The Weather Takes its Toll
The world of cricket has gone through some tumultuous times of late. Australia lost to England at Lord’s for the first time since 1934 (giving further credence to theories that the global economy is closely correlated to Australia’s cricketing performance) and Bangladesh won a Test series against the West Indies. Even more startling, the ANZA 1s have finished the regular season without a single victory to their name. While in some games the playing depth lost over the last year has shown, Captain Kevin Robertson and his team have taken many an opposition to task before either being robbed by the weather gods or falling just short of victory, with many notable performances that have earned a number of these players SunSense Man of the Month awards. Sadly, however, it appears the team will have to fight for its survival in a relegation battle later in the year.
The ANZA 2s meanwhile, have continued to go from strength to strength. A number of washouts early in the season robbed the side of what looked to be dominant wins but with the weather drying out, Mark “MC Hammer” Christensen and his side has been able to get into a winning habit. Opening bowler Chris Sweet’s ability to swing the ball has often left opposition batsmen dumbfounded, while at the other end, the “Hammer’s” pace has further added to their torment. Their efforts have been ably supported by Corbon “Corpse” Loughnan whose well-flighted leg breaks have often proved highly effective. Thanks to the natural impatience of the batsmen in Singapore cricket, Corbon has been able to plunder 5 or more wickets in a match, most recently taking six in a brilliant display. The problem for the 2nds, as with most of the ANZA teams this season, has been with the batting. Fortunately, however, the rest provided by the mid-season break looks to have solved this as both the top and middle order have begun to contribute.
After the mid-season hiatus, the “Thirsty” Thirds have also begun to see some improvement in fortune. Yet, with the side still hurting from the loss of Greg Joiner, a player who could throw the bat around, as well as a number of other key contributors who have been unavailable of late, the momentum is building slowly. It should be noted though, that this side has been at the forefront of ANZA’s efforts to improve cricket knowledge in Singapore. The players have been more than helpful in educating visitors in educating visitors, such as soccer players from the adjoining fields, on the finer points of the game and this has led to some meaningful discussion on the sidelines.
For the record:
- It is actually a target in cricket to hit the ball over the boundary;
- The pitch can’t be moved to the side of the field;
- Play is made from both ends of the pitch, and;
- The ball can be hit in any direction from either end anyway.
This brings us to the club’s 4th division side, the “Champs”. Eager to send off outgoing captain Steve “Slim” Limbrick in style and retain their place as the best performing ANZA side, the Champs have continued their fine form, taking two league wins on the trot (something the side had not achieved since its inception). New Captain Will “Bubbles” Enos has shouldered his new responsibilities well, tweaking the batting order and making the most of the strong platform his top order has set. His 70 against SPA helped the Champs chase down an imposing target of 182. This target could have been much higher had it not been for the tight bowling of Klaus Anton (3-33) and Ben “Benny” Yeoh (3-36). Their efforts were ably support by Andrew “Spanky/Angry Man” Spain (0-24) who once again had the dubious honour of earning the batsman’s respect.
As noted earlier, the legspin of Corbon “Corpse” Loughnan has often proven too much for Singapore batsmen this season. At the same time, he has been a regular contributor at the top of the order in both the First and Second division, with a rapid 69 against CSC a notable standout. It is for these reasons he has been awarded the SunSense Man of the Month. We cannot wait to see what happens when he is completely injury-free!
To new arrivals and those looking to return to the fray, ANZACC is always on the look out for members. And even though the league season is winding down, the club has plenty of social matches on the cards for players to dust off the cobwebs. So if you fancy returning to the cricketing fold and are well versed in the art of sledging (of teammates), either come down to training on Thursday nights (6.30-8.30pm at the Ceylon Sports Club) or send an e-mail to
join@anzacc.org.sg for more information.
Phil McNicholas |
