THE CITY HAMMERS

You can't touch this!
Now why would we ever
stop doing this
When others playing cricket
are never making hits
I've toured around the world
from SCG to Bombay
and its City go, City yes, City play, City best
and the rest can go away.
You can't touch us!

See you all at the South Tamworth Bowlo as day becomes night.

Presentation Night & Magic Moments

With the playing part of the season out of the way, it's time for the post mortems to start and the biggest and best of these will be at the Annual Presentation Night to be held at the home of our major sponsor, the South Tamwortth Bowling Club on Saturday 17th April from 6:30pm in the BBQ area.

Sure we'll have awards to hand out, sure there will be great tucker, sure there will be music and speeches and presentations of this and that but most importantly, you'll be there and so will your mates, wives, girlfriends etc. There is no better way to put a season to bed than getting together with club mates and taking those highlights out to dance. As the night goes on, watch how the greatness of the performances grow!

Don't miss this evening. Apart from anything else, we get a chance to draw a line under this season, slap each other on the back and start to further build the strong social links which eventually make for even stronger playing performances next season.

Cost of the evening will be small $5 per person or $10 a family.

Magic Moments - Towards this end, name your highlight in comments below. It can be about you (really), it can be a single performance or a season performance. It can be a club event. We average 520 hits a week, so let's see some entries. Click on "Comments", write you response and include your name. As they come in, I'll list them to the right in the sidebar. You can simply agree with something already written. Give the people a voice!

Let's have a party!

Message From the Thirds

The City United Cricket Club Third Grade team wish to thank all our many supporters, friends, fellow players and parents for the overwhelming support that we received during out Grand Final match. We recognise that we were beaten by our competitor, but we would still like to acknowledge the help and assistance that was given to us on the quest to training, preparing and playing the Grand Final.

Cheers,
City United Third Grade Team

City United Thirds Under Pressure

City United v Bective East at Riverside 2
City United 144 (Ben Cleghorn 35, Cory Callcott 30, Josh Allen 28x) and 153 (Michael Bellamy 39, Simon Bellamy 38, Tim Hunt 38) lost to Bective East 324 (Ben Cleghorn 4-83, Josh Allen 3-76) by an innings and 27 runs.
It would be pointless to sugar coat the situation after the first day. Against a side which has been undefeated all year and which is strong right across the park, the prospect of taking 17 of their wickets whilst scoring enough to catch them and set them a target is a daunting one.
However ... stranger things have happened on cricket fields. Faced with the question "what is enough runs against Bective", we could ony must a semi-target which proved inadequate but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Cory Callcott batted with great responsibility in the middle order helped by Robbie Smith. The ever reliable Josh Allen was again superb in the tail. He found an aly in Ben Cleghorn who played probably his best innings of the season.
With the ball, all of our bowlers tried hard and Paul Lawrence gave another gutsy spell for the team despite a reoccuring back injury. Josh Allen was quick and Ben Cleghorn bowled a twelve over spell which caused all the Bective bastmen concern. Simon Bellamy bowled well early in the innings. All the bowlers probably bowled too many wide full balls but that's better than dropping too short.
It's all before us but there's nothing to loose. To paraphrase the President, "it's footprint time!"

Sunday
It wasn't to be, beaten by probably the strongest combination in any of the four grades. We hung in there and at least we bowled them out. Ben Cleghorn and Josh Allen were again the heroes with long, strong performances. Batting a second time, trouble came knocking on the door early and at 4-21, heads could easily have dropped to the floor but Tim Hunt and Simon Bellamy put on 60 and then the Bells Bros added another 55 just to show Bective it wasn't all one way traffic.
Hold your head up fellas. You may have finished second but that's a lot better than the other three City teams. Congratulations to the beating heart of this 3rd Grade side which is a great bunch of young men on which to build a club's future and to Skipper Glenn Ryan, who lead his men with a steadfast calm.
As for next year ...

Give The Thirds Your Best Wishes

All club members are invited to leave a comment wishing the Thirds straight bats and safe hands this weekend. To leave you message, click on "Comments" below, type in your message to the Thirds and follow the instructions. Remember, no name, no posting.
Lets fill the page with best wishes. Show the boys you care!

Message From the President

Go to The Presidents Message for the latest words of President Tony Higgins.

The Cricket Tragics

If you are a cricket fan who'd like to discuss the wider issues in cricket, go to The Cricket Tragics. Points of view are expressed on wider cricket matters (can you believe their are cricket matters outside City Thirds?) and you have the opportunity of commenting. There is usually a post after every day's play of a match featuring Australia but often after other games as well. Love to see you there, love to hear your comments. There's even another quiz!

News, views, reviews and yous.

There is a permanent link in the sidebar or click on the name above.

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.