Cricket Club - A2 Seniors

PREMIERS!!!! (take em however they come)

Our team awards start with the A2’s and a weird feeling Premiership. See our trophy winners and wrap up from Skipper Adam Shearwood...

Hello everyone,
The A2s this year were looking to go back to back after winning our elusive premiership last year. We had a slightly different team this year with Desengo, Keysi and Darcy Campbell no longer available for various reasons and we knew it was going to be much tougher without them. The joys of this were it gave everyone a chance to step up and give young blokes more of a go. We debuted 4 more under 16s this season being Sam Hill, Max Ashworth, Conor Lidstone and Lachy Knight (Although Lachy missed out on playing as the other team forfeited). Sam and Max both are very promising bowlers who managed to take wickets on debut, whilst Conor had such a good year he earned himself a spot opening the batting in our best 11.

Season wise it was a bit of a strange A2 competition this year with the top 5 being very even but the other 5 teams struggling a little and some struggling to even get teams on the park which led to us winning 3 games via forfeit including our final 2 minor round games. We ended the season with 14 wins 3 losses and a draw due to a rain out. This led to us being the Minor premiers and eventually the premiers thanks to Covid-19. Funnily enough we never beat the second placed uraidla who should rightfully feel a little pissed off but we managed to win all the games we should have throughout the year to sneak into top the 2nd to last week of the season. Bit of a bizarre way to win a flag but congratulations to the lads for getting the job done throughout the season and once we can have some fun again we will rightfully celebrate.

Award Winners below

Batting Aggregate & Average- Adam Shearwood 574 runs @ 63.78. We had a bit of a strange year with the bat, a couple of our regular run scores from prior years in Jono Coat & Andy Adams having quiet years meant we struggled a bit in particular against strong sides like Uraidla, Aldgate and Mylor. We did have a couple of really solid contributors though; young gun Conor Lidstone made 201 runs @ 20 in his first season at senior level which was super impressive. Thomas Watton turned into one of the best all-rounder’s in the comp making 218 runs @ 27.25 and Nathan Abbot played some important innings throughout the year and cemented himself in our top 5 making 180 runs @ 20. If we want to step back up into A1s our batting will need to be improved however.

Bowling Aggregate & Average - Danny Coleman 23 wickets @ 9.96. I think it makes everyone in the club pretty happy (Other than Ethan Dinning) that Danny “Uncle Ivan” Coleman won both the bowling average and aggregate this year. Danny has been in and out of our top team the last few seasons showing glimpses but this year he was awesome and at only 19 the best is yet to come. It all started in round 1 when he won us the game against Aldgate with some huge wickets late and then he managed to take 2 5fas throughout the year. Unfortunately with the 2 forfeits late in the year he never got the chance to try and win the association awards. Our bowling this year was excellent and by far the most miserly in the competition.

Special mentions to Ben McGowan who did as he has done for a decade taking 21 wickets at 12.76, Russell Fairley who became one of our key bowlers this season bowling his offies taking 17 poles @12.71, Thomas Watton who same as Russ became hugely important to our bowling this season taking 15 wickets @ 11 and then the old boy Andy Adams doing as he does whilst always complaining about his old frame taking 11 wickets @ 13.09 and going at about 2 an over.

Fielding Trophy
The fielding award this season goes to Thomas Watton who is comfortably our best fielder especially after Matthew Dunn left halfway through the season. He took 10 catches in 11 games with the next best being 5. We can be pretty funny to watch in the field sometimes so it’s nice to have someone decent out there like Watto.

Captains Award - This goes to my right hand man in Beau Thomas. Beauy barely misses training and is the one bloke who has never missed a game consistently over the last few years. This year he had a different role with the ball as with no Desengo and Keysi he had to take the new ball, whilst he didn’t get the wickets he usually does he bowled the most maidens in the competition with 21 which is a hugely underrated stat at this level. He also skippered the team the weeks I was in Whyalla and he won every game he captained (Forfeits still count). Thanks for all your help this year Beau.

Highlights as below

  • Ben McGowan taking 5 for 21 including a memorable hat trick against Kangarilla

  • Danny Coleman taking 5 for 31 against eastern ranges and 6 for 23 against Kangarilla

  • Nathan Abbot and Daniel Partridge putting on a 155 run partnership against basket range in enjoyably quick time with Nath making 81 and Parters 76.

  • Watto making his first B grade 50, he ended making 2 during the year.

  • Conor making his first senior 50 against Flagstaff Hill

  • Russell Fairley taking 4 for 22 in an important game against flaggies late in the year and just spinning a web around them.

  • Lastly Ethan Dinning taking a memorable 4 for 6 against basket range including 3 for 0 in his first over. Should have got 5 but fatigue set in after his first 3 overs. Ethan typically keeps for us but his bowling has really improved and should get more opportunity going forward.

A big thank you to all the lads for their efforts this season it is a fun group to be apart off and to everyone that I have captained over the past 4 years thanks for your contribution even if it was just filling in a game or two. I hope whoever is chosen to skipper next year gets picked on just as much as me in the after game drinking games. Thanks to Techno & Yoth for working with me to get the sides together, never easier when I’m taking your players. Thanks to Andy as president he has done a wonderful job over a long period now and we appreciate all you do for the club. Also a special shout out to Di for cooking meals on Thursdays and Cris McGowan for meals on Saturdays nights!

Thank you.