Oct 25 2012 - Barnies. Second Semi Final

Untitled - Thursday Oct 18. Last home and away game.

Match Report

1 Game to go and the double chance needs to be secured - 2 skins will do it. With only 3 of Untitled there at the start of play The Cutters leadership group opted to let them bat first. (Excercise for the morning - who would be the leadership group at The Cutters?) Dowell opening to a left right combination and there intent is to get down the wicket and hit the ball hard to the back. Perry effects a sharp run out off a solid shot to get the first wicket. Vlastuin for the second over and off a perfect length the batsman is beaten all ends up and Rock effects the relatively easy stumping. This is followed by a great bit of fielding by the bowler who then flicks it back on to the stumps and after 8 balls they are just 2 - but they are still striking the ball hard. Perry for the third over and twos and threes come steadily. Hill for the last over to what we suspect may be their best pair and Hill has an over he would rather forget - didn't help that his cousin dropped a catch that went for four. With some good ball striking they recover from the shaky start to post 40.

Vlastuin to the next pair which includes the 6 foot 20 Dravish who struggles to get bat on ball. 2 dot balls are followed by a stumping by the Don - then a caught and bowled and a run out and the birthday boy looks like he is going to have a good one with a 3 for -6. The Don next and after a couple of leg sides gets a run out and a bowled. Vlastuin for the Power Play and they are starting to strike the ball well scoring 3 fours. Similarly of Rock they get more runs but a timely run out pegs them back and they add just 19. Dowell to the final pair and while its tight he can't snare a wicket. Perry next and a sharp chance is taken by the Don on the second bite. The Hill boy next and he is a bit cross about his first over and it shows snaring 1 for 3 with a sharp run out effected by his own fielding. The Don last and a caught and bowled and a last ball 7 have them post a total of 90 to chase. Lets see how we go.

Dowell and the Don first and facing the chucking Sunatha we see him off with out incident. With the Don facing the wayward Hirun he recieves 5 no balls in a row the fifth because of not informing of change in direction which we get an extra run. A half tracker has Dowell's eyes lit up and while not getting the seven a four is scored relatively safely. The next over has three more no balls but has one run out. The final over they make an extraordinary decision to put Hirun on again. He bowls the first three deliveries legally and the score has crept up to 32 - nine to get the skin. Dowell then receives 3 gift no balls which are all rebowled and now the score is 38. Finally a legal delivery and 2 is scored and then another and Dowell sees off the last to finish at 42 and the all important skin - although the win should be secured from here - but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Hill and Perry and they set about their steady accumulation Hill finding the pace and length to his liking as he pushes some well placed threes - they rotate the strike well and the score is building tidily. Just the one out in the last over sees them post 33 and with 75 on the board the final pair of Rock and Vlastuin need just 16 to get over the line. With birthday boy facing they are run out first ball - oh well got that out of the way I suppose - this is followed by a typical Rock drive for 4. A run out in the second over has the score creeping up on the total. A solid five from Rock in the power play over has us up to 94 with an over to go - one of the chuckers Sunatha to bowl the last. 2 leg sides - a run out and a close stumping chance (that went our way) had them score another 4 for the last and the win is secured.

MVP to the Rock - Mick's birthday present and it is now on to games of significance next Thursday at 9pm - been a while since we have been in finals and I for one am looking forward to the pressure. Go Cutters!

Thursday 6 August 2009 vs Sub Prime

Match Report.

Well this match had a bit of everything including a potential dust up and a remarkable bit of mathematics on the score sheet.

Not sure if we won the toss or not but we were having bat. So and the flu infested Dowell (got out of bed for the team) opened and faced some steady bowling. After two overs they were going steadily but in the third over power play Dowell went for one and was bowled. So followed suit and after another run out in the fourth 21 was posted. Then Hill and Vlastuin are in and the runs compile slowly with Sub Prime able to keep the bowling tight. 23 is posted and we are building. Final pair is Rock and Black and Rock swinging freely picks out a couple of fieldsmen for run outs and some threes and fours while Black deftly picks off the constant leg side inswingers for two. Another 21 and 65 is on the board not enough it is felt but you never know in this game.

Dowell opens the bowling and picking up a wicket keeps it tight and they have only 4 on the board. With Vlastuin, Hill and So following they did manage to get a couple of lucky shots away and compile 27. New pair and Black is thrown the ball. Despite one 7 getting away 4 wickets are taken including the usual clean work by Rock and a spectacular one handed catch off the top net by Black himself and Sub Prime are under pressure. The approach from Sub Prime was to keep swinging and Dowell and Hill at the back were given a work out. The second pair managed to post 29 with a strange final ball incident off Hill. The batsemen decided to wander down the pitch leisurely while Hill was running in. Hill decideds to not deliver the ball stops and sends him back to the crease. Matt the mouth for Sub Prime at the non strikers end has a go at Hill, Hill responds. Delivering the last ball the batsmen employs the same tactics of wandering well down the pitch - Hill bowls stright over his head - a little too high otherwise Rock would have effected the stumping. Calls for no ball and the like was asked for but the umpire said the ball was good. And then there was a little verbal with the usually quiet Dowell jumping into the fray and arguing with the whole team through the net. Calls from Hill and Black got Dowell back on the game.

So with 10 to defend can Black weave some magic? and he did! First ball eyes light up whack and Hill positions himself perfectly and takes the catch. Three more wickets follow and Black has taken 8 for -8 in his two overs and we are in with chance. So followed and more wickets came including a third ball run out. Rock to bowl the 11th and a full toss gets despatched and they only need 3 off the last over. Dowell has the last over and following discussions with Hill, Dowell suggests keeping three up the front as they are probably going to creep their way to the total. First ball to the better batsman and he carefully gets two. Next a full length ball and a healthy edge is caught by the forward placed So. 4 to get and with the better batsman on strike Dowell manages a dot ball with a near stumping as he falls foward playing carefully. Unfortunately Dowell then bowls a straight full toss and it is despatched to the back - 7 and they keep the last two out to win by three. Without that opportune delivery the pressure could have mounted.

Evaluating the score sheet the umpire got himself totally confused as he added negative numbers as positives including awarding the final pair a total of 27 when they only made 13. This also included one of the last pair making 30 which should have been 17 and being awarded MVP. Black with 16 runs and spectacular bowling figures was clearly the MVP. Interesting game.

Thursday 14 May 2009 vs Royals

10 pm games are not always the best - I was asleep in the comfy chair after a couple of obligatory wines and had to be woken to get to the game. Hill deputising as captain lost the toss and the Royals decided to have a bat. Dowells thrown the ball and beats the bat first ball and Rock siezes the opportunity to effect the stumping - brilliant keeping and were off to a flyer. Following some powerful hitting they manage to get 13 off the over. Vlastuin Jnr followed then Hill and Vlastuin Snr. Dowell dropped two catches at the back off Vlastuin Snr as the Royals cranked up the power hitting. 59! after 4 overs and things were not looking good.

Shaking our heads and banishing Dowell to the front and out of harms way we set about putting the breaks on. Donaldson first and had this second pair second guessing. Rock was having one of those nights behind the stumps with 4 maybe 5 stumpings - brilliant - even rubbing off to Donaldson keeping for Rock as effected another. Anyway the second pair were kept to 22 or so and on to the final pair.

This pair seemed to be content to play straight cricket shots and milk the runs - swung out a bit in the power play 3rd over and got themselves a bit caught in the final over - again Rock taking his opportunities. The total a daunting 113!

Donaldson and Dowell in first with the aim of building steadily but the new rules come in to play - a free hit off a front foot no ball allowed Dowell to have a go at one early - 4th ball seven and we were on our way. With Donaldson playing good cricket shots and Dowell taking his chances a tidy 45 was amassed after 4 overs. We've got chance.

Enter the Rock boys Snr and Jnr pinch hitting for Vlastuin Jnr and these boys had some fun. Snr was seeing the ball well - just following on from his form behind the stumps and belted what was reasonable bowling everywhere with Jnr backing his eye and scampering between wickets. 50! and Hill and Vlastuin Snr have only 19 to get.

The decision was to just get to the total no risk and 113 was reached after 11 overs. Just to make the final over a little interesting Vlastuin was caught off the first ball - but they steadied the ship got to 115 and Vlastuin kept the last one out. A great victory with everyone making a contribution also considering the bowling of the Royals wasn't that bad except they did bowl 13 extras with three free hits. Rock very unlucky to not be MVP as apart from his flawless 27 with the bat his keeping kept us in with the chance - if you call chasing 113 a chance. The beers were beautiful after that one.

From you faithful correspondent M. Dowell

Grand Final 5 March 2009 vs Doo Don't Bowl

The Match Summary - In long hand.

This was Grand Final night and there was a quiet confidence about the Cutters prior to the match as we watched the exciting last overs of the Div 1 Grand Final.

The toss was lost and the Doos’ put us in. Dowell and So were sent in for the first two overs accumulated runs at the minimal rate of 1 per ball. By half way through the third over they were 22 and looked set to accumulate a tidy 30. But a couple of run outs and a second last ball wicket saw them finish at 18 – not quite the start we were after.

Enter Hill and Perry and from the first ball these boys got in to stride. Playing sensibly and confidently with good well placed cricket shots they soon had 26 or so off two overs. With no outs the captain and his deputy had righted the ship with a classy 38.

Enter the finishers Rock and Vlastuin – Rock striking the ball well was caught with some flukey flick of the wrist run outs. Vlastuin did his usual grafting of runs and scampering between wickets but with the runs ebbing and flowing in the high 60’s Vlastuin struck a second last ball seven, just missing the jug signand a perfectly struck off drive, to push the score to the final 80.

It was a score that was defendable now to keep the Doo’s big hitters quiet. Dowell was given the opening over and bowling to one of the best batsmen Andy was pleased to see a defensive push off his legs for a possible one, but So pounced cat like on the ball and in a clean pick up and throw hit the stumps – first ball wicket and -6 – the dream start. Hill followed keeping the runs down followed by So – and while the runs were accumulating the fives and sevens that plagued us in the semi final were kept at bay. Perry bowling the fourth over managed several dot balls to keep the dangerous Andy off strike for all of the last over. 27 for the first pair and a reasonable start.

Their second pair though were not noted for big hitting or their speed between wickets and they were under pressure to give the final pair something to aim at. Vlastuin and So bowled next and run outs were made and catches were hit and taken and the tension was building. Rock was given the 7^th over and it was telling. Three wickets and some great fielding by So and Vlastuin and at the end of the over Rock 3 for -7.

Perry bowled the 8^th over and was tidy and the second pair had only added 5 – the total only 32 – 49 for the last pair to get – with some tight bowling we should win – but its not over until its over.

The captain decided Dowell first and Hill last with Vlastuin and Rock in between.

Again avoiding the double bonus ball Dowell kept that to 2 and with some further deliveries nothing was getting away. But in a lapse of concentration Dowell banged one in too short and wide and full toll was taken 7 runs and the confidence boost for the Doo’s that maybe they could do it. Fortunately through some great keeping by Rock a wicket followed the next ball to negate the 7 a little but 11 had been taken off that over. Valstuin was next and some lusty hitting and some uncharacteristic misses in the field saw another 15 accumulated. 23 to get and Rock is bowling. Another tight over from the bearded lad left Hill to defend 13 for the tie which would have been won on skins to the Doo’s.

Second ball and a classic toe crushing Yorker from Hill dug out just by the batsman left the ball just in front of the stumps. Rock pouncing on it ignored the stumps at his end and threw to bowlers stumps – out! – a brilliant effort and crucial bit of cool thinking by the veteran keeper. Next ball another lusty hit, but hitting the side net and back net Perry calmly put himself in position, catch taken and it was beyond reach. Bowling an uncharacteristic leg side no ball was a reminder to finish it off but following a last ball seven the y feel 5 runs short and a great victory to The Cutters.

A great team effort – man of the match So for three or four run outs great catching and some telling stops together with 15 with the bat and some canny bowling was well deserved; the captain Perry for a solid 20 with the bat, frugal bowling and his typical coverage of the back net; Hill also excellent with the bat, and great bowling as always in the pressure cooker of the final over; Rock, unlucky with the bat but a telling two overs and as always the Cutters secret weapon behind the stumps; Vlastuin for his scampering runs, the timely 7 and some great fielding and then Dowell – well he made three but made up for it with a lot of cheering and beer drinking.

Fantastic game lads – roll on to the next one I say!

Grand Final 6 March 2008 vs A Team Whose Name We Cannot Safely Use On The Net

Chigurh won the toss and sent Stabbin in to bat. Tight bowling & fielding restricted the powerful hitting opening pair to 18. Next pair added 27 but some brilliant end of innings bowling from Hill, Rock & Donaldson saw the next pair add 2. 47 to chase. A nervous start from Dowell & Donaldson added16 with the stumps rattled on a couple of occassions. In the scheme of things it was enough to launch an assault. A dour 31 added by Hill & Perry with the loss of no wickets and scores were level. Rock & Clewlow added amusement at the end with 3 run outs off 4 balls to drag us back level with 14 balls remaining. Once the running was sorted they powered away with some lusty stroke making which included the only 7 of the game off the last ball to Junior. We finished with a 69. Overall a brilliant effort which was set up by some great bowling and fielding. This made the batsmen's job that much easier. A season high 5 stumpings to Phil saw him take home his second Russ Cowley medal. Not to forget 4/-1 with the ball. Thanks to all who came along to support us. Carlos, Christine, Russell, Tom, Pete & Tim. Apologies to Christine for bellowing out instructions from behind the net.

How Sweet It Is ! - The Grand Final 8.10pm July 4th 2007

Much strategising was done in the days leading up to the GF about when to bat, who to bowl etc and hard decisions were taken . The Cutters won the toss and batted , deciding to "put the runs on the board"and put pressure on the younger Bogan's. A brilliant opening stand of 35 from Donaldson and Dowell got the team off to a fantastic start. 23 from Perry and Hill and a very solid 28 from Vlastuin and Rock meant that the total that the Bogan's were looking to beat was 86.No mean task .

Tony and Brendan managed 32 for the first pair and the Bogan's looked like they were on their way.The Cutters put the clamps on Ash and James and some super bowling from Donaldson held them to 20 .

Mark ( their gun) and Rob needed a substantial 35 to win the game . No mean task !
They seemed up to it though, advancing the score to 81 with one over to go. 6 balls to go, 6 runs to win. A tie would see The Cutters triumph as they had already won two skins.
A one off the first ball meant that 5 off 5 was the ask.
Mark hit the second ball back to Hill, the bowler who ran to the bowlers stumps , and took the bails off. Run Out!. Now 8 were needed off 4.Much tougher .The next ball , Phil Rock affected a great stumping and the elusive premiership was looking a reality.3 off the next ball meant that 8 was needed off 2 . Mark dragged the 5 th ball onto his stumps meaning that The Bogan's needed 11 off the last ball to win . A legal ball was all that was needed, Mark was welcome to hit a 7 off it . A donkey drop legal ball was delivered, Mark swung, Perry takes the catch,Bogan's make 73 and The Cutters snare their second premiership, winning 86 to 73.

Phil Rock was named man of the match.

A fantastically exciting game and the consensus was that Bogan's and the rest of Div 4 were more worthy opponents than The Cutters adversaries when they won their first premiership.

Perhaps the most significant event of the post match celebrations was the announcement from the captain, Richard Perry, that officially................

THE MONKEY IS OFF THE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Preliminary Final - 1st July 2007

The Cutters batted first and accumulated a serviceable 85 and tight bowling made sure that the Camels were never in the hunt,managing only 61. It was on to the "Game of Significance "against the Cutters nemesis Bogan's Heroes.

First Semi Final - 27 June 2007

Beam Team were The Cutters adversaries and the Cutters lost the toss and batted first making 91 .Professional bowling and great strategies held the Beamers to 81 and our heroes moved onto the preliminary final to play Eot Lemac spelt backwards.The camels had finished on top and were a polished, athletic outfit.

Qualifying Final - 20th June 2007

The Cutters batted first and compiled a very serviceable 92. The Bogan's , though were up to the task and sent the score to 3-0 as they rushed to 107, thanks mostly to 4 7s and a total of 33 from Mark Bogan.The Cutters now found themselves in a cut throat First Semi Final .

Winter Season 2007

The previous 5 seasons had seen The Cutters make 3 Grand Finals ,for only one premiership,and the pressure was on for the team to close out the season in the appropriate manner.

The season started off in average fashion and at the half way point The Cutters found themselves with some work to do in order to finish in the top portion of the Final Five of Div 4.

The second half of the season was much more successful and , come finals time , the boys found themselves in second position on the ladder , and in the qualifying final ,playing Bogan's Heroes, who had defeated The Cutters twice during the home and away season.

FOBS - Last game of home and away

5 Cutters played 5 FOBS - that was the agreement .

FOBS needed a win to make the finals and The Cutters - Mark,Paul,Carlos and Murray,with the help of Tom , a friend of Mark's , were looking to finish off the season on a positive note.

FOBS won the toss and batted . The first pair got off to a flier and racked up 37 as the brains trust of The Cutters worked out a suitable field with the abbreviated number of fielders available.

From here the skill of your favorite indoor cricket team was brought to bear and the final two pairs were only able to add another 29 between them .

Paul's bowling was again instrumental in putting the brakes on .Our fielding was not as good as it could have been - it was just as well the skipper was absent .

Carlos and Paul opened the innings and soon racked up 29 - a great start.
Mark and Murray added 35 ,leaving the pair of Tom , and lucky Paul ,who was given the honours course in batting , little to do.They added 18 - The Cutters running out winners 82 to 66.Tom is moving to Queensland so will leave the team with an unbeaten record.

It's now on to the finals where The Cutters need to continue with the consistent efforts of the past season .

A Great Season Continues

Last night the great season of 2006-2007 continued to roll on .

The Cutters were in the field first against a new opponent WHK Greenwood.Things were not looking too flash as the first pair raced along to 37 .

Some great fielding and bowling from "The Don" helped stem the flow of runs and the next two pairs were only able to manage -1 and 10 respectively.

Set a target of 47 to win ,the opening pair of Dowell and Rock started explosively and almost passed the number on their own .

Another great partnership from the Vlastuin,Donaldson pair consolidated the innings and the final Perry/Hill pair completed what was a very professional performance coming so close to the finals.

A Close One !

The Cutters drew on all of their skill and experience to win by one run tonight in the 8.10pm game against "Middle Stump".

The only team that had triumphed over The Cutters this season ,M S batted first and made a very competitive 79.
The Cutters bowled and fielded well but Middle Stump batted sensibly and with a plan.

Perry and Hill opened the innings and made 26 to start the ball rolling ,The father and son Vlastuin pair added 25 ,leaving the pair of So and Donaldson the daunting task of accumulating 29 runs for victory.

A polished confident performance was what was called for and was exactly what was delivered.

Carlos and Paul batted brilliantly and Paul had the luxury of being able to allow the last two balls of the match to pass through to the keeper.

A great performance by all who played !

Ain't it the truth !

Celebrated Cutters gloveman ,Phil Rock , relaxing after a masterful performance last night .

The Cutters prevailed against an undermanned "Merkins" ( they had only 4 ). Phil did his best to win the oft mentioned bottle of red by scoring 30 , but fell 2 short. His domination of the hapless Merkins bowlers did not go unnoticed by the man in red. Another MVP for the fridge.

Well done Mr Rock !

Three rounds in

After 3 rounds of the summer 2006-2007 season The Cutters are 2 and 1 .

The only loss of the season was on Sunday 5 November when the team found themselves undermanned ( literally ) with only 5 warriors available to take on "Middle Stump".

The stumpers were recently promoted from Div 6 and proved an efficient unit and made the most of the mismatch in numbers to record a 90ish to 70 win.

The Cutters faithful are looking to a more professional performance in Thursday's contest with traditional rivals "Merkins".

Season 16

The disappointment of Season 15 is now fading into the past and all eyes are now focussing on the upcoming Season 16 .

Some talk has been heard of possible trades but the front office of The Cutters organisation appear to be happy to stick with their existing personnel and bypass the pre-season draft .

Roll on round 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At Last !

It was a long time coming, but the taste of success was sweet.

The Cutters celebrate their first grand final triumph.

Thursday 2nd March 2006

Another super effort

A great win tonight against "Farce Rovers"". Our march to the finals continues !

Grand Final Day Wine Bottling

One of the many great traditions within The Cutters' fraternity is the bottling of some premium wines on Grand Final day at the home of our most gracious hosts' the Rock Family.

2006 was no exception as a great day was had by all those who were fortunate enough to attend .