CRICKET
VETERANS
THE dream of wearing the baggy green can still remain alive even when you are a senior citizen.
Latrobe Valley will host the biggest veterans cricket carnival in the country later this month, when the national over 60s rolls into town.
The Cricket Australia Masters National Cricket Championships are held each year, from over 40s through to over 75s.
The events are usually rotated between the states. This year, it’s Gippsland’s turn to host the over 60s.
The over 60s is the longest running of the national championships, and has all states and New Zealand competing.
Local veterans cricket club, the Gippsland Goannas, has been assigned the daunting task of hosting.
This means arranging for matches to be played at local cricket clubs while the competition is running.
“We have decided that the focus of the over 60s event will be the Latrobe Valley – we have also been allocated an over 55s national championships in December, and its focus will be the Sale/Maffra area and Wellington Shire,” the club said.
“The over 60s national championships will provide a significant sporting, social and economic boost to the Latrobe Valley region.
“It is anticipated that around 300 masters cricketers will attend, plus umpires, officials and partners, with a total of around 500 visitors associated with the event.
“The event has strong potential to showcase the Latrobe Valley and the wider Gippsland region.
“We are aiming to include a strong Gippsland flavour to the championships, showing the strength of local clubs, businesses, products and local government.
“Our aim will be to focus on the strengths of Gippsland, demonstrating our capacity to work collaboratively to support our communities. We are also keen to showcase our local clubs, facilities and hospitality.
“We therefore wish to partner with all local clubs to present an efficient and welcoming organisation to our visitors from all the Australian states and New Zealand.
“We wish to ensure that the championships provide benefit to participants, but are also strongly beneficial to local clubs.”
The over 60s championships start with a meet and greet on Saturday, November 21, followed by games on Sunday, November 22 and Monday, November 23.
A rest day will be on Tuesday, November 24, and a further round on Wednesday, November 25. Finals and a presentation event will be Thursday, November 26.
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CRICKET
VETERANS
By GORDON COWLING
GIPPSLAND Goannas Over 60s cricket team travelled to Bellbird Park, Drouin for their match against Baw Baw Veterans on Sunday.
The Baw Baw captain won the toss and decided to bat first.
Bernie Symons and Rob Taylor opened the bowling. The score was 2/20 after eight overs and 2/41 at the 20 over drinks break.
Baw Baw struggled to 5/104 after their 40 overs.
Taylor took 2/13 and Neil Meredith went for just 12 off four overs.
The Goannas were in trouble in reply, losing two quick wickets.
The side recovered however, and got to 2/55 at drinks.
Ray Smith made 23 retired, and Jimmy Armstrong scored 27 off 22 balls to see the score passed in the 35th over.
This week, the national over75 and over 80 championships are being played in the Albury/Wodonga area.
Goannas Ian Gibson, Ian Southall and Gordon Cowling are playing in the younger group, and Phill Higgins and Fred Debono in the ‘older’.
The Goannas over 50s are due to play a home game against Ballarat this Sunday (November 15), while the over 60s team will play a home game against the Mornington Sharks.
The over 70s team is due to play Yarra Valley at Churchill on the following Wednesday.
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CRICKET
VETERANS
By GORDON COWLING
GEELONG Veterans Cricket Club brought two teams to Gippsland for the annual over 60 and over 70 games played on the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
This has been an annual fixture the last for four years.
The 60’s game was played on the turf wicket at Toongabbie.
Geelong won the toss and batted.
Dodkins and national rep Chris Carr opened the batting, facing Bernie Symons and Ian Freshwater.
Freshwater bowled Carr in the 10th over when the score was 1/33.
Keith Orchard and Rino Metlikovec were the change bowlers, with Rino getting Colin Sing lbw in the 17th over, after Dodkins and Davis both retired after 25 balls.
Steve Webley and Rob Taylor were the next bowlers. Rob took a wicket in each of his first two overs to have Geelong 4/102 at drinks.
Webley had Primmer well caught by Peter Anton soon after, before the next three batsmen all retired.
Anton and John Daddo took a wicket each, before the retiring batsmen started returning.
Geelong was 5/136 at the 30 over mark, eventually completing their innings at 8/171.
The wickets were well shared by the Goannas bowlers, with Taylor 2/19 from seven overs the best.
After a sumptuous feast, when the two over 70’s teams came back to the main ground for their break, the Goannas sent youngsters Webley and Daddo out to open the innings. They both retired after 30 balls, bringing Freshwater and Taylor to the crease.
Freshwater retired for 26, while Taylor was stumped for 13 in the 21st over when the score was 1/85. The match was perhaps slightly in the Goannas’ favour at this point.
Orchard retired for 14, Jim Armstrong was caught for eight, Metlikovec stumped for one, Chris de Vent lbw for 10 and Ray Floyd caught for a single.
Anton was stumped for eight and Symons 15 not out when he was joined by the retiring openers as the score reached 158 in the final over.
Daddo was out in the final over for 32, while Webley was not out 21 at the end.
Unfortunately, the Geelong bowlers were a bit too good for the Goannas batting, despite Symons and Daddo hitting big sixes towards the end.
THE Over 70’s game was played at the nearby Village Green.
Geelong won the toss and batted.
The two openers retired, despite Gordon Cowling bowling five overs for three runs.
National over 70s player Ian Davis hit two sixes while making 36 runs from 22 balls. He was spectacularly caught by Derek Morris from the bowling of Barrie Nunn.
Four more batsmen retired as the score mounted to 3/83 at the 20 over drinks break.
Neil Meredith had John Costello lbw, and Nunn also had Guy Eastwood caught behind by Ian Gibson. Andy Slevin could now be called “Golden arm”, as his returns saw two batsmen run out later in the innings.
The score reached 6/149 at the end of 40 overs.
Best bowling for the Goannas was by Meredith, with 2/26 from six overs, and Nunn with 2/20 from five overs. Fred Debono, Andrew Smith, Gibson and Ron Milnes bowled 17 overs between them.
Ian Southall and Gibson opened the batting for the Goannas, with Southall bowled in the second over, the ball cannoning into the stumps after hitting his pads well outside leg stump.
Meredith made a quick 20, with two sixes, Gibson, Morris and Debono all retired as the score read 2/71 at the drinks break.
Garry Rose turned the strike over as Cowling hit 30 from 30 balls.
Smith, Slevin, Donald Cameron, Nunn and Milnes all contributed a few runs, and were out trying to push the score along.
Gibson, Debono and Morris returned, but were unable to score enough runs to reach the target. The Goannas were bowled out for 136 in the 38th over.
All agreed it was a great game of cricket, played in great spirit, and special mention was made of Heather Farley and Deidre Hunter who fielded for both teams, mostly better than some of the men on the park!
