3rd Grade Preliminary Final 20/3/10

3rd Grade v Wests at Riverside 2
Wests 126 (Simon Bellamy 4-38, Josh Allen 2-10, Ben Cleghorn 2-38) and 207 (Ben Cleghorn 6-54, Josh Allen 3-38) lost to City United 252 (Mark Chew 47, Cory Callcott 42, Michael Bellamy 37, Josh Allen 30, Simon Bellamy 28, Pat Dwyer 20) and 1 for 84 (Tim Hunt 38x, John Kennedy 33x) outright by 9 wickets.

Saturday
A fabulous performance from the 3rds, with changes during the week to the side which flogged Souths, including the season long captain Glenn Ryan. In his place, Michael Bellamy has done a wonderful job with sharp field placings and some of the more astute touches it takes to lift sides to play winning cricket.
Brother Simon, although feeling he has had days where he bowled a better line and length, did the business on a slow ad low Riverside 2 deck. Josh Allen just continued on his brilliant way with two early wickets and Ben Cleghorn, despite injury, kept the pressure on.
Early wickets might have rattled the side but the brothers Belamy have batted the team to the edge of a huge advantage with sensible, level-headed cricket during the slow partnership which started in defience of the bowlers and then gradually filled the run bucket. Despite any appearances to the contrary, this was a day of great team cricket and this mob hunted like a pack whilst a lot of us sat by and took a lesson from a great group of young blokes.
More work lies ahead on Sunday but this was a day of gutsy, brave cricket in the execution of the stand in Skipper's match plan.
Sunday
With the Bellamy's both gone within four overs you could have been forgiven for thinking a small first inning lead might be all that would be gained and the match back in the melting pot. Team batting made a lie of such thoughts. Callcott, Chew, Allen and Cleghorn batted and batted and batted, using up 87 overs, adding to the lead and eating up time. It was stiring stuff. Batting again after having their score doubled, Wests went for the doctor and threw the bat at everything in order to run through City second time round. Skipper Bellamy was equal to the task, keeping fieldsmen in catching positions rather than pushing the panic button and sending everone out. Cleghorn honoured his recent form and bagged another six scalps, giving him 18 wickets in two games.Catches to a nervously set field and City was set 82 for the outright win. After losing an early wicket, Hunt and Kennedy followed the example set by team mates in the first innings and steadily amassed the required runs.
How strong is this performance? Every batsman in the top eight got a score of 20 or more in the match. All the bowlers bowled well and Cleghorn (8-92), Allen (5-48) and Bellamy (5-48) took important wickets and were never intimidated.
This is a Grand Final team.
Match scoresheets are available in Results and all the boys stats have been added in City Stats. For photos of the game go to City Snaps.

City United Presentation Night

Another reminder to all players and supporters that the Presentation Night (or as it's known in some circles, Allan Border's Other Medal) will be held at the South Tamworth Bowling Club, in the BBQ area, from 6:30pm on the 17th April. Your compere for the evening will be none other than Langers. There will be all the season's photos projected onto the big screen, prizes and other trinkets for the gifted, a few speeches and some great tucker. A new item this year will be a Yearbook which will have all the season's stats & reports from captains to sum up 2009/10.

Richard Wilkins will be there to interview all guests on the red carpet.

All this for the bargain basement price of $5 a head or $10 a family.

Any holders of perpetual trophies please get them to Simon as soon as possible or the week before that.

Be there or be a four-sided plane figure having all its sides equal and all its anges right angles!

3rd Grade Preliminary Final

It's all up to a youthful Thirds this weekend, as the only City United flag bearers as they take on Wests in the preliminary final.
We wish them well but that's hardly enough! Let's get down to Riverside 2 en masse and make some noise for our club mates and help Skipper Michael Bellamy and the boys bring it on home for a shot at the premiership next week. There must be some time over the two days when you can make your self known.
Go for it Thirds!

See a message from the President.

Urgent Notice - Club Meeting

There will be a meeting of the City United Cricket Club tonight, Tuesday 16th March, from 6:00pm at the South Tamworth Bowling Club.
The main order of business will be to discuss the club presentation night. Players, parents and supporters are welcome to attend.

Semi Final Weekend

A bitter sweet weekend for City United with the 2nds knocked out after being so competitive in the second half of the season and for such a long time in their semi-final. The 3rds again rose to the occasion in a compelling and in the end emphative outright win. Birthday men, Chris Langston and Ben Cleghorn certainly found good ways to celebrate with the ball and Richie O'Halloran's rich run of form continued.

2nd Grade v Souths at Chaffey Park
Souths 206 (Chris Langston 4-17, Ben Semmler 3-50) defeated City United 156 (Richie O'Halloran 55, Leo Steyn 45, Sean Hancock 27) by 50 runs.
One Mitch Holt (souths) over closed the season down for the 2nds after they had bowled so well on the first day, with Langston and Semmler outstanding but everyone contributing. Unfortunately, with Souths 7-114 and the game plan of playing a bowler heavy line up, pressure stopped yielding wickets and by stumps, there was 200 to chase. In truth, this side hasn't chased that many and won very often this season, if at all. After a clatter of early wickets where Hancock had really looked the goods, City was in trouble at 4-44. Steyn and O'Halloran combined for an 80 run stand that whispered victory until Steyn, Mick Bellamy and Jaye Sippel all left in that Holt over spoken of ... at least two of them to decisions that would have most times gone the other way, but then, that's cricket. Totals have been our problem all season. There's lots to gain from experiences this season and young players to celebrate and watch for next season in Bellamy, Steyn, Batley, Sippel, Lawrence.

3rd Grade vs Souths at TREC
City United 130 (Josh Allen 26) and 159 (John Kennedy 43, Cory Callcott 30, Ryan Sippel 22) defeated Souths 105 (Ben Cleghorn 7-53, Robbie Snith 2-0) and 112 (Josh Allen 4-17, Robbie Smith 3-30, Ben Cleghorn 3-43) by 72 runs.
What a great win by 3rds, underlined as it was by a terrific bowling effort from Cleghorn who picked up match figures of 10-96 in two long spells of bowling. Josh Allen also had a big game, particularly with another very sensible hand at the end of the first innings and his contribution stands creditably against the first innings lead of only 25. In the last innings, his first three overs produced three wickets which broke the game in City's favour. Special mention to wicketkeeper Mark Chew who must be getting younger judging by his seven dismissals for the match including five first innings catches! Well played boys.