2016/2017 SEASON REVIEW

Premiers Senior T20

Preliminary Finalists 3rd XI – E Grade 5th XI – G Grade

Highett Branch Omega Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – BY CHRIS CLEMENT ...... 1 SENIOR COACH’S REPORT – BY TIM MALANE ...... 3 SENIOR TEAM REPORTS ...... 4 Longmuir Shield – by Andy Ryan (Team Manager) ...... 4 Quiney Shield – 2nds – by Paul Taberner ...... 6 E Grade – 3rds – by Steve Mitchell ...... 7 F Grade – 4ths – by Andrew McGaw ...... 8 G Grade – 5ths – by Laurie Brown ...... 9 Twenty/20 – by Matt Caia ...... 10 JUNIOR CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT – BY LEON MCGAW ...... 11 JUNIOR TEAM REPORTS ...... 12 U18 Report – by Sam Bridges ...... 12 U16 Girls’ Report – by Sam Bridges ...... 12 Milo T20 Blast Report – by Leon McGaw ...... 13 Milo In2Cricket Report – by Nick Vawser ...... 14 CLUB AWARDS ...... 15 Senior Awards ...... 15 Junior Awards ...... 15 Club Champion ...... 16 Outstanding Services...... 16 Aggregate Runs ...... 16 Aggregate ...... 16 Best Under 21 Player...... 16 Best Clubman ...... 16 Omega Medal ...... 16 SECA AWARDS ...... 17 Knight Sports – Longmuir Player of the Year...... 17 Knights’ Longmuir Team of the Year ...... 17 SECA Aggregate Award ...... 17 SECA Batting Average Award ...... 17 SECA Aggregate Bowling Award ...... 17 SECA Award ...... 17 SECA Milestones (senior matches only) ...... 17 SECA T20 – Div 2 Player of the Series ...... 17 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES ...... 18 Batting ...... 18 Centuries ...... 18 100+ Partnerships ...... 18 Fielding ...... 19 Catches – not as keeper (all grades) ...... 19 Catches taken as wicket keeper (all grades) ...... 19 Stumpings (all grades) ...... 19 Milestones ...... 19 REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS ...... 19 NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ...... 20 Vale Noel McGaw, a family man and a man of sport ...... 20 Dragon’s Best ...... 22 Boom: Beckett blasts off with a hand off 177 ...... 23 PHOTO GALLERY ...... 24

Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – by Chris Clement

Time goes so quick when you’re playing sport. Another season has just past. Apart from our first ever T20 premiership we didn’t get any silverware but we had 2 teams play in finals with the 2’s just missing out on percentage. We watched young boys take giants leaps through the grades and not look out of place at all. This is a credit to Tim Malane and the captains for not only giving the players the opportunity but to all the players themselves for the training they put in over the preseason and the season proper. Leon McGaw took over the reins of Junior Coordinator and for the first time at our club we had a Milo Blast side. You then add our “King of the kids” Milo Coordinator Nick Vawser and we had a successful Milo Program as well. Because of this hard work from Leon and Nick we have a great opportunity that we will be fielding the next wave of Omega juniors next season as well as having a successful Milo and Twenty20 Blast program. Our social calendar this year saw us host our first of many $5k draws. Thank you to Ivan Delac for his hard work organising the event. We had Trivia Night which always delivers a laugh but this wouldn’t happen without the work of Don and Noelene Tulley. Towards the end of the season Andy and Leon McGaw quickly organised a successful Poker Night and I think next season with an actual date and notice this will be a very up-and-coming event. Tracey Fletcher once again hosted our long standing Ladies’ Day committing the Club to raising funds for the McGrath Foundation through Pink Stumps Day. The day was once again High Tea and by all reports the Ladies once again had a fantastic afternoon. Committee: I would just like to thank everyone on the committee. If our members and parents did not take the time out of their life to step onto the committee the Club would not go round so thank you for your time and effort over the season. Final Message: I would like to start by thanking all the members, family and friends for a fantastic season. Without all of you the Club would be empty but with you all in it the Club is a family. I would also like to personally thank the executive for their support throughout the season. There is a lot of work done behind the scenes for our Club to go round each season and without their dedication we would be in strife. In closing I would just like to thank the Club for once again giving me the opportunity to be president. It’s a role I don’t take lightly and I look forward to next season and seeing our club progress on and off the field as we take another step forward to building a powerhouse.

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT (continued) Remembrance It is also important to remember friends and family of the Club who were lost to us since last season: • Noel McGaw – Club Legend, Life Member, founding member of the Club and father and grandfather to a number of past and present players • Kathleen Murphy – mother of Mark Murphy (past player) • Margaret Lloyd, mother of Steve Lloyd (past player) • Diane Mitchell, mother of Bruce Mitchell (former junior coach and past player) and grandmother of Steve Mitchell (3rd XI captain)

Thank you

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SENIOR COACH’S REPORT – by Tim Malane

Our Preseason started in June, which was extremely early but I found it necessary as we had a lot of work to do!

We were lucky enough to have ex-Australian cricketer Ray Bright and current Melbourne Coach (and all time District Cricket leading run scorer) Warren Ayres provide us with ten sessions of specialised coaching. I’m certain the players who attended these sessions benefited from them greatly (and will do into the future).

New Captains were appointed for this season, and I would like to thank and congratulate them on the fine job they did. To Glenn Beckett (1st XI), Paul Taberner (2nd XI), Steve Mitchell (3rd XI), Andy McGaw (4th XI) and Don Tulley (5th XI), thank you for your support and strong leadership throughout the season, it was very much appreciated.

Our performances across the Club certainly improved, with the 3rd and 5th XI both making finals and the 2nd and 4th XIs narrowly missing out on finals it was very pleasing to see our improvement.

However, we still have a lot of work to do.

The 1st XI showed sporadic signs of improvement, but consistency is an area that requires further work. Also, a greater attention to individuals’ training habits and availability remain an area where we can improve.

In his first season as 1st XI Captain, Glenn Beckett showed both on the field and at training, that he is very capable of leading Omega Cricket Club to a successful future. He needs his players to follow his lead on the training track and commit to success as much as he does.

A massive thanks to Don Tulley, Mark Valentini, Vince Micalizzi and Vern Rozario who assisted me throughout the season with training, I simply would have been lost without your help.

Again, thanks must go to Chris Clement and the committee for allowing me to coach our Club, it really is a privilege.

We have made giant strides ensuring our talented younger players have an environment where they can prosper as cricketers and young men and I am extremely proud of that.

The Club’s future on-field success is solely in the hands of you as players, make the most of playing for a great Club.

Good Luck!

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SENIOR TEAM REPORTS

Longmuir Shield – by Andy Ryan (Team Manager) After finishing mid-table last season, hopes were high despite new challenges, including Ivan Delac handing over the captaincy - after five years of great leadership - to Glenn Beckett. • Round 1 vs Le Page Park (one dayer) – We managed 7/141, but disappointingly scored only 35 off the last 10 overs with 6 wickets in hand. Ivan Delac top scored with 46. They passed us with 5 wickets and 9 overs in hand, despite being 4/40 early on. Steve Lay took 2/15. • Round 2 vs Kingston Heath – Batting first, we managed 174, Pat Burnell making 44, Luke Wescombe 43 and Brad Atholwood 35. We had Kingston Heath reeling at 2/9 when the rain came and ruined things. A win gone begging. • Round 3 vs Washington Park – Against the reigning Premiers we made 235, with Brad Atholwood holing out on 96, and Matt Caia scoring 35. In a real heartbreaker, they passed us 9 down in the last over. Clemo starred with 3/52 off 21. Bridges and McGaw took 2 each. • Round 4 vs ESBC – A long day in the field against last season’s runners-up saw us concede 356. Anthony D’Amico was magnificent, taking 3/90 off 25 overs and Burnell took 2. In reply we batted well to amass 4/263. Glenn Beckett and Ivan scored 88 and 69 respectively in an unbeaten 159 partnership, Matt Caia got 57 and opener Scott Vawser made 34. • Round 5 vs Bentleigh Uniting – We fought hard in the field all day, giving up 242 runs. Nick Bridges impressed with 4/65 and Clemo gave up just 43 off 20 overs. In reply, we never recovered from a bad start. Brayden O’Toole made 47, but had too few mates. All out 127. • Round 6 vs Carnegie South – We batted all day for 9/209 at Bricker. Matt Caia made an impressive 74 and Ivan chipped in with 38. This one got away, as we had them 3/30, then took 5 late wickets, but they slid past us 8 down with 3 overs to spare. Clemo was back to his outstanding best with 6/75 off 25 overs and Nick Bridges gave up only 21 off 15 overs. • Round 7 vs Mackie (one dayer) – Yet another heartbreaker. Chasing 254 (Bridges and Lay 2 wickets each), we fell a mere 9 runs short. Ivan opening amassed 77, Caia smashed 60 and the skipper made 36. Dropped catches and bad weather had pretty much cost us 5 wins. • Round 8 vs Elwood – Batting first, we were about par with 194 after being in early trouble. The tail wagged, with Steve Lay leading the way with a mature 50. Despite us taking two early wickets, they only needed 50 with 4 wickets in hand, but fell 12 short. D’Amico starred with 3/19, with 2 each for Clemo and Bryce Judd. On the board! • Round 9 vs Bentleigh ANA – The highlight of our season. Batting first, we amassed 8/310 with Glenn Beckett breaking the Club’s Longmuir scoring record with a brilliant unbeaten 177, which included going from 99 to 177 in just 27 balls (that’s not a typo) – and an unbeaten 107 partnership with Nick Bridges in just 31 minutes. In their innings of 186, Juddy starred with the ball taking his maiden 1st XI ‘five-for’ and D’Amico took 2. Two in a row. 4 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

SENIOR TEAM REPORTS Longmuir Shield (continued) • Round 10 vs CHAG – Back to earth with a thud against eventual finalists CHAG, giving up 4/328. D’Amico was again magnificent, taking 3/74 off 23 overs. With the bat we were disappointing, managing only 149, with only the skipper showing any real resistance with 51. • Round 11 vs West Bentleigh (one dayer) – Needing to win to stay up (we think), the tail saved us from a disaster. Led by Steve Lay with 35 and Jacob McGaw with 28, we got to 178, but were a bit below our best with the ball. They passed us with 6 overs and 4 wickets to spare, with Clemo and Juddy getting 2 wickets each. Season totals Most runs – Glenn Beckett 449, Matt Caia 293, Ivan Delac 255, and Brad Atholwood 197 Most wickets – Chris Clement 16, Anthony D’Amico 13, Bryce Judd 11, Nick Bridges 11 Most catches – Glenn Beckett 6 (and 4 stumpings), Matt Caia 4, Pat Burnell 4 (and a run out) Unsure what happens to us at the time of writing this report. Hopefully we stay up, but we’ll make the most of whatever we’re dealt. Congratulations to Glenn Beckett on his first season as the on-field leader of the Club – he certainly led from the front and will only get better in the role. Thanks again to our regular and semi-regular supporters this season: the D’Amicos, Tracey Fletcher, Noelene Tulley, Jo Burnell, Frank Caia, Mick Bridges, Troy Wescombe, Pete Wanless and John Smith. Apologies if I left anyone out. Thanks and well done yet again to the Prez and the committee, the coach, the amazing Tracey Fletcher - and Clemo’s Mum. Despite what could have been, it was an enjoyable season with many highlights. In some respects we played better cricket than last season, yet found ourselves in the relegation zone. We should have beaten three of the four finalists. Two things: cricket is a funny (crazy, stupid) game – and our catching needs work. Thanks very much to Boom and the boys for letting me be part of it again.

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SENIOR TEAM REPORTS

Quiney Shield – 2nds – by Paul Taberner The 2nd XI season, despite performance wise being a bit hot and cold, must be seen as a success. Numerous young 16/17 year olds experienced hard competitive cricket against seasoned players in a grade comprising predominately 1st and 2nd XI teams. By season’s end our young side was both withstanding and creating pressure and prevailing. In fact we won our last three games to finish 5th, missing finals by percentage only - a couple of narrow losses early in the season ultimately proved costly. Ilya Fridman came into our side mid-season and had an immediate impact with the bat, consistently scoring runs in his positive, aggressive style winning the batting award with an average of 39. Gianni Mercuri batted high and regularly got starts showing he is more than ready for a breakout season. Notable batting performances included Ilya’s 88, Luke Wescombe’s memorable 88no, Scott Vawser’s 81 and 61, Patty Burnell’s 64, Nick Vawser’s 62 and Brad Atholwood’s 101 in the last round. James Caia and Luke Nunn both bowled beautifully all season, and with their handy batting and excellent fielding, at 17 years of age, look to be Omega stars of the future. James’ 5/38 and subsequent 1st XI selection was just reward for his continuous hard work and marked improvement. It was a privilege to serve as an Omega captain. The support I was able to get from coach Tim Malane, President Chris Clement and his committee, all players who donned the whites in the 2nd XI, and the other captains was faultless. Training was extremely well organised, very well attended with most players working hard to improve their games – this attitude must be maintained for the Club to continue to progress.

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SENIOR TEAM REPORTS

E Grade – 3rds – by Steve Mitchell The 3 XI had a very successful season this year, finishing 3rd on the ladder and falling one win short of making the grand-final. At our best we were good enough to beat anyone, and in defeat we showed great fighting spirit, never once believing we were out of the contest. For much of the season we had 5 players under the age of 18, which is a great reflection of the young talent we have coming through the grades. I have no doubt that many of these players will go on to represent the Club at the highest level. What our team lacked in experience we made up for in determination, and a willingness to work hard to improve individually and as a team. Our more experienced players showed great leadership and took it upon themselves to teach and encourage our younger players. Most of all we enjoyed each other’s company, and took pride in seeing our teammates succeed. Throughout the season we had some terrific wins. Our outright win against Emerald Hill in round 6 was particularly special and really set up our season. Ben Taberner led the way in the first innings with 4/37, while Jarryd Wilson was unbelievably economical with 2/11 off 10 overs. The persistence shown by our bowlers set us up for an exciting run chase in the second innings, where we needed 9 an over for victory. The boys cruised home with 5 balls to spare in what was a fantastic display of power hitting from Jarryd Wilson (27) and Ben Hibbert (27). As a team we saved our most impressive performance of the year for the semi-final against Hampton Central. Our batsmen did a tremendous job to post 266 at Bricker Reserve, a ground that many of us had not played on for a number of years. Ilya Fridman was super impressive with 71 as part of a 150 run partnership through the middle of our innings. Having lost 2 games during the regular season after posting 240+, we were determined to come out all guns blazing. Once again our opening bowlers got us off to a great start, with Jarryd Wilson showing great agility in the field to get a run-out first up. From there on we piled on the pressure, eventually bowling Centrals out for 68. Jarryd ended up with 3/28 off 14 overs, while Ben Taberner and Corey Smith bowled beautifully to grab 2 wickets each. To play a final at Bricker Reserve in front of a home crowd was a terrific experience, and to win in such emphatic fashion was a true testament to the competitive spirit of the boys. Other individual bowling highlights included: Cam McKenna 4/27 vs CHAG (Rd 3) Jonty Ho 4/26 vs Chelt Park (Rd 10) Jarryd Wilson 4/28 vs CHAG (Rd 3) John Holland 3/5 vs Emerald Hill (Rd 6) Ben Taberner 4/37 vs Emerald Hill (Rd 6) Other individual batting highlights included: Steve Mitchell 119 vs Hamp Central (Rd 4) Ben Kelly 98 vs Chelt Park (Rd 10) Steve Mitchell 112* vs Hamp Central (SF) Adam Vanek 78 vs Highett West (Rd 9) Steve Mitchell 101* vs CHAG (Rd 3) Anthony Ticca 72* vs West Bentleigh (Rd 7) On a personal note I would like to say how proud I was to lead the 3 XI this season. The work ethic of the players and their willingness to learn made my role as captain extremely enjoyable. I took great joy in seeing the boys improve throughout the season, and reap the benefits of all their hard work. The thing I will cherish most is to hear guys say that it was the most fun they have had playing cricket in years. At the end of the day that is what we play the game for. A great club isn’t made up of the most talented players – it’s made up of great people – and I was fortunate enough to play with 18 of the best this season. Bring on 2017/2018.

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SENIOR TEAM REPORTS

F Grade – 4ths – by Andrew McGaw Our team was playing at a good standard and only a catch here or a brain fade there could have meant we turned at the break without a loss. After Christmas was very different. We won the first but then lost the next four. We came up against some very good teams and I felt our form dropped. Our fielding efforts let us down and this was probably the difference in this grade. After a two- year break I thank the Club for giving me the honour of playing and captaining the 4th 11 again. My aim for the team and Club was three fold: 1. Players must enjoy the game. 2. Know their role and get to play it. 3. Get development within the team or the one below or above. We had a good go at things before Christmas winning 3 games, losing 2 and a draw. Although our form was up and down we had a number or players who were consistent throughout the season. In closing I hope my No 1aim was felt by everyone and I would like to thank all the other captains, players and committee, especially Vern and Vinnie. Thanks to Tim Malane for standing firm in his aims, integrity and beliefs for the Club. I feel you gave yourself to the Club without wavering at any time, so I thank you for all your work this season.

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SENIOR TEAM REPORTS

G Grade – 5ths – by Laurie Brown Apart from the usual aims of playing well, winning games and enjoying yourself, there was one main tenet for the fifth eleven this season. This was for everyone to have the chance to contribute. In terms of these aims the team had a very successful season. Not only was everyone given a chance to contribute, but individual and team performances backed up this confidence. A regular season with only one defeat (by one wicket) left the team one game clear in first place before finals. Tactical flexibility was a key theme throughout the season. A player might open the batting one week only to bat 9 or 10 the following week. A couple of bowlers became one over spell specialists. Fields were optimised multiple times per over. Opposition players were confused when we opened the bowling with a leg spinner. Handing your hat to the umpire and walking back to your mark wasn’t enough to guarantee a bowl. At least if you were into your delivery stride there was a good chance you would get to bowl that over. Amongst all these tactical changes, it did not go unnoticed that regularly the captain would sacrifice his own place in the batting line up to give everyone a chance to contribute. Team performances were strong, with the even contributions no more evident than in the game against Elwood where in a team score of 320, no one scored above 60. An opening partnership of 154 set up the other score above 300 for the season. Amongst this team focus there were some notable individual performances, including centuries from Wayne McKenna, Don Tulley and John Holland and a quick-fire 96 from Stef Krull. Bowling performances were also consistently good throughout the season, with Tim Holland the standout with his regular knack of finding a way to break up an established partnership. All of this combined into a team spirit that wouldn’t give up on matches, as shown by a recovery from 3/7 and 8/64 to a score of 106, helped significantly by a last wicket partnership of 28 between Greg Nunn and Tim Holland. Then a defense of this total where the opposition was bowled out for 86. For a fifth eleven, the composition of the team was remarkably consistent, so much so that 2 games out from finals only 11 players had qualified for finals. The decision to make sure we had at least 12 players qualified turned out to be amazingly prescient, as for the two finals we played, only 11 players were fit and available! At least this made selection easier. Unfortunately while so much went right during the season, not much went right during the finals. Two tosses lost, two hard days in the field and two under-par batting performances meant that this wasn’t our season. Special thanks to Chris Silvers and Vernon Rozario for all their help during the final series.

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SENIOR TEAM REPORTS

Twenty/20 – by Matt Caia Round 1 vs Cluden: Cluden 8/106 def by Omega 9/108 Round 1 saw our 20/20 team collect its first win of the competition with a narrow win over Cluden. After losing the toss our bowlers put in an excellent performance to restrict Cluden to 106, with Jarryd Wilson taking 3/15 off his 4 overs and Jacob McGaw chiming in with 2/23 off his 4 overs. After a shaky start to our batting with plenty of batters getting starts it came to down to Jacob and Nick Bridges to get us home with Jacob finishing on a very handy 19 and Nick finishing off the game in style with a boundary. Round 2 vs Cheltenham Park: Omega 7/192 def Cheltenham Park 9/80 Round 2 saw us land Tom Beaton from the Renegades for the rest of the competition and what an impact he made for us. Tom made an excellent 66 with Glenn (41) and very handy 20s from Ivan, Brayden and Nick Vawser getting us to an impressive total of 192. To the bowling and it was yet another impressive performance restricting Chelt Park to just 80 with Tom Beaton having an impact with the ball taking 4/17 off his 4 overs and Patty Burnell bowling nicely for his 2/25 off his 4 overs. Round 3 vs Melbourne Hellenic: Omega 5/232 def Melbourne Hellenic 9/160 Round 3 saw Tom Beaton (87) and Brayden O’Toole (87) put on a batting masterclass with both batsmen combining for a total of 12 sixes. Handy knocks from the middle order helped us to amass a massive 232 off our 20 overs. Although the boys from Melbourne Hellenic made a decent fist of it we finished off our last pool game with a pretty comfortable win. Tom Beaton was yet again pick of the bowlers with 3/42 and Jacob McGaw was also impressive with 2/26. Round 4 vs Mackie (Semi Final): Omega 9/174 def Mackie 5/140 Our First finals birth in the 20/20 competition saw us facing Mackie for a spot in the grand final. Batting first and after losing a few quick wickets Matt Caia (78) and Ivan Delac (39) got the team up to yet another impressive total of 174. Mackie really never got going in their innings with the boys putting in an excellent fielding display and Chris Clement bowling the house down with his 3/24 off his 4 overs. Into the grand final we go! Round 5 vs Le Page (Grand Final): Le Page 3/165 def by Omega 5/167 After being undefeated through all games in the competition Le Page in the Grand Final would be our biggest test yet. Le Page put in an impressive performance with the bat with us only managing 3 wickets and them posting 165 off their 20 overs. Ivan Delac (20) started the innings off well with Tom Beaton (83) and Matt Caia (42) taking care of the bulk of the runs, but after both were dismissed we needed a couple of the boys to stand up, enter the Vawser brothers! Both boys got handy knocks in the end and got us the win! After being undefeated throughout the whole competition it was great to see a young group with the addition of Tom Beaton take home its very first set of silverware for the club. Congratulations to all who were involved and especially Chris “Dizzy” Smith who secured the services of Tommy. Thanks to all who came down and supported us and Bring on next year!

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JUNIOR CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT – by Leon McGaw

For many reasons over the last decade, Omega has gone from having an extremely strong junior program, to struggling for numbers. Unfortunately one of my first roles this season, was to tell the nephews of a club legend (and extremely talented kids) that we had no team for them to play in.

From our low point we started to build. We doubled Milo numbers from last year, from around 15 to 30. The Milo Program itself which was run by Nick Vawser was a huge success. He had great help from Scott Vawser, Patty Burnell and Kane O’Toole and a few others. A big thank you guys, the parents loved it and the kids had a ball.

Our first T20 Blast team did itself proud. We ended up having 12 players and everyone improved so much. All these kids will make up our U12 side next year.

Our U18s were superbly led by Sam Bridges again, just missing the finals.

Our U16 Girls’ team was a combined team with Sam again helping out as well. Thanks Sam, you just keep putting your hand up and filling any spot that is required. I’m really going to miss you next year.

The biggest Thank You I will save for Tracey Fletcher for all your hard work and reminders and emails and photos and BBQs and everything else.

Without the support of these wonderful people, we would not have a junior program and without a junior program, it’s just a matter of time before Omega Cricket Club would cease to exist. Our juniors are expanding and have the potential, if we run them right, to explode. But we need more help! So that in the future we don’t have to turn a single, potentially great person away from our club ever again.

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JUNIOR TEAM REPORTS

U18 Report – by Sam Bridges Firstly I would like to thank all players and their parents for the continued commitment to this great squad of young players. It has been a pleasure to coach these boys over the past two seasons and I know myself and many of the senior players at the club are excited about what they will be able to achieve in the future. This season was a challenging one for our side, with many teams stacking multiple top-level cricket players in their squads. Even with this stacked against us, the boys were up to the challenge and each week gave teams who thought they would run over the top of us were given a run for their money (aside from the one week we were bowled out for under 50). This gave us the opportunity in the final game of the season to make the finals, with our team just having to win to get through. Unfortunately we were only able to string together eight players and ultimately lost the game. Even with this finish the boys can be extremely proud of what we were able to achieve throughout the season and can now look forward to a bright future at this club.

U16 Girls’ Report – by Sam Bridges I would like to thank the McKinnon Cricket Club for giving our girls the opportunity again this season to combine a side to play in the all-girls competition this season. Even with the troubles we had with getting numbers each week, the girls had a great time playing with each other and did both clubs proud. As mentioned, we again struggled most weeks this season for numbers. Credit to the quality of players we had, we were still able to beat teams with 11 or 12 players, with our girls regularly playing with half that number. This includes a win in the last game of the season over one of the grand final teams, Mt Waverley, with us only playing with five players compared to their 13. This was a show of how good our girls are and makes all of us wonder what they would have been able to achieve with a full squad. I would like to thank all the girls who played and filled in throughout the season and we look forward to making an effort to fill a stand-alone Omega side in 2016/17.

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JUNIOR TEAM REPORTS

Milo T20 Blast Report – by Leon McGaw

This year saw Omega have its first ever T20 Blast team.

T20 Blast is played by a minimum of 8 players out of a designated site each week (ours was at Bentleigh CC) and you play a 32 over game on tiny grounds with a soft ball. It’s a fantastic, fast paced introduction to cricket with lots of music and dancing.

We had 12 kids participating through the year and the most pleasing thing was how much they improved. We had 9 boys and 3 girls who ended up being great mates and had fun at the same time as learning the basics of cricket.

Our highlights included a constant barrage of 6s from Liam, powerful hitting from Lachlan H and nice stroke play from Nat. Some awesome fielding from Lucas and Lachie M, and great bowling from our 3 girls Meredith, Kiara and our super-sub Alicia, as well as Caiden who can already bowl straighter than his Dad. There was great improvement in Harrison who got his batting going in the later games and in Justin’s bowling and William could turn into a good cricketer if he ever gives up sailing.

Thank you to everyone that helped out this year, as I couldn’t get to all the sessions you guys were a fantastic help, and to Tracey who kept our junior train on the tracks.

With this whole group going into U12s next season we are in need of some new faces to help out in the juniors, so if you’re available let me know, its one of the most rewarding things you will do.

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JUNIOR TEAM REPORTS

Milo In2Cricket Report – by Nick Vawser

I had the privilege to coach the Milo cricketers for 2016/2017 season – our future junior players – boys and girls.

On any one day there would be up to 20 odd enthusiastic players wanting to bat, bowl or field, developing their skills while having a bunch of fun. The huge improvement from the beginning of the season to the end, especially those in their second year of Milo were really evident.

Fun was had through small match practice and rapid fire on the middle wicket, net practice, even “tiggy” and “all over red rover” were popular with the kids and parents alike.

A big thank you to Tracey Fletcher for her support with the admin, the kids and parents and the great BBQs every Saturday morning.

Many hands make for more fun, thanks to my brother Scott Vawser, Patrick Burnell, Kane O’Toole and other young seniors who came to help early on Saturday mornings. I know the kids really loved it, especially when they could then watch their “heroes” bat and bowl in the big comp.

Thanks to all the parents who pitched in to enjoy the activities and drills, also for their support for the functions – our Christmas party, the senior T/20 grand final and trophy night. The club and I love your support.

Looking forward to an even bigger and better program next year with new equipment and seeing the kids progress to Omega Junior teams. Spread the word to your friend’s guys. It’s a great club.

An absolute pleasure.

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CLUB AWARDS Senior Awards Longmuir Shield: Batting: Glenn Beckett 49.89 Ave Bowling: Anthony D’Amico 21.85 Ave Fielding: Patrick Burnell Quiney Shield: Batting: Ilya Fridman 39 Ave Bowling: Paul Taberner 11.67 Ave Fielding: Luke Nunn E Grade: Batting: Steve Mitchell 67.56 Ave Bowling: Cameron McKenna 11.61 Ave Fielding: Adam Vanek F Grade: Batting*: Andrew McGaw 68.67 Ave Bowling: Chris Silvers 19.73 Ave Fielding: Vinnie Micalizzi *The 4th XI batting award is known as the Dave Freeman Batting award G Grade: Batting: Don Tulley 55.5 Ave Bowling: John Holland 8.77 Ave Fielding: Stef Krull Junior Awards U18 (Twilight): Batting: Matthew Vorbach 44.83 Bowling: Matthew Vorbach 10.93 Fielding: Luke Nunn Coach’s Award: Ben Hibbert Girls’ U16 Team This is a merged team with another club and unfortunately this season our girls were not among the award recipients.

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CLUB AWARDS

Club Champion Steve Mitchell

Outstanding Services Tracey Fletcher

Aggregate Runs Steve Mitchell – 727 runs

Aggregate Wickets John Holland and Ben Taberner – 23 wickets

Best Under 21 Player Nick Bridges

Best Clubman Tim Malane and Don Tulley

Omega Medal Steve Mitchell Each match 3, 2 and 1 votes were collected for the senior teams. These votes were given by the captain of the opposition team. Votes were not necessarily for the person who made the most runs or took the most wickets or catches. It was for the person who contributed the most to the game. This also meant that it didn’t matter if a player was up and down the grades during the season, they were still in with a chance. Congratulations to Steve Mitchell who picked up the Omega Medal this season! The final leaderboard was as follows:

Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Tot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Steve Mitchell 1 2 3 3 1 3 1 2 16 Bryce Judd 3 3 2 2 3 13 Glenn Beckett 3 1 3 3 10 Jarryd Wilson 3 2 2 3 10 Luke Wescombe 3 2 2 3 10 Tim Holland 3 2 2 1 2 10 Chris Silvers 1 3 2 3 9 Ivan Delac 3 2 1 3 9 Stefan Krull 3 1 3 2 9 Andrew McGaw 2 3 3 8 Ben Taberner 2 3 2 1 8 Chris Ryan 1 2 3 2 8 James Caia 2 3 1 1 1 8

16 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

SECA AWARDS Knight Sports – Longmuir Player of the Year Votes of 3, 2, and 1 were allocated by the umpires at each Longmuir match for the ‘Knights Player of the Year’ award. Omega’s votes were:

Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Total 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Votes Glenn Beckett 3 3 6 Ivan Delac 2 2 4 Brad Atholwood 3 3 Luke Wescombe 3 3 Bryce Judd 1 1 2 Chris Clement 2 2 Matt Caia 1 1 2 Pat Burnell 2 2 Steven Lay 1 1

Knights’ Longmuir Team of the Year Congratulations to Glenn Beckett who was named in the Knights’ Longmuir Team of the Year as the wicketkeeper.

SECA Aggregate Batting Award Quiney to One Day Grade Steve Mitchell (727 runs)

SECA Batting Average Award F Grade Andrew McGaw (68.67 average)

SECA Aggregate Bowling Award U18 Matt Vorbach (15 wickets) SECA Bowling Average Award U18 Matt Vorbach (10.93 average) SECA Milestones (senior matches only) 400 games Chris Ryan SECA T20 – Div 2 Player of the Series Tom Beaton 17 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

Batting

Centuries

177* Glenn Beckett Longmuir Shield Rd 9 vs Bentleigh ANA 119 Steven Mitchell E Grade Rd 4 vs Hampton Central 113* John Holland G Grade Rd 5 vs West Bentleigh 112* Steven Mitchell E Grade SF vs Hampton Central 102 Wayne McKenna G Grade Rd 10 vs Cheltenham Park 101 Brad Atholwood Quiney Shield Rd 11 vs West Bentleigh 101* Steven Mitchell E Grade Rd 3 vs CHAG 100 Don Tulley G Grade Rd 3 vs Mackie

100+ Partnerships Wicket 1 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 154 Wayne McKenna & Greg Nunn G Grade 10 Chelt Park Wicket 2 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 137 Ben Kelly & Steve Mitchell E Grade 10 Chelt Park Wicket 3 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 156 Steve Mitchell & Ilya Fridman E Grade SF Hamp Central 154 Scott Vawser & Brad Atholwood Quiney 11 West Bentleigh 135 Steve Mitchell & Ben Kelly E Grade 4 Hamp Central 100 Ivan Delac & Glenn Beckett Longmuir 7 Mackie Wicket 4 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 137 Steve Mitchell & Ilya Fridman E Grade 3 CHAG 112 Sam Bridges & Chris Silvers F Grade 6 Carnegie South Wicket 5 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 159 Glenn Beckett & Ivan Delac Longmuir 4 East Sandy 152 Nick Vawser & Ilya Fridman Quiney 6 Carnegie South Wicket 6 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 134 Ramzy Yacoub & Paul McGaw F Grade 10 East Sandy Wicket 9 P’Ship Batters Grade Rd Opponent 107 Glenn Beckett & Nick Bridges Longmuir 9 Bentleigh ANA

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OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES (cont)

Fielding

Catches – not as wicket keeper (all grades) Adam Vanek 11 from 21 matches Luke Nunn 9 from 19 matches Stefan Krull 8 from 10 matches Ben Kelly 8 from 22 matches Ilya Fridman 7 from 11 matches Chris Silvers 7 from 10 matches James Caia 7 from 21 matches James Tulley 6 from 19 matches Ben Hibbert 6 from 23 matches

Catches taken as wicket keeper (all grades) Vince Micalizzi 13 from 11 matches Anthony Ticca 13 from 11 matches Glenn Beckett 11 from 16 matches Harrison Mosley 6 from 9 matches

Stumpings (all grades) Anthony Ticca 8 from 11 matches Glenn Beckett 8 from 16 matches Vince Micalizzi 6 from 11 matches Milestones 150 Games Chris Silvers Anthony Ticca 100 Games James Caia Ben Hibbert James Tulley Khy Horsnell Cameron McKenna REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS U16 Girls’ South East Breakers (Runners Up) Grace Bridges

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Paul Amy Moorabbin Leader 24 August 2016

Vale Noel McGaw, a family man and a man of sport

Moorabbin’s 1957 VFA premiership team. Noel McGaw is in the middle of the front row.

“There’s a great spirit at the place,” Noel McGaw said in 2009 in reference to Omega Cricket Club. “Everyone is equal. There are no favourites. That’s why we don’t lose too many people. A club is four walls and is deaf, dumb and blind. It’s the people in there that actually make a club.” And more than most Noel Noel McGaw and sons Paul, Leon and Gavan of McGaw,primary schoolhis wife at JoyceMoorab andbin. their large family helped Moorabbin Bowls Club make Omega.

It was formed in 1972, as St Catherine’s, emerging from the parish and primary school at Moorabbin.

Its first team was at Under 14 level and among the registered players was Paul McGaw, the son of the Rowans Road residents.

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

One McGaw in the scorebook turned into many.

All nine of Noel and Joyce’s children – Noelene, Paul, Dale, Gavan, Robyn, Lance, Andrew, Naralle and Leon – played for the club. And some of their off-spring do the same.

Noel McGaw died on Sunday, August 14 at the age of 81 after a short illness. He was a life member of Omega and one of its three official “legends”.

He came to cricket late, first playing for the Ommies two years shy of his 40th birthday. Despite that he developed into a handy spinner, a batsman good enough to win a first’s batting average, an excellent fieldsman and a captain. The Omega seniors won the premiership in their first season. When a teammate shook up a bottle of champagne and went to make a celebratory spray, Noel McGaw told him: “Don’t waste it, drink the bloody thing”. More than anyone he knew the need to avoid extravagance and make every cent count.

By the late 1970s Omega was struggling off the field. Noel took over as president and led the club for the next decade, getting it settled at the Rowans Rd pavilion.

He had other sporting accomplishments. A rover, McGaw played football for Moorabbin in the VFA, figuring in its 1957 grand final victory over Port Melbourne (he kicked the first goal of the match).

He tried out at North Melbourne, but didn’t reach the level of his brother Ray, who played 12 senior games for the Tigers. Noel did coach Richmond amateurs in 1959 and so was the last man to coach the great Tom Hafey.

And in his senior years he played lawn bowls at Moorabbin, becoming the coach, a five-time singles champion and earning life membership in 2015. In 2014 he was thrilled to play fours alongside sons Paul, Leon and Gavan.

Noel is survived by his nine children (Joyce died three years ago), 34 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Moorabbin Leader 26 October 2016

Dragon’s Best Follows in brother Jarryd’s footsteps

Jarryd Lyons won the Sandringham Dragon’s best and fairest in 2010.

Now the Adelaide Crows player has been joined on the club honour board by his brother Corey.

In a premiership season for the Dragons, the AFL draft hopeful polled 34 votes to win from Josh Trew (31) and Reuben Hayward and Darcy James (30).

Lyons, a product of St Peter’s Junior Football Club and the son of former league player Marty, was named in the best in 10 of his 15 matches.

The midfielder was influential in the grand final victory over Murray Bushrangers.

Corey Lyons of the Dragons on the run during the TAC Cup Grand Final against the Bushrangers Pic: Michael Dodge/AFL Media/Getty Images

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

Moorabbin Leader 1 February 2017 Boom: Beckett blasts off with a hand off 177 Mark Missen

Omega captain Glenn “Boom Boom” Beckett blasted a magnificent, unbeaten 177 to lead his team to 8-310 against Bentleigh ANA in Longmuir Shield on Saturday.

It was a stunning comeback from the Ommies, who were on the wrong side of the ledger at 6-99.

Beckett dominated from that point, adding 90 for the seventh wicket with Bryce Judd (27) and then an unbroken 107 with No 10 Nick Bridges (25no).

As the afternoon progressed Beckett’s stroke play grew increasingly audacious and his brilliant knock included 14 boundaries and 12 sixes and eclipsed the previous club record score in the top grade.

Editor’s note: This is not the photo used in the article.

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PHOTO GALLERY Trivia Night

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PHOTO GALLERY Christmas Party

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PHOTO GALLERY $2K Draw

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PHOTO GALLERY In2Cricket Milo Program

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PHOTO GALLERY T20 Blast

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PHOTO GALLERY Ladies Day

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PHOTO GALLERY Ladies Day

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PHOTO GALLERY Ladies Day

Thank you to those who purchased recipe books from the day. We produced a recipe book, complete with pictures of all the food served and photos from the day. The full purchase price of $10 was part of Omega’s fundraising effort for the Jane McGrath Foundation. Numbers were down this season due to a few function clashes, however we still had a great time and managed to raise 31 funds.. Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

PHOTO GALLERY Poker Night

Congrats to Stef Krull who was the final winner on the night. As the competitors dropped off it was down to Ivan Delac and Stef Krull in the last stand.

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PHOTO GALLERY T20 Finals Series

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PHOTO GALLERY Girls’ U16 & Milestone Night

Right: Merv Hughes surprised the U16 Girls’ team when they became part of a TV advertisement for Ford (pictured with Merv are Tari Costello and Grace Bridges). Below: Grace Bridges was part of the U16 Girls’ South East Breakers who were eventual Runners Up.

Milestone night: Left: The young brigade who all played their 100th game this season. Pictured are James Tulley, Ben Hibbert, James Caia and Cameron McKenna (Absent: Khy Horsnell)

Right: Anthony Ticca played his 150th game. Yes Anthony – we know you played in a premiership side in U14A.  (Absent: Chris Silvers) 34 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

PHOTO GALLERY Omega’s Trophy Night

This season all the Milo and T20 Blast kids were presented with a medal.

Left: Luke Nunn

Right: Ben Hibbert

Don Tulley with Andrew McGaw John Holland with Tim Holland 35 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

PHOTO GALLERY Omega’s Trophy Night

Andrew McGaw Vinnie Micalizzi Chris Silvers

Steve Mitchell Cameron McKenna Adam Vanek

Paul Taberner Glenn Beckett Anthony D’Amico

36 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

PHOTO GALLERY Omega’s Major Presentation Night

Top Left: The future of the Club. Above: Nick Bridges (Best U21) Below: Best Clubmen Tim Malane and Don Tulley with Noelene Tulley

Above: John Holland and Ben Taberner (Agg Wickets) Below: Steve Mitchell – too many awards to list here Right: The walking wounded: Chris Clement and Amay Nagar

37 Omega Cricket Club (SECA) 2016/17 Season Review

PHOTO GALLERY SECA Presentation Nights

Glenn Beckett was named in the SECA Team of the Year at the Knights Sports evening

Left: Chris Ryan Recognised for 400 Senior SECA games

Right: Andrew McGaw – SECA F Grade Batting Award

Right: Steve Mitchell – SECA Agg Batting Award (Quiney to One-Day)

Below: Paul McGaw collected the T20 Premiership cup on behalf of the club

Right: Matt Vorbach picked up the SECA U18 Agg Bowling and Bowling Average Award

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