The day dawned fine at the Valley of Peace, it would get to a high of 24° and our visitors from Millbrook Cricket Club in the Queenstown district were greeted by an incredible-looking outfield and pitch at our home of cricket.
Tom Music, resplendent in his new Valley blazer, would win the toss and chose to bowl first.
The Valley team was built around a very experienced core, but also for the captain a pleasure that nine of the originally named members were available and many all-rounders were at his disposal, but no recognised keeper.
The Millbrook openers got off to a good start with Captain Billy Sheehy particularly savage. It would be first change bowler Tristan Pettit who would make the initial breakthrough in the eighth over when he had the skipper caught behind by Music, standing in at keeper.
A couple of chances would evade the Valley fielders, including the captain keeper. Millbrook took advantage, getting through to 91 for three at drinks in the 40-over match. We would pick up a wicket first ball after drinks and then the dangerous Steve Fraser for 42, Rusty McGregor doing the damage. Some more half chances fell into gaps as the scoring ticked over.
One of the things about being a Valley captain is trying to get a scouting report on what resources you have, particularly when you have not seen some of the players in at your disposal. Debutant John Durning modestly described himself as a batsman who bowls. Seven overs three for 18 suggests otherwise I thought. A fine spell of spin bowling. Jason Herron with 41 included three large sixes and saw Millbrook through the 40 overs at 192 for nine. A good total, but not insurmountable.
Valley started their earnings positively, but a strangle down leg side of Music was followed by a procession of wickets to have us 28 for four early. Niven Boyle and Greg Jones battled hard, and Tristan Pettit also contributed. When he departed at 96 for seven things were on the skids. All the bowlers got wickets with Herron the best early with three for 9 off 5. We stumbled to 109 all out in the 32nd over. I must also mention more than one good catch in the field and some excellent wicket-keeping by Fraser. Greg Jones with an excellent 33 not out was by far the pick of the batting.
Some short speeches followed in front of the watering hole. Millbrook was undoubtedly the victor of the day, taking out the raffle as well.
Congratulations to Billy and his team. And to any members thinking of playing in the reciprocal match at Millbrook, I think I can guarantee an excellent reception and a good match from great opponents.
Thanks to Jesse and Ollie behind the bar and particularly to Geoff and Tony for the ground presentation. Simply put, it’s marvellous.
So another loss on my record. Look forward to better things as the season develops.
Vally of Peace captain, Tom Music
Match Summary
Millbrook Cricket Club 192 for nine of 40 overs.
Fraser 42 Herron, 41 not out. Durning 3 for 18.
Valley Of Peace 109, all out of 31.3 overs
G.Jones 33 not out. Herron 3 for 9,
After a heavy downpour the night before we were pleasantly surprised to find a dry road of a pitch for the Valley of Peace vs Hawkswood match, and a field with no surface water, and quickly drying off.
Having agreed on a 40-over match Hawkswood won the toss and elected to bat and got into their work straight away with T Dickson (26) & Ellis (39) both hitting it well.
Valley of Peace opened with the father-son duo of Struan (0-19 off 5) & Liam George (0-13 off 5) who bowled with good pace, bounce and especially movement from Liam. Kieran Williams (0-18 off 5) at first change troubled the batters and was also unlucky to not get a better reward after creating a number of chances.
The breakthrough came from Chris House (1-24 off 5) who took our only wicket before drinks. At the drinks break Hawkswood were 78/1 and it felt like it was going to be a very long & hot rest of the innings in the field.
However cricket is a funny game, and with the introduction of Kim Smythe & Wade Millar, an epic turnaround in the game occurred. Wade took the pace off & Kim got the ball moving as we saw (what felt like) 7 wickets fall for 7 runs, in 7 overs. Wade (5-23 off 8) & Kim (5-34 off 7) bowled through their overs and took the last 2 wickets to finish with 5 wicket bags each. This anomaly of 11 wickets taken was caused by us inviting their 12th man to bat as well as the innings finishing early and they had travelled so far.
With a fightback from Fitzpatrick (13) & P Dickson (11*) for the 10th wicket, Hawkswood put on a good total of 138 to chase.
An excellent lunch by our hosts was consumed as well as a number of amber refreshments, as we recharged the batteries for, we knew, would be a tough chase.
Our openers Kieran Williams (40) & Paul McCarthy (50* retired) showed all of their experience and ground out a solid platform as their opening partnership of 84 took the game away from Hawkswood. Reverend Cameron Pickering (9) and Michael Davidson (13) both came in and struck some lusty blows to support Paul McCarthy and get us across the line in the 33rd over.
As always the game was played in great spirit in a stunning setting. A massive thank you to Jesse for getting the last few players at the 11th hour, to Ants & Co for the groundwork, and to our hosts on the day.
Ben Larter
Valley of Peace (specialist) Captain
Wade Millar & Kim Smythe, 5 wickets vs Hawkswood 13th Nov 2022
The St Andrews‘ captain was greeted by a wonderful setting on arrival at the Valley of Peace – manicured outfield, flags and stumps in, match ready. What he was then greeted by was a steady stream of keen Christchurch Boys High School cricketers all looking a little more youthful than his own…quote of the day from his squad was “this has all the hallmarks of a Veterans vs Emerging Veterans fixture…”.
On the line was the Sammy Guillen Trophy. A remarkable man who played test cricket for both New Zealand and the West Indies – and the StAC side was lucky enough to have his grandson Courtney Van Beek playing with us (as it transpired we could’ve also used Courtney’s brother Logan who was playing in that amazing Netherlands team who beat South Africa at the Adelaide Oval on the same day!).
The winning started for CBHS Captain Phil McKay with the coin toss, choosing to bat, and match terms agreed to at 40 overs per 10-man side. The StAC opening bowlers Capt. Dougald Munro (7.4-2-26) and Liam George (4-1-17) made an excellent start, Liam literally breaking the leg stump of Adam Percival (2) in his second over. Munro then managed to find the edge of Jack Harris (16) in his 4th over. This brought to the crease the most accomplished CBHS pairing of Cameron Rattray (35) and Jared Percival (30) who took a shine to the StAC second and third-string bowlers in Courtney Van Beek (7-2-45) and Andrew Letham (8-3-36) until Percival was caught in an outstanding running and diving outfield effort from Dougald Munro.
The ball followed Dougald all day, and he managed to hold 3 catches in the deep and catch another one before stepping over the line for a “Valley 4“. Very good effort in the field by all in the StAC team managing to dismiss CBHS for 144 after 29.4 overs. Special mentions to Nick Rennie who hit a hard 28 at #7 and their skip Phil McKay who came in, got his eye in and then swung. The silence of the ground was only broken by the wind swinging past his bat during his 24 off 17 balls.
Great lunch in the sun (thanks to Scott Cartwright and helpers) and the StAC team padded up with expectations still relatively high. These were quickly wound down as our openers Josh Blackmore (4) and Frazer Offwood (3) both managed to get out to Billy Georgeiff (6-2-23). We went on to suffer runouts, very poor shot selection and some excellent bowling from Josh Taylor (4-3-24) and NPC superstar Louie Chapman (4-0-5) especially. StAC lost wickets regularly with the highest individual score going to Andrew Letham (22*) and the Rev. Cameron Pickering (19) being the only scores of note (extras exclusive). StAC went on to be dismissed after 29.1 overs for 105.
A special presentation was then held beside the scorer’s box as Sammy Guillen’s wife, Val Guillen, presented the trophy to Phil McKay and the CBHS squad. She spoke of her own cricketing past (having played for Canterbury for many years) and her love of seeing people enjoying the game so much in the spirit in which it should be played. A lovely end to another great game of cricket at the Valley of Peace.
Special thanks to James Munro (https://itch.co.nz/) for the images from the day also.
It was with great pleasure we were once again able to welcome the Honest Trundlers back to the Valley of Peace after the enforced Covid absence of 2 and a half years.
The day dawned fine and sunny and the ground staff were happy to report the pitch was ready to go after some earlier concerns due to unseasonable wet weather.
After winning the toss we decided to bat first and our openers got us off to a solid start putting on a 50-run opening stand with Nick Smithson scoring 36 and Tom Music 29. A couple of starts from Tony Penny and Ben Larter, both scoring 22, had us well placed to push on but the loss of both quickly saw us 8 down with 10 overs remaining. Skip and Tim Fulton managed to get through the last 10 overs adding 40 to give us a score of 202 at the completion of our 50 overs.
This score looked to be competitive with our bowling stocks seemingly in good supply, especially after taking a couple of early wickets. However, the Trundlers’ middle order proved to be very strong this tour as they powered through to 152 before we took another wicket, with Brad especially devastating with 11 boundaries in quick time leaving the tail an easy task to chase us down with 4 overs to spare. Our stand-out bowlers were Eddie Parsons with 8 overs for 24 and Ben Larter with 8 overs, 1 for 22.
A first-up loss then for Valley of Peace but an excellent day at the ground followed by a meal out at Elmwood Trading Company, where we enjoyed great camaraderie with our Aussie mates and joined in on Whispering Ted’s rendition of the Trundlers Battle Hymn sung only when the team celebrate a win.
Stu and the Trundlers will be back again in February when we look forward to hosting them again and under the Captaincy of Lance Ryan look to reverse the result.
Match report by Phil Harris
Top L-R, Geoff Olsen, Neil Baldwin, James Orford, Max Poyser, Ian (Whispering Ted) Lowe, John Munden; Bottom L-R, Brad Geelan, John Lindsay, Dave Erikson, Stuart Spalding, John Renshaw
As the calendar moves into April, scheduling cricket can be a fraught proposition but the 22 Valley of Peace members who arrived to play the annual intra-club Presidents XI vs Captains XI fixture were greeted to a magnificent late summers day, hardly a breath of wind and although the track was a little damp to the eye, it was clear that a magnificent day of cricket lay ahead. 40 overs a side, max of 6 per bowler, batters retire at 40 the agreed terms and conditions.
After an initial visit to peruse the pitch, Tom Music was greeted with the news that he would have the honour and privilege of captaining Scott Cartwright’s President’s XI against the might of Jesse Tritschler’s Captain’s XI. My losing record clearly not enough of a deterrent. The teams were named in front of the watering hole and in his first success of the day, Music called correctly and chose to field.
One of the amazing aspects of the day was that of the 22 players named on Thursday to play that 20 were at the ground on Sunday – a pretty good strike rate in these Covid times. Coincidently, the two players added, Ben Breitmeyer and Ray Steele were the opening bowler and batsman for ball one. In the third over it would be Breitmeyer who would break the calm silence with the sound of leather hitting stumps with a peach of a delivery. That success would be followed in the seventh over where Ollie Dugdale would pull in a fantastic diving catch to dismiss the dangerous Tom Byrne, setting the standard for a great fielding day for the Presidents selection. Tim Fulton survived through the opening spell and was joined by Paul Bateman giving good support, enjoying good battles against Chris House, Nick Johnston and reliving old memories of the 1980s vs Tony Gray. 38 for 2 after 16 overs, match poised.
It would be the change to young Alex Fulton, fresh from his recent Glentunnel outing vs the Deans XI, that would bring immediate success, a nice stumping from Jim Smith to dismiss the positive Bateman for 12. He had another wicket dismissing Anderson Junior while Wade Millar at the other end grabbed the wicket of George Ritchie who had struck 3 boundaries early. In amongst all this, a piece of fielding will live long in the memory and perhaps Valley folklore. Breitmeyer throwing in from the western boundary-breaking the stumps at the bowler’s end – and by breaking I literally mean breaking – the direct hit leading to two pieces of stump catapulting through the air luckily not impaling Millar and the onrushing (not out) batsman.
The even younger Angus Fulton took over the bowling duties with Michael Kirkland. Justin Dove and Tim Fulton (still there) mixing watchful defence and good strokeplay, Dove 2 “sixes’ impressive but the bowling of the young left-armer impressed the veteran bowlers in attendance. At 93 for 5 in the 32nd over, things had progressed steadily but unusually when Music captains, bowling changes brought success with Gray, House, Breitmeyer, Millar and Alex Fulton all enjoying success in short second spells (including a priceless father /son wicket removing Tim Fulton for a hard-fought 27) the innings would end at 114 all out in the 38th over. The bowling figures make for excellent reading, Alex’s 4 wickets for 14 off 5 being the highlight, although Tony Gray’s 5 overs 4 maidens 1 for 1 were spectacular until his skipper gave him another over when Captain Jesse dispatched him for a “six” and 7 in total.
A beautiful lunch served up by Messrs Cartwright and David Hearn was appreciated by all and plans were set in place to chase down the total on the tricky but drying wicket, Ollie Dugdale and Nick Johnston were entrusted with the opening spots. It would be George Ritchie that would impress early with the ball, bowling Dugdale and not conceding a run until his third over. From there Music enjoyed the show as the powerful Johnston went about hitting six 6’s and four 4’s on his way to retiring on 41 with the score at 53 in the 11th over. Anderson Junior (6-0-22-1) was bowling with good flight and extracting some turn, a quicker one accounting for Kirkland bringing schoolmate Breitmeyer to the crease. Eight overs later, he retired on 40 (6 x 6’s, 6 x 4’s), a brutal knock with excellent strokeplay, then the gathered crowd told Music to depart on 27 to allow a re-creation of many a backyard battle with Alex and Angus Fulton facing up to the “googly king” and father Tim to see the lads home from 111 for 2. Tritschler would snare a Fulton wicket but success was reached in the 20th over, the President’s XI doing Scotty proud.
A great day had by all I believe, and as well as the toss and the match, a raffle win rounded off a pretty good trifecta personally. The camaraderie during the match, with no small measure of banter and some excellent pieces of cricket, was wonderful to be a part of. We welcomed Eddie Parsons as a Valley debutant, hopefully joining us for many games in the future. With the Fultons and the slightly older Christ’s College lads that played, the future seemed assured.
From a member’s perspective, this game is a pleasure to play but I will also take this opportunity to offer a vote of thanks to our President and Captain for the work they do. The behind-the-scenes efforts of Scott and Jesse make our Sundays at the Valley an awesome event. To them and their committees, helpers, of course, our groundsman Ant and everyone involved, our sincere thanks.
And finally to Scott, happy to give you bragging rights over Jesse for another year!
Winter well everyone.
Tom Music Valley of Peace Presidents XI Captain for the day
Short Scoreboard
Captains XI 114 all out in 38 overs
T. Fulton 27, Extras 29, Alex Fulton 4 for 14, B. Breitmeyer 2 for 7, W. Millar 2 for 10
Presidents XI 115 for 3 off 19.3 overs
N. Johnston 41 (ret), B Breitmeyer 40 (ret), T Music 27 (ret)
Presidents XI won by 7 wickets
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Ray Steele faces the early onslaught, with Jim Smith, Justin Dove and Nick Johnston keeping an eye on things.
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Ben Breitmeyer gets an early wicket for the President's XI.
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Paul Bateman still has the magic.
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Wade Millar serves one up to Tim Fulton.
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Wade Millar serves one up to Hamish Falls-Anderson.
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Aungus Fulton bowling to father Tim.
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Tom Music under a high one.
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No problem for President's XI captain Tom Music, while performing the unique dance move, the 'Musicman'!
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Ben Breitmeyer fires one in from the outfield; an alternative to the 'Musicman" dance move.
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Ben Breitmeyer's direct hit was not out, but the stump is a goner!
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Alex Fulton strikes father Tim on the pads.
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Father Tim is dismissed by son Alex!
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The wily Tony Gray dismisses Justin Dove.
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Tony Gray, Jim Smith and Jesse Tritschler.
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Club Captain Jesse Tritschler sends one towards the boundary, landing somewhere over Burwood way.
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Jesse Tritschler sends another one towards the boundary, whilst Stan Woolliscroft warms up in the background.
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Hamish Cochran keeping an eye on the ball.
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Angus, Tim and Alex Fulton.
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Nick Johnston opens the batting for the President's XI.
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Tom Music on the drive after another great VoP lunch.
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Tom Byrne on the hunt for a wicket.
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Michael Kirkland facing Hamish Falls-Anderson.
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Tom Music facing Hamish Falls-Anderson.
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Ben Breitmeyer on his way to 40 (ret).
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Father Tim bowls to son Angus.
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Father Tim dismisses son Angus.
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Tim Fulton, checking the pitch after dismissing his son, Angus
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Front: Paul Bateman, Wade Millar. Middle: Hamish Cochran, Stan Woolliscroft, Tim Fulton, Angus Fulton, Ray Steele, George Ritchie, Alex Fulton, Tom Bryne, Nick Johnston, Eddie Parsons. Back: Michael Kirkland, Hamish Falls-Anderson, Ben Breitmeyer, Jesse Tritschler, Justin Dove, Jim Smith (obscured), Chris House, Tom Music, Tony Gray, Ollie Dugdale. Hosts: Scott Cartwright and David Hearn.
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Past and present East Shirley Cricket Club members: Tom Music, Nick Johnston, David Hearn, Eddie Parsons, Tony Gray.
For most of us weekend cricketers, the problem is that we’re never out there long enough to find out whether we’re any good. This dilemma hung heavy above the dew at Glenntunnel Domain when a Fulton team representing Valley of Peace played the Deans XI on Sunday, March 20th 2022.
Expectation was fragrant and happiness and handshakes abounded as Fultons and friends assembled.
A team member, Bob Masefield (cousin Bob), noted that the Fultons were not as young as the opposition. Just wait until our 15-year-old and 12-year old arrives, I told him.
In fairness, the Fultons’ fortunes were always going to rely on the performance of our single (current) Premier grade cricketer, David.
People soon murmured: ‘So where’s the tall one today?’ Captain Tim smiled happily back at them as if the answer was standing before them, but no one took the hint.
The Fultons won the toss and chose to bat; cousin Sam and I (seven of us were Fultons so please indulge the lack of surname) opened the innings. Sam reckoned he last played cricket when Donald Trump won office but this big lump of a lad from the Military Police – HQ Burnham – soon settled. By this time, Tim was gone, wrapped on the pads and caught behind.
Brother John of Methven started to show his form of the ’90s at Swannanoa Domain before an untimely chip to field. His son George (15) quickly showed the excellent cricket tuition at CBHS, joining Big Sammie, then his uncle Dave, who increasingly wore the heavy expression of a man who knew he needed a 100.
Run-rate at the 20 over break was hovering around a mild 3 per over but while there was Dave (and Young George), there was hope.
Unfortunately, as per the game of cricket, something happened. George was dismissed, to be replaced by our other youth academy player, Angus. Straight off the mark with a single pushed to cover – well done, son.
Dave and Angus were soon locked in a heady contest with the craftiness of Andrew Nuttall, though it was Phil who made a critical breakthrough. A ball leapt at Dave’s defences, took an edge and was pouched by the keeper in a smart piece of work.
Well played Dave – a good start but how we needed that 100 from him.
Next, it was Gordon to the crease. After first posing for multiple pitch-side photos with his grandson, Gordon and Angus pursued the challenge of facing down Nuttall. It’s hard to know what advice is shared between players 60-odd years apart in age, but it must have been a good conversation – and a delight to see.
Angus straight batted for a few overs before being done, as so many have been, by a Nuttall variation of flight. Well played, son.
By now, as you may have gathered by the lack of commentary on scoring shots, we were struggling for runs and starting to lose wickets at an alarming rate. But we did see other magic moments, like Gordon batting with his cousins – firstly John, then Bob.
Gordon saw off a few partners by the end of it. As we threatened to compile 100 runs (team score, not Dave score) our Swannanoa Cricket Club bastions Lance Ryan and Geoff Olsen set about doing better than Fultons and Masefields. With Nuttall wreaking havoc among the tail, we finished with a muted 94.
Lunch – brought our own and the Deans brought some too. Sunshine and a 40-minute break to catch up with family and friends. Terrific.
Now, back to the heroic task of defending our 94.
After a warm-up on the Section 4 wicket, it was clear that we were missing a 2nd fast bowler to complement Geoff. So, in the style of Martin Crowe at World Cup 1992, captain Tim turned not to Dipak Patel but a left-arm spinner in the form of young Angus.
Not only did this bold opening move placate the fears of his mother, Fiona, who worried he wouldn’t get a go, it surely confounded the opposition. Twirling in from the southern end, Angus bowled two very respectable overs. In comparison, they were certainly more respectable than his father who came in at first change from the other end.
After Tim made it clear that, personally, he deserved no more than two overs of punishment, he called on Big Sammie from the northern end. Now, as described earlier, Sam is quite the ‘unit’. Loves his weights, does a bit of speed work and has a great appetite for work. And boy, did we work him…
After only a couple of looseners, it was clear that Sam had steam in his belly. He crashed back the stumps with one delivery and we all got excited. Big Sammie was puffing, but getting more and more excited as we called for more metaphorical blood at Glentunnel Domain.
Let me make it clear, it was too much to ask Sammie to bowl out the Deans, who in truth were smashing most of us to all parts, but well-bowled Cuz.
As the Deans’ innings exploded onward, it became vitally important for all of the Fulton XI to get a bowl before it was all over.
In all, the bowlers were John of Methven, Bob of Akaroa, John of Goughs Bay, Gordon of Swannanoa, Geoff and Lance of The City, George of Fendalton, Sam of Lincoln and Angus and Tim of West Eyreton. Only Dave of St Albans missed out on a bowl, but we had to punish him somehow for not scoring a 100.
After an exciting 20 over in the field, the Deans’ declared their winning innings closed – 15 runs ahead.
It was truly a magical day of cricket, that in some ways was not about cricket at all, though it must be said, the Deans XI were far too good for us on the day.
For some of us Fultons, result aside, this was the realisation of a dream that appeared to stand little chance until it happened. Thank you so much to the Valley of Peace and the Deans XI for indulging us in this fixture. Particular thanks to VOP’s Scott for his pre-match liaison and support; equally, Jo and the team for mustering the Deans squad and Peter Williams, our umpire for the day.
And of course, a mighty thanks to everyone who played and came along to support. Blood is obviously thicker than water.
Match Day Captain (but not the head of the family), Tim Fulton
Photos for the day
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John Fulton with his son, George, thinking about their next run
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Wendy Fulton offers sideline advice to sons Tim and Dave
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John Masefield (left) and Bob Masefield
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John Fulton, back in the cricketing saddle
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George Fulton, a Christchurch Boys High School cricketer
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David Fulton laments the big score that got away
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Angus Fulton faces down the adults
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Gordon Fulton with grandson Angus Fulton. Angus about to bat with grandad for the first time
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Scorers and supporters - L-R Bob Masefield, John Masefield, Sam Fulton *(uncertain, they all look similar), John Fulton and others.
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Matriarch Wendy Fulton rounds up grandchildren and others on the sideline
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L-R (Front) Lance Ryan (Swannanoa CC Life Member), Angus Fulton (12), George Fulton (15), David Fulton (Premier cricketer, Oxford-Rangiora), Tim Fulton (present), Geoff Olsen (Swannnaoa CC Life Member); (Standing): Peter Williams (invaluable umpire), John Masefield (Goughs Bay), Bob Masefield (Akaroa), John Fulton (Methven), Sam Fulton (MP, New Zealand Defence Force), Gordon Fulton (Legend, patriarch, Swannanoa CC Life Member)
Success at the Valley of Peace, in this captain’s mind, revolves heavily around the toss. To be able to secure the rights to propping up the bar for the second half of the day is gold dust. And so it came to pass that this vital decision went the way of Christs College Old Boys. What followed was a champagne performance in the field.
The Christ’s opening bowling duo of Hugo Davison and James Thomson began well. The pitch showed good bounce and carry, and the ball hooped both ways under the guile of the pair. The first wicket came about when Simon Irving shouldered arms to a ball that swung viciously and wrapped him on the pads. The second came moments later when Fraser Offwood tamely drove uppishly to mid-on. With the openers removed Christ’s felt firmly in the driver’s seat.
A change at both ends saw the entry of our very own apostle of Warney, Nic Kyle, who with a Voltaren laced carcass bowled with flight, turn and rat cunning to stem the runs. At the other end a svelte Michael Davidson, bowling seam up, entered the fray by picking up his bunny Sandy McLeod with a rank half-tracker that surprised him with a genuine lack of pace causing him to spoon a catch to the safe hands of ‘The Paediatrician’ at square leg. The need for further therapy for Sandy is abundantly clear.
Both bowlers continued well without further luck, but with the sustained pressure building on both Jesse Tritschler and Scott Kilday to get a move on and the insertion of the Patron Saint of Ecdysiasts, Henry Holderness, something had to give.
A gentle push square of the wicket, a “yes”, a “no”, a “Dear God NOOO” and Jesse was ‘on his bike’ after a first-class piece of fielding from Nuts Rutherford swooping in and throwing the stumps down. Drinks were taken in the 22nd over with STAC at 72/4. Christ’s forwent the offer of water and set their sights on the first beers of the day feeling very much in control.
Post drinks, St Andrew’s Old Boys came out firing with Kilday and Dalman finding the boundary regularly until Dalman missed a straight one and was adjudged LBW. Hugo Davison struck again with Alex Toohey also ‘believing in the leave’, as the ball crashed into his foot on the middle stump. The return of James ‘doing it both ways’ Thomson saw 2 more scalps, bowled and LBW and Scott Kilday who had batted superbly was obviously becoming acutely aware that he was running low on partners.
Nic Kyle returned and picked up Kilday’s coveted scalp for 48 finishing himself with figures of 1-22 off his 8 overs. Tristan ‘The Paediatrician’ Petit squeezed in one over before Woody Anderson finished off the STAC innings with a series of bouncers at Ollie Dugdale, caught Jono Davidson. Ben Patton’s mercurial keeping kept everyone guessing throughout the day with some exceptional stops and some regulation misses. Bring more darts next time, Lego!
STAC had amassed a paltry 139 all out. Lunch was taken and as usual, the Valley spread was outstanding, tasting particularly good to the Christ’s lads.
The opening pair of Patton and Woody Anderson went straight to work, Patton being the early aggressor cutting and driving with vigour. Ben fell for 22 runs and the team on 43 and cruising. What followed was a mini-collapse as Jono Davidson fell for 3 caught on the ropes then Dr Petit for 4.
Enter Jim Blakely.
Calm as a Hindu cow, Jim played some superb shots all around the wicket while Woody continued quietly accumulating from the other end. Woody finally fell for a well made 27 with the team on 90.
Michael Davidson walked out oozing hostility and went straight to work dispatching the shell shocked STAC bowlers all over the place. The two made short work of the remaining runs required, Jim finishing with 43 and Michael a breezy 23. The match was all wrapped up by Christ’s College Old Boys in the 26th over.
Many post-match libations were had and we were served brilliantly throughout the day by David Hearn and Phil Smith in the morning and Rev. Cameron Pickering and Scott Cartwright in the afternoon.
Many thanks to the Valley of Peace for the wonderful hospitality, the ground was picturesque and the deck played beautifully throughout the day, an absolute credit to the groundsman Tony Polson.
The day dawned fine and sunny after a deluge of rain on Saturday night, with all the cricket missed with the recent rain some players were apprehensive that we may not get a game in against the Sydenham Cardinals.
But sterling work from Ant had the covers off early revealing a very dry flat looking pitch and a somewhat wetter outfield.
The 2 captains agreed then to delay the game by half an hour and play a 40-over game, this suited the Cardinals as they normally play 20/20 cricket on Saturdays, and 50 overs may have been a stretch.
Having won the toss we elected to bat first, figuring the still slightly wet outfield might prove challenging for their bowlers. The Cardinals then proceeded to use their normal bowling strategy of taking a bowler off if they had runs scored off their over or did not get a wicket. This saw 10 different bowlers bowl one over spells before the process started again, in fact, it was not until over 15 that we lost a wicket so finally normal bowling spells could resume.
Our openers then got us off to a very solid start then, Craig Gibbs with a hard hit 40 retired and Tony Penny supporting him well with 23, with those 2 gone we struggled to keep the momentum going and apart from Richard Breitmeyer with a breezy 20 we paused somewhat in the 90s before a rearguard resurgence saw us through to 139, Lance Ryan ending with 25not out the mainstay.
Apart from Geoff Olsen, all our bowlers were of the slow variety and while Geoff’s opening spell of 5 overs for 6 runs was superb, and Craig Gibbs also bowled 7 overs of very tight off-spin, 3 of their first 4 batsmen were brutal on our other bowlers.
There certainly appeared to be more 6’s than 4’s hit and we could simply not stem their onslaught. There was however one nice little highlight just prior to the end of the game when Bert Walker cleaned bowled their Skip, Ben Larter, that wicket only slightly slowed their progress as they eased past our total in the 26th over.
So a well-deserved win to the Sydenham Cardinals and a great team to play, very enthusiastic and full of energy on the field and I am sure they all enjoyed their day at the Valley.
Phil Harris
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Valley of Peace vs Sydenham Cardinals - facing the fast bowling
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Valley of Peace vs Sydenham Cardinals - view from the sideline
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Valley of Peace vs Sydenham Cardinals - into the sun
On a beautiful warm sunny morning, the Valley captain won the toss and invited the Peninsula Goat Herders to bat, but then things soon started to unravel! Star bowler Stan Wooliscroft only bowled 2 overs before eventually leaving the field and having to go home, feeling unwell, while Greg Jones bravely played, despite a groin strain (sustained on Friday night at touch rugby), but was unable to bowl his normally accurate mediums. And later another of our bowlers, Paul, wasn’t feeling well enough to bowl his full quota of overs.
And to compound this the captain dropped aggressive opener Richard Breitmeyer twice (one a sitter straight to him at mid-off), who needed no further invitation to cut loose even further against our depleted attack! Joined early on by his brother Mike, the two attacked in such fashion that 84 was up after just 10 overs! Eventually, when Richard retired and Mike was out after they’d enjoyed a swashbuckling 90 run partnership, we had a little bit of relief. But then skipper Ben Prain and Simon Whitherford both hit quick 20s, followed by Jamie Sumner smashing a rapid 38. So after 33 overs, the score was 200/4 – and with 12 overs still to go, we seemed to be staring down the barrel of a very big score of likely 270 or more.
But just after this Hamish Anderson junior bowled Sumner with a beautifully flighted ball, then the captain (only bowling because he’d run out of other choices!) had some unlikely success – helped by 2 very good catches by Ben Aveyard, both running in from the boundary. So we fought back very well in the field, to get their last 6 wickets for just 28 and keep them to 230 – with 4.2 overs unbowled. It was a hot tough day in the field, with 5 of our bowlers going for 7-8 an over, while easily the pick of them were our seamers Ben Aveyard (7 0 21 2) and Ben Larter – who had 3 catches dropped off him, beat the bat regularly but somehow couldn’t get a wicket?! While 6 of their wickets were bowled and Ben Aveyard caught the other 4 – one a c&b and the other 3 all very well judged outfield catches.
After the usual splendid lunch and with the temperature by now over 30 degrees, we obviously needed a good start – but their opening bowlers were accurate and penetrating, so at 35/3 we had a mountain to climb, However at this stage, Ben Larter joined young Nick Gibb and they both batted beautifully, to get us back into the game. Nick was eventually out for 47 (1 x 4 &16 x 2), after some very polished stroke play. While Ben, after taking his time to get himself in, cut loose in typically muscular style before retiring on 53 (9 x 4 & 4 x 2). And Hamish junior carried on the good work, getting to a very promising 29 and us into a most competitive position, now needing just over 60 runs off the last 10 overs.
But as the Goat Herders were perhaps starting to wilt a bit in the heat, and now with their own injury concerns – Bob Masefield sub fielding for big Bob Davidson (gone with a calf injury) and at least one other fielder limping badly – there came a turning point. Skipper Ben Prain was in the midst of a very accurate spell when Hamish drove him powerfully towards cover, where Jamie Sumner picked up a superb low diving catch, just off the grass! Greg (with 22) and our keeper Tony Danenberg (with 12) then batted bravely and tried hard, but the bowling and fielding had tightened up and the run rate climbed. And when they were eventually out to 2 good bits of fielding Graham Aveyard and the captain then both tried to hit out at everything, with mixed success. But with 13 eventually required off the last over it was always a long shot and Matt Hamett, who had earlier bowled very well, duly made sure of it. Matt finished with the best figures (7 1 25 3) while Ben (6 1 15 1) and Simon (7 0 27 1) also bowled particularly well.
So the Valley finished just 7 runs short at a valiant 223/8 in a terrifically enjoyable game played in all the best traditions of the Valley, the match was played in the best possible spirit, everyone got a bat and a bowl (who could!), 453 runs were scored on an excellent pitch and the game went to the last over. Accordingly all credit to (lead from the front captain) Ben Prain and his excellent Goat Herders team, always just the best and most enjoyable of opposition. And no day at the Valley would ever be complete without the also excellent team behind the bar – so in this case big thanks to Scotty, Ollie and Barry (king of the caterers!).
Short scoreboard:
Goat Herders 230 (R. Breitmeyer 54*, M. Breitmeyer 38, J. Sumner 38, B Walker 4-16, B. Aveyard 2-21 and 4 catches) beat Valley of Peace 223/8 ( B; Later 54*, N Gibb 47, H. Falls-Anderson 29, M. Hammett 3-25) by 7 runs.
The Valley of Peace faithful were greeted with less than Summer conditions for the fixture against the Waipuna Valley Cricket Club. Upon arrival to the ground, temperatures were hovering around the 12-degree mark, overcast, gloomy and perfect for bowling in what seemed English like conditions! A 45 over affair was agreed upon.
A quick inspection of the pitch and outfield confirmed that whoever won the toss surely would bowl first, much to the agreement of Hugo Davison! When the Waipuna Valley CC minivan pulled up, the immediate thought from several VOP players was ‘do you have anyone over the age of 30?‘ The navy blue, pinstripe blazers with Auckland Rugby coloured ties indicated these guys meant business!
For the geographical nuts out there, the Waipuna Valley CC is located in ‘Waerenga,’ almost halfway between Hamilton and Auckland. A quick glimpse of their webpage indicates they are also a rural cricket club promoting the summer game, aiming to have friendly matches and social events each year. They are currently developing their home ground and building changing rooms. One of the players was so proud of this, that he quickly pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to show the scorer photos on his phone!
The Wombats, as they are affectionately known, introduced themselves to the VOP players before the toss was made. Captain of the day Chris House making his inaugural debut as Captain of the Valley, headed out to the middle with Waipuna Captain Carl Schwarz. Interestingly, Carl had an uncanny look-alike to former Australian allrounder Shane Watson. After asking him what number he batted at, I was hoping he didn’t bat like him!
Waipuna won the toss and decided to have a bat. A strange decision, given the apparent juiciness of the Valley track. Captain House would have bowled anyway!
Some tight bowling in the first spell from Rumesh Warnakulasuriyage and Hugo Davison saw the visitors at 2 for 16 after the first ten overs. Rumesh doing the initial damage picking up 2 wickets in his first 3 overs. Both bowlers bowled with great pace and carry indicating batting could prove somewhat difficult. Hugo Davison got lots of chances in his spell but was unable to get the edge which he was threatening often.
First change bowler James Hoban came on and snared a wicket in his 3rd over putting the visitors at 3 for 43 after 18 overs. A 50-run partnership got the Wombats into a better position before Shane Watson’s look-alike Schwarz was caught off the bowling of Paul Dearsley. Paul ended up taking 2 for 17 off his 6 overs in a tidy spell.
Waipuna Valley all-rounder J Sullivan contributed with a well-timed 40, including 5 sixes and 6 fours. There was more tail-wagging than a labrador on steroids coming from the Waipuna Wombats which took their final score to 8 for 179. Bowling performance for the VOP went to Rumesh with an impressive 2 for 9 off 6 overs.
After a hearty lunch including the famous VOP curried eggs laid out in full glory by Barry and Scott, the VOP openers Paul Bateman and Jonty Dalziel did their best to weather the Waipuna Valley bowling attack which was accurate and threatening. Scoring was difficult, to say the least, with both openers back in the pavilion for an early refreshment and shower for 1 apiece. Things were not looking good at 2 for 6! After the first ten, the VOP was sitting similarly at 2 for 15 as the Wombats were.
Enter Mark Hume who came out and made a well-compiled 30. Hugo Davison was chomping at the bit to be the ‘anchor,’ that he does so well for the Valley. Hugo was looking very comfortable in the middle before being given lbw for 11. After this, the VOP unfortunately never got out of second gear with tight fielding and bowling from the Northern visitors.
‘Better late than never‘, Tim McConnell who was playing as a substitute player arrived just in the nick of time to make a well-compiled and aggressive 23, batting at 7. Captain House had a brain fade, toeing the ball to mid off for 7 thinking he could up the run chase. An injured Brian Plaskett, surely taking honours for the most elegant number 11 of all time, ran out of partners finishing with 5 n.o.
Despite some tight bowling from the Valley, restricting what was a formidable, young side for 179 off 45 overs, the visitors’ tight bowling and handy fielding eventually rolled the Valley for 108 off 33 overs. Time was definitely on the Valley’s side had we held our wickets and batted with our heads down.
Cricket was the eventual winner on the day as the Waipuna lads were top-notch and a pleasure to play against. The invitation was laid down from the Wombats for a potential rematch next season, including a possible trip to their domain. The 4-game South Island road trip came to a successful end for the Waipuna CC finishing 4 from 4. For the VOP, it’s back to the drawing board and a reset of tactics for the next fixture. See you all in the nets!
Thank you to Scott, Barry, Cameron and everyone who assisted on the day to make for a very enjoyable occasion yet again. It is safe to say the visitors were impressed and enjoyed their experience at the Valley.
Chris House, Captain for the day.
Paul Bateman taking guard
After-match at the Valley of Peace; is that Shane Watson?!
It’s not a cricket quiz or a sports quiz … it’s just a normal general knowledge pub quiz
Supper will be provided
Lots of good prizes
Raffle draws
Teams of 4 … but if you don’t have a team, just come along and we’ll find a team for you – no problem!
$15.00 per person (pay cash or use the VoP EFTPOS machine).
So it’s the more the merrier! Bring your neighbour, your wife, your neighbour’s wife, girlfriend, flatmate or cousin. We just want to see people supporting the cricket club!
And if you are kindly able to provide a prize for the raffle and/or quiz, please contact Scott Cartwright or Phil Smith.
Arousing to the cicadas chirping early on game day Sunday is always a welcoming sign for a quality day of cricket. The scene was set and arriving at the Valley of Peace ground is always a sentimental moment. Picture perfect with blue sky, dappled sun across the pitch and the outfield lush, green and mowed to symmetrical perfection.
The fixture against the Swannanoa Cricket Club is always a challenge. Hardened Saturday players who fight to the end as valid competitors; we were not disappointed.
Winning the toss the Valley inserted Swannanoa CC, for no other tactical reason other than being closest to the bar for the afternoon session. We were a confident bowling squad who bowled deep. The original VoP team had been decimated for COVID 19 reasons losing five players on the Monday prior, following the new traffic light changes. Full credit to Hugo Davison for assisting in completing the team. Several players were on debut, including Jonty Dalziel, Jaime Havill (aka The West Coast Warrior) and Jacob Haley, a promising talent aged 12. Spirits were high after the Friday afternoon net session, even higher after the Friday night rehydration session, which was located in Cougar Town. Claims of future greatness flowed; the details best left on the road.
After a couple of early chances went to ground, Swannanoa were trucking at four (4) an over with plenty of wickets in hand. Full credit to Hugo Davison for an opening spell of ‘freight express’ and The West Coast Warrior, who bowled with flight, dip and bite, for creating early chances.
The first changes, Harry Peeters and Benji Andrews bowled quality line and length completing eight-over spells on the trot, restricting our competitors scoring with minimal reward. Alex Toohey came on as second change from the members end with a vengeance, bowling at pace with movement both ways off the pitch; a miserly spell producing fruit with final figures of 2/3 off 6. An equal foil at the northern end, Sam Sidey, produced a quality bowling performance, seeing his allotted 8 overs out with figures of 3/19 off 8. Jaime Havill came back on for his second spell from the member’s end to tidy up the tail finishing with figures of 4/24 off 7. Supporting final spells from Jacob Haley bowling well on debut.
Supported well in the field and holding our catches, our bowling attack contained Swannanoa to 124 all out in the 41st Over. Highlights for Swannanoa were Lindon Adonis scoring 27 and their Skipper John Whitcombe anchoring the innings with 26.
A glorious Canterbury afternoon stretched out before us, we ate and drank like kings at lunch, perhaps too comfortable glowing in our success from the morning.
Swannanoa brought a consistent line and length and fielded well. Restricted scoring early meant we were under pressure from the outset. Brief partnerships in the top order were interrupted with regular wickets falling. The most significant partnership was built in the middle order with Hugo Davison and Sam Chamberlain. Willy Wonka bringing the chocolate and a pleasure to watch in the middle. Some additional flurries were supported early from Jonty Dalziel and Jim Blakely. At 90/6 with plenty of overs in hand we were positive we could get over the line. Full credit to Swannanoa for their bowling and fielding unit restricting runs.
As the pressure and the beating sun continued, Hugo anchored the innings defiantly, batting himself in and scoring late in the day. Runs from the lower order proved limited and partnerships were broken with regular wickets falling. The VoP was tentatively positioned at 108/9. Jacob Haley batted bravely, keeping out several deliveries. Hugo punished the loose balls clearing the boundary on several occasions and milked the strike effectively to have us 124/9. One to win leaving Jacob one ball to face before the end of the over to rotate the strike.
The game ended in a tie 124/10, leaving Hugo Davison 29 Not Out. As they say, cricket was the winner on the day.
The hosts for the game Scott, Barry, Cameron and Jesse had the bar prepped for an extended rehydration session due to the limited overs and low scoring game. Full credit to Swannanoa for their fielding and bowling attack, bowling line and length and fighting to the end.
A big thank you to the Valley hosts, The Valley groundsman and Swannanoa for a great game of cricket and a great day out.
Justin Hayley
Valley of Peace CC vs Swannanoa CC post-match presentation
Valley of Peace CC vs Swannanoa CC post-match presentation; check that scoreboard!