ARTICLE NO 23 13th. March, 2015 Season 2014-15 is a season the Geelong Cricket Club would rather forget in its 22nd year, finishing with just 6 wins for the season and 14th. on the ladder of 18 teams, being the equal lowest number of victories with 6 also in its maiden season of 1993-94 and 2006-07 and compares to 9 triumphs last season. Off the bat (excluding extras), its batsmen averaged 20.9 runs per wicket compared to 32.3 the previous season whilst its bowlers didn’t fare any better, yielding 32.3 runs per wicket compared to 21.7 in 2013-14. Although leg-spinner Jeremy Hart was a welcome return to top the bowling aggregate, it clearly missed the firepower of Jake Reed who was injured or unavailable with State duties (3 wickets @ 54.0 compared to 46 scalps @ 12.2 the previous season) plus the absence of Marc Carson to Newtown & Chilwell with 22 wickets last season. A positive was the ranking of the Geelong Cricket Ground at number 4 for pitch and outfield conditions (Albert Ground heading the list) whilst Kardinia Park West won the award for the second consecutive season. Damian Shanahan will be missed as he went “beyond the call of duty” in an attempt to lift the club to a flag, coaching the club for 8 seasons which has only been bettered by Ian Redpath with 6 seasons in the job. His 147 matches yielded a winning ratio of 49%, marginally ahead of the 1st.X1 average when he arrived with 48% wins. Following are the stats comparisons for the last two seasons re home-and-away matches. Ben Fletcher from Melbourne University won the batting aggregate with 877 runs @ 62.6 with Vines in 11th. position whilst Ian Holland from Ringwood collected the most wickets of 42 @ 15.5 with Hart in 19th.position. SEASON SEASON 2014-15 2013-14 BATSMAN RUNS AVE RUNS AVE E.Vines 610 43.6 385 35.0 H.Butterworth 460 24.2 576 41.1 M.Harrison 422 32.5 363 33.0 J.McDonald 394 20.7 150 15.0 C.Sandri 365 20.3 C.Ogle 188 14.5 T.Treble 183 16.6 M.Buchanan 155 77.5 J.Sheppard 151 12.6 12 6.0 D.McGlinchey 90 15.0 M.Reid 86 17.2 M.Gunther 79 9.9 42 10.5 J.McPhee 49 8.2 82 10.3 J.Hart 45 7.5 J.Reed 42 14.0 70 17.5 L.Ibbs 36 12.0 5 2.5 L.Ford 24 12.0 0 0.0 D.Shanahan 9 A.Hewet 14 4.0 A.Finch 1 1.0 211 105.5 J.Harrison 0 J.Crosthwaite 614 38.4 K.Sawas 572 31.8 L.Muller 144 14.4 A.Cairns 85 21.3 M.Condy 67 16.8 M.Carson 49 49.0 A.Hodson 29 29.0 J.Westhorpe 16 C.Williams 0 0.0 SEASON SEASON 2014-15 2013-14 BOWLER WICKETS AVE WICKETS AVE J.Hart 28 32.2 J.Sheppard 23 24.0 3 26.3 C.Sandri 14 36.5 C.Ogle 12 36.3 1 22.0 J.McPhee 10 19.8 30 17.4 D.McGlinchey 6 41.3 H.Butterworth 5 28.4 4 66.3 J.Reed 3 54.0 46 12.2 M.Gunther 3 65.7 6 40.5 S.Condy 2 19.5 M.Reid 1 1.0 T.Treble 1 18.0 L.Ford 1 46.0 4 26.5 A.Finch 1 49.0 E.Vines 0 J.McDonald 0 J.Harrison 0 A.Hewet 0 L.Muller 28 25.6 M.Carson 22 22.9 A.Cairns 4 24.5 A.Finch 3 15.7 M.Condy 1 12.0 A.DiGiacomo 1 53.0 C.Williams 1 67.0 J.Westhorpe 0 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The business end of the season commences this weekend with the Qualifying Finals, perennial 1st.X1 finalists in recent years in South Barwon, East-Belmont, Grovedale, North Geelong and St. Josephs taking part plus the “newcomer on the block” of Geelong City which last played finals cricket in 2006-07 It plays South Barwon, the two sides having not played each other this season as the scheduled round 9 match was abandoned. Geelong City last won the top prize in 1985-86. St. Josephs won the premiership last season, East-Belmont in 2012-13, Grovedale in 2011-12 and North Geelong in 2006-07. South Barwon enters its 4th. consecutive season in the finals but its last flag was way back in 1976-77. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX East-Belmont wicketkeeper-batsman, Mark Hanley will celebrate his 150th 1st XI match this weekend against Grovedale. Already a triple premiership player at East he is in career-best form this season with two centuries lifting his career tons to four and is averaging 51.5 compared to his career average pre this season of 33.1. Grovedale skipper Barry Tsitas needs just 3 wickets to reach four hundred career wickets to reach the milestone of 400 victims and with 5 bags of 3 wickets exactly this season he is in line to do so and took 3/25 in the opening round against East-Belmont. A travelled cricketer he began his career at East, then had stints at Manifold Heights and Newtown & Chilwell before moving to Grovedale in 2007-08. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ON THIS ROUND 25 YEARS AGO – 1990 (As Qualifying Finals were not introduced until 2004-05, On This Round 25 years ago is shelved for this week). ON THIS ROUND 10 YEARS AGO – 2005 As a result of the most radical change in the GCA’s 1st.X1 history since 1896-97, the competition comprised of 20 clubs, 10 in the North-West section and a further 10 in the South-East section.In the North-West section, St.Peters clashed with Geelong West and Bell Post Hill played Lara whilst in the South-East section, Newcomb & District was pitted against Geelong City and East-Belmont played Grovedale. Geelong West, which managed just 82 & 92 against St.Peters in the clubs two home-and-away matches compiled a match winning 8/234 with good hands from Glen Talarico (62), Michael Bright (49) and Tony Spence (30). Clayton Nelson returned the excellent figures of 5/82 but St. Peters lost with 212, Andrew Spengler (40), Marcus Stow (33) and Damian Hester (32) all getting good starts. Bell Post Hill accounted for Lara by a slender 26 runs, big occasion players Brad Stacey(70) and Darren Kiddle (4/55) leading The Hill to victory, Danny Hughes gallant in defeat with an unbeaten 88. Drew Allen, with 407 home-and-away runs at the Bradman like average of 81.4 continued his great form with an unbeaten 76 and with Beau Carroll (38) guided East-Belmont to victory with 7/205 against Grovedale, Graeme Harper (3/61) and Clinton Ford (3/66) bowling 50 overs between them. Reigning premier Grovedale collapsed for 145, Mathew Caulfield 3/23 off 18 lively overs. When an opening bowler claims 6/36 it would normally be expected that his side would win the game but this was not the case in the Geelong City-Newcomb & District match. Chris Jones season best 6/36 restricted City to 162, Adam Pitts (40) and captain Travis Agg (31) standing tall but Newcomb collapsed for a lowly 130, Agg again to the fore with 3/32. Jason Murray (35no) and keeper Simon Anderson (30) the only batsmen to get a start, a disappointed Newcomb thus eliminated from the finals after losing just 2 home-and- away matches for the season. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX DID YOU KNOW? Forty eight clubs have played GCA 1st.X1 (Division One) cricket since 1896-97 and the club to play the most seasons not to win the flag is North Shore-Norlane which played 19 seasons between 1966-67 to 1984-85. The twenty three other clubs not to win the premiership to date are Alexander-Thomson (one season played), Belmont (1), Marshall (1), Newtown & Chilwell “B” (1), Excelsior Mill (2), Magpies (2), Murgheboluc (2), Yarra Street Wesleyans (2), Bell Park (3), Capulets (3), Geelong West Pre WW1 (3), Kardinia (3), Valley Mill (3), Torquay (4), Bellarine (4), CYMS (4), International Harvester (5), Newcomb & District (6), Chanel College (7), St. Peters (8), Manifold Heights/Geelong Cement (10), Ford Motor Company (10), and Highton (14). XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ARTICLE NO 22 6th. March, 2015 Its 50 years since the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association was born and at this year's Presentation Night, the Association will announce the BPCA Team of 50 years (1964-65-2014-15). The Association emerged from the Bellarine Sub-Section in GCA cricket in 1951-52. In those days the GCA consisted of District 1sts to 4ths, Section 2 to 7, the Bellarine Sub-Section, Corio Sub-Section, South Barwon Sub-Section, Urban Sub-Section, Hedley Shield, Solomon Shield & Gowty Shield. The Bellarine Subsection was played between Wallington, Ocean Grove, Breakwater, Queenscliff, St.Leonards, Drysdale, St. Albans, Thomson, Newcomb, Australian Legion, Leopold & Portarlington. The competition lasted 13 seasons with Wallington dominating with 5 flags. Norm Kelly compiled the highest score with an even 200 for Australian Legion against Leopold in 1952-53. Only 3 batsmen scored a century in a grand final , B.Wilton (169 for Wallington) B.Whelan (130 for Queenscliff) and M. Sutcliffe (100 for Wallington). In that Bellarine Sub-Section, T. Hall achieved the feat of 105no & 7/36 in the same match against Breakwater in 1959-60 , being one of only 17 players to compile that double in all forms of GCA cricket.