Female B Grade 40 Over – Grand Final
Wanneroo 9/218 (Reichelt 77, Jesani 75) def. Perth Cricket Club 6/155
It was out to the neutral Lilac Hill for the 40 over Grand Final against Perth on the festival ground, which looked in immaculate Knick. Great toss for the Skipper to win, who had no hesitation in batting.
Great call Skipper! Shenae and Tene put on an opening stand just shy of 50, before Tene was out for 23. The next wicket didn’t fall until 192 during which time we saw perhaps the best partnership of the season (and there’s been some good ‘uns) between Shenae (77) and Shayna (75). These two innings had it all – class, timing, power – and what a way to shut out a GF! Congratulations to both batters.
The chase for quick runs in the dying overs saw a few wickets fall, but not before Layla played a nice little cameo, and with Bree and Emma not out at the end, the Roos notched a very impressive 9/218.
Our opening bowling combo of Josie and Emilie was an inspired choice, with both claiming an opening batter as Perth fell to 2/1. Immense pressure from the Roos who at this stage had their sights firmly set on the Cup.
The next wicket to a while to conjure but it came through a very good run out from Josie and Shayna. Buckets, Layla and Kristin were called on to bowl the middle overs, knowing that they needed to keep it tight to ensure victory. Their combined 21 overs went for just 66 runs, as the game slipped away from Perth. Further wickets to Emma and Bree, and a smokin’ runout from Layla showed the Roos had the foot on the gas until the very end, as good teams do, with Perth finishing 6/155.
Shenae was awarded Player of the Match, backing up from last season – awesome effort Coach! Seeing our team claim back-to-back B Grade flags in their first two years in the competition delighted the big family contingent in attendance – and it was time for photos all round.
Congratulations to everyone involved and thank you to Skipper Em, Coaches Shenae and Slats and Team Manager Amanda.
Female Youth League 40 Over – Grand Final
South Perth 7/58 (Bartholomew 3/20, Williamson 2/10, Allen 2/19) def Wanneroo 57
Away to South Perth at Richo in the 40 over Grand Final, the Roos were asked to bat first. It was great to see a big crowd in attendance. However, the Roos never quite got going with the bat in this game. Chloe showed some good touch while Talia, who demonstrated incredible resilience to play after a tough week, looked really good and was the top scorer in this dig. Chops and Pots also showed some good resistance, but unfortunately the Roos were all out for 57.
Needing a pretty strong bowling effort to turn the tide, hopes were immediately raised when Chloe took two wickets with the first two balls of the SP innings. Great to see the Roos get around her! With Tegan snaring one at the other end, the score was suddenly 3/0! Could it happen for the Roos? Certainly the Wanneroo faithful thought so!
When Chloe struck again it was 4/8, with Womby completing her second catch, but alas the elusive 5th wicket took a while to get, as the home side reached 5/49. Two further wickets to Talia, who really dug deep, kept things interesting, but in the end SP passed the score 7 down. Although we weren’t victors on the day, we loved how the U17s showed a fierce determination to fight this game out.
Congratulations to the team, Coaches Toby and Marc and Team Manager Marnie for a fantastic season with two Grand Finals and plenty of player development along the way. This is a young side and we are incredibly proud of them!
Second Grade – Semi Final
Wanneroo 10/149 (McGhie 48, Bonner 34) def by Willetton 316 (Fryer 3/55, Ardagh 3/61, Forssman 2/85)
The Twos faced Willetton at home in the semi-final for season ‘23. Losing the toss, Wanneroo bowled first. The Roos got off to a great start, taking early wickets and building pressure. The main destroyer was Donavinn Fryer, taking three wickets to leave Willetton stumbling at 3-25.
Unfortunately for Wanneroo, there was not much to celebrate following this. Wanneroo continued to bowl reasonably well, but were let down in the field with several dropped catches and missed opportunities. This would eventually come back to haunt the Twos, with their opponents compiling runs steadily up until the last session, where they exploded to hit a final total of 316. Fryer finished with 3-55 and Ardagh with 3-61.
Wanneroo arrived the following day optimistic of a successful run chase on what was a flat wicket. Michael Ardagh was promoted to open the batting in the hope that we could put Willetton’s bowling attack on the back foot. However, this did not eventuate. Wanneroo lost wickets at regular intervals and never really threatened the large total that their counterparts had set them. Bonner (34) and Mcghie (48) were the shining lights with the bat as Wanneroo were dismissed for 149.
It was a disappointing end to what was, for the most part, a promising season for the Twos. We were the benchmark of the competition throughout the first eight rounds of the year, going undefeated. But, post-Christmas, things did not continue, as we lost games that we would usually pride ourselves on winning. We entered finals with an inconsistent run of form behind us and this was reflected through our inconsistent performances.
Despite bailing out in the semi-final, the group can be proud of the season we have put together. Finishing 2nd on the ladder and make the semis is an achievement in itself. We had star individual performances with hundreds scored and five wicket hauls taken, resulting in several players making their way into the first grade side.
The future is bright, and we will be back next year to go a couple of steps further.
Third Grade – Semi Final
Wanneroo 8/122 (Gardner 25) def. Subiaco-Floreat 120 (Jessani 4/21, Fitzmaurice 4/25, Slattery 2/24)
Let me set the scene…. Semi-final time, a picturesque Kingsway 2 deck and 11 Roo boys ready to take on a few lads of higher socioeconomic status (daddy’s money).
Enter Jordan “Tinman” Slattery fresh and firing after his double shot choccy milkshake, as he won the toss and elected to bowl on a surprisingly not flat Kingsway 2 deck. Jordan “el nino la polla” then took the new rock with Alex “poodle” Fitzmaurice, leaving Subiaco in strife at 4-30 before lunch. The pitch then quickly flattened out after lunch, until Tarun “limbs” Jessani entered the attack getting 2 quick wickets helped by J.Walter. One of which was a very legal catch by John “waltdaddy” Walter. Then Fitta followed suit with 2 wickets in two balls to leave Subiaco panicking after losing 4 wickets for just 1 run. Taz then cleaned up the tail … shock. Taz Claiming 4/21, Fitta taking 4/25 and Jordan “choccy milk merchant” Slattery taking 2/24 to leave Subiaco all out for 120.
Chasing 120 to secure a spot in a grand final, some panic would ensue for the Roo boys. The boys struggled their way to 7/86 with the help of a handy 25 from Marc “English import” Gardner. Welcome Jordan “pisswreck” Slattery to the crease, where our skipper guided the boys home with a clutch 19* hitting the match winning runs with some help from Jordan “slippery gordo” Marinovich and FITTAAA. A close finish and some clutch performances sees the trees into the grand-final at Abbott park next weekend, where we take on Willeton.
Fourth Grade – Semi Final
Subiaco-Floreat 2/170 def. Wanneroo 166 (Pearce 62, Douglas 41)
After a gutsy win at lilac last week in the first final, the 4s made the journey out to beautiful Alderbury reserve.
Another toss win meant the boys were starting the semi final batting. After losing 2 early wickets Callum ‘Kittens’ Douglas and Kane ‘Debt’ Pearce steadied the ship once again before losing Dougo for a well-made 41. Kane and Alan ‘Boots hung up’ Hall added 50 between them before a stinky run out sparked a massive batting collapse going from 5/129 to 166 all out, Kane being the star of the show hitting 62.
The 4s had 20 overs to bowl before the end of day 1 and fair to say it didn’t go as planned. Subi finishing 60 for no loss at the end of the first day.
Coming back on the Sunday Owen ‘Horse’ Brown took the first wicket with the very first ball of the day and the 4s had some life. After that the Subi batsmen bored the Roos out of the game and eventually won the game with 8 wickets remaining.
It’s a bitter end to another fantastic season for the 4s making our second semifinal in 2 years. It’s a shame to not be playing on the last weekend of the season again but we will all be behind the 3s trying to bring a senior men’s flag home to the home of cricket after an awesome win for the girls last week.
Also a massive congratulations to Hally on an incredible career, it has been an absolute pleasure to play with and learn from you. All the best for your retirement (Maybe try qualify for finals next year too?)
🦘