August 31, 2013: The draws for the top two men's grades have been released. The layout of the season for both grades follows a similar pattern to last year, with limited-overs cricket dominating prior to Christmas and two-day games taking up most Saturdays in the New Year.
Ilam 3 replaces Ilam 4 as the new secondary home venue (in the corner on its own behind the pavilion, rather than in front of it as before), while Hospital Corner 1 gets utilised more often by the 2As. The Premiers are set to play five one-dayers and a two-dayer on the Hagley Oval pitch (subject to confirmation). The 2As get as many as six of their seven one-day matches at home (split across two venues) and may also play their last game of the season on Riccarton's new Nancy's Corner strip if its development goes according to plan.
The Twenty20 draw for both grades has yet to be released, but going by the Saturdays as yet unassigned, the format is likely to be similar with the Premiers to play a Show Weekend tournament in November and the 2As playing a round in November and two more in January.
[Premier Men Two-day Draw]
[Premier Men One-day Draw]
[2A Grade Men Two-day Draw]
[2A Grade Men One-day Draw]
St Albans winners at the CCA club awards
April 4, 2013: Ben Langrope followed on from his overwhelmingly successful evening at the St Albans prize-giving by being named the Premier men's club player of the year at the CCA awards night at the Russley Golf Club.
Langrope was also named in the Premier men's XI of the season. He was joined by St Albans Premier captain Aaron Johnstone, who was also named skipper of the side. Johnstone also won the trophy for the most Premier two-day wicket-keeping dismissals, the sixth time he has achieved this in the past nine seasons.
Meg Kendal capped a fine season with the Jean Ruddenklau Trophy for her performances at both club at Canterbury level and finished third overall in the women's club player of the year standings.
The club won two grades this season, both by the top women's side: the Premier women claimed a one-day title while the combination Premier/Division 1 side took out the mid-season Kirsty Bond Series competition.
St Albans award winners were:
Kirsty Bond Series - St Albans
Premier Women (One-day Cup) - St Albans
Chattel Hayes Memorial Trophy (most Premier men's two-day wicket-keeping dismissals) - Aaron Johnstone
Jean Ruddenklau Trophy (for consistency in women's club and representative cricket) - Meg Kendal
Ben Langrope named player of the year
March 29, 2013: Premier men's all-rounder Ben Langrope created club history as he scooped nearly ever major award at the St Albans prize-giving function held at the Hagley pavilion on Thursday evening. For the first time the same player collected the trophies for highest runs and wickets aggregates and for good measure Ben also picked up the most catches and sixes trophies too. Naturally enough, sweeping all these prizes culminated in Ben being named the overall club player of the year for 2012/13.
The prize-giving night was very well attended by members, family and supporters from a wide cross-section of the club who were entertained by guest speaker John Buchanan, the former coach of the record-breaking Australian side and current director of cricket at New Zealand Cricket.
Other major award winners were:
Top Individual Innings: Jack Harper - 136
Best Individual Bowling: Courtney Buckman - 7-8
All-rounder of the year (Morning Men): Ben Langrope - 616 runs and 40 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Afternoon Men): Dan Stribling - 425 runs and 25 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Women): Katie Morris - 203 runs and 17 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Wicket-keeper): Aaron Johnstone - 235 runs and 46 dismissals
Most economical bowling (10 overs): Matt Holstein - 10-3-14-2
Most economical bowling (8 overs): Danny Cunningham - 8-5-6-4
Most economical bowling (4 overs): Gabby Sullivan - 4-2-3-0
Most runs in an over (scored by a batsman): Dan Johnston - 31
Most runs in an over (conceded by a bowler): John Bascand - 29
Most ducks: Dan Lake - 7
Most sixes: Ben Langrope - 18
Team Speech of the Year: Natalie Cox
Rod McCurdy Award (for faux pas, misdemeanours etc): George Earl
Gunna Award (for saying they're "gunna do this, gunna do that"): Graham Curgenven
Personality of the Year: Dan Johnston (Past winners)
Noel Love Memorial Trophy (for the older St Albans member): Simon Oldershaw (Past winners)
Supporter of the Year: Christina Mehrtens
Peers Cup (for contribution on and off the field): Lindsay Serra (Past winners)
Zin Harris Memorial Cup (young male player of the year): Kyle Jamieson (Past winners)
Kim Jamieson Memorial Cup (young female player of the year): Courtney Buckman (Past winners)
Fielder of the Year (most catches by a non-wicket-keeper): Ben Langrope - 15 catches
Daygo Award (most afternoon grade wicket-keeping dismissals): Jonathan Price - 16 dismissals
Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup (most runs in one grade): Ben Langrope - 616 runs (Past winners)
Cyril Crawford Memorial Cup (most runs in any grade): Ben Langrope - 616 runs (Past winners)
Tom Burtt Memorial Cup (most wickets in one grade): Ben Langrope - 40 wickets (Past winners)
Don Sandman Memorial Cup (most wickets in any grade): Ben Langrope - 40 wickets (Past winners)
Bob Webb Memorial Cup (most wicket-keeping dismissals in one grade): Aaron Johnstone - 46 dismissals (Past winners)
Team Players of the Year: (Men) Premier - Ben Langrope, 2A - Clem Gibbens, 2B - Joel Turner, 4A - Grant Ross, 4C - Abe MacDougall, President's - Mark Hampton, Cavaliers - Ben Murdoch; (Women) Premier - Meg Kendal, Division 1 - Gabby Sullivan, Division 2 - Paige van Beurten
St Albans Club Player of the Year: Ben Langrope (Past winners)
Premier women emphatically win one-day title as season comes to a close
March 24, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 23, 2013
March 18, 2013: This Saturday marks the final day of cricket for the season. The Premier women play a one-day final against Old Boys Collegians-Country on Hagley Oval and the Division 2 women play in a Twenty20 final against Tai Tapu.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
4As pipped in last-over loss in semi-final
March 17, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 16, 2013
March 13, 2013: The 4A men play a semi-final in their grade this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers squeeze home; 2B men in rare two-day tie; Flavell hits club's second hundred
March 10, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, March 9-10, 2013
March 6, 2013: The Premier, 2A and 2B men all play a two-day Saturday/Sunday round this weekend. The Cavaliers men's game has had a venue change.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Dutia 7-for in vain as 2B men fall to agonising defeat
March 2, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 2, 2013
February 25, 2013:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Maiden Morris 5-for propels Premier women to tight victory
February 23, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 23, 2013
February 18, 2013:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men post first two-day win; Nuttall takes club's third hat-trick of season
February 16, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 16, 2013
February 11, 2013:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Dominant Premier men set for season's first two-day success
February 9, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 9, 2013
February 4, 2013:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Harper breaks through for club's first three-figure score of season
February 2, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 2, 2013
January 28, 2013: All women's grades restart this Saturday, including the reintroduction of a St Albans team in Division 1. Also all junior grades except the Girls Super 8s begin again on Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Anderson returns to club with five-wicket haul for Premiers
January 26, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 26, 2013
January 21, 2013: The Premier men test out the new Hagley Oval pitch for the first time when they play their two-dayer against Riccarton starting this Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Two last-ball thrillers in the afternoon grades
January 19, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 19, 2013
January 14, 2013:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers miss out on T20 final by slender margin despite Sunday double
January 13, 2013:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, January 12-13, 2013
January 7, 2013: This is the first weekend of cricket in the New Year for all adult men's grades. The rescheduled last two rounds of the Premier men's Twenty20 tournament are being played at Burnside on Sunday. Women's and junior grades resume on February 2.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Women collect first title of season with Kirsty Bond Series victory
December 22, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, December 22, 2012
December 21, 2012: Note: The Cavaliers Twenty20 grade men have been defaulted to. This is the last day of cricket before the Christmas/New Year break. Junior grades have already finished for 2012 and will resume on February 2, 2013. Adult men's grades resume on January 12.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier quest for repeat Auckland visit falls short; Ross tops batting board
December 15, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, December 15-16, 2012
December 10, 2012: The Premier men play Canterbury Country in their one-day semi-final on Sunday at Ilam fields.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers top table with emphatic victory; Smith takes 4C hat-trick
December 8, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, December 8, 2012
December 3, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men seal home one-day semi-final with comfort
December 1, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, December 1-2, 2012
November 26, 2012: Note that the 2B men's game has shifted pitches.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Buckman all-round special delivers victory for women
November 24, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 24, 2012
November 19, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Weather postpones Premier Twenty20 tournament conclusion
November 17, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, November 17-18, 2012
November 12, 2012: As this weekend is Show Weekend there is no cricket for the men's afternoon grades or all women's grades. Junior cricket is still being played this Saturday. The morning grade men's sides are all playing Twenty20. The Premier men (who are the defending champions) take part in a two-day tournament which will culminate in a Sunday afternoon final at Burnside Park.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier sides continue on winning ways
November 10, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Holstein selected in Canterbury HRV Cup side
November 6, 2012: Premier left-arm spinner Matt Holstein has been picked in the Canterbury Wizards side for its opening Twenty20 match of the season. Matt is part of a 13-man squad which will travel to Wellington to play the Firebirds in a televised HRV Cup match on Friday evening.
Should Matt make the final XI he could end up bowling to the likes of Jesse Ryder, while the Firebirds will also feature Australian speedster Shaun Tait in this match. It will also mean St Albans will have its first Canterbury men's representative in over two-and-a-half years, since Chris Martin and Chris Harris played at the tail-end of the 2009/10 season. He would also be the first new Saints player to don senior red-and-black colours since Michael Davidson debuted more than five-and-a-half years ago.
The club extends its congratulations to Matt and wishes him well for what is hopefully the beginning of his senior representative career.
Draw for Saturday, November 10, 2012
November 5, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Rain disrupts day; 2As steal first win of season in thriller
November 3, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 3, 2012
October 31, 2012: The 2B men have been defaulted to by the Sumner President's side.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier teams get on winning roll; Deshmukh takes hat-trick for 4Cs
October 27, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 27, 2012
October 22, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers recover from disastrous start to trounce Riccarton
October 20, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 20, 2012
October 15, 2012: Division 2 women and all junior cricket begins this Saturday. Note there has been a ground change for the Cavaliers Twenty20 men's side.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Horrendous weather causes complete washout
October 13, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 13, 2012
UPDATE (10AM SATURDAY): All uncovered adult grades are cancelled due to the weather. Covered grades (Premier and 2A grade men) are still on at this stage.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Results mirror mixed weather on opening playing day
October 6, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
The 2012/13 season begins
October 5, 2012: Welcome to another season, the 108th in the history of the St Albans Cricket Club. Recruitment has been very successful, allowing the club to enter seven adult men's teams and three adult women's teams plus a number of junior girls teams (many of which are in conjunction with our relationship school Cathedral Grammar).
Significant recruitment has allowed the club to once again field a team in the 2B men's grade, giving us a team in the top three grades. We have also been able to encourage a number of very promising younger girls to join the club and start their Premier women's careers. Three of these girls will be travelling from as far away as Timaru and Ashburton. They will join our New Zealand and Canterbury Magicians players in what we hope will be a successful season. Lastly, the club has a group of enthusiastic cricketers who will attempt to win the club's first Cavaliers Twenty20 title.
On a sad note, the club has seen the demise of the very successful 3A men's team. Known in different circles as the "BBBBs", "Tard's Toads" or "Falloon's fellas", many of this team have suffered career-ending injuries or have just plain retired. The other half have opted to join the President's grade team under the captaincy of Scott Mason.
We are a club which, if the crystal ball gazing comes true, will be a tad nomadic during the summer. Our practice facilities will be changing on a regular basis, as will the grounds that we will be playing at on Saturdays. Hospital Corner and the Polo grounds will be joined by between four and six pitches on the University of Canterbury playing fields at Ilam.
The club will also be utilising the University of Canterbury Rugby clubrooms at Ilam. However, for the first four to six weeks we will still be at our traditional pavilion on Hagley Oval.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new professional, Josh Peters, and three overseas amateurs - Martyn Hill, Adrian Neill and Daniel Jefferies. We hope your stay with us will be enjoyable and successful. Finally, we encourage all former players, friends and supporters to view the club games and enjoy a beer or other beverage back in the club pavilion each Saturday after play (or before) has finished. We welcome your support of our club in what may be a difficult season, but we hope a successful one.
Draw for Saturday, October 6, 2012
October 1, 2012: This weekend is the first day's play of the 2012/13 season for all men's grades. The Premier and social Twenty20 women start next week (October 13) while the Division 1 women and all junior cricket begins on October 20.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Saints at the National Club Championships - FINAL
April 14, 2012: History sadly repeated itself for the St Albans team at the National Club Championships in Auckland as they went down to Takapuna in the final. The side went through the round-robin phase unbeaten and, like their last appearance there in 2005, couldn't make it six-from-six to take home the major prize. On the back of a polished 98 from Jono Sole the Takapuna side posted a challenging score of 238/9, which was easily the highest score Saints had conceded all week. It all proved too much against a probing bowling attack on a pitch offering enough movement to make brisk run-scoring a difficult task and Saints folded for just 98 to lose by an unflattering margin of 141 runs. Some consolation was gained by Matt Holstein winning the bowler of the tournament prize, having snared the most wickets (14), had the second best average (11.93) and fourth best economy rate (3.29). Wicket-keeper Aaron Johnstone easily accounted for the most dismissals (16), seven more than the second best.
[St Albans v Takapuna Scorecard]
Saints at the National Club Championships - Day 5
April 13, 2012: Despite their poorest batting effort of the tournament to date St Albans did the business in the field once again to keep their unbeaten record intact. The win over the Eastern Suburbs side from Wellington was based around a counter-attacking 41 from Dan Johnston and then 4-44 from off-spinner George Earl. Easts fell eight runs short despite having nearly 10 overs remaining to reach the target. Saints meet Takapuna in the final tomorrow, clearly the two most consistent sides in the tournament.
[St Albans v Eastern Suburbs Scorecard]
Saints at the National Club Championships - Day 4
April 13, 2012: St Albans secured a berth in Sunday's final of the National Club Championships with a round to spare after defeating United from Palmerston North by four wickets. A constant stream of wickets right from the beginning scuppered United's chances of posting a demanding target on the postage stamp Cornwall Park No. 3 ground. An all-round team bowling effort meant Saints biggest hurdle was that of being able to successfully dodge the intermittent showers for long enough to score 142 runs required for victory. They duly did so with more than 15 overs to spare, though not without a few initial hiccups before James O'Gorman steadied the ship with a considered knock of 46. Their final opposition will not be found until after tomorrow's last set of round-robin matches but local side Takapuna is best placed as they have a three-point jump on the rest of the pack.
[St Albans v United Scorecard]
Saints at the National Club Championships - Day 3
April 12, 2012: Another day, another victory ... and this time this one counted. Saints defeat the formidable Takapuna side from Auckland by 90 runs thanks to a commanding 79 off 55 balls from Gerry Penford and a competition-wide player of the day performance from Matt Holstein with 6-30.
[St Albans v Takapuna Scorecard]
Saints at the National Club Championships - Day 2
April 11, 2012: The Premier men made it two-from-two at the National Club Cricket Championships as they took out the Otumoetai Cadets from Tauranga, but the victory was bittersweet thanks to the unpredictable Auckland weather. With a steady chase mounted and St Albans ahead of the required rate the match was abandoned with both teams agreeing to call it a day. However, as the other two games had not yet reached 20 overs in their second innings' to constitute official matches, all games are considered a no result and Saints miss out on the full win points.
[St Albans v Otumoetai Cadets Scorecard]
Saints at the National Club Championships - Day 1
April 10, 2012: The Premier men began their campaign at the National Club Cricket Championships with a victory over the Taieri side from Dunedin. Despite former St Albans Premier bowler Duncan Anderson taking out the Saints top three, the team held firm through some shaky moments and a collective effort was enough to secure the win with two wickets and 12.3 overs to spare.
[St Albans v Taieri Scorecard]
Michael Davidson named player of the year
April 6, 2012: Premier men's stalwart Michael Davidson received the top honour at the St Albans prize-giving function held at the club pavilion on Thursday evening, being named the overall club player of the year for 2011/12. In his 13th season with the club he collected the major prize for the first time as well as a swag of other awards during the night.
Other major award winners were:
Top Individual Innings: Mark Hampton - 125
Best Individual Bowling: Michael Davidson - 9-58
All-rounder of the year (Morning Men): Michael Davidson - 453 runs and 43 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Afternoon Men): Pierre Flavell - 541 runs and 23 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Women): Kate van Beurten - 286 runs and 10 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Wicket-keeper): Jonathan Price - 626 runs and 20 dismissals
Most economical bowling (10 overs): Matt Holstein - 10-3-21-0
Most economical bowling (8 overs): Graeme White - 8-4-7-2
Most economical bowling (5 overs): Mel Cormick - 5-1-8-0
Most economical bowling (4 overs): Karl Josephs - 4-0-12-2
Most runs in an over (scored by a batsman): Gerry Penford - 28
Most runs in an over (conceded by a bowler): Josh van Lier - 26
Most ducks: Adam Curtis, Karl Josephs, Abishek Muralidhar, Darryn Williamson - 5
Most sixes: Dan Johnston - 26
Rod McCurdy Award (for faux pas, misdemeanours etc): Andy Murray
Gunna Award (for saying they're "gunna do this, gunna do that"): Tony Falloon
Personality of the Year: Aaron Johnstone (Past winners)
Noel Love Memorial Trophy (for the older St Albans member): Murray Griffin (Past winners)
Supporter of the Year: Paul O'Gorman
Peers Cup (for contribution on and off the field): Barry van Beurten (Past winners)
Zin Harris Memorial Cup (young male player of the year): Ben Brady (Past winners)
Kim Jamieson Memorial Cup (young female player of the year): Kate van Beurten (Past winners)
Fielder of the Year (most catches by a non-wicket-keeper): James O'Gorman - 15 catches
Daygo Award (most afternoon grade wicket-keeping dismissals): Jonathan Price - 20 dismissals
Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup (most runs in one grade): Greg Dawson - 733 runs (Past winners)
Cyril Crawford Memorial Cup (most runs in any grade): Greg Dawson - 733 runs (Past winners)
Tom Burtt Memorial Cup (most wickets in one grade): Michael Davidson - 43 wickets (Past winners)
Don Sandman Memorial Cup (most wickets in any grade): Michael Davidson - 43 wickets (Past winners)
Bob Webb Memorial Cup (most wicket-keeping dismissals in one grade): Aaron Johnstone - 39 dismissals (Past winners)
Team Players of the Year: (Men) Premier - Michael Davidson, 2A - Dan Johnston, 3A - Murray Griffin, 4A - Jonathan Hamilton, 4B - Matt Sutherland, President's - Mark Hampton; (Women) Division 2 - Kate van Beurten, Social Twenty20 - Amy Turner
St Albans Club Player of the Year: Michael Davidson (Past winners)
St Albans winners at the CCA club awards
April 4, 2012: The Russley Golf Club again played host as the 2011/12 Canterbury Cricket Association club cricket awards evening witnessed a number of St Albans teams and players collect prizes.
After not gaining a member in last season's inaugural XI, as many as four St Albans players were honoured as part of the Premier men's club team of the year, which is selected from across all eight participating clubs. Aaron Johnstone was named captain of the side and was joined by Michael Davidson, Greg Dawson and Gerry Penford.
Also winning an award under the banner of the Canterbury Development XI side (which is a team largely populated by St Albans players) was Amy Satterthwaite, who claimed the Felton Trophy for most wickets taken in the Premier women's one-day competition. The Development XI also won the one-day title.
St Albans award winners were:
Phyl Blackler Memorial Trophy for Women's Division 2 - St Albans
Premier Men (One-day Competition) - St Albans
Premier Men (Two-day Competition) - St Albans
Sportsmanship Trophy for Batting - Greg Dawson (shared with Mark Harding of Burnside West University)
Chattel Hayes Memorial Trophy (most Premier men's two-day wicket-keeping dismissals) - Aaron Johnstone
Premiers triumphant; Division 2 women and Year 7/8 girls also victorious
April 1, 2012: The 2011/12 came to a close in fitting fashion as the Premier men completed the two-day/one-day season double with a 164-run victory over Marist-Harewood on Saturday.
Needing an outright win to ensure their nearest challengers for the title couldn't overtake them, Saints quickly wrapped up Marist's first innings to secure an 89-run lead. A 37-ball unbeaten 71 from club pro Gerry Penford rocketed Saints to a speedy declaration, giving themselves 63 overs to take 10 wickets and the title. In the face of a persistent attack led by Michael Davidson (4-26 in his 200th Premier match) Marist folded for just 90 a handful of overs after tea. The title is the 20th won by St Albans at Premier level since the competition began back in 1905, second only to the haul of 29 wins by Lancaster Park Woolston in its current and former guises.
The Division 2 women wrapped up their competition by dispatching Sydenham 29 by 99 runs, thanks largely to Katie Morris' unbeaten 85. They managed to hold off the threat of second-placed East Christchurch Shirley by a mere two points in the end. It is the 15th time St Albans has won this grade stretching back to the early 1940s.
The combined St Albans-Cathedral Grammar Year 7/8 girls did the pre and post-Christmas competition double by annihilating second-placed side Marist-Harewood 11 by 165 runs. Notable performances came from Megan Gray, who smashed 80 off just 47 balls and Olivia Clark with 4-3 off two overs.
Unfortunately perennial contenders, the 3A men, couldn't quite manage another trophy in the cabinet, going down by nine runs in a tough arm-wrestle in their final against the Predators side.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 31, 2012
March 26, 2012: Saturday is the final day of cricket for the season. As many as four sides from the club are in with a big shout of winning some silverware.
The Premier men hold a provisional lead of 0.66 points over nearest challengers Burnside West University, who are struggling in their match against Riccarton after day one. Also within touch are East Christchurch Shirley, who are 4.27 points off the lead and in a fairly dominant position against Old Boys Collegians. An outright victory against Marist-Harewood, however, would all but mathematically guarantee Saints the Premier two-day title for the third time in four seasons.
The 3A men play round-robin leaders, the Predators, in their grade final at Ilam fields after both comfortably dispatched their semi-final opponents on Saturday. Saints will need to step up a notch against the side which has defeated them three times in four meetings this season if they are to defend their title and make it 14 grade wins in the last 19 seasons for the BBBBs.
The Division 2 women lead their grade by two points going into their last match. If they defeat the bottom side, Sydenham 29, they will hold off the challenge of East Christchurch Shirley for the title, which would be the first won by a Saints team in this grade for five seasons.
The Year 7/8 girls team lead their grade and play in the final against runners-up Marist-Harewood 11 to decide the January-March competition winners. The team, which is a combination of Saints and Cathedral Grammar school players, are seeking the season double after winning the October-December competition in this grade.
A reminder that after play has concluded in the afternoon, the pavilion will host the traditional end-of-season wrap-up function from 7pm onwards. It would be great to see every adult team down there to celebrate and commiserate the 2011/12 season coming to a close.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers and 3A men on cusp of championship successes
March 25, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 24, 2012
March 19, 2012: The Premier men go into the final round of two-day cricket trailing leaders Burnside West University by just 1.33 points. They need to make up this deficit (equivalent to 133 runs, seven wickets or a first-innings lead) in their match against Marist-Harewood and hope Riccarton can hold Burnside. The 3A men play a semi-final against Marist in Section 1 of their grade.
Please note: the opposition has changed for the Social Twenty20 women and the ground has changed for the Year 5/6 girls (Thursday, March 22).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
O'Gorman century ensures Premier title race goes down to wire
March 18, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 17, 2012
March 12, 2012: Starting this Saturday and for the remaining three weeks of the season the club is entering a side in the women's Division 1 as a joint effort with Ashburton College.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers' title hopes in balance after 26-wicket day
March 11, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 10, 2012
UPDATE (4PM FRIDAY): Please note that the 4A grade men have been defaulted to by Hornby.
March 5, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
First autumn weekend washed out completely
March 4, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, March 3, 2012
UPDATE (8AM SATURDAY): All uncovered adult grades and all junior cricket is cancelled due to the weather. Covered grades (Premier and 2A grade men) are still on at this stage.
February 27, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers just behind on even first day against Burnside
February 26, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 25, 2012
February 20, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers come back from the brink to wrestle key victory
February 19, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 18, 2012
February 13, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers in command of low-scoring game
February 12, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 11, 2012
February 6, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Saints teams nearly clean-sweep days results
February 5, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 4, 2012
January 30, 2012: Junior grades restart this Saturday. Please note that the draws have changed for the 4A and 4B grade men as of Tuesday morning.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Penford blitzes 42-ball century
January 29, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 28, 2012
January 23, 2012: The 2A men return to two-day play for the remainder of the season. The Division 2 women begin again this Saturday. Junior grades start next weekend (February 4).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers fall just short despite Davidson 13-for
January 22, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 21, 2012
January 16, 2012:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Davidson bowls into record books
January 15, 2012: Michael Davidson joined an exclusive club by taking an astounding 9-58 off 20.4 overs for the Premier men against Old Boys Collegians at Elmwood Park on Saturday.
Davidson bowled virtually unchanged in tandem with Matt Holstein (38.5 out of the Old Boys innings' 44.4 overs between them) after Ben Langrope broke down with a side strain in the second over of the day. Unusually, the left-arm spin of Holstein captured the first wicket with the score at 47 before Davidson took the remaining nine as Old Boys added just a further 91 runs in that time.
The figures are the second best by a St Albans player in upwards of 1500 Premier men's matches played since 1905/06. They have only been bettered by 18-year-old Brett Harrison's 9-12 - in just his second Premier appearance - against Marist almost exactly 15 years ago to the day. With Harrison's performance coming in a one-day match (still the best figures by anyone in CCA Premier one-day cricket) it means Davidson now holds the Saints two-day record, surpassing Les Watson's 8-31 against Lancaster Park 33 seasons ago. Only four players in Christchurch club cricket history have taken more wickets (that is, all 10) in an innings.
It is Davidson's 10th five-wicket haul in his 80th Premier two-day match (and 195th in all formats) and easily tops his previous best figures for the club of 6-14, taken way back in 2000/01. The performance continues a rich run of all-round form for him in two-day cricket, following a century in his last outing against Sydenham prior to Christmas. He now sits just two dismissals shy of becoming the 17th St Albans player to take 200 wickets in Premier two-day cricket. Two seasons ago he became the first St Albans player to take 100 one-day wickets.
With seven second-innings Old Boys wickets still left to be taken, he also has a remote chance of challenging Ted Mulcock's ancient club record of 15 wickets in a match - achieved twice, both against Lancaster Park in the late 1930s. Third place sits well within Davidson's range, that of Mark Priest's 12-34 against Sydenham in 1994/95.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 14, 2012
January 9, 2012: The President's grade men and women's Social Twenty20 grade resume their season this Saturday. Division 2 Women begin on January 28 and all junior grades on February 4.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers pipped for Twenty20 title despite double success
January 8, 2012:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 7, 2012
December 21, 2011: This is the first playing day of the New Year. All men's grades except President's restart on this date. President's grade and women's Social Twenty20 return on January 14. Division 2 Women begin on January 28 and all junior grades on February 4.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers are one-day champs in emphatic style
December 18, 2011: The Premier men won the CCA one-day competition by defeating the Canterbury Under-20s in the final by seven wickets at Hagley Oval on Sunday.
Having kept the Under-20s to a modest total of 167/8 in their 50 overs thanks to a tight all-round bowling effort, a big third wicket partnership set the course for victory. James O'Gorman followed up his semi-final 92 with an unbeaten 70 as he added 113 with club professional Gerry Penford (52). The winning runs were struck in just the 36th over.
It's the first one-day competition win for the team in three seasons and it means the side has picked up as least one Premier trophy in each of the last five seasons and in 10 of the last 12. Congratulations to the team from the rest of us at the club and now they have the satisfaction of being able to go up to Auckland in April as rightful representatives as Canterbury's champion club side too.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, December 17-18, 2011
UPDATE (8AM, SATURDAY): Owing to significant water on the outfields and pitch blocks, all adult, youth and junior grades are cancelled. The St Albans Cricket Club Christmas Party is STILL ON, starting at 7.30pm up in the pavilion. We want to see as many people there as possible to see off 2011 in style!
December 12, 2011: This is the last weekend of cricket before Christmas. The Premier men play their one-day Cup final at Hagley 1 on Sunday - please get along and support them!
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers reach one-day final; qualify for national champs
December 11, 2011: The Premier men successfully chased down Canterbury Country's total of 222 to win their one-day competition semi-final by four wickets. A second-wicket partnership of 122 between James O'Gorman and James Richards steered Saints to victory with eight balls to spare and sets up a finale with the Canterbury Under-20s this Sunday on Hagley 1.
With the Under-20s beating Sydenham - the only other remaining eligible club side - in the other semi-final, St Albans has automatically secured a berth at the National Club Championships, regardless of the result of the final. The national competition will be held at Cornwall Park in Auckland starting on April 9 (Easter Monday), running through to finals day on Sunday, April 15. It will be Saints' fourth appearance at the championships and first since 2004/05.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, December 10-11, 2011
December 5, 2011: The Premier men begin their two-day campaign this Saturday. On Sunday they play their one-day semi-final against Canterbury Country at the Mandeville Sports Centre in Ohoka. Also potentially on the line on Sunday is qualification for the National Club Championships in Auckland in April. If the team reach the final and Sydenham lose their semi-final against the Canterbury Under-20s then Saints will be the Canterbury representatives.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers squeeze into one-day semis on top all-round day for club
December 4, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, December 3, 2011
November 28, 2011:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers keep one-day hopes alive
November 27, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 26, 2011
November 21, 2011: The 2A men begin their two-day competition this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers fall to Under-20s in one-run thriller
November 20, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 19, 2011
November 14, 2011: The Premier and 2A men resume one-day competition, with the Premiers playing on Sunday against the Canterbury Under-20s while the 2As have their last match before two-day cricket begins. Women's cricket (Division 2 and Social Twenty20 grades) returns after a week off.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers bounce back after first-up T20 loss
November 12, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 12, 2011
November 12, 2011: 8am update - All uncovered adult grades and all junior cricket is cancelled due to the overnight rain and resulting ground conditions. Covered grades (Premier and 2A grade men) are still playing.
Cricket for the top two men's grades switches to Twenty20 for this weekend, with the Premier men also playing two matches at Hagley Oval on Sunday. There is no women's cricket (Division 2 and Social Twenty20 grades) this week.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers cruise to vital one-day win
November 5, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 5, 2011
October 31, 2011:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men stumble short of victory
October 29, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 29, 2011
October 24, 2011: This Saturday is the first day of cricket for the Division 2 women.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Rain prevents most action; 2As make fine comeback
October 22, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 22, 2011
October 22, 2011: 9am update - Most adult grades are cancelled. Premier men (now Hospital Corner 3(a)), 2A grade men (now Polo 3(a)) and Social Twenty20 women (now Warren 3(a)) are still playing with ground changes.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Poor day all round for Saints teams
October 15, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 15, 2011
October 10, 2011:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Cricket cancelled due to weather
October 8, 2011: (8.05am update) Due to weather conditions all CCA metropolitan adult and junior cricket has been cancelled.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 8, 2011
October 3, 2011: Please note that due to weather conditions that the practice nets at Hagley Oval are unavailable for use on Tuesday/Wednesday this week.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers edge rivals in low-scoring thriller
October 1, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 1, 2011
September 26, 2011:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Draws released for top men's and women's grades
September 10, 2011: The season draws for the Premier and 2A men's teams plus the Premier women have been released by the Canterbury Cricket Association.
The format of the men's morning grades remains the same as that of last season, with their entire one-day competitions to be completed before they embark on their two-day campaigns from late November/early December through to the end of the season. The semi-finals will be held on Sunday, December 11 and the final a week later. A reserve day of January 8 has been set aside.
With earthquake damage forcing Lancaster Park Woolston away from Garrick Park to their temporary home base of Hagley Oval, the season draw has been kind to both of Saints' top two men's sides. The Premier men will have 15 out of 25 playing days based at Hagley, while the 2As will have 16 days there.
The format of the Premier women's grade has changed significantly this year. The one-day competition returns to its old season-long format, composed of five complete round-robins (15 matches) culminating in a season-ending finals day on March 31. During much of the time women's representative cricket is taking place the remaining players will again take part in six rounds of Conference cricket involving combined XIs from across all clubs in December and January.
With an extra Saturday available this season due to a rare quirk in the calendar - the season starts on the first possible day of October and ends on the last possible day of March plus 2012 happens to be a leap year - the Premier men's Twenty20 competition is being played across three Saturdays, rather than as a stand-alone Show Weekend tournament. It does mean teams don't all play each other (Saints miss out on meeting Old Boys Collegians) and there will be no final. The winner will simply be the team(s) with the most points from the round-robin. Due to fewer teams in the 2A men's one-day competition than that of Premiers, they have enough days to complete a full Twenty20 round-robin and have a final on the afternoon of January 21.
The overall season proper starts on Saturday, October 1 and goes until December 17 before the Christmas break. Play resumes in 2012 on January 7 and runs through to March 31.
Though exact details for other grades are still to be confirmed, the general format will change from previous years for the third and fourth men's grades (ie. 3A, 4A, 4B etc). Depending on the number of teams in a given grade, one or two full round-robins will be played before the grade will be split, culminating in semi-finals and a final in the final weeks.
All adult morning grades and men's afternoon grades will be starting on October 1, except for the President's and Cavaliers men's grades. Along with the women's Twenty20 grade, they will begin on October 8. The Division 2 women start on October 29. Due to the timing of the Rugby World Cup necessitating a shift in school term dates, junior grades will start a few weeks earlier than normal - at the same time as the adult grades on October 1.
[Premier Men - One-day Cup Draw]
[Premier Men - Twenty20 Cup Draw]
[Premier Men - Two-day Trophy Draw]
[2A Grade Men - One-day Cup Draw]
[2A Grade Men - Twenty20 Cup Draw]
[2A Grade Men - Two-day Trophy Draw]
[Premier Women - One-day Cup Draw]
Penford signs as club player/coach
August 17, 2011: The St Albans Cricket Club is pleased to announce that Gerry Penford has accepted the position of player/coach for the Premier men's team for the upcoming season.
Penford (24) has an exotic background, having been born in Dallas, Texas in the USA and has played provincial cricket in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Making his first-class debut for Manicaland in Zimbabwe as an 18-year-old in 2005 he scored 36 and took 5-86 with his brisk right-arm mediums, including the wicket of former One-Day International highest innings record-holder Charles Coventry.
Three seasons later he made his List A one-day debut for KwaZulu-Natal Inland against KwaZulu-Natal at Durban, scoring 102 opening the batting against a line-up including Yusuf Abdulla, who played Twenty20 Internationals for South Africa and the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.
Gerry is also a more than capable back-up wicket-keeper and holds a Level 2 coaching qualification. He's currently in the UK playing for Wimbledon in the Surrey Championship, alongside Lancaster Park Woolston and Canterbury bowler Martin Kain.
In June the right-hand top-order bat played a headline-making knock against Old Hamptonians in the Premier Twenty20 competition. He smashed 121 off just 49 balls (including 12 sixes) and his second 50 took a mere 11 deliveries. A few days later he blasted 61 not out from 32 balls in a league match against Guildford. On the weekend his side clinched the Premier Division title with still two weeks left to play in the season.
We welcome Gerry to the club and hope you all extend a warm welcome to him when he arrives in the city next month.
107th St Albans Annual General Meeting held
August 9, 2011: The 2010/11 annual report and accounts were presented at the 107th St Albans Cricket Club AGM at Trevinos Restaurant and Bar in Riccarton last evening.
The many members of the club present firstly observed a moment's silence out of respect for the passing of a number of former club members during the last 12 months before proceedings began. President Alan Jamieson read an review of the previous season, covering a number of individual and team achievements as well as making a summation of the challenges encountered and those coming ahead after an extraordinary year.
A motion was passed that subscriptions for 2011/12 remain the same as the previous season, with a new category for players in Twenty20 grades also being introduced.
Alan Jamieson was re-elected for his 32nd season as president of the club while John Harris agreed to perform the duties of club patron for an 18th successive season. Lindsay Serra takes on the treasurer's role for a 28th season and Scott Mason continues as secretary for a fourth year. Rejoining the executive is Duane Pettet for a second stint as men's club captain while Richard Carrigan has assumed the role of bar manager.
Thanks were given to the only outgoing member of the club's management committee this season, namely Jarrod Stewart (one season's service). Other committee members Ben Brady and Hayden and Trudy Pipe had been replaced mid-season by Peter Mayell, Murray Griffin and Matt Sutherland. Newcomers to the committee for 2011/12 are Natalie Cox (Premier women) and Mark Reid (4B grade men).
With no other significant general business the AGM came to a close after 45 minutes.
[2011/12 Club Executive and Committee]
[2010/11 St Albans Cricket Club Annual Report (904 kB PDF)]
St Albans Cricket Club 2010/11 Annual Report
|
Click to view or right-click to download (904kB) |
- 2010/11 Officers
- Obituaries
- President's report
- Men's Club Captain's report
- Women's Club Captain's report
- Top individual performances
- Final points tables
- Team reports and averages
- Club records
- Treasurer's report
Past annual reports and the centennial book are now also available (click to view or right-click to download):
- 2009/10 Annual Report (1.36MB)
- 2008/09 Annual Report (1.34MB)
- 2007/08 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2006/07 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2005/06 Annual Report (1.07MB)
- 2004/05 Annual Report (1.38MB)
- 2003/04 Annual Report (852kB)
Former member Rowan Dempsey passes away
June 3, 2011: It is with sadness that we report the death of former club member Rowan Dempsey. Rowan died suddenly on Wednesday (June 1) while working in Te Anau.
Rowan played for the club on and off between 1985 and 2003, mostly in President's grade. He played 84 matches and scored 1792 runs, including a maiden century (113 not out) for the club in his penultimate season. Rowan also took 83 wickets with the ball.
The funeral service for Rowan will be held at the John Rhind Chapel in Richmond (entry from London or Whitmore Streets) on Tuesday, June 7 at 10.30am.
The club's deepest sympathies go to his family, including current life member and father Ian Dempsey.
Tahuhu named in White Ferns touring party
April 18, 2011: Premier women's pace bowler Lea Tahuhu is the latest St Albans player to gain national honours with her naming in the New Zealand White Ferns side to tour Australia and England in June and July.
Lea took 6 wickets at 16.83 in 4 one-day appearances for the Canterbury Magicians in the Action Cricket Cup and took a further 3 wickets in the Twenty20 competition. Lea has played 30 matches overall in both formats for the Magicians since making her debut in the 2008/09 season. Lea impressed in the recent North versus South "island of origin" contests held at Lincoln, in particular when taking 6-31 in the second match.
Lea joins two fellow Saints players in the White Ferns touring party, in the form of vice-captain Amy Satterthwaite and recent international debutant Kelly Anderson. Lea will become the 23rd player from St Albans to represent the New Zealand women's team - a fantastic achievement for both her and the club with its rich history in women's cricket.
The team plays three One-Day Internationals against Australia in Brisbane before heading to England for separate Twenty20 and ODI quadrangular tournaments involving the host nation, Australia and India. All told the tour will involve 11 international fixtures. Good luck to all three players from the club!
Satterthwaite wins top Canterbury award again
April 15, 2011: Amy Satterthwaite was named the top Canterbury women's player for the second year running at the CCA representative awards dinner.
Amy was captain of the Canterbury Magicians side that did the Action Cricket Cup (one-day) and Twenty20 double under the coaching guidance of Saints-own Stephen Cunis.
Also part of the side was bowler of the year Kelly Anderson, who earned a call-up to the New Zealand White Ferns team as a result of her efforts.
St Albans award winners were:
Cricket Express Canterbury Magicians Bowler of the Year - Kelly Anderson
Harcourts Vision Canterbury Magicians Player of the Year - Amy Satterthwaite
St Albans winners at the CCA club awards
March 31, 2011: There was a modest turnout at the Russley Golf Club for the 2010/11 season at the Canterbury Cricket Association awards evening. St Albans' representation when it came to collecting silverware was similarly scant.
For the second successive season ex-St Albans Premier player Richard Hooper won the RW Conway Cup for the most improved umpire as voted by all the Premier men's captains.
For the first time a Premier men's club team of the year from across all clubs was chosen. However, no St Albans players made the cut for the final XII selected as East Christchurch Shirley, Lancaster Park Woolston and Riccarton players dominated the side.
St Albans award winners were:
The Trophy for 3A Section 1 Grade - St Albans
Premier Men (Twenty20 Competition) - St Albans
Jean Ruddenklau Trophy (for consistency in women's club and representative cricket) - Amy Sattherthwaite
Greg Wadsworth named player of the year
March 30, 2011: Greg Wadsworth received the top award at the St Albans prizegiving function held at Robbie's Riccarton on Tuesday evening, being named the overall club player of the year for 2010/11.
Other major award winners were:
Top Individual Innings: Amy Satterthwaite - 167
Best Individual Bowling: Jared Roberts - 6-47
All-rounder of the year (Morning Men): Greg Wadsworth - 533 runs and 32 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Afternoon Men): Brent Holland - 262 runs and 27 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Women): Amy Satterthwaite - 379 runs and 14 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Wicket-keeper): Simon George - 308 runs and 32 dismissals
Most economical bowling (10 overs): Dan Johnston - 10-6-9-4
Most economical bowling (8 overs): Scott Mason - 8-7-2-1
Most economical bowling (4 overs): Tom Robertson - 4-2-3-1
Most runs in an over (scored by a batsman): Amber Boyce - 28
Most runs in an over (conceded by a bowler): Peter Hughes - 38
Most ducks: Mike Robertshaw - 6
Most sixes: Michael Davidson - 17
Hat-tricks (1): Evan Jones - 4-13 for 4A Men v Sydenham Challengers
Rod McCurdy Award (for faux pas, misdemeanours etc): Andy Murray
Gunna Award (for saying they're "gunna do this, gunna do that"): Duane Pettet
Personality of the Year: Greg Wadsworth (Past winners)
Noel Love Memorial Trophy (for the older St Albans member): Barry van Beurten (Past winners)
Supporter of the Year: Michelle Price
Peers Cup (for contribution on and off the field): Matt Sutherland (Past winners)
Zin Harris Memorial Cup (young male player of the year): Jared Roberts (Past winners)
Kim Jamieson Memorial Cup (young female player of the year): Meg Kendal (Past winners)
Fielder of the Year (most catches by a non-wicket-keeper): James O'Gorman - 18 catches
Daygo Award (most afternoon grade wicket-keeping dismissals): Mark Reid - 14 dismissals
Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup (most runs in one grade): Greg Wadsworth - 533 runs (Past winners)
Cyril Crawford Memorial Cup (most runs in any grade): Lloyd Richardson - 605 runs (Past winners)
Tom Burtt Memorial Cup (most wickets in one grade): Dan Johnston - 33 wickets (Past winners)
Don Sandman Memorial Cup (most wickets in any grade): Dan Johnston and Justin Gourlie - 33 wickets (Past winners)
Bob Webb Memorial Cup (most wicket-keeping dismissals in one grade): Aaron Johnstone - 27 dismissals (Past winners)
Team Players of the Year: (Men) Premier - Michael Davidson, 2A - Greg Wadsworth, 2B - Tom Robertson, 3A - Brent Holland, 4A - Mike Nuttall, 4B - Matt Sutherland, President's - Pierre Flavell, Cavaliers - Richard Reed; (Women) Premier - Amy Satterthwaite, Division 3 - Katie Morris
St Albans Club Player of the Year: Greg Wadsworth (Past winners)
Cricket for season called off
March 4, 2011: Due to the earthquake on Tuesday, February 22 the CCA have cancelled all cricket scheduled for the rest of the 2010/11 season. With a number of clubs’ home grounds damaged significantly and with numerous players affected by the regional tragedy, the CCA and the clubs unanimously decided to call a premature end to the season.
The final points tables stand as at the last playing day of Saturday, February 19. Provisionally this means that the Premier men were unable to complete a rare three-peat in the two-day Trophy competition, finishing third behind winners Lancaster Park Woolston. The 2A men similarly look to have just fallen short, sitting a mere couple of points behind Riccarton. The Premier women finish a narrow second to Old Boys Collegians-Country in their one-day competition.
In the winners’ circle are the 3A men, who finished a clear margin of three victories ahead of Heathcote. They join the Premier men (who won their Twenty20 competition in November) as the two successful St Albans sides this season.
An announcement on any club events and functions such as the end of season night and prize-giving will be made shortly, so watch this space. The club hopes everyone and their families out there are safe and well.
Cricket for Saturday cancelled
February 23, 2011: Due to Tuesday's earthquake the CCA have cancelled all cricket scheduled for this Saturday, February 26. More information about practices and playing days will be known by Wednesday, March 2. The club hopes everyone and their families out there are safe and well.
We've had a couple of great offers from the English amateurs who are currently sitting idle, as the state of the CBD means they won't be returning to their current jobs any time soon.
If any club members need any help clearing their houses, gardens, driveways etc, please contact Greg Wadsworth on wozza245@hotmail.com. He and the other lads will be more than happy to help. Please feel free to take them up on this generous offer and we hope you are all bearing up as best as possible out there in these trying times.
Draw for Saturday, February 12, 2011
February 14, 2011:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premiers denied after spending whole day in field
February 12, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 5, 2011
February 7, 2011: The Premier women recommence their one-day Cup competition.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Morning grades in command against Sydenham sides
February 5, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, February 5, 2011
January 31, 2011: The Premier women play their Twenty20 Trophy finals day, coming up against Lancaster Park Woolston-Sydenham in a playoff for third.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
3As extend lead after winning top-of-table clash
January 29, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 29, 2011
January 24, 2011: Please note that all club cricket is still being held on the Saturday (coinciding with the New Zealand v Pakistan One-Day International at AMI Stadium).
The Premier women continue their Conference series alongside Old Boys Collegians-Country against the other two combined teams at Ilam 3 at 10.30am.
Youth and junior cricket restarts this Saturday with the Division 2 girls now playing in Division 3 plus two of the four newly-combined St Albans/Cathedral Grammar junior girls team beginning their post-Christmas competitions.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2As battle in only game played on weather-affected day
January 22, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 22, 2011
January 22, 2011: Note: All cricket on uncovered pitches (2B, 3A, 4A, 4B, President's and Cavaliers men) are cancelled due to the weather. Premier and 2A men are still on. The Premier women continue their Conference series alongside Old Boys Collegians-Country against the other two combined teams at Avondale 1 at 10.30am.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men secure late win; 2As, 2Bs miss out on silverware
January 15, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 15, 2011
January 17, 2011: President's grade men and Cavaliers Twenty20 restart this Saturday, as do the Premier women who play in the Conference series alongside Old Boys Collegians-Country against the other two combined teams at Burwood 2 at 10.30am. The Division 2 women resume on January 29.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2As, 2Bs keep Twenty20 title hunt alive
January 8, 2011:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 8, 2011
January 3, 2011: Play resumes for all men's grades except President's and Cavaliers, which begin again on January 15.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2As enter Christmas break on high with last-over two-day win
December 18, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, December 18, 2010
December 13, 2010: This is the last day of cricket before the Christmas break for all teams. Play for the majority of men's sides resumes on January 8, 2011. Other teams have staggered starts in the weeks after. More details soon.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Roberts snares top spot on bowling leaderboard
December 11, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, December 11, 2010
December 6, 2010: The Premier men get their two-day Trophy campaign underway, seeking to win their third consecutive title. The Premier women are playing a 'Conference' match at Elmwood 3, combining with Old Boys Collegians-Country to take on the other two clubs.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Prolific Price finally cracks ton milestone
December 4, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
National Cricket Club Grant
December 3, 2010: The club has been given the opportunity by the National Bank to apply for funding to the value of $5000.
If successful these funds would go towards coaching and junior development within the club. These are core elements to the club's growth and success and are necessary requirements to meet the all-important 'Premier club' criteria that keeps us eligible to play the top level within Christchurch.
As club members all you have to do is click the link below to show the St Albans application page and simply hit the 'Vote For It' button. The more votes the higher the chances of the club being successful so get in behind the club and vote away.
[Vote at the National Cricket Club Site]
HRV Cup club cashback offer
December 3, 2010: As a part of their sponsorship of the domestic Twenty20 competition being played at present, HRV are running a special offer to support cricket clubs.
Summer is a challenging time for a lot of families, particularly in terms of getting a good sleep for the family in our increasingly stuffy and closed up homes, and it's also a great headstart on the necessary drying process homes need to go through ahead of next year.
If you sign up for any HRV system in the month of December and nominate St Albans, the club will receive $300. For more information, download the flyer below and support the St Albans Cricket Club!
[HRV Cashback Offer]
Draw for Saturday, December 4, 2010
November 29, 2010: This Saturday is the last round of one-day cricket for the Premier men.
It is also club day back at the pavilion for all teams after Saturday's matches are completed. We will be running a continuous free BBQ and there will be an extended happy hour at the bar from 6.30pm to 8pm with a number of drinks specials. So get along after cricket finishes on Saturday and support the club.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Richardson posts back-to-back tons; Premier men out of one-dayers
November 27, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 27, 2010
November 22, 2010: The 2A and 2B men begin their two-day cricket campaigns while the Premier women start their Twenty20 Trophy competition this Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Dawson keeps Premier men's one-day hopes alive
November 20, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 20, 2010
November 15, 2010: This is the final weekend of one-day cricket for the 2A and 2B grade men. There is no game for the Premier women again.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men sweep all to claim Twenty20 title
November 13, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, November 13-14, 2010
November 8, 2010: The Premier, 2A and 2B men all play Twenty20 cricket this weekend. The Premier men also play on Sunday morning in the final round of their tournament (and the final in the afternoon if they qualify). There is no cricket for the Cavaliers men or any women's grades (except junior girls) this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Rain has the final say in all matches
November 6, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 6, 2010
November 1, 2010: All uncovered grades (2B, 3A, 4A, 4B, President's and Cavaliers men plus Division 2, Twenty20 women and Year 7/8 girls) have been cancelled due to rain. Covered grades (Premier and 2A men plus Premier women) are still on..
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Anderson tops bowling chart but Premier men go down
October 31, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 30, 2010
October 25, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Satterthwaite's second century for Premier women in vain
October 24, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 23, 2010
October 18, 2010: The Year 7/8 Girls start their season this Saturday while the Cavaliers men do not have a game due to it being a holiday weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier and 2A men off the mark with impressive victories
October 17, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 16, 2010
October 11, 2010: Please note that effectively the women's competitions that were known as first grade, Girls' Youth and second grade in 2009/10 have been renamed Division 1, Division 2 and Social Twenty20 respectively this season.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Rain disrupts difficult day for St Albans teams
October 10, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 9, 2010
October 4, 2010: The 4A, 4B, President's and Cavaliers men play their opening matches this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Satterthwaite, Boyce blast Premier women to emphatic start
October 3, 2010: Amy Satterthwaite (167) and Amber Boyce (145) became the first duo to record centuries in the same innings of a Premier women's match for St Albans.
Playing at the new ground at Rolleston, the pair catapulted the side to a club record total of 431/6 in their 50 overs against Lancaster Park Woolston-Sydenham, eclipsing the previous best by the Premier women of 2000/01 who scored 377/4 against Sydenham.
Satterthwaite's score was the fourth highest and Boyce's the eight highest in the club's history at Premier women's level. Satterthwaite joins the exclusive company of eight others to register three or more Premier women's centuries.
The Saints total was not to be challenged and Satterthwaite again cleaned up with the ball, adding 4-23 to her batting tally to finish off the day in style.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, October 2-3, 2010
September 30, 2010: Please note that there have been ground changes for the 2A, 2B and 3A men's teams for Saturday's matches. Check the draw for details.
The draw for opening week of the 2010/11 season has been made by the Canterbury Cricket Association.
Due to ground conditions it is a staggered start for the various grades. The Premier, 2A, 2B and 3A grade men plus the Premier, first and second grade women get underway this Saturday. The 4A, 4B and President's grade men will look to start a week later.
The Premier men play their first game on the Sunday as it is against the new side in their one-day competition, the Canterbury Under-20s. The Premier women (plus the first grade also) are playing out at Brookside Park in Rolleston.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Draws released for top three men's grades
September 13, 2010: The season draws for the Premier, 2A and 2B men's teams have been released by the Canterbury Cricket Association.
The Premier one-day competition sees the addition of a 10th side, the Canterbury Under-20s, which eliminates the need for any byes this season. They will play all their matches at the opposition's home ground on the Sunday of each round and will draw their players from all of the clubs (except from the particular opposition club on match day). St Albans has the privilege of hosting them on Hagley 1 for their maiden match on Sunday, October 3.
All three grades complete their one-day campaigns before embarking on a solid diet of two-day cricket from late November/early December to the end of the season. Gaps have been made to hold the Twenty20 competitions, namely on Show Weekend (November 13-14) for the Premier men and November 13, January 8 and January 15 for the 2A and 2B men.
Draws for the Twenty20 competitions, as well as those for the Premier women have yet to be released. The overall season proper starts on Saturday, October 2 and runs through until December 18. Play resumes after Christmas on January 8 and the season ends on March 26. Exact date details for other grades are still to be announced.
[Premier Men - One-day Cup Draw]
[Premier Men - Two-day Trophy Draw]
[2A Grade Men - One-day Cup Draw]
[2A Grade Men - Two-day Trophy Draw]
[2B Grade Men - One-day Cup Draw]
[2B Grade Men - Two-day Trophy Draw]
Christchurch earthquake update
September 9, 2010: Please note: due to effects of the aftershocks there is no training at the CCA indoor facility tonight (Thursday, September 9). Structural engineers need to assess the building but it is expected to alright to use again from next week.
The executive and committee of the St Albans Cricket Club hope that all club members and the wider St Albans family are safe and well after the weekend's major earthquake and subsequent tremors.
We have heard of a couple of members who have suffered significant property damage and no doubt that there are others who have experienced minor problems, which we are sad to hear about. If there is anything that we as a club can do, for anyone affected, please don't hesitate to make contact.
We are pleased to say that the pavilion and our grassy areas have (to date) suffered no negative effects from the shakes.
106th St Albans Annual General Meeting held
August 3, 2010: The 2009/10 annual report and accounts were presented at the 106th St Albans Cricket Club AGM at Trevinos Restaurant and Bar in Riccarton last evening.
The many members of the club present firstly observed a moment's silence out of respect for the passing of a number of former club members during the last 12 months before proceedings began. Acting chairman Scott Mason (standing in for Alan Jamieson who is presently overseas) read a brief review of the previous season, covering a number of individual and team achievements during 2009/10.
A motion was passed that subscriptions for 2010/11 increase due to the difficult economic situation the club has found itself in, largely caused by the uncertainty surrounding the status of charitable trusts with respect to sporting clubs and the subsequent drying up of funds coming from them. This is the first such increase in three seasons.
Alan Jamieson was re-elected for his 31th season as president/chairman of the club while John Harris agreed to perform the duties of club patron for a 17th successive season. Lindsay Serra continues his custodianship of the treasurer's role for a 27th season and Scott Mason continues as secretary for a third year.
Thanks were given to outgoing members of the club's management committee, namely Matt Sutherland (five years service), Jonathan Price (two) and outgoing women's club captain Sarah Helmore (one). Hayden Pipe moves from the general management committee to an executive position in replacing Matt Sutherland as bar manager. Jarrod Stewart and Ben Brady have been seconded onto the committee to bring its total membership to 12.
Mike Fisher attended the AGM on behalf of the Canterbury Cricket Association and spoke on a number of topics for a few minutes, acknowledging St Albans for their relationship with the CCA. With no other general business the AGM was wrapped up neatly within half an hour.
[2010/11 Club Executive and Committee]
[2009/10 St Albans Cricket Club Annual Report (1.36MB PDF)]
Pre-season training for 2010/11
August 3, 2010: Pre-season training for new and existing men's players commences on Thursday, August 12 at 7.30pm for two hours at the CCA Indoor Centre at 23A Iversen Terrace.
These sessions will continue each Thursday at 7.30pm until the club opening day on September 25. Please bring your own playing gear. Balls will be provided.
The club is currently recruiting new players with ability and commitment to play in the club's top three teams. If you know of anyone please encourage them to come along to these sessions.
Life member Charlie Collins passes away
August 3, 2010: It is with great sadness that we report the death of former club member Charles Frederick Collins. Charlie died last Monday (July 26) in Christchurch after a short illness. At the age of 96 he was the oldest living club member and was last seen around the club when he had the honour of opening the season at the club's opening day four years ago.
Charlie was the secretary of the club between 1946 and 1953 and served as president between 1961 and 1963. He was made a life member of the St Albans Cricket Club in 1973.
Charlie held a number of administrative posts at higher levels, including acting as chairman of the Canterbury Cricket Association between 1955 and 1959 and as the CCA's president between 1971 and 1973. He was also honoured with life membership of the CCA and New Zealand Cricket. Such was his excellence in the administrative field Charlie was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1983 for services to cricket.
A private family service was held in accordance with Charlie's wishes. The club's deepest sympathies go to his family, including current club member and grandson Jonathan Collins.
St Albans Cricket Club 2009/10 Annual Report
 Click to view or right-click to download (1.36MB) |
- 2009/10 Officers
- President's report
- Men's Club Captain's report
- Women's Club Captain's report
- Top individual performances
- Final points tables
- Team reports and averages
- Club records
- Treasurer's report
Past annual reports and the centennial book are now also available (click to view or right-click to download):
- 2008/09 Annual Report (1.34MB)
- 2007/08 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2006/07 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2005/06 Annual Report (1.07MB)
- 2004/05 Annual Report (1.38MB)
- 2003/04 Annual Report (852kB)
Rob White wins CCA men's club player of the year award
April 9, 2010: Club professional Rob White continued his good run by being named the top Premier men's player for the 2009/10 season at the Canterbury Cricket Association awards evening.
White won on the basis of his 797 runs at an average of 46.88 across all three competitions, including 549 runs at 68.63 (with three centuries) in the two-day competition - the most by any player in that format.
Amy Satterthwaite was again dominant at representative level, winning three trophies including the Canterbury women's player of the year award.
Matt Holstein was the top wicket-taking under-20s bowler at Premier level for the second year running and Aaron Johnstone topped the two-day wicket-keeping dismissals charts for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
In just his second season in the role ex-St Albans Premier player Richard Hooper won the RW Conway Cup awarded to the most improved umpire as voted by all the Premier men's captains.
St Albans award winners were:
Premier Men (Two-day Trophy Competition) - St Albans
John Cowens Award (most Premier two-day and one-day wickets by an Under-20) - Matt Holstein
Chattel Hayes Memorial Trophy (most Premier men's two-day wicket-keeping dismissals) - Aaron Johnstone
Roger Blunt Memorial Trophy (most runs in Premier men's two-day cricket) - Rob White
Jean Ruddenklau Trophy (for consistency in women's club and representative cricket) - Amy Sattherthwaite
Men's Club Cricket Player Of The Year - Rob White
Female Coach of the Year - Sarah Parker
Speights Canterbury Magician Batsman of the Year - Amy Satterthwaite
Harcourts Vision Canterbury Magician Player of the Year - Amy Satterthwaite
Rob White named player of the year
April 1, 2010: Rob White received the top award at the St Albans prizegiving function held at the club pavilion on Thursday evening, being named the overall club player of the year for 2009/10.
Other major award winners were:
Top Individual Innings: Daniel Stribling - 135
Best Individual Bowling: Dan Johnston - 6-20
All-rounder of the year (Morning Men): George Earl - 572 runs and 22 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Afternoon Men): Daniel Stribling - 448 runs and 27 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Women): Amber Boyce - 357 runs and 16 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Wicket-keeper): Jonathan Price - 900 runs and 27 dismissals
Most economical bowling (10 overs): Duncan Anderson - 10-1-11-3
Most economical bowling (8 overs): Scott Mason - 8-4-6-1
Most economical bowling (5 overs): Mel Reid - 5-2-4-1
Most economical bowling (4 overs): Daniel Vernon - 4-2-3-2
Most runs in an over (scored by a batsman): Rob White - 20
Most runs in an over (conceded by a bowler): Daniel Vernon - 27
Most ducks: Andrew Lawton - 6
Most sixes: Pierre Flavell - 30
Hat-tricks (1): Amy Satterthwaite (double hat-trick) - 4-36 v East Christchurch Shirley
Rod McCurdy Award (for faux pas, misdemeanours etc): Cameron Ward
Stumbling Block Award (for falling at the final hurdle): Pierre Flavell
Gunna Award (for saying they're "gunna do this, gunna do that"): Pierre Flavell and Jonathan Price
Personality of the Year: Emma White (Past winners)
Noel Love Memorial Trophy (for the older St Albans member): Ann Bergman (Past winners)
Supporter of the Year: Geoff Sloan
Peers Cup (for contribution on and off the field): Alan Jamieson (Past winners)
Zin Harris Memorial Cup (young male player of the year): George Earl (Past winners)
Kim Jamieson Memorial Cup (young female player of the year): Casey O'Brien-Smith (Past winners)
Daygo Award (most afternoon grade wicket-keeping dismissals): Jonathan Price - 26 dismissals
Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup (most runs in one grade): Jonathan Price - 876 runs (Past winners)
Cyril Crawford Memorial Cup (most runs in any grade): Jonathan Price - 900 runs (Past winners)
Tom Burtt Memorial Cup (most wickets in one grade): Brad Smith - 40 wickets (Past winners)
Don Sandman Memorial Cup (most wickets in any grade): Brad Smith - 40 wickets (Past winners)
Bob Webb Memorial Cup (most wicket-keeping dismissals in one grade): Aaron Johnstone - 41 dismissals (Past winners)
Team Players of the Year: (Men) Premier - Rob White, 2A - Dan Johnston, 2B - Ben Brady, 3A - Brad Smith, 3B - Chris McGahan, 4A - Mat Wiseman, 4B - Daniel Stribling, President's - Pierre Flavell; (Women) Premier - Amber Boyce, 1st - Amy Turner, 2nd - Sarah French, Girls' Youth - Cassie Stewart
St Albans Club Player of the Year: Rob White (Past winners)
Premier men seal two-day Trophy competition in style
March 28, 2010: The Premier men defended their two-day crown by beating Marist-Harewood by eight wickets on the final day of the season.
Their victory ensured they wrapped up the competition by a slender margin of 3.26 points over Old Boys Collegians. The triumph also ensured that the St Albans trophy cabinet was not completely barren during the winter time - especially significant given it follows a record-breaking 2008/09 season in which it was overflowing.
After quick runs were piled on before a declaration gave Saints a 138-run first innings lead, with George Earl extending his overnight century to 124 before being dismissed 14 short of the club's best for the season. The bowlers chipped away steadily before finally grinding Marist out for 178 in 61 overs. Matt Holstein led the way with fine figures of 6-32 from 24 overs. The 41 needed for victory were wiped out in just 5.4 overs to let the celebrations begin early.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, March 27, 2010
March 22, 2010: This is the last day of cricket for the season. All women's grades have finished for the season. The President's grade men play for the Graham Frampton Memorial Trophy.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Earl century fires Premier men towards title contention
March 21, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 15, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men go down but title race set to go to wire
March 14, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, March 13, 2010
March 8, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men engaged in tight tussle with Park
March 7, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, March 6, 2010
March 1, 2010: This is the last day of cricket this season for the Premier women, who are playing off for third in the Twenty20 Trophy competition.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Cunis wins fourth annual St Albans Bowl-off
February 28, 2010: Premier men's coach Stephen Cunis is the 2009/10 St Albans Bowl-off champion with a 2-1 victory in the final over Amy Turner.
[Full Results from the St Albans Bowl-off]
Premier men go down in tense clash against Riccarton
February 28, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, February 27, 2010
February 22, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
White threatens Premier centuries record with third ton
February 21, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, February 20, 2010
February 15, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men can't extend advantage and settle for draw
February 14, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
National Cricket Club Grant
February 9, 2010: The club has been given the opportunity by the National Bank to apply for funding to the value of $5000. As club members all you have to do is log on to www.nationalcricketclub.co.nz and vote for St Albans. If you filter the region to Canterbury you will locate the club's application fairly quickly.
The more votes the higher the chances of the club being successful so get in behind the club and vote away (you can vote as many times as you like).
[Vote at the National Cricket Club Site]
Draw for Saturday, February 13, 2010
February 8, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Maiden hundred from Dawson puts Premier men in commanding position
February 7, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
St Albans fantasy competition points updated
February 3, 2010: The St Albans Cricket Club Fantasy Competition leaderboard and statistics have been updated with every entrant's New Year's selections reflected in the standings. The points are however provisional as there are still seven completed matches from which scores have not been submitted.
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, February 6, 2010
February 1, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
White century powers Premier men to extend Trophy lead
January 31, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, January 30, 2010
January 25, 2010: Please note that the Premier men and 2B men have had their pitches changed. Girls' Youth and junior grades start this Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men lose to Country in semi
January 24, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Cricket cancellations
January 23, 2010: All grades, including those with covers, are cancelled due to the weather.
Draw for Saturday, January 23, 2010
January 18, 2010: First and second grade women restart this Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men beat the rain to qualify for one-day semis
January 17, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 16, 2010
January 11, 2010:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier women slump to big defeat
January 10, 2010:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, January 9, 2010
January 4, 2010: All adult men's grades and the Premier women restart this Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men stay in one-day finals contention
December 20, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, December 19, 2009
December 14, 2009: Please note that this is the last day of cricket before the Christmas break.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Stribling jumps to top of batting leaderboard
December 13, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, December 12, 2009
December 7, 2009:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Bleak day for most St Albans teams
December 6, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, December 5, 2009
November 30, 2009:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men just denied victory by defensive Sydenham
November 29, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, November 28, 2009
November 23, 2009:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Rob White scores first ton of season for club
November 22, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday, November 21, 2009
November 16, 2009: This Saturday is the first round of two-day cricket for the Premier, 2A and 2B grade men's teams while the Premier women revert to one-day cricket.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier women defeated in Twenty20 Cup final
November 15, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Fantasy Cricket Points and Statistics]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, November 14-15, 2009
November 9, 2009: This Saturday and Sunday is the Show Weekend Twenty20 tournament played by the Premier men's and women's teams with the finals being played on Sunday afternoon at 2.30pm at Hagley Oval. The 2A and 2B grade men also play Twenty20 on the Saturday while the first grade women switch to the Super 8s format.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men keep one-day semi-final hopes alive
November 7, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, November 7, 2009
November 2, 2009:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men get off the mark in thriller at Burnside
October 31, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 31, 2009
October 30, 2009: Please note that due to the ground conditions that the 4A and 4B men's grades have been cancelled and a number of other grades (2A, 2B, 3A and President's grade men and first and second grade women) have had their grounds re-allocated. Please check the full draw for details.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Graeme Parker passes away
October 30, 2009: It is with deep regret and sadness that the club advises members of the death of Graeme Parker. Graeme died while snorkelling on his honeymoon in the Cook Islands with his wife Huia. He was 37.
Graeme was the CEO of the Eureka Trust, a great supporter of the St Albans Cricket Club, particularly in the club's time of great need after the fire of April 2008. Graeme made a number of guest appearances for the 'BBBBs' team in recent seasons.
[Visit Memorial Page for Graeme Parker]
[News Report in The Christchurch Press]
Thursday practice called off due to weather
October 29, 2009: All women's and girls' practices are called off for today due to the Hagley Oval nets being waterlogged. Morning grade men are still expected to attend.
Slow start to season continues as Saints experience another losing day
October 24, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 24, 2009
October 19, 2009: This Saturday is the first game for the senior one-day girls and the girls' Super 8s teams.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Most grades finally get underway but with mixed results
October 17, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 17, 2009
October 12, 2009: Weather-permitting this will at last be the first game for the 3C, 4A, 4B and President's grade men and the first grade women. The President's men are defending the Graham Frampton Memorial Trophy. Also starting this week are the second grade women, two Kiwi cricket teams and the girls' youth team.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Complete washout ruins second week of season
October 10, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 10, 2009
October 9, 2009: All uncovered grades (2C, 3A, 3C, 4A, 4B and President's grade men and first grade women) are cancelled due to the weather. Covered grades (Premier and 2A grade men and Premier women) are still on.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Honeymoon over as morning grade men's teams defeated on first Saturday
October 3, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Canterbury Country Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 3, 2009
October 2, 2009:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Saints fail to claim back the Embers as season opens
September 26, 2009: The St Albans Premier men fell short of the regaining the Embers trophy when they lost to Hutt District in a Twenty20 warmup match on opening day.
The Wellington side - led by former Black Cap Matthew Bell - smashed a number of sixes with the aerial route proving more profitable than playing along the lush carpet of the small Polo 1 ground. The imposing target set proved too much for the home team as many of the Saints batsmen got off to starts but none could pass 26. Hutt District comfortably retained the Embers trophy and narrowed the overall head-to-head standings to 5-4 in favour of St Albans.
A second warmup match between a club second XI and Temuka was called off the night before due to the inclement conditions. The Premier match was interrupted halfway through the second innings for the official opening of the club, which was well attended by a number of new, current, former and life members of the club and both teams. Club patron John Harris formally declared the season open in somewhat different surrounds to the same ceremony last season, when the pavilion was still in a state of regeneration following the fire of April 2008.
[St Albans XI v Hutt District Scorecard]
Saints go down fighting in pre-season friendly
September 20, 2009: St Albans fell 14 runs short of Marlborough's total in a 40-over friendly match played in Blenheim.
[Premier Men v Marlborough Scorecard]
St Albans signs Rob White as club professional for 2009/10
August 11, 2009: Rob White, a right-handed, top-order batsman from the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in England has just confirmed that he will be joining the St Albans Cricket Club for the 2009/10 season as Steven Knox's replacement.
Rob is a regular in the Northants county side, having played over 80 first-class matches.and scoring over 4000 runs at an average of 33 with a top score of 277 against Gloucestershire in 2002, made in just his fifth first-class match. This still remains the highest maiden century ever scored in UK. His highest limited-overs score is 111, made in 2008.
His nickname is Toff and he also likes football and squash. If he wasn’t playing cricket he might well be involved with politics and his favourite food is Italian. In his academic days he also attended Durham and Loughborough Universities. He will celebrate his 30th birthday on October 15.
Rob will be accompanied by his wife Emma, who also plays the game. Coinicidently, her brother also plays in the Northants side.
Rob is currently a Level 2 coach and he hopes to have completed his Level 3 qualification by the time he arrives in Christchurch. Rob is looking forward to plying his trade in the leafy surrounds of Hagley Oval after having heard of the very pleasant setting, flat pitches and the friendly team-mates and club members he and Emma will soon be embracing.
Beth McNeill follows Milburn into retirement
August 7, 2009: Popular St Albans women's player Beth McNeill yesterday announced her decision to close her cricketing career after 15 years of active participation in the game. Beth joined St Albans in 1998, where she had been playing third grade youth cricket for her school side Middleton Grange. In those days Beth was an animated, enthusiastic and extremely talented all-round cricketer. She went straight into the club's Premier women's side and has never looked back.
For St Albans she played 119 games, scoring 1816 runs at 20 (highest score of 116) and took 180 wickets at 15 (best bowling of 5-26). This total makes Beth ninth on the all-time list of St Albans Premier women's wicket-takers. Beth played 10 seasons at provincial and New Zealand level. Beth played 95 games for the Canterbury Magicians, scoring 966 runs at 20 (best of 51 not out) and 112 wickets at 22 (best of 6-31). For New Zealand she played 23 games, scoring 193 runs at 20 (best of 88 not out) and took 23 wickets at 29 (best of 6-32). This set her out as an integral all-rounder in all sides.
Beth was fiercely loyal but always humble about the opportunities she got and never one to complain. She thanks all the players who have played alongside her as well as all the selectors and coaches who have helped her along the way. Beth also thanks those that welcomed and encouraged her when she started and those that made her work hard, made her aim high, allowed her to fail and shared in her success.
Beth chose the ICC Women's World Cup held in Sydney in March as her last hurrah, which was a fitting way to leave the game. Some may say that she is far too young to retire but Beth knows that now is the time to start a new chapter in her life. Now domiciled in Auckland Beth has been accorded "scouting" status for the club. We know that she will keep a weather eye on the club, even from afar, and when visiting the city during the summer will pop along and support the current crop of girls.
Beth leaves the club and the game with all our best wishes.
105th St Albans Annual General Meeting held
August 4, 2009: The 2008/09 annual report and accounts were presented at the well-attended 105th St Albans Cricket Club AGM at SoHo Restaurant and Bar in Riccarton last evening.
The many members of the club present firstly observed a moment's silence out of respect for the passing of a number of former club members during the last 12 months before proceedings began. A brief review of the previous season from president Alan Jamieson covered the various individual and team achievements during 2008/09. The highlight was the club's success in winning an unprecedented eight grades and capturing the Petersen Shield for overall club supremacy for a 23rd time.
A motion was passed that subscriptions for 2009/10 remain the same as the previous two seasons in light of the recent economic situation. The club recorded a good surplus for the year, largely relating to the generous assistance provided by the Eureka Trust in our time of need after the April 2008 pavilion fire.
Mike Fisher attended on behalf of the Canterbury Cricket Association and spoke on a number of topics for a few minutes while Roger Wyeth attended in a dual role as a former player and now member of the Canterbury Cricket Umpires' Association. He too spoke for a few moments, endorsing the fine relationship which our club and the umpires we're developing.
Thanks were given to outgoing members of the club's management committee, namely Graham Curgenven (after 21 years service in many roles), Euan West (nine years), Kara Cunis (three) and Dean Bermingham (one).
Alan Jamieson was re-elected for his 30th year as president/chairman of the club while patron John Harris agreed to perform the role for a 16th season. Lindsay Serra continues in the treasurer's role for a 26th season and Scott Mason retains his post of secretary.
Four members have taken their place, in the form of new men's club captain Pierre Flavell, women's club captain Sarah Helmore and general committee members Hayden Pipe and Trudy Rolton.
[2009/10 Club Executive and Committee]
[2008/09 St Albans Cricket Club Annual Report (1.34MB PDF)]
Pre-season training for 2009/10
July 31, 2009: Pre-season training for new and existing men's players commences on Wednesday, August 5 at 8pm for two hours at the CCA Indoor Centre at 23A Iversen Terrace.
These sessions will continue each Wednesday at 8pm until the club opening day on September 26.
Please bring your own playing gear. Balls will be provided.
The club is currently recruiting new players with ability and commitment to play in the club's top three teams. If you know of anyone please encourage them to come along to these sessions.
For more information ring Stephen Cunis on (03) 385 6824 or 021 211 5524.
Rowan Milburn retires
July 27, 2009: Rowan Milburn today announced her retirement from all cricket. Rowan joined the St Albans Club in October 2002 and went on to play 107 games in the club's Premier women's side. In this time she amassed 2708 runs at 30 with a top score of 123 not out.
Rowan also excelled as a wicket-keeper, accumulating 99 dismissals (77 catches and 22 stumpings). Rowan was first choice keeper for the Canterbury women's team between 2002 and 2009, going on to full New Zealand honours between 2006 and 2008.
Originally from Otago, Rowan transfered provinces when she took up a teaching job in Timaru. Over the last seven summers she has travelled the hundred miles between Timaru and Christchurch many, many times for club and provincial practices and games.
Rowan's no-nonsense and practical approach will be missed, as will her loyalty and committment to the club. Although her retirement will be a blow to the team it does open the way for new blood to come forward and press for the twin spots that she held down - that of an opening batsman and wicket-keeper - not only in the St Albans Premier women's side but also the Canterbury Magicians.
The club wishes Rowan well in whatever future endeavours she chooses to undertake. Hopefully she may become a talent spotter for the club, for future women cricketers that she might come across or coach in the South Canterbury area.
St Albans Cricket Club 2008/09 Annual Report
 Click to view or right-click to download (1.34MB) |
- 2008/09 Officers
- Obituaries
- President's report
- Men's Club Captain's report
- Women's Club Captain's report
- Top individual performances
- Final points tables
- Team reports and averages
- Club records
- Treasurer's report
Past annual reports and the centennial book are now also available (click to view or right-click to download):
- 2007/08 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2006/07 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2005/06 Annual Report (1.07MB)
- 2004/05 Annual Report (1.11MB)
- 2003/04 Annual Report (852kB)
Note: as some of these files are hosted on a free external server, they may be temporarily unavailable for downloading if the hourly traffic limit has been exceeded. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view these files. If you don't already have it installed on your machine click here to download setup file.
Sarah Helmore to coach St Albans Premier women's side
July 13, 2009: Club president Alan Jamieson today confirmed that Sarah Helmore would take over the role of Premier women's coach, a position recently vacated by Nicola Wilson after her April move to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Sarah has had considerable and wide experience over the last 20 years as a player, coach, trainer and fitness expert, both within New Zealand and overseas. Sarah has played at provincial level for Canterbury, Otago and Central Districts.
Other roles have included stints as a player/coach/captain in Holland and South Canterbury. Over more recent times Sarah has also been involved as a player in New Zealand under-20, under-23, development and 'A' teams.
"Sarah will bring a wealth of knowledge, new ideas and a passion for the game. Nicola has set a high bar with her very professional management of our women's section," said club president and chairman Alan Jamieson.
He expressed confidence that Ms Helmore would build on these huge gains and the successful profile that the club currently enjoys.
"We have an outstanding group of female cricketers in the club and I know that they will benefit from this appointment."
She was also recognised in 2003 with a Prime Minister's Scholarship for cricket. Amongst Sarah's duties will be that of adult and youth team selector, CCA women's advisory group representative and all duties associated with that of the position of women's club captain, which will be her club title. Sarah holds a Level 3 New Zealand coaching qualification.
Martin returns to Canterbury and St Albans
June 28, 2009: Current New Zealand Test pace bowler Chris Martin is returning to his home province, after four years in Auckland.
Chris (34) and his wife Jane, who are expecting their first child in November, have decided to return to Christchurch, primarily to be closer to family members.
Chris has taken 154 wickets for St Albans in two-day cricket at 15.86 each and 81 wickets at 15.11 in one-day cricket, plus a few valuable runs from time to time.
Chris says he is looking forward to renewing friendships with club members and making lots of new friends. He was also looking to have some fun on the club pitches in Christchurch.
Speaking on behalf of the Premier men’s team captain Aaron Johnstone said it would be great to have such an experienced and proven international bowler heading the attack.
“His development since leaving the province has been very marked and will give us the cutting edge that we have often missed in the past few summers,” he said. “Hopefully we will get several profitable days of play from Chris before provincial and international cricket beckons,” Johnstone added.
The Martins will return to Christchurch in mid July.
Season averages updated
April 22, 2009: Final averages for the 2008/09 season for each of the 11 St Albans teams.
[ Premier Men | 2A Men | 2C Men | 3A Men | 3B Men | 3C Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 2nd Women | 3rd Women ]
St Albans cleans up at the CCA awards function
April 15, 2009: St Albans teams and players took home a lion's share of the trophies handed out at the 2008/09 CCA club and representative awards evening held at the Aurora Centre at Burnside High School last night.
St Albans award winners were:
The Graham Frampton Memorial Challenge Cup - St Albans
The Trophy for 3C Grade section 2 - St Albans
The Trophy for 3A Grade - St Albans
SD Cowles Trophy for 2nd Grade Women - St Albans
Eureka Trust 1st Grade Women's Cup - St Albans
2C Two-day Trophy - St Albans
Junior Challenge Trophy for 2A Men - St Albans
Eureka Trust Cup for Premier Men - One-day Competition - St Albans
Eureka Trust Trophy for Premier Men - Two-day Competition - St Albans
Petersen Shield - St Albans
John Cowens Award - Matt Holstein
Sportsmanship Trophy for Batting - Steven Knox
Chattel Hayes Memorial Trophy - Aaron Johnstone
Jean Ruddenklau Trophy - Amy Sattherthwaite
Eureka Trust Women's Club Cricket Player Of The Year - Amy Satterthwaite
Club Coach of the Year - Stephen Cunis
State Canterbury Magician Bowler of the Year - Sarah Burke
State Canterbury Magician Player of the Year - Amy Satterthwaite
More details to follow soon ...
Satterthwaite named player of the year
April 3, 2009: Amy Satterthwaite received the top award at the St Albans prizegiving function held at the club pavilion on Friday evening, being named the overall club player of the year for 2008/09.
Other major award winners were:
Top Individual Innings: James O'Gorman - 166
Best Individual Bowling: Sarah Parker - 8-4
All-rounder of the year (Men): Kelvin Scott - 466 runs and 30 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Women): Amy Satterthwaite - 640 runs and 18 wickets
All-rounder of the year (Wicket-keeper): Jonathan Price - 427 runs and 27 dismissals
Most economical bowling (10 overs): Stephen Cunis - 10-6-6-3
Most economical bowling (8 overs): Sarah Parker - 8-6-4-8
Most economical bowling (4 overs): Lance Jessup - 4-0-4-2
Most runs in an over (scored by a batsman): Scott Brooker - 23
Most runs in an over (conceded by a bowler): Henry Nuttall - 33
Most ducks: Natalie Cox - 5
Most sixes: Craig Drennan - 16
Rod McCurdy Award (for faux pas, misdemeanours etc): Ian Leach and Duane Pettet
Personality of the Year: Sajid Sayed
Noel Love Memorial Trophy (for the older St Albans member): Graham Curgenven
Supporter of the Year: Euan West
Peers Cup (for contribution on and off the field): Brian Fenwick and Geoff Soper
Zin Harris Memorial Cup (young male player of the year): Ben Langrope
Kim Jamieson Memorial Cup (young female player of the year): Lea Tahuhu
Daygo Award (most afternoon grade wicket-keeping dismissals): Danny McCarthy - 25 dismissals
Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup (most runs in one grade): Amy Satterthwaite - 640 runs
Cyril Crawford Memorial Cup (most runs in any grade): Amy Satterthwaite - 640 runs
Tom Burtt Memorial Cup (most wickets in one grade): Scott Mason - 37 wickets
Don Sandman Memorial Cup (most wickets in any grade): Duncan Anderson - 50 wickets
Bob Webb Memorial Cup (most wicket-keeping dismissals in one grade): Aaron Johnstone - 31 dismissals
St Albans Club Player of the Year: Amy Satterthwaite
More details to follow soon ...
Trophies galore as Saints finish season in style
March 29, 2009: St Albans won as many as eight grades for 2008/09 after a final-day push saw three further titles secured with emphatic victories.
The 2A men held a slender competition lead going into the final day but needed to win outright against Old Boys Collegians after hearing of East Christchurch Shirley's demolition of Lancaster Park Woolston early in the day. Though Old Boys got much closer than hoped for on the first innings Saints racked up the runs in double-quick time to set up an imposing target of 280. A Justin Gourlie hat-trick reduced Old Boys to 45/6 at tea and after some stubborn resistance for the seventh wicket the tail fell quickly thereafter to give Saints the title by just 2.9 points. It is their first two-day title since 2004/05 and is the second season in a row they have tasted success after winning the one-day competition last year.
The 2C men also held the competition lead but given little separated the top three sides and the final round draw meant nothing less than outright victory would secure the grade. Leading by 98 on the first dig brisk runs were the order of the day to set up a challenging target. A mid-innings wobble threatened to upset plans but Mat Munro blasted an unbeaten 47 off 45 balls to leave Lancaster Park Woolston a target of 263 and Saints 63 overs to take 10 wickets. The first wicket proved the most difficult to dislodge but after that it was a procession with the two Dans, Footitt and Johnston, bowling unchanged for 22 overs as they ripped through LPW's lineup. The 190-run victory meant St Albans won the 2C men's competition for just the third time in its 34-year history and the first time in 18 seasons.
The 2As and 2Cs successes, alongside the Premier men's two-day Trophy win, meant St Albans achieved another notable milestone. It is the first time in Christchurch club cricket history that a club's first three XIs have won two-day titles in the same season (since the 2C [formerly third grade] men's competition came into existence in 1975/76). St Albans has come close on more than one occasion in recent years without quite being able to nail it and this achievement is a testament to the depth present in the morning men's grades throughout the season.
The 3A men already had one hand on their trophy but still needed to beat Sydenham Suddenly to ensure theirs were the only paws on it at the end of the season. This proved an easy task in the end with the wooden-spoon Sydenham side being thrashed about the park to the tune of 301 runs in 40 overs, thanks largely to 50s from Dead Read, Grant Lucas and Brett Saunders. Saunders also chipped in with three wickets as Saints wrapped up a comprehensive victory by 157 runs. The 3As defended their title from last season, heading off nearest challengers Lancaster Park Woolston, who crucially stumbled in the penultimate round of the season to hand Saints a five-point buffer.
Five other competitions were won at various stages throughout this final month of the season. The Premier men lost to Old Boys Collegians but had already wrapped up the two-day trophy before the last day's play. This along with the one-day Cup won earlier in the month against the same opposition means Saints did the Premier one-day/two-day double for the third time and first since 1991/92. The 3C men won their first title since 2003/04, winning section 2 by five points. The first grade women won their first title since 2005/06 and were also first equal in the unofficial combined first/third grade competition held over March. The second grade women continued their dominant reign by defending their crown from 2007/08 - their fourth title in the past six years. They effectively went back-to-back-to-back-to-back after playing up in first grade for two of those seasons.
There were also five sides who finished second (2A men in one-day and Twenty20 competitions; 2C men in the one-dayers; and the Premier women in one-dayers and Twenty20 Cup) meaning St Albans teams placed in the top two in as many as 13 of 19 main competitions we entered in.
The eight titles is a St Albans record for one season, beating the six won in 1986/87, 1993/94 and again in 2001/02 (though a couple of these titles were minor competitions or knockouts). Not surprisingly the club also went on to win the Petersen Shield in the first two of those seasons and we must be odds-on favourites to repeat this success at this year's CCA club awards night to be held in a fortnight.
Congratulations to all winners and well done on a fantastic season. Let's all celebrate our success as a club with a big turnout at the club prizegiving night to be held at the St Albans pavilion on Friday, April 3 starting at 6.30pm.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, March 28, 2009
March 23, 2009: This is the last day of cricket for the season. Good luck to all teams, especially those in with a chance of winning their competitions!
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
More Saints teams creep closer to grabbing silverware
March 22, 2009: The Premier men guaranteed their first one-day/two-day double since 1991/92 after taking first innings points against Old Boys Collegians.
The 3C men and second grade women both ensured that St Albans will be the only name engraved on their grade trophies this season after both sides won to put them out of reach of the chasing pack with one match remaining.
The 3A men thrashed Marist-Harewood and received great news that the former co-leaders in their grade, Lancaster Park Woolston, were upset by East Christchurch Shirley at the same time. It means they are assured of at least sharing the title but will win it outright if they beat Sydenham in their final match.
The President's grade men convincingly beat Sumner to hold on to the Graham Frampton Memorial Trophy over the winter as they have the bye in the final week.
The 2A men had a very good opening day of their two-day decider. They need to take five more wickets with 69 runs to play with to make Old Boys Collegians follow-on and then push for outright victory and likely championship success.
The 2C men are also extremely well placed in their two-day finale. They almost had Lancaster Park Woolston following on on a tricky pitch but their 107-run lead with nine wickets in hand sets themselves up in a prime position for day two. Outright victory will guarantee their first title since 1990/91.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Phil McGrory wins third annual St Albans bowl-off
March 21, 2009: Phil McGrory is the 2008/09 St Albans bowl-off champion! The finals were held in front of the club pavilion in the dusky evening hours after Saturday's play and the long-time Saints man "Haggis" emerged triumphant in an all-British final.
McGrory's passage there was made a lot easier by the withdrawal of semi-final opponent Henry Fisher who had a prior engagement, his 21st. In the other semi English amateur Dan Footitt continued his bowling form from earlier in the afternoon to upset the favourite - and defending champion - Kelvin Scott.
However, the Scottish McGrory got one back for the Bravehearts in the grand finale. An early strike by the canny wee leg-spinner put the pressure back on pace man Footitt to respond in kind. But despite a couple of close shaves to the solitary stump the fightback never eventuated and McGrory celebrated victory with a delivery to spare.
[Click here for more information about this year's event including the full competition results]
Draw for Saturday, March 21, 2009
March 16, 2009:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Three titles all but secured on another super day for Saints
March 15, 2009: The Premier men have pushed out to a near-insurmountable 20-point lead in their two-day Trophy competition after defeating Marist-Harewood on Saturday.
Also joining them with one hand on a trophy are the 3C men and second grade women. Both sides won to ensure they will at very least share their grade titles no matter what happens on the final two weeks of the season.
It was a near clean-sweep across the adult grades for St Albans on Saturday with every team tasting success. However, the Premier women narrowly lost their second Twenty20 match in the afternoon to dash the perfect record.
The 2A men wrapped up a comprehensive innings victory over Marist-Harewood to jump up to a narrow three-point lead over East Christchurch Shirley with one two-day Trophy match to play.
The 2C men similarly completed a comfortable win over Riccarton to leapfrog Lancaster Park Woolston and East Christchurch Shirley to take a six-point lead with their match against LPW shaping as a two-day Trophy competition decider.
Other teams who are tantalisingly poised for success are the 3A men and the combined first-third grade Blue side who both share the competition lead with two one-dayers remaining.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist-Harewood Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, March 14, 2009
March 9, 2009: The President's grade men defend the Graham Frampton Memorial Trophy against Marist-Harewood this week after beating the top team Old Boys Collegians to take the trophy last Saturday. It is a big day also for the 3C men and second grade women who can guarantee themselves at least a share of their grade titles if they win on Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
James O'Gorman tops batting leaderboard on fine all-round day for club
March 8, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist-Harewood Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, March 7, 2009
March 2, 2009: The first and third grade women's competitions have been completed, with St Albans winning the first grade one-day title. The two grades combine to play a new competition for the last month of the season.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men win one-day Cup final; 2As, 2Cs, Premier women fall short
March 1, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, February 28-March 1, 2009
February 23, 2009: This Sunday is finals day at Hagley Oval for four St Albans teams. Please get down to the ground to support them. Saturday sees a mixture of two-day, one-day and Twenty20 cricket played across the grades.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Complete washout ensures 2C men's place at Cup finals day
February 21, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, February 21, 2009
February 20, 2009: Note: All cricket on uncovered pitches (2C men, afternoon men's grades, lower women's grades and junior grades) has been cancelled due to the wet weather. Only the covered grades (Premier men, 2A men and Premier women) are still on.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier and 2A men march into one-day Cup finals
February 14, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, February 14-15, 2009
February 9, 2009: The Premier and 2A men play one-day semi-finals against Burnside West University on Sunday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Saints teams struggle on holiday weekend
February 7, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, February 7, 2009
February 2, 2009: The Premier and 2A men revert to two-day mode from this Saturday until the end of the season (one-day finals matches excepted) after a long diet of limited-overs cricket.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Both Premier teams win one-wicket thrillers
January 31, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, January 31, 2009
January 26, 2009: The season restarts this Saturday for the senior girls and Super 8s girls.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men close in on semi-final berth with convincing win
January 24, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, January 24, 2009
January 19, 2009: The season restarts this Saturday for the first, second and third grade women. Senior boys, senior girls and Super 8s girls begin again on January 31.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Saints teams mostly come out on top on day of exciting finishes
January 17, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2A Men | 2C Men | 3A Men | 3B Men | 3C Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 2nd Women | 3rd Women ]
Draw for Saturday, January 17, 2009
January 12, 2009: The season restarts this Saturday for the President's grade team. First, second and third grade women on January 24; Senior boys, senior girls and Super 8s girls on January 31.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Satterthwaite stars with all-round heroics as Premier women demolish LPW
January 10, 2009:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, January 10, 2009
January 5, 2009: The season restarts this Saturday with a one-day round for the Premier women and all men's grades (except President's).
President's grade resume on January 17; First, second and third grade women on January 24; Senior boys, senior girls and Super 8s girls on January 31.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Former club member Joe Harrison passes away
January 5, 2009: It is with great sadness that we record the death of former club member Joe Harrison. Joe died yesterday (Sunday, January 4) at the Nurse Maude Hospice. His funeral will be at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church at 106 Main South Road in Sockburn on Wednesday, January 7 at 11am. The club's deepest sympathies go to his wife Cathy and son Matthew.
Happy New Year from the St Albans Cricket Club
January 1, 2009: The St Albans Cricket Club executive and committee wish all members, former members, friends and passing-through viewers a happy New Year. 2008 was certainly a memorable and distinguishable one for the club and we hope that 2009 will be much more prosperous. To all readers we hope that your cricketing ambitions and aspirations are positive and that you have a safe and happy year. See you in the coming week(s) when competitions restart.
First washed out Saturday a low note to end opening half of season
December 20, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, December 20, 2008
December 20, 2008: Note: All cricket on uncovered pitches (2C men, afternoon men's grades, lower women's and junior grades) has been cancelled due to the wet weather. Only the covered grades (Premier men, 2A men and Premier women) are still on.
The season restarts on January 10 for the Premier women and all men's grades except President's, which start back on January 17. First, second and third grade women start back again on January 24. The senior boys, senior girls and Super 8s girls restart on January 31.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men continue winning one-day form
December 13, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist-Harewood Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, December 13, 2008
December 8, 2008: Please note: ground allocations have changed for the 2A, 2C and 3A men's grades due to forecast inclement weather this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Comprehensive win for Premier men over Hagley arch-rivals
December 6, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, December 6, 2008
December 1, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Milburn century in vain as Premier women fall to Easts
November 29, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, November 29, 2008
November 24, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Mixed day for St Albans teams
November 22, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, November 22, 2008
November 17, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier women tipped over in Twenty20 final
November 16, 2008: The St Albans Premier women's team lost to Lancaster Park Woolston-Sydenham by four wickets in the Twenty20 Cup final.
Despite cleaning up comfortably in their three round-robin matches, the Saints side couldn't quite repeat the dose when it came to the big match on Hagley 4 on Sunday afternoon. Defending a total of 113 the home team looked dead and buried when LPW-Sydenham raced to 80/1 after 11 overs. A gritty fightback brought Saints back in the running with 11 runs still required from the final 18 balls, however Park got across the line with two overs to spare.
The defending champion Premier men's team had a weekend to forget as they failed to win a game. Their unbeaten romp to last season's title was a distant memory as they were knocked out of contention after losing to Marist-Harewood and Old Boys Collegians on Saturday. They then lost to Burnside West University on Sunday morning in what was essentially a dead-rubber match.
The 2A men had a 50 percent record on their Twenty20 debut while the 2C men won both of their matches, the first by a single run in a thrilling finish. The 3A men too had a tight game, this time ending up on the winning side of a one-wicket result after a loss by the same margin a week ago. The women's teams had a successful Saturday with the first, second and third grades backing up the Premiers' top day with victories also.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist-Harewood Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Current season averages for selected teams:
[ Premier Men | 2A Men | 2C Men | 3A Men | 3B Men | 3C Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 2nd Women | 3rd Women ]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, November 15-16, 2008
November 10, 2008: Show weekend sees a Twenty20 extravaganza for the morning grade St Albans sides. The Premier men will attempt to defend their title while the Premier women will also play a tournament-style competition across both Saturday and Sunday. The 2A and 2C men both play Saturday double-headers as part of season-wide competitions. Please note: there has been a late draw change for second grade women.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men squeak home on top all-round day for club
November 8, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, November 8, 2008
November 3, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
O'Reilly and Knox post club's first centuries of season
November 1, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, November 1, 2008
October 27, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Sarah Parker trumps best bowling effort on top day for club
October 25, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 25, 2008
October 20, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men's game in the balance as two-day competition begins
October 18, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
$800,000 damage bill from cricket club arsonist's crime spree
John Ngarimu Rattray caused $800,000 damage in his eight-day crime spree, when he torched cricket clubrooms and a church hall. Many of the losses can’t be valued or replaced. The St Albans Cricket Club lost 103 years of its records. Rattray, 44, won’t have to pay for any of the damage. He’s got nothing, and now has a three year prison sentence ahead of him.
The full story from the courts can be read at the link below.
[Christchurch Court News Story]
Draw for Saturday, October 18, 2008
October 13, 2008: This is the first day's play of the season for the afternoon women's grades and junior cricket.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Anderson leads 2A demolition job with the ball
October 11, 2008: 2A men's pace bowler Duncan Anderson terrorised the Marist-Harewood side with a lethal spell of 8-7 on Saturday.
His figures are the best by any St Albans club member since Dan Hutchinson's remarkable 9-15 for the sixth grade men back in 2005/06. They are the equal eighth best for the club for as far back as our records go at present (34 seasons to the mid-1970s).
They are also the best figures by a second XI men's bowler in this time (beating Norm McTaggart's 8-30 way back in 1975/76). In fact, in this time, only one bowler has recorded better figures at this level or higher (either men's or women's) - Brett Harrison with 9-12 on his first grade (now Premier) men's one-day debut in 1986/87.
Had Anderson been a little less profligate when it came to bowling no-balls and wides, his figures would've read the scarcely believable 8-2 and been the cheapest six-plus haul on record at the club.
| Top 10 bowling performances for St Albans (since 1975/76) | ||||
| PLAYER | FIGURES | TEAM | OPPOSITION | SEASON |
 |
||||
| Les Watson | 9-5 | Presidents Men | v Sydenham | 1977/78 |
| Ross McNally | 9-12 | 4th Men | v Lancaster Park | 1977/78 |
| Brett Harrison | 9-12 | 1st Men | v Marist | 1986/87 |
| Dan Hutchinson | 9-15 | 6th Men | v Sydenham Blue | 2005/06 |
| Paul Gooby | 9-21 | 4th B Men | v Lancaster Park | 1996/97 |
| Jayne Beattie | 9-23* | Senior B Women | v Burnside West University | 1980/81 |
| Harry Shepherd | 9-32 | 4th Men | v East Christchurch Shirley | 1978/79 |
| Hannah Rae | 8-7 | 3rd Women | v New Brighton | 1994/95 |
| Duncan Anderson | 8-7 | 2A Men | v Marist-Harewood | 2008/09 |
| Angela Reid | 8-12 | 2nd Gold Women | v ? | 1999/00 |
|
||||
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 11, 2008
October 6, 2008: This is the first day's play of the season for the afternoon grade men's teams. The season begins on October 18 for the afternoon women's grades and junior cricket.
Please note: due to unforeseen circumstances, completion of the pavilion restoration has been delayed a little further. After-match drinks on Saturday will be held at SoHo Bar, 1 Riccarton Road (on the edge of Hagley Park).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Emphatic wins for Premier teams on first day of season
October 4, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Canterbury Country Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 4, 2008
September 29, 2008: This is the first day's play of the season for the morning grade teams, who all play in one-dayers. The season begins on October 11 for the afternoon men's grades and October 18 for the afternoon women's grades and junior cricket.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Saints lose The Embers in warm-up match
September 27, 2008: Hutt District took the Embers trophy off St Albans with a five-wicket win over the home side on opening day.
With the combined Upper Valley side disbanding back to their original clubs at the end of last season Saints found themselves up against a new outfit from Wellington. Three members of the visiting side did however play in last year's fixture, including captain Matthew Bell.
A southerly change was forecast for the afternoon so wise heads decided beforehand to break the game into two Twenty20 matches, as opposed to the typical 45-over affair. Only the first would count towards determining the holders of the trophy.
Saints got off to a fine start thanks to openers Greg Dawson (43) and Neil Cross (23) who added 48 for the first wicket. However, from the promising score of 89/3 after 14 overs things went downhill. A Hadley (5-9) strangled the middle-order batting to such an effect that the last six overs saw only 16 runs scored for the loss of five wickets.
Chasing barely five an over for victory the visitors got off to a solid reply with an opening stand of 30. The momentum swung completely the other way when wickets fell in four successive overs (to four different bowlers!) and suddenly Hutt District found themselves 36/4 in the 10th over.
With the asking rate climbing to nearly seven an over, Mike Robertson came to the crease and proceeded to blast a quick-fire unbeaten 40 off 32 balls, scoring most of his runs in a wide 'V' down the ground. This secured victory with three balls to spare for Hutt District. The game just managed to be completed before the weather totally packed it in, vindicating the earlier decision to alter the match format as the second game proved unviable.
[St Albans XI v Hutt District Scorecard]
Provisional draws for morning grades announced
September 18, 2008: The draws for the top three men's grades and the Premier women have been released, subject to change.
Notable changes from last season include: the dropping of the top four/bottom four in the two-day competitions for the Premier and 2A men; the inclusion of Twenty20 cricket (partial round-robin of double-headers with no final) for the 2A and 2C men; and the Premier women playing an extended one-day competition plus a Cup weekend Twenty20 tournament (to mirror the Premier men) to replace the Super 8s competition.
As a result of the removal of a number of matches from the Premier and 2A men's programmes, there is no Sunday cricket except for the Cup weekend Twenty20 and semi-finals/finals of the one-day competition. Finals day for all four grades' one-day competitions is likely to be Sunday, March 1. The semi-finals for the men's grades will probably take place a fortnight prior to this on Sunday, February 15.
The 2C grade has been reduced from seven to six entries to avoid a bye round. They will play a single round-robin of two-dayers and a double round-robin of one-dayers. The top one-day team will automatically qualify for the final while the second and third-placed teams will play off for the other spot. If there are enough match days left over during the season once washouts are taken into consideration, this grade will play Twenty20 matches in late February to complete the schedule. No grounds have been announced for this grade yet, similarly for the Premier men's and women's Twenty20 tournaments.
| Dates | Premier Men | 2A Men | 2C Men | Premier Women |
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| 04 Oct 2008 | CC (MPO) | ES (Bwd 1) | LPW | OBCC (Polo 4a) |
| 11 Oct 2008 | BWU (Burn 1) | Mar-Hare (Red 1) | Syd | ES (Polo 3a) |
| 18 Oct 2008 | Syd (Hag 1) | Syd (Syd 1) | Syd | LPW (Polo 4a) |
| 25 Oct 2008 | Syd (Hag 1) | Syd (Syd 1) | Syd | OBCC (Hag 4) |
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| 01 Nov 2008 | LPW (Garr 1) | LPW (Hag 6) | BWU | ES (Bwd 2) |
| 08 Nov 2008 | LPW (Garr 1) | LPW (Hag 6) | BWU | LPW (Garr 2) |
| 15 Nov 2008 | TBA (TBA)/ TBA (TBA) |
ES (Burn 1)/ Ricc (Burn 4) |
Ricc | OBCC (TBA)/ LPW (TBA) |
| 16 Nov 2008* | TBA (TBA)/ Final (TBA) |
- | - | ES (TBA)/ Final (TBA) |
| 22 Nov 2008 | ES (Hag 1) | ES (Bwd 1) | BWU | OBCC (Hag 4) |
| 29 Nov 2008 | ES (Hag 1) | ES (Bwd 1) | ES Budgies | ES (Hag 4) |
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| 06 Dec 2008 | Ricc (Hag 1) | OBC (Elm 4) | LPW | LPW (Hag 6) |
| 13 Dec 2008 | Mar-Hare (Hag 1) | OBC (Ilam 4)/ Syd (Ilam 2) |
ES Budgies | OBCC (Elm 1) |
| 20 Dec 2008 | ES (Hag 1) | LPW (Burn 2)/ BWU (Burn 1) |
ES Budgies | ES (Bwd 2) |
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| 10 Jan 2009 | OBC (Elm 1) | BWU (Burn 1) | Syd | LPW (Ilam 3) |
| 17 Jan 2009 | bye | Syd (Hag 1) | Ricc | OBCC (Hag 6) |
| 24 Jan 2009 | LPW (Hag 1) | LPW (Garr 1) | BWU | ES (Hag 4) |
| 31 Jan 2009 | Syd (Syd 1) | Ricc (Hag 3) | ES Budgies | LPW (Hag 4) |
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| 07 Feb 2009 | Ricc (Hag 3) | Ricc (Hag 1) | T20 TBA | OBCC (Elm 3) |
| 14 Feb 2009 | Ricc (Hag 3) | Ricc (Hag 1) | T20 TBA | ES (Bwd 2) |
| 21 Feb 2009 | BWU (Hag 1) | BWU (Burn 1) | T20 TBA | LPW (Garr 2) |
| 28 Feb 2009 | BWU (Hag 1) | BWU (Burn 1) | T20 TBA | OBCC (Elm 4) |
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| 07 Mar 2009 | Mar-Hare (Red 1) | Mar-Hare (Hag 1) | Ricc | LPW (Hag 4)/ ES (Hag 6) |
| 14 Mar 2009 | Mar-Hare (Red 1) | Mar-Hare (Hag 1) | Ricc | OBCC (Ilam 3)/ LPW (Ilam 3) |
| 21 Mar 2009 | OBC (Hag 1) | OBC (Elm 1) | LPW | ES (Bwd 3) |
| 28 Mar 2009 | OBC (Hag 1) | OBC (Elm 1) | LPW | Final (TBA) |
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Key:
Match types: Two-day, One-day, Twenty20
Dates: * = Sunday match
Venues: Burn (Burnside Park), Bwd (Burwood Park), Elm (Elmwood Park), Garr (Garrick Park), Hag (Hagley Oval), Ilam (Ilam Fields), Midd (Middleton Park), MPO (Mainpower Oval, Rangiora), Polo (Polo Grounds), Red (Redwood Park), Syd (Sydenham Park)
Venue type: (a) signifies artificial pitch
Cunis appointed Canterbury women's coach
September 13, 2008: St Albans Premier men's player/coach Stephen Cunis has been named as the new coach of the State Canterbury Magicians. Alan Jamieson, on behalf of the club, congratulates Stephen on his appointment and wishes him well. It is another milestone in the club's history and follows closely on from previous women's provincial team coaches Vicki Burtt and Kirsty Bond who have come from the club.
Pavilion update
September 11, 2008: Progress is well underway on the post-fire restoration of the pavilion as you can see by the work in progress in the photos below. We are optimistic that the majority of the work will be completed by opening day on September 27. A heart-felt thanks to Graeme Parker and the Eureka Trust for their generous support of the club in our time of need. The Trust has come to St Albans' rescue to the tune of $63,276.32 to help get us back on our feet in time for the 2008/09 season. (click photos to view enlarged versions).
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| Graeme Parker (centre), CEO of the Eureka Trust, presents president Alan Jamieson and project manager Graham Curgenven with a cheque to aid in the St Albans pavilion restoration | Alan Jamieson, Graham Curgenven and Graeme Parker inspect the pavilion restoration as the builders install ceiling panels | |
Junior boys and girls registration
August 24, 2008: The St Albans Cricket Club is currently taking registrations from boys and girls who are hoping to play Saturday morning cricket for the club during the 2008/09 season.
All games are on Saturday mornings commencing at about 8.45am. Games are generally over by 12 noon. Practices for all junior teams are held at Hagley Oval between 4pm and 5.15pm on Thursdays during the season.
Subscriptions are $50 per child and $25 for each subsequent child from the same family, payable when you register.
We have vacancies for boys and girls in the following grades:
Softer ball grades:
All teams have 8 players per team. Ensures each player gets a go.
Hard ball grades:
Retirements when batting and limit on overs bowled to ensure all players get a fair go.
In many of these formats there are several divisions to ensure teams are matched with the hope that games are likely to result in even encounters.
The club has boys-only, mixed or girls-only teams.
If the club can muster or recruit enough boys and girls aged about 4 and 5, we will run a Nursery Grade.
Please phone Graham Curgenven (355 9573) if you have a boy who wishes to play or Nicola Wilson (352 3421) if you have a girl who wishes to join the club or go to our Registration page to sign up.
Pavilion update
July 30, 2008: The renovations have got underway at the pavilion, with contractors M A Easter Ltd getting to work promptly after winning the tender for the job last week. Below are some photos of the work in progress. (click photos to view enlarged versions).
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| The floor near the front entrance stairs is removed | The floor joists above the small changing room are removed | |
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| The stairs at the front entrance to the pavilion removed | The view from the small changing room looking up to the bar area | |
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| A new floor is placed down near the front entrance stairs | Ceiling panels are removed from the main lounge area | |
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| New framework is put up in the small downstairs changing room | ||
St Albans Cricket Club 2007/08 Annual Report
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Click to view or right-click to download (1.08MB) |
- 2007/08 Officers
- Obituaries
- President's report
- Men's Club Captain's report
- Women's Club Captain's report
- Top individual performances
- Final points tables
- Team reports and averages
- Club records
- Treasurer's report
Past annual reports and the centennial book are now also available (click to view or right-click to download):
- 2006/07 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- 2005/06 Annual Report (1.07MB)
- 2004/05 Annual Report (1.11MB)
- 2003/04 Annual Report (852kB)
Note: as many of these files are hosted on a free external server, they may be temporarily unavailable for downloading if the hourly traffic limit has been exceeded. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view these files. If you don't already have it installed on your machine click here to download setup file.
St Albans pavilion arsonist pleads guilty
July 17, 2008: 43-year-old John Ngarimu Rattray today pleaded guilty to various charges in relation to the St Albans pavilion fire and incidents at other sites in the area in late April.
A householder's late night trip to the toilet led to the undoing of the arsonist. The only clues left by the arsonist were fingerprints at the various scenes. However, because Rattray had no criminal record police could not match the fingerprints to anything on file.
The householder who spotted Rattray noticed him climbing over a fence in Addington, when he got up to go to the toilet at about 3am on April 29. He grew suspicious when he watched Rattray change his shirt and rang the police, who arrived and nabbed the suspect. Items stolen were then found in Rattray's caravan following his arrest.
Rattray, an unemployed artist living at the Addington motor camp, gave no explanation for his actions. Rattray will remain in Christchurch men's prison until he is sentenced on October 3.
The full story from the courts can be read at the link below.
[Christchurch Court News Story]
Steady progress made on pavilion re-fit
July 4, 2008: Following many enquiries from members and friends of the St Albans Cricket club, we would like to keep you abreast of developments with regards to the restoration of the club pavilion, which was significantly gutted by fire on the early morning of April 26, 2008.
The sub-committee of Alan Jamieson, Graham Curgenven, Lindsay Serra and Scott Mason, which was assembled in the aftermath of the fire, has now been trimmed back to two. For the last four weeks and the foreseeable future Alan (chairman and president) and Graham Curgenven (project manager) have been the day-to-day liaison people from the club, dealing with the insurance assessors, architects, funding agencies and the Christchurch City Council.
We are pleased to be able to let those interested know that we have been able to make a few important changes to the inside of the pavilion. Firstly, members will see the small dressing room expand in size. The front-entrance stairs will be brand new, with a wider tread and more gradual incline. The single window overlooking the umpires' pavilion will be boarded up to give us more wall space. Watch this space! We also hope to have new carpet, drapes and furniture to replace those ruined by the fire or the smoke and water damage.
We are hopeful that the council consents will be through in the next month or so and that work will start shortly thereafter. It is expected that the restoration will be, in the main, finished by club opening day - September 27.
CCA coaching courses, 2008/09
July 3, 2008: The CCA is running a wide range of coaching courses in preparation for the forthcoming 2008/09 season. They cover Level 2, Level 1, Coaching a Cricket Team, MILO Kiwi and MILO Have-A-Go.
The more advanced Level 1 and 2 courses have pre-requisites that must be met before you are admitted, while the other three courses are open to anyone and the latter two are free of charge.
St Albans will pay the course fee (either in full or part-payment) for approved club members (some conditions apply). This coming season we will be needing several coaches for some of our junior/youth and women's teams. If you are interested in one of these roles, please download the PDF from the link below for more information and contact Alan Jamieson via e-mail or call 359 0110.
[2008/09 CCA Coaching Courses Information]
Pavilion update
May 16, 2008: Last weekend we had our first working bee since the fire. The turnout of more than 40 people including former players, families from our junior girls and boys sections, life members, friends and many players from throughout the grades was testament that the initial anger has now turned to the realisation that we need to move forward. Thanks to all those that turned up with bucket and sponge to help clean every item we have, help take the pavilion apart and store it away ready for when we can put it all back in the new building. The insurance assessors are still working out the costs of replacement and re-building then, in a week or so, tenders will be called for a builder and work will no doubt then begin.
Thank you too to the lady jogger whose name we are unaware of, for knocking on the door of Tom O'Carroll's house at 6am on the morning of the fire. Without her and Tom's call to the fire brigade we would more than likely have nothing left of our pavilion. Thank you, Tom, for your quick response. We are indebted to you.
The wall linings of various parts of the pavilion upstairs have been removed to check for fire/structural damage - the photos can be viewed below (click photos to view enlarged versions).
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| The wall behind the fridges in the bar area removed | The wall at the top of the stairs removed |
Photos of damage done to pavilion
May 5, 2008: The photos below (click photos to view enlarged versions) show what the pavilion looked like on Monday afternoon. All of the contents of the two storage cupboards in the small dressing room downstairs have been removed and taken to the dump. The ceiling upstairs has been removed due to the water and smoke damage it sustained - leaving it in would've left after-match gatherings smelling something like the good old days before the smoking ban was put in place! This should hopefully be replaced in due time to remove the lingering odour. There will be a working bee at the pavilion this Saturday (May 10) - we need your help!
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| The charred remains of the small changing room downstairs | The gear storage room - all contents now dumped | The smoke-damaged ceiling removed from upstairs at the pavilion |
Suspect arrested in relation to pavilion fire
May 1, 2008: The police executed a search warrant on Tuesday, and recovered articles stolen from the St Albans Cricket Club. On Wednesday detectives interviewed a prime suspect and at the end of the day charged a 43-year-old man with four counts of arson, burglary and a couple of counts of setting mantraps - potential injury-causing explosions. Besides our pavilion, the other locations attacked were the neighbouring Old Boys Collegians pavilion and the church and hall at Sacred Heart School in Addington.
During the week fire investigation officers, insurance investigators and the police have been constant visitors to the club as they work their way through the various areas of the fire before they sign off the case, from their own respective points of view.
The windows have been cleaned and a skip has been ordered to allow all the debris and charred wood, stainless steel, porcelain, carpet, lino, burnt playing gear, records and other fire-damaged goods to be placed in and disposed of.
Graham Curgenven has been appointed, by the president, as the representative of the committee to oversee the clean-up and co-ordinate builders, assessors, the council and subbies. He will work closely with the president as well as Lindsay Serra and Scott Mason to ensure things go smoothly and the club's best interests are looked after.
It is hoped to restore the pavilion to its former style and format, albeit with a much more fresh and sweet-smelling appearance.
Fire at St Albans Cricket Club pavilion
April 26, 2008: We regret to advise that there has been a fire at the St Albans Cricket Club.
There has been some quite significant damage to the pavilion - both downstairs changing rooms are pretty well gutted, the upstairs area has received smoke and water damage although some fire damage has occurred in the kitchen and bar areas. Most memorabilia has been saved.
It is now quite clear that this was arson with six separate points in the building where the fires were started or attempted to be started. We were very lucky that someone was out walking their dog at approx 6.20am, noticed the fire and alerted Tom, the Hagley Oval groundsman who lives next door, who in turn alerted the fire brigade. Another 10 minutes and the entire building would have been engulfed in flames.
Old Boys Collegians, our neighbouring club on the Oval, were also broken into and were lucky not to have suffered the same fate as we did.
We have been asked by the police to ask you, our club members, to listen out for anything that may help them find those responsible. The odd comment may be overheard in a pub, school, bus stop, shopping mall - anywhere people are talking and probably bragging - the police rely heavily on outside information!
If you know of anyone who might be involved or have suspicions about someone, the police would like to hear from you. New Zealand police detectives are eager for any information. If you can help, their details are as follows:
Hamish Wilson (Hamish.Wilson@police.govt.nz) or Jeremy Gunn (Jeremy.Gunn@police.govt.nz) or phone (03) 363 7400.
St Albans winners at CCA awards
April 15, 2008: St Albans won nine trophies on the night at the annual Canterbury Cricket Association club and representative awards evening held at the Aurora Centre at Burnside High School last night.
The club won four titles - the 3A grade men, second grade women, 2A grade men (one-day Cup) and Premier men's (Twenty20 Cup) emerging triumphant during 2007/08.
On the individual front, St Albans players were again well represented. Aaron Johnstone won the Premier men's wicket-keeping trophy for the fourth time in six years and Rowan Milburn won the equivalent trophy for Premier women's cricket. James O'Gorman picked up two trophies for being the top under-20 run scorer in Premier cricket and having the highest batting aggregate for Canterbury in the national under-19 tournament. Helen Watson won the most outstanding performance for the Canterbury Magicians award.
[List of St Albans winners]
Justin Gourlie named club player of the year
April 4, 2008: Premier men's team pace bowler Justin Gourlie was last night named St Albans player of the year for the 2007/08 at the annual prizegiving function held at the club pavilion at Hagley Oval.
Right: Guest speaker Justin Vaughan, overall winner Justin Gourlie and president Alan Jamieson
Gourlie took home two other major awards on the evening including the Tom Burtt Memorial Cup for most wickets in one grade (49) and the Don Sandman Memorial Cup for most wickets in any grade (53). He edged out a number of worthy contenders for the top prize, namely Neil Cross, Michael Davidson, Matthew Ytsma and last year's overall winner, Stephen Cunis. Cuni himself picked up a swagful of awards, including two major aggregate trophies - the Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup and Cyril Crawford Memorial Cup - for his season tally of 576 runs. He also blew the opposition away when it came to the six-hitting crown and most runs off an over and was also named the Premier men's team player of the year.
There was an excellent turnout of more than 90 people at the clubrooms for the three-hour function. The guest speaker, New Zealand Cricket chief executive and former Black Cap Justin Vaughan, was extremely well received as he told tales from his playing days, provided some insight into the current situation evolving in world cricket and fielded a number of thoughtful questions from the floor.
[Full List of 2007/08 Award Winners]
2As secure consolation victory as season ends on low-key note
March 29, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
End of season averages and statistics for all teams:
[ Men's Teams: Premier Men | 2A Men | 2C Men | 3A Men | 3B Men | 3C Men | 4A Men | President's Men |
Women's Teams: Premier Women | 1st Women | 2nd Women | 3rd Women |
Most Runs: One Grade | Any Grade |
Most Wickets: One Grade | Any Grade |
Most Dismissals: One Grade | Any Grade |
Performances: Best Batting | Best Bowling | Player of the Days ]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, March 29-30, 2008
March 24, 2008: This is the last weekend of cricket for the season. The Premier and 2A men both play two-dayers on Saturday/Sunday to complete their competitions. There is a game for the senior one-day boys however none for the club's three girls teams.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier women miss out in final; Premier and 2A men out of two-day hunt
March 15, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Kelvin Scott crowned bowl-off champion
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| Kelvin Scott (centre) receives the bowl-off trophy and prize from Aaron Johnstone and Dean Bermingham |
Competition co-founder Aaron Johnstone got a free ride into the third round but was promptly eliminated by Premier women's player Lea Tahuhu, who became the second women's player to reach the quarter-finals after Sarah Gagliardi eliminated Tim Campbell. They were soon joined by Tessa King who knocked out 2A men's captain Kim Smythe. Kelvin Scott struck back for the men by defeating Natalie Cox and Justin Gourlie did likewise by beating the first-day star Nicola Wilson in a sudden-death showdown.
Scott and Gourlie overcame female opposition in the quarter-finals also, but were made to work hard by Tahuhu and King respectively. Mat Munro advanced with a clinical victory over Duane Pettet. The only women's player to reach the semi-finals, Sarah Gagliardi, struck first to put Scott under immediate pressure, but he responded in kind and snatched the first final berth in sudden death. Munro did just enough to edge out Gourlie in the other semi.
The grand finale between 2A men's team-mates Kelvin Scott and Mat Munro was a see-sawing encounter. Scott came back from one down to steal the lead with one ball each remaining, only for Munro to tie it up under pressure and take it to a three-ball playoff. Scott sealed the title with his last delivery, putting his name on the trophy alongside inaugural winner Erin Bermingham's.
[Full St Albans Bowl-off Results plus Competition Details]
Draw for Saturday, March 15, 2008
March 10, 2008: The Premier women play the Twenty20 final in the afternoon after their final round-robin match. This is the last day of cricket this season for all adult grades except Premier and 2A men (who each have double-header two-day matches on March 29-30, the weekend after Easter). The club's closing night function will be held this Saturday night for all teams, with supper provided around 9.30pm. Do make an effort to come along to the pavilion and enjoy a couple or drinks with your team-mates! The club's awards evening will be held on Friday, April 4.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier women book Twenty20 final berth
March 8, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
First night of bowl-offs produces entertainment aplenty
March 6, 2008: The second annual St Albans Bowl-off got underway on Thursday evening after practice at the Hagley Oval nets. The first-up clash between Premier men's batsman Angus McLean and first grade women's player Sarah Gagliardi set a high standard for those to follow. Gagliardi was dead-eye accurate with her first two deliveries, immediately putting the pressure on her opponent. McLean responded superbly to level it up at two-all after the six balls, but was just edged out after a second sudden-death closest-to-the-pin shootout.
The women's section were well represented in the bowl-off and stood up to be counted in the first round, winning four of six encounters against male opponents. Most impressive was Premier women's coach Nicola Wilson's efforts in knocking out a couple of the more-fancied men's entrants in the form of Matt Holstein and Chris Gibb. The youngest two entrants in this year's bowl-off, 13-year-olds Ben Norriss and Shuaib Ahmed, both won their first-round clashes but neither survived their second match-up. The oldest entrant, club president Alan Jamieson (age: suppressed), didn't fare so well, being well accounted for by Craig Linton, who struck the target with his first two deliveries.
The quirks of the draw meant that two of the competition's titans and bookies' favourites meeting early on after both had received first-round byes, with Justin Gourlie edging out fellow leading club wicket-taker and Premier men's team-mate Neil Cross in an absorbing 2-1 result. A similar twist in the draw saw husband-and-wife duo Duncan and Kelly Anderson facing off in the second round. A clinical display from Duncan settled the contest 2-0, but Kelly's protests of despair suggested he may not necessarily have had the last laugh in that encounter.
Greg Dawson survived Pat Gallagher in the first round, despite one of his balls somehow landing a yard to the right from where he delivered it (that is, still about 22 yards away from the original target) and went on to claim the notable scalp of Dean Bermingham in the second round. Having ignominiously lost first-up to rank outsider and "bowler" of dubious repute, Kevin Truesdale, last year, it continues a fine run for the bowl-off co-founder. Bermingham and Aaron Johnstone have yet to beat anyone in their own competition, though Johnstone has received a golden ride into the third round on this occasion thanks a couple of no-shows.
Last year's finalist Dan Johnston was an early victim too, succumbing 1-0 to his 2A team captain Kim Smythe, meaning that none of last year's top four feature this time around - defending champion Erin Bermingham (switched clubs) and semi-finalists Michael Davidson (on Canterbury duty) and Jonathan Redfern (back home in the UK) are all absent from this year's event. In fact, with Stephen Cunis' elimination at the hands of Tessa King (with a plausible sniff of match-fixing in the air), none of last year's quarter-finalists have survived two rounds this year.
Eighteen contestants remain (two delayed second round clashes have yet to be completed), with 12 men and six women left to fight it out. Come along to the nets on Thursday evening (March 13, from around 6.30pm), whether you're still in the bowl-off or not, enjoy a drink and a sausage or two as the club barbecue is fired up and watch to see who can hold it together to emerge victorious and who cracks under the pressure of the banter from the madding crowd.
[Round 1 and 2 Results plus Full Bowl-off Draw and Competition Details]
Draw for Saturday, March 8, 2008
March 3, 2008: The Premier women have a Twenty20 double-header this Saturday, which is also the penultimate weekend of play for most teams (barring the top two men's grades).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2As crowned Cup champions; 2Cs fall short
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| The victorious 2A men with the one-day trophy (click to enlarge photo) |
The second day of the teams' corresponding two-day fixture on the adjacent Burwood No. 1 ground had been washed out the day before so it was a near miracle that play got underway after just a 75-minute delay with no reduction in overs. St Albans started poorly after being sent in to bat, slumping to 18/2 but the innings was rebuilt around Andrew Denford's typically belligerent 62 off just 63 balls. Another mini-collapse followed his dismissal, leaving the Saints innings precariously placed at 135/6 but Chris Gibb's 38 shepherded the lower-order through to a defendable total of 206 before he was last man out in the penultimate over.
Matthew Ytsma and Duncan Anderson produced the perfect start with the ball as they ripped out the Easts top four at a cost of just 30 runs inside the first eight overs. Though the home team righted the ship somewhat, Kelvin Scott's suffocating spell, a burst of three wickets in 10 balls from Kim Smythe and a couple of brilliant catches seemed to have St Albans well on the path to victory at 96/8. Adam Young played a forceful shot off Smythe to long-on, only for Greg Dawson to pluck the ball mid-air before realising he was about to topple over the boundary. A quick-thinking Dawson flung the ball to nearby man Anderson at long-off to complete the catch, somewhat reminiscent of Henry Fisher's incredible one-two act with James O'Gorman for the Premier men against Canterbury Country last season. Shortly afterwards Craig Linton displayed his remarkable reflexes by pulling off a stunning catch at short midwicket off Scott's bowling.
What followed, however, was an aggressive partnership from Matt Teale and Stephen McKey as the ground was enveloped by a bitter southerly and squally showers. Confusion reigned as the rain threatened to send the players from the field more than once, with both sides frantically calculating who would be ahead if play failed to resume. Despite the loss of so many wickets, Easts' run rate was ahead of the asking rate and as it happened, after 28 overs they were within just eight runs of the theoretical target. In the end it mattered not, as play continued amid the gloom and eventually Scott removed Teale thanks to a well-judged catch by Dawson at backward point before Andrew Denford wrapped up the title as McKey nicked one through to wicket-keeper Gibb.
The team celebrated a deserved triumph, having won seven of their nine one-day matches this season - their only defeats were during the round-robin against Riccarton and Easts, the two teams they gained revenge against most emphatically in the semi and final. Despite requiring the services of as many as 29 players during a one-day campaign which started as far back as September 29, it was one which was exemplified by the team's key performers standing up to be counted when it mattered most. It is the first time St Albans will have its name stamped on the 2A Eureka Trust Cup since it was first contested for under the guise of second grade in 1994/95.
The news wasn't so good on the neighbouring Burwood No. 3 ground for the St Albans 2C men's team, unfortunately. Ironically, their pitch was the only one of the three being used for finals day to escape significant damage from the weather and allowed the match to begin at the scheduled start time.
Saints were asked to bat first and got off to a slow but steady start, reaching 39 in the 14th over before their first wicket fell. At 87/2 at the halfway point, things were being set up for a surge towards a strong total before they hit a speed wobble. The innings threatened to fall apart at 115/5 but Mark Child played a fluent knock at great pace and found support firstly in captain Kevin Truesdale, then from Dan Johnston, as 94 runs were added in just 81 balls as the Easts bowling and fielding became increasingly ragged under the pressure of the assault. Alas, Johnston departed at an inopportune time and, crucially, Child too immediately after completing a 52-ball half century the next over. The tail quickly followed and Saints were left ruing the 22 unbowled deliveries that could have brought them a vital extra 20-30 runs.
Defending a moderate score of 218 on a small ground against a consistently aggressive top-order, Saints needed to bowl much straighter than their opposition (who conceded 37 wides in a top-scoring extras tally of 52) and make some early inroads. Johnston duly provided them with a confident lbw appeal upheld and a snick through to the keeper in the space of three balls having the home side 20/2 in the third over. However, the momentum of the early dismissals were quickly lost as the Easts batsmen continued to throw the bat around without fear, rollicking along at six an over. Matt Lawson switched from left-arm medium pace to orthodox spin after an unsuccessful first over and immediately produced a breakthrough. Ill-directed bowling, a couple of missed half-chances and a century partnership for the fourth wicket at better than run-a-ball pace took the life out of any serious challenge the Saints side. The asking rate dropped to 2.5 an over at just the 30-over mark of the chase and it simply became a careful procession to victory until the denoument finally came in the 45th over. Easts won the final by four wickets, successfully defending their one-day crown and Saints fruitless search for a trophy in 2C competitions (formerly third grade) continues.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Two-day Scorecard]
[2A Men v East Christchurch Shirley One-day Cup Final Scorecard]
[2A Men One-day Averages, 2007/08]
[2C Men v East Christchurch Shirley Budgies One-day Cup Final Scorecard]
[2C Men One-day Averages, 2007/08]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, March 1-2, 2008
March 1, 2008: Note: All cricket on uncovered pitches (2C men, afternoon men's grades, lower women's and junior grades) has been cancelled due to wet weather and resulting ground conditions. Only the covered grades (Premier men, 2A men and Premier women) are still on. The scheduled one-day finals on Sunday are still to go ahead at this stage.
This Sunday sees two Saints teams appearing in the CCA Finals Day. Both the 2A and 2C men play against home sides from East Christchurch Shirley on the two front grounds at Burwood Park. The 2As have not won a one-day crown for a considerable time while the 2Cs have not tasted trophy success of any kind in 17 seasons now. With strong teams lined up, now is as good a time as ever to strike in what promises to be a potentially high-scoring and exciting day of finals cricket on good batting pitches with small and fast outfields. Get along and support the teams in their quest to bring home more silverware.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
3A men and second grade women secure titles with contrasting victories
February 24, 2008: The 3A men (the 'BBBBs') added yet another trophy to their bulging collection from the past decade thanks to a comfortable win over Sydenham and their nearest challengers, Old Boys Collegians Tan, being upset. With a 17-point lead and only three matches remaining in the season, they cannot be headed off at the top of the table.
Also joining them in the winners' circle is the second grade women's team who didn't even have to raise a bat in anger on Sunday. Their closest rivals Heathcote defaulted to them, providing the Twenty20 team with an unassailable 20-point lead in the grade.
Congratulations to both teams, who join the Premier men's Twenty20 outfit as competition winners for St Albans in 2007/08. Good luck to the two or three other sides in the club who remain as genuine contenders to add their names to this list by season's end.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, February 23-24, 2008
February 18, 2008: Due to the One-Day International between New Zealand and England at AMI Stadium on Saturday, most adult club cricket has been deferred to Sunday. The exceptions are the Premier and third grade women's teams, who will both play on Saturday morning, the latter to allow girls to play in their Sunday tournament. All junior cricket is still on Saturday morning. The Premier and 2A men's teams both begin their top-four two-day Trophy competition campaigns this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Entire weekend washed out - Premier men eliminated from Cup, 2Cs into final
February 16, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Two-day Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston One-day Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, February 16-17, 2008
February 15, 2008: Note: All cricket on uncovered pitches (2C men, afternoon men's grades, all women's and junior grades) has been cancelled due to wet weather and resulting ground conditions. Only the Premier and 2A men are still playing tomorrow. The scheduled one-day semi-finals for the Premier and 2C men on Sunday are still to go ahead at this stage.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier women go down to East Shirley in Super 8s final
February 9, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Premier men secure semi-final spot despite loss to Country
February 6, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Canterbury Country Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, February 9, 2008
February 4, 2008:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2As into one-day final with emphatic victory
February 2, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, February 2, 2008
January 28, 2008: The Premier men play a one-dayer against Marist to decide a semi-final berth while the 2A men play a second-versus-third one-day semi-final against Riccarton for the right to meet East Christchurch Shirley in the final.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2As topple grade leaders to close gap at top
January 27, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, January 26, 2008
January 21, 2008: The senior one-day boys plus the Blue and Gold girls teams restart this Saturday. There is Sunday play for all three morning grade men's teams with Premiers and 2As finishing off weekend two-dayers while the 2Cs complete their one-day round-robin phase.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men stay in two-day title hunt with decisive victory
January 19, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, January 19, 2008
January 14, 2008: Adult women's grades restart this Saturday. The senior one-day boys recommence the following week and junior girls grades on February 8.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
BBBBs suffer first defeat of season in 3A grade
January 12, 2008:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, January 12, 2008
January 7, 2008: The 2007/08 season resumes this Saturday with all adult men's grades in action. All adult women's grades restart next Saturday (January 19). The senior one-day boys recommence on January 26 and junior girls grades on February 8.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Excellent final day before Christmas break for Saints teams
December 22, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, December 22, 2007
December 17, 2007: This is the last day of cricket for the adult grades prior to the Christmas/New Year break. The season restarts on January 12, 2008 for all adult mens grades; January 19 for all adult women's grades. Junior cricket has already ended for the first half of the season. Senior one-day boys recommence on January 26; junior girls grades restart on February 8.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Top Saints teams come up empty-handed on tough weekend
December 15, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, December 15-16, 2007
December 14, 2007: Note: All afternoon adult grades (uncovered pitches) have been cancelled. Premier men, 2A men and Premier women are still on however the Premier women's match against Old Boys Collegians-Country has been moved from Hagley 6 to Polo 3 (a). Junior cricket on artificial pitches is still on, however those on turf pitches are cancelled.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Brilliant maiden Cunis ton turns potential Premier disaster into victory
December 8, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, December 8, 2007
December 3, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men back in the hunt after convincing two-day win
December 1, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, December 1-2, 2007
November 26, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Bermingham, Ytsma dazzle as 2As dominate day's play
November 24, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Former club member Noel McGregor passes away
 |
| Spencer Noel McGregor (December 18, 1931 - November 21, 2007) |
Noel played his entire domestic first-class career spanning 22 years for Otago, before moving north to Christchurch to join St Albans. As a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper he debuted at the tender age of 16 in 1948 and during his 90 matches for Otago he scored 4259 runs at an average of 27.65, including three centuries and 27 50s.
He earned his Test debut in 1955, but struggled against a fearsome England team and was part of the ignominous side to be dismissed for a world-record low of 26 in just his second Test a fortnight later. He scored his only Test century, 111 in nearly six hours, against Pakistan at Lahore just two matches later.
The following year Noel was part of the historic New Zealand side to record its first Test victory, alongside fellow St Albans man Sam Guillen, against the West Indies at Auckland. Having only scored two and five with the bat, his biggest contribution in the match came during the West Indian chase when he caught master batsman Everton Weekes on the square leg boundary for 31 - a vital snare given Weekes had scored centuries in each of the preceding three Tests.
He again was part of New Zealand cricket history, scoring 68 and 20 as a member of the first Kiwi team to win a Test away from home, alongside another St Albans man in the form of Zin Harris (who scored 101 and 30) against South Africa in Cape Town in 1962. Noel played the last of his 25-Test career in 1965, amassing 892 runs at an average of 19.82. He was named the New Zealand Cricket Almanack's player of the year in 1968.
Noel transferred to Christchurch from Dunedin with footwear makers Suckling Bros, a move that ended his first-class career in 1969. He joined the St Albans Cricket Club, playing a couple of seasons in the senior XI before becoming a prolific member of the President's grade side and was part of competition-winning teams in 1970/71 and 1975/76, a season in which he scored 567 runs at 63.00 and took 20 wickets at 19.25. He ended his club career in 1990, playing right up until the age of 58. In his last 15 seasons of club cricket he scored 7371 runs at 43.62, including no fewer than six centuries and took 113 wickets at 19.11 - remarkable figures given they were achieved between the ages of 43 and 58. Noel won both the Frank O'Brien and Cyril Crawford Memorial Cups in 1985/86 for the most runs in one/any grade with 734 and the Frank O'Brien Memorial Cup twice more, two and four seasons later, with respective tallies of 891 and 583.
Upon retiring his main passion switched to the sport of lawn bowls and it was to play a big part in his later years, both as a player and administrator. As president of Bowls Canterbury it was his brain-child to combine the men's and women's national tournaments for the first time into a super-event, which was held at various clubs across Christchurch in 2003. Together with Alan Bailey he also organised the bowls event at the Fendalton Bowling Club, held as part of the St Albans Centennial celebrations in 2005. Just a weekend prior to his death he emceed the Centenary dinner for Bowls Canterbury.
Affectionately known as "Snippet" due to his love for playing the cut shot, Noel was a cheeky and cheerful team-mate and opponent with a wicked sense of humour who made any game or social setting he was in all the more enjoyable for his presence. His funeral was held at 11am on Monday, November 26 at the Burnside Bowling Club on Avonhead Road.
Draw for Saturday, November 24, 2007
November 19, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men go unbeaten to snare Twenty20 title
 |
| The victorious Premier men with the Twenty20 trophy (click to enlarge photo) |
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[1st Match v Riccarton Scorecard]
[2nd Match v Sydenham Scorecard]
[3rd Match v East Shirley Scorecard]
[Final v LP Woolston Scorecard]
[Twenty20 Cup Averages]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, November 17-18, 2007
November 12, 2007: The Premier men play their Twenty20 tournament this Show Weekend, based entirely on Hagley Oval. They play against Riccarton and Sydenham on Saturday (11am and 2.30pm respectively) before meeting East Christchurch Shirley in their final pool game on Sunday morning. If they win their pool they will play the other group winner in the final on Hagley 1 at 2.30pm. Get along to the Oval to support the team, especially on the Sunday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Two-up, one-down for Saints in reduced-overs affairs on Hagley
November 10, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, November 10, 2007
November 10, 2007: All grades without covers are cancelled due to the weather. Premier men, 2A men and Premier women are still on.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Eight-wicket haul by Munro fires 2As to victory
November 3, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
NEW: Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2A Men | 2C Men | 3A Men | 3B Men | 3C Men | 4A Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 2nd Women ]
2007/08 St Albans club kit offer
November 3, 2007: The St Albans Cricket Club are pleased to announce another opportunity for club members to purchase top quality club kit from renowned clothing producers such as Canterbury of New Zealand. Look the part and represent your club with pride resplendent in Saints' mighty dark blue, light blue and gold livery, including an embroidered club badge (the Golden Lion) on each item.
You will no doubt have seen a number of club members looking sharp in their Saints gear at net practice and around the grounds on match days - don't be left out, get your order in quickly to get your gear as early as possible.
The 2007/08 prices are:
| Long sleeve cricket shirt | $45.50 | |
| $65.00 | ||
| $45.50 | ||
| $58.00 | ||
| $36.00 | ||
| $30.00 |
The deadline for orders has been extended to this Thursday (November 8), so get a cheque (made out to Canterbury Sport Wholesale) or your cash to Neil Cross (or to a committee member who can pass it on) on or before this date - no money, no order.
Contact Neil Cross on (03) 332 5459 or 021 022 36130 or e-mail
for more details.
Draw for Saturday, November 3, 2007
October 29, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Memorable tons by McLean, Alabaster on day of mixed fortunes for Saints teams
October 27, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 27, 2007
October 22, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men frustrated by Marist but 2As wrap up easy win
October 22, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Monday, October 20-22, 2007
October 15, 2007: The Premier and 2A men play their first two-day matches of the season this weekend, completing the games on Monday (Labour Day).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Wins for the only two Saints team to play
October 13, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
Draw for Saturday, October 13, 2007
October 12, 2007: CANCELLATION NOTICE [Updated: Friday 3pm] - All afternoon and junior grades have been cancelled due to poor weather. Grades with covers (Premier/2A men, Premier women) are still on however the 2A men's match against Marist has been transferred from Hagley 6 to the artificial wicket of Polo 1 due to poor ground conditions.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Premier men set example on top first day for club
October 6, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday, October 6, 2007
October 1, 2007: The draw has been made for the first full day's cricket of the season for adult teams. The senior boys also play their first game this Saturday however the three junior girls teams don't start yet due to the school holidays causing a large number of defaults in most grades. They will play their opening matches the following weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
2A men go down in season opener
September 29, 2007: The 2A men (formerly second grade) were the only St Albans team to play on the first day of the 2007/08 season, but didn't get off to the best of starts as they went down narrowly to Hagley Oval neighbours Riccarton.
A steady bowling performance kept Riccarton to a moderate total of 149 after Justin Gourlie swept through the lower order to grab a four-wicket haul. He was supported by economical spells with the ball from club newcomer Matt Ytsma (1-18 off nine overs), Mat Munro (0-20 off 10) and Kelvin Scott (2-29 off 10). Captain Kim Smythe also contributed with two catches and two run outs.
The reply got off to a disastrous start, however, as Saints lost two wickets in the opening over. Chris Gibb resurrected the chase after coming to the wicket with the scoreboard reading 42/5 but wickets continued to fall steadily. Last man Gourlie joined Gibb with 36 runs still to get and the pair inched tantalisingly close to the target before the No. 11 succumbed to the fifth lbw decision of the innings. Gibb remained unbeaten on 41 as Saints fell 14 runs short of victory with nearly 11 overs left unbowled.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
2A team named for opening match of 2007/08 season
September 27, 2007: Only one St Albans team is playing a competitive match on the opening weekend of the season due to the Premier men receiving the bye first up in their one-day competition. The 2A men's team (formerly second grade) is playing against Riccarton on Hagley 1, starting at the earlier time of 10am due to daylight savings not kicking in until the following morning.
The team is: Kim Smythe (captain), Dean Bermingham, Mark Child, Chris Gibb, Justin Gourlie, Joel Huston, Craig Linton, Angus McLean, Mat Munro, Kelvin Scott and Matthew Ytsma.
There will also be a warm-up match involving a mixture of players from the 2Cs (formerly third grade), 3Bs (fourth grade team from 2006/07), 3Cs (fifth grade) and the 4As (sixth grade). This will be a 40-over match played on the Polo 3 ground (artificial pitch closest to Deans Avenue) starting at 12.30pm sharp. Players should gather outside the St Albans pavilion at Hagley Oval at around 12pm before heading across. Contact Duane Pettet on 021 063 7700 for further information.
Saints retain The Embers in warm-up match
September 22, 2007: The traditional pre-season warm-up match against Upper Valley resulted in another victory to the top men's XI on opening day.
It was a fine day for what was one of the earliest starts to a season on record and a decent Hagley 4 pitch provided a first hit-out on grass for the players after a six-week stint practicing indoors.
Openers Angus Bruce (37) and Neil Cross (26) got Saints off to a steady start after being put in to bat, adding 64 for the first wicket. However, the introduction of Andrew Corliss to the bowling attack brought Upper Valley right back into the equation. Corliss took 4-26 from eight overs as wickets fell steadily, reducing St Albans to 130/8. Some tail-end hitting added a further 39 runs to form a competitive score of 169/9, just three runs shy of the winning Saints total posted in the corresponding fixture last season.
Ben Langrope struck early to remove both openers, including former New Zealand batsman Matthew Bell, before the visitors had reached double figures. Though a mini-recovery followed, the Upper Valley batsmen found it difficult to form sizeable innings in the conditions, despite a number of starts. Neil Cross found some useful purchase on the slow wicket to tie up the middle and lower-order. His bag of 5-26 from 8.4 overs ensured the Wellington side were never really in with a look-in and wrapped up a comfortable 47-run win.
The annual match was again enjoyed by all and the club certainly appreciated the efforts of the Upper Valley side to make their way down south each year. However, they will return to Wellington empty-handed as the "Embers" trophy remains in the home pavilion for the fifth time in seven years.
[St Albans XI v Upper Valley Scorecard]
4Bs to celebrate 20-year anniversary this season
September 14, 2007: The St Albans 4Bs team are planning an action-packed weekend at the end of March/beginning of April (dates yet to be finalised) to celebrate their 20th season as a team.
We look forward to hearing from anyone who has played for the mighty St Albans 4Bs team during the last 19 seasons. So, if you would like to be a part of the BIG BASH, send us your details and we'll be in touch.
[Click here to register your interest]
Junior sign-on dates
August 30, 2007: For those junior boys and girls who wish to play cricket for St Albans in 2007/08, the club is holding two registration days prior to the commencement of the season. Details are as follows:
Where: St Albans Cricket Club pavilion, Hagley Oval
When: Saturday, September 8 and 15, 2007
Time: 10.00am-12.00pm
For further information, please contact Graham Curgenven (boys) on (03) 355 9573 or Nicola Wilson (girls) on (03) 352 3421.
Pre-season training underway
August 8, 2007: Pre-season indoor training is underway as the club gears up for the 2007/08 season. Those wishing to try out for the top three morning grade men's teams (Premier, second and third grades) are welcome to attend. We are currently in recruiting mode, so if any existing club members know of any capable players who are looking for a club to play for, please encourage them to come along and show us their skills and commitment. Session details are as follows:
Thursdays from August 9 until September 20, 7.30pm-9.30pm
Premier Women:
Thursdays from September 6 until September 20, 7.30pm-9.30pm
1st/2nd/3rd Grade Women:
Sundays from September 9 until September 23, 1.00pm-3.00pm
All sessions will take place at the CCA Indoor Centre at 23A Iversen Terrace (click for map location). Please bring $5 each week to help cover costs of hiring the lanes. Bring your own cricket gear (balls will be provided). Any problems or requests for further information, please contact Alan Jamieson (morning grade men's convener of selectors) on (03) 359 0110 or 027 659 4425 (call or txt).
New grade structure announced for 2007/08
August 1, 2007: The integration of the metropolitan (CCA) and suburban (CSCA) bodies has come a step further with the announcement of the grade structure for the 2007/08 season.
Where before there existed seven (men's) CCA grades, seven suburban grades and one combined competition, this coming season will instead see an integrated setup with at least 13 men's grades overall. Essentially the women's section remains unchanged as only the CCA currently run such grades, although there will likely be a re-introduction of second grade this season (having been absent for various reasons in 2006/07) to bring the total number of women's grades back up to four (Premiers, first, second and third grade).
The men's grade hierachy (including new names) is as follows:
| Grade | Format | Start | Notes | |||||||||||||||||
| Premier | 2-day/1-day | 11am | same as 2006/07 | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior A | 2-day/1-day | 12pm | same as 2006/07 (from CSCA) | |||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| 2A | 2-day/1-day | 11am | (formerly 2nd Grade) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2B | 1-day | 12.30pm | (formerly combined CCA/CSCA Senior B Grade) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2C | 2-day/1-day | 12pm | (formerly 3rd Grade) | |||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| 3A | 1-day | 1pm | (formerly 4th Grade/CSCA 3A Grade) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3B | 1-day | 1pm | (formerly 5th Grade/CSCA 3B Grade) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3C | 1-day | 1pm | (formerly 6th Grade/CSCA 3C Grade) | |||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| President's | 1-day | 1pm | same as 2006/07 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cavaliers | Twenty20 | 2.30pm | new grade* | |||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| 4A | 1-day | 1pm | same as 2006/07 (from CSCA) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4B | 1-day | 1pm | same as 2006/07 (from CSCA) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4C | 1-day | 1pm | same as 2006/07 (from CSCA) | |||||||||||||||||
* Cavaliers is a proposed new nine-a-side grade to be played mainly on artificials, catering for 35 to 40-year-olds who aren't senior cricketers. It will start on Saturday, October 13 and include some midweek twilight rounds in place of Saturdays.
The effect for the various St Albans teams will basically be as follows: the morning grade teams will be largely unaffected (though third grade will start an hour later than previously) and the afternoon grades will be enlarged as they combine with suburban grades of a corresponding skill level. Respectively, last season's fourth, fifth and sixth grades had nine, eight and five teams entered; while the suburban 3A, 3B and 3C grades had six, six and 10 sides each. Assuming similar entries from each in 2007/08, these combined grades will have an ample number of teams and therefore provide a greater diversity of opposition.
The first playing day of the season is Saturday, September 29 for the Premier and 2A men's grades while all other adult men's and women's grades will begin a week later on Saturday, October 6.
All adult men's afternoon grades (3A and below) and all women's grades will finish on Saturday, March 15 due to Easter awkwardly falling on the following weekend. The morning men's grades will take a break over Easter before returning for a final weekend of cricket. The Premier and 2A men will play a two-day match on Saturday/Sunday, March 29-30 to complete their season while Senior A, 2B and 2C will finish on the Saturday.
The specific playing dates and running order of the Premier men's and women's season has also been decided. The men again play a number of double-header weekends (mostly as two-dayers, namely in rounds 1 [Saturday/Monday], 3, 4, 6 and 10) They also play a Twenty20 tournament at Hagley Oval on November 17-18. Their last one-day round-robin is to be played on Waitangi Day (February 6), which is a Wednesday. They will play up to a further two Sunday matches depending on how well they do in the one-day competition. The women largely avoid Sunday play except for the one-day final, should they qualify for it.
The draw is as follows (opposition/venues TBA):
| 2 0 0 7: | |
|
O C T O B E R | |
N O V E M B E R | |
D E C E M B E R | ||||||||||||||
| Sat 29th |
Sat 06th |
Sat 13th |
Sat 20th |
Mon 22nd |
Sat 27th |
Sat 03rd |
Sat 10th |
Sat 17th |
Sun 18th |
Sat 24th |
Sat 01st |
Sun 02nd |
Sat 08th |
Sat 15th |
Sun 16th |
Sat 22nd |
|||||
| Premier Men | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1/2 | 3/Fin | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | ||||
| Prem Women | - | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | - | 8 | 9 | - | 10 | 11 | - | 1 | ||||
| 2 0 0 8: | |
J A N U A R Y | |
F E B R U A R Y | |
M A R C H | ||||||||||||||
| Sat 12th |
Sat 19th |
Sat 26th |
Sun 27th |
Sat 02nd |
Wed 06th |
Sat 09th |
Sat 16th |
Sun 17th |
Sat 23rd |
Sat 01st |
Sun 02nd |
Sat 08th |
Sat 15th |
Sat 22nd |
Sat 29th |
Sun 30th |
||||
| Premier Men | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | Semi | 8 | 8 | Final | 9 | 9 | - | 10 | 10 | |||
| Prem Women | - | 2 | 3 | - | Final | - | 12 | 1 | - | 2 | 3 | Final | 4/5 | 6/Fin | - | - | - | |||
Key: One-day / Two-day / Twenty20 / Super 8s
103rd St Albans Annual General Meeting held
July 31, 2007: The 2006/07 annual report and accounts were presented at the 103rd St Albans Cricket Club AGM at Trevino's Restaurant and Bar in Riccarton last evening.
The many members of the club present firstly observed a moment's silence out of respect for the passing of a number of former club members during the last 12 months before proceedings began. A brief review of the previous season from president Alan Jamieson covered the various individual and team achievements during 2006/07. The highlight was the club's success in capturing the Petersen Shield for overall club supremacy for a 22nd time despite falling well short of the pre-season target of eight grade wins.
A motion was passed that subscriptions for 2007/08 rise slightly in order to provide the quality of services necessary to maintain the club at the highest level. A minor amendment to the club's constitution was passed, allowing for the removal of an outdated section relating to Honorary Associate Members of the club. The club recorded a small surplus for the year, a turnaround from deficits of the previous two seasons, partly due to a change in accounting procedure as well as increased bar trading during the year.
Thanks were given to outgoing members of the club's management committee, namely Peter Mayell (after 12 years service) and Neil and Mary Cross (one each). Two members have taken their place, in the form of Premier men's scorer and former committee member Euan West and junior girls' convener Chris O'Brien-Smith.
[2007/08 Club Executive and Committee]
St Albans Cricket Club 2006/07 Annual Report
 Click to view or right-click to download (1.08MB) |
- 2006/07 Officers
- Obituaries
- President's report
- Men's Club Captain's report
- Women's Club Captain's report
- Top individual performances
- Final points tables
- Team reports and averages
- Club records
- Treasurer's report
Past annual reports and the centennial book are now also available (click to view or right-click to download):
- 2003/04 Annual Report (852kB)
- 2004/05 Annual Report (1.11MB)
- 2005/06 Annual Report (1.08MB)
- Centennial Book (1.91MB)
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Record five St Albans players picked in New Zealand women's team
June 11, 2007: The New Zealand White Ferns team to tour Australia and England in the next two months contains no fewer than five players from the St Albans Cricket Club. Aimee Mason, who appeared for Saints while briefly down in Christchurch in 2003/04, also features in the touring party.
Rowan Milburn, Helen Watson and newcomer Amy Satterthwaite will be in the side for both portions of the tour. With various other players making themselves unavailable for at least one portion of the tour it has opened up opportunities for Beth McNeill (for the Rose Bowl series in Australia) and Sarah Burke (England tour).
Although all five won't appear on the same leg of the journey, there is a chance to equal the club record of four Saints players on the field in New Zealand colours at the same time. This was achieved five times in 1995 and 1996 by Kirsty Flavell (now Bond), Catherine Campbell, Sarah Illingworth and Justine Russell.
The team plays in a Twenty20 International and five One-Day Internationals between July 19-29 in Australia. The side then plays in three Twenty20s (including one under lights) and six ODIs from August 12-30 in England.
Congratulations to all five players for their selection and good luck from the St Albans Cricket Club for your forthcoming travels.
St Albans named top-performing club at CCA awards
April 21, 2007: St Albans won the prestigious Petersen Shield for the 22nd time at the Canterbury Cricket Association club and representative awards evening held at the Canterbury Horticultural Society Hall last night.
Saints once again overcame their perennial disadvantage of being one of the larger Christchurch clubs, which always makes it harder to maintain a high level of success across more grades compared to most other clubs. Although the club only won two titles during the season (well done to the third grade women and Premier women in the Twenty20) few of its teams ended up in the bottom half of the table with as many as five sides finishing second and a further five placing third.
It is the 16th Shield win in the last 32 seasons by St Albans, a remarkable feat in such a competitive modern club environment. On seven other occasions Saints finished second in the standings. The next most successful club in this same period is Riccarton with a mere five wins (followed by Old Boys Collegians with 4, Burnside West University 3, Marist 2, Lancaster Park Woolston and Sydenham 1 and East Christchurch Shirley 0).
On the individual front, St Albans players were again well represented in the club awards. Aaron Johnstone won the Premier men's wicket-keeping trophy for the third time in five years and Amy Satterthwaite won both the most consistent women's player trophy as well as the supreme women's club cricketer of the year award. Amy finished with 1001 points, 78 ahead of Old Boys Collegians-Country's Mandie Godliman. Team-mates Rowan Milburn and Sarah Burke finished eighth and ninth in the standings, respectively. Michael Davidson finished third in the men's race, a mere 32 points shy of winner Ryan Burson from East Christchurch Shirley while Stephen Cunis was a further 104 points back in eighth.
Saints also featured when it came to the representative awards. Ben Langrope took the most wickets in the national tournament for the victorious Canterbury Under-19 side. Helen Watson was named the best Canterbury women's fielder and won for most outstanding performance while Chris Harris won the men's equivalent.
[List of St Albans winners]
Five Saints in White Ferns training squads
April 19, 2007: An unprecedented five St Albans players have been chosen for a New Zealand White Ferns squad to train together over the next 12 months for the 2007/08 season.
Incumbent members Sarah Burke, Rowan Milburn and Helen Watson have been joined by the returning Beth McNeill and relative newcomer (though not to the training squad) Amy Satterthwaite.
The White Ferns team for the July Rose Bowl series against Australia in Darwin and subsequent August tour of England will be selected in mid-June. The squad along with the New Zealand 'A' squad of 11 further players will meet for a training camp at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre at Lincoln on June 9-10. The squad will reconvene for a second camp after the England tour on September 22-23.
Congratulations and the best of luck over the coming months from the St Albans Cricket Club to all five players.
Stephen Cunis named club player of the year
April 14, 2007: Premier men's all-rounder Stephen Cunis was last night named St Albans player of the year for the 2006/07 at the annual prizegiving function held at the club pavilion at Hagley Oval.
Right: Stephen Cunis receives his player of the year award from guest speaker Ric Charlesworth
Cunis took home three other awards on the evening including his own team's player of the year award, best men's all-rounder in the club and best individual bowling figures for the season. He scored 458 runs at 22.90 with four 50s (including three in a row) and 38 wickets at 14.03 with best figures of 7-26 (to go with a spell of 6-4 earlier in the season). For the ultimate prize he narrowly edged out fellow worthy nominees in the form of team-mate Michael Davidson, Premier women's all-rounder Amy Satterthwaite and President's grade wicket-keeper/batsman Jonathan Price, who all had seasons to remember also.
Retiring life member Eleanor Horne was honoured three times on the night, receiving a special going-away thank-you gift in recognition of her tireless service to the club over the past 21 years (as secretary for the first 13 seasons then as club caterer since that time) as well as the Noel Love Memorial Trophy and Personality of the Year award.
There was an excellent turnout of more than 80 people at the clubrooms for the three-hour function. The guest speaker, New Zealand Cricket high performance manager Ric Charlesworth, was extremely well received as he shared tales of his fascinating and diverse experiences as a medical doctor, federal politician, first-class cricketer, international hockey player and double Olympic gold-medal winning coach.
[Full List of 2006/07 Award Winners]
Three men's teams fall short on final day; Premier women take Twenty20 title
April 1, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Saturday, March 31, 2007
March 26, 2007: Note that this is the last day of the season for all adult grades. Morning grade men's and Senior B men's matches start half an hour earlier at 10.30am and 12pm respectively due to the end of daylight savings time the previous week. The Premier women's Twenty20 final against Old Boys Collegians-Country starts at 12.30pm at Elmwood 4. All junior cricket is finished for the season except the senior one-day boys.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
President's men one win away; Premiers, thirds with work to do
March 25, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams (* indicates number of weeks out of date):
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men** | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men** | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, March 23-24, 2007
March 19, 2007: Note: morning grade men's and Senior B men's matches start half an hour earlier at 10.30am and 12pm respectively due to the end of daylight savings time.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Mixed results leave many teams' fortunes in the balance in last fortnight
March 18, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams (* indicates number of weeks out of date):
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men* | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men** | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, March 16-17, 2007
March 12, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Third grade men set up grand finale with first-day innings victory
March 11, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, March 9-10, 2007
March 5, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
More Saints players make representative sides
March 7, 2007: A number of representative teams were named by the Canterbury Cricket Association this week and St Albans players were again ever-present.
The touring Marylebone Cricket Club plays two one-day matches against a pair of Canterbury XIs at Rangiora today and tomorrow and Premier men's all-rounder Ben Langrope will feature in the home side on both days.
The Canterbury Under-19 team to play Australian touring side the Crusaders at the Christ's College ground on March 26 includes Langrope as well as Angus Bruce, James O'Gorman and captain Henry Fisher. This quartet were all members of the same side which won the national tournament in January.
A CCA second grade representative team has been named to play against the Christchurch Suburban Emerging Players XI. Craig Linton and Kelvin Scott are in the CCA side for the match which will take place at Elmwood Park on Sunday at 11am.
Three St Albans players, Barry Slater, Dave Jackson and Jonathan Price, were members of the CCA President's XI which lost to the CSCA President's XI on the CCA finals day on Sunday.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Third grade women win club's first title; Premier women make one-day final
March 4, 2007: The third grade women's team beat Old Boys Collegians-Country by eight wickets to wrap up their competition with four weeks to spare. It is the first silverware secured by a St Albans team in the 2006/07. Congratulations to the girls for a top effort.
The Premier women defeated East Christchurch Shirley by an impressive margin of six wickets after chasing down a demanding target of 280. The victory secures their place in the one-day final to be played today against Lancaster Park Woolston. The match is being held on the Christ's College No. 1 ground (which is adjacent to Hagley Oval, on the other side of the Riccarton club pavilion) starting at 11am. Good luck to the women in their quest to make it two trophies in two days for the club.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Davidson makes Canterbury debut
February 26, 2007: St Albans Premier men's player Michael Davidson has finally received a long-anticipated call-up to the Canterbury men's team. A leg injury suffered by Leighton Burtt at practice yesterday handed Davidson his first-class debut, against Otago at QEII Park's Village Green today.
Davidson has been in outstanding form this season for Saints, having already taken 54 wickets at a cost of just 9.90 apiece as well as scoring 348 runs with the bat at an average of 20.47. His early season form earned a spot in the Canterbury 'A' team and he had an immediate impact. Davidson scored a scintillating 140 not out off 136 balls batting at No. 9 to help dig the side out of a huge hole against Otago 'A' at Hagley Oval in December and took 3-61 in the next game, a one-wicket victory over Central Districts 'A' at Rangiora in January.
Such has been the form Davidson is in that only two other bowlers in club cricket are within 20 wickets of his tally at this stage of the season and the best of those (Easts' Ryan Burson) being a clear nine wickets behind. With still up to five days of two-day cricket remaining this year he is already in equal sixth on the all-time Saints list for most Premier wickets in a season. His 39 two-day wickets at 8.79 is also just six short of the Saints record (Roger Ford took 45 in 1993/94) in that form of the game since the introduction of a one-day competition in 1981/82 reduced the number of two-day games played in a season. He is also challenging Jim Henderson's record of 70 third grade wickets at 11.78 in 1979/80 as the most in a season by a Saints player in almost 50 seasons.
Davidson breaks a relative drought in the Canterbury men's representative stakes by becoming the first St Albans player since Darron Reekers in 2001/02 to make his debut for the province (although current captain Chris Harris along with Stephen Cunis, Chris Martin, James Ward and Jarrod Englefield have all played for the Wizards since that time). Congratulations to Michael from the St Albans Cricket Club and we wish you all the best in grabbing this fine opportunity with both hands and making the most of it.
A number of junior players were also chosen for representative teams recently. Shuaib Ahmed becomes the first junior boy to be selected for a team this season by being named in the "Hadlee" team to participate in the Christchurch regional Year 8 tournament on February 18, 25 and March 4. Ashley Soper, Natalie Cox (both "Hockley Development") and Lexie Walker ("Hockley Emerging") were named in teams which took part in matches on February 18 and 25 which will determine who is picked in two squads that will undertake a winter training programme. Well done and good luck to all those named.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, March 2-3, 2007
February 26, 2007: This weekend is a big one for all the Saints women's teams. The Premier women play their final one-day match of the round-robin phase away to East Christchurch Shirley. Currently in second place on the table, three points ahead of Old Boys Collegians-Country, they must win to ensure qualification for the final. If they are victorious (or OBCC lose their final match) they will meet Lancaster Park Woolston in the final to be played at the Christ's College No. 1 ground (adjacent to Hagley Oval) at 11am on Sunday. Given no other St Albans side will be represented on finals day in any other grade (Premier, second and third grade men all failed to reach the finals phase) the club's main limited-overs competition hopes rest solely on the women.
The first grade women are away to their chief rivals, East Christchurch Shirley, in a match that will go a long way to deciding which of the two clubs the title will head to. Defending champions Saints are five points ahead of Easts and with the next team a further 10 points back it is likely this match will be played like a virtual final with only a few weeks remaining in the season.
The third grade women have the opportunity of being the first team in the club to capture a trophy this season if they beat Old Boys Collegians-Country at Elmwood Park. They are 22 points ahead with only five games remaining in 2006/07 so they only need to be successful in one of these to ensure victory. Given they have lost only one of 10 games on the park this season only a game person would bet against them wrapping up the title this Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Premier men in control, women tie on another soggy summer's day
February 25, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, February 23-24, 2007
February 19, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Huston breaks men's century drought with sublime knock
February 18, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | President's Men |
1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, February 16-17, 2007
February 12, 2007:
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Davidson dazzles with bat and ball to put Premiers in prime position
February 11, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, February 10-11, 2007
February 5, 2007: Saturday is the start of the final round of two-day matches before the top-four/bottom-four split in the top three men's grades. All three sides sit just inside the top four but must win in order to ensure they stay in that section and remain in title contention for the rest of the season. The Premier women return to the one-day Cup competition after completing a brief foray into the Super 8s format. The second and third grade men's teams also play their last one-day Cup games on Sunday. Second grade need to beat Riccarton as well as have other results go their way in order to make the semi-finals while third grade are now out of contention for the final as no semis are being played in that grade.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Thrilling Sunday win keeps Premier men's one-day hopes alive
February 4, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton (2-day) Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Canterbury Country (1-day) Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | President's Men |
1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday/Sunday, February 2-4, 2007
January 29, 2007: The top three men's teams complete their two-day matches while the Premier women play in the Super 8s final against Old Boys Collegians-Country. The fourth, fifth and sixth grade men's competitions have been redrawn to ensure every team plays one another. Fifth grade will feature semi-finals and finals in the last two weeks of the season. Cricket for all six junior teams restarts this weekend. The Premier men also host Canterbury Country in a must-win one-dayer on Sunday. The match has been brought forward a week as the Country team will be in the middle of a Hawke Cup elimination match when the final one-day round is due to be played on February 11. It is a must-win match for Saints if they are to have any hope of remaining alive in the competition and they will still require other results to go their way in order to qualify for the semi-finals.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Sunday results put dampener on otherwise good weekend for Saints
January 28, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton (2-day) Scorecard]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston (1-day) Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | President's Men |
3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men ]
Erin Bermingham upsets the odds to win inaugural St Albans bowl-off
 |
| Dean Bermingham (left) and Aaron Johnstone present the trophy to bowl-off winner Erin Bermingham |
On a fascinating finals day held in gloomy conditions after Thursday night's net practice at Hagley Oval there was some initial controversy surrounding Bermingham's eventual path to victory. Bermingham only just arrived in time to avoid disqualification at the first hurdle and, despite the protests of her outspoken opponent, proceeded to tip out the "lucky loser" Stephen Cunis in a sudden-death quarter-final encounter.
Bermingham then met fellow representative player Michael Davidson in the semi-finals. Despite a valiant effort from Davidson to come back from an early deficit his recent bowling workload clearly took its toll and Bermingham wrapped up victory with a more accurate sudden-death delivery.
On the other side of the draw, Dan Johnston overcame the other "lucky loser", Luke Piper, to set up a meeting with the winner of the all-British affair between Jonathan Redfern and Joel Huston. The colourful invective ended up being the major feature of this clash as no quarter was given by either competitor. The distracting banter obviously had the desired effect as neither bowler could hit the stumps until Redfern settled it with a direct blow during the sudden-death phase. Johnston halted third grade team-mate Redfern's march in clinical fashion with consecutive strikes booking his berth in the final.
Given earlier events the title showdown was a little anti-climactic as two of the club's quieter achievers went about their business. A late strike by Bermingham was enough to claim the spoils with a ball to spare and make a mockery of the pre-tournament TAB predictions regarding women's entrants ("will lose it mentally due to the intimidation factor, yet to prove themselves in this class") and its thoughts on spinners ("will find the track too demanding"). Well done, Erin, and good luck with the Canterbury Magicians in the State League final in Wellington on Saturday!
[Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, January 27-28, 2007
January 23, 2007: The top three men's teams revert to two-day play this Saturday while the Premier women make a belated attempt at playing their first Super 8s match after two previous washouts. All bar two of the club's 11 teams in action are on home turf. The Premier and second grade men also play one-dayers on Sunday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Two Saints named in New Zealand 'A' women's team
January 23, 2007: The New Zealand 'A' women's team has been named and it features two St Albans players, Beth McNeill and Amy Satterthwaite. Former St Albans player and current Canterbury women's coach Kirsty Bond is an assistant coach to this side. Beth is a former New Zealand White Fern while Amy has previously been named in the national winter training squad.
The team is set to take part in a three-match one-day series against an Australian Youth team at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln between February 13-16. Preceding this series the side convenes at the High Performance Centre in Lincoln before playing a Twenty20 match and two 50-over games against the New Zealand White Ferns team. The matches serve as warm-ups for the White Ferns (which includes Saints players Sarah Burke, Rowan Milburn and Helen Watson) before they head to India for the World Series against the hosts, Australia and England.
Congratulations and good luck from the St Albans Cricket Club to both Beth and Amy for the matches ahead. It is a tremendous achievement for one club to have as many as five representatives in the top two New Zealand women's cricket XIs.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Premier men convincingly deal to Burnside again
January 21, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Devastating Cunis wrecks Burnside on top weekend for Saints
January 14, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Saturday, January 20, 2007
January 19, 2007: The second week's play in the New Year consists entirely of limited-overs cricket. The three women's grades return to action, all against teams from Old Boys Collegians-Country. The Premier women are making a second attempt to kick off their brief foray into the Super 8s format of the game.
The Premier, second and third grade men's teams are all getting down to crunch time in their one-day competitions with victories crucial to keeping each of their Cup campaigns alive. The scheduled Sunday one-dayers for these three grades have now been deferred to Sunday, 11 February to avoid player burnout. Premiers and seconds had been set to play three double-header weekends on the trot straight following a three-week New Year's break had the existing schedule remained as-is.
Note: the sixth grade men have the bye but are now playing a friendly match against the Shirley Boys High School 1st XI.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Bowl-off set to reach intriguing conclusion on Thursday
January 18, 2007: The second round is done and dusted and just seven bowl-offs remain to decide the inaugural champion and first holder of the Johnstone-Bermingham Trophy.
An armada of as many as seven third grade men swamping the quarter-finals draw was averted as three members of the side all went down in their second bowl-offs. Injured wicket-keeper Kevin Truesdale and all-rounder Scott Bermingham each met their match against the two contestants, in the form of Premier men's players Luke Piper and Stephen Cunis, who came up trumps after a "lucky losers" redraw.
Third grade skipper Duane Pettet was outdone by accurate Canterbury women's leg-spinner Erin Bermingham in a tight sudden-death contest after both failed to strike with any of their six allotted deliveries. Erin is the lone women's player left in the draw and, given the elimination of both her brothers, is the sole remaining hope to keep the eponymous prize in the family also.
Thursday, January 25 is finals day, when the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all take place at around 7.30pm at the Hagley Oval nets to determine the ultimate winner. Just three teams within the club are represented by the eight players left - four third grade men, three Premier men and one Premier women's player.
[Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Milburn set to become latest Saints international representative
January 16, 2007: St Albans Premier women's wicket-keeper/batsman Rowan Milburn has been selected for the New Zealand White Ferns team bound for India next month. The 29-year-old has played 84 State League matches and captained New Zealand 'A' last season. With incumbent wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls in the squad, Milburn has been picked primarily as a batsman.
Milburn has already played international cricket, for the Netherlands in the World Cup held here in New Zealand in late 2000, before she joined St Albans at the start of the 2002/03 season. Her highest ODI score of 71 was recorded on Hagley Oval against Ireland. In what is a remarkable coincidence, Milburn will become only the second dual international player in women's cricket, following in the footsteps of another St Albans' player. Nicola Payne played the first of 37 games for the Netherlands as a 19-year-old in the 1988 World Cup in Australia before switching allegiances to New Zealand in 2000. The pair even played against one another once during the 2000 World Cup won by New Zealand (Milburn made 20, Payne 12 not out).
The White Ferns take part in a One-Day International quadrangular series with Australia, England and the host nation starting on February 21. New Zealand will be guaranteed seven matches as the tournament consists of a double round-robin and either a third-place playoff match or final on March 5. The squad convenes at Lincoln for a camp which includes two warm-up matches against New Zealand 'A' on February 7 and 9 and Australia Youth on February 11. They depart for Chennai on February 14.
Milburn is one of three Saints players to be named in the squad. She is joined by Sarah Burke and Helen Watson, who have both retained their places from the side which contested the Rose Bowl in Australia in October. The St Albans Cricket Club congratulates all three players on their selection and wishes them all the best for the series in India.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Davidson remains one to beat in bowl-off
January 16, 2007: Premier men's all-rounder Michael Davidson once again proved he is the one to watch out for in the inaugural St Albans bowl-off. Striking with his first and fifth deliveries he defeated form second grade bowler Justin Gourlie with a ball in hand to ensure the Premier men's team still have a representative in the competition. The result means he meets James Kilgour in the third quarter-final. Just three spots in the quarter-finals remain open and they will be decided in the last second-round bowl-offs on Thursday.
[Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Devastating Cunis wrecks Burnside on top weekend for Saints
January 14, 2007:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Four Saints in victorious Under-19 side
January 10, 2007: Four St Albans players tasted success as members of the Canterbury team which won the national men's under-19 tournament by defeating Auckland in a last-round one-dayer at Lincoln. Captain Henry Fisher, Angus Bruce, Ben Langrope and James O'Gorman were integral parts of the side which won four and drew the other of its five matches in the mixed three and one-day format tournament.
Langrope took 3-21 to help rout Otago in their opening-round three-dayer at Oamaru while Fisher struck 46 and took 5-46 in an equally convincing thrashing of Northern Districts in the second round. In their final three-dayer against Wellington O'Gorman struck an accomplished 101 to bail Canterbury out of early trouble; Bruce similarly top-scored with 58 in the second dig; and Langrope took 4-21 as Canterbury fell just two wickets shy of securing victory and the tournament with a game to spare.
At the conclusion of four rounds the New Zealand Under-19 team to take on India in three Youth Tests and three One-Day Internationals at Lincoln and Dunedin was named. Ben Langrope came close to being selected in the 13-man squad but had to settle for being chosen as one of five non-travelling reserves. With the selectors reserving the right to reselect the team ahead of the ODI series there is still hope for some game time. Congratulations from the St Albans Cricket Club to Ben and the other three successful players for their achievements.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Draw for Saturday/Sunday, January 13-14, 2007
January 8, 2007: The absense of many underage and 'A' team representative players has caused the original post-Christmas restart for the Premier and second grade to be pushed back a week from the original date of January 6, 2007.
Instead these teams will play three consecutive double-headers, starting on Saturday, January 13. The first weekend back is a two-day round in which these sides (plus the third grade men) each take on their Burnside West University counterparts.
Subsequently, the Premier men's match against Lancaster Park Woolston (at Garrick 1) and second grade men's game against Old Boys Collegians (at Elmwood 1), which were set for Sunday, January 14, have been pushed back to Sunday, January 28. These one-dayers therefore split up a two-day round played on consecutive Saturdays (January 27 and February 3).
Please note: President's grade men have won by default. Ground changes for Senior B men (now Elmwood 1 instead of Elmwood 4) and fifth grade men (now Hagley 4 instead of Hospital Corner 2).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Three Saints named in Canterbury Under-17 girls team
January 8, 2007: Following the Christchurch Metro Under-17 Schoolgirls tournament held in Ashburton recently, three St Albans players were selected in the team to represent Canterbury. Chosen were Janet Brehaut and Lea Tahuhu while Alice Forbes was picked as one of three reserves for the side to take part in two matches against Otago in Dunedin on February 1 and 2. All three players were in the team in 2005/06.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
2006/07 St Albans club kit offer - second chance
December 16, 2006: The St Albans Cricket Club are pleased to announce a second opportunity for club members to purchase top quality club kit from renowned clothing producers such as Canterbury of New Zealand. Look the part and represent your club with pride resplendent in Saints' mighty dark blue, light blue and gold livery, including an embroidered club badge (the Golden Lion) on each item. You will no doubt have seen a number of club members looking sharp in their Saints gear at net practice and around the grounds on match days - don't be left out, get your order in quickly to get your gear as early as possible in the New Year!
The 2006/07 prices are:
| $65.00 | |
| $58.00 | |
| $36.00 | |
| $30.00 |
The second set of orders will be sent to the manufacturers shortly after the New Year's resumption in play. All payments are going direct to the manufacturers, so please make your cheques out to: Canterbury Sports Wholesale and hand them in to one of our staff manning the bar in the pavilion to be sent on to the manufacturers.
Contact Neil Cross on (03) 332 5459 or 021 022 36130 or e-mail
for more details.
Draw for Saturday, December 23, 2006
December 22, 2006: ALL CRICKET FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2006 IS CANCELLED.
In consultation with club groundsmen and the Club Cricket Advisory Group the CCA has decided that the waterlogged grounds are unplayable tomorrow due to the heavy rain which has fallen this week. This includes all matches that had provision for covers (Premier, second grade and Senior B men and Premier women) due to lack of pitch preparation time available.
It is an unfortunate way to end the first half of the season but hopefully the weather gods will smile upon us once the calendar turns over to 2007 and give us some of the extended sunshine hours we're well overdue for! To all St Albans Cricket Club members and their families, have a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.
Season restart dates:
Saturday, January 13, 2007 (All men's grades)
Saturday, January 20, 2007 (All women's grades)
Saturday, February 2, 2007 (All junior grades)
Saints supply four members to Canterbury Under-19 team
December 20, 2006: Following a trial match played at Hagley Oval on Sunday the Canterbury men's under-19 team has been named and it features as many as four St Albans players. This is a remarkable number considering Saints have supplied just three men's under-19 representatives in the previous seven seasons combined.
The players to be selected to represent their province in the national tournament are opening batsman Angus Bruce and all-rounders Ben Langrope, Henry Fisher and James O'Gorman. Fisher has the added honour of being named captain of the side.
Bruce made his Premier debut for Saints this season and scored a career-best 85 against Marist three weeks ago. Langrope first played for Saints at the national club championship in Auckland last April, where he made a superb debut scoring 61 and taking three wickets. He has since played 21 Premier matches for St Albans in the various Christchurch metro competitions and is an incumbent in the Canterbury Under-19 side. Fisher and O'Gorman are new recruits fresh from Christ's College with the former making his maiden appearance two weeks ago while the latter was set to make his this Saturday.
The national tournament will be held at Lincoln between December 27, 2006 and January 9, 2007 and features three two-day matches and two one-dayers in a combined round-robin format. Congratulations from the St Albans Cricket Club and good luck to all four players.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Third graders continue to dominate bowl-off
December 19, 2006: Third grade men's players won all four contests which opened the second round of the inaugural St Albans bowl-off. Jonathan Redfern's flair for the dramatic continued from the first round as he waited until the last possible ball until making the decisive hit to knock out fellow Brit Neil Cross. Joel Huston proved an emphatic winner once more as he struck with his first and third balls to add a second Premier men's player, Richard Hooper, to his hitlist. Huston and Redfern will confront each other in the quarter-finals in another all-British contest.
Elsewhere, James Kilgour's fifth-ball strike was enough to tip out Stephen Cunis, the third Premier player to be knocked over on the day. That leaves Michael Davidson as the Premier men's sole remaining hope in the competition. Dan Johnston broke the 'hit on the full' curse by striking legitimately with his next two deliveries to defeat Bryce Hackett in the last clash of the day.
The final four second-round bowl-offs will take place on the first Tuesday practice of the New Year (January 9) thanks to the poor recent weather. The quarter-finals will begin two days later after the Thursday evening practice.
[Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Majority of Saints teams power into winners circle
December 16, 2006:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist Scorecard]
[Big Pizza Players of the Day]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, December 15-16, 2006
December 11, 2006: On what is the penultimate day's cricket before the Christmas break most teams will be hoping that the rain stays away. The Premier and second grade men's teams are in dominant positions against their Marist counterparts and will be looking to wrap up outright victories with possible bonus points in the offing too. Third grade's two-dayer against Lancaster Park Woolston never got underway last week and they will now play a one-day match with much-reduced points on offer instead. Almost every other team has home one-dayers and are seeking to maintain their top-three status in their respective competitions. Note: there is a full round of cricket to be played on December 23 so please remain available if at all possible to ensure team numbers are not drastically affected.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Davidson named in Canterbury 'A' team
December 11, 2006: St Albans all-rounder Michael Davidson has been selected in the Canterbury men's team to take part in the Provincial 'A' tournament.
On the fringes of selection for a considerable time Davidson has cracked the 'A' team on the back of a superb start to the season with the ball in Premier cricket. He has taken 31 wickets (nearly twice as many as the next best tally in the club) at an average of 9.22, striking every 23.5 balls and with an economy rate of 2.35.
Canterbury, the defending champions, play their opening three-day match against Otago at Hagley Oval, starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 12.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Saints dominant in few matches to avoid bad weather
December 9, 2006: Rain had the final say in most games for the second time in four Saturdays but it failed to stop four Saints teams from taking command of matches which did get underway.
The Premier men built on their one-day success the week before by inserting Marist in the two-dayer and rolling them for a mere 100. Only two batsmen reached double figures as Michael Davidson starred with an unplayable spell of 5-10 off 11 overs while every other bowler shared the remaining wickets. Saints quickly established a lead of 73 thanks to Stephen Cunis' blistering knock of 61 off just 50 balls which included four sixes and as many fours. Davidson contributed a handy 41 and, after a smart declaration shortly before the close of day, capped off a superb all-round day with two late wickets to leave Marist well and truly on the rack.
 |
| Second grader Justin Gourlie bowls one of his five Marist scalps (click to enlarge photo) |
The Senior B men showed no ill effects of having the week off due to the bye as they accounted for Hornby in a reduced overs match. Their total of 165/6 from 43 overs proved to be a highly competitive score on an untrustworthy Denton Park pitch. Brent Holland was the mainstay of the innings with 61 while Brett Saunders continued his form with the bat in the closing overs, finishing on 31 not out to take his season tally to 94 runs in four unbeaten innings. Tight spells from Roger Ford (2-14) and Murray Griffin (2-18) kept the pressure on the home side from the start of their chase but Hornby threatened in the middle stages before Holland completed a fine all-round day with 3-36 to seal a 38-run victory.
The Premier women comfortably exacted revenge on Old Boys Collegians-Country on Hagley 4. Having lost to the same side on the same pitch less than a week prior, Saints were keen to remain a clear second in their one-day competition. Hannah Rae bounced back from her dropping from the Canterbury women's side with an impressive 84 opening the batting, by far and away the innings of the match. Helen Watson (30) was the only other batsman to reach 20 in the St Albans total of 201/9. Needing just over four runs per over to win Old Boys batted surprisingly conservatively from the outset and soon fell miles behind the asking rate. Like some form of Chinese water torture the innings trickled along at an excruciating pace before finally being put to rest 77 runs adrift of the Saints total. Sarah Burke took 3-15 off eight overs while Rae capped a good day with two late wickets.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, December 8-9, 2006
December 9, 2006: All junior and adult grade cricket has been CANCELLED except Premier men, second grade men and Senior B men.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
Competition devisors eliminated as first bowl-off round is completed
December 8, 2006: Aaron Johnstone joined bowl-off co-creator Dean Bermingham on the sidelines after being dumped out his own competition by young English upstart Joel Huston. The third grade off-spinner ended the contest before it had really begun by becoming the first combatant to hit the single stump with his first two deliveries. Huston will now meet Richard Hooper in the second round.
 |
| Jonathan Redfern and supporters celebrate his win in a bowl-off against Sarah Burke (click to enlarge photo) |
Elsewhere, in more low-key surroundings, Premier women's bowler Lea Tahuhu dispatched incapacitated sixth grader Richard Carrigan, although it took a sudden-death delivery closest to the stump to decide their contest. Duane Pettet's strike from his first delivery was enough to put away wayward fourth grader Matt James and Erin Bermingham beat fellow Premier and Canterbury women's player Amy Satterthwaite with a fourth-ball hit.
In the final bowl-off of the day Scott Bermingham hit with his last available ball to defeat fellow third grader Dave Guthrie and second grade's Kim Smythe. Guthrie was left to ponder what might have been after hitting the stump with his second ball only for it to be ruled out as it struck on the full. Bermingham's victory, along with that of his sister's earlier, keeps the family name alive and in contention for the trophy that bears their brother Dean's name but which he can no longer win.
From 39 initial contestants we are now left with just 16 after the first round. Undoubtedly the team to have done the best thus far is the third grade men with no fewer than seven players (nine if counting players with third grade experience this year) making it through to the second round. The remainder include four Premier men, two Premier women and one second grade men's player. The first four second round matches will take place this Thursday with the rest scheduled to be played on the final Thursday practice before Christmas.
[First Round Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Third graders clean-sweep Tuesday bowl-offs
December 5, 2006: A trio of third grade men's bowlers took the honours in the second day's bowl-off action at the Hagley Oval nets.
Opening bowler Bryce Hackett was spot-on with his fifth delivery to seal his match against second grade leg-spinner Craig Linton. Hackett, having barely bowled a ball in anger in five weeks since going on paternity leave, celebrated his 30th birthday a day early and will now meet Dan Johnston in the second round.
Fellow opening bowler James Kilgour knocked off two of fourth grade's finest in the form of Andy Bryant and Mat Munro in clinical fashion. Kilgour, clearly showing the benefits of terrorising the Black Caps and Sri Lankan batsmen in the Jade Stadium nets earlier in the day, struck the single stump with his first and fourth deliveries to render the showdown a non-contest well before the end. He faces a stiffer challenge in the shape of Stephen Cunis in the second round, however.
The final match of the day was an unexpected boilover. Third grade wicket-keeper Kevin Truesdale eliminated competition co-founder Dean Bermingham on debut to send shockwaves through the greater bowl-off community. Truesdale switched from his normal licorice allsort leg-spin to seam-up deliveries to strike with his third ball, partly overcoming his bowling 'yips' in the process. Bermingham, in the meantime, has been reduced to mere spectator status for the rest of the competition and must now hope that siblings Scott and Erin can represent the family name better than he.
[First Round Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Premier men bounce back with easy win at Marist
December 2, 2006:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Marist Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
New player joins illustrious list of Saints' Canterbury representatives
November 28, 2006: Premier women's player Erin Bermingham has been named in the Canterbury women's team for the first time. Bermingham, a leg-spin bowler and lower-order batsman, is the first women's player from Buller to be selected in the Canterbury team.
Also fresh to the side is Helen Watson, after completing a six-year stint playing for Auckland. Watson resumed her connection with St Albans after returning to the province earlier this year and has already played for the New Zealand White Ferns in Australia in October.
Four other St Albans players have retained their spots in the Canterbury team, namely Sarah Burke, Beth McNeill, Rowan Milburn and Amy Satterthwaite. Unfortunate to miss out was Hannah Rae, who has played 69 State League matches over the last seven seasons for the Magicians since debuting in 1999/2000.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Draw for Friday-Sunday, December 1-3, 2006
November 28, 2006: Once again all teams are engaged in one-day play this weekend. The second grade men (1-1) are the only side to come up against unbeaten opposition, in the form of East Christchurch Shirley (2-0). The sixth grade men (4-1) face off against Lancaster Park Woolston (4-1) in a top-of-the-table clash. Meanwhile, the Premier and third grade men (both 1-2) will be teetering on the brink in their one-day Cup competitions if they don't come up with the points this week. The Senior B men have the weekend off but, in contrast, the Premier women have a double-header on Saturday/Sunday. Note: the fifth grade men are now playing at Hospital Corner 5 (a) due to weather conditions causing Woolston 2 to be unplayable on this weekend.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Davidson man to beat in early bowl-off action
November 28, 2006: Premier men's all-rounder Michael Davidson has set the standard for others to follow after the first round of the inaugural St Albans Cricket Club Bowl-off took place on Tuesday evening. Davidson, the club's leading wicket-taker in the season to date with 18 victims, hit the stumps three times out of six to dispatch second grade's chinaman bowler Adam Iyer and third grade leg-spinner Jonathan Hanson.
In the other four match-ups the single stump was only struck once legitimately with three ties decided in sudden-death 'closest to the pin' shootouts. Dan Johnston won in this manner against Jonathan Collins and Brad Smith in an all-pace affair. Ex-South African Justin Gourlie too won this way against Australian professional Luke Piper in an internationally flavoured match-up. Premier men's left-arm pace man Richard Hooper also beat Joel Tratt on the extra ball although Tratt did manage to hit the stump once during his first six deliveries. Unfortunately he was foiled by the rule that says any hits on the full do not count.
There was a minorly controversial end to the day's bowl-offs when Premier men's player Stephen Cunis beat Angus Bruce by a single hit. Cunis looked to have the tie sewn up with a fifth-ball strike only for Bruce to hit with his next (and last) ball. However, confusion then arose over how many deliveries had been bowled by each player. It was finally assumed that each bowler had completed their six deliveries and the tie had already been won by Cunis, thus averting a potential upset by a team-mate much better known for his batting prowess.
Gourlie and Davidson are drawn to meet each other in the second round in a couple of weeks' time while a rejigged first round draw sees seven match-ups taking place on Thursday.
[First Round Draw, Results and Competition Details]
Premier women obliterate competition leaders by 10 wickets
November 25, 2006:
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Old Boys Collegians Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Premier men lose to Riccarton in Twenty20 semi
November 23, 2006: The Premier men have been eliminated from the Twenty20 Cup competition after being defeated by Riccarton by four wickets. Batting first at the neutral venue of Redwood Park, though classified as a Riccarton home game, Saints failed to muster a sizeable total and were dismissed as soon as they reached three figures. They gave Riccarton a run for their money in the field but the target of 101 was eventually reached six wickets down. Saints' participation in the competition comes to an end for the season while Riccarton will look to defend their title against the winner of the other semi-final between Old Boys Collegians and East Christchurch Shirley - in what would be a repeat of last year's final should the latter side emerge victorious.
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Draw for Thursday-Saturday, November 23-25, 2006
November 20, 2006: The top three men's teams switch to one-day mode this Saturday. The Premier men (one win, one loss) play an unbeaten Old Boys Collegians side (2-0) at a changed venue, Elmwood 1 instead of Hagley 1. Second grade play only their second one-dayer of the season, against Lancaster Park Woolston, who also lost their competition-opener. Third grade (1-1) face their toughest test of the season yet against the unbeaten East Christchurch Shirley Budgies team (2-0), who have dropped down a grade to compete due to new CCA regulations governing team entries.
Meanwhile, in the afternoon grades, there is no respite for fourth grade (3-3) who have completed their first full cycle of matches and face a re-match against the second-placed Riccarton Hogs (5-1). The President's grade men (4-1-1) have benefited from the Premiers' ground change and are now playing on Hagley 1 against the second-placed Sydenham Cardinals (4-2).
The women's teams all face strong opposition this weekend. The Premier women (3-3) will have their hands full playing an unbeaten Lancaster Park Woolston side (6-0). The unbeaten first graders (6-0) meet East Christchurch Shirley (5-1) and the third grade side (4-1) play Sydenham (3-1-1) in a top-of-the-table clash.
The semi-final draw for the Premier men's Twenty20 competition has now taken place. St Albans are drawn to play "away" against defending champions Riccarton at Redwood Park on Thursday. Saints beat Burnside West University by 15 runs to advance from the first round while Riccarton defeated Lancaster Park Woolston. The other semi-final sees Old Boys Collegians (who beat Marist) play host to last year's runners-up East Christchurch Shirley (who got past Sydenham). The scheduling of Saints' semi-final means the first round of the inaugural St Albans bowl-off has been postponed until after training on Tuesday next week.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Weekend finishes on low note for Premier men
November 19, 2006: The Premier men lost their Sunday one-dayer by six wickets to Sydenham, quickly crashing from the highs of Saturday's innings victory over Lancaster Park Woolston.
The start of the match was delayed by the elements and a discussion over whether the game should go ahead at all given the state of the Sydenham Park No. 1 pitch. Saints lost a crucial toss and were asked to bat first when play finally got underway at 1pm with no reduction in overs. Very quickly it became apparent that batting with any comfort whatsoever was going to be an impossible task on such a treacherous pitch. Though many of the top order bravely hung in there, scoring runs while doing so proved to be an even more difficult proposition. Sydenham's pace bowlers steadily chipped away at the Saints line-up to leave them 53/4 before Sunnie Chan hastened the end of the innings. The last six wickets fell for the addition of just 12 runs (including four falling with the score stuck on 59) as Chan ended up with commanding figures of 6-18 off 10 overs. Extras (16) made the highest contribution to the Saints total of 65 with Michael Davidson (15) the only batsman to reach double figures.
St Albans were handicapped in their quest to defend to a lowly total when their bowling hero from Saturday, Stephen Cunis, was unable to take the field after sustaining a finger injury from a rearing delivery while batting. Richard Hooper gave Saints a glimmer of hope when he removed the top three batsmen with only 24 runs on the board. However, Sean Heather (17) and Chris Small (13 not out) inched Sydenham towards the target and the home side eventually got home within 23 overs with six wickets to spare. The fact that just five boundaries in all were scored in a total of 60.2 overs said a lot about the conditions the players had to deal with and the match will be one for Saints to quickly forget and move on from.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
Cunis steamrolls Park as Premiers make most of rainy day
November 18, 2006: Player/coach Stephen Cunis celebrated a return to fitness with a barnstorming display of pace bowling as the Premier men routed Lancaster Park Woolston by an innings and 50 runs.
With the start of play being delayed two hours until 1pm the chances for St Albans to take 13 wickets to win the match reduced by the minute. However, Michael Davidson (4-13 off 12.4 overs) and Richard Hooper (4-31 off 17 overs) wrapped up the tail in reasonable time to dismiss Park for 111, a crucial seven runs short of avoiding the follow-on. In the process Davidson reached the milestone of 100 Premier two-day wickets with the dismissal of Kieran Preston. Aaron Johnstone too recorded a couple of significant milestones. His catch to dismiss James Baxendale was his 200th wicket-keeping dismissal for the club, only the second player after Paul Rutledge to achieve this feat. His next catch to get rid of Preston took his tally to six dismissals for the innings, equalling the club record held by Louis Brunton (achieved in 1926/27), Terry Haydon (1957/58), Rutledge (1988/89) and Rhys Cain (1989/90).
Park got off to a much better start second time around and, at 39/1 with rain clouds looming on the horizon, a draw started to look an increasingly likely prospect. That was, until Davidson broke the developing partnership and Stephen Cunis came on to destroy the remainder of the batting line-up, taking six wickets in the space of 21 breathtaking deliveries. The supporting duo of Davidson and Ben Langrope took the other four wickets at a cost of just 20 runs in 13 overs between them. Six LPW batsmen fell for ducks as the home team lost their last nine wickets for the addition of just 17 runs (and their last eight for a pitiful nine runs). Cunis claimed the amazing figures of 6-4 off 4.3 overs, four of which were victims to successful leg-before shouts. As a result Cunis leaps straight to the top of the best bowling performances leaderboard, ahead of his best man Bryce Hackett's 6-9 for the third grade men, recorded back in the first week of the season.
Thanks in part to the weather, results elsewhere around town have helped Saints make a dramatic jump up from eighth and last to second position behind East Christchurch Shirley in the two-day competition. The innings win quickly resurrects a stumbling start to the season for the Premiers - a particularly impressive performance considering that it came straight after a similarly comprehensive innings defeat at the hands of Easts.
The news wasn't so flash for the remainder of the club as every other game bar one was called off early. The second grade men were due to resume their evenly-balanced two-dayer against Lancaster Park Woolston but conditions were such that Hagley Oval was deemed unplayable by the groundsman and all matches there were abandoned. The third grade men too will be left ruing the weather as their dominant position against Sydenham ended up counting for very little when play was cancelled.
The only other team to get play in was the Senior B men at Elmwood Park. In a match reduced from 45 to 40 overs per side Saints restricted the table-topping Old Boys Collegians Cavaliers to 199/6 with Scott Mason bowling a watertight spell of 1-15 from his eight overs. Nathan Tikao (41), Lindsay Cavill (38) and Dean Read (34) all took fair chunks out of the target but the 'BBBBs' couldn't quite get over the line, falling three run short of the Old Boys score. The side has had a knack for taking their matches to the wire this season, winning their first match by three wickets in the last over, tieing their next game and now in the last fortnight losing in the final over by four wickets and by three runs today.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Draw for Wednesday-Sunday, November 15-19, 2006
November 18, 2006: Show week sees the Premier men have a busy schedule with three matches in five days. Firstly they visit Burnside West University for the first round of the CCA Twenty20 knockout competition on Wednesday. They then complete a two-dayer against Lancaster Park Woolston on Saturday before rounding off the weekend by playing Sydenham in a Sunday one-dayer. The Super 8s girls team have no game on Friday due to it being the Canterbury Anniversary Day holiday while the Premier women's Saturday match against Old Boys Collegians-Country has been deferred to Sunday, December 3.
All play in junior grades for Saturday, November 18 is CANCELLED. This includes the boys (junior one-day section 2) team and the four sides (Blue, Gold, Red and White) in the girls senior one-day competition.
All adult grade cricket has been CANCELLED except Premier men, second grade men and Senior B men.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
St Albans players named in Christchurch Metro girls teams
November 17, 2006: The CCA has named as many as 14 St Albans players in Christchurch Metro representative girls teams this season. Five of these players (denoted by an asterisk) have been selected at their given age-level for the second year running.
Players named in the two under-15 sides are: Sam Fitzsimons, Amy Voice and Amy Walcott (plus Olivia Duckmanton as a reserve) for Christchurch Black and Natalie Cox, Clare Forbes*, Sarah Gagliardi*, Myah Guy, Shannon Inns, Anne Mackechnie, Casey O'Brien-Smith* and Kimberley Rattray for Christchurch Red.
Those named in the two under-17 teams are: Clare Forbes (plus Sam Fitzsimons as a reserve) for Christchurch Black and Alice Forbes*, Sarah Gagliardi and Lea Tahuhu* for Christchurch Red.
Congratulations from the St Albans Cricket Club and good luck for the representative tournaments ahead to all the players named.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Intriguing match-ups in first round in inaugural St Albans Bowl-off
November 17, 2006: The draw for the first club bowl-off has thrown up some interesting head-to-heads in the first round. Third grade's finest, Bryce Hackett, comes up against sixth grader Dean Kircher and Premier player Craig Linton in the opening contest of the 39-player competition. The first battle of the sexes comes shortly thereafter in the form of Kadion McDonald and Amy Turner from the first grade women's team versus second grade men's player Richard Davidson. The five-stage knockout competition will unfold over the course of a number of Thursday evenings after training finishes at approximately 7.30pm.
[Full Draw and Competition Details, 2006/07]
Saints win low-scoring Twenty20 match at Burnside
November 16, 2006: The Premier men have advanced to the second round of the Twenty20 Cup knockout competition after beating Burnside West University by 15 runs. Saints found the going tough on an unfriendly wicket for batsmen, being bowled out for 115 off the last ball of their allotted 20 overs. Batting at No. 8 debutant Joel Tratt contributed a crucial 30 runs, which was more than double that of the next best scorer. Despite needing less than run-a-ball for victory Burnside found conditions just as difficult for batting, struggling to keep up with the asking rate in the early part of their innings. However, two sixes from captain Mark Harding suddenly got the home side into a good position, needing 36 from the last six overs with seven wickets in hand. Enter Luke Piper, who turned the game around by getting rid of danger man Harding and Richard Sherlock within two balls of one another. In his first spell of the season Piper took 3-13 off four demanding overs and two run-outs also came about while he was at the bowling crease. Michael Davidson sealed the match with an excellent final over which went for just two runs when 18 were needed. Saints advance to the semi-finals, one stage further than last year, and will meet a yet to be determined opposition whom they will play before the cut-off date of Sunday, December 3.
[Premier Men v Burnside West University Scorecard]
Premier men hit back with a vengeance but women suffer another heart-breaker
November 11, 2006: The Premier men's team finally kick-started their two-day Trophy campaign with a dominating performance on day one against Lancaster Park Woolston. After being asked to bat first at Garrick Park the Saints top order knuckled down to build a solid first innings total, travelling at well below three runs per over for the bulk of the innings. Australian club professional Luke Piper stood out with his first half-century of the season, making 67 in just under three hours at the crease. Four other scores of between 28 and 35 ensured a handy total of 217/7 declared and Saints immediately set about knocking the stuffing out of the Park top order batting. Opening pace-bowling duo Richard Hooper and Michael Davidson administered a tight choke-hold in taking five wickets in 20 overs, conceding a frugal 23 runs between them. Ben Langrope also chipped in with two cheap wickets to leave Park still 54 runs shy of avoiding the follow-on with only three wickets in hand.
The second grade men too enjoyed a decent day's play against their Lancaster Park Woolston counterparts, though their match is more evenly poised at stumps. Newly-promoted opener Bevan Rich battled his way out of a third-grade run-scoring rut with a determined 149-ball innings, being caught in the deep one run short of 50. Joel Tratt (44) continued his good form with the bat, playing well in tandem with Rich to steady the ship after the side's shaky start. The middle order all got starts but it took a blazing 31 not out from Dean Marsh to round off the innings in style and give Saints a fair score on the board. Park batted watchfully in the final session to finish at 96/3, halfway to Saints' 192/9 declared, to leave everything to play for on day two.
The third grade men had the better of their inexperienced Sydenham opponents, garnering a 76-run first innings lead to set themselves up nicely for a victory push on the second day. Newcomer Andrew Jack (63) and Scott Bermingham (58) punished wayward bowling on a low and slow Hospital Corner No. 1 track and Saints were well-placed at 153/3 with more than 14 overs to bat in their maximum of 50 overs. A dismal collapse of 6-33 wrecked any hopes of a 240-plus total but the final score of 200 was still a highly competitive one. Sydenham's reply was sluggish and only a plucky fourth-wicket stand of 71, which provided more than half of their final total, kept them in the hunt before they too suffered a debilitating collapse of 7-33 in 55 balls. The other string to Bermingham's bow again came to the fore in the slog overs with 3-27 off eight demanding overs of wrong-footed seam bowling.
The Senior B men had a tough game against Addington as they fielded three debutants in their match at Barrington Park. Brett Saunders, playing his first game in five years, top scored with an unbeaten 34 in the Saints total of 169/9. Despite fielding a vastly understrength bowling attack the 'BBBBs' fought gamely to take the match into the last over before being defeated by four wickets. It is their first loss of the season but they still sit in second place on the table.
The afternoon grades split their four matches, with the chasing team winning on all four occasions. The fourth graders nearly defended 165 against the competition-leading Lancaster Park Woolston Pohutukawa side but were beaten by two wickets with three overs remaining. Captain James Alabaster [Big Pizza Batsman of the Day] posted his first significant score of the season with 72 and Ben Young bowled a tight spell of 2-16 from seven overs to bring Saints back into the hunt after a poor start with the ball, but in the end it wasn't quite enough. Fifth grade continued their early-season struggle, being bundled out for just 131 by the Marist Fozzie Bs. It could've been much worse too, had it not been for Dave Wilkinson's 61, the lone bright spot of the day. The Fozzie Bs raced to their target in just 24 overs for the loss of four wickets.
Sixth grade dispatched Marist Green by five wickets in quick time after bundling them out for 79 in 24 overs. Hugo Weaver, making his first appearance for the side in two seasons, bowled as if he had never been away, taking 4-9 from four overs to hasten the rout. The result means the side retain their share of the competition lead. The President's grade men too made light work of their opposition, bowling out Old Boys Collegians Gold for 79 also. Sajid Sayed kept up his good start to the season with 3-8 from five overs and Charles Mellish took 3-17 from eight in his first outing for the year. The eight-wicket win keeps the side in touch with the front-runners.
The Premier women lost their second straight low-scoring nail-biter after falling two runs short of East Christchurch Shirley's total of 116. Amy Satterthwaite and Sarah Burke took 5-21 off 17 overs between them but the batsmen failed to follow up on the fine strangulation job done by the bowlers. Satterthwaite's 29 at No. 3, matched only by the number of extras, was the only individual score over 20 and the bright start made at the top of the innings was frittered away in a dire collapse. Saints still sit in second place despite this result and last week's two-wicket loss to Lancaster Park Woolston, but the gap has now been narrowed to five points by Easts.
The first grade women maintained their status as the only unbeaten adult side in the club, steamrolling Old Boys Collegians-Country Navy by 124 runs. Retired Premier women's player Kay Houliston's experience shone through with 64, adding the bulk of the team's total of 173/7 alongside Kadion McDonald (53). The Old Boys team batted 39 overs but were never vaguely in with a show, mustering a mere 49 runs in that time. McDonald sold runs at a near-ridiculous premium, taking 2-3 off eight overs. Houliston too chipped in with 2-12 off 10, but the main destroyer was Mel Reid [Big Pizza Bowler of the Day] with 4-8 off nine overs.
The junior boys continued their barnstorming maiden season at St Albans, beating Sydenham 14 by eight wickets. The undoubted highlight of the day was the first hat-trick of the season at the club by Ben Norriss, who took 3-4. The four junior girls teams were all involved in close matches with the Blue and White teams going down but the Gold team emerging victorious. The Red team tied with Merivale Papanui G, remarkably the third such result of the season for Saints teams this season (after the Senior B men and the junior girls White team).
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Lancaster Park Woolston Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Career averages for Premier teams:
[ Premier Men | Premier Women ]
More St Albans players selected for representative teams
November 10, 2006: Three St Albans players have been named in the Canterbury women's development team to take part in the national tournament at Lincoln from December 16-22. Erin Bermingham, Janet Brehaut and Lisa Brown were named in the 13-member squad while Tessa King was named as one of three reserves after trials were held at the CCA Indoor Centre. Brown was one of five St Albans players who were in last year's victorious side captained by our very own Amy Satterthwaite.
[St Albans Representative Players, 2006/07]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, November 10-11, 2006
November 7, 2006: The Premier men must rebound from their innings loss to East Christchurch Shirley in another two-dayer, this time against second-placed Lancaster Park Woolston, who themselves are coming off an innings victory against Marist. The fourth grade men will get to test how far their development has brought them when they take on grade leaders the Lancaster Park Woolston Pohutukawa. The President's grade men don't get it any easier after Saturday's difficult assignment, facing off against Old Boys Collegians Gold, the equal-second ranked side. The first grade women play Old Boys Collegians-Country Navy, a team who is nipping at their heels at the top of their one-day competition ladder. The remaining St Albans sides largely face middling to lower ranked opposition otherwise. Note: The third grade women have beaten Riccarton by default.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Saints teams register more losses than wins for first time this season
November 4, 2006: St Albans suffered its most disappointing day on the field thus far in 2006/07 as nine of the club's 17 teams experienced defeat, two drew their matches and only four of the six winning sides were playing against non-St Albans teams.
The Premier men were humbled by East Christchurch Shirley, losing by an innings and 70 runs. After being asked to follow on 180 runs in arrears Saints were only able to marginally improve on their first innings effort of 79. A rejuvenated Chris Harris scored the bulk of the top-order runs with 55, the first half-century of the season by a Premier men's player, but the writing was on the wall when he departed. At lunch Saints were 80/5, still less than halfway to making Easts bat again, and were eventually bundled out for 110. This comprehensive result follows a 'losing draw' against Sydenham and leaves the club's flagship team with plenty to contemplate for their two-day campaign - qualifying for the top-four section in late February is going to take some hard yakka.
The second grade men came oh-so-close to pinching first innings points against Easts at Burwood Oval but in the end had to settle for a creditable draw. Usefully placed at 118/4 at the beginning of the day, Joel Tratt (57) and Craig Linton carried on from where they left off on the first day, posting a century stand to draw them ever-nearer to the Easts first innings total of 281. Linton fell three agonising runs shy of his maiden century for the club when he edged one to the 'keeper and the lower order weren't quite able to hang around long enough to secure the points, finishing eight runs short. Easts were bowled out for 161 second time around, spin twins Dean Marsh and Adam Iyer doing the damage with figures of 7-68 between them. Left with a minimum of nine overs to score a rather unlikely 170 for victory Saints opted to call it a day then and there.
Third grade pulled off a phoenix-like performance to save their match against the Sydenham Predators. Starting the day 25 runs behind and one wicket down things steadily went downhill in the first session. Saints battled to 51/6 off 38 overs at lunch and slumped further shortly thereafter to have a lead of just 39 runs with only two wickets in hand. Just as the Predators looked to wrap up the game for an early finish the tail-end resistance kicked in. A ninth-wicket partnership of 94 breathed life into the match and suddenly Sydenham were faced with a target of 136 in a minimum of 39 overs. At 70/1 and an asking rate of under four per over things looked well under control but Saints steadily choked up the runs and the pressure soon transferred to their opponents. The middle-order crumbled under the scrutiny of a superb spell of 4-27 off 14 overs from Scott Bermingham and suddenly Saints sniffed an outside chance of victory. The Predators pulled the pin on the chase in the last five overs with both sides settling for an honourable draw.
The Senior B side were the highest men's grade to taste success, cruising to a six-wicket win over the East Christchurch Shirley Hooters on Hagley 4. Graeme White was nigh-on-unplayable as he fired through his nine overs at a cost of just 12 runs, bagging two scalps to boot as the Hooters were restricted to 156/9 from their 45 overs. Dean Read scored a polished 47 not out to seal the victory but Roger Ford was undoubtedly the star performer of the day, picking up 4-30 off nine overs and scoring 48 with the bat. The result takes the 'BBBBs' to the top of the table, leapfrogging the Old Boys Collegians Cavaliers, who had the bye this round.
It wasn't such a happy day in the afternoon grades, as most teams crashed from the dizzying heights of the clean-sweep successes of last Saturday. The fourth graders were the only team to escape a reversal in fortune, continuing their good early season form with a seven-wicket win over Old Boys Collegians Tan. Pace bowler Matt James bowled a disciplined spell of 3-2 from five overs and left-arm spinner Gareth Talbot beguiled with figures of 4-32 to bowl Old Boys out for just 116. Opening batsman Chris Gibb at last followed through on his early-season potential with a fine knock of 55 not out to guide Saints to a comfortable third victory on the trot.
Fifth, sixth and President's grade all batted first and all mustered sub-par totals of 123, 89 and 123 respectively. Only one batsman in any of the sides managed to pass 30 but even President's grade stumper Jonathan Price knock of 49 was unable to get Saints up to a competitive total against perennial heavyweights East Christchurch Shirley Gold. Left-arm paceman Matt Lawson bowled with much vigour but his 2-22 from eight overs couldn't prevent an easy seven-wicket win to Easts. The fifth grade men were always on the back foot against Parklands 12 once the top three batsmen all fell for ducks. The only highlight for the team was Alex Higgins' parsimonious spell of 0-9 from eight overs which merely delayed the inevitable as the remaining bowlers leaked runs at a rate of 6.7 per over. The sixth graders experienced their first competition loss of the season, going down to Lancaster Park Woolston by six wickets. Only two batsmen reached double figures and Dan Hutchinson's 1-12 off eight overs only served to briefly slow Park's steady progress to their target.
The Premier women nearly stole victory in a low-scoring top-of-the-table tussle with Lancaster Park Woolston but finally ran out of runs to defend. No Saints batsman was able to manage 20, although as many as seven players reached double figures, and the team had the extras column (29) to thank for helping them to a modest total of 135. Defending their score with grim determination the St Albans bowlers slowly chipped away at Park to stay in contention. The experienced trio of Sarah Burke (3-23 off 10 overs), Amy Satterthwaite (2-22 off 10) and Helen Watson (1-19 off 10) led the way with the ball but LPW finally got over the line with two wickets and a mere 10 balls to spare. Despite the result Saints still sit comfortably in second place on the table.
The first grade women too had a close, low-scoring battle with Lancaster Park Woolston, but on this occasion were on the right side of a two-wicket winning margin. Kadion McDonald took 2-12 off 6.1 overs to help restrict Park to 118 and continue her great early-season form, now tallying 10 wickets at a miserly cost of 4.9 runs per victim. They were nearly made to rue eight dropped catches in the field and a few middle-order batting jitters but the team just had enough composure to take the points in the end. With other sides losing for the first time this weekend, the first graders are now the only unbeaten St Albans adult team left in the club.
The third grade women had their first loss of the season, folding for 75 despite Sarah Gagliardi's innings of 31. Sydenham, whom they beat with ease a fortnight earlier, strolled to a facile six-wicket win.
The junior boys continue to lead the way in the youth grades, trouncing Halswell 8 by a incredible 153 runs in their 25-over match on the artificial Westlake Reserve track. Daniel Gillespie hammered 56 and Ben Curgenven raced to 36 before having to mandatorily retire after facing 40 deliveries each as Saints scored at nearly eight an over in their total of 191/2. Curgenven and Mac Bolderston took two cheap wickets each to roll Halswell for a meagre 38 and keep the team's 100 percent record for the season.
The girls Super 8s team lost to Cathedral Grammar 6 by 13 runs while the two senior one-day girls club derby games went the way of the Gold and Red sides (beating the Blue and White teams by 83 runs and eight wickets respectively). Thanks to Geoff Soper for photographs from the Red v White match.
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| St Albans Red player Hayley Meads bowls under the watchful eye of St Albans White coach/umpire Alice Forbes | St Albans Red batsman Ashley Soper plays the ball behind square with authority (click to enlarge photos) |
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Premier men's Twenty20 draw announced
November 2, 2006: St Albans will meet Burnside West University in the first round of the 2006/07 Eureka Trust Twenty20 knockout competition. The match will be hosted by Burnside at a date and time to be decided by the two sides but must be held before Sunday, November 19.
The winner will advance to the semi-finals where a random draw will determine their opposition from the other three first round winners. In the other matches Lancaster Park Woolston host defending champions Riccarton, Marist take on Old Boys Collegians and East Christchurch Shirley visit Sydenham. The semi-finals must be played by Sunday, December 3 and the final before Sunday, December 10.
Saints won the Plate competition in the inaugural season, beating Lancaster Park Woolston in an abbreviated finale in March thanks to Michael Davidson's barnstorming 105 off 52 balls. They lost their opening match by five runs to Sydenham to drop to the bottom half of the draw before qualifying for the Plate final with a one-wicket win over Old Boys Collegians.
St Albans players chosen for underage representative sides
November 1, 2006: St Albans Premier men's players Angus Bruce and Ben Langrope have been selected in the Christchurch Metro Under-19 team which will compete in the Canterbury regional under-19 tournament to be held at Ilam Fields from December 3-6. The pair are also part of a 24-man Canterbury Under-19 training squad who will prepare for the regional and national tournaments to be held in January. Joining the duo in both squads is Martin Kain, who played a two-day match for the Saints Premier team at the end of last season.
As many as 13 St Albans junior girls players have been chosen in teams to take part in the CJCA Christchurch regional tournament at Ilam Fields on the successive Sundays of November 5, 12 and 19. They have been named in either one of two development sides or two emerging sides. The players are: Hayley Meads, Ashley Soper, Lexi Walker (Tiffen Development); Shaylyn Collins, Natalie Cox, Anne Mackechnie, Kimberley Rattray (Hockley Development); Elsie Enoka, Casey Lloyd, Alyssa Sherriff, Roseanna Wilson, Harriett Wisker (Tiffen Emerging); Courtney Reid (Hockley Emerging).
The St Albans Cricket Club congratulates all of these players on their selection and wishes them all the best in their forthcoming tournaments.
Draw for Friday/Saturday, November 3-4, 2006
October 31, 2006: The draw sees the three morning grade men's teams completing two-dayers and no fewer than four of the eight men's sides taking on teams from East Christchurch Shirley this weekend. The President's grade men face a stern test in the form of the Easts Gold team, a peerless opponent in the last four seasons with a record of 73 wins, four losses and a tie, although they have already dropped a game this year. The four junior girls teams take on one another in derby matches on adjacent pitches. Note: The President's grade men's match against East Christchurch Shirley Gold is now being played at Burwood 2 instead of Clare 2.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Saints teams taste afternoon delight after morning sickness
October 28, 2006: It was tough going for the morning grade men's sides on Saturday but the five afternoon grade men's (and two women's) teams more than made up for that.
The Premier men are in a disastrous position at the halfway point in their two-dayer against East Christchurch Shirley. Handicapped by the absence of the ill Chris Harris and, soon afterwards, Stephen Cunis who rolled his ankle while bowling in the early overs, Saints were on the back foot right from the beginning. Last-minute secondments Jonathan Redfern and Graham Curgenven substituted for the pair admirably in the field for more than 50 overs each. Recent internationals Michael Papps (123 not out) and Craig McMillan (58) capitalised on a weakened opposition bowling attack and their class shone through with a 124-run stand for the third wicket. Papps and Darren Broom (40 not out) then blasted a further 96 runs in less than an hour to set up an imposing first innings total of 259/3 before declaring. Michael Davidson was the stand-out with the ball for Saints, bowling nearly half of all the pace overs with a respectable economy rate as well as taking two of the three wickets to fall. The reply got off to a promising start as Angus Bruce (29) and Dean Bermingham (17) put on 34 at the top of the order. What followed, however, was a spectacular collapse as Saints lost all 10 wickets for the addition of just 45 runs despite a belated appearance by the still-unwell Harris at No. 10. McMillan scythed through the middle-lower order with 6-17 off 9.1 overs, leaving the two openers as the only batsmen to reach double figures. Given a deficit of 180 runs Easts are almost certain to enforce the follow-on when play resumes next Saturday, leaving Saints a monumental task to escape the match with anything other than a convincing defeat.
The second grade men fared somewhat better against the same club, but outright victory is going to be similarly difficult to achieve. Chinaman bowler Adam Iyer starred with the ball, taking 5-73 despite a number of dropped catches off his bowling, though Easts still batted until shortly before tea to post 281/9 declared at Burwood 1. Joel Tratt ended the day unbeaten on 41 as Saints finished a respectable 118/4 at the close and with a strong batting line-up still to come. The follow-on mark is well within sight and if Saints negotiate it comfortably enough the match is likely to come down to a battle for first-innings points.
Third grade had their share of early morning dramas to attend to, thanks to late call-ups and University exams, but eventually had a fighting fit XI to combat keen rivals, the Sydenham Predators, in a re-match of Labour Day's one-day epic. Bevan Rich and Scott Bermingham dragged the side back from a poor start into a good position at 90/3 but a mini-collapse in the minutes leading up to the luncheon interval undid all the good work. Saints eventually stuttered to a disappointing 154 with Rich's 37 the only contribution over 20. The side battled hard in the field, keeping the Predators' run-rate under control despite a lack of wickets, thanks largely to Kevin Williams' demanding spell of 2-17 from 13 overs (his superb figures only tarnished by boundaries off his last two deliveries). Bermingham picked up three cheap wickets at the death as the Predators hunted quick runs. The deficit was kept to a manageable 26 but unfortunate nightwatchman Dave Guthrie suffered the indignity of being dismissed twice in a day in the final overs.
It was a completely different story for the afternoon grade men, trailblazing their way to a perfect record for the first time this season. The 'BBBBs' clung on in a tight match against Heathcote, defending 194/9 with grit at Hillsborough Domain. Murray Griffin, Nathan Tikao and Dean Read provided the bulk of the runs, though all three fell within one scoring shot of a 50. Graeme White bowled a parsimonious spell of 3-8 from eight overs and Scott Mason chipped in with three wickets likewise to bowl Heathcote out 17 runs short.
Fourth grade made it two wins in a row with a similarly tight win over Old Boys Collegians SNCC, though the final margin of 15 runs perhaps flattered their opposition a little. Barry Cox's 60 from the top of the order spearheaded the Saints innings and the five-pronged pace attack of Andy Bryant, Matt James, Matt Munro, Ben Young and Edward Winter took two wickets each to seal the victory.
There was nothing close about the remaining three results. Fifth grade crushed Old Boys Collegians SGC by 99 runs, Hayden Pipe spinning his way to 4-18 as Old Boys crumbled for 48 chasing a moderate target. Sixth grade enjoyed a helter-skelter match on the artificial pitch at Burnside Park, the match lasting barely 30 overs and completed by 3.30pm. Jamie Billings returned to the side with style, taking 4-15 as Burnside slogged their way to 98 all out in 13.2 overs. Saints didn't take too much longer than that to reach their target for the loss of just two wickets and maintain their perfect start to the season. The President's grade men bounced back from a disappointing result last week to convincingly beat the Sumner Misfits by six wickets. The Sumner side grafted their way to a dismal 134 for the loss of just five wickets in 40 overs, restricted in the main by medium-pacer Duncan Hutton and left-arm spinner Gareth Talbot who took 5-39 from 15 overs between them. Blair Clatworthy came out all guns blazing in reply, hammering a whirlwind 47 in partnership with Tim Holton to help knock off half the required runs in fewer than 10 overs.
The Premier women bucked the trend of the top men's teams, thrashing Old Boys Collegians-Country by 112 runs on Hagley 4, in what was their first match on a turf wicket this season. Hannah Rae top-scored with 72 and Rowan Milburn followed up last week's century with 63 as Saints racked up a very competitive total of 227/4. Lea Tahuhu was the chief destroyer with the ball, picking up career-best figures of 4-15 as Old Boys barely made it halfway to the target. The result makes it three from four for the leading women's side, sitting firmly in second place behind Lancaster Park Woolston.
The first grade women remain unbeaten after four matches as Sydenham Red defaulted to them and the third grade women blitzed Riccarton by eight wickets, rolling their opposition for just 46 as Sarah Gagliardi and Casey O'Brien-Smith shared figures of 6-5 from six overs between them.
The junior boys dispatched Medbury with ease to continue their impeccable debut season at the club thus far. It was a mixed bag for the junior girls teams, however, with the Super 8s and fourth grade Blue teams losing tight affairs, the White team losing comfortably and only the Gold side delivering a victory.
All-in-all a top day for St Albans with a record of 10 wins in 13 completed matches, including a perfect eight from eight in adult grades. The onus firmly switches back to the top three men's sides to turn around their two-day fortunes on the second day to keep up the good club record!
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v East Christchurch Shirley Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, October 27-28, 2006
October 24, 2006: Four grades have had adjustments in the number or identity of competing teams this week. The third grade men are now back to taking part in an eight-team competition after Sydenham Blue returned from the CSCA/CCA Senior B grade to take the place of the defaulted East Christchurch Shirley Gold side. Conversely, this means the Senior B team will now have a bye in their grade as the number of entries drops to nine. The fifth and sixth grade men's competitions now each have an even number of teams, eight and six respectively, after the Sydenham Cardinals dropped down from the former to the latter to right the imbalance in entries. The Premier women are on to turf wickets for the first time this season too, after playing the first three games of the season on artificial tracks in order to replicate conditions more akin to those found in representative games.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Saints women's teams lead the way
October 21, 2006: The top three women's teams in the club all had comprehensive victories to extend their successful starts to the season. The Premier women rebounded from a poor result against Lancaster Park Woolston a week earlier to knock up a commanding total of 270/8 against East Christchurch Shirley. Leading the way was Rowan Milburn, the club's second century-maker of the season, whose 105 fell four runs short of toppling team-mate Sarah Burke off the top of the ladder. The wickets were shared around as Easts never came close to challenging the target and Saints ran out winners by 114 runs to establish themselves in second place after the first completed round-robin of five in the one-day competition.
The first grade women maintained their unbeaten start to the season when they crushed Lancaster Park Woolston by eight wickets at Woolston Park. Kadion McDonald's 5-28 helped skittle Park for 95 and Monique Pettet's 43 ate up a large chunk of the required runs. The third grade women capably defended a total of 138 against Sydenham, with Sam Fitzsimon's innings of 53 proving the ultimate difference between the two sides - her score was the same as the eventual margin of victory. Both of the previously unbeaten senior one-day girls' sides, the Golds and the Reds, went down to opposition from Old Boys Collegians-Country but the White team experienced and exciting tie against Cathedral Grammar 3.
The men's side of the club was much more of a mixed bag. The Premier men stumbled in the morning as they searched for first innings points against Sydenham, managing to add just six of the 25 runs required before losing their last three wickets. Sydenham then ran up a breezy 183/5 to leave Saints a challenging target of 202 from a minimum of 41 overs. The quest never got off the ground after the loss of early wickets and in the end it was simply a matter of survival. When the eighth wicket fell at 111 with 4.1 overs remaining it looked dicey but Ben Langrope and Brad Smith negotiated the last few overs with aplomb, adding a quick 25 runs in doing so. With all four matches around town being drawn and the underdogs giving their more favoured opponents a stern challenge in most games it could shape as one of the most competitive Premier competitions in many years. The top-four/bottom-four split in late February means there will be plenty at stake in almost every match up until then.
The second grade men failed to dig themselves out of the big hole they found themselves in after the first day's play against Old Boys Collegians. Following on 119 runs behind on the first innings they fared little better second time around, reaching 144 thanks in the main to Julian Danby (40) and Craig Linton (39). Old Boys polished off the required 31 runs without loss to wrap the game up well before the tea break.
Third grade made hard work of putting away a severely depleted Riccarton team but got their act together well enough to bank a comfortable eight-wicket win shortly after tea. James Kilgour toiled manfully at the bowling crease to pick up 4-39 from 16.4 overs to contain Riccarton to 141. With 125 needed for victory a different batsman was promoted to open this time around but with similar results. Yorkshireman Jonathan Redfern's hockey-influenced technique came to the fore as he scooped, deflected and scythed more than half the needed runs in good time, ending up with an unbeaten 63. The bonus points gained from the win vaulted the side to the top of the ladder after the first round of their two-day competition.
The Senior B men easily accounted for New Brighton at Rawhiti Domain by 46 runs. Nathan Tikao (56) and the ever-consistent Danny McCarthy (41) led the way in the 'BBBBs' total of 211 while Murray Griffin's useful all-round contribution of 26 and 3-24 saw off the home team's challenge. Saints remain in outright second place, sitting snugly two points behind the Old Boys Collegians Cavaliers side.
The afternoon grade men's teams had an up-and-down day with two wins and two losses registered. Fourth grade broke their season duck with a breakthrough win, beating Sydenham by five wickets. The triumvirate of Ben Young, Matt Munro and Edward Winter took three cheap wickets each to dismiss Sydenham for just 97. Though the chase didn't exactly progress smoothly Munro finished the game off in style with a six to finish 26 not out. Sixth grade pulled together with an excellent team effort to beat Old Boys Collegians White by 58 runs. Six players scored at least 20 or took two wickets with the best being Nick Groves (21 and 2-7). In what was their first official competition match of the season the team showed the benefit of having two low-scoring warm-ups against the St Albans fifth grade side as they skilfully defended a middle-of-the-road total of 160.
Fifth grade suffered an on-field reverse at the hands of the powerful Lancaster Park Woolston Yaks team. The target of 215 always looked out of reach as no batsman managed to make 25. The final margin of 88 runs will give the ring-rusty perennial title contenders plenty of food for thought as to how much ground they have to make up on the other leading sides. The President's grade men suffered their first loss of the season in dispiriting fashion. After a superb all-round team bowling display kept Old Boys Collegians Blue to a paltry 101 and the top order then got off to a decent start, a comfortable victory was well on the cards. However, what followed was nothing short of a horrid collapse as the depleted Saints middle and lower order crumbled to a measly 72 all out, still a good 29 runs shy of the Old Boys total.
The junior boys team had another very good day in the park, beating Old Boys Collegians 20 by two wickets to make it three from three for the newly-formed team this season.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Current season averages for all teams:
[ Premier Men | 2nd Men | 3rd Men | Senior B Men | 4th Men | 5th Men | 6th Men | President's Men |
Premier Women | 1st Women | 3rd Women | Most Runs in One Grade | Most Wickets in One Grade ]
Draw for Friday/Saturday/Monday, October 20, 21 and 23, 2006
October 17, 2006: This week finally sees the fifth and sixth grade men's official campaigns get underway (touch wood) after defaults, cancellations and byes affected their first two weeks of the season. Likewise the third grade women's team may get on to the field for the first time after winning their opening game by default last week.
The Premier women play their last match on an artificial surface, to complete the first full round-robin of matches in their one-day competition, before switching to turf next week.
Unusually, the one Saints team who have a double-header this holiday weekend is the third grade men. After having never previously played on any day but a Saturday their extended playing programme means they have a one-dayer scheduled for Labour Day (Monday). The Premier men also have a one-day round on the Monday, but as luck would have it Saints have drawn the bye.
A significant milestone will also be brought up this weekend, with Chris Harris playing his 100th match for the Premier men's team. 'Harry' debuted for St Albans way back in 1987/88, 11 seasons earlier than the next longest-serving active team-mate. His 99 matches thus far consist of 56 two-dayers, 41 one-dayers and a Twenty20 match last season, for a career tally of 3302 runs (at an average of 38.85 including 6 centuries) and 206 wickets (at 12.82, economy rate 2.48).
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Tougher day at the office for Saints teams second time around
October 14, 2006: It was back down to earth for some sides on Saturday as they generally faced harder opposition than in the opening week's matches when 10 wins and just four losses were recorded. This time around there were six wins, four losses, a tie, a couple of two-dayers in the balance and another with Saints in a fair amount of strife.
The Premier men face an interesting battle for first-innings points after ending the first day of their match with Sydenham trailing by 24 runs with three wickets in hand. Sydenham were reduced to 86/7 soon after lunch, thanks in the main to some fine seam bowling from Michael Davidson and Stephen Cunis. Number 9 batsman Sunnie Chan launched a counter-attack, scoring 64 of the next 79 runs at better than run-a-ball pace before succumbing to debutant chinaman bowler Adam Iyer, who took the last three wickets to fall. Saints were soon in trouble at 34/3 but Dean Bermingham, Neil Cross and latterly Aaron Johnstone batted gamely in increasingly tricky seeing conditions to bring the match back to even-stevens.
The second grade men found it tough going against a strong Old Boys Collegians line-up. Leg-spinner Craig Linton swept through the middle-lower order in an impressive spell of 5-21 to contain Old Boys to 212. However, none of the Saints batsmen could build on a number of starts and the side eventually fell 20 runs short of avoiding the follow-on, leaving them plenty of work to save the match next Saturday.
Third grade had a re-match with Riccarton but soon found the opposition batting wasn't going to fold anywhere near as readily as it did the week before. However, the bowlers stuck to their task and by restricting the run-flow the resultant pressure caused the last eight wickets to fall for 74 runs. Promoted No. 11 Dave Guthrie excelled as an opening batsmen, lasting nearly 30 overs at the crease. His 48 was easily the top score of the innings and a career-high (previous best: 27). The remaining batsmen struggled for momentum, with first-innings points only sealed with two overs remaining before the compulsory 50-over declaration. Three cheap wickets before the close of play ensured the advantage lay with Saints going into day two.
The Senior B men took part in their second exciting contest in as many weeks, but this time not quite able to come up trumps. Southern Districts set a competitive target of 197 on a decent Waltham Park track and despite handy contributions from Danny McCarthy (48) and Dean Read (32) the 'BBBBs' were up against it. The ninth wicket fell with still 20 runs required but last pair Scott Mason and Graham Curgenven fought galliantly to take the match right down to the wire. In a spectacular finish, Mason struck a six to level the scores in the penultimate over but was dismissed next ball, forcing Saints to share the points.
The new-look fourth grade men continued their early-season struggle, being hammered to the tune of 325 runs in 40 overs by Parklands 11 on their artificial home track. Selwyn Cox (64 not out) and Andy Bryant (51) added 86 for the ninth wicket to add some much-needed respectability to the reply but the team were still 107 runs adrift at the denouement. The fifth and sixth grade sides had another tight contest in their friendly re-match with the underdogs coming up trumps this time around. The sixth graders battled hard to chase a low target of 99, eventually getting the runs for the loss of seven wickets to record their first win in four meetings against their more fancied club rivals. The President's grade men made it two-from-two thanks once again to the batting powers of Tim Holton (87 not out) and Jonathan Price (46) as they chased down 178 against East Christchurch Shirley Blue.
The Premier women were unable to follow up last week's success, being comfortably dispatched by perennial competition heavyweights Lancaster Park Woolston. LPW cruised to the target with plenty of overs and wickets in hand. The first grade women won their second game on the trot as Awhina Matthews-Egnot and Mel Reid shared seven cheap wickets between them to dismiss Old Boys Collegians-Country Gold for 103. Kara Cunis' unbeaten 45 lead them to victory with ease.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Sydenham Scorecard]
Draw for Friday/Saturday, October 13-14, 2006
October 10, 2006: This week sees the two-day Trophy campaigns get underway for the Premier, second and third grade men's sides. It also marks the first round of play for the girls' Super 8s team and the third grade women.
This Saturday would have also been the official playing start for the fifth and sixth grade men's sides, however a quirk in the draw has meant both sides ended up with the bye at the same time. This comes after the fifths were defaulted to last week and the sixths had their match cancelled due to the weather causing a lack of available pitches. This Saturday they will face each other again, in a friendly re-match (on a turf wicket this time), with sixth grade keen to avenge their close loss on an artificial wicket last Saturday.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Saints teams mostly off to successful start to brand new season
October 7, 2006: St Albans kicked off the 2006/07 season with a comfortable majority of teams ending up on the 'win' side of the ledger.
The Premier men exemplified the famous never-say-die Golden Lion spirit, recovering from being bowled out by Riccarton for 117 to reply in kind by knocking over their Hagley Oval neighbours for just 83. Saints player of the day Stephen Cunis produced a valuable double with 28 runs, the only score over 20 in the match, and 3-26 with the ball. Chris Harris gave nothing away at the bowling crease, picking up two wickets while conceding a miserly 13 runs from his 10 overs. Michael Davidson and Richard Hooper rounded out the four-pronged attack by sharing the other five wickets.
The second grade men went down by four wickets to Sydenham despite Kim Smythe's all-round effort of 64 and 2-32. After a promising start which saw them reach 103/1 the wheels came off somewhat. The Sydenham spinners tied them up and the last four wickets fell in quick succession, leaving Saints with a middle-of-the-road score of 180. Though Saints remained largely in with a show, an explosive burst from one Sydenham batsman proved decisive in the end result.
Third grade got off to a considerably better start, however, demolishing last year's one-day competition winners Riccarton by a whopping 200 runs. Two of their five debutants, Ben Fair (a classy 91) and Dean Marsh (a steady hand worth 57), prospered with the bat in a total of 230/5, which was worth closer to 300 in more batsman-friendly conditions. The heavy Hospital Corner outfield regularly reduced fours into singles, a fact no better exemplified than by Fair's first five boundaries all being sixes. Bryce Hackett then produced an unplayable spell of swing bowling by taking 6-9 in 10 overs bowled straight through as Riccarton succumbed for a dismal 30 in 23.4 overs.
The 'BBBBs' showed characteristic grit to avoid a stumble against Hornby, emerging victors by three wickets. In a rematch of last season's finale between the top two CSCA/CCA Senior B (formerly first reserve grade) teams, the Saints bowlers produced a consistent effort to restrict Hornby to just 147/9 in their 45 overs. None of the top-order batsmen could convert their starts into sizeable scores but just as things threatened to swing in Hornby's favour Roger Ford and Scott Mason kept their cool to guide them to the target. Ford was their player of the day with a match-sealing unbeaten 26 adding to tidy figures of 3-33 from nine overs earlier.
The afternoon men's grades had mixed fortunes after a somewhat disrupted build-up. A rebuilt fourth grade men's side struggled to make an immediate impact, being dismissed for 72 by the Riccarton Hogs. Thirty or 40 more runs may have made for a tight contest given the difficult batting conditions but, as it was, the defending champions comfortably won by seven wickets. The fifth and sixth grade men faced off in a friendly after the former won their scheduled match against Burnside Gold by default and the latter's match was cancelled due to some grounds being withdrawn because they weren't up to scratch thanks to midweek rain. The two teams were fairly evenly matched - the fifth graders ensured their pride wasn't dented, hanging on to win by 19 runs. For the President's men Jonathan Price (60) and Tim Holton (56) combined well in a facile seven-wicket win over Burnside West University.
The Premier women too got off to an encouraging start as they defeated Old Boys Collegians-Country in a tight match. The club's first century of the season came early as Sarah Burke cashed in on the artificial surface at the Polo grounds for an unbeaten 108. Saints' handy total of 213/7 came close to being hunted down by OBCC but Burke and Amy Satterthwaite did the business with the ball to stop them 15 runs short. The freshly merged first grade women's side (formerly Blue and Gold teams) clung on to beat last season's runners-up and closest rivals Sydenham by three wickets chasing 88.
All the junior teams were either on the right or wrong side of extremely convincing margins of victory. The new junior boys team started in most impressive fashion in winning by 68 runs. Zac Solomon, Shuaib Ahmed and Daniel Gillespie combined to take 6-4 in 8.2 overs between them as they bundled out Halswell for 38. The junior girls Gold and Red teams enjoyed big wins but the Blue and White sides suffered equally emphatic losses.
[Results Summary for St Albans Teams]
[Premier Men v Riccarton Scorecard]
Revised draw and men's team lists for Saturday, October 7, 2006
October 6, 2006: Due to withdrawal of Ilam Fields pitch No's 3, 4, 5 and 6 and Barnett Park, all sixth grade men's matches have been cancelled. The Premier women's match against Old Boys Collegians-Country has been moved to Polo 3(a) and the first grade Gold women's match against Sydenham Red has been shifted to Hospital Corner 5(a). The fifth grade men have been defaulted to by their Burnside West University Gold opponents, and will now take part in a competitive warm-up match against the Saints sixth grade team on Hospital Corner 4(a). The men's team lists for the first round of matches have also been released.
There are now 14 St Albans teams involved on the first day of the season, with the third grade women and the girls' Super 8s (and now fifth and sixth grade men) beginning their competitions next week. The number of teams is up considerably on last season due to the addition of three fourth grade Senior Traditional girls' sides, the girls' Super 8s team and, for the first time in 17 years, a junior boys team. All teams are playing a limited-overs game to kick off their season.
[Full Draw for St Albans Teams]
[St Albans Men's Team Lists]
Saints cap fine Opening Day with convincing win over Wellington guests
September 30, 2006: The 2006/07 season got off in fine style for St Albans as a top men's selection XI accounted for the visiting Upper Valley side by 61 runs on the Hagley Oval No. 4 ground.
The annual 45-over fixture began in fine conditions and Saints started slowly but steadily as they built a solid foundation around 18-year-old Angus Bruce's patient innings of 53 at the top of the order. Michael Davidson gave the innings some punch as the overs began to run out, striking five fours and four sixes on his way to an unbeaten 61 off just 38 balls. Davidson has fond memories of this opposition, after having also scored a match-winning century (including 11 sixes) in the corresponding fixture two years ago. His innings helped boost St Albans to a competitive total of 171/5 in relatively bowler-friendly conditions.
The Upper Valley reply was rocked early by a quick double-strike from chinaman bowler Adam Iyer. The English overseas amateur player bowled a full complement of nine overs as first-change, conceding only 17 runs. Representative players Matthew Bell (44) and Michael Parlane (22) did their best to resurrect the chase but the sixth bowler used, left-arm medium quick Richard Hooper, put an end to the contest in emphatic fashion. After conceding nine runs from his opening over Hooper tore through the visitors' line-up, including the two danger men, to end up with figures of 6-21 off 7.4 overs. Overseas professional Luke Piper showed early signs of his all-round versatility by donning the gloves in the absence of regular 'keeper Aaron Johnstone. Piper effected a sharp stumping and a fine diving catch to go with his handy 20 with the bat earlier in the day.
The win under stand-in skipper Neil Cross means St Albans reclaim the "Embers" trophy they lost last year and extends their lead to 4-2 in the contest's short history.
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| Richard Hooper takes his sixth wicket and clinches victory for St Albans by having Upper Valley No. 11 batsman Michael Cornish chop the ball on to his stumps first ball | Stand-in skipper Neil Cross with "The Embers" trophy wrested back off the Upper Valley side | Jonathan Hanson lofts a six over midwicket to seal a penultimate-ball win for the President's grade team against the fourth grade side |
A second warm-up match took place on the nearby Polo 1 ground, between the President's and fourth grade selection sides. The abbreviated 28-over match proved to be a tight affair, with the President's team coming back from the dead to pinch a two-wicket win with one ball to spare.
A number of newcomers impressed in the game, with Marlborough imports Chris Gibb (35) and Matt Munro (33) standing out with the bat in the fourth grade's innings of 95 all out. This total was worth many more given the jungle-like outfield made boundary-scoring no easy feat. Blair Clatworthy wrapped up the innings with tidy figures of 3-6 off 2.4 overs which complemented a useful haul of four catches in the field.
In reply the President's side slumped to 40/5 in a sluggish 19 overs. Needing better than run-a-ball to win, guest player Jonathan Hanson lashed out at the death after initially accumulating an 18-run picket fence. He finished the match in style, lofting a six over midwicket to clinch victory, ending on 33 not out.
Overall the Opening Day was a top success on a lovely, calm spring afternoon. Besides the two practice games that took place a number of players, new and old, took advantage of the fine conditions to test themselves in the turf nets for the first time in over six months. Following the net sessions the season was officially opened by the oldest living member of the club, Charles Collins. The sprightly 92-year-old life member's succinct words were very warmly received by a lively crowd gathered upstairs in the pavilion.
There was also a special presentation for current president Alan Jamieson, who last season announced his retirement from the playing side of the club after 41 years. During this time Alan notched up an incredible number of milestones, including over 500 matches, 7000 runs and 1260 wickets. Starting in 1965 he bowled over 40,000 deliveries for the club, which means he covered more than 500km just running into the crease over the years! Despite taking 20 six-wicket bags in all, he had to wait 36 years for his one and only hat-trick, achieved in 2001/02. He captained teams in 29 seasons, including during the last 27 years consecutively, leading them to grade victories on a remarkable 11 occasions. Given the fact he currently sits poised on 299 wickets for the President's grade side, the allure of the mini-milestone may prove too tempting to ignore and we may still see a cameo appearance or two from the old master at some stage during the season.
[St Albans v Upper Valley Scorecard]
[Alan Jamieson - Playing Career in Numbers]
Premier, second and third grade men's and Premier women's draws released
September 22, 2006: The 2006/07 draws for the top three men's teams and the Premier women have been announced by the Canterbury Cricket Association. All the men's sides will take part in eight-team two-day competitions this season as a result of club cricket being restructured.
Sydenham (promoted from first grade) return to the fold while Marist (relegated from Premiers) and Burnside West University (first grade) both gaining a reprieve in the top grade. The Premier men's one-day competition again features nine teams, with Canterbury Country joining in.
Second grade sees a culling of three of last season's 11 entries, with Old Boys Collegians and East Christchurch Shirley losing their 'B' teams while Southern Districts have returned to their Suburban competition roots.
Third grade mirrors the other two with the exception that Marist receive a one-season exemption from having to form a third tier side, with a second East Christchurch Shirley team taking its place for 2006/07 only. Sydenham and Burnside West University lose their secondary teams from this grade. This grade also features Sunday and Monday games for the first time. They will play back-to-back double-header weekends upon resuming a week later than the top two grades in the New Year.
The season begins with a one-day round on October 7 while the two-day competitions begin the following week. All two-day competitions will employ a top-four/bottom-four format at the conclusion of the initial round-robin phase. The one-day competition features semi-finals (1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd) and a final in early March.
There are four days' play scheduled for non-Saturdays for the Premier men (Monday, October 23 - Labour Day; Sunday, November 19 - Show Weekend; Sunday, January 14; Sunday, January 21), though they have the bye on the first of these. There is also the possibility of Sunday play on February 18 and March 4 should the side qualify for the one-day semis/final. They will also take part in a midweek Twenty20 knockout competition.
For the first time in half a dozen years the Premier women play no two-dayers this season. In its place is an extra round-robin of one-day cricket (five in all now, 15 matches) plus by a new Super 8s competition to be played either side of the mid-season break. This grade's resumption in the New Year is delayed two weeks in order to accommodate the provincial State League competition. All matches start at 11am except for Super 8s and Twenty20 which begin at 1pm.
| Dates | PremM | 2ndM | 3rdM | PremW |
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| 07 Oct 2006 | Ricc (Hag 3) | Syd (Syd 1) | Ricc (HC 3) | OBCC (Elm 3a) |
| 14 Oct 2006 | Syd (Hag 1) | OBC (Hag 6) | Ricc (HC 2) | LPW (Polo 4a) |
| 21 Oct 2006 | Syd (Hag 1) | OBC (Hag 6) | Ricc (HC 2) | ES (Polo 4a) |
| 23 Oct 2006+ | bye | - | Syd Predators (Syd 2) | - |
| 28 Oct 2006 | ES (Hag 1) | ES (Bwd 1) | Syd Predators (Syd 2) | OBCC (Hag 4) |
| ||||
| 04 Nov 2006 | ES (Hag 1) | ES (Bwd 1) | Syd Predators (Syd 2) | LPW (Gar 2) |
| 11 Nov 2006 | LPW (Gar 1) | LPW (Hag 6) | ES Gold (HC 1) | ES (Hag 4) |
| 18 Nov 2006 | LPW (Gar 1) | LPW (Hag 6) | ES Gold (HC 1) | OBCC (Hag 4) |
| 19 Nov 2006* | Syd (Syd 1) | - | - | - |
| 25 Nov 2006 | OBC (Hag 1) | LPW (Hag 6) | ES Budgies (Clare 1) | LPW (Gar 2) |
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| 02 Dec 2006 | Mar (Mid 1) | ES (Bwd 1) | OBC (HC 1) | ES (Bwd 2) |
| 09 Dec 2006 | Mar (Hag 1) | Mar (Mid 1) | LPW (HC 3) | OBCC (Hag 4) |
| 16 Dec 2006 | Mar (Hag 1) | Mar (Mid 1) | LPW (HC 3) | LPW (Gar 2) |
| 23 Dec 2006 | ES (Bwd 1) | BWU (Hag 1) | ES Gold (Bwd 2) | ES (Hag 4) |
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| 06 Jan 2007 | BWU (Burn 1) | BWU (Hag 1) | - | - |
| 13 Jan 2007 | BWU (Burn 1) | BWU (Hag 1) | BWU (Burn 2) | - |
| 14 Jan 2007* | LPW (Gar 1) | OBC (Elm 1) | BWU (Burn 2) | - |
| 20 Jan 2007 | BWU (Hag 1) | Mar (Mid 1) | LPW (Gar 2) | OBCC (Elm 1) |
| 21 Jan 2007* | CC (Hag 1) | Ricc (Hag 3) | BWU (HC 2) | - |
| 27 Jan 2007 | Ricc (Hag 3) | Ricc (Hag 6) | OBC (HC 1) | LPW (Gar 2) |
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| 03 Feb 2007 | Ricc (Hag 3) | Ricc (Hag 6) | OBC (HC 1) | - |
| 10 Feb 2007 | OBC (Hag 1) | Syd (Syd 2) | ES Budgies (Bwd 2) | ES (Hag 4) |
| 17 Feb 2007 | OBC (Hag 1) | Syd (Syd 2) | ES Budgies (Bwd 2) | OBCC (Elm 1) |
| 24 Feb 2007 | TBA | TBA | TBA | LPW (Hag 4) |
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| 03 Mar 2007 | TBA | TBA | TBA | ES (Bwd 2) |
| 10 Mar 2007 | TBA | TBA | TBA | ES (Hag 4) |
| 17 Mar 2007 | TBA | TBA | TBA | LPW (Gar 2) |
| 24 Mar 2007 | TBA | TBA | TBA | OBCC (Elm 1) |
| 31 Mar 2007 | TBA | TBA | TBA | - |
| ||||
Key:
Match types: Two-day, One-day, Super 8s, Twenty20
Dates: * = Sunday match, + = Monday match
Venues: Burn (Burnside Park), Bwd (Burwood Park), Clare (Clare Park), Elm (Elmwood Park), Gar (Garrick Park), HC (Hospital Corner), Hag (Hagley Oval), Mid (Middleton Park), Polo (Polo Grounds), Syd (Sydenham Park)
Venue type: (a) signifies artificial pitch
Helen Watson joins club for 2006/07 season
September 18, 2006: Former St Albans Premier women's player Helen Watson has come back to play for her old club this season.
Watson, who has returned to the city after a six-year stint in Auckland, played nine matches for Saints in 1999/00, scoring 277 runs at an average of 30.78 and chipping in with four wickets.
The 34-year-old will bring vast experience to the Premier women's team, having played in 80 State League matches for Canterbury and Auckland since the competition began in 1998/99. Watson has also gained national honours on 41 occasions since her debut in 1998/99.
Her most memorable moment as a New Zealand White Fern no doubt came in the CricInfo Women's World Cup at Lincoln in December 2000, when she pulled off two stunning direct-hit run outs to help clinch a thrilling final victory over Australia by four runs.
Watson, along with fellow Saints player Sarah Burke, has just been named in the White Ferns team to take on Australia in Brisbane next month. The tour consists of a Twenty20 International before contesting the Rose Bowl in five One-Day Internationals.
New junior boys section at St Albans announced
August 30, 2006: The St Albans Cricket Club is pleased to announce that a new Junior Boys' Section will be started this season.
This is a great opportunity for junior boys to join Christchurch's premier club. Initially (this year) we intend to have at least two teams for Year 6/7 boys, expanding next year to include a wider range of age groups.
If you are keen to join our club, or would like further information, please contact our junior convener Graham Curgenven at
Successful club Annual General Meeting held
August 1, 2006: The 2005/06 annual report and accounts were presented at the 102nd St Albans Cricket Club AGM at Trevino's Restaurant and Bar in Riccarton last evening.
The many members of the club present firstly observed a moment's silence out of respect for the passing of a number of former club members during the last 12 months before proceedings began. A brief review of the previous season from president Alan Jamieson covered the various individual and team achievements during 2005/06, though also noted that the club as a whole found it a hard act to follow up the outstanding success that was the centenary season which preceded it.
A motion was passed that subscriptions for 2006/07 will be kept at the same levels as last season, while a minor amendment to the club's constitution to allow for a more flexible auditing process in future was also accepted.
Thanks were given to outgoing members of the club's executive and committee, in the form of secretary Grant Penlington, men's club captain and bar manager Tony Falloon and committee members Mel Reid and Amy Satterthwaite. Nominations were then taken and those elected in their place were newcomer Kara Cunis (formerly Goodacre) in the role of secretary, while Duane Pettet (men's club captain) and Matt Sutherland (bar manager) have made the transition from the general committee to executive positions. Last season's club personalities of the year Neil and Mary Cross were also welcomed on to the general committee.
[2006/07 Club Executive and Committee]
St Albans Cricket Club 2005/06 Annual Report
 Click to view or right-click to download (1.07MB) |
Contained within this season's 108-page publication are the following:
- 2005/06 Officers
- Obituaries
- President's report
- Men's Club Captain's report
- Women's Club Captain's report
- Top individual performances
- Final points tables
- Team reports and averages
- Club records
- Treasurer's report
- St Albans Cricket Club constitution
Past annual reports and the centennial book are now also available (click to view or right-click to download):
- 2003/04 Annual Report (852kB)
- 2004/05 Annual Report (1.11MB)
- Centennial Book (1.91MB)
Note: you need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view these files. If you don't already have it installed on your machine click here to download setup file.
Former club member Kim Jamieson passes away
July 17, 2006: It is with great sadness that we announce that former club member Kimberley (Kim) Jamieson-Carroll, daughter of Alan and Jill and sister to Megan, passed away on Thursday evening at 8.45pm.
Kim joined St Albans in 1992/93 and played until 2001/02, a total of 10 seasons and more than 130 games for the club. She started in the Senior Traditional girls team for her first two seasons before going on to be a key member of the third grade women's team that won their grade emphatically three seasons in a row.
Kim then skippered the second grade Gold women's team to success in 1997/98 and went on to play a total of 33 games for the Premier women's team (having already debuted at a very young age back in 1996/97).
Kim regularly made Canterbury underage representative teams, being a member of the Under-14s for three successive years, then the Under-17s for three further seasons and was captain in five of the six teams she was chosen for.
Kim was a great party girl and was one of the key organisers of the club social scene in the late '90s.
Kimberley's funeral was held at the Academy Funeral Home in Upper Riccarton on Wednesday, July 19.