Great local cricket stories

[Dogwatcher]

As some of you may be aware, I've a passing interest in grassroots sports and this season have written stories about people involved in football.
The column Football People on www.countryfooty.com.au has been highly popular.

Now it's cricket's turn. In the coming months I, along with several other people, will be launching an exciting new project concentrating on cricket right across South Australia - whatever level.
If you know of any interesting cricket stories - whether they be about long serving volunteers, players, revivals etc, etc, etc - please PM me.
I feel that grassroots cricket doesn't quite get the coverage it deserves and our project will hopefully fill that void.
I just need some help to get it moving.

Please be assured all stories and contacts will be treated with the respect they deserve.

Cheers,

DW.

[ORDoubleBlues]

This may not be in the spirit of what you mean but I'll tell you anyway.

In an A grade Alexandrina & Eastern Hills cricket match in the 2005/06 season between Macclesfield and Wistow at Wistow, Macclesfield's Ben Slack bowled a delivery to the Wistow batsman who played back and slightly acoss and a noise was heard as the ball past the bat - "hhhhhhhooooooowzat?" Slack and the slips cried, "not out" said the umpire to which Slack enquired "what about the LBW?" to which the umpire replied "yes, that's out" and the Wistow team was none to impressed as you could imagine

[tigerpie]

Filled in for atca team in B2's last year.In a close battle, bloke very thickly edged one to the keeper.Really loud edge, played away from his body, so he starts to walk off slowly, but realises his team mate/umpire hasnt raised his finger, so he starts walking back. My reply." your walking mate keep going." His reply, "I dont think i hit it now". To which i politely pursuaded him to keep walking in a little firmer tone. He got the message pretty loud and clear and finally walked off. Hysterical!!!!

[Dogwatcher]

Gold, guys. Keep them coming - I may be able to compile them for a combined piece on umpiring and on field conversations...

[mal]

I was skippering a team
Our swing bowler known as Dingo bowled this over
He bowled 5 outswingers in a row and the batsman played and missed at all 5 balls
The game was in the balance, you can imagine a bit of frustration
Before he bowled the last ball of this over, I called out to Dingo
"" Hey Dingo lets see how f...g good you are , see if your can hit the middle of his bat this time.""

[Phantom Gossiper]

I remember captaining an u/21's side for churches against ATCA one year, and Shane Scudds was their captain..
Had a bloke in my side tell me he had been bowling good chinamen all year so i gave him a trundle, wicket 1st over with a long hop, enter Scudds..
1st ball Scudds whacked one straight and our long on fielder caught it. There was some discussion about whether he slid over the line or not as he caught it, in the end I said we'll give him the benefit of the doubt and he can bat on...

... that was the biggest mistake i've made in my cricket career...

Next 4 balls went into the next suburb, he proceeded to smack 56 of the spinners 3 overs and ended up making something like 80 odd in about 30 or 40 balls

(p.s. i got him out 2nd ball of my 2nd over to him )

[Phantom Gossiper]

oh and they won the game by about 40 runs!

[Media Park]

Not a "great" story, but one I consider a damn funny one...

Our B Grade won a match very quickly (rolled the opposition for 32), and went to watch the A Grade.

It was raining, and really they shouldn't have been playing.

Anyway, as we rocked up, the skipper waves frantically at us, and my mate is summoned to field- they only had ten blokes on the field.

At drinks, we're chatting, and the "gun" all-rounder got fed up with playing in the rain, and just walked off the field...

Anyway, he's waiting at the gates for a taxi (in the rain), and shortly after drinks the game gets called off.

Everyone leaves for the pub, and the Gun is still waiting around for a taxi...


What's better, hours later he joins us at the pub, wondering why we didn't give him a lift!!!

[Footy Smart]

Playing D grade in my first year of seniors at TTGDCC we played Port Adelaide who then were a rabble. They scraped together 9 at the start of the days play with a few rocking up around drinks. We allowed them to bat first so they didnt have to field with 9. We skittled them early and had them approx (the actual scores are fuzzy) 6/20 when a bloke who we have since dubbed 'hawaii five0' strolled to the crease laughing his head off and says 'you lads are in for a treat', he had his hat backwards, sunnies on, thigh bad on the outside of his pants and a t shirt with no colar. He is facing Dave Stuart (played A grade at TTG and Prospect) and a tricky bowler to face with his change up and cutters. First ball, Hamaii five0 goes for a massive swing and misses, next rock is a slower ball he scooped up to cover. The funny thing was before he made contact with the ball he yelled 'Oh Sh*t' realising he had been outdone by davey gravy. He shrugged his shoulders and walked off laughing practising he is cover drive
After that: the rest of their side rocked up in time to bat in the first innings and we rolled them for approx 35, made 2/150 in 20 overs and rolled them for 50 in the second dig..... outright win with 10+ overs to spare!

[james07]

A Game at Sandy Creek when a batsman smashed at massive six onto the road only to hit a passing motorcyclist in the helmet and knock him off his bike. He then proceeded to dust himself off and rode on.

[tigerpie]

One Dayer at reynella oval on a sunday. car drives around to the eastern side of the oval, towing a car trailer with a gemini on it. parks under a pine tree with a big limb jutting out of it almost horizontal to the ground. bloke shineys up it, attaches a chain block and proceeds to yank the engine out of the gemini. All us cricketers stood on the oval and watched the sheer ingenuity of those blokes. engine out,drove off....GOLD!!!!

[Footy Smart]

Few years back SACA got tough on swearing and fined you etc

We had an opening bowler at TTGDCC who was a workhorse but a loose cannon (nicknamed Sweat).... strange cat really! He had his car parked at the top of Bulkana oval some 100m from the crease. A tailender from Sturt who had played and missed for a few overs and didnt look like hitting one managed to connect with a cross bat slog that sent the ball sailing miles and you guessed it staight for the back window of Sweats car. SMASH!!!!! Sweat, watching this unfold powerless, takes his hat off throws it to the ground and yells "F********ck".... the umpire saunters over and tells him he has been reported for swearing. Sweat then kicks his hat forgetting his sunnies were ontop of them and they shatter into pieces.... He lets out another "F******CK" and was subsequently reported twice for swearing and had to pay for a new car window, not a bad days play!

Well Bowled Sweat, Chin up!

[am Bays]

Not a funny story but equates to argaubly the worst days play I've had in myn life.

About four years ago in February we (Nhill Blue) were playing at Winiam (which is 7 km out of Nhill when you take the first Right just after the racecourse when you drive into Nhill from Adelaide). The oval is a fenced off block surrounded by sheep paddocks. There is an old Hall there and disused Tennis courts. The Winiam footy club folded in 1962 and old photos still adorn the walls of the Hall. The oval is small and any decent hit you have to climb the fence into the paddock to find the ball.

Any ways it was in the middle of a heatwave, 45 degrees, no wind just radient heat beating down on us. And with the drought their was some grass around the pitch with flecks of green. The majority of the oval was dirt as per the Little Desert national park another 10 km down the road towards Natimuk, with the occasional clumb of dead grass.

As a keeper my spot was well worn so I spent five hours standing in hot sandy dirt which was being baked by 45 degree heat. One of their blokes was rather portly and and a well docuemnted "hydration routine" on a Friday night. Unfortuantely for Dooka he made runs and batted for two hours. The combination of extreme heat and a skinfull did not help. I've never seen a bloke so red in all my life at tea time. I thought he was going to die due to heat stroke.

Any way we are getting pogoed around the "oval". Can't blame our bowlers at it was sh!t conditions. Anyways about 5:00 pm my shoes started to feel funny when I moved. After five minutes of this I look down and my outer sole is coming away from the mid sole of my cricket shoes. The glue joining the outer sole to the mid sole gave way and my shoes fell apart.

So the end result of the worst day playing cricket in the hottest conditions I've ever experienced standing in hot sand all day my shoes melted. I've played 11 years in Alice Springs and Darwin so I know about hot cricket conditions.

Another experience of mine playing in the West Wimmera Cricket Association was the time I got fired by team mate when batting.

Everyone on here has had the experience I'm sure of umpiring their team mates and the un-written rule is that unless its stone cold moving back, hit below the knee, in front of the stumps you don't give LBs. Both sides umpire the same way has to be absolutely Richie Benaud pumb to be given out.

Any ways I've gone out we are in trouble two for stuff all and one of their blokes is bowling seam up with a two piece on concrete (so its bouncing). Another two wickets fall and we are in deep pooh, so I'm facing this bloke and given it is a one day game he is coming to the end of his spell I'm just trying to see him off. I bat out of my crease (about a foot), I play forward to a delivery of his seam up bowling on matting, the ball flicks the pad flap above my knee on my front foot. "Your dreamig I think as they appeal. Next second my team mate (a bowler) fires me!!! "Ya F***en what" I say as I walk off. Needless to say I gave it to him when he walked off at the end of the over so he could pad up....

Couldn't believe it, given the state of the game when we are umpiring ourselves anything that is of any slight doubt you give not out but yet when we are in deep pooh he fires me when I've played forward, am a good two metres in front of the popping crease, hits hit me above the knee roll and the bloke is bowling seam up with a two piece on matting getting bounce!!!

[Aerie]

One of the more memorable days of cricket I played was a Saturday/Sunday game in the B Grade for West Torrens against Kensington at Henley Oval circa 1999.

We struggled in those days and it wasn't uncommon to find ourselves in for the 2nd time by stumps on day one having already lost the first innings. Being a Saturday/Sunday game and the result a foregone conclusion, the majority of the 11 WT players trudged in hungover the next day, mainly to discuss the night before's antics, but also to complete a game of cricket.

It wasn't long before we were back out in the field, defending a meagre total (no more than 100 from memory) to avoid outright. Kensington had most of the day to chase them down. Enter young 17 year old Robbie Hopkins, who I believe is now playing for Western Youth Centre. He took 9 wickets with his medium swingers and was only robbed of 10 wickets for an innings due to a run out. He himself got the run out, with a direct hit.

We left Henley Oval that day with an outright win against a strong Kensington team, thanks to one player. One of the more remarkable games of cricket I've played and will live on in the memory bank forever, unlike that Saturday night.

[Lightning McQueen]

We returned to the oval after the tea break at Smithfield Oval, I was at my bowling mark ready to roll and noticed we had no keeper as the umpire called play. I looked across at the pub and there was Magsy's little yellow torry parked in the carpark, next thing you see him come running out of the TAB part with his keeping gear on, jump in his car and scooted across Anderson Walk then into our carpark then comes running out to his spot.
He looked up with his usual massive grin and calls out "sorry guys" as he takes his place behind the stumps as if nothing had happened.

[no_remorse28]

All be it an LOE game but we were struggling for numbers at Kilburn with it being a Saturday game (Fridays we always had to many go figure.) A mate Levi filled in for us, hadn't played a game of cricket in his life besides a run in indoor and to this day still finds it the most boring game to play or watch. Any way were were top and I think we played Unley who were 3rd. It was near the 40 degree mark and we got sent in and fell to about 7/40. Enter Levi. who proceeded to make 49 with 11 4's and put on 95 with a 13 year old (who was a gun so he doesn't get a write up lol) to get us to a competitive total of around the 140 mark. Levi then volunteered to take the Gloves as keeper having only ever kept one game of Indoor cricket as a fill in to. And finished with 6 catches, 2 stumping's and a run out at the bowlers end and we won by about 30 runs. One of the better debuts.

In another the 13 year old mentioned above playing in Our LO side but against a team that had a few of there higher grade players in. Any wayz as a 12 year old at this stage he came on to bowl for the first time in a seniors match being a young spinner. The Batsmen calmly laughed and asked if we were serious, they were around 1/50. second ball young Razi (his name) bowled him behind his legs with a beauty of a left arm offie, then proceeded to clean up the rest of the side. finished with 7/9 from 8 overs. Moved to country Vic now but I believe has now played for the Vics U/16's and 18's as well as leading the A grade wickets tally in his country league for the last 2 years. lol

Both ripping debuts

[Phantom Gossiper]

In another the 13 year old mentioned above playing in Our LO side but against a team that had a few of there higher grade players in. Any wayz as a 12 year old at this stage he came on to bowl for the first time in a seniors match being a young spinner. The Batsmen calmly laughed and asked if we were serious, they were around 1/50. second ball young Razi (his name) bowled him behind his legs with a beauty of a left arm offie, then proceeded to clean up the rest of the side. finished with 7/9 from 8 overs. Moved to country Vic now but I believe has now played for the Vics U/16's and 18's as well as leading the A grade wickets tally in his country league for the last 2 years. lol

Both ripping debuts

Raz was a superstar, young afghan kid wasn't he? He loved the cricket!

[no_remorse28]

In another the 13 year old mentioned above playing in Our LO side but against a team that had a few of there higher grade players in. Any wayz as a 12 year old at this stage he came on to bowl for the first time in a seniors match being a young spinner. The Batsmen calmly laughed and asked if we were serious, they were around 1/50. second ball young Razi (his name) bowled him behind his legs with a beauty of a left arm offie, then proceeded to clean up the rest of the side. finished with 7/9 from 8 overs. Moved to country Vic now but I believe has now played for the Vics U/16's and 18's as well as leading the A grade wickets tally in his country league for the last 2 years. lol

Both ripping debuts

Raz was a superstar, young afghan kid wasn't he? He loved the cricket!

Yeah. Left arm spinner. Was always at every training, every game. Brought the drinks out or did the scoreboard. I remember his first game of B's in what was the last game of the year the captain didn't bowl him. Then first game next season took a 5 for and a 3 for. No wonder he is taking a bag of wickets in Vic and playing in rep teams