The predicted rain didn’t really eventuate – so, where the opposition could fill their side, a good weekend of cricket was had by many a Magpie.

We’ll start this week’s chatter with a call out for the spectators, past players and those who enjoy the community spirit – head to the oval on a Saturday afternoon, you might be pleasantly surprised with a few recent improvements to the “spectator experience”.  The oval is in a terrific state, and we’d love to see all you past players, family and friends sitting back and enjoying watching the lads putting in their all to see Tanunda take the points each week.

The A’s continued from 1 for 28 overnight chasing down ERCC’s 128 on a deck that was a bit two paced, and an outfield that was overly lush.  Akkermann Wayne-Type played a fine hand, making a very solid 48, as did Nathan Justin, showing he’ll be a welcome return to the club this year also falling 2 short of his 50.  After Mitch Boschen’s failed attempt to be part of a hat-trick (thanks to the bloke who dropped him), we declared at 8 for 149.

Another 33 overs in the field followed with both teams coming out about level at 4 for 79.  Mitch Boschen the pick of the bowlers, with a very sharp 7 overs ending resulting in 2 wickets for only 3 runs.  Akkerman Shaun-Type and Dylan Abinett both chipped in with a wicket apiece.  Great to see 2 wins on the board early in the season, with some really good signs of for a successful year ahead.  Barossa Sportspower player of the week goes to Nathan Justin for his match winning knock, as Akkerman Wayne-Type picked up the gong last week…

The B’s headed back to the dog track full of confidence with a great score of 272 to defend.  Unfortunately it wasn’t their day, with most of the opposition bats making a good score, we fell 10 runs short of the mark.  Kieren Smith the most successful of the bowlers picking up 2 wickets, with Sam Cox (great effort with 17 overs in his first spell), Tony Swan and Hugh Rogan each taking a wicket apiece.  Barossa Brewery player of the day goes to Sam for his marathon spell of express bowling off the long run.

Unfortunately Sandy Creek couldn’t fill their side, leading to the C’s having a well deserved day off, which many enjoyed keeping their fluids up at the A’s.  Stars of the day were the FJ Holden club, admirably captained by Chris Collins, who showed that even the little blokes can cruise in a FJ with an arm out the window, low and slow.

Mia Pizza Player of the Week goes to Akkerman-Wayne type, for a fine all-round contribution to the A grades win.

The Under 16’s went down on Saturday in a tight meeting with a very talented Angaston side. Unfortunately the Panthers took the points, with our lads unable to defend our total of 121, going down to 143 despite great efforts by some of our bowlers. Craig Simpson with 2/17, Sam Dunn 1/26, Fraser Cameron 1/6 and our opening bowler Will Loffler 0/18.  No doubt the boys are looking forward to a home game next week with hopefully lots of runs on the board!

The Under 14’s White headed to the TCG on Friday night looking to defend their competitive total of 146 against the old enemy from Tanunda North.  A good all-round performance saw the boys across the line in a tight tussle, with Nuri making 8 for 123 off their 40 overs.  Brodie Robinson, Nicholas Mills and Jackson Docherty all taking a wicket, with Riley Westbrook the star taking 2 for 9 off 3 overs.  Well done all!

The Under 14’s Black headed to the TCG on Saturday morning, chasing Eudunda’s 107. The boys got off to a sound start and were 2 for 20 off the first 10 overs on a slightly damp wicket, however wickets started to tumble at a steady rate and were all out for 70 runs, falling short of the points.  Kyle Graetz was in an aggressively frame of mind and made a quick fire 16, with Rhett Montgomerie in good form top scoring with 24.  Running between the wickets might be a key focus at training in the next few weeks…

The U12 Black took on Light Pass at Faith West on Friday night. Everyone batted well with good running between wickets. Tyson Graetz top scored for the blacks and hit his first four. Captain Jordan ‘Skinny’ Rosenzweig and Blake Dahlitz also both had a good crack with the bat.  A highlight was a great run out in the field by Jaden Graetz and it was terrific to hear some really great voice in the field all night by everyone.  Unfortunately though a few wickets fell through the team’s fingers – so catching will be the focus at this week’s training… This week’s awards went to Tyson Graetz and Chloe Rosenzweig.

On a fresh Williamstown morning, Captain Angus Schild led the Under 12 White team on to the field. The lads struggled bowling and fielding in the greasy conditions with a number of catching opportunities going begging. The team managed four run outs, led by a classic direct hit from Hugh Schild and sharp run down by Cohen Linke,  so all was not lost!  A solid batting effort followed with some clean hitting by Luca Whitelum (MVP award),  Mitch Manning  putting on a great show of compact batting, and a little cameo by Hugh Schild (Team Man award). With confidence building within the team and with an increased game focus the competition is on notice!

What a terrific weekend for cricket! The ovals are green, the skies are blue and the flies are everywhere!

The A’s took on ERCC at the TCG and had a great day bowling the visitors out for 128 on a flat Tanunda deck. Liam Boschen continued his form with the ball picking up another 3 wickets, as did Akkermann Wayne-Type and Akkermann Shaun-Type, with Luke ‘Fish’ Samain taking the remaining wicket. In reply we’re 1 for 28 – on track for win 2 of the year. Tanunda Clubhouse player of the day goes to Wayne Akkermann for his three for not many more than that!

The B’s headed to the dog track and had a terrific day, ending with 7 for 272. Jon Farley the star carrying his bat to end the day with 130 not out. Highlight of the day was the Farley boys putting on their highest ever partnership of 77, Kym making a solid 34. Luke Snowden and Matt Fechner both with 20s. Good bowling should see the boys take home the points. Rogasch Windows player of the day easy – Jon Farley for the 2^nd time in 3 weeks! Special mention to Hugh Rogan for putting some splinters on the ball on his way to being given out LBW…

The 4’s drove through Lyndoch and found themselves at the picturesque Williamstown oval. The team showed that last week’s 250 score wasn’t a fluke, ending at 5 for 251 after our 40 overs. Mark Hoklas and Akkerman George-Type both chipped in with 28’s. Stuart Swan and Craig Smith finished the innings with an unbeaten partnership of 164, with Stuart finally hitting a ton for Tanunda after a few failed attempts a long time ago, finishing on 108 not out and Craig playing a vital hand, ending with 51 not out.

After looking down the barrel for most of the time in the field, the team showed great spirit to hold on for a thrilling tie, with South getting to 251 on the last ball. Chris ‘Collo’ Collins was the best of the bowling, taking 3 wickets, with Darryl ‘Stork’ Hean taking 2 wickets. A few held catches and taken run-out opportunities might have seen the lads not having to share the points. Swanny gets the Tundarri Sales and Service player of the day for finally hitting the ball off the square. Great to see Craig ‘Cactus’ Smith going beyond the call, stripping down to his y-fronts to retrieve the ball from the creek, lucky there weren’t too many leaches in there!

Mia Pizza’s TCC player of the week award goes to Jon Farley for his unbeaten 130, Pizza night coming up at Charlie’s place soon!

The under 16’s came up against a very strong Angaston bowling line up, finishing the day with 7 for 121 at the end of our allotted overs, with James Madden on 47 and Nic Burton on 57 putting in an excellent batting performance. Looking forward to our strong bowling line-up getting early wickets next week to notch up back to back wins to start the year.

The under 14 Whites took on Nuri at the TCG on Friday Night and ended at a very competitive 3 for 146. Jake Hartigan the star retiring on 50 with Jackson Gray contributing a valuable 20.

The under 14 Blacks took on ERCC at Tanunda on Saturday morning, with the visitors ending the morning on 8 for 107. Dylan Birchard the star with the ball ending with the fine figures of 2 for 2 off 4 overs, with another 6 of the future bowling stars for the club taking a wicket each.

The under 12 Blacks took on Nuri at Nuri. Captain Jaden Graetz won the toss and opted to field first. We bowled really well against some big hitters for home team. A Great effort by Blake Dahlitz bowling 2 for 6 & Mitchell ‘Banger’ Radzevicius 1 for 4. Special mention to our new super sub Ben Mernagh with his first game and first wicket in big time cricket bowling 1 for 1. Chloe Rosenzweig also had a great day bowling 1 for 2. In the chase Skinny & Blake got us off to a great start with a big 6 from Blake. Sam ‘Tappy’ Tapscot had a great day hitting his first 4. This week’s awards went to Mitchell Radzevicius & Sam Tapscot. Well done everyone!

Another lovely Friday evening game for the under 12 Whites, this time at Stockwell oval, and with Captain Sidney Pick  selecting to bat a solid start was made by Luca Whitelum and Harry Collins. A little cameo innings by Angus Schild helped build a respectable total. Harry Collins (this week’s MVP) had one of his best games claiming 3 early wickets supported by some tight bowling by Tomas Heuzenroeder (Team Man).  Some overzealous fielding when the pressure was on, with a number of overthrows being gifted to the opposition – but that gives the team something to work on at training this week! The A4’s might join you!

If you’re looking for more information, for Junior’s please contact Amanda Westbrook, and seniors contact Darren Graetz. You can also email the club on secretary@tanundacricketclub.org.au.

After a good week last week, the A1 Reserves had a pretty tough day on the park. Having set Nuri 189 for victory and having them 3 for 30 in reply – the game looked in the balance. Unfortunately a couple of the experienced Nuri bats showed our boys how it’s done, with the next wicket only falling with 300 on the board. Boschen Mitch-Type toiled hard all day to end with a wicket, but was outdone by Boschen Liam-Type chipping in with 3 for 6 at the end of the day. No doubt Liam will be making sure Pistol sees him warming up after a couple of overs next week. The season’s a long one – and no doubt the boys will bounce back next week. Tanunda Clubhouse man of the match goes to Jon Farley for his knock last week.

The A2’s took to Tanunda Oval needing about 80 runs to chase down Nuri’s 137 from last week, having ended day one at 1 for 57. It ended up being pretty consistent day with most of the team getting a start but not going on with it, with a few of the boys selling their wickets a little cheaper than they would have hoped. It’s only game 2 so the price should go up in weeks to come! The exception to this was Feather’s who showed all how to value your wicket and accumulate runs over the day. He batted all day and ended up with a match winning 73 not out. Barossa Sportspower man of the match goes to Connor Peacock.

Last week we pointed out that, even after a loss last week, Smithy’s A4’s were expecting good things this year after our lean year in the A4’s last season. On Saturday the lads ventured to Kapunda to take on one of the stronger A4 teams over recent seasons. Kapunda set a very respectable target of 5 for 253, with Mitch Fox taking two wickets and S-Type Akkerman, Collo and Hokey all taking one wicket a piece. Not only did our lads chase down the total, but they did it in style, leaving 4 wickets in the bank for a rainy day. A terrific chase followed, with a number of the top order making valuable contributions. Hokey capped on a good all-round day making 61, with Collo, Heany and Spray Dude all hitting 40’s. Captain Smith warmed up the forehand to finish with a critical 20 towards the end. A great win boys. Ultimate Engineering man of the match goes to Hokey for a great all-round day.

Mia Pizza’s TCC player of the week award goes to Connor Peacock for being the mainstay of the A2’s first win of the season.

The under 16’s are back! After 2 years in the wilderness, they are back with a great win first up! Making 7/136 last week, they restricted Gawler Central to 8/123. Good all round bowling performances from Will Loffler – 3/31, Ben Biagi 2/7 and Fraser Cameron 1/13 contributed to the great win. Special mention to Ben Walsh for his solid fielding effort in his first game of cricket. An excellent team performance lads!

Mixed results this week for our Under 14 sides. The Blacks travelled to Gawler Centrals to defend the 6 for 195 they made last week. A solid bowling performance saw the boys easily bring home the win, holding their opponents to 104 – great stuff! The Whites drove out of the other end of Tanunda and headed to Eudunda to have a go at chasing down 120 made by the home side last week. Unfortunately it was just one of those days, with ERCC proving to be the better of the two sides. Cricket’s a funny game – heads up boys – value your wicket and make the opposition bowlers sick of seeing you out in the middle over after over!

In the Under 12’s, Tanunda Whites took on the Tanunda Blacks at the TCG on the beautiful Friday night. It was a very evenly matched game with everyone trying hard & playing really well. With “cross net” bragging rights up for grabs, Whites game captain “Lumpy” Whitelum won the toss and lead from the front with the bat. He was ably supported by the family duo’s – the Schild and Collins boys. With a focus in the field and tight bowling required young Jack Underwood (MVP for the week) with his budding leg spin was a standout supported by Mitch Manning (Team Man award). Special mention to 1st gamer Cohen Linke. For the Blacks, well done to James Roehr who top scored for the Blacks & hit his first 4. Wickets were taken by Sam Tapscott, Blake Dahlitz, Tyson Greatz, Liam Cook & Jordan Rosenzweig. This week’s Tanunda Black awards went to Blake Dahlitz & Liam Cook. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night in the Barossa!

For our younger cricketers starting out on their cricketing journeys, Milo cricket started off last Wednesday and around 12 kids attended. Sam Brooks is the coordinator for the next 4 weeks and he has done a great job with the assistance from a few parents. There is still plenty of time to bring the kids down to Tanunda oval and register. The “training” starts at 4pm on a Wednesday and is $65 to register and participate which includes is a cricket pack which is well worth having. Please contact Amanda Westbrook on 0403 002 698 for further information.

A reminder to anyone looking for a game of cricket this season, Senior Training is on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:30 pm at the Tanunda Oval. The U16’s train on Wednesday’s between 4 pm and 6 pm. U14 Black trainings will be held Monday nights from 5 pm, with U14 White trainings will be held Tuesday nights between 4:30 pm and 6 pm and Under 12’s training on Thursday nights at 4pm.

Once again, If you’re looking for more information, for Junior’s please contact Amanda Westbrook, and seniors contact Darren Graetz. You can also email the club on secretary@tanundacricketclub.org.au

The cricket season is well and running with eight sides taking to the field this week.

The A1 reserves continued their strong start to the year. Due to a few absences from the regular team a number players got the play Nuriootpa’s A grade two weeks straight, with the experience of last week coming to the fore, Jon Farley being the Tundarri Sales & Service A grade player of the day, making a fine 59, and Uncle making a solid 37.

Luke ‘Fish’ Samain showed his all-round game with 26. Brett “I’m at the wrong oval” proved that a last minute dash from Tanunda to Nuriootpa doesn’t hinder your concentration levels chipping in with 19. We ended up with a good score on the often low scoring Nuriootpa deck of 188.

After 10 overs Nuriootpa are in less than desirable spot at 3 for 30, with Skipper Pistol snaring 2 wickets and Fish chipping in the other wicket to fall.

With some solid bowling next week, including the return of Mitch “I’ve got my 21st to attend” Boschen to the attack next week the boys could well be 2 from 2. Congratulations on your 21st birthdays Boschen boys.

The A2s took on Nuriootpa’s A2s at Tanunda. Stand in skipper Sam “RIP Chopper” Cox won the toss and got on the front foot sending Nuriootpa into bat. Aiden Radz and Connor Peacock got off the day off to a terrific start, quickly having the first three Nuriootpa bats back in the shed, all bowled.

The team bowled in the right areas all day, and a fine team effort bowling performance saw Nuriootpa dismissed for 137, with all bowlers taking a one or two wickets. Special mention to Hugh “I love to drive” Rogan in taking his first wicket for the club and to “Dad” Akkerman for an excellent display behind the stumps.

In reply we’re in a solid position overnight at 1 for 57. Ole Pres chipping in with 21, George having a terrific day, not out on 26 and Connor “Feathers” Peacock showing his all-round game, with a very solid 7 not out at the end of the day.

If everyone shows the Nuriootpa attack respect and values their wickets, the A2s should get their first points for the year. The Innovative Eye Care A2 player of the day goes to George Akkerman for his day out with the gloves and the bat.

For those that love to back a winner, take a punt and back a dark horse… not sure if this has happened before, or will ever happen again.

About half way through the afternoon an anonymous bowler (very experienced and in the media game) bowled a delivery that went for six… that’s okay – it happens.

What happened next was quite remarkable…. the ball missed the nice shiny new red vehicle on the boundary, hit a branch in the tree resulting in the ball ricocheting up and passing through the window of the toilet block in front of the bowling club.

A quick search of said toilets revealed that the batsman had managed to get a “hole in one”. Thank goodness the toilet bowl had been flushed and was full of clean water, or a new ball would have been required. Not sure it’s happened before, not sure it’ll ever happen again, but you’ve got to laugh.

Unfortunately Smithy’s A4s didn’t come home with the bacon. Angaston batted first and made a competitive 174.

Collo took 2 wickets as did Rob “I’ve only got shorts” Hentschke. Dan Graham and Bobby “sorry for starting in the shade behind the white line” Smart both taking a wicket a piece.

We were never really in the hunt being bundled out for 73. Collo was the only bat to make more than 20, chipping in with 24, with 3 others making 13. It’s a long season, and we’ll only get better.

It’s great to see a number of players that haven’t played for a year or so back in the side. With quite a few players missing this week there’s no doubt the A4s will be a very competitive side this year. Rogash Windows MVP goes to Collo for his all-round efforts.

Mia Pizza’s TCC player of the week award goes to Jon Farley for his contribution at the top of the order for the As, with a special mention to Tony Swan for his efforts in trying to get the ball to go reverse at Tanunda on Saturday afternoon… join the dots.

For all the senior players, please make sure you get back to the The Clubhouse on Saturday after the game for presentations and a beer or two. We’ve got an injection of new faces in the club this year, so get back there, support one of our major sponsors and make yourself known to the new lads.

The under 16s have made a strong start to their season. They won the toss and batted first against a strong Gawler Central team. It was a great team effort with solid contributions from Ben Biagi – 20, Sam Dunn – 14, and Will Loffler – 16. This also included a great co captains knock from Nic Burton of 57 not out (following on from his fine 40 not out last week in the A2s).

Hopefully with a good bowling performance we can continue our great start and record a win for the 16’s who haven’t been represented for two years.

The Under 14 Blacks had a strong day with the bat against Gawler Central at Gawler Central, posting a very respectable 6 for 195 off their 40 overs. Some good line and length bowling should see the lads come home with the points.

The Under 14 White drove up to Eudunda and it looks to be a very even game at the half way mark with the home side posting 8 for 120. A few partnerships and a couple of decent knocks at the top will be needed next week as we chase Eudunda’s score.

Apologies to the Under 12’s, the scribe hasn’t received any details of how you faired over the weekend.

A reminder to anyone looking for a game of cricket this season, Senior Training is on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5.30 pm at the Tanunda Oval.

The U16s train on Wednesdays between 4pm and 6pm. U14 Black trainings will be held Monday nights from 5pm, with U14 White trainings held Tuesday nights between 4.30 pm and 6 pm and Under 12s training on Thursday nights at 4pm.

Tanunda will once again host Milo cricket for all those budding young cricketers, keep an eye out in this column, our website (tanundacricketclub.org.au) and the club’s Facebook page for more information.

Once again, If you’re looking for more information, for Junior’s please contact Amanda Westbrook, and seniors contact Darren Graetz. You can also email the club on secretary@tanundacricketclub.org.au.

And away we go! Two senior team’s kicked off the Tanunda Cricket Club’s 2013/2014 on Saturday, with a pretty positive result for both sides. Due to the unusual bye situation in the A1 Reserves and A2 respectively, both our A1 Reserves and A2 sides both played A1 Reserves opponents.

The A1 Reserves got their year off to a terrific start, easily taking the points against Lyndoch after dismissing them for a mere 38. Star of the show was Mitch “welcome back” Boschen, who returned the magnificent figures of 7 for 7 off 8 overs. His figures could have been even more remarkable without the 3 wides and a no-ball… Luke Samain chipped in with 2 scalps, with Wayne Akker’s taking the remaining wicket on offer. After the loss of a couple of early wickets we ended up at 3 for 178 with Mark Hartigan and Skipper Pistol showing the way with 52 not out and 42 not out respectively. A great start to the year for the A’s.

Playing a side recently demoted from A1’s in the first game of the year was always going to be a challenge for the A2s. Not only did the lads put up a competitive effort, they got within 30 runs of Nuri. Young Nic Burton was the star with the bat, making his highest score in senior cricket of 40 not out, ably supported by Toby Miflin and Simon Liersch around 20. Connor Peacock, new to the club this season, was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 17 off his 8 overs, Nic Burton capped off a fine all-round game with 2 for 31, young Sam Dunn showed the future is looking good with 2 for 32, and Keiren Smith bowled a terrific spell finishing with 1 for 14 off his 8 overs. Special mention to Fechy for a great effort in the field to show that over 40’s can throw themselves around – I bet he was sore on Sunday.

This week see’s the A’s taking on Nuri’s A’s at Nuri, the B’s taking on Nuri’s B’s at Tanunda and the C’s kicking off their season against Angaston at Moculta. All seems a bit closer to what usually happens!

On the junior front, terrific to see the return of a Tanunda Cricket Club under 16 side. With 5 junior across the U16, U14 and U12 grades, the future is bright. Good luck to all of our future stars kicking off their season this week, play the game in the right spirit, and most importantly have fun!

For those looking to have a hit this year but are yet to get involved, Senior Training is on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:30 pm at the Tanunda Oval. The U16’s train on Wednesday’s between 4 pm and 6 pm. U14 Black trainings will be held Monday nights from 5 pm, with U14 White trainings will be held Tuesday nights between 4:30 pm and 6 pm and Under 12’s training on Thursday nights at 4pm.

Tanunda will once again host Milo cricket for all those budding young cricketers, keep an eye out in this column, our website and the club’s Facebook page for more information.