The Maroons set out with the objective of setting an Association record and securing the Club’s 11th A Grade Premiership and the team’s 7th premiership in 8 years.
We started the season strongly and went into Christmas undefeated. Some highlights included hitting 252 in 33 overs against Kenthurst in Round 2 and a 148 run victory over WPHC in Round 7 when we had the conditions against us both days. Some early season individual performances included Cal’s 2/11 (7) vs Hornsby, Hame’s 79 (56) & Dicky’s 3/5 vs Kenthurst, Smally’s 89 vs St Ives, Coop’s 5/17 vs Hornsby including their first grade fill in, Griff’s derby 100 and Griff (80 & 3/22) and Coop’s (50 & 3/20) all-round performances against WPHC.
The first game post Christmas we got rolled by Kisso which was the wake up call we needed. Our response the following week to overcome St Ives chasing a similar total at the same ground showed we had learned our lessons and had our minds back on the job. We accounted for WPHC the following week and then defeated the Whites by 5 wickets to close their lead at the top of the ladder to 3 points with 2 games to play. In that time, Mitch (39*, 69*) got us home in 2 consecutive one dayers, Brody was near unplayable and was well supported by quiet achieving Ben Hunter who picked up 4 wickets @ 7 during this period with an economy rate of less than 2 RPO.
We travelled to Kenthurst looking to close the gap on the Whites and got sent in on a slow wicket where quick runs were hard to come by. Andy Rayner was playing on a different wicket to the rest of the team bashing 62 (46) as we got rolled for 150. We were hoping to get a result on day one and had Kenthurst 6/13, but they dug in and we were unable to bowl them out until 3pm on day 2.
In the final round, Kisso sent us in knowing we wanted an outright result to give ourselves the best chance of securing the minor premiership. We made an aggressive declaration on 1/190 after a sensational Dicky 102* (he used 3 bats) and rolled them for 29 with Mitch (4), Wiz (3) and Coop (3) among the wickets. We forfeited our second innings to encourage Kisso to be positive and chase a total. Kisso dug in and fell only 10 runs short of our score, as we were salvaged by a brilliant 5-fer from Coop. 10 points secured but unfortunately we still fell short of the mighty Whites who deservedly finished first on quotient.
We defeated WPHC in the semi despite them leaving the covers on to let the wicket sweat and advantage the team bowling first, winning the toss and having the better of the conditions. 15yo Hamilton Seoung top scored with 40 batting for several hours during misty rain as we were rolled for 161 with an hour to bowl before lunch on day 2. We put on an absolute masterclass with the ball to have them 6/27 and packing up the covers at lunch. We picked up where we left off removing their last recognised batsman the first over after the break before bowling West Penno out for 60 in 40 overs. Coop 5/10 and Wiz 3/18 were the chief destroyers on the day, leading us to a 101 run win. The victory pushed our undefeated run against WPHC past 3000 days.
The Grand Final was an historic occasion as we became the first club to field 2 teams in an A Grade Grand Final. With uncertainty around the weather over both days we won the toss and bowled to maximise our chances of an early result. Brody’s opening spell of 6/16 set the tone for the final as we rolled the Whites for 84 inside 55 overs. He was well supported by our other bowlers, particularly Coop Davenport 2/17 (14). Shout out to White’s opener Mason Francis who carried his bat in the Grand Final. In pursuit of quick runs and a day one result, we batted aggressively and lost some soft wickets leaving the game in the balance at 2/21 and 4/46. Enter Fullzy (30 off 12) who signalled his intent hitting his first ball for 6 and quickly led us past the total 6 down with 30 minutes to play in the day, with Andy Rayner hitting the winning runs. Hamilton Seoung showed composure beyond his years anchoring the innings on day one and batting well into day two on his way to an unbeaten 41 to secure an historic and record-breaking premiership.
We finished the season with the 2 leading wicket takers in the competition with Brody & Coop finishing level on 34 wickets. We had 3 of HK&HDCA’s top 5 run scorers with Griff (399), Dicky (393) and Mitch (316) all starring throughout the season, while 14/15yo Hamilton Seoung finished 8th in the competition.
Another great season which adds another chapter to the legacy this great club has created.
Will Fiedler
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