cricket: Junior Secretary’s Report 20 Junior Competition Results 21 Junior Competition Records 27 Approaching Stumps, Bradman Oval, Bowral 3 HK&HDCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT – 2014 / 15 SEASON The 2014 / 15 season was another very successful and enjoyable season for the HK&HDCA. Once again our junior team numbers bucked the trend as we enjoyed another spike to a massive total of 127 teams. It is pleasing to see that this boost in player numbers was mostly in the non- competitive, early age groups of U/8s to U/10s where we had our highest ever number of teams at 61. This means our Association should continue to enjoy these healthy junior player numbers coming through the system for many years to come. It is also pleasing to see those clubs that in recent years, have put in the hard work to establish their grassroots cricket, by starting a Milo In2Cricket centre. Four clubs that started centres over the last two or three seasons and are now enjoying the push through with graduating junior teams. Soon they will feel the additional benefits with an injection to their senior teams through graduating juniors and their hard work will really start to pay dividends. One area where only now the HK&HDCA is striving to do better is with our girl cricket offering. I was very excited that this season we took the unprecedented step of appointing our first Girls Development Officer, Edwina Chappel. Throughout the season she contacted many of our clubs with the objective to work closely with their Milo In2Cricket co-ordinators and help more girls come through the system and up to juniors, as well as develop a clear pathway for any girls wishing to go further in the sport of cricket. Last season Edwina also worked hard to sign up a major sponsor for the HK&HDCA girls program, and with Tim Inman from the Hornsby Branch of the Commonwealth Bank, a partnership has been developed. They have been working with local primary schools on a girls PSSA school cricket competition for term four of 2015. Congratulations to Kenthurst Upper Hills CC who, for the second successive season, secured the junior Club Championship. Last season Kenthurst UH failed to win a junior Premiership but this time they took out two, becoming Premiers in both the U/14s and U/13s competitions. Congratulations to the other 2014 / 15 junior competition Premiers especially Pennant Hills (U/16 Premiers) and Thornleigh (U/12 Premiers) who represent two of our smaller clubs. A special mention also to the Kissing Point Red U/15 team who won their Premiership from fourth position and Hornsby District U/11s who went through 2014 / 15 undefeated. In our senior competitions early in the season we completed the five senior T20 competitions with just two clubs with teams crowned Premiers. Congratulations to the Sydney Lions Club who completed a club sweep with Premierships in 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade. In fact none of their teams lost any of the 11 matches they competed in which is an incredible achievement. Other Premiers were from the West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook club with the bookends – 1st and 5th grades. In our regular Saturday afternoon competitions WPHC retained their A grade Premiership when they thrashed Berowra in the Final. Berowra in fact were the team to beat for the greater majority of the season and undefeated until West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook beat them in the last round to snatch the Minor Premiership. West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook’s win in A grade completed four consecutive A grade premierships to that club. They really picked up where Asquith Rugby League CC left off after they won six in a row before the West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook run started in 2011 / 12. West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook had a fantastic season across the senior grades, along with their top grade Premiership they took our Kookaburra Cup (A2), B2 and the Sunday Comp. At Junior Representative level it was a massive ask of our Reps and their dedicated coaches, managers and committee, to repeat their past two year’s extraordinary achievements in the NSW District Cricket Association Shield competitions (Shell Shield winners 12/13 & 13/14 – awarded for best performing Association). It seemed other Associations significantly lifted their game against the HK&HDCA Shield teams and we just could not win enough of those close games. The Shell Shield did not travel far going to our neighbours North Shore. 2 HK&HDCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT – 2014 / 15 SEASON: Continued We did return some very strong performances across the age groups including qualifying for the semi-finals in Weblin (U/15) and Gee (U/13). To all involved our Representative teams, please know that your performances are closely followed on match day by many across our Association. I constantly find myself checking Association the Facebook page and website, MyCricket, as well as swapping a number of text messages with our Rep. Secretary, Bruce Parker chasing our match positions and results. I’d like to thank Steve Thomlinson from Barker College who, for the past decade or so, has allowed this Association to play our Shield U/15 and U/16 rep. teams at that school’s magnificent turf wicket ground. This is both a privilege and a pleasure for all who are lucky enough to either watch or participate in a match at Barker.